203) Preparing for Hogwarts

Things were going well; our business was quite prosperous for various reasons. First, word of mouth about the relationship between the quality of the food and the prices played in our favor. Then, there was Dumbledore's presence, which, even if it didn't seem like it, was a magnet for attracting new customers due to his fame.

At the moment, only the restaurant section was the most crowded. The other areas still felt a bit odd to use, but that would soon change. That's why I invited Hagrid. We offer things that are not easy to get if you know where to look, and Hagrid... he's one of those who can't keep his mouth shut, especially after a few drinks. Little by little, our reputation will grow.

But leaving the business aside, and despite Tonks' insistence on hiring more staff for busy nights like our opening, we should focus on what's happening at The Burrow.

Harry has been staying here for a while, sharing a room with Ron and me. I'm not going to say it's comfortable... I do like having my privacy, or at least I would if he were a girl. In the end, I had to sneak back to sleep in the kitchen when no one noticed. If my parents didn't forbid it, and my sister wasn't angry with me, I'd probably be sleeping with her.

I appreciate Harry for diverting my parents' attention towards him. My mother treats him like another son, and my father bombards him with questions about the Muggle world. Not that I'm completely off the hook, though. My upcoming trip to Castelobruxo is still a recurring topic in the family. My parents never miss an opportunity to talk to me several times a week about what I should and shouldn't do, what to be careful of, whom to listen to, and so on.

There was one thing I hadn't considered regarding that, though it's not a bad thing. This year I'll be attending Hogwarts with my friends as usual, at least for a few months. The start of the school year at Castelobruxo isn't the same as at Hogwarts; their term begins on January 1st, not September 1st. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of that before, but I should have taken it into account.

Because of that, this exchange is so peculiar: it's not for a full year. I'll spend the first few months at Hogwarts and then transfer to Castelobruxo. As an experience, it's great, but academically, it could be a challenge. If we don't work hard to adapt, we could run into problems. Though, to be honest, the academic level at Hogwarts isn't that high, except in a few subjects.

Back to family life, Ginny received her Hogwarts acceptance letter, as did Luna. Both were ecstatic. In a wizarding family, it's normal for children to fear being a Squib, so the arrival of the letter is always a cause for celebration. Even if Ginny was upset with me, she hugged me excitedly that day, and we celebrated together, though she quickly returned to her usual distance afterward.

The next Hogwarts letters brought the supply lists for this year. Among the most notable items was:

"Second-year students will need:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2), Miranda Goshawk.Break with a Banshee, Gilderoy Lockhart.Gadding with Ghouls, Gilderoy Lockhart.Holidays with Hags, Gilderoy Lockhart.Travels with Trolls, Gilderoy Lockhart.Voyages with Vampires, Gilderoy Lockhart.Wanderings with Werewolves, Gilderoy Lockhart.Year with the Yeti, Gilderoy Lockhart."

No one was happy with what we saw... maybe except for our mother. But even she, like everyone in the family, was worried about money. So many extra books, and such expensive ones, would be a significant burden on the family. We would be strapped for a long while, not to mention possibly in debt.

Fortunately, there were some solutions. First, I received a different letter. Since I'll be spending part of the year at Castelobruxo, I wasn't required to buy Lockhart's books. I can buy them if I want, but I should really focus on the books I'll need at Castelobruxo, which will be covered by the scholarship Dumbledore mentioned.

Additionally, I offered to buy Ginny's things, being a good brother, although this sparked some debate. My parents didn't agree; they insisted it was their responsibility and that I shouldn't spend the money I had worked so hard to earn, especially since it would be useful for my trip. However, I stood firm, arguing that as her brother, I had the right to care about her, and money is only useful if it's spent on something important, like this. Even though I might need something for Brazil, I didn't need that much, and if I had extra, I'd probably just spend it on things that would distract me from my studies. After a long conversation, and with Ginny's support, we finally convinced them. I think it was her sad look that made my parents give in. In any case, I was now able to take care of shopping with Ginny, who, despite our fights, was still by my side for important things like this.

We also mentioned that it wasn't necessary to buy a set of books for each of my brothers. They could buy a maximum of two sets because, after all, there was only one Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who gave one class at a time. My brothers could share the books after their classes. Even Fred and George could share a set. This was a practical idea, except if there were conflicts in schedules, but with a bit of effort in book-sharing, everything could be sorted out.

My family had planned to go to Diagon Alley the next day to buy what we needed. So, my sister and I asked my mother for permission to go to the Lovegoods' house first and, from there, go together to the Alley, since Luna and Xenophilius also had shopping to do. It wasn't unusual for us to spend time with them, so it wasn't hard to convince our parents.

Ginny and I left, after agreeing that we would ask the Lovegoods if we could join them. If they agreed, my parents gave us a time and place to meet in Diagon Alley. When we arrived at the Lovegoods' house, we saw Luna playing in the yard with her wand, which she had obtained from the same place as Ginny: the merchant, who would be our next stop.

After greeting Luna's father and briefly explaining our plans, we set off towards our destination, with Xenophilius joining us as he also had some shopping to do. We arrived at a secluded spot where the merchant appeared on this occasion. Xeno, as always, tried to speak with him but without success, while Ginny, Luna, and I examined his wares.

I didn't plan on buying everything there, as it would look suspicious if the next day someone noticed we hadn't been seen at the shops in Diagon Alley. However, what I did purchase were the "books." I didn't actually buy Lockhart's books; what I requested from the merchant were books with actual learning content, but with the covers of Lockhart's books thanks to a temporary illusion that would last a few months. I knew that, sooner or later, no one would care about having the original books, and during classes, Ginny and Luna would have something truly useful to study.

Besides that, I bought a few other things, with Ginny and Luna by my side, pointing out anything they thought might be useful. Finally, Xeno, giving up on his attempt to chat with the merchant, bought several items. I'm not sure if they were truly necessary, but he bought them anyway. We returned to their house shortly after, and I told them about a place between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley: the Dragons of Albion. I explained that although it was presented as a restaurant, you could also get interesting things there on request. I suggested that, if anyone asked, they should say we got our stuff there and not from the merchant. I also mentioned that if they ever had any trouble, they could go to that place.

Thus, the night ended, and we went to bed, eagerly awaiting what the next day would bring.

...

The next day, after having a pleasant morning and lunch, we got ready to leave. We could have used the Floo network, but with the [Mass Journey], it wasn't necessary. Yes, we'd have to wait about ten minutes, but we avoided the discomfort of the trip and the soot. Besides, we had already activated the countdown at the end of the meal, so the wait wasn't too boring.

In the blink of an eye, after the ten minutes passed, we appeared inside "The Dragons of Albion," the place I had told them about the day before, though it was closed at that moment. Tenebrius wasn't there, as we avoided having Red and Tenebrius present at the same time in front of familiar faces, just as a precaution. Only Tonks was there, yawning as she prepared everything for the restaurant's opening. I was tired because we had been 'very active' until late the night before. She would be a bit surprised to see us appear so suddenly.

I greeted her casually since it was known that we were friends, accompanying the greeting with a wink that was both complicit and somewhat seductive. Tonks, always quick, improvised well, welcoming us naturally and exchanging curious glances with my sister. They didn't know each other, and I admit it was a bit selfish of me not to introduce my family earlier. The only time she had been near them was on the first day of business. She offered us what the place had available, but we told her we had already eaten and said our goodbyes while she invited us to return with a smile.

Before leaving, I showed Ginny and Luna where the place was located so they could find it in case of any eventuality, and I told them they could trust the girl with the pink hair. What caught my attention as we left was that Ginny was frowning, which intrigued and worried me.

"What's wrong? What's bothering you?" I asked.

"I don't like how that girl looks at you," she replied with some annoyance, then, without further ado, grabbed my arm to quickly pull me away from Tonks, whom she had mentally labeled as a "dangerous slut."

I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, not wanting to go into more detail. I simply reminded her that if she ever found herself in a tough situation, she could go there and trust Tonks.

We had arrived early, so we still had some time before meeting up with my family. We decided to make a few stops, buying a few small items to be seen, and then went for ice cream. I must say, Xeno, in moments like this, seemed like just another kid; he enjoyed his ice cream with almost childish joy, not very different from ours.

Later on, we arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, where we were supposed to meet my family. When we got there, we saw Fred, George, my mother, and Ron; the others weren't there. They seemed worried and quickly approached us when they saw us.

"Have you seen Harry?!" my mother asked, visibly upset.

"No, Mum. What's going on?" Ginny responded with concern.

"I think something went wrong with the Floo Powder, and he didn't arrive with us. Percy and your father are looking for him."

"Don't worry, Molly, we'll help look for him too. I'm sure he'll be fine," Xeno said, trying to reassure her.

My mother and brothers had been there waiting for us to prevent anyone else from getting separated. Now that we had arrived, we could join the search. We didn't want to cause my mother more stress, so we didn't split up to look. If anyone else got lost, she might have a heart attack.

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