Chapter 180
Chapter 180
“And that is how, thanks to Hagrid, we received an excellent discount,” Suer told everyone. “It saved us a great deal of money, and the manager gave us the Monster Books for free.”
Percy held the book he had admired for so long and stroked it lovingly. It cost two Galleons, and buying it with his own pocket money would have left him desperately short.
Romance was expensive. A proper young man could hardly expect his girlfriend to pay for every monthly date in Hogsmeade.
Yes, thanks to Ginny, everyone now knew that Percy was dating a female Ravenclaw prefect.
The manager had thought Suer was buying books for only one person. He had never imagined the boy intended to purchase so many–several students’ worth.
But he had promised Suer a discount. All he could do was swallow his pain, smile through it and accept a sadly diminished pile of money.
His shining, beloved Galleons had flown away.
Suer saw no reason to hold back when presented with such an opportunity. He also bought the book Percy wanted and the books for Ron’s electives. Ginny needed nothing new because she used the books her brothers had outgrown.
The Weasley family rarely had money left over, and any savings could be put to use elsewhere. For them, the discount was a gift from the heavens.
“Thank you so much, Suer.” Mrs Weasley cheerfully counted the money into his hand.
“You’re welcome, Mrs Weasley. We couldn’t let an opportunity like this go to waste, could we?” Suer accepted it with a smile and passed it straight to Hermione.
It was only natural for Hermione to manage their purse.
“If anything happens at school, come straight to me. I’m Head Boy now.” Percy patted the extra book he had just acquired and spoke loudly, placing particular emphasis on “Head Boy” as though afraid someone might not hear.
“Oh, we know.”
“Percy is Head Boy.”
“Everyone in Ottery St Catchpole knows.”
“Another Head Boy from the Weasley family.”
“Mum and Dad’s pride and joy.”
The Weasley twins never missed an opportunity for mockery. The instant Percy finished, they launched into their performance.
“That’s enough from you two!” Percy snapped, red with embarrassment.
The mood outside Flourish and Blotts became cheerful at once. Behind the counter, the manager watched their departing backs with tears in his eyes. The Monster Books had finally been tied into quiet bundles inside the cage. As long as someone stroked their spines once a day, they would remain peaceful until the next.
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, the group split into twos and threes. They still had a little time to explore Diagon Alley.
Harry invited them to cool off with ice-cream cones. Wealthy Harry was treating everyone again.
They walked along the cobbled street with cones of different flavours. Hermione kept eyeing Suer’s pistachio-and-chocolate ice cream. While he was distracted talking to Harry, she lunged forwards, took a bite and retreated with a triumphant challenge in her eyes.
Suer was not about to let that pass. The girl never dared behave so affectionately when adults were present, but among friends she revealed all the liveliness and playfulness of a thirteen-year-old.
Hermione dodged while Suer attacked. At last, when she let her guard slip, he successfully took a bite from her strawberry cone.
Harry watched with a knowing smile. Nearby, Ginny stole glances at Harry and blushed every so often. Ron concentrated on devouring his ice cream, occasionally looking up at Suer and Hermione with a disdainful curl of his lip.
“They’re practically kissing. Honestly… it’s indecent…”
But jealousy and envy overflowed from every word. Where was the girl meant for him?
The friends walked against the crowd towards the Leaky Cauldron. Every so often, an excited new student passed them cheering.
For a time, all was peaceful.
The peace did not last. Just as the passage to the rear courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron opened, a deafening explosion sounded from the direction of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. A dragon’s roar seemed to roll faintly through the air, and everyone in the street turned towards the bank in astonishment.
Then a commotion broke out at the far end of the road. Pedestrians cried out and scrambled aside.
“Stop that damned dog! Stop it!” someone shouted from within the crowd, but the witches and wizards were too busy dodging to intervene.
The shouts drew closer. A large dog burst between the pedestrians, weaving sharply from side to side. It had long yellow fur and held a wand in its mouth.
“Damn it, stop that dog!” Several wizards raced after it. They were the same men Suer and Hermione had seen when they first arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Every one of them looked furious. One wizard’s hands were empty, while the others gripped their wands tightly. Light flickered at their tips, but the men seemed unwilling to cast among the crowd.
“Quick, stand aside.” Suer pulled Harry and the others back from the passage. He had no intention of drawing his wand to help.
With a whoosh, the great dog raced towards the opening. Once it reached the Leaky Cauldron, pursuing it would be much harder.
Another whoosh sounded. One of the armed wizards finally cast, sending a spell straight at the yellow dog as it prepared to leap into the passage.
He missed. The dog made a light sideways bound and avoided the spell.
When the attack failed, the wizard raised his wand again. The brighter light gathering at its tip made it clear that the next spell would be far more powerful.
“Damn you, can’t you see the children there?” another wizard shouted, immediately stopping him.
“Stop talking and keep chasing it! If it reaches the Muggles, we’ll never find it!” The unarmed wizard ran on without slowing. “That damned dog has my wand in its mouth!”
By then, the yellow dog had entered the passage and raced past the children.
Perhaps it was only Suer’s imagination, but he felt the dog glance at them as it passed.
The wizards paid no attention to the children and charged into the passage after it.
“What was that about?” Ron asked blankly.
Harry shrugged.
“No idea, but it has nothing to do with us. We should go back. It’s getting late,” Hermione said.
The small disturbance in the street was like a stone dropped into a still lake. After sending ripples in every direction, the surface gradually settled again.
When Suer and the others reopened the passage and returned to the Leaky Cauldron, the pub looked as though something had crashed through it. Tables and chairs lay scattered and overturned.
Tom, whose scalp bore only a few remaining hairs, irritably waved his wand to restore the furniture.
Mrs Weasley stood to one side with a hand pressed to her chest. The dog bursting from the courtyard had badly frightened her. Percy looked thoroughly miserable as he rubbed a page with his sleeve. Half a muddy footprint stood out across it; he had evidently dropped the book and someone had stepped on it.
“We’ll see you on the train.” The Weasley family disappeared into the fireplace one after another. Before leaving, Mrs Weasley invited Suer to visit once more, but he politely declined on the grounds that he needed to return home.
“Shall we go as well, Harry?” Suer and Hermione said their farewells last.
“All right. Oh, if you can, could you come and collect me here that day?” Harry hesitated, then stammered, “I thought we could go to the station together.”
“No problem.”