Thank you for all the encouragement. For goodness sakes, please someone hurry up and review this chapter and get me off 13 reviews! Please! lol, Severusgirl.

Chapter Three

HEADLINE NEWS

Shopping in Diagon Alley was not the usual happy experience. Mrs. Weasley was very dithery, peering into shops and then deciding not to go in for the time being; fussing over Harry and insisting he walk beside her all the time.

Harry tried not to mind being treated like a child. He knew from Ron that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had worked hard persuading Dumbledore to let him come to Diagon Alley at all. Harry decided the best way of dealing with the humiliation of Mrs. Weasley's fussing was to hold her arm and guide her through the crowded streets in a manner that suggested he was taking care of her.

Diagon Alley had a strange feel about it this year. The place was still very crowded with people busting around but it seemed as though not many wanted to linger as before. They hurried along, juggling their packages, barely having time to nod to the people they met along the way. The coffee shops and cafes no longer had tables standing on the pavement. The only shop which still had them was Florean Fortescue's ice-cream parlour, but even then, all the tables were empty.

The only place which seemed to have a lot of people standing still was Gringott's Bank.

As they arrived, Mrs. Weasley gasped and squeezed past the end of the queues for the counters, which had almost reached as far back as the entrance to the bank. There was a continuous rumble of voices as people complained and grumbled to each other about the abysmal service.

The goblin in charge of the vaults looked very forbidding as they approached, made a great fuss of checking and rechecking their papers, and practically scowled when he could find no excuse to refuse them entry.

They were accompanied to the vaults by Griphook who did not speak or even look at them during the entire transaction.

The only uplifting part of the whole shopping experience was when they looked in on Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Fred and George's newly acquired joke shop.

Painted pink with bright measle-type spots all over the building, the shop could be seen from quite a distance. As they approached, Harry saw the door had been made to look like a huge red nose and a very loud raspberry noise greeted them as they pushed it open.

It was the brightest shop in the whole Alley. The walls twinkled with what looked like fireworks, moonbeams and pixie-sparkles standing in jars on shelves. The ceiling had been covered in a mirror, so that when you looked up, your face looked hugely distorted and covered in different coloured boils. The floor had tiles which every now and then shouted things like 'Ow!' and 'Oi! Watch where you put your feet!', causing first-time customers like themselves to jump out of the way, apologising to fresh air.

The twins looked very grown-up and businesslike considering George had a number of butterflies fluttering around on his head and Fred's face had a different nose every time Harry looked at him.

"We're really busy at the moment," said Fred as he finished wrapping a joke boggart for a small boy. "The fireworks don't seem to be selling as well as we'd hoped, but the smaller jokes...can't stock enough of them. We've just taken a fresh order of 'Duty Lips' - for when your mum forces you to kiss your auntie - they've sold really well, and also 'Assid Drops' that give you donkey ears."

"Quite a few Hogwarts people have been in to say hello," said George as he opened the picnic hamper Mrs. Weasley had brought with her. "Sold plenty of Skiving Snack Boxes to them."

"Saw Malfoy looking in the window yesterday," said Fred through a mouthful of sandwich. "He was steaming up the glass until he caught sight of me watching him, then he walked away. Don't want his money anyway."

It was late afternoon when they finally finished all their shopping. The news vendors were out selling the wizard evening paper 'The Evening Star'. Ron and Harry exchanged glances as they spotted the headlines:

YOU KNOW WHO -

MINISTER

SPEAKS

"Well, that was successful, if a bit strange," said Mrs. Weasley as they all arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, sinking into a chair and they dropping her packages on the floor.

"Molly?"

Mr. Weasley had arrived earlier to reserve a big enough table to house them all, and the Grangers who would be joining them.

"We managed to avoid the Goyles," she said as she got her breath back. "And the Malfoys were here yesterday, apparently. There was a nasty moment with Mrs. Crabbe in Madam Malkin's but I managed to leave quickly without her seeing me. Oh, thank you, dear."

The barmaid had brought the drinks to the table and handed them out. Mrs. Weasley took a sip of coffee before continuing.

"But there was trouble at the bank. Those goblins are getting very slack in their customer service. And the queues! I've never seen so many people in there before. The service has gone down hill dreadfully."

"Well you know, Molly," said Mr. Weasley in a low voice. "No one can be sure which way the goblins will go. Where their loyalties lie. I know Fudge has been having frantic discussions with the bank's board of directors, but many people are threatening to take their money out and close their accounts, just in case."

At that moment, someone entered through the door that led onto the muggle street, which seemed to remind Mr. Weasley that he was sitting next to the window that looked out over the very same.

Harry couldn't help smiling as Mr. Weasley's enthralled face followed the muggle commuters rushing by on their way home from work. But then Harry saw the look of delight freeze on Mr. Weasley's face for a moment before a frown appeared.

A shout from Ginny announced the arrival of Hermione and her parents. They entered the pub through the wizard side, loaded down with shopping.

There followed a lot of hugging and kissing and talk about having to use the Portkey. Mr. Weasley's face was full of interest again as he sat down next to Mr. Granger and began asking him about batteries.

Harry took a look out of the window. At first he could see nothing but people and traffic, but then a break in the line of taxis and buses gave Harry a clear view across the road to the muggle newspaper stall. The headlines on the board read:

HOSPITAL

PATIENTS -

ANOTHER

DISAPPEARANCE

#

Arriving by Portkey wasn't nearly as exciting as travelling on the Hogwarts Express. Students just arrived out of thin air outside their designated shop, and the noise outside the Three Broomsticks grew steadily as friends met each other for the first time since last term.

Malfoy was standing with his usual bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. They didn't come near Harry's group, but Malfoy kept shooting Harry venomous looks whilst whispering to the other two.

Pansy Parkinson was also standing close to Malfoy but was distracted by the contents of a cage she had in her hands. She was lifting it to her face and making kissing noises at it, and her presence eventually drew Malfoy's attention from Harry.

Inevitably, most of the talk was about exam results.

With Professor Umbridge's dire teaching, most people had received 'A' or less for their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam, so it was with a surge of pride and delight Harry learned that all the members of the DA that had sat DADA OWLs had received 'O's. For some, including Ron, it was the only 'O' they had achieved and they voiced their gratitude to Harry, making his face burn.

Harry had received the results he needed to continue through to NEWTs in all subjects except Potions. Professor McGonagall had told him he needed an 'O' and he'd got an 'E'. Even this had surprised him, but he knew it wasn't enough for Snape to admit him into his NEWTs class.

Hermione, unsurprisingly, had received straight 'O's.

"Except one," she told them, looking forlorn. "I only got an 'E' in Divination.

"But you didn't even take Divination!" said Ron, astounded.

"I know," she said, grinning suddenly and giving Ron a friendly push. "They sent me someone else's result by mistake."

"No," said Ron. "It's just typical you, isn't it - you've gone and passed an exam you didn't even sit."

#

The carriages arrived to take them to the castle. Harry noticed Ron squinting at them, and he guessed he was trying to see the invisible Thestrals that had taken them to London last year.

It was a short journey to Hogwarts, the longest part seemed to be inside the grounds, going around the lake. Hermione pointed out a great dark shape in the middle of the lake.

"Probably the squid coming up for air," said Ron, uninterested.

"No, it's too big," she said, peering through the darkness. "It looks like an island or something."

"Well you'll be able to see in the morning when it's light."

#

Mr. Weasley had been right. The feast had been held back until the sixth and seventh year students had arrived. The sorting of the first years had all ready taken place, and as Harry looked at the unknown, nervous faces sitting at the Gryffindor table, he marvelled at how small and young they looked.

"Is Colin all right?" Harry heard Hermione say to Ginny in a low voice.

Harry looked down the row of faces and saw Colin Creevy sitting slumped in his seat, his eyes glazed and his face pale.

"I don't know," said Ginny. "He was perfectly OK on the train when I saw him, but someone told me he came over funny in the coach. Kept wanting to get out while it was moving."

Hermione looked concerned.

"Shouldn't he go to Madam Pomfrey..?"

But before anyone could answer, there was tinkling of cutlery on glass and everyone looked up expectantly as Professor Dumbledore stood up.

There followed the usual welcome and warning to first years not to go into the Forbidden Forest and then,

"I have a few announcements to make. You will have noticed the absence of Professor Snape from the staff table..."

A murmur ran around the hall. Harry hadn't noticed. His attention had been taken up with Colin.

Neville sat up straighter.

"Professor Snape has been detained by unforeseen circumstances..."

"Like, we're gonna cry," muttered Ron.

"But it is hoped he will be returning to his normal teaching duties in the very near future. Coupled with the unceremonious exit by Dolores Umbridge..." Dumbledore paused indulgently as a number of students cheered. "Yes, yes. I therefore have to announce the arrival of two new teachers. Professor Ambrose Polykett, who will be teaching Potions..."

Dumbledore turned to his right and Harry looked over at an old man who looked as if his face had been squashed in a door. Every feature was elongated, including his hair, which was grey and stood stiffly on end, rather like he'd been zapped by lightning.

"...and Professor Flight, who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Flight will not be joining us for evening meals, and will be in the castle during daylight hours only. Therefore if you have any questions about homework, etc. I suggest you catch her while it is light. She will be teaching, not in any of the classrooms, but in the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. You will be given a waterproofing spell before your first lesson. Now, let the feast begin..."