Chapter Five, part 2
The five of them met Ginny back at the Ice Cream Parlour and Florean brought out Hermione’s trunk. They were just setting off when Hermione suddenly cried out.
“Oh I’ve lost my moneybag.”
“You must have lost it in the Engora shop. You had it out there.” Said Ron.
“Yes, Ron, you’re right. Will you come back with me and look for it? I don’t want to go into Knockturn Alley by myself.”
“Yes of course I will.”
“Harry will you stay and look after my trunk? I don’t trust those two”. Hermione motioned to the twins who put on their best innocent expression and tried to look hurt. “We probably won’t be long.” And with that they took off whispering. Harry stared after them.
“Don’t worry, Harry. She probably thinks they’ll put one of their pranks in it so it explodes when she opens it or something.” Said Ginny with a smile. He smiled back, and thought she was probably right, although he couldn’t help feeling that Ron had been acting strangely recently. Now he thought about it, a lot of people had. There seemed to a lot of whispering behind his back, although he told himself he was just paranoid.
Ten minutes later a smiling Ron and Hermione returned and Hermione waved her moneybag at them cheerfully.
“Silly me. I left it on a shelf when I picked up an Engora to look at it.” Harry grinned back and Fred and George annoyed her with a series of “tut tut” and “women’s memory” comments to the point when she hit them both hard with her moneybag and they yelped in fake pain and began limping along the street beside them.
Half an hour later they appeared one by one in the Weasley’s kitchen covered in soot, and Mrs. Weasley hurried them all upstairs for baths.
When Harry woke up the next morning he had a very strange feeling. It nagged at him as though he’d forgotten something really important. He looked at the bedside clock and saw that he had slept in and it was 9:17am. He looked over at Ron’s bed and was surprised to see it empty. He sat up, stretching and put on his glasses. He nearly screamed when two yellow eyes looked into his.
“Hedwig! Good morning.” He said cheerfully and stroked her head. She tweaked his ear gently and hopped down the bed to a small collection of two packages and three envelopes. She puffed out her chest with pride. Harry stared at the collection with wonder and astonishment. He dressed quickly and gathered the collection together, slipping out of the room and down the stairs. Still half asleep and deep in thought about the packages in his arms, nothing had prepared him for at was to greet him the kitchen and he was nearly knocked over when an extremely loud chorus of voices suddenly shouted:
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!!!!!!!”
Harry stared around the kitchen with shock and an increasing emotion of sheer happiness. The kitchen was full to bursting. The Weasleys were all standing together with Hermione each one grinning so much that Harry thought their faces would surely set that way. Standing out over everyone and who also had shouted Happy Birthday the loudest of all, was of course Hagrid, who looked so happy Harry thought he was going to start crying. Hagrid surprised him by grabbing him around the waist and lifting him up in the air so he could see everyone. Jumping up and down on the table was Dobby and a rather tired-looking Winky who was grinning away with the others. His other dorm-mates, Seamus and Dean were standing with Neville and all three were “whooping” and clapping. He was shocked to see his fellow Quidditch players, Angelina and Alicia and was delighted to see Professor “Moony” Lupin who cheered and clapped with his fellow Gryffindors. He looked around the room for Sirius but his heart fell a little when he couldn’t see him anywhere. Harry was just beginning to think he had never been happier when everyone started to sing Happy Birthday (George and Fred singing their own version of the lyrics) and Harry gasped when Bill and Charlie Weasley appeared, the crowd parting for them and the huge birthday cake they carried between them. Dobby was jumping up and down so hard the table was rocking, causing everyone to start laughing.
Harry felt one solitary tear of happiness roll down his cheek.
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