Chapter 3
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and the Harry Potter universe. I'm just playing with it.
"Ginny?"
Harry couldn't believe his eyes. It was Ginny! But … but … she was …
"How did you get so old?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Harry knew he was in trouble. B-I-I-I-I-I-I-G-G trouble. The woman's face was turning red. Weasley red. An incandescent Weasley red.
His face went completely pale and his stomach turned to liquid, dropped down into his shoes and leaked out through the holes in his trainers. Harry just wished that he could follow it. He knew what was coming.
Sheer panic took over and the words spilled out fast and furious, "It'sjustthatanhouragoyouwerefou rteenandnowyou'reanadultwitchandI'msorryIsaidthat,pleasedon'tbatbogeyme!"
The man with Harry's face stifled a snort of laughter. Immediately thereafter, the man's own face paled as he realized what he'd done, as the witch turned her gaze on him.
"So you think that's funny, do you Harry?" the witch asked with syrupy sweetness.
"Absolutely not," the man stammered out. "It was extremely rude. He should mind his manners." The man turned then and scowled darkly at the teen, obviously blaming Harry and also obviously trying to divert the witch's anger back to the boy.
"Right," she said sarcastically and turned her gaze back onto Harry.
For some reason, an image of the Basilisk from second year popped into Harry's head. Harry ruthlessly skewered it and hid the body, hoping with everything that the woman couldn't see into his head.
"So," she continued, "Did you find anything on him to explain all this?"
"Ahh … oops?" the man replied.
"Oops?" she queried with another scowl.
"I was … ah … distracted." He muttered. "I had to find the veritaserum. I just haven't done it yet."
"Men." She muttered. She stepped forward and started patting Harry's robes and searching for pockets.
Very quickly she found his wand and pulled it out. Glancing at it, her eyes widened in stunned disbelief.
"Harry …"
"Yes?"
"Harry … his wand …"
"What about it?"
"Look at it," she said, quickly passing it over to him.
The man's own eyes widened. He stared at Harry, then at the woman, down at the wand and then back at Harry. "Bloody Hell."
He grabbed at a wand holster on his arm and pulled out his own wand. Holding one in each hand, he compared them closely.
They were identical.