Harry climbed from the car with Magic, unfolding his cane once he was out, and closing the door behind him. In the distance, he could hear something that sounded like chickens, and as he breathed in through his nose, he smelled farm land. There was a grassy lawn under his feet, and the warm air with a lack of any directed heat told him that the sun had already set. The area he stood in sounded like an open space, and from the lack of any traffic around him, he suspected he was either deep in the country, or far away from any main areas of traffic.
"This way, Harry." Mr. Weasley said.
Harry followed the man's footsteps as they walked toward what he presumed was the house, though was looking forward to exploring the surrounding yard at some point in the future. He heard Magic's steady footsteps behind him, and the tapping of his cane on the grass. A door opened after a moment, and Harry stepped into a warm house with Magic stepping to his side. He could hear talking and laughter from the kitchen, and curiously, pulled his cane closer to him and walked toward the sounds, Mr. Weasley closing the door behind him. Already, he felt right at home, briefly wondering where he'd be sleeping, though the thought didn't last long.
"Hey, Harry!" Fred was the first one to notice him, but after his call, Harry heard mostly silence except for the squeaking of someone. He stepped into what felt like a more open area that sounded like the dining area, judging by the clinking of dishes.
"Ah, Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.
"Hi Mrs. Weasley." He said. "You here, Ron?"
"Yeah, mate." Ron replied. "Even got a seat for you."
"He's over here, dear." Mrs. Weasley said as she grasped Harry's free arm.
"I can find the seat on my own, it's okay." Harry responded. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."
"If you're sure." Mrs. Weasley responded uncertainly. "Magic dear, why don't you sit next to Ginny."
Harry heard the squeak again, realizing the second time that a girl had made it, probably Ginny. He rounded the table and found the empty seat on the left side of Ron, sitting down with a smile.
"I want to thank you for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I really appreciate it." Harry said.
"Oh, it's not a problem at all, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said kindly. "Would you like some stew?"
"Sure." Harry replied. "I haven't eaten since about noon."
"No wonder you look a little peaky, dear." Mrs. Weasley said as if the reason behind his apparently pail face was now obvious. As she served him some food, he felt her free hand ruffle his hair a little, simply sitting and remaining still, not certain how to take the touch. "Magic, would you like to eat as well?"
"Yes." Magic replied.
"Yes please." Harry corrected.
"You didn't say please." Magic stated.
"That's because the question was worded a little differently." Harry responded, then added, "I'm trying to teach Magic how to be a little more sociable."
"No luck so far, then, Mate?" Ron asked.
"Not just yet." Harry said.
"Come on, Ron, even a blind man knew the answer to that one." George Weasley said.
"Oh, ha, ha." Harry responded.
Harry was surprised at how well he fit into the dynamics of the Weasley's. They talked comfortably, and smoothly included Harry into the conversation as if he'd been living there for much of his life. They tried to include Magic in the same way, but her blunt and direct, emotionless answers made them a bit uncomfortable, as was the case with most people. Ron, having been around her longer along with Fred and George, simply spoke back to her with no sign of discomfort, and gradually as the evening went on, the other Weasley's grew more comfortable, except, it seemed, for Ginny, Ron's younger sister.
"Ron, why don't you show Harry where he'll be sleeping." Mrs. Weasley said after all of them had finished eating about an hour later.
"Come on, Harry." Ron said as the two of them got up. "You'll be at the very top, sleeping with me in my room. Mum's already set up a cot for you and everything."
"Cool." Harry responded. "Mrs. Weasley, where's Magic going to stay?"
"I thought she could sleep with Ginny." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Oh, she doesn't need sleep. She'd just be laying in the bed and staring at the ceiling." Harry said. "She could just sit on the couch out here or something, if you have a couch, that is."
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Magic, are you okay with that?"
"Harry's correct." Magic stated. "I don't sleep. I go where Harry wishes, and do what he desires."
"She's fine with it, mum." Ron said.
"All right, dear." Mrs. Weasley responded, though sounded uncertain. "But if you need anything, you let us know."
"Okay." Magic stated.
Harry followed Ron up the stairs of the house, and as they passed the various rooms, he told him who's they were. He also took the time to familiarize Harry with certain places, like where the bathroom was. As they continued, Harry heard a strange thumping sound, then an odd howling of some kind.
"What is that?" He asked.
"Oh, just the ghoul in the attic." Ron replied, as if he heard such sounds every day.
"That's strange." Harry said. "If the Dursley's ever heard anything like that, they'd be very unhappy. I guess there's some pretty odd things in a wizarding home, though, compared to what I've experienced at the Dursley's."
"Odd?" Ron asked. "Not for me. It's all normal."
"There's a lot of magic here, too. It's not like Hogwarts, where it's like the magic saturates the walls and corridors, but it's more like a homey magic. It's comfortable here." Harry said.
"You can feel the magic in Hogwarts and this place?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." Harry replied. "There's a lot, and I can't pick out things like I could in Mr. Weasley's car, where there wasn't nearly as much compared to here. But, it's more like a feel of things that happen. Here, it's like a feel of home, family. At Hogwarts, it's more like a feeling of teaching, protection. The more I learned about magic, the more I was able to pick out things like that."
"Can Magic feel all that, too, she being your magic and all." Ron asked.
"Yeah." Harry replied. "She's usually aware of a lot more than me, and I could know what she knows if I received her knowledge. I haven't done that as much as I used to a year ago, though."
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"It's not as enjoyable. It's like this. If you were playing Quidditch, or watching it, you want to enjoy it, right? You get caught up in the excitement and things." Harry stated.
"Sure." Ron responded. "It's the most exciting thing I've seen."
"Imagine that you've got that going on, but also, you've got something telling you every minor detail of everything happening in cold fact. I know that probably wasn't a good explanation, but it's the only one I could think of." Harry said.
"It'll work, I suppose." Ron responded. "But I don't really understand exactly how that works."
"You know how Magic analyzes everything, and receives just the data without anything else." Harry said.
"Yeah." Ron replied.
"Well, if I wanted to enjoy the cool air, smell the scents, hear the sounds, I wouldn't necessarily want an analysis of the weather conditions. I wouldn't want to know the precise temperature and humidity, what the scents of things are and what everything is that's in the air. I'd just want to enjoy what I see, not get exact details on it all." Harry said.
"I suppose that makes sense." Ron replied. "I still can't quite understand that. What does Magic feel about you cutting off the knowledge you get from her?"
"She doesn't mind either way, but it's always available to me." Harry said.
"Does she get everything about you, too? I know she does what you want." Ron said.
"Yeah." Harry replied. "She knows all of my thoughts, and knows what I want her to do. The more I practice with her, the more she's able to determine precisely what it is I want from her. I guess it's like you learning how to control your magic, do spells and things."
"I suppose so." Ron responded curiously.
Harry heard the ceiling quite close above his head as he entered Ron's room, getting the sense that it was small. He curiously walked around as Ron watched him with fascination, Harry having folded up his cane. He found Ron's bed, then his cot, located the windows, and touched a paper that felt like a poster on the wall.
"That's a poster of my favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. Ninth in the league." Ron said proudly.
"Ah." Harry responded.
"It's a bit small." Ron said, sounding a little nervous. "And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic, he's always banging on the pipes and groaning like you heard..."
"But it's a home, where love and family exists." Harry said earnestly, feeling some tears in his eyes. "And if I could live here, I'd welcome this over all the gold and riches in the world."
"I'm... Well, that's, great." Ron replied hesitantly, his voice cracking. He then cleared his throat and muttered, "Sorry."
"It's okay to cry." Harry said quietly. "I won't mind."
"Well you're probably tired. I know I am." Ron said before he yawned.
"Yeah, I am a bit." Harry said, taking his trunk from his pocket, then expanding it at the foot of the bed before getting some pajamas and dressing, hearing Ron doing the same on the other side of the room.
"Hey, Harry." Ron said.
"Yeah?" Harry asked.
"My brothers and I like to play some Quidditch, though it's not like what they've got in Hogwarts. We might have an old broom around here, and if you're willing to use Magic's knowledge, it'd be cool to see if you could play." Ron said.
"I'd love to try that." Harry responded eagerly.
"Great." Ron replied, also sounding excited. "We'll see if Magic's okay with that tomorrow."
"She will be. She likes doing things that make me happy." Harry responded with a smile as he climbed into the cot, finding it fairly comfortable. "Well, goodnight, Ron."
"Night, Harry." Ron said, then Harry closed his eyes, though it took him some time to fall asleep.
In his dreams, Harry stood in front of Quirrell in Voldemort's body, grabbing him and knowing he had to die. The body crumbled into dust, then regenerated with Quirrell and Voldemort both screaming in pure agony.
"You must die, pathetic blind boy!" The voice of Professor Dumbledore roared in a rage. "You're weak! Nothing!"
Harry started awake, his heart pounding hard in his chest, a scream held in his throat. He wasn't breathing, and he was alone. Magic wasn't near him. He trembled and sat up, hearing Ron snoring in a strangely familiar way. He let out his breath in a quiet, shaky sigh, then heard faint and steady footsteps moving quickly, but quietly toward him as the distance between he and Magic decreased. Harry heard the door quietly open, then Magic stepped into the room, leaving the door open as she moved toward the bed.
"Magic." Harry whispered shakily. "You didn't have to come."
"You wanted me." Magic responded, also in a whisper. Her right hand firmly gripped his left and he tightly returned the grasp.
"Thanks." Harry said as he lay back down, his heart pounding.
"You are strong." Magic whispered quietly. "Professor Dumbledore knows that. And if Quirrell hadn't been killed, you would have been. Your mother has protected you again."
"Yeah." Harry said. "I suppose so."
Closing his eyes, Harry gradually calmed, Magic still firmly grasping his hand. Within a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep and Magic let him go carefully, gazing down at him with her placid gaze, the door to Ron's room wide open. After a few minutes, she walked from the room and quietly closed the door behind her, returning to the place she'd been sitting, as if she hadn't moved at all. The rest of the night was peaceful for Harry, and he had no more nightmares.
Harry started awake the next morning, hearing the sound of a boom and feeling the floor vibrate slightly under the cot he lay on. Ron was still asleep, it seemed, and with his heart pounding, Harry listened carefully to his surroundings. He heard no other booms and felt nothing out of the ordinary, but did hear Mrs. Weasley's voice as she shouted, "Fred! George!"
Harry yawned and stretched, starting to relax. Checking the time on his watch, he discovered it was around six in the morning. Quietly, Harry climbed from the cot and dressed for the day, then made his way from Ron's room and started down the stairs. As he carefully made his way down them, he could hear Mrs. Weasley talking firmly to Fred and George.
"Just where do you get off making loud sounds this early in the morning? I can't believe you'd do something like that! You could have woken all of us up!"
"We're really sorry, mum, we didn't know that would happen." Fred sounded sheepish, Harry noted.
"The two of you are going to spend the morning de-gnoming the garden." Mrs. Weasley stated. "And I had better not see a single gnome when you're done." Her voice was firm, commanding, but Harry also felt it was loving. Whenever Aunt Petunia punished him, she didn't do so out of love, only out of necessity, at least, that's what Harry always felt. Mrs. Weasley, however, seemed to love everyone.
"Oh, Harry, dear." She said suddenly, and Harry, on the same landing as she, turned toward her voice.
"Hey." He said. "Fred and George making some loud sounds or something?"
"I have no idea what they were doing in there." Mrs. Weasley responded. "Did they wake you up?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. I probably would have woken up soon anyway."
"Well, I'll be making breakfast soon if you're hungry." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Sounds great." Harry responded, then continued down the stairs as Mrs. Weasley continued to lecture Fred and George, now that she'd found out they'd woken him up.
When he entered the room where Magic was, Harry grinned, hearing her moving toward him. He hugged her and she unemotionally returned the embrace, he leaning into the comforting touch.
"How was it?" Harry asked. "Did you like sitting here all night?"
"I didn't sit here all night. I came to visit you after you woke from a nightmare." Magic stated in reply.
Harry vaguely remembered what had happened, but as he thought back, he remembered more detail.
"Aren't I'm lucky to have such a loyal companion." He said, rubbing her back. "Thanks for helping me."
"You required it." Magic stated, but even so, he felt the flame of magic within him grow even closer, more connected with him.
"Ron mentioned something about Quidditch last night." Harry said as he and Magic walked toward one of the walls before Harry realized he wasn't actually heading toward the kitchen. He turned, and while he was attempting to find his way to the kitchen, he took the opportunity to make his way around the room he was in, seeing what was along the walls. After a moment, he continued and said, "Want to join, and I can use your knowledge, see how good I am?"
"You want it." Magic stated.
"Yes, and you want what I want." Harry responded.
"Yes." Magic replied.
Harry found where the kitchen and dining area were, then entered and sat down at the table. Magic sat next to him, and it wasn't long until Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen.
Cooking by magical means seemed quicker than without, though even so, it still took some time. Within a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley had levitated two plates piled high with already cut pancakes. Harry thanked Mrs. Weasley, and Magic did the same, the two of them beginning to eat. Harry found the food to be pretty good, though he still thought the meals at Hogwarts tasted just a bit better. They were fairly close, though, and he certainly didn't have Mrs. Weasley displaying her affection for him at Hogwarts, making sure he was full and comfortable enough. It was a new experience, but one he enjoyed.
The other Weasley's didn't take long to come down. Fred, George, Ginny and Ron also ate, though the atmosphere was a bit tense.
"What did the two of you do to get mum so mad?" Ron asked his brothers.
"You didn't hear that boom from their room?" Harry asked. "It woke me up."
"Yeah, now we've got to de-gnome the garden." Fred said.
"That's a shame." Ron responded, though didn't sound very sympathetic. "Well, Harry, guess it'll be you, I, and Magic in the paddock."
"Well, what about Ginny?" Harry asked, turning to where he thought she was. "Want to come?"
Harry heard a clatter and liquid pouring on to the floor, then it stopped quickly and he heard the sound of a cup being placed back on the table.
"Ginny, dear, no need to be so flustered." Mrs. Weasley said.
Harry heard no response from Ginny, but Magic stated, "Ginny shook her head no."
"Oh." Harry stated.
"And what do you three plan to do in the paddock?" Mrs. Weasley asked casually.
"Just going to fly a bit and maybe play a bit of Quidditch with some apples." Ron responded.
"Absolutely not." Mrs. Weasley stated firmly. "Magic can, but you're going to take Harry? What if he falls? What if he crashes into the ground or a tree, or goes too high and is seen by the Muggles? He's blind, Ronald Weasley!"
"I know I'm blind." Harry replied, a little coolness in his voice, and at the same time, he opened his link of awareness to Magic. "But I also have an advantage while Magic's watching me. You are standing one point three four meters from the frying pan, and your face now looks surprised and not angry. Trust me, Mrs. Weasley, I'll be fine. Hermione was angry with me when I first flew with Magic watching me, but I'll do okay."
"Well..." Mrs. Weasley still sounded hesitant. "Magic, are you okay with watching him, then?"
"Harry wishes it." Magic stated.
"All right, then, but be careful." Mrs. Weasley stated fiercely to Ron.
"Don't worry, mum, we will be." Ron responded.
Harry, Ron and Magic grabbed some broomsticks, then made their way up a hill toward the paddock. Harry, walking without his cane, simply followed Ron's footsteps and Magic's knowledge of everything, which he obtained through her for the moment.
"I swear, sometimes Mum's really overprotective. Sorry you had to deal with that, mate." Ron said.
"It's okay." Harry replied, sighing. "I thought she'd know better, I thought she knew I could look out for myself. I suppose I should have expected that from her, though."
"Don't be surprised if you get more of the same kind of thing from her." Ron said.
"I won't." Harry said. "You know, in a way, it's kind of nice. My Aunt Petunia at the Dursley's, she just tells me to figure things out for myself, and if I'm going to do something that would be considered potentially dangerous, she just tells me not to get hurt so they don't have to pay a hospital bill."
"That's terrible." Ron said. "I wouldn't put up with that. Couldn't you make his life better there, Magic?"
"Yes." Magic stated in reply.
"But that doesn't mean she's going to." Harry said. "I don't modify anything the Dursley's have, and it's not often that I use magic in their presence, though if Dudley steals my food, I've used it. They don't like it, though, and they've punished me by making me help put up decorations, having me clean, making me cook."
"From the sound of them, they probably put you in the smallest space they can." Ron said in a bitter tone.
"No, I've got a room." Harry said. "But I'm responsible for keeping it clean now, vacuuming and dusting. They've never put me in the cupboard under the stairs, the attic, or any place like that. I could have fit in either, and sometimes, I feel like they're restraining themselves from doing something worse. There was one time three years ago, when Uncle Vernon caught me playing with toys I'd never received from them, and had been making more noise than I should have been. He came in, panted hard like he really wanted to do something, then just shouted to me to stop making so much noise and to stop playing. When I vanished all the toys, he grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me from the room, putting me in a corner and telling me that he was going to watch me for the next two hours, and I wouldn't be in contact with Magic. It was pretty boring and lonely just standing there for two hours, and when he asked me what I'd learned, I told him that I'd learned not to play so loudly and to keep my unnaturalness out of his sight. He just told me to get back to my room, but I'd be helping Aunt Petunia put up decorations the next day."
"Well, at least they don't hit you or starve you." Ron said.
"No, I don't get starved, but there have been times when I've wanted more to eat, but couldn't get it because Dudley scarfs it all down. Being here and at Hogwarts is a different change from that." Harry said. "I actually like it here a lot, like I said last night. I wish I could come back here after Hogwarts."
"Well, I'm sure Mum wouldn't mind having you over. I'll do my best to invite you down every year. How's that?" Ron asked.
"Sounds wonderful." Harry smiled.
"Well, here we are." Ron stated, putting a basket of apples down at one edge of the paddock. Through Magic, Harry was aware of trees that would block the sight of anyone looking, and knew the precise distance he could fly up before being seen. Grinning, Harry got on the broom and kicked off, laughing with joy.
"I guess you're ready!" Ron shouted up to him, then threw an apple in his direction.
The coordination between Magic's precise knowledge and Harry actually catching something wasn't easy. The first time, the apple hit the side of his hand and fell, though Harry was able to grab it before it hit the ground. Magic flew up next to Harry, and she was able to perfectly catch the apple each time. She, Harry and Ron passed it back and forth until Harry got the hang of what he was doing, then they started scoring points with Magic playing ref. When Harry tossed the apple by a gnarled tree before Ron could stop him, he got ten points. Ron's tree had many leaves and branches, and he got ten points when tossing it through some of its branches. It took Harry a while to get the hang of using Magic's knowledge in such a coordinated way. Catching things was more difficult than flying so close to a tree or the ground that his toes brushed them, and Harry wondered if that had something to do with his natural, seemingly instinctive skill to fly.
Aside from the early morning, and Fred and George getting into trouble from their explosion, it seemed that such a thing was perfectly normal. Mrs Weasley, while making lunch and answering some of Harry's questions how she did so, simply went on even when Harry heard another boom and some laughter.
"You know, they're making things explode again it sounds like." Harry said.
"Oh, yes. They do that all the time, dear, but I wouldn't worry about it." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Then why punish them earlier?" Harry asked.
"It was far too early for that sort of thing. Now everyone's up, so it's not a problem." Mrs. Weasley replied.
"Oh." Harry said.
Time flew at the Weasley home, with Harry's explorations and playing different games with Ron, Fred and George. Compared to the Dursley's home, the Weasley's house was chaotic. Not only were their noises from Fred and George, but everyone seemed to like he and Magic. Mrs. Weasley tried to get Harry to eat more at every meal, and succeeded with Magic, who seemed to be able to eat an unlimited supply of food, though it wasn't anything Harry tested. Magic would eventually stop, though, if only to prevent Mrs. Weasley from running low on food. Mr. Weasley delighted in Harry explaining everything he could about Muggles and the way they did things, even if it was something as simple as a telephone or the postal service. About a week after he arrived, not only did they receive their Hogwarts letters, Harry's in braille, but they also received a letter to Ron from Hermione, Harry had been enjoying himself so much that he'd forgotten to write her and let her know he was doing okay, though judging from the content of the letter, Hermione had already been informed by the Dursley's that someone had come to pick up he and Magic. Before he realized it, it was the day they'd set aside for shopping at Diagon Alley, and they'd all finished eating breakfast. They were gathered around what Harry knew to be the fireplace, and Harry heard Mrs. Weasley claim they were running low on something before she said, "Guests first. Go on, Magic dear."
"Clarify." Magic stated.
"They've never traveled by Floo powder." Ron announced suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."
"Never?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Then how did you get to Diagon Alley to shop last year?"
"Professor Snape took me through side-along apparation." Harry replied. "It wasn't the most comfortable experience, but it got the job done."
"Dear me." Mrs. Weasley said. "Well, Ron, would you explain it to Magic?"
"Sure." Ron responded. "Basically, what you do is take a bit of Floo powder, just a pinch."
Magic did so immediately, holding a little between her fingers.
"Magic, dear, Ron can go first. You don't have to go now." Mrs. Weasley said, sounding concerned.
"It's okay, mum." Ron responded. "You'll follow my instructions with that exact way you're known for, won't you?"
"Yes." Magic stated. "Continue."
"So, now you've got your Floo powder, you toss it in the flames and step in, then say very clearly, Diagon Alley. Keep your arms tucked in and your eyes closed because of the soot." Ron said.
"And be sure to get out at the right grate." Mrs. Weasley stated.
"How?" Magic asked.
"Just speak very, very clearly." Mrs. Weasley responded, sounding nervous. "Maybe we should wait for..."
Magic tossed the Floo powder in and Harry heard a roaring. He felt the magic of the Floo as Magic stepped within, then heard her state, "Diagon Alley."
Harry felt a magical pull, then heard a roaring fill his ears and realized he was spinning. He gasped and choked as he put his arms around himself and shut his eyes, his heart pounding hard. The spinning continued as if he was being sucked down a giant drain, and the roaring in his ears remained constant. After a few moments, he felt a sensation as if cold hands were slapping his face, then felt a slight change in the magic of the Floo system, almost as if slowing. He shot out of the grate and almost fell flat on his face, but Magic grabbed him, she standing. She pulled him away from the fireplace and vanished all the ash and soot on him with the natural ease Harry had at performing Magic, Harry taking deep breaths and relaxing as he heard the sounds of the Leaky Cauldron, a pub he'd never actually been in. Moments later, Mrs. Weasley came from the Floo and he heard her relieved voice as she said, "Harry dear, I'm so glad you made it here. When we saw you vanish like that, we were concerned."
"Harry!" Hermione's voice said brightly as she hurried over to him. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay." Harry said, still trembling a bit.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"I Flooed. Harry was unexpectedly pulled along." Magic responded. "He's calming."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Hermione said, hugging Magic who returned the embrace in her unemotional way.
The rest of the Weasley's came from the Floo, and after they were all together, Hermione introduced them to her parents. Mr. Weasley was delighted to meet them, as Harry thought he'd be, and he could hear him bombarding them with questions, completely fascinated by their profession and the money that they were carrying to convert to wizarding money. Unfolding his cane, Harry followed the Weasley's to Gringotts, enjoying the familiar feeling of Diagon Alley's magic.
The ride on the cart that led to the vaults were just as enjoyable as they'd been the last time, but when Harry heard Mrs. Weasley gathering the small amount of money the Weasley's had, he felt terrible, knowing his vault had far more. Deciding on a strategy to keep his money hidden, he remained in the cart as Magic exited with his key. When the vault door was open, Harry had her block all visual information the others would see, silently and quickly summoning galleons, sickles, and knuts, placing them within his money bag that he'd obtained the prior year. They then returned to the cart, and they were off again, returning to the surface. By this time, Hermione had finished exchanging money, and everyone separated, Mrs. Weasley telling them they'd meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to purchase their school books.
"Come on." Harry said. "If I can remember where it is, I'll show you guys Specialty Magical Needs."
"Is that where you got that trunk of yours?" Ron asked.
"Yep." Harry replied. "And the Brailler, my watch, school books."
"I think it's this way." Hermione said, Harry taking her arm as she led them down Diagon Alley.
Harry, having not memorized his routs, wasn't quite sure where everything was, as he'd only been to Diagon Alley once. Hermione's lead was correct, though, and he heard the familiar bell ring as he led the way into the store.
"Wow!" Ron said in amazement as he stared around.
"What?" Harry asked.
"There's a lot of weird things here." Ron said. "They look cool, though."
"Yeah?" Harry asked. "Like what?"
"Well, this thingy here." Ron said. Harry followed his voice and reached out. "Up a bit."
Harry touched something on a shelf, which looked flat and rectangular. He found a poll on the back edge of it, which was about in the middle. Trailing up it, he felt something that looked like a camera.
"Looks like it might be for scanning books." Hermione said. "But I don't know how it's supposed to talk or convert them. That's a camera right there, Ron, I'm sure you knew that. Right, Harry?"
"I guessed it probably was." Harry responded. "Because of this glass thing that looks like a lens. I wonder if it does scan books, and if it does, maybe I could read some of the books in the Hogwarts library."
"I wonder if there's anyone here." Ron responded. "It doesn't look like it, though. The counter's empty. What a way to run a shop, especially one for the disabled."
"As I understand things, if I remember correctly, the things here are rare. Maybe they're in the back room making something." Harry said. "Anyway, I just came here for some paper and my Hogwarts books."
"The paper's over here." Hermione said as she walked off, Harry following her to a shelf full of boxes that looked exactly like what he had. He took down eight, Magic levitating them so he didn't have to carry them. He then moved toward the counter and she set them down, Harry hearing faint sounds in front of him, which sounded as if they were coming from behind a door.
"Here's a buzzer on the counter. To your left, Harry." Hermione said.
Harry found the button and pushed it like ringing a door bell, hearing the buzzing sound coming from the back room. Moments later, the door opened.
"Good morning, Harry." Turner's voice said. Harry smiled, then said after a moment, "Miss Turner?"
"That's right." She replied.
"These are my friends, Ron and Hermione, and always with me, Magic." He said, introducing everyone.
"Not always, as I don't remember seeing her before." Turner responded. "Do you need the Hogwarts books as well?"
"Yeah, I do." Harry responded. "The Lockhart collection, and everything else."
"You'll be able to take them with you, as we've translated them already." Turner said. "For all of that, it'll be fifteen galleons."
Harry announced the amount and poured them on to the counter next to the boxes of paper, then he took out his trunk, set it on the ground, and expanded it.
"Have you been finding that useful?" Turner asked.
"Yeah, I have." Harry responded. "And there's one thing I'd like to ask you about."
"Sure." Turner said pleasantly as Magic unlocked Harry's trunk, organizing everything within.
"I can't read the books in the Hogwarts library without Magic's help for transcription, or someone else to read them to me. Got anything available?" He asked.
"I'm afraid not, but now that you've brought that to my attention, I'll see what we can do." Turner responded. "I'm sure we'll have something by the end of the year, if not sooner."
"What about a paper that can transcribe something to braille?" Hermione asked. "You could just put it over the page, and it'll be brailed."
"An interesting solution." Turner responded thoughtfully. "But, as braille takes up more room, we'd need a way to advance the display of it somehow."
"You translate my books to braille, they don't take anymore room than a print book." Harry said.
"That's because, in the translation charm, we also extend the amount of pages within the book without actually changing its size. It's similar to how an expansion charm works, and the magic behind the large compartments in your trunk, which are greater in size than such a thing with its dimensions would normally have on the inside." Turner explained concisely.
"Oh." Harry responded. "I didn't notice that, but I guess I should have."
"It's understandable you didn't. You haven't counted all the pages in our print books and compared them to your braille one." Hermione said.
"Yeah." Harry replied. "And normally, a braille book would take up a lot more space, I should have noticed that."
"One moment while I get the school books for you." Turner said, and Harry heard her moving deeper into the shop.
"All of this is fascinating." Hermione said, and Harry grinned at her eagerness.
"Maybe you can work at a place like this." Harry said. "I'm sure you could be pretty innovative."
Harry heard Turner returning before he heard a thud on the counter, hearing the sounds reflecting off of the large pile of books in front of him.
"Thanks." He said.
"You're welcome." Turner responded.
"Miss Turner?" Hermione asked. "What's that over there?"
"That's part of a magnifying device." Turner responded. "It's for people who can't see well enough to read normal print, but are still able to see."
"I thought it was for scanning books." Hermione said.
"No, it's not. We don't actually have anything that would scan books, but if this paper idea you've got for Harry works out well, we'll be able to make something like that." Turner replied. "If you're interested, Hermione, I'll keep you updated on the status of our work."
"Yes, I'd like that." Hermione responded. "And I'm curious about how Harry's Brailler works, too."
"Wait a second." Harry said. "I just remembered that my Brailler can already transcribe something from print to braille. Couldn't you use the same thing on something to scan a book?"
"Perhaps." Turner said. "I'll have to talk to our spells and runes experts about that, but I hadn't thought about it. The goal would be making something compact, like Hermione's paper idea. We'll keep you up to date on that, Harry, and as you're the only blind person we've got going to Hogwarts at the moment, I'll send you the finished product and have you test it for us."
"That sounds great." Harry responded. "I wonder if there's a way to do my exams on my own, too."
"We may be able to figure something out in that regard as well, but that will take longer." Turner said.
"Understandable." Harry responded. "But maybe an add-on to the Brailler that would let you feed it a paper, would display it, and you could tell it where to write something on the paper."
"Like a computer." Hermione said. "You move a curser on a computer to where you're writing."
"That's certainly an innovative solution." Turner said, sounding impressed. "How would you like a job here, Hermione?"
"Really?" Hermione asked eagerly. "But I haven't actually done anything, just said a few ideas that seem obvious."
"To you, perhaps, but we hadn't thought of those solutions." Turner said. "As you're underage, your parents would have to approve you working with us, but I think you could contribute greatly to our shop."
As Turner and Hermione spoke, Harry heard Magic taking his books into his trunk, organizing them by subject and alphabetically, just as they'd been before. Ron seemed to be looking at different things around the store, and Harry imagined he was quite fascinated by the things he found.
"Enjoying yourself, Ron?" Turner asked as Harry heard her moving from behind the counter to his left.
"I was just looking at these. I'd like one of them, like what Harry's got." Ron said.
"If you'll want everything Harry ordered, let's see." Harry heard Turner come back behind the counter, then a drawer opened and he heard the sound of shuffling paper. "Ah, here we are. Harry's trunk was actually one of the most complex we've made, and if I didn't give it to him as a gift, it would have cost around seven-hundred galleons and fourteen sickles."
"Oh." Ron muttered, sounding dejected.
"However, we could give you a simple multi-compartment trunk. Those would be around thirty galleons." Turner said.
"Guess I won't be able to get that, then." Ron said. "I almost didn't think you'd sell to me, since I'm not blind or anything."
"We don't discriminate here. We'll sell to anyone who can pay." Turner said. "I'm sorry I couldn't accommodate you, but if there's anything in your price range that you'd like to get, let me know."
"No, nothing I can get." Ron said. "But thanks anyway."
"You're welcome." Turner replied.
"We should probably get going and get the other supplies we needed." Harry said.
"All right, then." Turner responded. "It was good meeting your friends, Magic Ron and Hermione, and good seeing you again, Harry."
"You too." Harry said.
"Oh, by the way." Turner called as they turned to leave, Harry's trunk shrunken and in his pocket again. "How's the potions rack working for you, to organize your ingredients?"
"Perfectly." Harry said. "Thanks."
"Not a problem at all." Turner responded.
They left the shop, Harry led by Hermione, who led them to a place where she and Ron got some ink and parchment for writing. When they left, Harry noticed Ron wasn't following them and Hermione called out to him. He rejoined them and they moved on down the street, Ron and Hermione gazing at what Harry guessed were the various shops. It was rather boring for him, though, as he missed out on what they saw. He felt tempted to use Magic's knowledge, but knew it wouldn't actually increase the excitement of his trip.
After a time, they entered a shop where they met up with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Ron told Harry it was a joke shop, and he wasn't surprised they found them there, though he was surprised they found Percy reading a book, which turned out to be some type of study on prefects. Once they left the shop, Ron and Hermione continued to browse and talk, and Harry simply enjoyed their company.
About forty or so minutes later, they went to Flourish and Blotts, where Hermione squealed and said, "Lockhart's signing his autobiography, we can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
Harry could hear a large crowd, mostly sounding as if it was made up of witches who seemed eagerly excited. They squeezed into the book store and Harry, not a fan of loud crowds in enclosed spaces, felt his heart pounding a little harder. He turned his head as the crowd of people pressed in around them, and eventually, they made their way to where Mrs. Weasley and Ginny stood with the rest of the Weasley's and Hermione's parents.
"Oh, there you are, good." Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."
Harry didn't express his displeasure with the proceedings, though secretly hoped to be done with this nonsense soon. The line crept forward, and Harry heard a strange clicking and puffing sound getting closer.
"Out of the way, there." A man snarled in an irritable voice. "This is for the Daily Prophet."
"Big deal." Ron stated, also sounding annoyed.
"It can't be Harry Potter!" Harry heard a man shout after a moment, hearing him leaping to his feet. People were whispering, and he heard one shout, "The blind kid that's not worth much! He probably uses his fame and pity me attitude to get what he wants, lazing around all day and doing nothing, wasting our resources!"
Harry spun to face the voice, not caring how anyone was about to take his next statement.
"I'll have you know that I met, and defeated Voldemort again this last school year! If you think that's lazing about, you're wrong!" Harry shouted.
The crowd gasped in terrified fear before silence fell over the book store, except for the man who had shouted.
"Step aside please, step aside!" He called, then Harry felt him grasp his upper arm and pull him toward where he'd been standing at the front of the room, or so Harry presumed. He then shook Harry's hand as he heard picture after picture being taken, and applause that rose in volume. His face burned and Lockhart said, "Nice big smile, Harry. Together, you and I are worth the front page!"
Once Harry's hand was released, he made to return to the Weasley's, but the man clamped Harry to his side by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Harry, irritated, twisted free of the man and started to quickly head back to where the Weasley's stood, using Magic's distance from him and direction of location as a guide.
"Come, now, Harry!" Lockhart said, trying to sound ingratiating as Harry felt him try and grab his arm again.
"No thanks." He stated coolly, continuing to walk away from him.
"Well, no matter." Lockhart said, seemingly shrugging it off. "What an exciting moment this is, to have Harry Potter with us in the shop, and having done yet another extraordinary thing, even under such circumstances as being blind! What an amazing boy he is, and how grateful we all are for his great contribution to the wizarding world! His defeat of you-know-who, now not once, but twice, is further proof that he, Harry Potter, is the strength we need to overcome such terrors. And I, Lockhart, not only will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts school, but I shall do all that I can to guide young Harry here to his greatest potential!"
The clapping and cheering grew wilder at that, and Harry waded through the crowd of people, hearing the puffing and clicking of the camera as the photographer took picture after picture, likely photographing Harry returning to the Weasley's.
"Over here, Harry!" Ron called, and Harry made his way over, grasping his arm once he'd found him.
"Thanks." Harry said, feeling rather awkward and uncomfortable. Lockhart, their new professor, was saying something else at the front of the room, but Harry wasn't paying much attention. The clapping and cheering grew in volume yet again, however, and he heard the photographer continuing to take pictures.
"Come on." Ron said, leading Harry to the edge of the crowd, where Harry heard a voice he had no problem recognizing.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Malfoy sounded as he usually did, and Harry let out a sigh. "Famous Harry Potter. Now using his blindness to get everything he needs for nothing, milking it for all its worth. Like being on the front page, Potter? Think it's going to get you into favor with more people?"
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Harry heard Ginny Weasley say from beside him.
"Potter, how delightful. You've gotten yourself a girlfriend." Malfoy drawled.
"Malfoy, how boringly simplistic. You continue to have no originality." Harry said in response. "Going to try and pick on me this year again, Malfoy, just like you did last year?"
"People like you need to learn to do as their betters tell them." Malfoy said in a haughty tone. "You wouldn't even be around if it were up to me."
"That's just great." Harry stated.
"How typical." Malfoy said as Magic, having made her way through the crowd, came closer to them. "You've brought your pathetic little helper with you. You talk yet, or are you still mute?"
"I speak when required." Magic stated, sounding no different than when she spoke to anyone else.
"And I'll bet that doesn't happen much. Here calls the great Potter, and you do his bidding. Why do you even need schooling, Potter, when you've got your girlfriend and your helper to do everything for you? No doubt they're both scarlet women anyway." Malfoy stated.
Harry heard Ron and Ginny starting to speak as he said, "Malfoy, I didn't know you thought about things that way. Is that why you pretty yourself up, so you'll look good for Crabbe and Goyle? If only we'd known you've been hiding your true nature all this time."
"You little..." Malfoy began furiously, then Harry heard a sound as if someone's hand came firmly down on his shoulder.
"Ron, what are you doing?" Mr. Weasley said as he moved over to them. "It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well." A voice Harry didn't recognize spoke up. "Arthur Weasley."
"Lucius Malfoy." Mr. Weasley stated coldly.
"Busy time at the ministry, I hear. All those raids, I do hope they're paying you overtime." Harry then heard movement from within a container of sorts, then heard Mr. Malfoy continue. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Mr. Weasley's voice sounded even colder, and Harry could feel the tension building.
"Clearly." Mr. Malfoy stated in a tone of obviousness. "The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower..."
Harry heard a thud as something went flying, then heard the sounds of books falling down, one of them giving Harry a glancing blow on the face. He moved quickly backward and felt Magic's strong arms wrap around him as she pulled him away from the fighting, hearing Fred shouting, "Get him, dad!" Mrs. Weasley was trying to tell Mr. Weasley to stop, and the sound of more shelves falling came about when Harry heard the crowd shoving their way backward away from the fighting. An assistant tried to stop the fighting, then Harry heard Hagrid's booming voice louder than everyone.
"Break it up, there, gents, break it up!"
Harry could hear Hagrid moving swiftly toward the fighting pair, knocking books aside. Magic released Harry as he heard Hagrid pulling them apart, then heard Mr. Malfoy state coolly and with malus, "Here, girl, take your book, it's the best your father can give you." He then heard feet hit the floor, and who he assumed was Mr. Malfoy and his son move off.
After Hagrid gave Mr. Weasley a bit of a talking too, Harry left with the Grangers, Weasley's, and Magic behind him. Mrs. Weasley wasn't too happy with Mr. Weasley either, and was lecturing him a bit as they went back, though Fred interjected and tried to tell her that Lockhart had been pleased with the fight, no doubt trying to figure out a way of using it to make himself even more famous than he already was. Harry was relieved to be away from the book store, and when they entered the Leaky Cauldron to Floo back to the Burrow, Harry went first, tossing the Floo powder into the fire, taking a deep breath before he stepped in, and clearly speaking his destination, finding he rather enjoyed the feel of what seemed to be a warm, comforting breeze, though the sound of roaring flames around him made him nervous. This time, Magic was pulled along with him, but once again, she caught him as he exited, though Harry was a little more stable this time as he recognized the feeling when he drew closer to his destination. The rest of the Weasley's came through, and the day was spent in mostly subdued silence, though with Mrs. Weasley giving Mr. Weasley a lecture on proper decorum. On the hole, however, Harry found he was happy for the shopping trip, and was excited to return to Hogwarts on September First.