Fred Weasley, his wife Sofia, and his son George were standing outside the Leaky Cauldron. Sofia was confused, because she couldn't see the pub at all. George was anxiously waiting for his dad to be ready. He wanted to see real wizards.

Fred was a mess. He was pacing back and forth. It had been 17 years since he had had anything to do with magic. And now he was going back to the place where he had spent so much of his life. Fred remembered the war and how wanted all the Weasley's were. They were probably going to be famous. And then there was his twin George. They were identical, so someone could very well recognize Fred. He waved his wand over his head and transfigured himself to look different.

Instead of the signature Weasley red, his hair was now a dark brown. He raised his cheekbones and made his eyes hazel instead of brown. He grew a couple of inches and hid his freckles. He looked like a completely different person now. At Sofia's questioning look he turned to her and smirked.

"I have an identical twin. I can't go walking around where people might recognize me. I'm not ready for that yet." Sofia nodded, with pity in her eyes.

"You should really try to be ready. They are going to learn eventually."

Fred smiled. "Either that or word will spread that there is an unknown Weasley at Hogwarts." He took his wife's hand and pushed the door to the restaurant open. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron!"

He took his family over to a booth and waved to the waitress, who looked kind of familiar. She smiled and came over.

"Hello! Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron! I'm Hannah. What can I get for you today? I've never seen you around before. Are you muggles?"

Hannah, the name sounded familiar, but Fred could not place it. He guessed that they went to Hogwarts together. "We'll take three butterbeers please." He smiled at the thought of tasting the sweet drink again. "I'm not muggle, but my wife is. Our son just got his Hogwarts letter and it's their first trip to Diagon Alley. It's been years since I've been." He told the truth, but left names out on purpose.

"Well congratulations on your letter! Hogwarts is a great school. It's my daughter's first year as well. And I hope you find Diagon Alley really nice. It is such an amazing place!" Fred noticed that Hannah kindly rambled and assumed she was a Hufflepuff. "I'll get those butterbeers for you."

"What's butterbeer?" Sofia asked. "Is it safe for kids?

It's an old favorite. There is only a little bit of alcohol and kids drink it all the time. Don't worry. I promise you'll both like it. Everyone does!"

The door to the back of the pub opened and someone walked in and took a seat at the bar. This wasn't the first person to walk in while the Weasley's were sitting there, but this one caught Fred's attention. The bartender, who Fred recognized as Tom, waved to the newcomer and immediately started putting something together. But Fred wasn't staying attention to Tom, he was too focused on the not-so-stranger sitting only ten feet from him. Fred's eyes were locked on the man's shock of red hair, his tall, lanky frame, his multitude of Freckles, and his long nose.

Ron. Little Ron Weasley was sitting so close to his long-lost brother, and he didn't even know it.

Fred's breath caught in his throat and he couldn't stop staring. Every fiber of his being wanted to run up, engulf his brother in a hug and yell 'Pranked ya!' But he didn't. Something was keeping his glued to his seat, unable to move except for his eyes.

He finally stopped staring when Hannah came back, floating three butterbeers behind her. She couldn't help but notice him staring.

"Here you are! Three butterbeers, I hope you enjoy." She paused, as if debating saying something. "I don't know how long you've been away from the magical world, but that's Ron Weasley. One of the famed Golden Trio and a big asset in helping defeat Voldemort."

"I know," Fred said, his voice cracking. He could feel his wife and son's stares, but ignored them for the moment.

"Hannah continued, "Well, he is a bit cocky." Fred snorted. "But he loves his fans if you want to say hi." Hannah winked at George. "That will be 6 sickles."

"You do take muggle money here, right?" Fred asked, reaching into his pocket. "I'm afraid that's all I have."

"Yeah, we take muggle money, since so many muggles like to eat here before they head to the Alley. But, this is one of the only businesses that do. You'll have to exchange it at Gringotts."

"Will do. Thanks Hannah!" Fred said as the waitress walked away.

"That's your brother, isn't it? George asked, pulling the picture from his pocket. "That one." He pointed to the photo of young Ron.

"Yeah. He's all grown up," Fred smirked.

"Well, thanks Tom," Ron started talking, drawing his brother's attention. "But I'd better get going. Can't leave George in the shop alone for long, you know." Ron and Tom both chuckled as Ron headed for the Alley.

Fred looked down into his butterbeer. George was here. George was at Diagon Alley. And, if Fred's hunch was correct, he was at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Their shop, the one they had worked tirelessly to open. And now Ron was helping run it instead of him. Guilt and longing screamed at Fred. He should be there helping his twin, not Ron. Sofie reached across the table and squeezed her husband's hand.

"This butterbeer is really good! George said, slamming his empty mug on the table. "Let's go shopping now."

Fred couldn't help it, he started laughing. "I never thought I would here those words come from your mouth!"

Once Fred's laughing fit was over, the family headed through the backdoor. On the way out, Tom was looking at Fred strangely.

"Do I know you?" He asked, making Fred stop in his tracks. "Your laugh sounds really familiar. I just can't put my finger on it."

"No, I don't think so," Fred said, resisting the urge to run the back of his neck. "I haven't been here in years, and I never came very often."

Tom nodded thoughtfully. "Well I'm sorry. An old man like me just can't keep track of customers anymore. Have a good day!"

Fred nodded as George waved and said goodbye. That was a close one. Too close. Of course someone would recognize his laugh. He was always laughing when he was younger. Plus, George has the same laugh, so people probably hear it all the time. Fred decided to change up his voice and try not to laugh as much, where people can hear him.

As the family walked to the back, Fred explained what was happening. "Well, behind this wall is Diagon Alley, the hub of wizard shopping in London. It is a really cool place to look at, but we can't go into any stores yet. The first place we will go is Gringotts Bank. There we will exchange our pounds for things called Galleons, which is wizard money. Let's go!"

With those words, Fred tapped his wand on a brink and the wall opened up. He smiled as the sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him. It was just like old times. He looked over at his wife and son, who both had amazed smiles on their faces. With that, Fred took a step into the world he once knew. He was coming home.

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Meanwhile, inside the Leaky Cauldron, Tom and Hannah were discussing the strange costumer.

"There was something familiar about him," Tom mused. "I know I've seen him before, even though he didn't look familiar."

"I agree," Hannah nodded. "He seemed almost fully comfortable hear, so I know he's been here before. And there was the fact that he wouldn't stop staring at Ron, like he knew him, and not like someone knows a celebrity either."

"Do you think he went to Hogwarts?" Tom wondered.

"I'm pretty sure. He said something about his son getting a Hogwarts letter. But he wasn't in my year. I would have recognized him for sure if he was."

"Maybe he will be back and we can ask for his name."

"If not, when Hogwarts starts I can just ask Neville what the kid's name is. Won't be that hard to find the right kid, he is a redhead."

"Well, there was a time when there were a lot of redheads at Hogwarts. Most of the next generation Weasley kids are still too young for it. Plus, you daughter has red hair."

"I know," Hannah smiled, "And I can't believe I forgot about the Weasley's"

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What do you think?

Please review.

If you didn't know, the waitress is Hannah Abbott, who married Neville Longbottom.

Thanks for reading!

Love ya!