Emily Lily Lupin-Black

2. Chapter 17 Diagon Alley 2

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life at Malfoy manor. The Malfoys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. (i have a feeling I'm the only one knowing what they are really doing.) What I found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like me.Mrs Weasley fussed over the state of my shorts and tried to force me to eat fourth helpings at every meal. I heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after I had arrived at the Burrow. Fred, George and I went down to breakfast to find Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment Ginny saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. (i found it a little funny.) She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun.Pretending I hadn't noticed this, I sat down and took the toast Mrs Weasley offered me." Letters from school," said Mr Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink." Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry, Emily — doesn't miss a trick, that man. You three've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George and I gasped at us not getting them. there was silence as we all read their letters. mine told me to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. (and that the full moon arrangements were the same. There was also a list of the new books we'd need for the coming year.SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda GoshawkBreak with a Banshee by Gilderoy LockhartGadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy LockhartHolidays with Hags by Gilderoy LockhartTravels with Trolls by Gilderoy LockhartVoyages with Vampires by Gilderoy LockhartWanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy LockhartYear with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart. Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at mine."You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new defence Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it's a witch."At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade." That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive. . . ." 'not to mention he's a fraud.' i whispered in Fred's ear. "Well, we'll manage," said Mrs Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Fortunately, no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest."Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a moulting, grey feather duster— at least, that was what I thought it was until he saw that it was breathing. "Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. "Finally — he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."He carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron laid him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud:"'Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there,"'I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would getHarry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one-off."' I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course' — How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation! 'and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley?"'Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Hermione.'" "Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"Harry, Ron, Fred, George and I were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from the view of the village below, meaning that they could practice quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high. They couldn't use realQuidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead, they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's and my Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies.Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them but he had said he was busy. Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time."Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.sand he hardly gloated at all." 'maybe he's got someone else to gloat to.' i said in a cheery tone. "Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another HeadBoy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame."Bill was the oldest Weasley brother. He and the next brother, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts. Harry and I had never met either of them but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill in Egypt working for the wizards' bank, Gringotts. "Dora got 10 I think, she was in the same year as Charlie," I told the boys. "whos Dora?" Harry asked. "she's my cousin she's really nice though." "Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginnyneeds robes and a wand and everything. . . ."I said nothing. I felt a bit awkward. Stored in an underground vault at Gringotts in London was a small fortune that being the heir of the noble house of black brings. Of course, it was only in the Wizarding world that I had money; you couldn't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in Muggle shops. Mrs Weasley woke us all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside."We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today. . . . Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"And she offered him the flowerpot.Harry stared at them all watching him." W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered."He's never travelled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot." Never?" said Mr Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"I went on the Underground —" Really?" said Mr Weasley eagerly. "Were there escalators? How exactly —" "Not now, Arthur," said Mrs Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before —" He'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first."He took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished."You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs Weasley told Harry as George dipped his hand into the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate. . . ." The right what?" said Harry nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too. I grabbed some next and disappeared through the flames.