Goku's Wand
It was right after breakfast the next morning, when Molly Weasley announced that because of all they needed to do that day, that they should go to Diagon Alley right away. As she pulled down the green flowerpot, Harry couldn't help but gulp a bit. "Floo powder," he said softly. It wasn't among his favorite ways to travel.
"Flu powder?" Goku asked, polishing off the last of the toast. "Is it sick? Or does it make you sick?"
Everyone but Harry laughed. "I think its spelled F-L-O-O," Harry explained, hiding his smile. "It's… a common way for wizards to travel."
"Are you sure I can't just take the flying Nimbus?" Goku asked.
No one answered him; they were all too busy lining up near the fire and probably didn't hear him. Nobody except for Harry, who wondered if the Flying Nimbus was an earlier model of his former Nimbus 2000. But, before he could ask, Goku was rising from the table. He put his dishes in the sink to soak and ran over to the fireplace. "Mrs. Weasley, do you want me to do the dishes before we go?" he asked.
"Oh, aren't you just a blessing!" She beamed at the boy, "But no worries, I'll take care of that." She pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it towards the sink. Immediately, the dishes began washing themselves.
"Wow, that is so cool!" Goku's eyes shined with obvious admiration. It was a feeling Harry was quite familiar with himself. Even though Harry had known he was a wizard for three years, he still was amazed when he saw magic used as part of everyday life, especially at the Weasleys. At school, it seemed a little easier to accept without getting too fascinated, because in the school, magic was being practiced every day. On summer holiday, students weren't allowed and there were times when it was almost easy to believe it didn't exist.
"Okay," Mr. Weasley said, "I think the best thing to do will be to send Percy first. Then the twins. I'll go after them, then we'll let Ron, Goku, and Harry, go." He smiled to Molly. "Do you mind being last?"
"Not at all," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling back. "Okay, Percy, here you go."
Percy took a handful of the powder and threw it into the fire. Stepping in, he shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared.
"Oh wow!" For a moment, Harry thought Goku's eyes were going to fall right out of his head; they were so wide and round. "He walked into the fire, but he didn't burn, he disappeared! Wow!"
"That's right, you've never used Floo powder," Mrs. Weasley said, as she held out the pot for George, then Fred, who followed Percy's lead. "Well, you have to be careful. Be sure to speak clearly. Watch the others, now and be careful. Last year poor Harry here ended up in Knockturn Alley.
"Yes," Mr. Weasley said, as he took a handful himself. "Be very careful, we wouldn't want to go through that again!" With that, he threw his powder into the fire, yelled "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared.
Ron was next, and then it was Goku's turn. "Don't be afraid, dear, you'll do fine," Mrs. Weasley said as she handed him the pot.
"So, it's Diagon Alley?" Goku asked. He didn't look afraid at all, but more excited.
"Yes dear, shout it nice and loud."
Goku nodded. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder, screamed, "Diagon Alley!" then jumped into the fire, where he disappeared. For a moment, Harry could have sworn he could hear him laughing.
"My, he is enthusiastic, isn't he?" Mrs. Weasley said, as she offered the pot to Harry. "Here you go, dear. I'll be right behind you."
Harry took a handful, hoping this trip would go better than his past ones had. He threw the powder into the fire and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and stepped into the fire. A pleasant glow surrounded him, and then he felt his stomach lurch, as if someone had hooked him by his stomach and began pulling him forward. He closed his eyes tightly.
The feeling subsided. He opened his eyes and saw he was in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasleys who had come before him were all gathered around someone. "Something wrong?" he asked as he climbed out of the fireplace.
"Goku's having a reaction," Ron said, moving aside so Harry could see.
Goku was kneeling on the floor, looking sheet white and pale. There was a basin someone had set in front of him and from the looks of it; part of his breakfast was no longer inside him. "Don't wanna get sick no more," he was mumbling.
"I've never seen this happen before!" George exclaimed. "Barfing by Floo!"
"Well, only one out of every two thousand people experience side effects from using Floo powder," Percy said. "It was all in the first report I did for Mr. Crouch, weren't you listening to it when I read it out loud at dinner that night?"
"No!" The twins announced in cheerful unison.
"Are you all right?" Mr. Weasley was kneeling beside Goku, rubbing his back gently.
"What's going on here?" someone asked. It was Mrs. Weasley, who had just arrived and was stepping out of the fire.
"Goku doesn't like Floo powder," Fred explained. "He's tossing his cookies."
Mrs. Weasley looked at Goku briefly then nodded. "We can fix that quickly. Hang on, Goku, we'll have you fixed up soon." She walked over to the bar and talked to the bartender for a moment. He nodded and began mixing something up. A minute or so later, he handed her a goblet. Rising from the goblet was a thick, bluish-green smoke. She brought it over and handed it to Goku. "Here you go."
Goku took it and swallowed it down without hesitation. Harry had caught a faint whiff when Mrs. Weasley passed him, and was surprised at Goku's eagerness. He knew he would have thought twice before drinking that mixture. It reminded Harry of one of Neville's assignments for Snapes class; one where Hermione never got the chance to help him.
"Tastes kinda minty," Goku commented, twisting so he was sitting on the floor rather than kneeling. "Just kinda though."
"How's your stomach?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
Goku thought for a moment, his brow furrowed, and then broke into a grin. "Hey, I'm not urpy anymore! This stuff really works!"
Mr. Weasley was looking at his wife with happy surprise. "I never knew you knew how to cure Floo sickness!"
Molly smiled. "I used to suffer from it myself when I was younger. I was a little worried one of our children might suffer from it, but thankfully, that seems to have skipped them." She turned her attention back to Goku. "We'll get you a glass before we head back. Then you won't get sick."
"Thanks." Goku leaped to his feet. No one would ever believe that two minutes ago, he'd been white and shaking on the floor.
"I wish I had known you knew how to fix that," Percy said. "I would have included the cure in the report to Mr. Crouch."
"Well, you never asked, now, did you?" Mrs. Weasley said. "And, I don't think about it much, now that I've seemed to have outgrown it. Well, now that Goku is better, shall we go?"
They left the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Weasley tapped the bricks, opening up Diagon Alley to them. Goku gasped, as the bricks seemed to move of their own accord. "Where are we going first?" he asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.
"To Gringott's of course," Mrs. Weasley said.
Harry was surprised to find out that Goku too, had a vault at Gringott's. Since it was closest to the top, that was where they went first. Goku wasn't too eager to leave the cart, but was finally convinced to do so by the promise that once he got his money, they'd take off again.
When the door to Goku's vault opened, Harry was a bit relieved to see that there seemed to be a healthy supply of money inside. He knew his own vault had plenty of money in it, and it made him uncomfortable to have so much when the Weasleys had so little. If Goku too, had only a tiny bit, Harry would have felt just terrible.
"How much should I take?" Goku asked called to Mrs. Weasley. "I don't have a clue!"
She walked into the vault and helped Goku fill his bag. She didn't seem the least bit envious that this child had so much money to spend. "You'll want some extra too," she said, once they figured out how much he would need for school supplies. "You'll need money to take to Hogwarts so you can go into Hogsmeade on weekends."
"Okay." Goku nodded and dumped some more sickles and galleons into his bag.
The Weasleys' vault was next. Just as she had the year before, Mrs. Weasley emptied the entire pitiful pile of sickles and knuts into her bag. There were only two of galleons and she put those in her pocket.
Harry's vault was last. He filled his bag quickly. When he got back into the cart, Goku was grinning. "You've got lots of money," he said, flatly, as if the word "tact" had never appeared in his vocabulary.
"Of course he does," Mrs. Weasley said. "His parents were quite well off when they were… when they passed on. And it's a good thing too, we wouldn't want Harry to be financially strained now, would we?"
Harry smiled; amazed at how Mrs. Weasley could think it was wonderful that he had so much money. He really wished he could share it with the Weasleys, just give them a huge pile of money, but he knew they wouldn't take it.
After Gringott's, they decided to go to Flourish & Blotts first. "Might as well get the books out of the way," Mrs. Weasley said grimly. "Oh well, at least Ginny is set for the most part." Between Harry's books (which he had to say that he was only loaning to get them to accept his offer) and Ron's, most of Ginny's books were covered. "Of course, she'll still need a few. Perhaps we can find good second hand ones."
"Are you guys, like poor or something?" Goku asked.
Harry stared at Goku in disbelief. But Goku wasn't being rude, or at least not deliberately. He was looking at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with honest curiosity.
"We're not as well off as some," Mrs. Weasley cheerfully admitted, "But we get by."
"Oh," Goku said, nodding.
Only the Weasley children seemed embarrassed by the question.
Inside the bookstore, Harry pulled out his list, which had arrived at the Dursleys the week before.
The Standard Book of Spells - Grade 4.
Predicting the Unpredictable
Intermediate Transfigurations, Volume II
The Amazing Book of Magical Creatures
Charming Charms, Alarming Charms.
Against the Forces of Darkness.
The last one caught his eye and he looked at Ron. "They must have found a new teacher for Defense Against The Dark Arts."
"Let's see how long this one lasts," Ron said bitterly. "And he can't be better than Professor Lupin."
Harry agreed. Professor Lupin had been a wonderful teacher. It was too bad that Snape had to stick his nose into things and reveal that he was a werewolf. "Well," he finally said, deciding that it wasn't really the new teacher's fault, "Maybe the new Professor will be just as good."
"I doubt it," Ron muttered.
It was a viewpoint Harry privately agreed with.
Towards the bottom of the booklist was another book and a note. Harry read both, curiously.
The Basic Handbook On Muggles.
According to our records, you were raised with a Muggle family and do not need to buy this book. This book is for a special class starting this year, which is mandatory for all students who have grown up in primarily magic households.
Of course, students who have grown up in Muggle households are still welcome to take the class if they wish. I'm sure your insight will be helpful for your fellow students!
"Hey, Ron, did you hear about this?" Harry asked, showing him the note.
Ron nodded and groaned. "Yeah, I have. It's not exactly Muggle studies, but it's close. I guess they just decided we were all growing up too ignorant of muggles and figured we needed a basic course." He paused, to roll his eyes before continuing; "I think I need it like a hole in my head. I mean, I know lots about Muggles, just from hanging around with you and Hermione."
Harry smiled, remembering the disaster of last summer, where Ron tried to phone him at the Dursleys and ended up screaming at the top of his lungs and mentioning that he went to Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon had been plenty upset at that call. Ron might think he knew a lot about muggles, but truth be told, he could use a few pointers. "I think I'll get the book too," he said. "I don't have to take the class, but it might be interesting."
"Suit yourself," Ron said, shrugging. "I wouldn't take it if I didn't have to."
The clerk at Flourish and Botts was able to fill their order quickly. As they were checking out, Harry flipped through Against The Forces of Darkness, remembering Gilderoy Lockhart, their second year Defense against the dark arts teacher. He had requested they buy all the books that he (Gilderoy) had written. Most of them had been self-centered valentines to the author, of slush and goo. Very little good stuff, and the little there was, turned out to be not credited to the author, but stolen from people who then had their memories erased by Lockhart. Harry was not at all sorry for Lockhart, who had tried to put a memory charm on him and Ron, only to have it backfire on himself instead. It was a case of justice well served and a good example of why folks should never practice magic with a broken wand.
Against The Forces of Darkness seemed like a much better book, even by brief skimming. All sorts of creatures were covered and the last part of the book seemed dedicated not to evil magic creatures, but to combating evil itself, no matter what the form. "Ron, I think we might actually learn something this year," he said, showing Ron the book.
"Playing Herminie's game and starting early?" Ron teased as he looked over Harry's shoulder at the book. "Hey, this doesn't seem so bad after all."
"No, it doesn't."
"Eh, k'hm?"
A very obviously fake cough interrupted them. Harry looked up and saw the clerk, waiting for Harry to hand him the book so he could wrap it up with the others. "Oops, sorry 'bout that," he mumbled, closing the book and handing it to the clerk.
They left the shop together. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked very pleased, because most of the books they had to buy, they were able to find second hand and in very good condition.
They stopped at the apothecary and replenished their potions kits. Goku had to buy and entire beginner's kit, and then Harry and Ron had to convince him that tasting the contents would be a bad idea all around. After that, they stocked up on quills and parchment.
When that was over, Fred and George announced they wanted to go to the joke shop. "All right, but be careful!" Mrs. Weasley admonished, "And don't pick up anything that explodes too loudly, all right?" Percy wanted to go back to Flourish & Blotts to look up something and Ginny wanted to go with him, because she thought she saw one of her dorm mates heading there too. Mr. Weasley ran into a couple old friends who wanted to buy him a drink at the Leaky Cauldron.
"Well, we might as well meet at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch," Arthur suggested. "Let's say in an hour?"
"All right," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I'm sure I'll run into the twins and Percy soon, and I'll let them know."
When Mr. Weasley had left, Molly decided she'd better let Percy, Ginny, and the twins know as soon as possible and sent Ron to go find them and let them know. "We'll meet you at Ollivander's," she told him. "We have to get Goku his wand."
Ron just nodded and ran off. Harry was glad he wasn't asked to go with him. He remembered getting his own wand from Ollivanders and was curious to see what it would be like for Goku.
Ollivander's, Makers of Magic Wands since 382 B.C. had not changed in the slightest in the two years since Harry had been in there. It still looked old, smelled faintly musty, and even had the same wand on a pillow in the window.
It took Ollivander a few minutes to come out from the back. When he did, he smiled at Harry. "Eleven inches, holly with a Phoenix feather core! Very supple. How's the wand?"
"It-it's just fine," Harry said, hoping he wouldn't mention in front of Mrs. Weasley that it also happened to be the twin of Voldemort's wand. Harry worked well with the wand and didn't want anyone to think it was odd that its brother just happened to belong to the same person who had killed Harry's parents.
"Good, glad to hear it." He looked at Mrs. Weasley. "Ah, I remember you! Nine and a half inches, rosewood, with unicorn hair. Excellent for enchantment."
Mrs. Weasley smiled and brought out the wand he spoke of. "I still have it, too."
Mr. Ollivander looked the wand over carefully. "You take very good care of it, my dear," he said, nodding his approval. "Polish it a lot?"
"Every night I get the chance," Mrs. Weasley said. She looked over at Harry and winked. Harry knew there were many nights she just didn't have the time to polish her wand, especially not with five children running around. She probably polished it last night, knowing she'd be coming here.
"Well, what can I do for you today? No, let me guess, this one needs his first wand!" He smiled at Goku. "Am I correct?"
"Yes sir," Goku said, politely.
"Excellent, excellent." Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Have they told you about Ollivander wands?"
"A bit," Goku said. "Mostly that you can't buy a finer wand anywhere."
Mr. Ollivander nodded, blinking his strange, silvery eyes. "They are correct," he said. "No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two wizards are the same. Each wand is as special as the user. And remember, the wand chooses the user, not the user the wand."
"Okay," Goku nodded. Harry noted, with interest that in this dusty shop, and Mr. Ollivander and his unusual eyes, Goku seemed more subdued than normal.
Mr. Ollivander measured Goku and nodded. Just as he did when he measured Harry, his tape measure moved by itself. Goku said nothing, just waited. Mr. Ollivander walked over to one of the shelves and brought down a long, thin, box. "Elm, seven and a half inches, unicorn tail. Swishy." He handed it to Goku.
Goku took it gently and stared at it.
"Don't be shy, boy, give it a wave!" Ollivander said.
"Oh, okay." Goku did as he was instructed. Nothing happened.
"Ah, obviously not it. Let's try…" Already he was over by the shelves, pulling down another box. "This one! Ten inches, red maple, phoenix feather. Very supple indeed."
Goku waved this one immediately and nothing happened again.
Mr. Ollivander went and fetched several boxes this time, and tried several wands. None of them worked. Harry grinned. He didn't want to see Goku having a hard time, but it was good to know he wasn't the only difficult customer Ollivander had.
"Are you sure none of those are right?" Goku asked, his eyes widening with concern as he noticed the pile of "rejected ones" growing larger.
"Of course not," Mr. Ollivander said, scornfully. "Don't worry about it, child. I know the right wand for you is in here, it's just a matter of putting my hands on it, and I will very shortly."
Ron returned as Mr. Ollivander was climbing the upper shelves for more boxes. "Having a little trouble?" he whispered.
"Yeah," Goku said, ruefully. "I can't seem to make one work."
"Don't worry, it took Ollivander almost an hour before he found the right wand for me," Ron said.
"How do I know if I have the right wand?"
"You'll know," Ron said. "It'll just feel… right. And, when you swish it, something will happen. With mine, blue smoke swirled out of the end when I waved it. None of the other wands did that."
"I had golden sparks," Harry said. "And when I held my wand, I felt warm and it felt comfortable."
Goku nodded. "warm, comfortable, sparks, smoke swirls, feels right. Got it."
Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Just relax, Goku. It will all be fine."
But it wasn't so fine, three hours later, when Goku was still trying out wands. Percy had come in ages ago, having been sent by Mr. Weasley from the Leaky Cauldron to ask what the holdup was. "Finding Goku's wand is a bit harder than we thought," Mrs. Weasley whispered to him. "Tell your father to be patient, we'll be along in a bit."
"All right," Percy said, nodding. "We'll wait for you there."
The only one who didn't seem at all upset by this was Mr. Ollivander himself. He kept going in back and running up shelves for boxes. Ron was sitting in the spindly chair looking as if he would fall asleep. Mrs. Weasley looked a bit tired and Harry was stifling yawns. Finding his wand had been nothing compared to this.
Finally, after Goku had tried all the wands in the latest armful, Mr. Ollivander stopped looking delighted and started looking worried. "I've tried every wand in the shop!" he exclaimed. "This has never happened to me!" He looked at Mrs. Weasley rather desperately.
"Goku has to have a wand," Mrs. Weasley sounded very concerned. "Are you sure that's the last one?"
Harry, who had been looking around the shop, shook his head. "No it isn't," he said.
"What?"
Everyone in the room looked at him, making Harry feel just a bit uncomfortable, but he still shook his head. "There's one more wand left. That one up there." He pointed to the very top of a bookshelf, where there was one box left, barely visible and covered with a thick layer of dust.
"Oh yes, I forgot about that one, but I hardly think-" Mr. Ollivander stopped suddenly and looked at Goku, his eyes squinting. "Well, you never know now, do you?" He turned and went to fetch the wand.
When he came back, Harry saw the box he was holding was made of a dark wood and had a tiny, gold latch on it and gold hinges. Mr. Ollivander wiped the dust off with the sleeve of his robe and opened the box slowly, almost reverently, revealing the wand inside. "Eleven and a half inches, Dragon Heartstring, Asian White Birch. Very supple. Give it a try."
Goku hesitated for a moment, and then took the wand from its case. "Ooo!" he murmured softly. As Harry watched, a golden glow seemed to spread through him for a moment. Mr. Ollivander nodded, his eyes suddenly quite bright again.
"Go ahead," he whispered. "Give it a wave."
As Goku waved the wand, a bright ball of light formed in the air. Suddenly it split into seven smaller balls of golden light, which scattered in entirely different directions, one narrowly missing Harry's ear.
"Oh!" Goku exclaimed, just staring. "Oh boy!"
"I think we found it," Ron said, grinning. "Not a moment too soon, cause I'm starved!"
"I-I like this one," Goku said.
Mr. Ollivander was staring at Goku, with the same expression he had stared at Harry with when Harry had found his wand. Respect, curiosity, and maybe even a little awe. "That...is a very special wand," He murmured.
"Yeah, it's cool!" Goku said, looking as if he was fighting the urge to start waving it around the room. Harry rather hoped he wouldn't, he didn't want to duck more tiny glowing orbs.
"The core of that wand, the dragon heartstring, came from a very special dragon," Mr. Ollivander explained. "In fact, as far as I know, that dragon has only given one heartstring, ever." He was wringing his hands, watching Goku eagerly.
"Really?" Goku looked mildly shocked.
"Yes!" Ollivander confirmed, nodding as well. "The dragon whose heartstring is in that wand is none other than Shenlon, the Eternal dragon."
"Really?" Goku went from mildly shocked to extremely pleased. "I've seen him before! He's the dragon that grants the wish when you get all seven of the magic dragon balls together. And part of him is in my wand? That's great!"
Harry was suddenly afraid Mr. Ollivander would completely collapse under the excitement of hearing that not only did Goku know who this Shenlon was, but had actually met him. "I've had that wand in my shop for over 900 years," he whispered. "It's been waiting all that time for you."
"Neat!" Goku grinned ear to ear. "Yeah, I want this one!"
Harry noted with interest that Goku's wand was the same price as Harry's had been.
Goku was staring at his wand box as they left the shop. "This is so great," he said.
"Did you really meet that dragon?" Ron asked. "I've never heard of any dragon named Shenlon."
"I think Charlie has mentioned him to us before," Mrs. Weasley said. "He's the dragon that lives in the center of the earth, isn't he?"
Goku nodded. "And if you gather up the seven dragon balls and say the right words, he comes forth and will grant you a single wish. It can be anything!" He paused then added, "Well, anything within his power, but he's got a lot of power. My friend Oolong wished for supremely comfortable underwear from him and got it!"
Harry and Ron stared at each other. Imagine having the power to wish for just about anything and wasting it on underwear? "I wouldn't do that," Ron muttered. "I'd wish for a vault full of gold Galleons."
"You'd get it too, if you gathered up all the dragon balls," Goku said, nodding. "But, you couldn't do that for awhile anyway. Cause after the wish, the balls are scattered and just look like ordinary rocks for a year or so."
"Too bad." Ron snapped his fingers, in disappointment.
After lunch they went to the robe shop. Harry's robes were a bit small and Goku of course, needed a full set. "You also need dress robes," Mrs. Weasley reminded them. Harry was a little concerned about what dress robes were. As it turned out, the dress robes came in a variety of designs and colors and there were some that looked much like his every day robes. He had been a little worried all of them would be extraordinarily frilly or something.
"Why do we need stupid dress robes anyway?" Ron muttered.
"Because the list said so," Mrs. Weasley said. "You're older now, there are going to be some occasions that call for them, like the winter ball."
Goku and Harry got their every day robes first. The dress robes were a little harder. Harry picked himself one in a deep shade of green. (Mrs. Weasley told him it would look good with his eyes.) Goku picked orange and didn't seem to care if it went with his eyes or not.
Ron was looking at one in a rich, royal blue when Mrs. Weasley came over, holding up a crimson colored robe with moldy looking lace on the sleeves and collar. "I think this will fit you," she said.
All three boys stared at it. Ron's expression was one of horror. "I'm not wearing that, Mum. I'd have to be crazy."
Mrs. Weasley stared at him for a moment, then stepped back a few feet and motioned Ron to follow. He did and they started arguing, trying to be soft, but parts of it could still be overheard. Harry and Goku turned back to the racks of dress robes as if they were the most fascinating things they had ever seen, so as if to look like they were not listening.
"I won't wear it, Mum. Folks will think I'm insane."
"But you have to have dress robes, the list said--"
"--the list can take a walk as far as I'm concerned, it looks a dress for Ginny."
Goku looked over at Harry. "Why can't she just buy him the blue one?" he whispered, "he likes that one."
Harry said nothing, but rubbed his thumb against his fingers. Goku stared and then slowly nodded. "Money!" he whispered, a bit loudly.
Fortunately, Ron and his mother were too busy arguing to hear his comment. "--why can't I get ones like Harry and Goku have?"
"Because we have to go second hand and there just aren't many choices."
"Well, why can't I have one of Fred or George's, they aren't bad."
"They need them themselves. I'm sorry there was a better selection for them, but these things happen. I'll trim off the lace, you'll see-"
"I'll see nothing, I refuse to wear it."
"It doesn't seem fair," Goku whispered to Harry. "You and I have got plenty of money. Can't we just buy him the robe?"
"Fine, don't wear it. You can go to the dance starkers for all I care!"
"Maybe I will!"
Harry had been wishing the same thing, but shook his head. "It's pride. They won't take it."
"Why not?" Goku looked genuinely puzzled. "They've been taking care of me since summer began for free. They let me sleep in their house. They've fed me, which can't be cheap. And I'm just supposed to give them some stupid--" he stopped abruptly and grinned.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I just had an idea."
For some reason, that worried Harry, so he decided he'd better keep an eye on him. Goku walked over to Mrs. Weasley, who was standing, still holding the dress and looking very upset. Ron had turned his back to her, crossing his arms over his chest with a stubborn look. "Mrs. Weasley," Goku said. "Can I please buy Ron a robe?"
Harry groaned. Ron looked vaguely hopeful, but upset at the same time. Mrs. Weasley turned red and stammered, "I appreciate it, Goku, but--"
"Please, Mrs. Weasley, it would really help me out a lot!" Goku said, his eyes wide. Harry and Ron stared at each other. Ron turned to look at his mother and Goku.
Mrs. Weasley looked at him curiously. "Help you out?" she repeated, as if confirming what he had said.
Goku nodded. "Yeah. You see, before I came here, when Master Roshi was helping me get ready, and making sure I had money and all such, he told me that I had to buy a present for your family for taking care of me for the summer. I-I asked him what I should get, and he suggested a nice plant or a bowl of flowers, or maybe a really fancy box of candy. But that's stupid. You have lots of plants and flowers in your garden, some of the prettiest ones I've ever seen. And you make the best cookies and fudge, so why would you want store-bought stuff? So you see, I can't think of anything I can give you folks. But now, see, Ron wants a different dress robe, so if I could buy him that…" He paused and looked up at her, his eyes very large and very round before continuing, "…it would be perfect. I know he wants it, and then I will have done what Master Roshi asked of me. Please, Mrs. Weasley, it would make things so much easier for me."
"But, Goku, a dress robe is a bit different from a plant…" Mrs. Weasley began.
"Not if we both chip in," Harry interrupted, quickly. "Goku's right. I should have bought something to say thank you too. I stayed with you last summer and this summer and I never even got you anything."
"See?" Goku grinned. "If Harry and I chip in, we'll both, uhm, uh," He paused and scratched his head thinking.
"Fulfill our obligations?" Harry supplied for him.
"Yeah, that's it." Goku nodded. "So, please, Mrs. Weasley, can we?"
Mrs. Weasley looked bewildered for a few minutes, and then finally nodded. "If it would make both of you happy, I-I guess so."
"Yay!"
They left the store five minutes later, with three new dress robes. "I wish I could have thought of that," Harry said to Goku.
Goku shrugged. "He wanted the blue robe, we wanted to buy it for him. We just had to find a good excuse to do it."
It was getting late, so they returned home. Mrs. Weasley made sure Goku drank down the "Floo Powder" cure before they left, so when everyone returned to the Burrow, Goku wasn't sick. "That's a relief," he said, as he walked out of the fire. "I hate getting sick."
Harry agreed. He didn't know
if he'd ever feel totally comfortable traveling that way, but at least he
didn't have to worry about getting sick when he arrived.
End of Chapter Four
Author's notes: There is a wonderful illustration to this story, which was done by Sabrebabe. (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) It can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/gokuwand.html Check it out. If you like it, email the artist and let her know, okay? I want to encourage her.