The next day, Bill and Fleur left for their honeymoon in Paris. After there departure the house seemed to get smaller as the French and Red-Haired wizards departed. Soon only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Fred and George, Hermione, and Harry were left in the house. On the morning after all the guests had departed Harry awoke once again from an almost sleepless night? He had lain awake for three hours thinking about Sirius. For a while, he had thought about him so much he could almost hear his voice in his head. There were so many things that Harry wanted to ask Sirius. So much left undone. He had finally fallen asleep with the reassurance that the next day something good would happen; although he was unsure what this was. He did know that they were going to Diagon Alley the next day. The holiday was quickly coming to an end.
"Harry, dear," Screamed Mrs. Weasley. He looked around the room and noticed that Ron was gone. He wondered where he was. "Harry, you had better get ready. We are leaving soon. Come down and have a bit of toast," She had been fussing over Harry more than usual. Harry was sure she thought he was fragile after the death of Sirius. He pulled himself off the bed and quickly got dressed. He left the room trying to put the night's turmoil out of his head.
"Harry, how are you," Tonks exclaimed as Harry walked past her in the hallway. She was wearing a brown cardigan and short blue hair. Her nose was short and her eyes were bright green. Harry wondered how he knew it was her.
"I'm fine, Tonks. Are you coming with us to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked as they reached the steps. They could hear the screams of Mrs. Weasley clearly now.
"Yes, Minister Bones gave me the day off from Azkaban to escort you to Diagon Alley. She thought it would show good faith,"
"Day off from Azkaban? What about the Dementors?" Harry asked. He may have not liked the Dementors…but they did their job. What would happen if they were gone?
"Oh, yes…they ran of with You-Know-Who a few weeks back. We Auror's have been protecting the place. We don't do much the prisoners still seem to think the Dementors are their." Harry's heart sank. He knew that the last of Voldemort's follower's would be out in a matter of no time.
"I guess Dumbledore is right, about everything," Harry said as they walked into the kitchen. Ginny was sitting in the corner reading a book and Hermione was doing the same.
"Yes. They wanted him for minister but he turned it down again, he said Hogwarts needed him more. He gave Madame Bones his stamp of approval," Tonks was going out of the door as Harry sat down at the table and waited for Ron-and waited…and waited.
"Where is Ron?" Harry asked. Hermione remained in her book as Ginny closed her book and went over to the toaster. She threw in a piece and turned to Harry. Her flaming red hair was curly, today.
"He went out to play Quidditch. Mum went out to get him, she was really barmy. I think they are coming now," Ginny said pulling the window over the counter open. "Hey, Mum are we still going today?" She screamed.
"YES WE ARE. YOU HAD BETTER TO BE READY," Hermione slammed her book and ran upstairs. Harry snorted with laughter as he got up and moved over to the counter. He could see Mrs. Weasley moving swiftly towards the house holding Ron's broom in her left hand. Ron was magically rolling behind her, there were gnomes running out of the way. Ginny laughed and grabbed her toast as it popped up.
"She did the same thing to George and Fred the year Ron started. I bet he loves the attention he gets,"
Mrs. Weasley stormed into the house and threw the broom into a cabinet and with a flick of her wand it closed and locked. Ron joined them in the kitchen in a moment. Mrs. Weasley gave another flick of her wand and he was freed. He laughed as he wiped the dust of himself.
"How are we getting there? Floo Powder?" Ron asked.
"Yes, Harry you go first," Mrs. Weasley said as she held out a small tin of jet black powder. Harry grabbed a handful and felt the cool dust fill his hand. He stepped into the wide inglenook. "Now speak very clearly."
"Diagon Alley," Harry screamed as he saw the Bushy brown hair of Hermione enter the room. The next moment he was being pulled away in a swirl of fire and dust.
Harry fell gently onto the stone floor of a small grate. He could hear the voices of people outside of it. Where Am I, he thought to himself. He pulled open the screen and stepped out into the warm room. It was full of people; they all seemed to be speaking about something. The room was buzzing. Harry could hear the confident and helpful voice of Tom. He was in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Harry," Hermione to had come out from the grate. She looked rather flustered.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked quietly.
"Yes, this was my first time traveling by Floo Powder. Not my favorite way to travel. Mrs. Weasley had to find Tonks's and would be a moment. Shall we get a table?" She said as she walked over to a table close to the inglenook. Harry joined her. They only had to wait a moment as soon Ginny joined them, then Ron and finally Mrs. Weasley and then Tonks's joined them.
"Tonks's could you tell the innkeeper to cancel the few tables I had reserved, I think it was three" Mrs. Weasley said. She looked a bit more sociable. Tonk's walked over to the front of the bar.
"Why so many tables?" Harry asked as Mrs. Weasley pulled a chair for herself to the table.
"Oh, Arthur and Kingsley were going to join us, but now they can't get away from work. Neither can the members of the Order. Fred and George can just pop home. Could you tell them Ron. Oh, Harry you can finally see the shop. It will be better than Zonko's one day," Harry found this very odd as Mrs. Weasley had always been against them starting a joke shop. "I am still glad of course that Dumbledore gave them there diplomas-he said that they had earned them."
"Harry, the shop really is amazing. I think that they are doing better than most of the other joke shops that try to compete with Zonko's," Ron said.
"All right, better get a start. Time to go, Tonks's," Mrs. Weasley said. They could hear in the distance the sound of something breaking and Tonks's apologetic cries.
After a visit to Gringotts, they were all of to there shopping. Mrs. Weasley had gone off to Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasion's with Ginny. Tonk's was off to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking away from the whitewashed marble bank, there pockets a little heavier.
"Let's go get our books first," Hermione said as they waved to Seamus Finnigan, there fellow Gryffindor. Ron sighed and nudged Harry.
In a matter of moments, they reached the shop. It was a rather large room with a series of rooms and an upstairs. There were usually a number of people crowded in, yet today it was rather empty. Hermione was off browsing the shelves at the minute they opened the door.
"What subjects are you taking?" Ron asked as the moved toward the service counter.
"I don't know. I was thinking of getting all the books," Harry thought of what Dumbledore had said that day. If I was you I would make sure to buy all the books on the list.
"Harry, I am so glad to hear that. I plan to get all the books as well. Except, Divination…I don't care if Firenze is helping teach the class," Hermione added from the other side of the shop; she was still browsing through the shelves.
"You are going to buy a book for Potions," Ron said in a shocked tone.
"It was something, Dumbledore said. I felt that he was trying to give me a hint," Harry said. He could feel that Ron didn't understand but he would still by the books.
They had reached the serving counter and behind it they could see the back of two men's head. One of them was the same man who always ran the shop. He was a tall, thin man with steely gray hair. The other had flaming read hair that was neatly done and parted down the middle. Harry was reminded of someone.
"I am sorry sir, I must have forgotten," Said the voice of the man with flaming red hair. Harry had heard that sophisticated voice before.
"Percy?" Said Ron in an exclaimed tone.
The two wizards turned around and looked startled at Harry and Ron. It was Percy. His mouth was half opened and he looked as if he had been caught doing something extremely dreadful. The man who ran the shop was gaping at them in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Said the shop-owner in a shocked tone. Percy had turned back around and was fidgeting with a few books. Harry was at a lost for words. Hermione was still browsing through the books.
"Percy, what are you playing at? It's me Ron," Ron spoke up. He sounded slightly hurt by his brother's indifference to him. Percy was jerking oddly and then turned around solemnly. The shop-owner reiterated his question.
"We are here to buy our books for Hogwarts," Harry said quickly. He didn't understand why the man was acting this way.
"Well, I suppose my assistant here left the door unlocked, we are closed right now," The shop-owner said in a reproachful tone. Percy turned a bright shade of scarlet.
"You can't be closed it's after ten now…you open at ten," Hermione had found her way back to them. She was holding a number of large books in her hand. The shop-owner stared down at his watch and complied slowly. It was in fact, after ten.
"Percy, ring them up. I am going to go get the new books by Hugo Craving from the back," The shop-owner said as he disappeared behind a purple curtain behind the desk.
"Percy, are you working here," Harry asked. He had never seen Percy so flustered. He was usually calm and right at home in a workplace.
"Yes, I am. I work here and other places," Percy said in his usual superior tone. "May I help you find your books?"
"Percy, you are working more than one job?" Ron asked a Hermoine laid down her books on the counter. She moved over to Harry and nudged him back. "Let Ron deal with this," She whispered in his ear. Harry nooded his head; he understood.
"Yes, one does not find jobs as good as Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic everyday. I was fired with Fudge and then that article from the Daily Prophet, about the Crouch fiasco and then the Fudge not dealing with You-Know-Who…I can't find a decent job. So I have three indecent ones," Percy spoke slowly and for the first time Harry could hear a note of humility in his voice. It was odd.
"Come home," Ron said easily.
"I couldn't do that. Not after the row I had with Dad. I can barely even handle think of Mother," Percy stoped a moment. "May I help you," It was clear to Ron, that Percy would hear no more. Hermoine nudged Harry back up.
"Yes, could you ring these up. I won't be needing a Divination book," Hermoine said in a casual tone.
"I will take all the N.E.W.T level books, except the ones on Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and History of Magic," Harry had resolved that no matter what Dumbledore he wouldn't take up another year of Binns.
"I will taked the same but no Potions book for me and I'll take them secondhand," Ron said in a quiet tone. He turned away from the desk as Percy jetted off to the rows of books.
"Ron, you should take Potions. I mean you said you wanted to be an Auror, I suppose that's why you have bought the book, Harry." Hermoine said in a simple tone.
"Snape, said that he was allowing no one in his N.E.W.T. class who got less than a Outsatnding, I get less than an outstanding," Hermoine sighed and let it go. Harry knew that Ron, didn't want to waste the money on a book he may not use. Mrs. Weasley had given him enough for all the books-secondhand.
Percy had jotted back with a handul of leatherbound books. Harry had expected to see a pile of worn books blazoned next to a pile of new ones. However, they were both very handsome books-although Harry could see some in the other pile were chiped.
"I said secondhand," Ron had noticed the fine look of the books as well. Percy smiled softly.
"These are secondhand. They are some of our better secondhand copies…but still secondhand," Ron looked down to his feet. "I still remember what its like to be a Weasley."
They paid and left the shop, a little happier than when they had went in.
"Hey lets go and visit Fred and George. You guys still haven't seen the shop. Its amazing," Ron said as began walking away from Flourish and Blotts. They walked for quite a while until the reached Number Thirteen Diagon Alley. Harry looked above him, blazoned on a scarlett background were the words: Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Ron walked up to the door and pulled it open. Hermoine and Harry followed him. Harry wondedered what could be on the inside, of a shop designed by the Weasley Twins….
When he walked in, he found a large circular room. It was full of children…that looked as if they would be starting Hogwarts with a bang. Ron was to the side picking things up. Hermoine was moving closely behind Harry to the counter. Boom, echoed from the back of the store and from behind a purple curtain came, Fred and George. At once they spotted Harry and Hermoine.
"Harry and Hermoine, it is about time," Said George coming from behind the counter.
"Yes, when were you planing to visit us," Said Fred joining them. Hermoine smiled.
"Well, today. I mean why were here picking up our things for Hogwarts," She said.
"You hear that Fred. The famous Mr. Potter and prefect Granger could only fit us in when it was convienant," Said George jokingly. A number of the children had joined in a circle as one boy began to leviatated off the floor.
"Where is Ron?" George asked looking around. Ron came bouncing over with an arm full of sweets.
"You sell sweets here as well?" Harry asked.
"Oh, yes…but only on the side and most of the sweets have a bit of a mischevious undertone," Harry had learned long ago not to take food from the twins. He laughed at the thought of poor Neville and how he had learned that. Then he pushed the thought away. He didn't like to think of Neville…he was connected with….
"So…what else do you sell here?" Hermoine asked looking oddly at the number of things in Ron's hands.
"We have: Sugar Quills, Canary Creams, Exploding Snitchs, Fake Wands and a cult favorite right now is Ton Tounge Toffee," Fred said as the clan of children gave a hoot of excitement.
"Ickle Firsties, I wouldn't play to much with that…unless you plan to buy,"George screamed to the kids. They giggled loudly at the remark
"They are actually trying the things," Hermione said wearily.
"Yes, we have a samples for all of out products…to ensure the safety of the customers," Fred said to Hermione as if she were the health inspector. "In fact we have a new product we would like Ron to test," George pulled from behind his back a very cuddly looking Teddy Bear.
"Give it a squeze," Fred said eargerly. Harry turned to see what had made the children scream. One boy had sprouted yellow feathers. Then Harry heard a faint scream from Ron. He turned and found Ron on the ground. He cowering away from the teddy bear…that was no longer a teddy bear. It had grown the large, bulbous head of a spider.
"Very funny," Ron howled as he got back up. Hermoine was alive with laughter and Harry was soon joining her. Fred patted Ron on the back and told him to buck up. Ron told Fred what Mrs. Weasley had said. There was a small half-smile on Ron's face as they left shop.
They rest of the day went by quickly. They got there Potions from Apothecary store and sipped a few ice-cream floats in a shop as the day came to an end and they headed back to the Leaky Cauldren.
"I wonder who will be teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermoine asked as the conversation began to lag.
"Whoever it is, they cant be as bad as…Umbridge," Said Ron as he took out his wand and hit the brick that activated the change in the wall.
"I hope they are as good as Lupin," Said Harry as they crossed the barrier.
