A flash of flame later, Edward and Harry appeared in the dimly lit lobby of the Leaky Cauldron.
Following William and Anne through the wall behind the pub, the bustling Diagon Alley opened up before them.
"Hey! Harry, Edward! Over here!"
Not far off, a redheaded figure was waving wildly at them.
"Morning, Arthur! Long time no see. How's work going?" William laughed, striding forward to give Arthur Weasley's hand a hearty shake.
Arthur, tall and lanky with the signature Weasley red hair—though a bit thin on top—winced slightly, clearly feeling the strength of William's grip. "Swamped. Too many raids lately," he said with a pained grin.
"You must be Edward and Harry! What lovely boys! Ron's told me how much you helped him at school. I'm Ron's mum—just call me Molly," said a kind-faced, stout woman, greeting them warmly.
"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Edward and Harry replied politely.
"Morning, Molly! How's that dress I sent you last Christmas? Still fits?" Anne asked.
"Oh, it's wonderful! Even has a slimming charm! I've been saving it for special occasions," Molly replied, as the adults continued their chat.
Meanwhile, the kids weren't idle.
"Edward! The only normal Slytherin!"
"And you, Harry, Gryffindor's celebrity!"
"Seeing you two together is practically blinding!"
Fred and George Weasley circled Edward and Harry like a pair of singing jesters.
"Ron's been going on about you all summer! And Ginny—she's gutted you didn't come to ours for the holidays!"
"Shut it, Fred!" piped up a small girl with hair redder than any Weasley's and a scattering of freckles. Even young, Edward could tell she'd grow up to be striking.
"Hello, Harry, Edward," said a taller, older Weasley, extending a hand. "I'm Percy, Gryffindor prefect. We've crossed paths at school. Maybe we could chat about studies sometime—Gemma mentions you in the prefects' lounge."
"Oh, prefects, studies, homework. Got anything else to talk about?" Fred teased. "I say, Edward, we should swap tips on sneaking into the Forbidden Forest without getting caught," George added with a sly grin.
Soon, Hermione and her parents, fresh from Gringotts, joined the group. But chatting in the crowded Diagon Alley wasn't ideal, so the families split up, agreeing to meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour.
William, Arthur, and the Grangers headed to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. Anne slipped off to Knockturn Alley for some shopping. Molly and Ginny went to a secondhand robe shop, Percy muttered about needing a new quill, and the Weasley twins ran into their friend Lee Jordan, heading to a packed joke shop.
"I'm going to check out Florean Fortescue's ice cream. Want to come?" Edward suggested. He hadn't had a chance to visit Florean and figured now was perfect.
"Ice cream? Count me in!" Ron said, trailing after Edward.
Harry and Hermione followed, weaving through the busy crowd and past dazzling shop windows until they reached the eye-catching ice cream parlor.
"Strawberry Peanut Butter, Fiery Sundae, Leprechaun Frosting—pick your flavor!"
"Special offer until the end of August!"
A large banner hung above the shop. Inside, a portly, balding man handed out ice creams with a smile. "Here you go, lads and lasses! Fortescue's ice creams don't melt or spill—unless you chuck 'em on the ground!" Florean Fortescue called out, waving his wand at the ice cream machines.
"Mr. Fortescue, you perfected the Leprechaun Frosting?" Edward asked.
Florean turned, his face lighting up. "Edward! Been a while! Here to support my shop?"
"Thanks to you, it's a hit! Got loads of new flavors too. You alone, or with friends?" He leaned over, spotting Harry, Hermione, and Ron behind Edward.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Potter, an honor! And you two are…?"
"Ron Weasley." "Hermione Granger," they answered quickly.
"Well, whoever you are, you're Edward's mates, so it's on me today!" Florean handed out four different ice creams.
"Thanks, Mr. Fortescue, but I'm paying," Edward said, pulling out a handful of Galleons and Sickles and pressing them into Florean's hand.
"Oh, no need!" Florean protested, though he swiftly pocketed the coins, making Edward chuckle.
"How's it going? Those Black Knights haven't bothered you again, have they?" Florean asked quietly when the counter cleared.
"No, but I saw their armor again at Hogwarts," Edward admitted, figuring Florean deserved the truth since he was in the know.
"Blimey, that's bad news. What are they after?" Florean scratched his balding head, thoughtful. "Forget that for now," he said, waving it off with a mischievous grin. "I've got a surprise for you when term starts."
"A surprise? What kind?" Edward asked, confused.
"It's a secret, or it wouldn't be a surprise! You'll see at Hogwarts!" Florean said mysteriously before turning to serve new customers.
A surprise? Edward thought. What's that supposed to mean? I won't exactly be popping by for ice cream once term starts. Is he opening a branch in Hogsmeade? But second-years can't go there!
Edward was still puzzled.
"How do you know the ice cream guy, Edward? His stuff's the best in Diagon Alley!" Ron said, licking his cone and clearly wondering how he'd afford it otherwise.
"Oh, we fought off some dark wizards together last Christmas," Edward said casually.
"What?!" Harry, Hermione, and Ron gaped, heads full of question marks.
They wandered Diagon Alley, licking their ice creams. Hermione stocked up on parchment and ink—she could never have enough. At a magical jewelry shop, Edward noticed Daphne carefully picking out brooches and earrings, her younger sister Astoria—a slight girl with sleek blonde hair—by her side, looking almost identical to Daphne a year ago.
Daphne spotted Edward, Harry, and the others but gave only a cool nod, clearly not planning to join them.
An hour later, they regrouped at Flourish and Blotts, only to find a huge crowd. A massive banner hung from the second-floor window: "Gilderoy Lockhart, signing his autobiography, Magical Me, 12:30–4:30."
"We're going to meet him?" Hermione said, thrilled.
"Granger, I didn't peg you for a fangirl," Daphne remarked, appearing behind them.
"No, it's just—most of our second-year books are his! He must be brilliant, right?" Hermione said, her voice quick with excitement.
"She didn't even deny it. Greengrass called it," Ron whispered to Edward and Harry.
With Edward's height helping them push through, they reached the front of the crowd. Molly was already there, practically vibrating with excitement.
Gilderoy Lockhart sat at a table surrounded by giant photos of himself, all flashing dazzling white smiles. Dressed in a vibrant blue robe, he nodded to the crowd.
His eyes scanned the room and landed on the boy with the lightning scar. "Harry Potter, isn't it? Come here!"
Lockhart leapt up, strode over, and yanked Harry forward by the arm. Harry's face turned scarlet as he squirmed, looking desperately for Edward, the one person who made him feel safe.
But Edward was gone.
"Off stealing the spotlight again, Potter," Malfoy drawled, leaning against a staircase, far from the chaos.
"Harry didn't ask for this, Draco. Where've you been? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you," Edward said, appearing beside him.
"I was with my dad, handling some business. He'll be here soon, so I thought I'd check out this Lockhart bloke. Total fraud, isn't he?" Malfoy said, shaking his head.
"At least we agree on avoiding the hype," Daphne said, climbing the stairs to join them.
The three Slytherins watched as Lockhart paraded Harry around, hyping his new book with exaggerated flair. Even Malfoy started to feel a bit sorry for Harry.
Finally, Harry broke free, looking frazzled, and dumped the complete set of Lockhart's books that had been thrust upon him into Ginny's cauldron.
"Look, my dad's here—oh no, he's already squaring up with the Weasleys!" Malfoy said, alarmed.
Edward and Daphne followed his gaze. Sure enough, Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were nose-to-nose, looking ready to throw punches any second.
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