They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron at quarter past twelve. Mrs. Weasley was flushed and upset at having to use the Muggle underground to travel, Tonks was humming pleasantly, and Lupin looked mildly amused at the pink-and-green striped hair Tonks was sporting.

"Time for another year at Hogwarts, then Molly?" said Tom, the old and quite toothless bartender, as they entered the grungy pub.

"Amazing, isn't it?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "Just yesterday it seems they were fighting over toy broomsticks and Drooble's Blowing gum. 'Mummy, look! My bubble is bigger than his! Look!' And now, look! Only Ron and Ginny left at school!"

"Mum! Why…!" Ron complained as they walked out to the brick wall behind the pub.

"What, Ron?" Mrs. Weasley said, "You always did fight with George about everything…."

"So," said Lupin, smiling as he pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks, "Who's planning on visiting Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes?"

Mrs. Weasley's jaw tightened, Ginny and Harry grinned, Ron's eyes lit up, and Hermione suppressed a smile. They were all remembering Fred and George's magnificent departure from Hogwarts last year, when they had left to open their joke shop. Mrs. Weasley, though, didn't seem to find it as magnificent as everyone else did. She looked as though she might develop a twitch.

"I cannot believe," she said, breathing hard through her nose, "that they did that!"

"Oh, Mum, please," sighed Ginny. "You know you're proud of them!"

"Come on, Ron, Harry, let's get our school stuff first - the list says we need the Standard Book of Spells (Gra-" Hermione said quickly.

"Come off it Hermione, we have to go visit Fred and George!" Ginny said, and soon they were all standing in front of number ninety-three, Diagon Alley.

"WICKED!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Wow," said Harry.

"Yeah," agreed Ron.

"Oh, my." said Hermione. "No wonder they were able to afford those… unique jackets."

If the store was packed full of Fred and George's inventions - Skiving Snackboxes, wonderfully realistic fake wands, Weaselys' Wildfire Whiz-bang fireworks - it was nothing to the people packed into the store. Mainly, Harry observed, there were Hogwarts students - many of whom he recognized. But to his surprise, there were also many full grown Witches and Wizards roaming the shop, exclaiming excitedly over the products.

They craned their necks over the top of the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of flaming Weasley hair.

"RON!" George bellowed.

"Harry!" yelled Fred.

"And Ginny, and Hermione too." said George.

"What?" said Fred, "Hermione the Prefect in a joke shop?"

"Perhaps our little brother Ron the Prefect has been a bad influence." George grinned.

Fred put a smarmy grin on his face and affected an accent.

"What can we do for you today? I assure you we stock nothing but the finest for all your mischief-causing needs…."

"How about giving us some stuff for free?" said Ron, eyeing the Skiving Snackboxes.

They left Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes an hour later, laden with Fred and George's favourite inventions - many of which were free, but not all.

"Imagine the nerve!" Ron said indignantly. "I can understand making you two pay-" he jerked his head at Hermione and Harry "-but their own siblings? Incredible."

"They do have to turn a profit you know. Now, let's get our new school books! We have a Defense Against the Dark Arts text that looks especially good." Hermione said, as she herded them towards Flourish Blotts.

They found Mrs. Weasley and Lupin in Flourish Blotts. Lupin was examining a book on Werewolves with a look of deepening disgust, but Mrs. Weasley was looking worried.
"There you are! Where have you been? We've been here waiting for you!" Then she caught sight of the packages. She raised her eyebrows and looked at the ceiling hopelessly. "I should have known."

After a half an hour in Flourish Blotts, Mrs. Weasley had everyone double-check their lists, and make sure they had got everything into their bags. She then pointed them towards Madam Malkin's, telling Ron in particular that he needed his robes lengthened.

Harry needed all new robes, as did Hermione. Ginny had grown so much that she had to have new robes, too. Ron looked bleakly at his old robes, and sighed heavily when Ginny tried on her new robes to show everyone.

Back at Flourish Blott's, two and a half hours later, they found Mrs. Weasley and Remus again.

"Are we staying for dinner, Mum?" Ginny asked.

"I - I wasn't planning on it, dear, but - Oh, Remus! Where has Tonks gone off too?" answered Mrs. Weasley distractedly.

"Very good question - ah! Wait, there she is." Remus smiled, as he saw Tonks meandering up the alleyway towards them, a large ice cream in hand. "She's been at Florian Fortescue's, obviously."

"Oh, lovely. Well, at least that's one less for dinner!" Mrs. Weasley huffed.

The last time Harry had eaten dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, he had been about to start his third year at Hogwarts. He vividly remembered hearing Mr. And Mrs. Weasley arguing about whether or not he should be told about Sirius. Of course, at that time, nearly everyone in the Wizarding community had thought Sirius a murderer - and nearly everyone believed he was after Harry.

Harry tried to thrust aside this painful recollection of Sirius so as to be pleasant at dinner. Tom pushed two extra chairs to the table, and soon Harry's mind was occupied with eating.

Dinner was lengthy, and soon it was time to leave for 12 Grimmauld place. "Mind you all sleep well! Tomorrow morning, you have to pack your trunks!" reminded Mrs. Weasley.