Chapter 35: Bighead Boy

"Zoey?"

Zoey gasped as she came out of the fireplace and saw Harry looking down at her genuinely confused. Her eyes widened when she saw the boy. She hastily got up and wrapped him in a hug catching him by surprise. Harry stepped back a bit at the added force and hugged her back. A few moments later he patted her back to signal that the hugging should stop.

Zoey got the message and released him.

"Hello Harry," she greeted sheepishly. Harry laughed and greeted her back.

"So what brings you here?" Harry asked as he guided Zoey to a table. It was still a few more days before school began.

"My fortune teller told me to," Zoey simply said with a shrug

"Fortune teller?" Harry asked, "The origami one? You mean you have to make one for Divination? Can you teach me how? I've taken Divination this year"

Zoey laughed, "Believe me Harry you do not want to make a fortune teller for Divination. Professor Trelawney won't like it"

"Why's that?"

"Err – just don't do it if you don't want to get detention," Zoey said with a laugh before looking at the table beside her. On top of it was the Daily Prophet. The headlines were about Sirius Black's escape. Zoey felt her heart skip a beat.

Harry saw what she was looking at and caught her attention by asking her: "Do you know him?"

"What?" Zoey asked with a jump.

"Do you know him?" Harry repeated, "Cause I don't. I just thought since you were brought up in the wizarding world you might have heard of him"

Zoey licked her lips and brought her attention back to the Daily Prophet. It was in an angle where she couldn't really see her father's face yet she could read the headlines. She took in a deep breath and said: "I've never heard any stories about him,"

Harry nodded his head and got up from his chair giving a hand to Zoey.

"Let's get your stuff into your room shall we?"


Ever since Zoey came to the Leaky Cauldron she had been hanging out with Harry, getting to know him better and vice versa. They would eat breakfast together and observe the odd witches and wizards that came and discussed many things. After breakfast she would join Harry in exploring Diagon Alley and look at the different shops that they didn't get to see last time. At times when it was particularly sunny she and him would go to a diner and sit under an umbrella listening to buyers talk about the things they've purchased. Other times they over heard concerned mothers saying that they won't let their children out till Sirius Black was captured.

At this, Zoey would get uncomfortable and ask Harry if they could continue walking around.

Zoey enjoyed going to Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream parlor where she would help Harry with his homework and listen to Florean Fortescue tell Harry about the medieval witch burnings. She would listen intently at the stories and enjoy snacking on the free sundaes she'd receive every half hour.

"Harry, you don't need that," Zoey told him the day he refilled his money bag and saw a perfect model of the galaxy in a large glass ball.

"But with this I don't have to study Astronomy anymore," Harry reasoned as he kept his gaze on the item.

"You won't know what to do with it if you don't know your Astronomy lesson to begin with," Zoey said as she successfully pried him out of the shop.

Harry sighed in defeat but there was something else that caught his attention in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Zoey groaned when she saw what caught his eye. On the podium was the most handsome broom in the shop. It was none other than the Firebolt.

"Fastest broom in the world huh?" Zoey murmured as she read the description near the broom. She looked it over and shrugged. She was never a big fan of Quidditch. The Bludgers still scared the feathers out of her. Zoey looked back at Harry and noted that he was still ogling at the broom.

She grabbed hold of his arm.

"Come on now," she said as she began to drag him out of the shop, "You have a perfectly good broom back at the Leaky Cauldron"

"I know that! I wasn't going to buy it!" Harry said.

Zoey rolled her eyes.

Every day after that Harry kept going back to look at the broom. Zoey, who was always dragged by him to accompany him to the shop, had no choice but to look at the broom as well. She had half a mind to tell him to buy it so they could get out of the shop already but her other mind was more reasonable. She patiently waited for the boy to carve the broom into his memory.

On one particular day Zoey sighed with relief when Harry began to shop for things that he needed for school. They visited the Apothecary and Madam Malkin's where a rather old lady asked Zoey if Harry was her younger brother. Zoey blushed and corrected the woman.

"Shame," the woman said, "You two really do look related"

Their last stop was at Flourish and Blotts where they both needed to get new school books and special books for Harry's newest classes.

"So Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, right?" Zoey mused as she looked at a bunch of books in a cage. The manager looked quite distressed whenever a student asked for "The Monster Book of Monsters". Zoey laughed. Only Hagrid would think it was a reasonable book.

"Yep," Harry confirmed as he looked at the other books, "What classes are you taking?"

"Same as my third year," Zoey replied

"And those classes are?"

"Class actually. Divination. Though, I don't think Professor Trelawney would enjoy seeing me there," Zoey laughed.

"Why's that?" Harry asked surprise. No offence but he always took Zoey for a goody-two-shoes.

"Remember what I told you about the fortune teller?"

After telling Harry what had happened those few years back, Zoey left him to get his other books while she looked around the shop she came across a book about Death Omens. Her eyes fell upon one called the "Grim".

She frowned.

"I wouldn't read that if I were you," the manager said, "You'd start seeing death omens everywhere"

Zoey gave small smile at the man and took his advice. She left the book alone and came out of the shop together with Harry.

Days passed and soon it was the last day before school began. Zoey sat at the bar as Harry said he'd go out to look for Ron and Hermione since he's caught sight of his other Gryffindor friends. Zoey gave him a wave as she decided to sit this day out. She had gotten everything that she needed and she wanted to have the full blown vacation rest before school starts.

Where's Echo when you need her? Zoey thought to herself as she began to get lonely.

Almost as if the gods of coincidences heard her, the Leaky Cauldron's door opened revealing the violet haired girl herself.

"Stupid, freaking, manky rotten pastille," Echo harshly spoke in a loud manner as she dumped her pack of pastilles in a nearby trash bin. She tucked her hands away in her gray cardigan before walking with her eyes cast downward.

"Hey Echo," Zoey greeted, "What's up with you?"

Echo looked up at Zoey and raised an eyebrow before resuming her emotionless face. "Well, I tried out some purple looking pastilles a witch was selling. Tasted quite awful," she grimaced

Zoey raised her own eyebrow, "Purple pastille? Are they supposed to be purple?"

"They're flavored to be something I guess"

Zoey laughed, "Kinda feels like a prank idea the twins would come up with. Pastilles that taste awful… or pastilles that would make you puke," Zoey looked up at the ceiling, "Which ever works I guess"

"Either way," Echo said, "I'll have to start making my own pastilles before another incident like this happens again"

"Good luck with that," Zoey said, "Did you come here with the Weasleys? How was their trip to Egypt?"

"It was hot there, obviously. Though Fred and George were too busy playing something I can't understand. I couldn't get them to settle down, or even get a sensible word out of them," Echo shook her head.

"I see," Zoey chuckled, "So what have you been doing this summer?"

"Well, I cleaned my house for the first time in a long time. Oh, and I went back to my 'friends'," Echo's voice seemed to be intensified by venom as she emphasized the last word.

"Friends?" Zoey asked

"Friends that ditched me. I got back at them by pulling silly muggle pranks on them. As a witch, I have some points I earned from Divination to really catch them in the net," Echo mused, "I'm just sorry that their parents won't be able to put them back into their proper mental state," She put a mock frown on her face.

Zoey looked at Echo in horror, "What did you do exactly?"

"Five daft imprudent girls. Lured them in an alleyway with some mannequins I charmed a little while back in Hogwarts. Although, I had to make some scarring alternations to the male mannequin…," Echo grinned wickedly, "I scarred them the whole night long with those mannequins. They didn't get out of it easily"

Zoey could have asked Echo a lot of sensible questions like: "Why did you go so far?" Or "Who were those girls exactly?" And the like but what she did ask was:

"Where did you get the mannequins?"


Zoey and Echo caught up with each other and told stories on what happened with them during the summer (of course Zoey skipped anything that had to do with the box.) Later that night, when Mr. Weasley came down with the Daily Prophet in hand and the trio returning, the topic had changed to that of Sirius Black.

"They still haven't caught him then?" Harry asked.

Zoey stiffened at the question and busied herself in asking Echo about where she had bought her cardigan in order to not hear Mr. Weasley's reply. Echo, of course, noticed Zoey's discomfort and failing attempt to change the subject.

"You know him don't you?" Echo arched an eyebrow at Zoey.

"Who? Harry? Of course I know him. You know him too," Zoey said as she looked at the trio talking with Mr. Weasley yet she did not listen to what they were saying. Her ears were filled with the sounds of her fast beating heart.

"No, I mean the news. I have ears too, Zoey," Echo has both her eyebrows raised.

Zoey avoided Echo's eyes, "Then yes, I know him. He's in the news. How could I not know him?"

"Then why are you being so uncomfortable about it?" Echo asked.

Zoey swallowed hard. Her secret was slipping. "H – He's a mass murderer," she said in a hoarse voice, "Wouldn't you be uncomfortable knowing he could be anywhere? Ready to attack at anytime?"

"You do know, with everyone knowing he's escaped, the security would be on high alert?" Echo pointed out.

Zoey opened her mouth to speak but at that moment the door once again opened revealing Mrs. Weasley holding bunches of shopping bags, Fred and George, Newly elected Head Boy Percy and Ginny. Zoey stood up right away glad that the conversation was interrupted.

As Percy went straight to Harry and started to speak to him like a business partner, Zoey bee-lined towards Mrs. Weasley and gave her a hug.

"Hello there, Zoey," Mrs. Weasley greeted as she hugged Zoey back, "I didn't know you'd be here"

Zoey said nothing but smiled. She then turned towards the twins. Her mouth hung open at the sight of them. They grew again! They were so tall that Zoey just reached their chins, maybe not even their chins since her boots had a slight heel to them. She could not help but stare. She felt rather foolish.

Her eyes then moved to Fred and she felt her face grow hot. She had almost forgotten what he had looked like.

Puberty had done well on both him and his brother.

Zoey's heart began to rabidly hammer against her chest.

The twins grinned.

"Admiring how good looking I am, Zoe?" Fred said with a mock flip of his hair.

"Of course she's not," George then argued, "I'm obviously the better looking one"

Echo's voice then interrupted, "Oh, please. I've seen barf more attractive than you"

At this, Zoey snapped out of her trance and grinned.

"You hurt us, Echo," George feigned hurt.

Echo laughed genuinely, as though Zoey hadn't heard it before. "After all this time, you still aren't used to my demeanor?"

George didn't reply. He just got a mischievous smirk on his face as he took two steps towards Echo. Echo, knowing what would happen next, started to shake her head in protest. "No," she said, "Don't you dare George Weasley!" But it was too late. Echo did not have time to run away. George had already enveloped her in a hug so strong that it lifted her off her feet when he tilted back.

Echo started to wiggle her arm free and went to George's wrist. She tried to hit the pressure point there, but gave up much to her weakness. "I'm so feeble." Echo laughed, "Put me down, George, unless you want me to scar you"

George did not believe her for a second but complied, "Okay, okay," he said as he placed her on the ground, "No need to get violent"

When Echo's feet touched the ground she mocked herself clutching her chest and jokingly gasped for air, "I'm so lucky I escaped! I barely had any air left!"

Zoey watched with a small smile as George and Echo joked around. It felt refreshing to see Echo loosen up. She then turned around to see Fred pouting a bit. She raised a brow.

"Don't I get a welcome hug too?" he asked giving her puppy dog eyes.

Zoey laughed and wrapped her arms around him. He was much too tall for her. She hid her burning face away from him as he seemed to tighten his hold on her. Suddenly George exclaimed: "Group hug!"

She heard Echo's surprised gasp as George dragged her along with him and made her wrap her arms around Fred and Zoey while George did the same. Zoey laughed at Echo's slightly exasperated look.

"It's a good thing we're all really close huh?" she said.

Almost all too soon the hug was broken and Fred rushed over to Harry and Percy jabbing Percy out of the way as he shook Harry's hand. "Harry!" Fred said, "Simply splendid to see you, old boy –"

"Marvelous," it was George's turn to speak to Harry; he pushed Fred out of the way, "Absolutely spiffing!"

Zoey turned to Echo and jabbed her thumb towards the twins. "What's up with them?" she asked.

Fred then exclaimed, "How really corking to see you –"

"I said that's enough," Mrs. Weasley said before approaching Harry herself.

"I don't know," Echo replied to Zoey's question, "but half of me thinks they're mocking Percy"

"Only half? They are mocking Percy…. I kinda feel sorry for now actually…."

Ignoring Zoey's last comment, Echo said: "The other half of me is already thinking of a prank to pull on the twins when we get back to Hogwarts"

Zoey laughed, "I see"

The rest of the night remained light hearted. There were jokes all around, mainly from the twins claiming that HB meant Humongous Bighead rather than Head Boy, and Zoey once again experienced the joys of eating with the Weasleys. No bad thoughts ever crossed her mind when she was surrounded with such wonderful people.

After dinner there was a case of Percy's missing head boy badge. When Zoey heard this she was just about to help in looking for it before the twins and Echo dragged her into the twins' room telling her that she did not have to look for it for it was with them the whole time. Zoey looked at the badge and held in her laughter as they change the words making it say "Bighead boy"

"You guys shouldn't have done that," Zoey said after calming her suppressed laughter, "Change it back"

"What? It's an improvement!" the twins said

"Or an understatement," Echo added.


Okay! Here's chapter 35!

yey!

Another Zed moment for you all and an Echo/George moment!

Okay, little problem here... what do we call an Echo and George moment? Gecho? Echorge? What do you guys think? If you have any ideas that you want to share please don't be shy!

In this chapter we see Zoey hanging out with Harry so a Harrey moment?

So many moments!

Lol,

But seriously

xD

I would like to thank "HayleyParadox" for helping me type up this chapter

and I would like to thank all of you for your reviews, questions, alerts and favorites

SO AWESOME YOU ALL ARE!

Now for some Q and A's!:

"wHaT's In A pEn-NaMe" asks: Can Zoey only use her power if she is with the body of the dead person? So...she wouldn't be able to save Sirius, seeing as he was killed by drapery...And she could save Fred without having to give both halves of her soul away and dying.

-Zoey's power would be fully explained in the later chapters. Please be patient :)

"xoxosmileyfacexoxo" asks: In the fourth chapter you mentioned Echo had issues with trust. Will there be anything about that in the next few chapters?

-We'll see :)

Now that's it for today... maybe XD Might have more or you might have to wait for tomorrow.

Anywho~ Hope you enjoyed!

Don't forget to review and ask questions!

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