Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

Ron cleared his throat, for everyone had gone quite quiet. Harry looked up from the ragged piece of paper.

To stop himself from crying even more he took out the next article and handed it to Hermione.

"Read it aloud, I can't read them anymore."

Hermione looked down at the paper, and then looked up fear and helplessness written all over her face.

"Harry, Harry, I really, really think you should read this alone."

"READ IT TO ME NOW!" Harry demanded and grabbed Hermione around the wrists. Hermione saw Harry's face directly for the first time in about a half an hour, his eyes were puffy, and his cheeks were red from rubbing tears away.

"OK, okay." she said wriggling free of his grasp and letting him lean against her knees.

"Ready, OK here it goes:

Dark-Mark Seen Again!

The Dark-Mark was seen over the Potter's house at 3:13 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The Potter's were unfortunately found dead. But there son, Harry actually survived. He's the only one to survive Avada Kadavra (except the rumored M. McKinnon). Harry is safe, as confirmed by Dumbledore. The Potter's funeral will be Tuesday all are welcome to come.

"Harry, you OK?"

"Harry? Harry?"

Harry looked in the trunk for the last time. There were six things left in there, rings.

Harry stared at them... they were all roughly the same, a silver band engraved with some words he couldn't make out. He squinted at them. And he saw that on the inside of each one it said 'friends forever' a note was curled around one of them. It was in a handwriting he had never seen before... On the top it said:

Dear Harry,

I'm writing this the day after you were born. I have probably many gifts to give to you in your future but none as special as this. These are four friendship rings... One already has your name on it, the other three are for your true friends. When I give this to you, you may not have three true friends, but it is written in the stars for you boy, you will be helped by three true friends. As was I. Moony, Padfoot and Dumbledore all have my friendship rings. And your true friends shall have yours choose wisely. The magic on them will make an engraving on the ring as soon as you, and only you place them on their fingers.

Choose wisely,

Dad

Harry looked at the rings and pocketed them.

There were also two wedding rings linked together. The first one... 'To my loving wife... Lilly' and the second one 'To my loving husband... James'.

Harry dropped them back into the trunk, barley able to hold his tears in, he looked up. Ron and Hermione had left. He started to cry.

He didn't stop for quite a while. After about two hours by himself he went downstairs, and he dragged Hermione and Ron away from everybody else as Mrs. Weasley was just about to make dinner.

"You all better Harry?" Ron asked smiling as he saw him.

"Yes, and I want you guys to have something."

They looked puzzled. Harry took out the rings and put one on Ron's finger, and one on Hermione's finger. They both stared at them as Harry wriggled on one of the rings.

Words started appearing once he put it on his finger. Harry Potter Gryffindor Seeker, Never Ceases to Amaze! 'Whoa' Harry thought

He looked at Hermione's ring, words were forming, but also a red stone was on the ring Hermione Granger, Prefect, Head Girl, Beyond Cunning!

"Harry, I'm not head girl." Hermione said, but she looked expectant

Harry was to busy looking at Ron's ring to care Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor champion Chess player, Loyal Friend! "WEASEL".

"Weasel? Nobody calls me that."

"Malfoy does" Harry said truthfully

"Yet, Ron Friendship rings foretell the future. Harry, there is a way to see who belongs to the third ring." Hermione said tentatively

"Yeah Harry, all you have to do really is have everyone in the school try the ring on and see who gets engraved."

"Ron." Hermione said giving Ron an exasperated look

"Well, that's all he'd really have to do."

Harry was admiring his ring, and didn't look up until Mrs. Weasley called up to them that it was time to eat. At dinner nobody but Ginny noticed the new ring on her brother's finger. Though everybody seemed to be looking at the rings, smiling. Finally Mr. Weasley spoke up.

"Harry do you know who you are going to give the fourth one to?"

"How do you know about the rings Mr. Weasley?"

"Oh, It's legend Harry. Now you just proved it to be true. None of us opened that trunk before you. There has just always been a rumor-" he stopped only because he was cut-off by Mrs. Weasley

"About the legend. Ooh!" she looked so excited and so scared at the same time

"Molly, let me finish." he said not sternly, but like a 5 year old telling his parents about an exciting day he'd just had

"Well, actually Harry, none of us really know." Arthur said, looking mildly defeated.

Harry finished his supper, while openly arguing with Fred and George that cheese is way funnier than a mouse turned into a rat. They gave in and said that they'll have a fake wand that turns into a mouse than into some cheese.

"Oh, all of you be ready early because we are going to Diagon Alley because you, well, you'll just need to be ready early for school." Mrs. Weasley said

"MUM! What are you not telling us?"

"Come on mum, you and dad have been like this the entire summer!"

Ron and Harry kept on talking late into the night Harry finally fell asleep at about 2:00.

Ron woke up, when he fell off his bed, right on top of Harry.

"AAAAAAAGGGHHH! RON!" Harry bellowed shoving Ron off him.

Ron shot up panting, as if he was running hard, looked at Harry and calmed down.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just a dream, just a dream." He said, attempting to calm himself down.

They heard Mrs. Weasley's voice hollering up the stairs,

"Thanks for waking everyone up Ron! Come on everyone! Time to get ready!"

Harry looked at the new watch Hagrid had got him for his birthday because he was complaining about how his broke last year.

It was 6:56 in the morning, he dressed as Ron tried to explain the dream, and he had forgotten a lot of it.

"I just knew what was going to happen," He said, frightened. "I knew when everyone was going to die. Everyone, Harry; me, you, everyone."

Harry looked over at Ron, who was sitting, holding his knees to his chest and shaking his head. Then Ron just rose up off the bed and started to get ready.

Just as Harry was about to put his shirt on, and Ron was searching for his clean shirt, the door burst open. Ron, who had his upper torso in a drawer looking for the shirt he shouted, "George, if I told you once, I told you a thousand times, put your underwear in your room!" Ron whined holding up a pair of vibrant red and blue plaid boxers "I do hope there clean, because that's just gro-"

He stopped looking up and seeing that Hermione and Ginny were standing in the doorway. Ginny laughing at Ron, who was standing there shirtless, with his underwear strewn all over the floor, looking the same as George's, and holding his brother's underwear. Hermione was giggling uncontrollably shielding her eyes peeking occasionally at Ron, laughing harder.

"Ginny! Get out of here now! And Hermione! Geese. No privacy in this house, what has the world come to when a guy can't get dressed in his own room!" He said running around picking up the clean (or dirty) boxers portrayed all over the room.

"Mum, um," Ginny could hardly talk she was laughing so hard at the color of Ron's face: deep maroon "told, us to, er, tell you to hurry up." she said concealing some more giggles.

"And I need to talk to you guys." she said trying to keep a straight face, but vibrating with giggles the whole time.

"Well, Hermione can come in, but wait, oh, hell, just come in and Ginny, tell her we're hurrying up."

Ginny left and Hermione stepped into the room, still giggling, she stopped to a slight laugh every 30 seconds.

"Do you...er, need help picking up?"

"No." Ron said looking up at her as he picked up a black robe that he sniffed to see if it was clean.

"Smells all right, here Hermione, hold these." he said handing her the pile of clothes in his left hand the pile included some 3 Hogwarts robes, 2 pairs of underwear, one shirt that looked far to big for him, and a skirt.

Hermione picked up the skirt and showed it to Harry who shrugged.

"Um, Ron what's this skirt doing in your room?"

"What are you talking about? Skirt?"

Ron looked up and he finally understood.

"Ginny." He said with finality, he grabbed the skirt, opened the door and chucked it down the stairs.

"First George, Now Ginny, who's next? Harry, are these yours?" He asked throwing a pair of swimming trunks over the bed, and onto Harry's head.

Harry looked at the shorts, "No."

Ron bustled over and grabbed them out of his hands, looked at the tag, and yelled,

"FRED!"

As Ron was having a panic attack while cleaning his room (he did find two sickles though) Hermione told Harry about why she came into the room to tell them something.

"Why were you screaming Ron?" Hermione looked concerned. Ron just shook his head, and Harry mouthed the word "dream" to Hermione.

Harry could hear feet coming up the stairs, and Fred came into Ron's room.

"What do you want?" he asked

"Are these yours?" Ron said throwing the trunks at him.

"Ya, thanks I was looking for these."

"Hermione!"

"What now Ron?"

Ron held up a yellow dress with flowers on the collar, and a pair of nylons fell out, along with flowered underwear.

"Ron!" Hermione said rushing over to him and grabbing the dress and undergarments "No, these aren't mine."

"Oh, maybe their Ginny's"

"No, I'm pretty sure their Harry's"

"Hermione!" Harry yelled glaring at her

"Ya, Ron their mine, but I lost them about three years ago. When was the last time you cleaned your room?" Hermione stated looking around the room suspiciously.

They went downstairs, to eat breakfast, and get ready to go to Diagon Alley.

They all got ready and piled in front of the fireplace.

"Floo-powder everyone!"

"Now be careful!" said Mr. Weasley handing the flowerpot to Harry.

Ron went, then Fred, then George, then Hermione, and then Harry stepped into the fireplace.

He threw the floo-powder and shouted "Diagon Alley!"

The familiar rushing feeling around his body told him that he was now rushing up a thousand fireplaces until, he finally fell.

"Oomph." he grunted, as he fell on to the floor of The Leaky Cauldron.

He straitened up and saw Ron, and Hermione standing they're waiting there for him.

"Come on Harry, let's go, got a lot to do!"

Ron took out his wand and opened the barrier to Diagon Alley.

As they looked around at the shops surrounding the pathway, they started jogging toward a gigantic figure in front of them.

"HAGRID!"

But it wasn't Hagrid, it Madam Maxime.

"Oh, sorry Madam Maxime, we thought you were Hagrid from afar."

"An eazee mistake to make, Agrid is in ze Apothecary. Getting some more dragon spleen."

They scampered into the Apothecary. They saw Hagrid at the counter, paying for his spleen.

''Hi Hagrid." They said walking over to him.

"Hi there, arry, and you two."

"How was your holiday so far?"

"Thanks for the watch, Hagrid."

"My pleasure, arry"

"So what's with Madam Maxime Hagrid?" Ron asked slyly looking out the Apothecary window

"Oh, me and Imp are out for a bit of shopping, because we've been around each other a lot lately."

Ron and Harry and Hermione looked quickly at each other Ron smirking so wide that his eyes were reduced to mere slits while Hagrid reached for his change.

"That's no reason to up out of nowhere go shopping with someone." Ron whispered to Harry.

"So, I better am going. You guys have fun shopping, I have to go." and Hagrid turned out of the store and walked over to Madam Maxime, who grabbed his arm, while Hagrid turned bright red. Taking up the whole width of the alley, Hagrid and Madam Maxime walked side by side down the street.

"What's that all about?" Ron asked looking at the couple strolling down the street "And didn't he just say the same thing twice?"

"I really don't know but- AARGH!"

Someone just pushed her over completely bolting toward Hagrid and Madam Maxime. The tall, skinny man wedged himself in between the two huge silhouettes.

He had a piece of parchment in his hand that he showed to the two of them they all had a sudden look of determination on their faces, the little man threw this powder and all three disappeared.

Ron was staring at two next to him, and then someone finally spoke up.

"What's with you three you're looking as if you've just seen a ghost."

They spun around, Fred was standing there, and waiting for George to step out of a shop they were just in, Flourish and Blotts.

Ron was the first one to turn around. He peered down at his brothers, which wasn't an unusual thing as Ron was now a good 6'11".

"So are you going to tell us what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just, it's just, George, when was the last time you talked to dad, or Percy?"

"Not lately, but Fred, weren't you eavesdropping on Percy the other night?"

"Oh, ya, because Percy's room is right next to ours, ya. Sometimes, he's talking to Penelope through the fireplace, or sometimes Penelope comes over, and there's some snogging." George and Fred started to laugh "But a couple days ago, he was on the phone with Hagrid and he was talking about something that had to do with Meddling Mountains, and that was kind of weird because if I can remember correctly, that's where all the giants were banished to. But then, I never pay attention in History of Magic, so that might not be exactly right."

"Meddling Mountain? Did I hear you right?" asked Hermione

"Ya, well, me and Fred got to go, there's a sale at Quality Quiddich Supplies, and I can't wait to get a British Broomstick International Jersey!" said George bustling off.

Harry, Hermione and Ron did the rest of there shopping, jumping in and out of stores.

"Now where are we going to get bathing suits?" Ron asked looking at all the wizarding shops around him.

"Let's try Madam Malkin's." Hermione suggested "We have to get dress robes anyway."

"Hermione, just wear the same one as last year, I am." said Harry.

"Harry, It's not the same. I'm a girl."

"Really?" Ron added sarcastically.

"Anyway, it doesn't fit anymore."

"How? You haven't grown!" Ron exclaimed but Ron, being a good one and a half feet taller than her said this about everybody.

But Harry did notice that Hermione had grown, he almost felt embarrassed admitting it to himself. He had noticed Hermione growing curvier. Even though sometimes he denied it to himself that he cared.

As they walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions they saw many Hogwarts students trying on robes, and quite conscientiously, bathing suits.

Hermione made her way to the girls bathing suit section seeing Pavati and Lavender trying on magical bust-enhancing and stomach-reducing bikinis. She rolled her eyes at the two fifth year girls. She tried desperately to avoid talking to the two witches, just smiling at them and moving on to the bathing suits.

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were looking at different types of swimsuits. Ron held up a Speedo wizardwear swimsuit.

"Harry, I dare you to wear this."

Harry looked at the really tight, really small swimwear then at Ron laughing.

"No, Harry I will pay you to put this on."

"I'll put it on only if you let Dean win a chess match."

"Deal." Ron said smirking.

As Harry was in the changing room, Ron was asking Madam Malkin if there were any sizes that would fit him. Madam Malkin had to wrap the top of Ron's pants with some black-blue material and pointed her wand at it, to a loose fit. Ron walked into the changing room to try on his new shorts, when two other people moved. Hermione moved in, and Harry moved out. Harry was in the Speedo, and Hermione was holding a bag with her shopping. There was a very pregnant pause, followed by Ron and dying laughing on the floor. Harry was standing there in his extremely tight bathing suit turning redder by the minute. Hermione was standing there gaping at Harry, arms strewn with shopping one minute, then the floor was full of the shopping Hermione was holding. Ron was still on the floor rolling around laughing until his sides had internal bruises.

"Harry..." Hermione said starting to laugh "Harry, what are you wearing!"

Harry looked at Ron as if begging for assistance, but Ron was still paralysed with laughter.

"I, I, I, I, d- d- d- dared...dared... him to!"

Hermione was now curled up in laughter. Harry was nowhere to be seen, for he was back inside the changing room.

The three of them finished their shopping, after replenishing their potions supplies and buying some more quills, ink and about a hundred sheets of parchment each. The whole Weasley clan, Harry and Hermione got to the Burrow at about 6, had a late supper, and went to packing. Ron saw a package on his bed labeled "TO YOU FROM GRED AND FORGE". Ron opened it, and a deep blue and black dress robe fell out. It was about as long as some of Harry's sheets.

Ron was exceedingly happy.