Chapter 31 - Harry's New Found Freedom
With Harry in Diagon Alley, I saw him every day while I was at work. I gave him his form the next time I saw him, he was ecstatic at the chance to be going to Hogsmede. Harry seemed to be enjoying his new found freedom, he'd do homework outside of Florean Fortescue's and get free Ice Cream Sundae's, lucky him! And Vander let him come into the shop when he had nothing to do, he helped me clean sometimes or just read magazines while me and Vander pottered about doing our work all this was when he wasn't staring at the Firebolt in the Quidditch shop. I didn't understand if he wanted it, why didn't he just buy it? I'm sure he had the money. I had breakfast and a free butterbeer every morning with Harry and I had Dinner after work with Harry at the Leaky Cauldron too. It was the morning of my last day at work before I was going back to Hogwarts and I was enjoying my breakfast with Harry. We were planning on meeting Ron and Hermione after, they were both staying at the Cauldron now, and I hadn't decided whether I'd sleep over in Harry's room again or not. I was debating with myself while Tom put our breakfasts in front of us.
"Thank you Tom." Me and Harry said at the same time.
"You're welcome. I've got to keep my two best patrons big and strong." He grinned before walking back to his bar.
"What were you thinking about so hard? You might strain yourself." Harry said jokily.
"Oi!" I said with mock indignation and poked him with my fork. "I was thinking of bunking with you tonight, maybe get 'Mione and Ron to too. We could have a sleepover."
"We'll see." Harry sighed and looked at me weird.
"What? Have I got something on my face?" I asked, looking at my reflection in a spoon, which didn't work out well.
"Your nose." He stated sarcastically.
"Oh har har mighty comedian." I smirked. "Now what was it then?"
"I want to become an animagus." He replied so I had to shush him.
"Not so loud. It is illegal, stupid. Alright then. We'll start tonight, I'll get my Uncle to send you my book and you can read it while I'm at work." I smiled. He nodded as I finished off my breakfast and downed the last of my butterbeer before saying good bye to Tom and Harry and heading to the post office before work.
Uncle Moony, Please send the animagus book you sent me to learn from, the music player with my relaxing music with a change of clothes and jammies to Harry using Dion. I'll be staying there tonight. He's decided he wants to learn and we're starting after I finish work. I'll see you tomorrow. Love, Ash. xx
I sent the note with an owl and paid then went to work. It was quite a busy day, it seemed a few of the new Hogwarts students had put off getting their first wand although I was surprised to see Ron and his Dad in the mid-afternoon, so a bit quiet. Vander left me to it.
"Ronnie!" I squealed and ran around the counter to hug him. "Arthur." I then turned to hug him before jumping on the counter now behind me. "How was Egypt?" I asking excitedly.
"I'll let you deal with you friend, Ash. Remember what I taught you." Vander smiled before going round back, probably to have a cup of tea.
"It was brilliant! We got to see loads of dead mummies and pyramids and stuff! It was so hot too, Dad had to re-do our cooling charms every day! Didn't you, Dad?" Ron explained before turning to Arthur.
"Yes. I learnt a lot more muggle contraptions and an Egyptian muggle dance." Arthur replied before doing what I assume was the dance which made me chuckle.
"Fred and George tried to lock Percy in one of the pyramids but Mum caught them. And Scabbers looks ill, I don't think Egypt agreed with him." Ron said before pulling out the rat in question. He looked on deaths doors.
"He looks like he's about to kick the bucket. It would be best to kill him now then let him suffer." I told them looking at the poor thing. Scabber's eyes widened when I said it as if he understood me.
"Nah, he'll be fine. He's just got to get some good English air in him." Ron replied. "Wand, please?"
"Alrighty then, I twisted to land behind the desk. Wand arm, Ron." I ordered while picking up the magic tape measure before measuring his right arm. "14 inches. You had Ash and Unicorn last year and it was alright. Let's try you on Ash and Phoenix feather." I quickly found him the wand and passed him it. He gave it a swish and knocked over a display. "Nope. There's Ash and Dragon around here somewhere... Found it! Try this, Ron." I ordered after passing him the next wand. That didn't end well. "Maybe you're good with Unicorn. Holly and Unicorn?" I handed him the wand. I next tried Cedar and Unicorn before settling with Willow and Unicorn. I handed him the wand with bated breath.
"That's it." Ron grinned.
"Thank god. I was running out of wands." I sighed. "Seven Galleons, please." Arthur smiled and handed me eight Galleons. "Thank you. I'll see you for tea probably. I'm bunking in Harry's room tonight so we can spend tomorrow together. Just the four of us?"
"That's a great idea, Ash. See you later." Ron grinned.
"Have a nice day, Ash." Arthur added.
"I will do, see you later." I waved as they left the shop before going to the back, catching Vander with his feet up, reading the Daily Prophet. "Ron Weasley now has a Willow and Unicorn. Fourteen inches. It's curious, I never thought Ron could be insecure, I never thought him the type."
"Well, I assume he has great potential. And your wand is Red Oak but you don't seem the type to have a temper." Vander countered.
"You told me that superstition was seamless. And I do have a temper." I replied. "Would you like another cup of tea?"
"Yes I shall do if you're having one." Vander smiled at me.
"Anything new?" I asked talking about the Prophet.
"No. It's still only about Sirius Black. I dare say it's been three weeks and no sightings of him. It's like finding a needle in a hay stack as the muggle's say." Vander mused to himself.
"I just want to know how he escaped. It's supposed to be as impossible as breaking into Gringotts." I questioned while stirring tea.
"Ah but Gringotts was broken into not two years ago, my dear. Thank you." He said while accepting his tea.
"Into an empty vault. And it was a possessed Hogwarts teacher that did it. And that isn't common knowledge." I grinned at Vander surprised face.
"Why would a teacher break into an empty vault?" Vander asked.
"For He-Who's-Name-You-Don't-Like-Me-To-Say, Vander." I replied grinning. "He was on the back of said teachers head."
"Well, I never." Vander sighed in shock as the bell rung over the door at the front of the shop, signalling someone had come in. "You stay here, I'll deal with this one, enjoy your tea." He smiled before standing and going to the front. I finished work and went straight to have tea as Harry planned to save me a seat at the big dinner. I hugged Hermione as soon as I saw her because it felt like I hadn't seen her in ages. We had a loud and brilliant dinner, everyone caught up with eachother, telling stories of our summer. All too soon it was time to go up to bed and time for me and Harry to start his animagus lessons.
"How much have you read?" I asked him after we'd got into jammies to do the lesson.
"Most of it." Harry replied.
"So you know the first task we need to do?" I continued.
"Choose the animal?" Harry asked and I nodded.
"So?" I asked.
"I want to be as fast as you, so we can run together. And I was thinking I could be Gryffindor colours. I was going to be a Griffin but I read it's a lot harder to be a magical creature than a normal animal. So I was thinking of either an eagle or a lion and as an eagle can't run I chose a lion. Maybe with a dark red mane. I'll be gold and red like a Gryffindor." Harry finished with a flourish.
"Alright then. The first thing you need to learn is your breathing control because eventually, changing into your animagus should be as easy as breathing. You need to also learn to concentrate on one thing. There's a muggle method called meditation I believe, it was in the notes in the book, that's the way your dad learnt. Are you with me so far? Do you know what meditating is?" I paused with my questions.
"Yeah. Buddhist's do it. Cross legs and deep breaths, right?" Harry asked.
"I don't know what a Buddhist is but whatever. I brought my boom box with me and some relaxing music. I used the old thing in the common room when I did it. Anyway, you get into position, the crossed legs while I put the music on." I said then stood and put the CD in the boom box that was on the drawers and started playing the relaxing music. I turned round and Harry was in the meditation pose while looking at me. I walked to the bed and did the same pose across from him. "Alright then, close your eyes." I started. "Regulate your breathing, in through the nose out through the mouth. Concentrate on your breathing on nothing else but that. While concentrating let your ears drift to the music and let the music relax your senses. Now just keep doing this breathing exercise." I finished with a whisper. I watched as Harry did as I told him. He continued to do as he was told before he suddenly snored and fell backwards onto the pillow. I chuckled as I realised he had fallen asleep, he must have been really tired doing nothing all day. I gently pulled the quilt from under him and replaced it over him before standing to turn the music off and going to sleep myself.
The weekend was great. I spent the next four days with the guys, a nice relaxing weekend, even did a bit of shopping. Hermione got a cat! He's a ginger furball called Crookshanks, he's the best pillow ever. And he's gorgeous! I want a cat but I already had Dion. Unfortunately for Moony, it was a full moon just before he was to start his job at Hogwarts so I was with him for the two nights before the last night before Hogwarts. I was in Harry's room for the last night, I decided to get a lift with these posh ministry cars that were for Harry while Moony was going to floo and meet me there and save us a compartment, always in the third carriage of the train. I was in Fred and George's room in the Leaky Cauldron as they had stolen Percy's new Head Boy badge of which he was being insanely too pompous about so me and the boys had decided to rectify the incident. We were going to change the words to Bighead Boy, which was bound to put a smile on anyone's face who saw it. After doing this we sat in the corridor outside of Percy and Ron's room as we heard him tearing the room apart for his precious badge, the three of us could help but laugh. This had been going on for about ten minutes when we saw Harry approaching holding a bottle of rat tonic that Ron had bought today, he looked a little grim.
"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry while I showed him it grinning. "We've been improving it." He forced a laugh before popping into the room for not two seconds before walking away towards his room. I watched him walk away.
"I'm off to see what's up with him. Night boys." I grinned before I started to follow Harry to our room.
"Night Ash." The twin's whisper-called back. When I walked into the room, Harry was laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I walked around to the other side of the bed and jumped onto it. "What's up?"
"Did you know Sirius Black is out to kill me?" Harry asked me which of course thoroughly shocked me.
"How'd you find out?" I asked him while laying down to join him in staring at the ceiling.
"I heard Molly and Arthur talking about it while I went and got Ron's rat tonic. Why didn't you tell me?" He looked at me for the first time.
"Same reason everyone else didn't. To stop you from worrying. It's not as if you're the only one." I pointed out.
"What do you mean?" He asked confused.
"Sirius Black is my godfather. He is out to get me too apparently. It was reported he was saying 'They're at Hogwarts with him' just days before he escaped. And I thought this year might be a little quieter than usual." I snorted. "He'll get caught soon anyway, everyone's looking for him. Mark my words he'll be caught by the end of next month."
"If you say so." Harry muttered before sighing. "I'm not going to be murdered,"
"That's the spirit." I grinned at him before standing and grabbing my jammies before going towards the bathroom. "Now, we have to be up early. Hogwarts tomorrow. Get your jammies on and into bed with you." Before I turned and walked into the bathroom to get changed. I was out minutes later and Harry was already in bed, I skipped over and jumped into bed. "Good night Harry."
"Night Ash." Harry replied so I turned the lamp off. "You do realise they're pyjamas. Not jammies."
"Shut up Harry." I grinned into the darkness before rolling over and going to sleep, ready for Hogwarts in the morning. I couldn't wait to be going back.