Right, review answer time:
witchfire37: Thanks a lot for your review! Glad you like the new chapters!
sil: Thanks for the review, glad it appealed to your sense of humour! =)
g3tog4 unlogon: Wow! Didn't know that the last chapter was that funny! Thanks for the review!
Anne (dancing_elg@yahoo.dk): Thanks for the review! And Harry's wings will come out soon enough...
eriee: glad you liked the betting! Thanks a lot for the review.
Drownin' in my Tears: I'm really glad you like it! Thanks for the review.
shdurrani: Thanks a lot for the review.
jeangab057: Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it.
Melwasul: The tiger makes an appearance in this chapter! Thanks for the review and I'll try to keep updating.
Anonymous: So glad you like Rosie again! Thanks so much for the review and I'm really glad you liked the chapter. It's a very good idea about being able to contact and make a deal with the demon thing inside of them. At the moment Harry can unleash the demons power but he can't control it and it only comes when he's really angry, so I've taken that into account for this chapter. Thanks for the review!
Chapter Nine:
Ron stomped down to the kitchen later on, determined to make as much noise as possible when walking down the stairs.
"Think he's in a bad mood?" Rosie wondered, as they to made their way to lunch.
Harry nodded. "Maybe we shouldn't have been so mean... But you have to admit, it was very funny."
Rosie grinned.
"Hurry up, every one. Lunch is getting cold, where on earth have you been?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Her back was facing them, and she seemed to be doing the dishes as well as buttering some bread.
As Harry grinned and opened his mouth ready to tell the story, Ron's eyes flashed dangerously. Wisely, Harry kept his mouth shut.
"Oh, never mind, just hurry up!" she snapped.
As Tonks, Lupin, Snape, McGonagall, and the rest sat down, Ron was determined to turn a blind eye to the happenings at the table.
"So I owe you five galleons, Tonks. Oh, you owe me one galleon, Lupin..."
Harry couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ron. It must be pretty awkward, sitting at the table while people around you exchanged galleons, sickles, and knuts.
"And, yes, yes. Harry... you owe me two galleons..."
Harry dutifully handed Fred two galleons.
Awww, look at Ron! Said Rosie in his head.
Harry glanced at where Ron sat. He was pouting and picking at his food , looking extremely miserable.
Hermione suddenly screamed, and half the table shot up and pointed their wands in different places around the room.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
She was panting heavily, and she was holding her right hand over her heart.
"Just... just that stupid bloody tiger..."
The Order members in the room slowly lowered their wands, looking a bit disappointed that they wouldn't be able to kick some Death Eater's butt and save some innocent little girl.
"Oh, I knew that we should have got rid of it! It's so unhygienic!" cried Mrs. Weasley shrilly, trying to bat the huge animal away with a rolled up Daily Prophet.
But the tiger seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it was being whacked over the head.
"Aren't we gonna name it or something?" asked Tonks.
"No! We certainly are not going to name it! We are going to get rid of it as soon as possible!"
"Well, in the meantime, why don't we name it?"
They stared at the tiger intently.
Tonks was mumbling under her breath. "... Billy...? No... Um... Bob...? No... It's a girl..."
The tiger seemed uncomfortable under so much scrutiny, so she edged away from their gazes and ended up taking refuge next to Harry.
"Awww... Look Harry! She likes you!" cooed Ginny, as the tiger sneakily stole Harry's chicken wing from his plate.
Tonks, who seemed rather bored, reached into her pocket and pulled out the muggle radio that she had bought a couple of days before.
"These things are genius!" She cried, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be finding a name for the tiger.
She flicked the switch. "Ooh! I LOVE this song!" she cried, before getting up to dance. It was Kelly Clarkson, The Trouble With Love.
"You have got to be kidding me..." mumbled Harry. Why were they selling muggle radios with muggle music in Diagon Alley?
"THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE IS..."
Tonks suddenly stopped. "Oh! Can we go to Diagon Alley today? I'm pretty sure you lot are supposed to be getting you're OWL results today. And I really want to get something else their selling at Diagon Alley. It's... TB... No, that's not it... TC? TG... Oh! TV! It's TV!"
"Wait a second!" said Harry, staring at Tonks, wide eyed. "They're selling televisions at Diagon Alley?"
Tonks nodded furiously. "And they're selling... erm... PBP's?"
Hermione frowned. "PBP's...? Oh!" Comprehension dawned on her face. "You mean DVD's!"
"That's the one!" Tonks shrieked.
Hermione frowned. "Why on earth are they selling muggle appliances at Diagon Alley?"
Harry shrugged.
"Wait a sec..." said Ron slowly, his face pale. "Did you just say we'd be getting our OWL results today?"
Tonks nodded.
"Oh no..." moaned Ron, his face falling into his mashed potatoes. "I'm doomed!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Ron, look, here they are now!"
Five owls soared through the chimney, dropped the letters on the table and flew back out.
"Hermione, you open yours first."
Hermione dove for her envelope. It was even worse with the Professors there. Snape and McGonagall was studying them intently. They knew what scores they had earned.
Hermione took a deep breath. After a while of studying the parchment, she dropped the letter with a shriek.
"I GOT FIFTEEN OWLS!" She cried, beaming.
"Top marks," said McGonagall, giving Hermione her rare smile. "Well, done, Miss. Granger,"
Positively beaming, she sat back down.
"Ron, you next," she said in a business-like tone.
Ron looked horrified. "You sure I have to open that?"
"Yes! Now open!"
With shaking fingers, Ron opened the envelope. His mouth dropped open. "Nine OWLs?" he whispered, and then broke into a grin.
"Oh, Ron! Well done!" cried Hermione, clapping her hands together.
"Failed Astronomy, Divination and History of Magic, that's to be expected..."
"Oh, Ron!" said Mrs. Weasley, catching her son in an embrace from behind. "Well done!"
"Your turn Harry." Said Ron, grinning.
Harry felt sick. He wouldn't get nearly as good as the other two... he would never become an Auror...
He searched Severus' face for any sign of how well he'd done. His face was blank. Damn him.
"Hurry up!"
Taking a deep breath, he opened the envelope.
Dear Mr. Potter,
These are your results from your OWL exams taken last year.
Charms:
Theory: O
Practical: E
Transfigurations:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Herbology:
Practical: E
Care of Magical Creatures:
Practical: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Potions:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Astronomy:
Theory: A
Practical: P
Divination:
Practical: P
History of Magic:
Theory: A
Total OWLs: Twelve
I congratulate you on your work Mr. Potter, as you have managed to get the needed grades for your career as an Auror.
Attached is the usual Hogwarts letter and booklists.
Deputy Headmistress,
Minerva McGonagall
***
Harry stared blankly at the parchment, his mouth open. Twelve OWLs... TWELVE! And he got an 'Outstanding' potions grade...
"Harry?" asked Hermione quietly, "How did you do?"
"Twelve..." he choked out. "Twelve bloody OWLs!"
"Harry!" cried Hermione, as she hugged him. "Well done! That's fantastic!"
Harry caught Severus' eye. He was smiling slightly at him...
"So does that mean we can go to Diagon Alley?" asked Tonks, grinning.
Mrs. Weasley sighed.
"Yes... yes... I guess so,"
"YAY!" cried Tonks, waving her muggle radio in the air. "Just a second! I've got to go and get ready!" And she dashed from the room.
"Erm... weren't we thinking of a name for the tiger?" asked Harry, the shock from his OWLs slowly dying down.
~ What's going on? ~ Hissed Azorath sleepily as he emerged from the neck of Harry's shirt.
~ Thinking of a name for the tiger. ~ Harry hissed back.
He nodded his head sleepily.
~ You got your eye Colour from your mother? ~ Azorath asked.
~ Yes. ~
~ And the tiger is female? ~
~ Yes. ~
~ What was your mother called? ~
~ Lily. Why? ~
~ Look at her eyes. ~
Harry looked down. The tiger's eyes were a replica of Harry's. A sparkling, emerald green.
~ See? So call her Lily. ~
"What's Azorath saying?" asked Hermione.
"He says to call her Lily because of the eyes."
All heads immediately turned towards Lily's eyes.
McGonagall nodded. "Yes... I see what you mean... Lily it is!"
(AN: I'm so sorry for the horrible cliché of calling the pet Lily... but hey, its my story!)
Tonks came stomping down the stairs. "Are we ready yet?" she asked crossly, stomping her foot to emphasise her point.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Yes, I guess we are. Are you coming?" She motioned to Snape, McGonagall and Remus.
They nodded. "Good. Ginny, Rosie, Harry, Ron and Hermione, take your booklists."
She took some floo powder. "I'll go first." She threw the powder into the hearth.
"Diagon Alley!" and she disappeared in a flash of green flames.
Harry went next.
"Here we are, let's wait for the others..." said Mrs. Weasley, brushing the soot off her robes.
Ron came next, then Hermione, Ginny, Tonks, the twins...
"Right, we all here? Good, now, we need to stick together-"
"Awww, mum!" said Fred and George. "We can't go every where with you!"
"B-But it's dangerous!"
"Molly, It'll be fine," Lupin assured her. "There will be Aurors swarming all over the place."
Slowly, she nodded. "But you be careful!" she warned. She looked at her watch.
"Meet here at three, understand?"
They left.
"We'll go to Flourish and Blots, first, just to get our books and stuff," said Hermione.
But as Harry went to follow them, a hand touched his shoulder. He turned around. It was just Severus.
He led him into an empty room to their left. He cast a silencing spell.
"You can catch up with them in a second. I just wanted to congratulate you on your marks. Very well done,"
Harry smiled at him. "Thanks... but you will have to spend another two years with me in your class..."
Severus smiled at him. "So you are going to carry on doing potions?"
Harry nodded.
"Good. Now I have an even bigger chance to take points from Gryffindor when I'm in a bad mood..."
"Oi! You can't do that!" exclaimed Harry, eyes wide.
Severus laughed. "Just watch me. Plus, I have an excuse to take it out on you now that you're my son." He grinned at him.
Jesus, he looked evil.
"Hurry up. Your friends will be waiting..." he nudged him towards the door.
At the door, Harry turned and smiled at him. "See you..." he murmured before turning and leaving.
He caught up with the others.
"There you are!" said Ginny, crossing her arms. "We were worried!"
"Sorry," said Harry, feeling happier than he had all summer. "Got caught up,"
She nodded. "Come on. As soon as we get our books, sooner we can do some better stuff."
Harry nodded and checked his book list.
"Do you know who our new Defence teacher is?" he asked Hermione.
"No... Hope Dumbledore chooses someone better than Umbridge," Hermione pulled a face. "She was horrible..."
Harry nodded and unconsciously rubbed the back of his hand, where 'I must not tell lies' was permanently scarred onto his skin.
They paid for their books.
"Where to?" asked Rosie, shielding her eyes from the sun as they stepped outside.
Ron shrugged.
"How about there?" Rosie said, pointing to a shop that they'd never noticed.
It was called 'Magical Objects from Around the World'.
"Let's go!" said Rosie, already half way there.
They ran to catch up.
"Looks a bit dodgy..." said Ron uncertainly. "Looks like it's supposed to be in Knockturn Alley,"
"Even better!" said Rosie, grinning.
It was dark inside, and the old man at the counter seemed pleasantly surprised to have customers in his shop.
"Hello," he drew out slowly. His voice was strangely clear for some one his age. "How can I help you?"
"Just looking!" said Rosie brightly.
Ron was right. It did seem like it would be better in Knockturn Alley.
There were all kinds of things. Crystal Balls, Pensieves, daggers...
Harry was busy examining the silver hilt of a rather exotic dagger when Rosie hissed, "Harry! Get over here!"
Harry stepped quietly over to her. She was examining a mirror. It had a black frame with blood red rubies scattered randomly around the frame.
"Listen!" said Rosie, holding up the tag attached to it so she could read it. "This mirror is used as a passage way into the mind. It is used for meditation, and balancing emotions in periods of great stress. Hold up the mirror and whisper 'pax' and you shall enter your mind. But the very first time you use it, you must look into the mirror, tap your wand into the glass once and then state your name, and only then can you enter. This makes sure that only you can use it."
Harry stared blankly at Rosie.
"And your point being...?"
"This is what we need!" she hissed at him. "It will help us control our other side!"
"But it says that only one person can use it. It says that after you state your name, only you can use it."
Rosie stared at him. "I never got you a birthday present," she said simply.
"But – you need to control it to!"
"Oh, I'm sure that's not the only thing used for meditation! I'll find something else!"
And before he could say another word, she strode off and bought it.
"Here," she said, thrusting it into his arms. "It's yours."
He smiled at her. "Thanks..."
"Put it in your bag. Don't let the others see it."
Harry nodded, thrusting the object into his bag.
"Oi! You lot, let's get out of here!" Ron was ushering them over to the door.
"Thank you for stopping by..." said the old man. Harry waved.
It was much more crowded. Harry felt that familiar stab of claustrophobia kicking in...
Harry closed his eyes.
"Lets go get an ice cream..."
Absently Harry nodded, opening his eyes again. As he walked forward, he absently waved his hand. A wizard who was about to walk into him veered violently to the left.
Harry smiled. He kept repelling anything that came to close to him, giving him a fair amount of space to walk.
Harry!
Guess Rosie noticed...
# Sorry! #
***
"Right! Every one here?" Mrs. Weasley demanded an hour later.
"Yes,"
"Oh, Molly?" It was Tonks. "You wouldn't mind if I stayed here just a while longer? You can go now, I'll be back in a minute..."
"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Weasley absently. "Now say it quietly, children... wouldn't want anyone over hearing our destination..." she glanced around her. "Now hurry..."
Harry landed with a thump at Grimmauld Place.
"Put your things upstairs," said Molly, already bustling around the kitchen.
"Wonder what Tonks is getting?" asked Ginny as they made their way to their bedrooms.
"A television and some DVD's probably..." said Hermione.
"I'M BACK EVERY ONE!" called a loud voice from downstairs.
"Tonks," they all muttered in unison.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS ALL THAT?" screamed Mrs. Weasley's voice.
They all glanced at one another and shot down the stairs. Tonks was carrying a huge cardboard box.
"It's a TV!" cooed Tonks, setting it down on the table. "Isn't it wonderful!"
She opened up the box and brought out a new, silver wide-screen TV.
"Oh! Look! AND I got some PBPs-"
"DVDs," cut in Hermione.
"Yes, that's the one, DVDs. Look! I got this one... Donnie Darko... and this one... its called The Sixth Sense... and this one... Finding Nemo. Oh, I wasn't sure what this one was, but I bought it anyway because I was curious-"
Hermione grabbed it off her. Slowly, Hermione began to blush.
"Tonks..." she said slowly, "This is a porn video..."
"Porn...? What's porn? Is it good? Can we watch it later?"
"Erm... no... porn isn't good at all..." she said slowly, now bright red.
"Oh," Tonks' face fell. "But what is porn? I might like it."
"Harry?" said Hermione, "Do you want to explain this?"
Harry blushed. "I... erm... got to go... really busy..." Harry caught sight of Severus. It was obvious Severus knew what porn was.
"But I think Professor Snape knows," said Harry slowly. Severus' head shot up. Harry smirked at him. "Yeah," Harry remembered his threat about taking points off Gryffindor very clearly now. "Yeah, Professor Snape is an expert on porn-"
"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, as Harry ducked his head and bolted from the kitchen, Hermione close behind.
"So," said Tonks, turning to Snape. "What exactly is porn?"
AN: He he. Weird, I know. Please review!
***
witchfire37: Thanks a lot for your review! Glad you like the new chapters!
sil: Thanks for the review, glad it appealed to your sense of humour! =)
g3tog4 unlogon: Wow! Didn't know that the last chapter was that funny! Thanks for the review!
Anne (dancing_elg@yahoo.dk): Thanks for the review! And Harry's wings will come out soon enough...
eriee: glad you liked the betting! Thanks a lot for the review.
Drownin' in my Tears: I'm really glad you like it! Thanks for the review.
shdurrani: Thanks a lot for the review.
jeangab057: Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it.
Melwasul: The tiger makes an appearance in this chapter! Thanks for the review and I'll try to keep updating.
Anonymous: So glad you like Rosie again! Thanks so much for the review and I'm really glad you liked the chapter. It's a very good idea about being able to contact and make a deal with the demon thing inside of them. At the moment Harry can unleash the demons power but he can't control it and it only comes when he's really angry, so I've taken that into account for this chapter. Thanks for the review!
Chapter Nine:
Ron stomped down to the kitchen later on, determined to make as much noise as possible when walking down the stairs.
"Think he's in a bad mood?" Rosie wondered, as they to made their way to lunch.
Harry nodded. "Maybe we shouldn't have been so mean... But you have to admit, it was very funny."
Rosie grinned.
"Hurry up, every one. Lunch is getting cold, where on earth have you been?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Her back was facing them, and she seemed to be doing the dishes as well as buttering some bread.
As Harry grinned and opened his mouth ready to tell the story, Ron's eyes flashed dangerously. Wisely, Harry kept his mouth shut.
"Oh, never mind, just hurry up!" she snapped.
As Tonks, Lupin, Snape, McGonagall, and the rest sat down, Ron was determined to turn a blind eye to the happenings at the table.
"So I owe you five galleons, Tonks. Oh, you owe me one galleon, Lupin..."
Harry couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ron. It must be pretty awkward, sitting at the table while people around you exchanged galleons, sickles, and knuts.
"And, yes, yes. Harry... you owe me two galleons..."
Harry dutifully handed Fred two galleons.
Awww, look at Ron! Said Rosie in his head.
Harry glanced at where Ron sat. He was pouting and picking at his food , looking extremely miserable.
Hermione suddenly screamed, and half the table shot up and pointed their wands in different places around the room.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
She was panting heavily, and she was holding her right hand over her heart.
"Just... just that stupid bloody tiger..."
The Order members in the room slowly lowered their wands, looking a bit disappointed that they wouldn't be able to kick some Death Eater's butt and save some innocent little girl.
"Oh, I knew that we should have got rid of it! It's so unhygienic!" cried Mrs. Weasley shrilly, trying to bat the huge animal away with a rolled up Daily Prophet.
But the tiger seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it was being whacked over the head.
"Aren't we gonna name it or something?" asked Tonks.
"No! We certainly are not going to name it! We are going to get rid of it as soon as possible!"
"Well, in the meantime, why don't we name it?"
They stared at the tiger intently.
Tonks was mumbling under her breath. "... Billy...? No... Um... Bob...? No... It's a girl..."
The tiger seemed uncomfortable under so much scrutiny, so she edged away from their gazes and ended up taking refuge next to Harry.
"Awww... Look Harry! She likes you!" cooed Ginny, as the tiger sneakily stole Harry's chicken wing from his plate.
Tonks, who seemed rather bored, reached into her pocket and pulled out the muggle radio that she had bought a couple of days before.
"These things are genius!" She cried, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be finding a name for the tiger.
She flicked the switch. "Ooh! I LOVE this song!" she cried, before getting up to dance. It was Kelly Clarkson, The Trouble With Love.
"You have got to be kidding me..." mumbled Harry. Why were they selling muggle radios with muggle music in Diagon Alley?
"THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE IS..."
Tonks suddenly stopped. "Oh! Can we go to Diagon Alley today? I'm pretty sure you lot are supposed to be getting you're OWL results today. And I really want to get something else their selling at Diagon Alley. It's... TB... No, that's not it... TC? TG... Oh! TV! It's TV!"
"Wait a second!" said Harry, staring at Tonks, wide eyed. "They're selling televisions at Diagon Alley?"
Tonks nodded furiously. "And they're selling... erm... PBP's?"
Hermione frowned. "PBP's...? Oh!" Comprehension dawned on her face. "You mean DVD's!"
"That's the one!" Tonks shrieked.
Hermione frowned. "Why on earth are they selling muggle appliances at Diagon Alley?"
Harry shrugged.
"Wait a sec..." said Ron slowly, his face pale. "Did you just say we'd be getting our OWL results today?"
Tonks nodded.
"Oh no..." moaned Ron, his face falling into his mashed potatoes. "I'm doomed!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Ron, look, here they are now!"
Five owls soared through the chimney, dropped the letters on the table and flew back out.
"Hermione, you open yours first."
Hermione dove for her envelope. It was even worse with the Professors there. Snape and McGonagall was studying them intently. They knew what scores they had earned.
Hermione took a deep breath. After a while of studying the parchment, she dropped the letter with a shriek.
"I GOT FIFTEEN OWLS!" She cried, beaming.
"Top marks," said McGonagall, giving Hermione her rare smile. "Well, done, Miss. Granger,"
Positively beaming, she sat back down.
"Ron, you next," she said in a business-like tone.
Ron looked horrified. "You sure I have to open that?"
"Yes! Now open!"
With shaking fingers, Ron opened the envelope. His mouth dropped open. "Nine OWLs?" he whispered, and then broke into a grin.
"Oh, Ron! Well done!" cried Hermione, clapping her hands together.
"Failed Astronomy, Divination and History of Magic, that's to be expected..."
"Oh, Ron!" said Mrs. Weasley, catching her son in an embrace from behind. "Well done!"
"Your turn Harry." Said Ron, grinning.
Harry felt sick. He wouldn't get nearly as good as the other two... he would never become an Auror...
He searched Severus' face for any sign of how well he'd done. His face was blank. Damn him.
"Hurry up!"
Taking a deep breath, he opened the envelope.
Dear Mr. Potter,
These are your results from your OWL exams taken last year.
Charms:
Theory: O
Practical: E
Transfigurations:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Herbology:
Practical: E
Care of Magical Creatures:
Practical: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Potions:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Astronomy:
Theory: A
Practical: P
Divination:
Practical: P
History of Magic:
Theory: A
Total OWLs: Twelve
I congratulate you on your work Mr. Potter, as you have managed to get the needed grades for your career as an Auror.
Attached is the usual Hogwarts letter and booklists.
Deputy Headmistress,
Minerva McGonagall
***
Harry stared blankly at the parchment, his mouth open. Twelve OWLs... TWELVE! And he got an 'Outstanding' potions grade...
"Harry?" asked Hermione quietly, "How did you do?"
"Twelve..." he choked out. "Twelve bloody OWLs!"
"Harry!" cried Hermione, as she hugged him. "Well done! That's fantastic!"
Harry caught Severus' eye. He was smiling slightly at him...
"So does that mean we can go to Diagon Alley?" asked Tonks, grinning.
Mrs. Weasley sighed.
"Yes... yes... I guess so,"
"YAY!" cried Tonks, waving her muggle radio in the air. "Just a second! I've got to go and get ready!" And she dashed from the room.
"Erm... weren't we thinking of a name for the tiger?" asked Harry, the shock from his OWLs slowly dying down.
~ What's going on? ~ Hissed Azorath sleepily as he emerged from the neck of Harry's shirt.
~ Thinking of a name for the tiger. ~ Harry hissed back.
He nodded his head sleepily.
~ You got your eye Colour from your mother? ~ Azorath asked.
~ Yes. ~
~ And the tiger is female? ~
~ Yes. ~
~ What was your mother called? ~
~ Lily. Why? ~
~ Look at her eyes. ~
Harry looked down. The tiger's eyes were a replica of Harry's. A sparkling, emerald green.
~ See? So call her Lily. ~
"What's Azorath saying?" asked Hermione.
"He says to call her Lily because of the eyes."
All heads immediately turned towards Lily's eyes.
McGonagall nodded. "Yes... I see what you mean... Lily it is!"
(AN: I'm so sorry for the horrible cliché of calling the pet Lily... but hey, its my story!)
Tonks came stomping down the stairs. "Are we ready yet?" she asked crossly, stomping her foot to emphasise her point.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Yes, I guess we are. Are you coming?" She motioned to Snape, McGonagall and Remus.
They nodded. "Good. Ginny, Rosie, Harry, Ron and Hermione, take your booklists."
She took some floo powder. "I'll go first." She threw the powder into the hearth.
"Diagon Alley!" and she disappeared in a flash of green flames.
Harry went next.
"Here we are, let's wait for the others..." said Mrs. Weasley, brushing the soot off her robes.
Ron came next, then Hermione, Ginny, Tonks, the twins...
"Right, we all here? Good, now, we need to stick together-"
"Awww, mum!" said Fred and George. "We can't go every where with you!"
"B-But it's dangerous!"
"Molly, It'll be fine," Lupin assured her. "There will be Aurors swarming all over the place."
Slowly, she nodded. "But you be careful!" she warned. She looked at her watch.
"Meet here at three, understand?"
They left.
"We'll go to Flourish and Blots, first, just to get our books and stuff," said Hermione.
But as Harry went to follow them, a hand touched his shoulder. He turned around. It was just Severus.
He led him into an empty room to their left. He cast a silencing spell.
"You can catch up with them in a second. I just wanted to congratulate you on your marks. Very well done,"
Harry smiled at him. "Thanks... but you will have to spend another two years with me in your class..."
Severus smiled at him. "So you are going to carry on doing potions?"
Harry nodded.
"Good. Now I have an even bigger chance to take points from Gryffindor when I'm in a bad mood..."
"Oi! You can't do that!" exclaimed Harry, eyes wide.
Severus laughed. "Just watch me. Plus, I have an excuse to take it out on you now that you're my son." He grinned at him.
Jesus, he looked evil.
"Hurry up. Your friends will be waiting..." he nudged him towards the door.
At the door, Harry turned and smiled at him. "See you..." he murmured before turning and leaving.
He caught up with the others.
"There you are!" said Ginny, crossing her arms. "We were worried!"
"Sorry," said Harry, feeling happier than he had all summer. "Got caught up,"
She nodded. "Come on. As soon as we get our books, sooner we can do some better stuff."
Harry nodded and checked his book list.
"Do you know who our new Defence teacher is?" he asked Hermione.
"No... Hope Dumbledore chooses someone better than Umbridge," Hermione pulled a face. "She was horrible..."
Harry nodded and unconsciously rubbed the back of his hand, where 'I must not tell lies' was permanently scarred onto his skin.
They paid for their books.
"Where to?" asked Rosie, shielding her eyes from the sun as they stepped outside.
Ron shrugged.
"How about there?" Rosie said, pointing to a shop that they'd never noticed.
It was called 'Magical Objects from Around the World'.
"Let's go!" said Rosie, already half way there.
They ran to catch up.
"Looks a bit dodgy..." said Ron uncertainly. "Looks like it's supposed to be in Knockturn Alley,"
"Even better!" said Rosie, grinning.
It was dark inside, and the old man at the counter seemed pleasantly surprised to have customers in his shop.
"Hello," he drew out slowly. His voice was strangely clear for some one his age. "How can I help you?"
"Just looking!" said Rosie brightly.
Ron was right. It did seem like it would be better in Knockturn Alley.
There were all kinds of things. Crystal Balls, Pensieves, daggers...
Harry was busy examining the silver hilt of a rather exotic dagger when Rosie hissed, "Harry! Get over here!"
Harry stepped quietly over to her. She was examining a mirror. It had a black frame with blood red rubies scattered randomly around the frame.
"Listen!" said Rosie, holding up the tag attached to it so she could read it. "This mirror is used as a passage way into the mind. It is used for meditation, and balancing emotions in periods of great stress. Hold up the mirror and whisper 'pax' and you shall enter your mind. But the very first time you use it, you must look into the mirror, tap your wand into the glass once and then state your name, and only then can you enter. This makes sure that only you can use it."
Harry stared blankly at Rosie.
"And your point being...?"
"This is what we need!" she hissed at him. "It will help us control our other side!"
"But it says that only one person can use it. It says that after you state your name, only you can use it."
Rosie stared at him. "I never got you a birthday present," she said simply.
"But – you need to control it to!"
"Oh, I'm sure that's not the only thing used for meditation! I'll find something else!"
And before he could say another word, she strode off and bought it.
"Here," she said, thrusting it into his arms. "It's yours."
He smiled at her. "Thanks..."
"Put it in your bag. Don't let the others see it."
Harry nodded, thrusting the object into his bag.
"Oi! You lot, let's get out of here!" Ron was ushering them over to the door.
"Thank you for stopping by..." said the old man. Harry waved.
It was much more crowded. Harry felt that familiar stab of claustrophobia kicking in...
Harry closed his eyes.
"Lets go get an ice cream..."
Absently Harry nodded, opening his eyes again. As he walked forward, he absently waved his hand. A wizard who was about to walk into him veered violently to the left.
Harry smiled. He kept repelling anything that came to close to him, giving him a fair amount of space to walk.
Harry!
Guess Rosie noticed...
# Sorry! #
***
"Right! Every one here?" Mrs. Weasley demanded an hour later.
"Yes,"
"Oh, Molly?" It was Tonks. "You wouldn't mind if I stayed here just a while longer? You can go now, I'll be back in a minute..."
"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Weasley absently. "Now say it quietly, children... wouldn't want anyone over hearing our destination..." she glanced around her. "Now hurry..."
Harry landed with a thump at Grimmauld Place.
"Put your things upstairs," said Molly, already bustling around the kitchen.
"Wonder what Tonks is getting?" asked Ginny as they made their way to their bedrooms.
"A television and some DVD's probably..." said Hermione.
"I'M BACK EVERY ONE!" called a loud voice from downstairs.
"Tonks," they all muttered in unison.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS ALL THAT?" screamed Mrs. Weasley's voice.
They all glanced at one another and shot down the stairs. Tonks was carrying a huge cardboard box.
"It's a TV!" cooed Tonks, setting it down on the table. "Isn't it wonderful!"
She opened up the box and brought out a new, silver wide-screen TV.
"Oh! Look! AND I got some PBPs-"
"DVDs," cut in Hermione.
"Yes, that's the one, DVDs. Look! I got this one... Donnie Darko... and this one... its called The Sixth Sense... and this one... Finding Nemo. Oh, I wasn't sure what this one was, but I bought it anyway because I was curious-"
Hermione grabbed it off her. Slowly, Hermione began to blush.
"Tonks..." she said slowly, "This is a porn video..."
"Porn...? What's porn? Is it good? Can we watch it later?"
"Erm... no... porn isn't good at all..." she said slowly, now bright red.
"Oh," Tonks' face fell. "But what is porn? I might like it."
"Harry?" said Hermione, "Do you want to explain this?"
Harry blushed. "I... erm... got to go... really busy..." Harry caught sight of Severus. It was obvious Severus knew what porn was.
"But I think Professor Snape knows," said Harry slowly. Severus' head shot up. Harry smirked at him. "Yeah," Harry remembered his threat about taking points off Gryffindor very clearly now. "Yeah, Professor Snape is an expert on porn-"
"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, as Harry ducked his head and bolted from the kitchen, Hermione close behind.
"So," said Tonks, turning to Snape. "What exactly is porn?"
AN: He he. Weird, I know. Please review!
***