Another month gone, where does the time fly? many thanks to those who reviewed, your comments are well appreciated! and yes, I know that this and the previous book were mostly unchanged from the original, but I can sense that the 3rd book will start to have a significant increase of additions and revisions that occur to it, book 2 always felt as more of an interlude to me, but I'm still working on it, so who knows what inspiration might strike given enough encouragement, hint hint... on with the chapter ~F

Chapter One

Enchanted Lifestyle

On the whole, Harry would have had to say that his time at Privet Drive this summer was probably the best time he could ever remember with the Dursleys. True, they were more or less ignoring him as much as possible, and only interacted with him at meal times, when he was seated right across from them, and no more than to pass a plate of food grudgingly when he asked, but Harry couldn't care any less.

Harry spent as much time as he could in his room, finishing off his summer homework for his teachers and responding to the many letters he received from Ron, Hermione and Faykan, many coming in almost every other day. Faykan told him that he was spending some time with Draco and that he sent his greetings, explaining that he couldn't write to him because it would be unpleasant if his father found out.

Harry wasn't really sure he understood why that was, but responded that he didn't fault Draco for his father's preferences. He made a note to ask Fay about that in greater detail when the other boy returned to see him off to the Weasleys, as it just didn't seem the kind of thing to discuss in a letter.

The night before his birthday, Harry was sitting at the dinner table with the Dursleys, tolerating their poorly concealed actions of disdain and anger at his presence, when the front door opened on its own and Faykan walked in. All three Dursleys froze; panic and fear evident in their eyes, but Faykan merely ignored them and conjured an extra chair, sitting down next to Harry. "Evening Harry, everything going well I hope?" he said cheerily.

Harry could only nod, as his mouth was full of mash, and Faykan turned his head to smile at the Dursleys, "You see, I knew you could behave yourselves, as a reward I'll be taking Harry away to our friend Ron's place for the rest of the summer. Expect Harry to return next summer for about the same amount of time…" he added as he stood once more, leaving the conjured chair, which clashed horribly with the rest of Aunt Petunia's kitchen, and glanced down at Harry's cleaned plate, "come on Harry lets go make sure you're packed for Hogwarts."

They left the Dursleys at the table, still completely petrified at Fay's presence, and went upstairs. Harry started pulling things out of drawers and his small cupboard, laying out everything he needed from the house on his bed carefully while Faykan sent Hedwig with a letter to Ron, explaining that they were on their way and to expect them within hours of Hedwig's arrival, and stopped Harry when he was about to start packing things into the trunk.

"I got it from here," he said, waving his wand, and all of Harry's extra belongings flew into the air, arranged themselves into the tightest method possible, and started falling into the trunk like the game Tetris, which Harry had seen Dudley play once, before he got frustrated and broke it throwing the entire system across the room.

All that was left after Fay's spell completed was a heavy cloak, Harry's wand and his broom. "You'll need that Harry, were flying to the Burrow." Fay said, replying to Harry's confused look at why his broom hadn't been packed.

"The Burrow?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"It's the name of Ron's house," Faykan replied, unshrinking his own broom, a sleek, black-wooded model that Harry didn't recognize from the magazines that he had read the previous year about popular brooms in Britain. It was completely glossy from tip to bristle with no markings or decorations etched into the midnight wood whatsoever.

Faykan shrunk Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage, giving them both to Harry to carry in his pockets. They then trouped outside, past the Dursleys, who froze like frightened animals until they left, after which they heard the door lock loudly and saw the window shades were closed rapidly. They continued around the house and into the backyard where they mounted their brooms and kicked off, soaring straight up, over the clouds and into the night sky.

Harry relished the moment, weaving back and forth, and performing Quidditch maneuvers while Faykan kept them on course for their destination. "I thought you told Draco last year you didn't have a broom," Harry shouted to Faykan at one point, and the boy just shrugged.

He really didn't have to answer, as Harry could already guess the real reason. Faykan was extremely averse to showing off, and with an unmarked, unknown broom type, which had to be custom made, the jealousy that it would cause would have potentially ruined what had turned out to be an incredible friendship.

After what seemed like hours of flying through the clouds, Faykan started angling his broom for a decent. Harry was thankful that they were almost at Ron's by that point; his hands were numb from the frigid night air, and all the acrobatics and other things he had done to keep himself amused hadn't helped. As they passed below the cloudbank, Harry could see a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees. "Not much farther now," Faykan shouted over the roaring wind as it whipped past their speeding brooms.

Finally, Harry could see a large building with four or five chimneys in the distance. Faykan put on a boost of speed to his broom, Harry having no trouble keeping up. They finally landed in the small yard, scattering several chickens in the early dawn light. As the two boys marched up to the front door, Harry noticed the lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance that read, 'The Burrow'.

Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron Harry almost tripped over due to the numbness of his limbs. Faykan shrunk his broom, pocketed it, and finally knocked briskly on the door before pushing it open and motioning for Harry to enter.

Harry entered a rather small, and mercifully very warm, kitchen with a scrubbed wooden table a chairs in the middle of the room. Harry couldn't help but look around in wonder, almost forgetting the numbness in his hands and fingers, he having never been in a wizarding house before. The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like: 'Time to make tea', 'Time to feed the chickens', and 'You're late'. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like 'Charm Your Own Cheese', 'Enchantment in Baking', and 'One Minute Feasts - It's Magic!' It was simply glorious to him.

Just as Harry and Faykan made their way to a large uneven and winding staircase, the short, plump form of Mrs. Weasley appeared at the bottom, smiling at the two boys with her arms held out wide. "I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said pulling him into an embrace. Turning to Faykan, she repeated the motion, drawing the small, thin boy into her arms despite his obvious reluctance. "Oh Faykan, dear, you needn't be shy here. Thank you for taking the trouble of getting Harry here on such short notice," she turned back to Harry, "We were going to pick you up ourselves in two weeks, but Faykan offered to get you before your birthday and well, we couldn't say no to having a party here for you on the correct day."

Harry blushed at the mention of a party. "You really needn't do…" he began, but Mrs. Weasley brushed him off, "But we'd be delighted to Harry, Ron told us how your relatives treated you until you came to Hogwarts, and it just kills me to think that you hadn't even had a proper birthday… but never mind that right now, come along and I'll whip up some breakfast." She said as she herded both boys back into the kitchen. They sat at the table and waited for only a short time as she bustled around, putting eggs and sausages into a frying pan with some of the most fluid wand-work Harry had ever seen.

After a few moments the wonderful smell of hot food was wafting throughout the house, and the other residents started to stir, almost as if on instinct. The first to arrive were the twins, Fred and George, who smiled widely when they saw Harry and Faykan, "Look who arrived bright and early this morning," Mrs. Weasley cheerfully called to Ron who came down minutes later, still in pajamas and yawning loudly.

Harry wasn't sure either he or Fay they could handle the amount of food that Mrs. Wealsey was giving to them however, as she was at one moment tipping eight or nine sausages onto each of Harry's and Faykan's plates, then she was adding three large fried eggs for each boy the next, all the while muttering to herself about how dreadfully thin they both were.

Faykan looked like he was going to mention that they were perfectly normal sizes for their age, but at that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, which appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.

"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister; she's been talking about you all summer." He added with a playful smirk.

After Faykan and Harry had waded through their fourth helpings, somehow, as Mrs. Weasley insisted on them eating as much as they possibly could, the door opened and the thin, balding Mr. Weasley walked in.

"Morning Weasleys," he called, and he sat down at the table amidst the responses of "morning dad," from his sons.

"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned..." Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea, sighed, and looked around the table, finally settling his eyes on the Faykan and Harry, "Ah, hello there Faykan, and this must be Harry Potter, Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about you of course." he said holding his hand out for Harry to shake. Fred then asked him about the raids he was on and Mr. Weasley dived into the details, allowing Ron, Faykan, and Harry to excuse themselves and head up the stairs to Ron's room, which Ron informed them that they would all be sharing for the rest of the summer.

They all climbed the five separate flights of stairs until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, declaring 'Ronald's Room'. Once they stepped in however, Harry and Faykan were assaulted by the color orange immediately. Faykan actually staggered back and almost fell down the stairs at how explosive and plentiful the color was in the room.

Harry realized that this was so because Ron had covered every inch of the wallpaper with posters of the same seven people, all wearing bright orange robes carrying broomstick and waving energetically.

"Your Quidditch team?" Harry asked, already predicting the answer.

"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron proudly, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."

"Orange much?" Faykan said finally getting to his feet and adjusting to the dramatic color change as he entered the room, but Ron simply shrugged, clearly it was a color he was used to by now, if not his favorite.

"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly, suddenly becoming self-conscious about his room. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles, from what I've heard. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning..."

But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

Ron's ears went pink at the compliment.

They actually took a nap for starters, as Harry and Faykan had been flying through the night to get there, and Ron understood completed, allowing them to have the room to themselves for a few hours, but by lunch they were wide awake and ready to have fun.

Harry was so eager to learn all about the things in the Wealsey's house, and all the Wizarding games and toys that he had never experienced before. Faykan had to literally hold his sides to keep from laughing at Harry's excitement, while Ron showed him every little thing, a mixture of pride and embarrassment when Harry bombarded him with questions about each and every item in his room.

That same evening, Harry was led blindfolded down to the Weasley's kitchen, and was surprised to find that it had been completely redecorated in gold and red balloons and streamers. The table was covered in a scarlet tablecloth with a giant chocolate cake in the center that read: 'Happy Birthday Harry Potter: 12' in white icing letters. All of the Weasleys and Faykan were seated around the table grinning broadly at Harry, leaving one place open, directly in front of the cake. As Mrs. Weasley lit the candles with her wand, everyone sang Happy Birthday to Harry as loudly and noisily as they could.

Harry only had a handful of presents, but he didn't care. Faykan had given Harry a sleeve holster for his wand that he said was enchanted to only be removable by Harry himself, Hermione had sent him a broom care and maintenance kit by owl, with a card wishing him the best birthday, and Ron gave him a large stack of Chocolate Frogs. Harry couldn't have been happier. As he drifted off to sleep in Ron's room that night, while listening to the breathing of his two best friends, he couldn't imagine life being any more wonderful.

~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~

Over the next few weeks, Harry learned that life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and orderly; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected from every corner. Harry got quite a shock from the talking mirror that commented on the tidiness of the person's appearance, while Faykan almost fell out an open window when the ghoul in the attic first starting howling and banging pipes around. Small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were also apparently considered perfectly normal.

By far the strangest thing for Harry was the fact that he was surrounded by people who really liked him. Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him and Faykan, who she was much less successful with, to eat four or more helpings at every meal. Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could ask him question after question about life with Muggles; asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked, constantly saying how ingenious they were to have found so many different ways of getting along without magic.

Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after he and Faykan had arrived at the Burrow. He, Faykan and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny clearly seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room, however he never said anything. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him.

"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing the three boys identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry, he doesn't miss a trick, that man." Faykan sniggered slightly, but covered it with a cough. "You two've got them, too," Mr. Weasley added as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.

For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Harry's told him to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books he'd need for the coming year.

SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk

Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart

Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart

Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart

Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart

Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart

Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart

Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

Fred commented on how they were all assigned to buy all the books written by Lockhart and how the new Defense Against the Darks Arts must be a fan of his, heavily implying that it had to be a witch. George also added that the books were very expensive.

Looking worried, Mrs. Weasley responded, "We'll just have to manage. I expect that we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."

"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked, turning to Ginny.

She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming red hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already fully dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest, which both Fred and George were quick to start making fun of him for.

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Faykan all went up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. Since it was surrounded by trees that blocked the view from the village nearby it allowed them to play Quidditch as long as they didn't fly too high. Since they didn't want to risk uneasy explanations they threw apples around instead of using real Quidditch balls, each taking turns on Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand except for Faykan, who used his own broom that he had flown to the Burrow upon.

As he resized it and mounted, Fred looked up and down the black handle of the broomstick, he let out a whistle, "Whoa Fay, is that what I think that is?" Faykan returned a look that seemed to affirm Fred's question, and said, "That depends, if you think it's a custom built broom, then yes it is." All four other boys whistled in amazement, custom brooms were very rare and generally better than anything on the market, given the spell work of the creator. It also confirmed exactly what Harry had suspected regarding his question on the trip to the Weasleys.

As they marched up the hill, Fred and George were discussing Percy and his strange behavior over the summer, hoping against hope that he wouldn't turn out to be another head boy, like their eldest brother Charlie.

As the conversation turned to how they were going to buy all their equipment for the next school year, Harry felt awkward, and he noticed Faykan turning slightly red. They both had large amounts of gold stored in Gringotts, and while Harry guessed that either of them would be more than happy to give any amount to the Weasley, Harry knew from how Ron and the Twins acted that they, or their parents, would never accept any charity offered from close friends.

Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick breakfast of a half dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.

"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today... Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"

Harry stared dumbly as she offered him the flowerpot. Before he could say anything, Faykan stepped forward and took a pinch of the powder inside, "Come on Harry, I'll show you how travel by Floo powder works," he said guiding Harry to step into the fireplace.

"Ok, all you need to do is close your eyes, tuck your arms in at your sides and simply speak clearly the name of your destination, in this case Diagon Alley, then you throw the powder down. Got it?" Harry nodded and Faykan held his hand up and waited. "Diagon Alley." Harry said loudly as Faykan threw the powder at Harry's feet. With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Harry's head and he felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain.

Moments later, Harry stumbled out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron; and almost fell to the floor as his head was still spinning madly. Moments later, the fireplace behind him roared into life again, and Faykan stepped through gracefully.

"Easy enough Harry?" he asked.

"I think I still prefer brooms." Harry responded making Faykan laugh.

"Yeah, it's not my favorite way to travel either." He commented, dusting the soot off himself as the Weasleys poured out of the fireplace one by one.

After making sure they were all present and accounted for, Mrs. Weasley led them into the back courtyard that contained the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. Tapping the third brick up and second across from the bins with her wand, she opened the archway and guided them all towards the marble building of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. They met the Grangers and Hermione inside, and while Mr. Weasley chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Weasley took Ron, Faykan and Harry down to get money for their supplies.

The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Harry enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault, but felt dreadful when it was opened. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. Before they left, there was a loud bang behind them, and everyone spun to see what it was. As they turned back after seeing that it was just a cart speeding by, they noticed that there were some more silver sickles and three additional gold galleons that Mrs. Weasley seemed to have missed, even though they were in the middle of the vault, "That's odd, I was sure that we didn't have that much money," she commented, but still scooped the rest into her bag.

Harry saw Faykan's face glowing slightly, and knew exactly what he had done for the family that had treated them like two of their own. He still felt bad when they reached his vault. He tried to block the contents from view as he hastily shoved handfuls of gold coins into a leather bag. When they reached Faykan's vault however, there was no hiding the fact that he was very wealthy; he simply refused to look at anyone as he piled Galleons into his bag.

Peering around from outside the vault to look at a few of the objects on the back shelves, Harry noticed a spherical shaped object wrapped in a black cloth, a large sword in a jeweled scabbard, a red leather bound book, and what seemed like several glowing jewels and trinkets that shinned with inner lights. Faykan pulled a small journal sized book off the shelf and then left, letting the goblin close the door behind them.

The entire journey back up Faykan refused to look at any of the Weasleys, clearly embarrassed that he was far better off then them, not that anyone commented on the subject. Harry felt similar, but he knew that Faykan must have felt extra miserable because he could have made their lives easier without making even the slightest dent in his own funds, not that the Weasleys would allow him to.

Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.

"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs.

Harry, Ron, Faykan, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold in Harry's pocket seemed to scream to him to be spent, so he bought the four of them large ice creams, which they all slurped happily as they wandered the alley, stopping to look in several windows here and there. Faykan seemed to still be sulking about Gringotts until Harry nudged him painfully in the ribs and sent him a look that said 'pull yourself together, you did what you could'. The boy seemed to cheer up slightly, but Harry could tell he wasn't going to let this thing go easily.

After an hour of wandering the shops, purchasing the things they would need for their second year at Hogwarts, the four Gryffindors headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling out side the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed on a large banner across the upper windows:

'GILDEROY LOCKHART

will be signing copies of his autobiography

MAGICAL ME

today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.'

"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" Faykan looked like he wanted nothing to do with the man, but thankfully he held his peace.

They squeezed inside, dragging Faykan along as he started to make an excuse to wait outside for them all. A long line wound around and right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart sat, signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2' and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"Oh, there you four are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…"

Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes, while his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. Harry thought it was rather a bit much of a show for him, but it was nothing compared to his best friend's reaction.

Faykan looked like he was ready to burst out laughing at Lockhart, while a short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.

"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Faykan, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet…" but he never got to finish as Faykan snapped at him, shoving the man back.

"Big deal!" he yelled, rubbing his foot where the photographer had roughly stepped on it.

Gilderoy Lockhart heard the commotion. He looked up, first seeing Faykan and then his eyes slid across the faces nearest, finally locking onto Harry. He stared for several moments, and then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be, Harry Potter?"

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm and pulled him to the front, positioning them both for the photographer several times, who nearly went berserk at the opportunity to take Harry's picture. Faykan finally pried Harry away from Lockhart's grip, looking ready to melt the next person to look him in the eyes. The photographer foolishly tried to steal Harry back for one more picture, but Faykan had had enough: He shoved the short photographer back roughly and the man yelped as his camera glowed white hot and clattered to the floor.

Lockhart seemed oblivious to what was happening directly in front of him, and he addressed the crowd of people in the bookstore.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography, which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge."

The crowd applauded again. "He had no idea," Lockhart continued, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September; I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.

Harry could tell that Faykan was still seething under his calm demeanor at the lunacy of the entire situation that had just happened.

"Bet you just loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy, who was grinning madly. "Famous Harry Potter can't even go into a bookshop without making a scene." He teased as he made his way through the crowd toward them

By the time Draco reached them, he had already broken out into good natured chuckles, which cause the rest of them to start laughing as well. They were about to exit the store together when Mr. Weasley called to them, and at the same time, a tall blond man that could only be Lucius Malfoy arrived right behind his son, sneering down at the Weasleys and Harry.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he drawled, looking from Ron to Ginny, "let's, see. Red hair, vacant expressions, second hand book… you must be the Weasleys." He said coldly, picking up one of Ginny's books out of her cauldron and inspecting it like a piece of rubbish.

Harry noticed that Draco was purposely looking away with what he could only guess as shame creeping behind his own expressionless mask. As Mr. Weasley sidled through the crowd toward them, Lucius turned his attention to him. "Ah Weasley senior," he drawled.

"Lucius Malfoy." Mr. Weasley retorted shortly, trying to herd the children out of the bookstore and away from the other Pureblood.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," continued Mr. Malfoy casually. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime? But judging from this…" he added, holding up Ginny's beat up second hand book.

"Hello again, Mr. Malfoy," Faykan suddenly piped up, distracting the older wizard as he turned to address the young boy. "Ah, Mr. Undol how are you this afternoon." He said in an oddly pleasant voice, so opposed to the coldness he had shown to the Weasleys. "I've been better," Faykan responded. "Would it be possible for you to return that book back so we may leave this overly… gaudy… place sir?" he asked, shooting an angry glace back towards Lockhart. Mr. Malfoy simply nodded and shoved the book back into Ginny's cauldron without so much as a glance in her direction, and left with Draco trailing behind him immediately afterward.

Harry, Faykan, the Grangers, and the Weasleys left not too soon after, as at that moment Lockhart was overheard in the back saying that the incident with Faykan and the photographer was staged as a publicity stunt, and Faykan suddenly looked like he wanted nothing more than to reduce the entire shop and everyone in it to ashes at the man's words. They made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron quite hastily, Faykan being dragged by both Fred and George as he struggled violently in their grips to get back to the bookstore to make good on his threats on Lockhart's life.

Potential Spoilers ahead, You have been warned!

As was hinted in the note at the beginning, this chapter was more or less untouched, as it serves as a valuable transition from book to book, and launching into the next year's challenges and excitement. still, I felt there was gold here from my first write that needed to be touched up slightly, and emphasized more, such as Fay's initial hostile dislike of Lockhart, as well as the fact that both boys were highly uncomfortable with their wealth in the face of the Weasley's poverty. but all in all, Gringotts is as it will always be, a cluster of normalcy within the wizarding world, wherein characters have little impact to the events that occur from the wider world around them... at least for now.. I hoped that you enjoyed, and I look forward to the 16th where I post this story again. ~F