BE CAREFUL
by HiBob
"Aye, tis a wishing stone, tha' is."
Harry laughed as Fred explained what he was holding. "And what does this wishing stone do?"
Fred was laughing at him. "No, Harry. It's Wha' do th . . ."
"I am not talking like that. Your accent even sounds fake."
"That's the point," Fred told him, holding up the small nondescript stone. "If I used a natural accent, people might not realize I was faking one."
Harry smirked at Fred's logic. It was exactly what he should have expected. "And what does this wishing stone do."
"It grants the user one wish. George used his to get a free sundae from Florian Fortescue."
"Did it work?"
"Not quite. It must have been too big a wish. But Fortescue gave him a complimentary ice cream cone as a welcome gift."
Both laughed but Fred continued. "Ginny wished for a new sweater and she found a hair ribbon in exactly that colour. Mom wished for a gourmet meal for seven. She found a recipe card for a fancy style meatloaf." Fred waited for Harry to stop laughing. "You do get the point? It grants SMALL wishes."
The grin refused to leave Harry's face. "And what did you wish for?"
Fred's smile took a conspiratorial turn. "I wanted to try something. And when I saw you walking by our shop, I knew you were the perfect one to test it on. Or should I say the chosen one."
"And what are you going to do to me?" Harry's smile betrayed his sudden nervousness. He suddenly thought that he should have gone straight to the bookstore instead. But Ron and Hermione said they'd meet him here.
"I want to test the stone. To see if I can make the wishes bigger. Now, you don't have to vocalize your wish, but you need to concentrate on what you wish for." Fred held the stone in the palm of his hand. "I'll say my wish out loud so that you understand." Fred cleared his throat. "I hope that, the next person who uses this stone, their wish comes true."
Fred became serious and handed Harry the stone. "Now, make a wish. As big a wish as you can."
Harry lost his urge to laugh when he looked at Fred's face. He looked down at the stone and thought. A big wish? As big as possible?
I wish my parents were still alive.
"Fred," Ron suddenly called out as he and Hermione ran up. "Oh, hi Harry," he said offhandedly. He saw what Harry was holding. "Fred, you didn't use Harry Potter as your Guinea Pig."
"Not yet, Ron. Hi, Hermione. Hear any Wedding Bells yet?"
Harry smiled. Ron had told him yesterday that he had proposed to Hermione. Hermione had told him that she accepted.
Hermione grinned as she held out her hand. "Not until we graduate." She turned to Harry. "Ron proposed to me."
"I know." Harry reminded her.
"How?" Hermione asked, but her smile quickly returned as she looked past him. "Neville told you."
Harry turned around and realized that his wish had come true. That his parents were still alive. Neville Longbottom was standing in front of him with a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.