Chapter 8: The Harry Potter
Harry, Hermione, Mad-Eye and the Weasley family stepped off the double-decker bus outside the Leaky Cauldron. As Harry entered, he was greeted with great cheers by the patrons of the establishment. People shook his hand, hugged him and thanked him for his great deeds during what was now being termed, "The Battle of the Ministry." One woman, in a plaid coat and black bowler hat, introduced herself as Angela Finnegan.
"Congratulations Harry, me boy. I knew you was innocent of the lies that they was saying about you. You go ta school with me boy Seamus; we always believed you weren't dangerous, always believed your story." she said in a thick Irish brogue.
Harry shook the woman's hand half-heartedly and smiled falsely, remembering the heated argument he and Seamus had had the first month of last year. Seamus had said that his parents hadn't wanted him to go back to Hogwarts because of what the papers were saying. And now, here she was, acting as if she had backed Harry up all along.
Harry remembered how almost the entire wizarding world had been against him when he'd come back to Hogwarts. The dirty looks he got, the sneers, the people trying to avoid him at all costs, and only Hermione, the Weasley family and a very few others to back him up. Of course, when the Ministry made Umbridge Grand Inquisitor, he had a few more students willing to talk to him, and more when he started the DA classes, and after the Quibbler article. But before those events, he could count his allies in the student body on two hands with a couple of fingers to spare.
But now, now he was The Harry Potter again, and he wasn't going to let the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet bring him back down. Last year he had been a villain for most of the year; this year, he would be a hero. Now that Rita Skeeter was back at the Daily Prophet, he was going to use Hermione's blackmail skills to have only favourable articles printed about him. Didn't he deserve it this year? Didn't he deserve all the praise that was being heaped on him after all he'd been through? He thought this as he made his way through the cheering throngs to the back of the Leaky Cauldron and the entrance to Diagon Alley.
"Stand aside, boy!" Moody said, tapped the appropriate bricks with his wand, and the entrance revealed itself.
As the small band moved down the street, Harry was greeted by even more elated fans. People were begging for his autograph, and asking him to sign the Daily Prophet with pictures of him. Girls screamed in star-struck awe at the sight of him. For once in his life, he was enjoying the attention.
A group of seven, giggling girls around his age came running up to him in a huddle, but stopped short, and all began to blush. After a few seconds of discussion, the group pushed one particularly pretty girl with dark brown hair towards him. Her face was beet-red, and she held a copy of the Prophet with his Triwizard Tournament picture. His image was fidgeting around, and had an embarrassed look on its face, but not quite as embarrassed as the girl standing in front of him. She tried to get the words out that she wanted to say.
" Harry… I Mean sir… I mean… Mr. Ppp…p…p…p…Potter, would you pppp…ppp……ppp…please sign my ppp…p…p…paper, sir?" she stammered.
Harry was reminded of Professor Quirrel from his first year by the stuttering. But Quirrell was long dead and could do no more harm.
Harry took the paper from the shaking hands of the girl and looked at the front page. This article was kind to him. It had been this way, the papers hailing him a hero since he'd returned to the Dursleys and he remembered how he hadn't cared about his fame, still grieving over Sirius' death. But now, being here, having throngs of people worshipping him, he began to enjoy himself. He'd even come above the article about the poor girl who was killed in a vampire attack, a story that he had been following.
Harry looked at the girl and asked, "Got a quill?" Her mouth dropped open, and she dug into her pockets, as three of her friends produced quills and offered them out to him. Harry took one at random and asked the girl her name.
"My name? Its uhhhhh, um…it's, wait I know it."
Harry smiled at her.
"It's Fiona," shouted one of her friends.
"Yes! That's it! Fiona," she said quickly, embarrassed.
"Fiona, do you and your friends go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"Ye…yes sir. I'm a third year, sir," she replied nervously.
"And what house are you in?" Harry inquired.
"I'm in Slytherin, sir." Really, he thought. Interesting, some of these fans I'm getting.
"And are all your friends in Slytherin, too?" he asked, intrigued.
"Nnn…no, Mr. Potter sir. Nancy's in Gryffindor and B…Bridget is in Hufflepuff, sir" she continued, pointing out two of her friends.
Harry nodded and signed his autograph: To Fiona. Thanks for your support, see you in school. Harry Potter.
"Well, you're cute, Fiona; but let me give you a word of advice. Stay away from Draco Malfoy this year, and I'll think even better of you. Oh, and you can call me Harry." He smiled. Something suddenly came over him and he kissed Fiona on the cheek. He was glad her friends were so close behind her, because they were able to catch her as she fell backwards in a faint from the kiss.
Suddenly, several people were shaking numerous parchments and papers at him to sign. Harry signed the autographs for the rest of Fiona's friends and a few more people.
Finally, Mad-Eye tapped him on the shoulder. "Move along boy, this is not what we're here for and the crowed is going to make it hard for me to protect you. We need to keep moving. Now get going."
"Oh, right! Sorry everyone, I've got to go," he said apologetically.
"Ahh, that's not fair," said a lot of disappointed onlookers, not all of them teenagers. There were also adults, of many different ages.
"Well, anyone who's a student that really wants an autograph can catch me between classes this year," Harry said with a shrug.
Harry turned to Ron. "I know that Lockhart was a git, but I'm starting to see the attraction in being loved by thousands, especially after last year." He finished as the group made their way through the shops in the alley. Harry noticed that Ron looked a bit resentful of his good fortune.
"What's with you?" he asked.
Ron looked up at him, his face full of disappointment. "Well, it's just that there were six of us in the battle that night, and you're the only one that's getting the credit. I mean, all the papers say is Harry Potter took on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and was accompanied by friends. It barely mentions our names. A writer from the Prophet interviewed me, and he kept asking me about you. What was it like to be saved by the Harry Potter, what was it like to be rescued by the boy who lived? I told him that I wasn't a hostage, but fighting by your side, and I get a wow, really! What was it like to be fighting alongside the Harry Potter? I'm not jealous or anything, but I wouldn't mind the rest of us getting a little credit once in a while."
Harry gave Ron a pat on the back, "Not to worry, Ron. Hermione can get Rita Skeeter to do that for you. Can't you, Hermione?"
Hermione shrugged. "Sure, Ron, I can do that. If you're nice to me," she said with a flirtatious smile.
"I thought I was always nice to you," Ron said, perplexed.
"No, I mean if you're nice to me," Hermione repeated meaningfully.
"What are you on about?" said Ron.
"Oh, never mind! Why do you always have to be so thick?" Hermione shot angrily. "I've got to go to the lavatory; we'll meet at your brother's joke shop. Come on, Ginny." The two girls rushed off quickly before Ron could respond.
"What's got into her?" Ron asked Harry.
"I'd say she fancies you, Ron" Harry cut in.
"What, me? No, Hermione and I have always been just friends. Besides, she likes that Viktor Krum, crumb," Ron said, adding the crumb with an air of offence as they continued to walk down the street.
"Are you sure about that, dear? I was getting the same impression as Harry myself. You're sure she just wants to be friends?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
Ron was a little agitated.
"Well, yeah mum. She's always saying, Oh, Viktor understands me, and oh, Viktor is always interested in what I'm doing, and reads my poetry, and on, and on, and on. You know, I read her poetry once, and all she writes about is girly stuff, like feelings, love, and well things that girls talk about. Viktor is a little too in touch with his feminine side if he's that interested in that."
"Well Ron, do you pay attention to Hermione when you talk to each other? I mean, when she brings up subjects that she's interested in?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
Ron looked puzzled.
"Well, usually, but then she eventually goes off on things like feelings, and romance and things like that, when I'm trying to tell her important, relevant stuff, like about the last Quidditch game, or about an article on the latest racing broom. I mean, sometimes it's like we run out of things to say, and it gets awkward, and after a while when no ones said anything, she brings up Viktor the crumb. Saying how, oh! Viktor sent me an owl, inviting me to go to Bulgaria this summer, but I came here instead. Showing off how Viktor was so into her, that's what she's doing," Ron finished with a burst of bitterness.
"Ron, I think Hermione was just showing you how important being with you was to her. So much so that she turned another boy down because she wanted to be with you. That's how girls try to show boys that they are interested in them. It's her way of saying that you're important enough to her to give up other opportunities," said Mrs. Weasley.
Ron was confused. "Well, why doesn't she just come out and say she wanted to be with me and not Victor? Or just come out and say that she likes me?" he asked.
Mrs. Weasley sighed in exasperation, and gave a capitulated look.
"Oh Ron, that's just not the way we girls usually do things. Just try reading between the lines. Sometimes girls will talk about other boys in front of you to get you to pay attention to them. Honestly, I've got to have a sit down with you and Harry about how girls think," she said exasperatedly.
"It's all a bit bonkers if you ask me, mum. I'll never understand girls. I mean, if I fancy a girl, I'd just come out and say it."
Harry smiled at that statement, thinking to himself: Then why don't you just say it to Hermione?
The group passed more crowds of supporters along the way to Wimbydale's, the new bookshop in Diagon Alley. Harry wondered again how many of these people had believed the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet, and had been against him last year. Rather a lot, he expected.
My, how things change, he thought as the group entered the bookshop. Harry and Ron looked around the store for the books on their list. The first required book they came to was Potions: The Ultimate Guide, by Azeri Loki. Harry looked at the book with absolute revulsion.
"Damnit! It's not fair. We were finally supposed to be through with Snape last year, and now they change the curriculum on us. Advanced Potions indeed: as if we needed that. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think its Dumbledore trying to make my life miserable again."
Ron let out a sigh, and rolled his eyes. "Harry, Dumbledore really is concerned about you. And it's not just you. All sixth years have to take Advanced Potions."
Harry gave a nod of reluctant agreement. "Yeah, I know. It's just that…Snape again."
A stack of books on a table caught Ron's eye, and he walked over to them. He picked one up and put it in his shopping basket.
"What's that one?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh. It's Animato, for Special Effects Magic class. Luna told me about it. It's about how to perform Muggle magic in movies. She thought I might like to take the class with her, and it sounded interesting. An American friend of her father teaches it. So I thought, why not," Ron said with a shrug.
"That sounds like a strange class. You mean, like how they film actors hanging from wires against a blue screen, and then add in a back ground to make it look like they're flying?" Harry asked.
"What are you talking about? I've never heard of anything like that," Ron replied, bewildered.
"Oh, I saw a special on it," Harry said.
The group continued shopping, and picked up books for Ginny and Hermione as well. When they were done, they started off toward Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop owned by Ron's twin brothers. When Harry and Ron were out of earshot of Mad-Eye and Mrs. Weasley, Harry asked Ron a question. "Do you think what your mum said about Hermione and Bulgaria was true?"
"What do you mean? About him inviting her? Yeah, she showed me the letter," Ron said.
"No, I mean, when Hermione told you that she turned down going to Bulgaria to be with you. Do girls really say things like that to show you that they're willing to give up doing something else to be with you, to show you how important you are to them? Like saying that they would rather be with you than someone else without just coming right out and saying it?" Harry asked.
Ron's face was blank. "Uhh…well, I guess so. I mean, girls are different. It's like they're not even on the same planet as us sometimes. Why? Do you think mum's right about Hermione? That she was just trying to make me jealous, and to show me that she wanted to be with me so much that she gave up being with Viktor?"
Harry thought for a minute.
"Well, maybe. I seem to remember Cho doing something like that to me last year. She mentioned that Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain last year, asked her out for Valentine's Day, and she turned him down to be with me. I wonder how many other girls are doing what Hermione and Cho are doing, and not just coming out and saying that they really want to be with us," Harry said.
"Yeah, well, if that's the way they're going to act, I guess I'll need a crash course on girl lingo, and the way that they act." Ron commented.
"So, how does your mum feel about the joke shop?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Well, at first, she hated the idea, being as serious about having all her children graduate as she is. But when she found out how much money they've been pulling in, she changed her tune. Not that she's money hungry or anything, she just wants us all to be able to take care of ourselves financially after school. Anyway, the shop is doing really well, and they're swamped almost all the time. Fred wrote that actually running the business has taken so much of his time that they haven't had time to make any mischief. Here it is," Ron finished as the two of them reached the store, with Moody and Mrs. Weasley a little behind.
The joke shop was modest looking enough on the outside, with a dark wooden framework, and two windows on either side that displayed popular items like Extendable Ears and Skiving Snack Boxes. Harry and Ron walked through the door, and were impressed to see that Fred and George had bewitched the place to be bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. All around them, colourful practical joke items littered the shelves, and there were a lot of customers standing in the queue with their selections.
Ron looked at one item on the shelf that looked like an obviously fake rubber-snake. "Can't say I'm impressed with this item. I mean, who's it supposed to fool?"
Ron picked it up to show Harry the bad workmanship, when with a tiny puff of smoke the snake became very real and wrapped around Ron's wrist.
"Ahhhh! Harry, talk to it, tell it to leave me alone!" Ron pleaded. Harry jumped away but recovered quickly and started to attempt to speak in Parseltongue to tell the snake to let go of Ron, but it didn't appear to be working.
"You're not going to get it off him speaking in any language, Harry, unless you know the right words to say," came George's voice from behind him. "Ron, just say Riddikulus to it," he continued casually.
Ron gave him a horrified expression, but looked at the snake and gave a stuttering "R…r…Ridiculous". The snake turned back into the harmless, very fake looking piece of rubber that it had been moments before.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked, rubbing his wrist.
"One of our newest little toys. We call it the double scare. You put this somewhere that someone will happen on it, and they'll jump with fear. After a few minutes, when they close in on it and realise that it's fake, they'll go to pick it up, and poof, another scare. But all you have to do is say Ridiculous to turn it back to a harmless piece of rubber again. Well, actually, it's harmless either way. It's not a real snake, and it won't bite you even when it looks real. That's going for five sickles apiece," George said.
"But, how will people know to say Ridiculous?" asked Harry.
"Oh, it comes with instructions on the box. We assume that whoever plants it will hang around to see the results of their handy work, and be able to say Ridiculous before the victim dies of shock," George said with a grin. "Also, the Extendable Ears were selling so well that we decided to work on Extendable Eyes as well. But here's my personal favourite!" He took a box with a bottle of potion in it off the shelf.
Harry and Ron looked at it. "What is it?" they asked in unison.
"Paisley Potion. You drop some of this on someone's clothes, and in ten minutes, it turns them pink with yellow flower patterns. Of course, it only works if you use it on guy's clothes. I think girls would actually enjoy it. But think of how much fun you'll have if you put it on Malfoy's dress robes this year," George finished with a grin, as mischievous smiles lit up Harry and Ron's faces.
Harry suddenly noticed a small crowd gathering behind him. Fred was in front of them.
"Hey, Harry, they all want your autograph. Tell 'em that you'll sign it for any paying customer," he said with a wink.
"Fred," Mrs. Weasley cut in. "We haven't got time for that. The boys are here in Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies. We just dropped in for a quick visit."
"Oh, come on mum. Harry's going to want to sign to keep his fans happy anyway. And you look like you've already got all the books they'll need. It's early. Just an hour, it'll bring in loads of people."
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Alright, just an hour. I suppose I'm happy to see Harry get the credit he deserves after how everyone treated him last year."
Fred grinned shyly to his mother. "Thanks, mum. We've already got a table set up. This way, if you please, The Harry Potter?"
Ron followed Harry behind the table, and spotted a cute, blond-haired girl that he recognised as a sixth year Hufflepuff from school. He whispered into Harry's ear.
"Hey, Harry, do you think you could mention that I was in the Battle, and how heroically I fought when she gets up to the table?" he asked, pointing at the sixth year.
Harry smirked. "Sure, Ron, no problem," he replied. The first customer walked up with a box of Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs.
"I can't believe it! The Harry Potter! I'm so honoured. I always supported you, and everyone in my family, everyone at my work, we were always behind you one hundred percent!"
"Oh, really?" Harry said, pleased. "What type of work do you do?"
The man raised his head proudly. "I'm Tristan Grimbold; I'm the editor of the Daily Prophet."
Harry gave a sarcastic smirk. "Yes, I'm sure everyone at the Prophet supported me the whole time." Just as much as everyone at the Ministry did, he thought.
After an hour of signing autographs, Harry and the others started to leave with a few boxes of treats that the Weasley twins had given their benefactor, and their brother, free of charge. Before they were too far away, Fred yelled from the door of the shop.
"'Oi, Ron! Come back here for a few minutes!"
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"Just come here. We have something for you."
"Okay." Ron looked at the others. "Be right back."
As Harry waited outside with Mad-Eye and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione and Ginny came running up to them. Hermione had a package in a familiar shape in her arms.
"Harry!" Hermione said as she gave him a friendly hug. "Look what my parents gave me money to buy. It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. Where's Ron? I wanted to show it to him."
Harry looked back at the joke shop, and saw Ron walking towards them with a bright smile on his face.
"Here he comes now," Harry said. "What are you so happy about?"
"Oh, nothing," Ron said happily. "Anyone for ice cream? My treat," he said.
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"Are you sure, Ron?" Harry asked, knowing how much money Ron didn't have.
But Ron simply raised his head proudly and mentioned that he was quite sure.
As they continued down the alley, people stopped and thanked Harry for his great deeds at the Ministry of Magic, and giggling girls followed behind him, star-struck. He truly was The Boy Who Lived again.