Chapter 2: "Disturbing Diagon Alley"

"I'm late, I'm late, oh God, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" Maddy scrambled around her room, looking for her traveling cloak. Her hand grazed the tail of her bushy gray cat, Morgan le Fay. She hissed loudly at the moving fingers.

"Same to you!" Maddy hissed back. She was in a very bad mood, and her temper was not to be tested.

The green cloak was stuffed down between the bed and the wall. Maddy pinched it between her unnaturally long nails, and pulled it out from under the bed. Morgan le Fay batted at the sleeves as they were dragged across the floor.

She tossed the cloak on and she rushed down the stairway, not bothering to button it. As she crashed into the kitchen table, she realized she had entered the wrong room. Now, not only was she late to meet Rizzy, her toes were sore, and there was a jabbing pain in her side. She raced into the parlor and grabbed a handful of silvery dust.

"Rizzy's gonna kill me!" she muttered as she tossed the dust into the roaring fireplace. "Bye Monster!"

"Don't call me that!" Monster called from the top of the stairs.

"You're not my mother!" Everyone seemed to be testing her today. She definitely was not in the mood to battle it out with her foster mother (AKA: Monster). She knew that she had most likely upset her with the last comment, and she was going to have to deal with it when she got home. Under her breath, Maddy groaned. She shook her head, annoyed, and said firmly: "Diagon Alley!"

On the other side of England, Rizzy too, was running late. Her cloak was fastened crookedly around her neck and was hanging off her shoulder. She hurried up the stairs from the basement, glancing at the strange clock that hung on the wall. 10:55. She told Maddy to meet her outside Gringotts at 10: 30.

"Pops! Pops! I'm going to see Maddy in Diagon Alley, okay? I'll be back…when I get back!"

Rizzy's father stood in the kitchen behind a large cauldron. He gazed down his hooked nose at some mixture inside it. Without looking up, he addressed her.

"No you're not. You need to finish that supply of Pepper-up."

Rizzy swung into the doorway of the kitchen, holding on to one of the sides for support. "We're out of armadillo bile, unicorn horn and lacewing flies…all needed for Pepper-up. Oh! And Sanguis is sick, so we're not getting any Coral Venom anytime soon. I need to pick up something to make him feel better."

Her father peered at her, and sighed; "All right, but don't get lost…"

Rizzy tapped the side of her head, signaling that she'd remember. She hurried down the hall to the dining room. A small pot of the same silvery dust sat on a high shelf. She reached up and grabbed a handful of dust, casting it into the fire quickly.

"Bye Pops!" she hopped into the fire, which had turned a bright shade of green. "Diagon Alley!"

Rizzy's feet hit hard on the ground.

Floopowder…whoever had that brilliant idea?

Still shaken from the "ride", Rizzy looked up and down the busy side street of Diagon Alley. Her eyes were open wide as she could see the bustling main street ahead. There were children yelling, witches gossiping over the latest issue of Witch Weekly, and older men discussing topics such as Quidditch, Youngsters, and what sounded like something to do with the Ministry of Magic. Rizzy passed a strange group of men who were talking amongst themselves about something that seemed rather important. A scrawny old man who was balding on top, looked quite jittery and his voice was very high-pitched.

She couldn't help but wonder what everyone was so…anxious…about. Nobody seemed to be acting normally. But of course, she had to take into consideration that she was standing in the middle of a packed street, filled with hundreds of witches and wizards. Nothing could be normal.

Ahead of her, she could see a very tall man standing outside Gringotts. As Rizzy approached him, she realized that this man could not possibly be human. He looked like a giant…or what she had seen of giants in books in things. She had obviously never seen a real giant. This man looked nice though. She walked up to him and attempted to get his attention.

"Hello? Hello! Can you hear me? Excuse me, sir! Can you help me?"

The man looked down at her over his scraggly beard. He smiled warmly.

"Did yeh say yeh needed help?"

Rizzy nodded. She was right, this man was nice. "Yes, sir. You see, I'm supposed to meet one of my friends here…only, I was running late, and then my Pops, you see, he stopped me right before I was trying to leave, and then I finally got here by Floopowder, which, for the record, I hate to take. Now, I'm here at Gringotts, where I told her I would meet her roughly a half an hour ago, and I can't seem to find her anywhere…and I should probably breathe now…"
A hand clapped on Rizzy's shoulder. "Yeah, that would probably be a good idea."
Rizzy turned around to see her best friend standing behind her. Maddy smiled happily as she tossed her arms around Rizzy.

"I am so sorry I'm late!" They said in unison, breaking out into giggles afterward.

"Is this yer friend?"

Rizzy had forgotten about the really tall man. Maddy hadn't noticed him at all, which was really saying something, as this man…(well, you know the story…). Rizzy nodded and smiled at him.

"Yes, thank you very much…"

"I didn' do anythin'."

Maddy stood beside Rizzy, with her arm around her shoulders. "You let her babble. Thank you. Not many of us would let her do that. We usually try to shut her up somehow, and someone, more often than not, has some bodily damage done…" Maddy sighed, "Usually it's me." She smiled at Rizzy. Rizzy smirked.

The two girls headed up the steps to the massive white building that was Gringotts bank. Maddy had gotten the key to her mother and father's vault in the mail. She was rather upset that the letter did not contain any other information.

Rizzy slipped a small card out of her pocket and showed it to Maddy. "You think they take Visa?"

Maddy shook her head sadly, "If they don't, I'm screwed." There was a distinct tone of sarcasm in her voice.

Rizzy noticed it, and mocked offense. "I'm serious…"

Rizzy stepped up to one of the goblins that worked behind the desks. She had been trying to find one who looked slightly happier, but they all seemed rather uninviting. Quickly she shoved the card into her pocket.

She cleared her throat loudly, "Excuse me, we'd like to get to our vaults please…"
Maddy rolled her eyes. Rizzy was only polite around people she didn't know. She was not like this at all when she actually knew the person.

The goblin looked at her through beady eyes. "Key please."

Rizzy pulled a small silver key out of her pocket. Maddy saw her hand gently brush the credit card in her pocket. She shook her head and Rizzy resisted the urge to pull it out. Maddy tried to fish hers out of one of her many pockets. Maddy's key was made of gold and had a small gem attached to the handle of it. The goblin took both of them, and looked them over. His eyes widened as he noticed the gem. He gazed up at Maddy in disbelief.

"You're a Black?"
Maddy was shocked that he asked her that. More so, that he knew who she was just by looking at a key to a bank vault. She nodded nervously. The goblin narrowed his eyes, and nodded in return. He called to another goblin in the back to come and take the two girls to their vaults. When he handed the other goblin the key to Maddy's vault, his jaw dropped and he looked up at her. Rizzy could tell that Maddy was starting to become really uncomfortable. Why did everyone know who she was? It was kind of creepy.

The second goblin nodded and headed off toward the back of the bank. Rizzy followed him, dragging Maddy along behind her. They were brought down into what looked like a mineshaft. There was a small cart, and lots of tracks. Maddy's stomach turned as the goblin told them to get inside. Rizzy sat beside Maddy and they tried to see what was beyond the tracks in front of them. Everything was twisting and turning, and it was very difficult to see what way the track went.

The cart started off at what seemed to be a slow pace, but apparently it was only warming up. The goblin informed them that the cart only had one speed and there was no way he could slow it down. The twists and turns were horrible and they made Maddy's stomach do some kind of gymnastics routine. Rizzy, however, was having the time of her life.

"Maddy! Put your hands in the air! Come on, it's fun!"

The goblin rolled his eyes, and Maddy shook her head. She had closed her mouth tight and was hoping that they would reach the vaults soon. But then it dawned on her that they needed to go back in the same cart. Before she could moan, the cart came to a crashing halt.

"Vault 296."

Rizzy stepped out behind the goblin and approached the large iron door. The goblin shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it. The door swung open and Rizzy stepped inside. From what Maddy could see, Rizzy's family was rather wealthy. There were piles of gold, silver and bronze covering almost every inch of the vault floor.

She returned with a sack of money, looking quite happy. Maddy figured Rizzy had no idea just quite how rich she was. The goblin hopped back in and the cart was off again. After a couple of twists and turns, the cart came to another sudden stop.

"Vault 473."

The vault door looked identical to the one that concealed Rizzy's vault. Maddy climbed over Rizzy and followed the goblin to the door. He held the key carefully, as if he cherished it. He slid it gently into the keyhole and turned. Whatever Maddy had been expecting to see in the vault, was nothing compared to what was really there. It turns out Rizzy's family wasn't the only rich family around. There were stacks and stacks of gold and silver. There wasn't a bronze Knut to be seen anywhere. She could even see some kind of jewels in one corner. Maddy turned to look at Rizzy, who was equally dumbstruck in the cart. Maddy shoveled some gold into her sack and hurried out of the vault, looking rather embarrassed. She didn't want to brag about how much money she had, but she was filthy, stinking rich. It was as if she was almost royalty.

The ride back seemed to be shorter than the one to the vaults. Rizzy wondered why that always seemed to be the case. She made it quite clear that she could never understand that, for she had started in on another one of her rants. Maddy rolled her eyes and patted her friend's knee sadly.

Maddy was all too happy when the cart rolled to a stop. She stepped off, followed by Rizzy and the goblin. The goblin returned to the front of the bank through a small door that was obviously not meant for anyone other than the goblins. Rizzy shoved open the large door that led to the long hallway where the rest of the goblins were.

As they stepped out into the busy street of Diagon Alley, Maddy breathed in the smell of the outdoors. Rizzy laughed as Maddy's eyes closed slowly. She held out a hand to help her stay standing. Once she had regained her strength, the two girls continued down the street.

They were discussing the many things they needed to get, when Rizzy suddenly froze. Maddy waved a hand in front of her face, as she continued to stare at something beyond Maddy. Maddy turned to look and see what she was staring at. Her jaw dropped. A bright yellow, orange and red building stood out among the others. Gadgets and gizmos were everywhere in the windows, and there was a flood of teenagers filing through the doors.

WEASLEY'S WIZARD WHEEZES

Is what the bright colored sign over the doorway read.

"Pinch me…" Rizzy muttered.

Maddy reached up, still in her state of shock, and pinched Rizzy's arm. Rizzy cringed.

"OW! Mad! I was using it as a figure of speech!"

Maddy snapped out of her trance, "What?" Rizzy shook her head and rubbed the spot on her arm where Maddy had pinched her.

The two of them entered the store and immediately started looking around. Everything seemed so fun and mischievous. It was a store completely for them. It was packed with every mayhem-making device that they could ever imagine possible. Occasionally, they would find some items that they found needed something to make them better. Suddenly, a red-haired boy came around one of the shelves and stopped in front of them.

"Hi, my name is Forge. I'm part owner of this place. How may I help you lovely ladies?"

Maddy looked sideways at Rizzy, who was equally confused about the name he had given them.

"Forge?" Maddy's eyebrows raised.

The boy laughed and leaned on the shelf. "The name's George Weasley." He said, shaking each of the girls' hands in turn. "My twin brother, Fred, is over there." He pointed to somewhere toward the back of the shop. "It's a little joke we play."

A small smiled crept across Rizzy's lips. Maddy knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Fred and George Washington…"

George looked at the two girls curiously, "Who?"

"You've never heard of Fred and George Washington?" Maddy shook her head sadly. "Never mind. I'm Maddy and this is my friend Rizzy. So…" she looked around the shop. "How long have you owned this place? You don't look that old."

George shrugged. "Eh…a couple of months…not too long, but business is booming."

Maddy nodded in agreement. Rizzy looked around once again. She wouldn't be one to agree so quickly. Rizzy noticed everything. Every…single…thing….

"I can see that…" she started slowly. "But…"

Maddy knew what was coming. Rizzy was about to say something that would probably get them kicked out of the store and banned from Diagon Alley. Or something worse…

"No offense meant or anything…but some of your products could use a little tweaking…"

Maddy braced for the blow.

George looked slightly offended, "T-Tweaking?" His fingers danced across the shelf that held the Fake Wands. A mixture of offense and curiosity spread across his face.

Maddy walked over to the display that held the Headless Hats, deciding that they couldn't be kicked out for making consumer suggestions. "Yeah, like these Headless Hats. They don't even come in all the colors. What if you like Orange hats?"

George pointed to a hat sitting on a cushion, "But we have ora-"

Maddy cut him off, "That's not what I meant. Look." She picked up a pink-feathered hat and rolled it around with her fingers. "What do they do? Make you headless?" She tossed it on top of her head. Immediately her head disappeared. Her voice came out of nowhere. "Typical." She pulled the hat off and tossed it back on the display. "You know, you can charm it to make your hands and feet disappear too. Now, that would be a scream."

George couldn't seem to find the right words, "R-Really?"

Rizzy loved every minute of this. She walked over to where George was standing and picked up one of the packages of Fake Wands. "Yeah, and these Fake Wands…they're too…how do I put it? 'One Use Only'. You should make it so you can use it over and over. However…" her eyes were caught by a barrel of toffee by the door. "These are ingenious. 'Ton-Tongue Toffee'. So simple in their makeup." She picked one up curiously. "An engorgement charm, I suppose? How juvenile…I love it!" her face broke into a toothy grin.

George called over his shoulder to his brother, "F-Fred? Come here for a sec! I want you to meet someone." He paused for a moment as Maddy glared at him, "Uh…make that two someones."

A boy identical to George made his way across the shop. Fred Weasley stood beside his brother and looked at the two girls standing in front of them.

"Who are they?"

George pointed to each of the girls as he introduced them. "This is Maddy and this is Rizzy."

Both of the girls nodded in greeting. Fred pretended to tip and invisible hat. Maddy smothered a chuckle. She really liked Fred. There was an air around him that seemed more outgoing than his brother's. Rizzy however, was fascinated with George. She couldn't really explain it, but Fred seemed more bigheaded than George did, and she really didn't like that about him.

George ventured to tell his brother what the girls had told him, "They've just been telling me how we could improve our products."

Fred looked bewildered. "I-Improve them? What's wrong with them?"

George looked at his brother, "Listen to them…" he turned so only Fred could hear him; "They've got some good ideas…"

Maddy and Rizzy heard them anyway. They grinned at each other. George turned back to the girls.

"So, uh…why don't we split up. We can cover more of the store that way. Fred, you can go with Maddy, and I'll go with Rizzy…"

Rizzy moved quickly to George's side, and Maddy blushed as Fred offered her, his arm. She took it graciously and they headed off toward the back of the store. Rizzy winked at Maddy over her shoulder. Maddy shook her head and looked up at Fred, who smiled.

George however, didn't feel like talking about the products. He had never seen either of these girls and he was very curious to find out where they were from. Rizzy was also very inquisitive about the boys they had met.

"So…" Rizzy started, "When did you graduate from school?"

George bit his lip, "Er…well, we didn't exactly, 'graduate' from school…we sort of…well…left."

"So you dropped out…"

"Yeah…I guess you could pretty much say that."

"Why?"

"We couldn't stand the teachers…well, one of them in particular…but we felt that we had had enough teaching we needed to run the joke shop…"

Rizzy didn't know how to react with this. She wanted to think it was awesome, but she didn't approve of people dropping out of school. She may have been a mischief-maker, but she was still really good in school.

Meanwhile, Fred was trying to make conversation with Maddy.

"If you'll look over here, we have the Canary Creams…"

Maddy looked horrorstruck. "They don't taste like real Canaries, do they?"

Fred laughed, "No, no, no, no…they just turn you into one for a few minutes."

Maddy shifted her shoulder blades and chuckled nervously, "I think I'm all set…"

Fred clapped his hands together and turned to face Maddy, "So…we've walked around this end of the store, and we've talked about each of the products we've passed…" he thought for a moment. "Well…kind of…but I still don't know anything about you. How old are you?"

Maddy didn't answer right away. She could have lied. But that would turn her into the one thing she didn't want to become. A liar. "I'm sixteen."

Fred nodded, "I have a brother who's sixteen…do you know him? Ron Weasley?"

Maddy shook her head; "I don't know anybody here yet. I just moved here…with my-er-Mum…and Rizzy…"

Fred's eyes widened, "Oh, you're sisters?"

Maddy shook her head quickly, "Oh, no! We're friends, actually…close friends…we transferred here from the Salem Witches Institute."

Fred looked confused, "Where's that?"

Maddy smiled, "In Salem, Massachusetts." Maddy thought it was such an obvious question. Fred didn't seem too bright.

"Oh…" he said, acting as if he understood, "Where's that?"

Maddy shook her head sadly. Fred smiled innocently.

Rizzy and George were deep in conversation on their side of the shop.

"Wow…so you have a pet snake? That's awesome. I'm not sure if they let you bring them to Hogwarts though…I don't think the school has a very good background with snakes."

Rizzy nodded, "I know. If they don't let me bring him, my dad is going to 'adopt' him." She winked, just so George would get the message.

"That's nice of him…I'll tell ya. My dad will never go near a snake ever again…"

Rizzy looked at him curiously, "Really? Why not?"

George looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his foot against the floor. "He got bit by one last year…" he didn't look like he wanted to go into detail.

Rizzy's face fell, "Oh. I'm sorry…Sanguis wouldn't bite anyone…not, unless I told him to of course…"

George looked at her curiously.

"I'm a parselmouth…" she said proudly.

George's eyes widened. "Really!"

Rizzy nodded, her eyes flashing green.

"Wow…I have a friend who's a parselmouth…he got in a lot of trouble a couple years back…everyone thought he was attacking these kids…he's like my bro's best mate. You might meet him. I think my Mum said she'd bring them out here today."

Fred was scrounging for something to say. "So, what's your surname?"

Maddy wasn't sure if she wanted to answer him. She hadn't gotten the best response so far when people knew her last name. She looked at Fred who was waiting patiently.

"Black," she said simply.

Fred's reaction was different, but Maddy didn't take it any better than everyone else's reactions. Fred's face fell and he looked like he was on the verge of asking a difficult question. More so for him, than for her.

"Are you related to-" he changed his mind quickly. "Never mind…" he said abruptly.

Maddy stood in front of him, "Do you know somebody with that last name?"

Fred shook his head, "No…no…"

Maddy raised one of her eyebrows, "Fred…I know you're lying. Trust me…I'm good at these things."
Fred laughed, "Oh are you! Haha…well now, I guess I can't come up with excuses around you." He smiled. "Your Mum and Dad must find that annoying. They can't hide anything from you."

Maddy frowned, "My Mum and Dad are dead."

Fred looked embarrassed, "Oh…I'm sorry. You just said earlier you moved here with your Mum…"

"My foster Mum…"

"Oh…" Fred's ears went red, "I have another friend who's an orphan. His parents were murdered though…"

"Oh that's terrible!" Maddy felt really bad for Fred's friend, but she felt a little better that she wasn't the only orphan around in the wizarding world. She had been starting to feel alone.

George was telling Rizzy about the school, "You'll like the school. The teachers are pretty cool, oh wait! Except for one, who's just a slimy ol' git."

Rizzy's curiosity peaked, "Who?"

"He's the potions professor. Snape. You'll have to watch out-"

"Rizzy, I think I'm ready to go now."

Maddy appeared at Rizzy's side. Rizzy nodded. She had just been thinking the same thing.

"Yes, yes…I do believe we need to be going now. It was nice talking to you boys…Mr. Weasley." She nodded in George's direction, "Mr. Weasley." This time to Fred, "It has been a pleasure. We must be off."

Maddy could hear the tone of unusual politeness in Rizzy's voice, which meant she was uncomfortable again. The twins reached out their hands to say good bye to the girls, but they were already out the door.

Out in the street the hurrying girls slowed down. Rizzy's mind was reeling with many thoughts and a strange sensation traveled down Maddy's spine.

"Did it suddenly just feel really awkward in there, or is it just me?" Rizzy asked.

"For you too?" Maddy was glad she wasn't the only one. "I think there was something that Fred guy wasn't telling me."

Rizzy shivered, "Twins…"

"You should have seen the history there! Oh, the sights were amazing…I suppose I would have wanted to go to Egypt instead, like you Ron, but…"

"Yeah, Egypt was great…" Tall, gangling, befreckled Ron Weasley smiled as he took a trip down Memory Lane.

"Yeah, Egypt…India…great. Know where I went last summer?" A tall black-haired boy said sarcastically as the trio approached 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'.

"Harry…" Hermione Granger said warningly.

"Where!" Ron asked happily. He was almost certain Harry had been at the Dursley's, (his horrid aunt and uncle) for a good part of the summer…and then he came to Grimmauld Place. Something just wasn't clicking.

Both Harry and Hermione glared at him. He looked innocently back at the two of them, before realizing how stupid he had just been. Hermione shook her head and opened the front door to the shop. Fred and George were still talking about Maddy and Rizzy.

"Hey, there you guys are!" George said cheerily.

"We were hoping you guys would be coming along. You know, if you had come sooner, you'd have met some really awesome girls."

Ron's face brightened, "Really?"

Hermione glanced at Ron, "Don't be a prat, Ron. They're lying."

"We are not!" the twins said indignantly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She was used to Fred and George's tricks. "What are their names?"

"Maddy!" Fred said quickly.

"Rizzy!" George answered smugly.

Hermione crossed her arms; "How old are they?"

Fred and George looked at each other. "Sixteen, actually…" Fred said.

This time it was Harry who scoffed. "Sure Fred…some sixteen-year-olds we don't already know…"

Fred and George were losing them. "They transferred here from…er…Salem…"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Salem? America?"

Mrs. Weasley came bustling through the door and spotted the teenagers. "Oh here you are! Hello Fred, dear…George, darling…" she kissed her twins on their cheeks. She looked around at the rest of them. "What's going on here?"

"Fred and George were just telling us about their invisible girlfriends…" Ron said with a mocking tone in his voice.

"You know, Fred…Angelina's not going to like this…" Harry said tauntingly.

George looked embarrassed. "They are not invisible…and they are not our girlfriends!"

"And if you tell Angelina anything, Harry…I'll kill you…" Fred warned.

Mrs. Weasley was busying herself with dusting some of the shelves. "It is getting quite dusty in here…you really should go around and clean up sometimes…"

"We do…"

"Well I'm ready to go…how 'bout you guys?" Ron said, now sounding bored.

Harry and Hermione nodded. Ron turned to his mother.

"Mum, we're going to go and get something to eat…like at Florean Fortescue's or something…"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "Yes, yes…very well dears, you have a good time…and don't get lost!"

The three of them headed out the door into the busy street outside. Ron leaned in close to Harry and Hermione.

"We've been coming here for like…five years…how the hell are we going to get lost?"

"All right, we have our books…potion ingredients…other school stuff…I have Sanguis's tonic…you have your owl…" Maddy patted a small covered cage that concealed a brown and white speckled owl she had gotten at the Magical Menagerie. "So…that leaves…what?"

Maddy peered at a sign over a small shop to their left. "Ice cream?"

Rizzy looked to where Maddy was indicating. "Ice cream sounds good…"

Maddy handed Rizzy her owl and her books. "Hold on a second. I have to go to the bathroom. There was one in that shop back there. I'll be right back!"

Maddy raced back down the street, leaving Rizzy to herself.

"I'm sure there's a bathroom inside…" Rizzy muttered to an invisible listener, "But no…that would be difficult and inconvenient to where we were going…"

Maddy reached a small shop and asked to use their lavatory. As she was heading back, she accidentally ran into a man wearing very shabby robes. He stopped and muttered his apologies to Maddy. She noticed that despite how young he looked, his hair was grayish.

"I'm so sorry…" she said quickly.

The man didn't respond. His gray eyes were focused on hers. It was almost as if he had seen a ghost. He didn't believe what he was seeing.

Those eyes…I know those eyes…

He was staring at her, and Maddy didn't like it. She hurried off past the man, without another word. He turned to look after her.

Remus Lupin muttered to himself, "No…it can't be…"

Maddy reached Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where Rizzy was still standing outside. Maddy apologized for taking so long and the two girls went inside. Rizzy ordered a banana split with extra whipped cream. Maddy got her usual of Black Raspberry with Honeyduke's chocolate pieces in it. (SWI, the Salem's Witches Institute, used to serve it as a dessert occasionally.) They sat down at a small round table under a big, striped umbrella, outside.

Moments after the girls sat down, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the shop, ordered their ice creams, and sat down at the table next to Rizzy and Maddy. They were in deep conversation about the upcoming school year.

"I wonder who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be." Harry said as he slid into the chair next to Ron.

"I don't care who they are, just as long as it's not Umbridge." Ron said while twirling his spoon in his fingers. Finally, he plunged it into his Peanut Butter and Raspberry Ice Cream.

Hermione looked at her two friends curiously; "Has anyone heard what's become of her?"

"Nope…" Harry replied quickly. "And to be completely honest…I don't care…"

Ron swallowed a huge mouthful of ice cream; "Maybe the centaurs have found her…be a nice den ornament…"

Hermione looked appalled, "RON!" Harry laughed.

At the next table, Rizzy was looking through one of her books while eating her ice cream. Maddy was swirling her spoon around and around in her own, now soupy, ice cream.

"I was thinking…once we're done here, maybe we can go and get our quills and stuff…and then…hey…hey, what's wrong?" Rizzy noticed Maddy's unusual behavior.

Maddy looked up quickly. "What? Oh…it's nothing…"

Rizzy knew she was lying, "Was it about your family?"

Maddy stopped swirling her spoon and looked at Rizzy, "I think Fred knew something…but he wouldn't tell me…"

Rizzy shrugged. "Probably didn't…he was just leading you on or something. Now that George character…he was warning me about-"

"But what about those goblins…they were acting so strange…" Maddy butt in.

"I dunno…" Rizzy took a bite of her ice cream. A little bit gets on her nose, but she doesn't notice it. "There are some weird things going on here…"

Maddy tries to stifle a giggle, "What do you mean?"

"Everyone seems so…tense…like they're expecting something to happen. I saw a couple of older wizards back there, huddled together, whispering about something." She waved her spoon around as she talked. This made Maddy want to laugh even more. Rizzy looked at Maddy as if she were mad. "What's the matter with you?"

Maddy couldn't keep it in anymore. Rizzy just looked so ridiculous. "Y-Your nose!"

Rizzy holds up her spoon to look at her reflection. "Oh my god…" she laughs and wipes it away quickly. "Thank you very much for telling me…"

Maddy straightened up in her seat; "I was going to let you walk out of here like that…but I thought I'd spare you the ridicule."

"Ohh thank you. That is so thankful." Rizzy responded in mock gratitude.

"I don't get it…" Harry's voice rose from the next table.

"Neither do I," said Ron, "But you know what's great? Fudge is like…out of the picture. Stupid git. Maybe we'll have an M.O.M that actually knows what he's talking about."

"Or she…" Hermione said, looking affronted.

Ron brushed her off, "Yeah whatever…"

"I wonder who they're gonna give the job to." Harry interrupted, before Ron and Hermione bit off each other's heads. "Your dad would be good for the job…" he said to Ron.

"Yeah, keep dreaming…" Ron scoffed, "The day my dad becomes Minister of Magic…is the day I stop liking this ice cream." He shoved a spoonful into his mouth. "Nope, still good…" he said with his mouth full.

Hermione sighed. "Sometimes I swear we lost you back in our first year…gone…bye bye…never to grow up…always stuck in a simpler time…"

"Simpler?" Harry laughed, "I don't think much has changed for any of us. I mean…Ron's still an idiot…I still have a 'saving people thing'…". Hermione beamed. "And you are still the brightest witch in the entire school. Nope…not much has changed."

Hermione sighed again. "True…true…"

Ron stares at the ice cream, slowly realizing what Harry had just said. "HEY!" he said, looking offended.

Harry laughed and picked up the cherry from his sundae in his spoon. Carefully, he aimed it at Ron, and launched it into the air. It hit Ron on the cheek. Hermione burst into a fit of giggles.

As Ron was attempting to get Harry back for the cherry, Rizzy rolled her eyes at their immaturity.

"Boys…I swear…" she said looking back at Maddy.

"School's going to be interesting this year…" Maddy said hastily, "I mean, having boys there and all…"

"Sure is…" Rizzy agreed. "We won't have to sneak over the school walls to get to the boys school across town at three in the morning…"

Maddy smirked, "We only did that once…"

Rizzy looked mischievous, "Maybe you did…I can recall several times…"

Maddy shook her head, "I hope there are some cute boys there…"

Rizzy smiled, "Even if there isn't, you'll find someone to obsess over."

Maddy looked insulted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You can't go one year without liking someone…."

"I just happen to be overly romantic…hey, I'm sorry…" Maddy held up her hands innocently.

"Then, why haven't you had a boyfriend before now?"

Rizzy had crossed the line. Now it was getting personal. "Just because I don't date five guys at the same time and hope that none of them meet each other and mess it up for me, doesn't mean I don't have boyfriends occasionally…"

Rizzy's eyes now flashed red. She narrowed them slowly. "Were you implying something there?"
Maddy acted shocked, "Ding! Ding! Ding! That's right, she can be taught!"

Rizzy laughed and shook her head at their ridiculousness. "I'm sure that there is someone out there who will catch your fancy…someone good looking…someone sweet…someone like…" her eyes were caught by someone by the doorway, "him…"

Maddy looked over her shoulder to see a tall, hunky boy coming through the doors. He had short brown hair, and was wearing what looked like Quidditch robes. He was very good looking indeed, and Maddy could tell Rizzy was immediately smitten.

"Helloo, sweet and salty goodness…." Rizzy muttered to herself. "Now he…is fine. Oh, come over here…come here…no, not that way!"

The tall boy walked over to the table beside them, where the other boys and the girl were sitting. Rizzy crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Hey Oliver!" Harry greeted his old Quidditch captain.

Oliver Wood smiled, "Harry! Hey, nice to see you again."

Rizzy was still staring at the boy, "Whatever…he looks too old for me anyway…"

Maddy sighed. "And you call me pathetic…"

Rizzy looked at her quickly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Maddy shrugged, "I'm just saying that sometimes, when it comes to guys…you're worse than me…"

Rizzy shook her head, "That's not true…"

"Yes it is…"

"No it's not…"

"Yes…"

"Nooo…"

"So, Harry…how are you?" Oliver asked as he took the seat next to Hermione.

"I'm good…" Harry responded. He was happy to see Oliver. He hadn't seen him in two years. "How's Quidditch?"

Oliver frowned, "Not so good. This is the only day I have off this week. We're having so many practices. I feel so bad for you guys now…I hope I wasn't this bad." He shook his head. "Anyway, how's the team doing at Hogwarts? How'd you do last year?"
"Well…" Harry started slowly, "We…er…well, we won…"

Ron smiled broadly, "Thanks to me!"

Oliver looked at Ron briefly and then turned back to Harry, who was looking slightly embarrassed.

"I was kicked off the team…so were Fred and George…Angelina wasn't too happy…"

Oliver looked horrified, "WHAT! Why?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "I…might…have punched Malfoy."

Oliver smiled grimly, "Slimy git probably deserved it. Are you going to be able to play this year?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't know. I hope so…"

Hermione spoke up, "You should be able to Harry. With Umbridge gone and all…Dumbledore'll let you play…"

Ron nodded in agreement. Oliver looked down at his watch.

"Oh crap! I have to go! I was supposed to meet someone like ten minutes ago. I have a fitting for new robes." He tugged at his own robes, "these are getting kinda old…Anyway, it's been great seeing you guys…good luck next year Harry!"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, bye Oliver!"

Ron and Hermione nodded in farewell.

"Bye…"

"See ya…"

Harry pushed his bowl away from him, "Well, I'm done. You guys want to go check out Quality Quidditch Supplies?"

Ron smiled widely. "Sure!"

Hermione moaned, "Again?"

The three of them got up and headed for the exit. Hermione was lagging behind. Before they had come to Florean's, they had stopped at Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at new broom attachments and gadgets.

"You know what…I need to start hanging out with some girls…" Hermione said as they turned left down the street.

"What's wrong with us?" Ron asked innocently. "We're more fun than any stupid girls…"

Hermione smacked him upside the head.

"Ow…"

Maddy stared the soupy mess left in her bowl. Her appetite was gone. "You ready to go?"
Rizzy nodded as she picked up her bowl. "Yeah…sure…back to school shopping…oh joy…"

Maddy knew that it was going to be difficult to get Rizzy back into the spirit of shopping for new school supplies. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"You know…we might see the cute boy again…"

Rizzy's face lit up. "You think so?" she picked up Maddy's bowl quickly and tossed both of them into a nearby trashcan. It burped loudly as Rizzy turned back to Maddy. "Well…what are we waiting for? Come on!"

She grabbed Maddy's hand and they raced down the street oddly, with their purchases under their arms. Rizzy peered anxiously into the windows of each of the shops they passed, hoping to get a glimpse of the really cute Quidditch player. Maddy smiled happily at her friend. She was happy to know that no matter what happened to them, they would always be there for each other.

Maddy froze as she passed a group of middle age witches and wizards. Her eyes widened as she heard clips of what they were saying. Rizzy turned to see why Maddy had stopped. She heard it too. A frizzy haired witch, who was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands, was speaking nervously.

"So, it's really true then is it?"

A man in a blue bowler hat nodded, "I knew it from the beginning…I told you…didn't I, Tom?"

Tom, an older man in a long black cloak, nodded. "Yes…yes…he's back…and it's war…just like last time…"