𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

31 || The Leaky Cauldron

Harry

"That cat's a menace!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from the owner of that scruffy old shoe brush."

"I'm warning you, you better keep that cat away from Scabbers-"

"Can you two shut up for two seconds? My ice cream's going to melt. And anyway, when Harry gets here-"

"Harry," said Ron, pointing to Harry, who was watching his best friends' exchange with an amused smile. They were sitting outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor with a tall, pretty blonde he didn't know.

"Harry?" Hermione turned around, her face splitting into a smile when she saw him. In her arms, she was holding a ginger cat with a squashed-looking face.

"Harry!" The blonde got up out of her seat and dashed over to him, bringing him into a hug.

"Er-"

She pulled away, and Harry saw who it was. It was Ash, who was way taller than last year, tanner, and, in other words, looked much older.

"Ash?" he sputtered.

"I know, I know, I look different," she said, grinning. "Everyone says so. But look at you, you've grown too!" she teased and ruffled his hair. Harry had grown as well, but not as much as her (luckily, he was still taller), and she barely had to reach up to touch his head.

"Finally," Ron smiled, putting his rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder. Harry sat down at the table between him and Ash. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and--"

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad," said Ron simply.

"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" Hermione said in a serious voice. Ash arranged her face into a disapproving expression but looked at him expectantly.

"I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just--lost control."

Ash gave him a fist bump under the table.

"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"

"Probably 'cause you're the 'Chosen One'," Ash laughed. "They can't exactly arrest the kid who defeated Voldemort, can they?" Both Hermione and Ron squirmed at the mention of "You-Know-Who's" name. Like him, Ash had faced Voldemort in first and second year and had no fear of saying his name. Harry suspected that even if she hadn't seen and fought him, she would anyway. Ash wasn't the type to be afraid of a name.

"We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, too," Ron said happily. "So you can come to King's Cross with us! Hermione's there too."

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books--" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

"What's all that?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to Hermione and Ash.

"We're taking more subjects than you," Hermione said simply. Ash sighed.