Foreshadowing the Past

Chapter 15

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust

Over the next few days, the Potter household was a flurry of activity. The Potters seemed to be very popular, and it seemed that visitors were constantly coming and going through the fire as well as the front door. It gave Zack a turn the first time he had seen someone Apparate into the front garden and walk to the front door; he had never really seen anyone travel that way before. Mr. Potter seemed to be the busiest person Zack had ever met, with different people coming to visit him at home, asking about brooms that were to be Christmas gifts for loved ones, or else he was hurrying off to work and back again several times a day.

The second day of his visit was an exciting one, when Zack had woken up to find that the house had been decorated for Christmas, seemingly while he slept. Connor had woken him up in the morning, already dressed and urging Zack to get u p and get going.

"Ivy just Flooed and said she's going to Diagon Alley today to do her Christmas Shopping today after lunch. Dad says that he'll take us too, and let us go off on our own for an hour or two. I tried to Floo Quint, but Vanessa was there, and pretended like she didn't see or hear me in the fire. I'm going to try to get Dad or Mum to Floo them in a few minutes."

Zack sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to take in everything that Connor was saying, and then swung his legs over the edge of the bed, only just realizing in time that he was five feet above the floor. He stumbled into the shower, and then joined the rest of the family for breakfast, marveling at the garland and fairy lights (with real fairies) everywhere, and an enormous tree in the family room framed by the picture window. He listened to the Potter family discuss their upcoming day as they worked their way through stacks of toast, and mounds of bacon and eggs.

"So Zack," Connor's dad said to him from across the table. "Connor says that the two of you want to meet up with some friends in Diagon Alley today."

"Yes sir, if it wouldn't' be too much trouble for you," Zack said, much in the same way he would address his own father. Connor snorted at his formal behavior, and earned a playful smack in the back of his head from his mother for it.

"I don't have a problem taking you, I have to meet with some people at Quality Quidditch Supplies anyway," Harry replied with a smile. "We can leave in an hour."

"Hey," Connor said suddenly. "I don't think Zack has any Wizarding money."

"I've got some Muggle money," Zack said. "But I don't suppose the shops in Diagon Alley accept it."

"When Ginny and I met with your parents last week," Harry said, "they gave us some spending money to give to you. I went and had it converted to Wizarding money, so you don't have to go through the hassle at Gringotts." He pulled a small bag from his pocket and tossed it over to their houseguest, and added, "Connor will have a good idea of what fair prices are for most things, but if you have trouble with figuring the conversion into pounds, just let me know."

"Thank you, sir." Zack pocketed the money and then looked toward the family room, where the fire had just roared to life with green flame.

Rachel Weasley stepped into the room, followed closely by a younger girl with bushy brown hair and then another girl with straight brown hair.

"Hi Connor! Hi Zack!" Rachel called as she came into the kitchen and snagged a slice of toast from a plate and bit in.

The two other girls ran in and hugged Mrs. Potter with cries of, "Aunt Ginny!" Their aunt duly hugged the newcomers, and then Lucy, Ian and Adam all stood and disappeared with the younger girls.

"My sisters," Rachel said at Zack's confused look. "Gwen and Prue. Gwen's the same age as Lucy and Ian and Prue and Adam were born on the same day."

"Don't try to remember everyone's names," Connor advised. "There's just too many of us, and you'll probably meet them all before we go back to Hogwarts."

The front door opened just then, and a tall red haired man stepped in carrying a long thin package and announced, "I think it's going to snow today."

"Hey Ron," Mr. Potter said. "We've got that meeting with Sedgwick in an hour; did you bring the prototype?"

"Got it right here," the man smiled, patting the package in his arms. He came into the kitchen and set the package down, then picked up a piece of bacon and began to munch on it thoughtfully. He spotted Zack sitting at the table and said, "You must be Zack."

"Yes sir," Zack said, relatively sure of whom this man was.

"I'm Ron Weasley, Rachel's dad. I've heard a lot about you," Ron said in a friendly tone.

"I'm very pleased to meet you Mr. Weasley," Zack returned, standing to shake his hand. "All of the kids at school talk about you all the time."

"Polite one, isn't he?" Ron said to Harry with a raised brow, shaking hands.

"We're hoping he'll rub off on the others," Harry said easily, winking at a blushing Zack.

"If it works, can you send him over to my house later?" Ron wanted to know.

"Ron, don't embarrass Connor's friend," Ginny said, rolling his eyes as her brother sat down at the table and began to fill a plate. "Didn't Hermione feed you before you left?"

"Yes," Ron answered around a mouthful of eggs. "So?"

"Mum says that Dad is hollow," Rachel told Zack as they left the table. "He can eat all day long and never gains an ounce."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

An hour (and a couple of Floo calls) later Zack, Rachel and Connor were all standing in the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for Ivy and Quentin to arrive. They didn't have long to wait for Ivy, who appeared with her father, a round-faced man with a weatherworn face, hair a shade lighter than his daughter's and a pleasant expression.

"Neville!" Ron and Harry greeted the other man, clapping him on the back. "How's the exotic plant business going this days?"

The adults all stood talking to each other for a few moments, before Harry checked his watch and said that they would be late for their meeting if they didn't head out. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small pouch; similar to the one he had given Zack earlier and handed it to Connor, admonishing him to use it to buy Christmas gifts. Rachel's father gave her some money as well, and then they set off, agreeing to meet back at the Leaky Cauldron in three hours. Ivy introduced her father to Zack, though Mr. Longbottom had already met Connor and Rachel on many different occasions. He gave Ivy instructions to stay away from Knockturn Alley, and to be back at the appointed time, and then went out into Diagon Alley to take care of some errands of his own. It was only a few minutes later that Quentin appeared, with his mother in tow, and after introductions were made once again, the five friends made their way out to do some exploring and shopping.

They visited Flourish and Blotts first to buy a few Christmas gifts, and then went to a sweetshop, a specialty quill shop, and a toy store before ending up at number 93, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.

"A word of warning," Rachel said to her friends before she pulled the door open. "Do not eat anything they offer you unless you know what it is."

"As a matter of fact," Connor said with a grin. "Don't do anything they tell you to do unless you know what will happen first."

Zack was looking apprehensive at this, and Ivy and Quentin looked excited. Rachel pulled the door open and they were greeted by the sound of maniacal laughter as they stepped into the most popular joke shop in Great Britain. It was crowded with holiday shoppers, but that didn't detract from the overall sense of fun that the shop emitted as they looked around, wide eyed. Ivy giggled as a sprig of enchanted Mistletoe floated over to Connor and floated above his head, and a grandmotherly looking witch approached him from behind and bent and kissed him on the cheek

"Grandma!" Connor said, once he was over the surprise of being unexpectedly kissed. He turned and hugged her, and then relinquished her to Rachel, who also wanted a hug.

Molly Weasley was helping out in the store that week, to ease the workload for her sons during the busy holidays. Her hair was mostly gray, with hardly any red left in it at all, and she was merry and festive looking in chocolate colored robes with tiny gingerbread men embroidered over the surface of them. She fussed over Connor and Rachel, and then gave them all lollies from her pocket. She smiled when Zack balked at taking one of her sweets and said in a stage whisper, "Don't worry, I bought these at the sweetshop, I didn't get them here!"

They wandered the store, gathering up items now and then for purchase, and Zack looked up in amazement as a stocky red haired man hopped up onto a counter and began juggling bottles filled with a blue liquid one handed. The reason that he was juggling one handed, Zack noted, was because he only had one arm.

"That's Uncle George," Rachel said, seeing Zack watching. "He and Uncle Fred own the place."

"Ladies and gentleman!" George called out to the store's patrons. "Today we are releasing a new product!" He caught each of the bottles as he stopped juggling, and set two of them on the counter by his feet, while prying the third open with his teeth. He sat down on the counter beside the unopened bottles, set the open one next to them, and then reached in and withdrew a stick with a hoop on the end from the blue liquid. He took a deep breath and blew through the hoop, producing a bright blue bubble that hovered across the room for a moment before popping and emitting a rather loud, rude belching sound. There were a smattering of giggles and a general show of approval amongst those watching, and George proudly announced, "Belching Bubbles! A steal at only seven sickles a bottle!"

"Brilliant!" Quentin breathed excitedly. "I can't wait to try them on Vanessa! They'll drive her absolutely out of her mind!"

"My Mum would faint if I ever blew one of those in the house!" Zack said appreciatively. He noted that Connor already had two bottles of it in his shopping basket, and grinned. He had a feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Potter would find them funny while trying to look disapproving.

Connor pulled his friends over to introduce them to his Uncles, just as Fred came out of the back room with another crate of the Belching Bubbles. They seemed curious about Quentin Malfoy, but were friendly enough as they demonstrated an item similar to their famous Canary Creams, which turned the consumer into a giant warthog for a few moments.

"Haven't thought of a name for them yet," George said. "And they wear off a bit faster than we would like."

"Can I try one?" Ivy asked eagerly.

The Twins looked at her in surprise, and then happily served her a thin, square shaped biscuit that looked as though it were an ordinary, small oatmeal biscuit. The others looked at her expectantly and she bravely popped the entire thing in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. After a moment she said, "I don't feel any different," and then, pop! A rather large warthog stood before them, making them all laugh out loud before there was another pop, and Ivy was restored to her normal state.

"I'll take half a dozen," Quentin said immediately, once he stopped laughing. "In a plain wrapper if you have it."

"A man after our own hearts," George smiled, bagging them up.

"How about Warthog Wafers?" Ivy suggested with a chuckle at her brief transformation.

"Brilliant!" Fred was delighted enough with the simple name to give her a dozen of them for free.

"Hey Zack," Connor called from the end of the counter. "Does your dad have a sense of humor?" He was holding up a jar of something called 'Bearding Balm' with an evil grin.

"I don't think he's got that big of one," Zack said ruefully, examining the jar. It appeared that all you had to do was to apply a thin layer to any area of bare skin and inch-long fur would grow in that area until washed away with ordinary soap and water. He added it to his basket, wondering how long he would be grounded for after he used it. "Mum'll go spare when I show up at the breakfast table with a beard, but it'll be worth it."

Once their shopping was done, and Connor and Rachel were weighed down with several 'samples' from their uncle's joke shop, they all went to Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor and shivered as they ate chocolate and peppermint ice cream, and Connor and Zack told them what they had learned about Andrew's father.

"That's so sad!" Ivy said tearfully. "Imagine your mother just disappearing, and having everyone say all of those awful things about her!"

The others nodded.

"So if I am dreaming about Andrew's grandmother," Connor said. "The question to ask would be why? Am I supposed to be getting a message out of it? Does it have something to do with the future or something that happened to my Dad the night she disappeared?"

"Well I did a little snooping at home yesterday," Rachel said. And I found a box full of old newspapers and clippings from about twenty years ago, but I can't read them. They've been reduced so that they're really tiny, and I can't use magic outside of school to enlarge them."

"So how do you know that they're from twenty years ago?" Zack asked.

"Because I can just make out the headlines of a couple, and they're about Cornelius Fudge being asked to resign as Minister of Magic. That happened when Mum and Dad were in their sixth year at Hogwarts. I didn't get a chance to look at many of the others, because Gwen came snooping around." Rachel answered.

"Do you think your Mum would notice if that box was gone when you go back to school?" Connor asked. "Can you smuggle it out and bring it back to Hogwarts?"

"The box was a bit dusty, so it probably hasn't been taken out in a while," Rachel said. "But I'd better not risk taking the whole box. I'll put all of the papers into a sack or something and bring them back that way. Then if Mum looks under the bed for any reason, the box will still be there, it'll just be empty."

"Okay," Connor said. "But better not risk taking them until just before we leave. We'll have to think up some sort of diversion so you can sneak back to get them."

"Until then," Rachel said. "We should all keep an ear out for any information about the Department of Mysteries. It is kind of looking like Connor's not getting these dreams from his dad."

"Or at least not just from my Dad," Connor said.

They finished their ice cream and noted that it was time to go back and meet their parents as the first few flakes of snow began to fall. They made plans to try to get together once more before going back to school, then one by one, traveled back home by the Floo.

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve," Connor said as they came out of the fire and headed up to his room with their purchases. "The whole family will be going to Grandma Molly's for dinner. We should be able to snoop around in the attic without anyone noticing. If they ask what we're doing up there, we can just say that we're wrapping presents or something."

"Okay," Zack answered. "Do you think it would be okay to use your family's owl to send a present to my parents?"

"Sure," Connor said. "We've got three, because my dad is always sending something out. If it's not too big, you could use Hedwig. What did you get them?"

"I got Dad a quill and a silver inkpot, since he seemed interested in my quills over the summer, and I got Mum some sweets since she really likes fancy chocolates." He answered, pulling the gifts that he's had the store clerks wrap.

"That might be a bit much for Hedwig," Connor said. "Your parents wouldn't be able to enlarge anything, so we couldn't shrink it."

"How about if you use this one?"

Connor's dad was standing in the doorway of the room, holding a large cage with a beautiful tawny owl on its perch.

"Did you get a new owl, Dad?" Connor asked, admiring the bird.

"No, Zack did," came the answer. "Your parents asked me to pick one out for you as their Christmas gift to you. I hope you like it."

"It's," Zack found he has to swallow a lump in this throat as he took the cage that Mr. Potter was handing to him. "It's mine?"

"He's yours," Harry corrected with a grin. "I was going to wait until Christmas morning, but I thought you might like to use him before then."

"Thank you so much!" Zack breathed, staring at the bird that was staring back at him.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Thank your parents."

"I will!" Zack immediately got a sheet of parchment and a quill out and wrote a note to his parents. "I'm naming him Godric. It may not be very original, but I've really wanted an owl ever since I found out I was a Wizard, and thought that if I ever got one, that's what I would name it."

"That's a fine name," Harry said, "And it looks as though he likes it, too." Godric hopped eagerly onto Zack's wrist and nipped softly at his fingers when his new owner asked him if he liked his name. Harry showed him how to secure the package for his parents to the bird's legs, and gave his instructions on how to send it. Zack watched happily as the bird spread it's wings and disappeared into the weak sunlight that was filtering through the clouds that had yet to unburden themselves of their snow.

"This is already the best Christmas I ever had, and its not even Christmas yet!" Zack said happily, making Connor and his Dad grin.