The Potter Twins and the Chamber of Secrets

VI

The trip to Diagon Alley was far more adventurous than either Harry or I were suspecting, first of all because we thought we were taking the train or something. Nope. Not what happened.

"This'll be your first time travelling by Floo, won't it guys?" Ron said excitedly as we rushed downstairs, Harry and I with our Gringotts cash bags. "Erm," I said very intellectually. "What's Floo?" Harry asked moments after.

"Oh Harry dear, it's very simple," Mrs Weasley said briskly, taking ahold of Harry's shoulders and ushering him towards the fireplace. My twin shot me a terrified look as he was manhandled across the room. "George, you show him," she added. George took a large handful of a strange-looking powder and stepped into the fireplace. He winked at Harry. "My name's Fred," he said to his mother, before throwing the powder down and yelling, "Diagon Alley!"

There was a flurry of green flames and George had disappeared. I shuddered, remembering how we had accessed the room with the Philosopher's stone in just a few months ago. "You have to remember to say it really clearly," Fred added, after reassuring his mother that the twin that had gone before him was in fact George. He did the same and suddenly it was Harry's turn. He looked extremely nervous and slightly nauseous as he took the powder, threw it down and coughed in about a ton of ash. What came out of his mouth sounded more like "Diagidonralleh."

"That wasn't clear," I noted. Ron looked slightly worried, his mouth set in a straight line. "He'll be okay. Might come out a grate later or something, I'm not sure. Wanna go next?"

"Remember, elbows in, eyes shut, don't fidget, take care to exit at the right grate," Mrs Weasley advised.

I did not want to go next, but I took a handful of powder and copied Fred and George. "Diagon Alley!" As Mrs Weasley said, I kept my elbows tucked in and eyes shut as my ears filled with a horrible whooshing. Barely ten seconds later, I was spat out of another fireplace onto a cobbled surface, coughing and spluttering and covered in ash. "Sam!" two voices cheered simultaneously, as four hands seized me by the upper arms and pulled me to my feet. I rubbed my eyes for a few seconds and opened them to see Fred and George grinning at me, surrounded by the shop fronts of Diagon Alley.

"Woah," I said, grabbing onto the nearest surface, which happened to be George's shoulder, "I'm not gonna lie to you, that was terrifying." After another brief scan of my surroundings, I realised that something rather significant was missing. However, before I could talk again, Ron came sliding out. He collided with my legs and I collapsed on top of him. "Hey!" I objected, now spreadeagled on the cobbles for the second time in two minutes. Ron looked around and beat me to the question. "Hey, where's Harry?"

The twins looked at each other and said together, "you mean you didn't go before him?"

"Nope," I said worriedly, as Mrs Weasley arrived gracefully and immediately demanded the same question.

"It's okay," Ron said. "I'm sure he came out one grate down or something."

"Well let's look then!" I said frantically. Fred patted me on the back. "He'll be okay, Sam. C'mon, we'll go now."

Just then, an excitable voice reached my ears. "Sam!" Hermione, flanked by two adults I presumed to be her parents, rushed towards me. I gave her a hug and waited for the question, worry now flooding my mind, as she said, "Harry!"

"Wait, what?" I swirled round and saw Harry jogging towards us, followed by our favourite half-giant, Hagrid. Breathing a sigh of relief, I ran over and threw my arms around him. "Where the hell were you?"

"Ended up in Knockturn Alley," Hagrid said grimly. "Lucky I found 'im, or..."

"I was fine, Hagrid," Harry protested.

"Knockturn Alley?" Fred demanded. "Cool!" George exclaimed. "Mum never let us go."

"And for good reason," Hagrid growled.

"Well, what were you doing there, Hagrid?" Fred asked innocently.

"Buyin' some Flesh Eatin' Slug Repellent. They've bin destroyin' my cabbages," Hagrid replied gruffly. "I'd better be gettin' back to it..." And with that, he turned round and stomped away.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly. Mrs Weasley looked like she would have asked the same thing.

"Yeah, I'm fine," my brother said. "I don't think I'm very good at flooing, is all."

"Don't you do anything like that again," I said fiercely. Harry grinned at me. "Loosen up, Sammy. I thought I was the boring one."

"You are!"

"No, you are."

"Idiot," I said, nudging him in the chest with my elbow as we started to walk towards Flourish and Blotts, not missing the fact that Ron had positioned himself adjacent to Hermione. "Wet wipe," replied Harry as he pushed open the bookshop door, completely ignoring the sign that read in obnoxiously large writing, GILDEROY LOCKHART WILL BE SIGNING COPIES OF HIS BESTSELLER: MAGICAL ME, ONE DAY ONLY.