2
Back to Diagon Alley
"Vault 387," the Gringotts goblin announced. Harry took all the wizard money that he needed for his school supplies out of his vault. Ron, Hermione, and him proceeded to another vault. "Vault 472," the goblin announced again. This vault was Hermione's. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are Harry's best friends. They had been best friends ever since their first year at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry.
The last vault was Ron's. Vault 694. Ron didn't have very much in his, but that didn't matter to Harry and Hermione. They didn't even notice. They went out and bought all books and supplies for their sixth year of the seven years at Hogwarts. Harry noticed that Ron seemed glum during their shopping. This wasn't like the normal Ron.
"What's the matter, Ron?" Harry asked him. Ron sighed.
"I'm not sure. I guess it's that my whole entire family is pressuring me to be as great as Percy. I can't do it. I can't be Head Boy. I'm barely cutting it as prefect!" Percy is Ron's older brother. Percy went to Hogwarts to, but graduated already. He was Head Boy and a prefect. It was true that everyone wanted Ron to be like Percy (except for Percy betraying Dumbledore).
"Or…" Ron added with a smirk, "It could be the leftover casserole Mum's gone and served us all for breakfast." The three of them laughed.
"So tomorrow's the big day, then. We go back to our beloved Hogwarts," Hermione said, changing the subject. "Exciting, isn't it?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Harry said, mind wandering. "Do you two want to split a sundae with me? My treat." he offered.
"Sure," chorused his two best friends and they were of to the local pub and restaurant, the Leaky Cauldron.
That evening, after he came upstairs after dinner, Harry found a letter sitting on his bed. It read:
Dear Harry,
How about all three of us meet at the muggle side of the platform tomorrow. Already asked Hermione. Does 10:45 sound okay?
Ron
Harry scribbled down a simple "yes, Ron" on a piece of parchment and was about to attach it to Ron's owl's leg, but couldn't find him. He searched high and low, left and right, but couldn't find the scrawny, gray owl Ron surprisingly called Pig. The only thing that stopped him from saying, "P.S. I lost your owl. See you tomorrow!" was the curiosity of knowing what was making a noise that sounded like heavy breathing coming from under his bed.
Harry investigated and found an almost cute sight. Pig lay asleep on Harry's jacket that hid his loose floorboard. Harry's loose floorboard under his bed was the hiding place for everything he loved that was forbidden in the Dursley's house.
In it was everything forbidden from his world and his friend's world- the wizarding world. All his letters to his friends and godfather, his school clothes, his wand, and the birthday presents from Ron and Hermione, stayed there undetected.
Harry attached the letter to Pig's leg and gave him some of Hedwig's water while she sat there glaring at him. Pig flew out in the direction of the Weasley's burrow. Harry sat there until he couldn't see Pig anymore.
Harry was too excited to go to sleep that night. Since he couldn't go to sleep, he decided to make better use of his time. He packed his new school supplies and his old ones into his trunk.
Every nook and cranny was cleaned out of anything Harry might need that school year. Eventually, he got sleepy. He was packed, and ready for the next day. Harry even had his clothes laid out. He got into bed and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.