Chapter Five
The Stranger and the Owl



Away from the Dursleys, Harry found the end of his summer passing a lot quicker (and a lot more enjoyably) than the first part did. As the days stretched out, long, hot, and hazy, it seemed as if he, Goku, and the Weasley boys would never run out of things to do, ways to have fun.

They practiced Quidditch a lot, which was interesting, because Goku's "Flying Nimbus" was not a broom, but an actual gold, flying cloud that sounded a lot like an out-of-tune car when it moved. And Goku didn't ride it like a broomstick; instead he stood on it, as he swooped about. This gave him an unfair advantage, as he didn't have to use any hands for steering, but since it was all in fun, it didn't really matter.

They took turns using Harry's Firebolt, and discovered that Ron had potential as a Chaser. "And with two of the Chasers graduating last year, you've got a good chance if you try out," Fred pointed out.

"You really think so?" Ron asked, looking hopeful and skeptical at the same time.

"We wouldn't say it if we didn't believe it," George said. "We've got some time this summer, we'll practice a lot and get you ready for try-outs."

"I'd be the first Chaser in the family," Ron said, softly.

"The only problem I see is getting you used to Bludgers," George continued. "We can't use a real Bludger here, too risky. But it takes some getting used to."

"If the Beaters are doing their job, it shouldn't be a problem, should it?" Ron asked, staring at his brothers.

Harry chuckled. They were in the old orchard, taking a break. Goku was still on his "Flying Nimbus" swooping around, laughing and giggling. Glad he's not around all the time, he thought. He could be really- His thoughts stopped abruptly and he looked at the Weasley's. "Hey, I've got an idea."

Five minutes later, they were back to playing again, but this time, they had a Bludger, in the form of Goku. Once the idea was explained to him, he warmed to it rather quickly.

"So, you want me to fly around and try to knock him around a bit?"

They all nodded. "We're not flying too high, so even if you manage to get him off his broom, he should be fine," George explained. "And remember, Fred and I will be trying to stop you from bothering him."

"That sounds like fun, let's do it!"

They continued to practice the rest of the afternoon, using Goku as the Bludger. In some ways, he proved to be much more distracting than a real Bludger. "That's okay though," George said, after the fifteenth time Goku managed to evade him and Fred and knock Ron off his broom. "Better to be over trained for Bludgers than under trained."

"Easy for you to say," Ron muttered as he picked himself up off the ground and wiped off the back of his pants. "You're not the ones being shoved to the ground around all the time."

They all laughed.

Other days were filled with other activities. There were chores to be done around the house, but Harry realized that chores were a lot more fun if you were sharing them with other people. In the evenings, they read their books and tried to help Goku catch up to them, which was no easy feat.

"It's like you're going to have to learn the stuff we learned over the last three years before you can go on," Ron commented.

"I know," Goku said, cheerfully. "I'm kinda in a bad situation. But, it'll work out. Professor Dumbledore said he'd make sure I had extra help."

"Maybe Hermione will help," Ron said, grinning to Harry. "She loves helping people study."

Harry chuckled softly. It was amusing, but accurate. Hermione would probably jump at the chance to help Goku catch up.

"That would be good!" Goku said. "Cause I know I need all the help I can get."

Hermione wrote more often, now that she knew Harry was at the Weasleys. Partly, because she had been worried about how the Dursleys would react if they had intercepted any of Harry's mail before Harry could get to it, and partly because she could now write Ron and Harry one letter together. Her family had vacationed for a bit, but returned towards the end of summer, so Hermione could get packed and pick up her school supplies.

We're going to Diagon Alley next Saturday.(She wrote in one letter) It's too bad you already got your supplies; it would have been nice if we could have met up there. But I suppose we'll all meet on the train. I'm looking forward to meeting Goku; he sounds interesting.

"It is too bad," Ron said. He and Harry were reading the letter together at the kitchen table. Goku was busy petting the post owl that had brought the message.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But, we'll see her on the train."

"Nice owl," Goku said, as he gave the barn owl a small dish of water. "Here, you drink this before you head back."

Harry smiled. Goku seemed to have a way with animals. Hedwig and Errol both accepted affection and treats from him easily and the small owl Sirius gave to Ron, Pidwidgeon, became terribly excited every time Goku came in the room. Of course, Pig (Pidgwidegon's nickname) became terribly excited over the least little thing, but it still seemed that he became a bit more excited with Goku than he did with anyone else except for Ron.

"I wish I had an owl," Goku said, as he fed the post owl some treats. "That would be neat."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron and Harry then at Goku. "My goodness, that's right!" she exclaimed. "We never got you a familiar!"

"Huh?" Goku looked at her and scratched his head.

"Familiar. It's a wizard pet," Harry explained.

"And I can take one to school?" Goku grinned broadly.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I take Pig to school with me, and Harry takes Hedwig. Hermione has Crookshanks. That's a cat. You can have a cat, and owl, or a toad. Which would you want? I wouldn't pick a toad though. No one wants a toad." His nose wrinkled for a moment.

"I want an owl!" Goku shouted, getting very excited. "Can I use it to send letters to Krillen and Master Roshi?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Since Master Roshi is aware of us and understands how we send letters, I'll bet if you get an owl, he or she should be able to find him. Owls are very smart."

"Whoo-hoo!" Goku cheered. "I wanna get an owl. Can we get one tonight? Owls go out at night, I'll bet we could hunt one down."

Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and Ron tried not to laugh. "A wild owl wouldn't be very good," Mrs. Weasley explained, her eyes twinkling. "We'll have to go back to Diagon Alley and take you to Eeylops Owl Emporium or one of the other magical creatures shops."

Ron and Harry looked at each other, their eyes lighting up. "Mom," Ron asked, trying not to sound too eager. "Can we go and get Goku's owl next Saturday?"

Mrs. Weasley thought for a moment. "I think we could do that," she said, hesitantly. "If I couldn't take you boys, your father probably could. Why Saturday?"

"Because Hermione is going to be there then," Ron explained. "And it would be nice to see her."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I should have known! Well, I can see why you want to see her; you three haven't been able to get together all summer. And, it would be nice if she had a chance to meet Goku before you left for school."

"I want to meet her," Goku said.

"She wants to meet you, too," Harry said, glancing at the letter again.

"Well then," Molly said with a small nod, "it's settled. I'll talk to your father tonight." She looked up at the clock. "And from the looks of that, it won't be long." The hand marked "Arthur" had moved from "Working" to "Coming Home."


That evening, they told Mr. Weasley, who thought the plans for next Saturday were fine and agreed that he would be the one to escort them. Fred and George tried to get permission to tag along with them, but didn't meet with any success. Mrs. Weasley was not feeling particularly generous with the twins that evening, because they had blown a hole in the ceiling of their room, while "experimenting," right after Mr. Weasley had returned home. While Arthur and Molly had been able to fix the damage using magic, the commotion had disturbed the family ghoul and he had retaliated by banging pipes and making as much noise as possible. Goku had tried to talk to him, to explain it had been only an innocent accident, but the ghoul wasn't listening. He was determined that the Weasleys should pay for disturbing his fun. Everyone knew that it was going to be a rough sleeping night.

"You don't deserve the chance to go to Diagon Alley and play," Molly stated flatly.

"It isn't our fault the stupid ghoul is upset," George muttered darkly.

"We need some stuff too," Fred chimed in. "We're completely out of Filibuster Fireworks."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, when a terrific clanging sounded from the attic. Mrs. Weasleys eyes flashed and her lips set in a firm line. "The last thing you boys need is fireworks," she snapped.

Mr. Weasley tried to defend them. "Well dear, you know how boys are."

"I never lit fireworks in my room," Percy said.

"No, you were too busy being perfect to have any fun," Fred said, rolling his eyes.

"And polishing all your prefect badges," George added. "Not only did you never have any fun, you never were much fun."

Percy's nostrils flared. "I don't have to sit here and be insulted!"

"Of course not, Percy, you're welcome to stand here and be insulted, it doesn't matter much to us."

Everyone but Percy and Mrs. Weasley tried desperately not to laugh at George's remark. "That was entirely uncalled for," Mrs. Weasley said. "George, apologize to your brother at once."

George reached over and grabbed Fred's hand. "I'm so sorry," He said, feverently squeezing Fred's hand.

"That's all right," Fred said, squeezing George's hand just as tightly and looking into his eyes. "I completely understand you're forgiven."

"George!" Mrs. Weasleys voice was becoming shriller as she spoke.

"Well, you never specified which one," George grinned. Above them, the Ghoul began slamming his chains on the floor to go along with the pipe rattling.

"George Weasley, you say you're sorry to Percy; Right. This. Instant!"

George looked at Percy. "I'm sorry you never were any fun."

Molly said nothing, but you could almost feel the heat glaring from her. Above them, the Ghoul rattled the pipes more. "Oh, Mom, lighten up, I'm only having a bit of fun." George sighed and shook his head.

"Look, Percy, I didn't mean to get you upset and I'm sorry for that."

Percy hesitated while everyone just watched him. Then he slowly nodded. "Apology accepted," he finally said.

Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of brightly wrapped caramels. "And just to show there are no hard feelings, you can have these." He pushed the bag over to Percy.

Percy stared at the bag for a moment, and then scooped it up. "Thank you."

George looked at his mother. "I said I was sorry and Fred gave him the last of our candy. Can't we go next Saturday?"

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was actually considering relenting for a moment, then the ghoul set up a terrific clatter in the attic. She shook her head firmly. "No."

"That ghoul has a horrible sense of timing," Fred muttered.


The Saturday they were leaving was drizzly, grey day, but Harry's mood hardly reflected the weather. He was looking forward to seeing Hermione again. The morning seemed to drag, as they were going to leave a little before lunchtime and meet Hermione and her folks for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Arthur Weasley was looking forward to seeing Hermione's parents again and having the chance to really chat with them.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, Percy came flying down the stairs, and ran into the kitchen, where Fred and George were sitting at the kitchen table, working on something and doing lots of whispering. He looked at both of them and glared angrily.

George looked up at him. "Err, something wrong, Percy?"

Percy waved his hands around a bit, making threatening gestures. Then he grabbed a scroll that Fred had been writing on, as well as his quill and wrote frantically.

YOU KNOW! The paper read.

Mrs. Weasley was finishing up the "Floo cure" potion for Goku. She placed the steaming mug on the counter and turned around to look at them. "What is going on here?" she asked.

Percy opened his mouth as if to scream, but instead, made a long, low… croaking sound.

Fred and George looked at each other and started laughing joyously. "It worked!" Fred cried.

Mr. Weasley was standing by the fireplace with the pot of Floo powder in his hands. Ron, Harry, and Goku were with him. He looked for a moment as if he wanted to just disappear out of there.

Percy's face was several shades of red. He opened his mouth again. "Crrroak… crrrrroak!" came out, a bit louder.

"What did you boys do to Percy?" Mrs. Weasley asked, rushing over.

"Croaking caramels!" George said, looking rather proud of himself. "Aw, Mom, don't worry about it, it'll only last a few minutes."

"Five at the most," Fred said.

Mrs. Weasley looked more than mad; she looked absolutely furious. "How many times have I told you boys to stop this? These jokes aren't funny!"

George looked for a moment as if he was going to debate her judgment, then changed his mind and closed his mouth.

Percy croaked more frantically, alternating his glare from one twin to the other. Mr. Weasley handed the pot of powder to Ron and went over to the counter and picked up the Floo sickness potion. He brought it over and handed it to Goku. "Drink it down quick," he suggested.

Goku took the mug, but didn't drink it. "Why does Percy sound like a frog?" he asked, quite loudly.

Ron and Harry were willing themselves not to laugh and also trying not to look at each other. Ron was looking at a spot on the wall intently and Harry was staring at his feet as if they were the most fascinating things he had ever seen.

"He sounds like a frog, because Fred and George can't behave!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Arthur, what are we going to do about this?"

"Er… I don't know, right now," Mr. Weasley said, looking very uncomfortable himself, as if perhaps he might even find this situation amusing.

Ron nudged Goku. "Drink the potion!" he whispered.

Goku was still looking at Percy and didn't hear him. "Do it again!" he requested, smiling. "Make the frog noise!"

Percy whipped around and looked at him, his eyes flashing fire. "Crrroak!"

"Oh, don't start on Goku," Fred said. "He didn't give you the caramels, we did. He's innocent."

"Please, Goku, drink the potion," Harry whispered.

Goku looked down at the cup as if he had forgotten about it then grinned. "Oh yeah!" He gulped it down quickly; closing his eyes, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "All done!" he announced proudly.

"Very good!" Mr. Weasley said, rather quickly. "Well, I think I should go first so I can be there if something happens. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fire. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted.

As soon as he was gone, Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron. "You tell your father that we will discuss this when he gets home."

"Whatever you say, Mom."

The three boys wasted no time getting out of there. Harry went first, then Goku and finally Ron. When Goku arrived, the first thing he did was let out a whooping sound. "I don't feel sick at all!" he exclaimed. "That stuff works well!"

Harry was looking around the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione was there, with her parents, who still looked a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by so many magic users. Hermione came rushing over when she saw him.

"Harry, it's great to see you!" she exclaimed.

Harry hadn't had the chance to introduce Hermione to Goku when Ron arrived. Ron wasted no time, but dragged Goku over. "Hermione, this is Goku!"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, it's great to see you, too Ron." She turned to Goku and offered her hand. "Hi, I've heard a lot about you."

Goku stared at her hand for a moment, as if puzzled, then grinned and took it, shaking it enthusiastically. "I've heard a lot about you too. I'm Goku. Ron and Harry tell me you're really smart. I sure hope we'll be friends, cause I'm gonna need smart friends to help me out. I've got so much catching up to do."

When they stopped shaking hands, Harry noticed Hermione winced a bit and shook out her hand. "Er, I'll be glad to help you catch up."

Goku looked at Hermione, grinning brightly as if he'd just met his idol. Hermione smiled back. Harry and Ron looked at each other and nodded. If they weren't best of friends, at least Hermione and Goku had decided the other was worth knowing. Since Harry and Ron had already decided Goku was a friend, it would be easier if he and Hermione liked each other as well.

Lunch was a pleasant experience. Arthur was thrilled for the chance to talk to Hermione's parents and involved them in a spirited discussion about computers and, what Arthur called the "Innerknot." This gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione a lot of time to catch up with each other and to let Hermione and Goku get to know each other better. Although it was difficult to get Goku to stop eating and answer most of Hermione's questions.

"What shopping do you have left?" Harry asked, when they were finishing up.

"Not too much," Hermione said. "We came this morning and bought my books." She pointed over towards her parents, where several huge bags were resting.

"Gee, that's a lot more books than we bough!" Ron said, eyeing the pile.

"Well, some of it is just some reading for me," Hermione said. "I refilled my potion supplies and got some new robes. Do you three have any more shopping you need to do?"

Goku grinned. "We have to get me an owl! My own owl!"

"Well let's go to the magical creature's shop," she suggested.

Arthur and Hermione's parents were having tea. They agreed to all meet back there in a couple of hours.

"Good," Ron said as they were leaving. "That will give me time to pick up some stuff for Fred and George." He pulled a list out of his pocket.

"Your mom wouldn't be happy if she knew you brought their list, would she?" Harry asked.

"No, but my mom isn't paying me a sickle to pick up this stuff and Fred and George are," Ron said cheerfully.

"I wanna get an owl!" Goku almost wailed.

"Don't worry, Goku, owl first." Ron assured him.

"So, do we want to try the Owl Emporium first or the magical creatures shop?" Hermione asked as they walked into Diagon Alley.

"The Creatures shop is closer, let's try there first," Harry suggested. "If they don't have the right owl, we can go to the Emporium."

The inside of the Magical Creatures shop was noisy with the sounds of several creatures scurrying and crying. The proprietor looked up when they came in and smiled to Hermione. "How's Crookshanks?" he asked.

"He's doing well," Hermione said. "He's home right now. Too bad, if I had known we were coming here, I would have brought him."

"I'm just glad he has a good home. I thought I'd have him forever." The clerk looked thoughtful for a moment, then blinked as if remembering he had a business to run. "So, what do you need today?"

"I need an owl!" Goku announced cheerfully. "A cool owl, like Harry's or Ron's."

"He thinks my owl is cool?" Ron muttered to Harry. Harry chuckled quietly.

"Well, we have lots of owls, as you can see." The clerk waved his hands, indicating the many owls about the shop, some in cages, some just sitting on perches. Most of them looked either half or completely asleep. "Take a look around."

As Goku wandered around the store, beaming, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked about the store. Harry decided to pick up some owl treats for Hedwig. He noted that they also sold owl treats in smaller sizes and pointed this out to Ron. "Not a bad idea," Ron muttered, getting some. Pig had been known to choke on normal-sized treats.

"I didn't know there were all these different types of owls!" Goku exclaimed. He was right. Owls of almost every shape, size, and color were in the shop. "How will I ever decide?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't take as long for him to find an owl as it did for a wand," Ron commented. Hermione looked at him, puzzled, so Ron explained about Goku's wand.

"I've read about Shenlon before," Hermione commented. "I was pretty sure it was all just a legend. Interesting."

"Of course you have," Ron mumbled. "You've read about everything."

Goku was standing by a rather small, reddish brown owl. Even though it was daytime, the owl appeared to have woken up and was looking at him. "Hi, owl!" Goku said, reaching out and petting him. "I've seen owls like you before."

"That's a Tengmalm's owl," The clerk said. "He's been here about a week. Very good owl. Small, but quite strong. Relatively fast too. He'd make a good companion to any wizard."

The owl was nipping playfully at Goku's fingers, making him laugh. "I like him! Do you wanna come to Hogwarts with me?"

"Then is this the one you like?" The clerk asked.

Before Goku could answer, an enormous, jet-black owl that had been sleeping peacefully on a perch behind him opened his eyes and zoomed off the perch, landing on Goku's shoulder. "Hey!" Goku exclaimed. "What's this?"

The black owl began tugging on Goku's hair and nipping gently at his ear. The tengmalm's owl ruffled his feathers, looking indignant.

"Wow, he really seems to like me!" Goku commented, reaching up and stroking the black owl's beak. The owl kept nuzzling his ear as if he had found a life-long friend.

"How strange," the clerk murmured. "I've had that one for a few months and no one has wanted him. He's been extremely obnoxious to anyone who's gone near him. The last person to look at him, well, he nipped his nose so hard he drew blood." He paused and held up a bandaged finger to Hermione, Harry, and Ron. "He's bit me a few times too. Rather hard. But he does seem to like your friend."

"Maybe I should take this one instead," Goku mussed. "You want to go with me, Blackie?"

The owl set up a terrific series of hoots and calls, flapping his wings frantically. The tengmalm's owl ruffled his feathers further, looking at the black owl with an expression of hatred and fear.

Just then the door opened and someone hurried inside. Harry looked quickly, turned back to Goku, then looked back at the stranger, his eyes wide.

He wasn't wearing a cloak, like most people in Diagon alley seemed to wear. Instead,he had on a pair of black leather pants, a royal blue shirt and a black leather vest. Black, dragon hide boots that went up to the knee completed the outfit. He had very long, jetblack hair, tied behind him in a ponytail. His eyes were black and piercing, and covered by a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, tinted red, with a tiny button on one side. He didn't bother to greet the clerk, but strode over to Goku and grabbed the black owl off his shoulder. "Gotcha," he said. His voice was low and sounded like a blending of so many accents that it would be impossible to tell where he came from originally.

"Hey!" Goku sputtered. "What are you doing? That's my owl!"

"I don't think so," The man said. He was holding the black owl firmly in his hands. The owl began shrieking terribly and flapping his wings, in obvious distress.

"Excuse me!" The clerk began, but the stranger just turned and headed outside with the owl.

"Leave Blackie alone!" Goku shouted, chasing after him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, then followed, the store clerk right behind them.

Outside, the stranger was still holding the owl. Goku was looking so furious; the very air around him seemed to crackle. "Put him back!" Goku shouted. "Or I'll make you sorry!"

"Shut up, kid," The stranger said. "You can't have this owl, I don't care."

"Sir, that's not your property," The clerk shouted.

The stranger rolled his eyes. "This owl belongs to no one but me," He stated flatly. "I've been searching for him for the last six months."

"You're hurting him!" Goku cried, lunging at the stranger.

The man just laughed and ducked neatly out of Goku's way, still holding onto the owl. "Oh, I'm going to do a lot more than hurt him. Kid, this isn't an owl."

"Yes it is!" Goku screamed.

"No it's not," The stranger disagreed. "And I'll prove it." Holding the owl firmly by the neck with one hand, he raised his other hand into the air, and bent back his wrist, looking as if he was going to catch something, falling from the sky. Instead, a ball of light began to form in his hand. "If he's a real owl, this won't hurt him, just stun him," the stranger continued. "Let's see."

"Leave him alone!" Goku howled.

"Sunspot!" The stranger shouted, and threw the ball of light at the owl.

There was a blinding flash as the owl literally exploded. Everyone but the stranger covered his or her eyes. After a moment, Harry slowly opened his and looked.

The owl was gone. No feathers, no blood, nothing but… a powder-like grey ash on the sleeve of the stranger's shirt.

"Blackie!" Goku almost sobbed. "You killed him."

"Ka-Kid," the stranger sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, that wasn't an owl? A real owl wouldn't have disintegrated with a Sunspot, he just would have been temporarily blinded and stunned."

Hermione was staring at the stranger with a glint in her eyes. "Well, if it wasn't an owl, what was it?" she asked.

The stranger looked at her and for the first time, smiled. Harry shivered. The smile seemed cold and calculating. "Finally," he said. "Someone showing some brains."

"You'll pay for that!" The clerk snapped.

"Bill the ministry of magic," was the stranger's advice. "They're the ones that authorized me to find the SOB."

"So, what was it?" Hermione repeated. She had moved closer to the stranger and was trying to examine the remaining ash on his arm.

"You've got brains," the stranger said, holding out his arm so she could get a closer look. "I'll bet you can figure it out."

"He shouldn't have killed him," Goku muttered darkly. Harry suspected that part of Goku wanted to burst into tears, but he was holding himself back.

Hermione reached out and gathered a pinch of the ash, rubbing it between her forefinger and thumb. "Vampire," she whispered. "And an unregistered Animangus too."

The stranger nodded. "Very good, I just wish I had a gold star for you."

"H-how did you know?" Hermione asked.

He shrugged. "I've been hunting him down for awhile. Jet-black owls aren't that common. Also, I can sense things about the types I hunt."

The clerk still did not look happy. "How do I know you're working for the Ministry?" he demanded.

The stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding wallet. He flipped it open and began sorting through what appeared to be several identification cards. He finally found the one he was looking for and held it up so the clerk could see it. Harry tried to look also, to see what the stranger's name was, but he wasn't close enough. However, he could see that the stranger's picture looked bored and peeved as if indignant that someone had to look at him. However, it did seem to satisfy the manager. Or at least mollify him to the point where he stopped demanding the stranger pay for the owl.

"How do I know that owl was a vampire?" Goku asked sulkily. "That owl really liked me."

"The other owl liked you," Ron pointed out. "You can get that one."

"Yeah, but how do I know Blackie wasn't an owl?" Goku repeated.

Hermione's head tipped to one side as she continued to study the stranger. "That was a rather unique 'spell' you did. I've never seen anyone do a spell like that."

"There's more to this so-called magic than the usual mumble with wands," The stranger said, ignoring Goku's question.

"It was more like an energy blast of some type," Goku said. "Like that solar flare thingie."

The stranger nodded to Goku. "A lot like that. But a bit smaller and more concentrated. But still, it wouldn't have hurt the owl if he had been an owl."

Hermione slowly nodded, still looking as if she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but felt that it might not be best. Harry sort-of admired her for asking the ones she had. The stranger looked as if he wasn't too fond of answering questions.

"Well, things seem fine here. I'm leaving." The stranger started to walk off.

"Hey!" Hermione called after him. "You never told us your name!"

"No, I didn't." He didn't even turn around, but kept walking. "I'll see you kids around soon enough, I suppose." With those parting words, he walked into a crowd of people and disappeared from sight.

"He's very… interesting." Hermione commented.

"That's one way to describe him," Harry said, a wry grin crossing his lips.

The shopkeeper sighed. "I'll have to inform the registry. They won't pay what the owl was really worth, but at least it will be something." He walked back into the shop. The four of them followed.

Goku went back to the tengmalm's owl, who seemed very glad to see him again, especially without the "Blackie" on his shoulder. "Do you want to go with me?" Goku whispered, looking around as if he were afraid the stranger would show up again and blow up this owl.

The owl reached up and nipped gently at his hair. "Okay then," Goku said, grinning. "I'll take you."

As they were leaving the shop, Goku was cooing to his new owl. "Good Tengmalm's, I'm glad you want to come with me."

As they were heading to the joke shop to fill Fred and George's list, Ron looked at Harry. "Have you noticed that every time we take Goku shopping, weird stuff happens?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It does seem that way."

"Well, imagine how this year at school is going to be," Ron continued. "With Goku around, things might get weirder than usual."

Harry thought for a moment about his past three years at Hogwarts and tried not to groan. "I was hoping I might get one normal year and this one might be it. Thank you."

Ron grinned. "You're welcome."

End Chapter Five.


Author's notes: There are two wonderful illustration to this story, One by (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) and the other by Indigo (indigo@indigosky.net) They can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/hpdbz-quidditch.html and http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/strangeowl.html Check it out. If you like them, email the artists and let them know, okay?