Harry Potter and the Dream of Fate

*Chapter Four*

The Trouble With Fred

Hermione turned around mid step and faced Ron and Harry. "I'm going to go to the Leaky Cauldron first," she sighed, "to drop off my bags, then we can start from the beginning." Harry and Ron both nodded and walked towards her, Ron looked a bit uncomfortable, giving shifty looks between Harry and Hermione. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Hermione caught on. "Ron, is something the matter?" she said calmly, but concerned.

"It's just that, uh, those bags look really heavy, and well, want me to carry one for you?" She smiled kindly.

"Wow, that's really nice of you Ron. Actually, I could use a bit of help, here." And she handed him a bag. Now Harry was the one who felt a bit uncomfortable. Hermione must have read his mind because she looked at him sympathetically and said, "It's ok, Harry. I can handle this one." He smiled, he really couldn't stay uncomfortable around them.

Quickly they reached the Leaky Cauldron, talking and laughing the whole way. Ron seemed to ease up because he was now throwing smart remarks at Hermione, just like old times. Harry didn't know why but he thought Ron was acting a bit strange before, but maybe it was just because he hadn't seen him all summer.

"Ah, the old trio!" Tom behind the counter said, "is there anything I can do for you?" Hermione spoke for herself,

"Actually, yes." Tom nodded and Hermione continued. "I was just wondering if I could leave my bags here while we went shopping, they're kinda heavy to carry around." Tom smiled and chuckled.

"A course!" And the bags got up and flew in back of the counter. "I'll keep an eye on them myself."

"Thanks," she said kindly and they set off into the many shops of Diagon Alley.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Hagrid," Persephone said dully, "I'm bored." Hagrid looked up from the paper and looked at her.

"How can yeh be bored?" he said to her, "There's so much ta do hea." Persephone looked around. There was actually nothing to do. She had been staying in Hagrid's hut for the past two days and it was dramatically different. There was an extra room magically attached to it, that you couldn't see from the outside, and Hagrid's once shabby furniture and motif was more than changed. His bed was in the same place, but it had a bright blue blanket and matching quilt on top of it. The kitchen was completely repainted a brilliant white and the table had a flowered table cloth on it along with a vase full of wondrous and exotic flowers. The whole place was sparkling clean and all the dishes and cups were organized. The whole hut smelled of fresh baked bread and tea, and even Fang had a new bed to sleep on. No one would have imagined that this cozy little cottage was the home of a giant.

Needless to say, the new arrangement was done by Persephone, on her spare time, which was about all day. She may have been grungy, but this was the first time she ever had a house to play around in, and she sure did do her job efficiently. Hagrid didn't mind the change, it was nice to have everything neat and clean for a change, not to mention the delicious cooking. Hagrid didn't know where but Persephone managed to pick up a few good recipes off the streets of New York and was not hasty to try them.

"I wanna go somewhere," she said persistently. "I think I'm going to go to the forest and find some more unicorns. Come on Fang."

"Stop right there little lady," Hagrid said his eyes still on his paper. "Do I needa remind yeh that it is dark ou'side and the house rules say.."

Persephone cut him off. "Yeah, I know, you can't go out when its dark. But it's not even late, it's not my fault that the rules don't comply with daylight savings time!"

Hagrid chuckled. "Sorry, yeh ain't goin nowhere."

"Ugh!" Persephone in exasperation. "You know you can't keep me in here, if I want to leave, I'm gonna leave!"

"Ya ain't goin nowhere." He still didn't look up from his paper and Persephone was getting antsy. She walked to the kitchen, which wasn't a long walk, and opened up a cabinet. She took out a milk bottle and slowly crept towards one of the windows. She opened the window and poured the milk out until the bottle was completely empty.

"Oh, look Hagrid," she said innocently. "We're out of milk, I suppose I'll have to go out and get some more.."

"Good try," he said and put his paper down. He walked to another cabinet and took out another bottle full of milk. "Yeh can't trick a decent wizard," he said and walked back to his chair.

"That's what you think," she said under her breath and closed her eyes. Slowly she visualized the cabinets empty of whatever was inside of them. She took her right hand and slightly moved it forward, instantly all the cabinets flew open and empty bottles and cartons and tins came flying from them. Hagrid jumped, Fang barked and Persephone sighed. "We're out of milk now," she said softly and started laughing.

* * * * * * * * * *

Once the shopping was completely finished, and Harry and Ron had their fair share of staring into the magnetized windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies, they all headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to retrieve Hermione's bags and head back to the Burrow. It was getting dark and they were all turning the corner to the Leaky Cauldron exhausted and sleepy. Unfortunately for them, however, someone else wasn't quite so run down. "Ouch, watch where your going!" came a drawling voice from a stranger who bumped into Hermione.

"Sorry," she said and turned around.

"You better be, mudblood."

There was no mistaking it, it was the voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ron both approached him as Hermione took out her wand.

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy," Harry said, he was tired, but there's always room for anger when it comes to Malfoy.

"I see your servants have returned to you All Mighty Potter," Draco sneered as he eyed Ron and Hermione. "A matter of time, I don't think any of you chimps could survive without each other." He started laughing but choked after a swift punch from Ron, right in the jaw. Malfoy got up rubbing his chin and a bit of blood was coming from his lip. "The weasel knows how to fight?" he said out loud, and Ron cut him off.

"Look who's talking, Draco the bouncing white ferret." Draco clenched his fists and went to reach for his wand when a voice came and broke them up.

"May I ask what is going on here?" It was the slimy voice of Lucius Malfoy. Just then Harry's scar began to throb.

"Nothing," Harry mumbled, but as Lucius came closer the pain became unbearable. He motioned Ron and Hermione to leave, they both got the message and together they left.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron just before Tom locked the doors. "I thought you all weren't coming back," he said merrily, "Ms. Granger, your bags." He handed Hermione her bags and she took them and took out a couple of sickles to repay him. "Oh, no, I couldn't," he said as he rejected them, she hesitated.

"But you took the time to look after my suitcases, I..."

"I was just doing a favor for a friend," he said and nodded and smiled. She blushed and put the money back in her pocket. Harry sat down and rubbed his scar. The pain had basically gone, but he couldn't understand why it hurt so much. It wasn't like Voldemort was around, was he? But he couldn't think for long because after a couple of thank you's and good bye's they were starting to head back to the Burrow. "Let's go, Harry," Ron said then looked at him again, "You okay? You look kind of pale." Harry nodded, and pushed the thoughts out of his head.

* * * * * * * * * *

Persephone looked over at Hagrid and surprisingly enough, he started laughing as well. Fang didn't look too happy though, he had been sleeping. "So.." she began looking into Hagrid's eyes. "Does this mean I can go out now."

Hagrid laughed and laughed. "No," he gasped and continued laughing. Persephone stared at him.

"No?" she blurted out. "What do you mean no?" Hagrid calmed down a bit, but the smile remained.

"I mean," he started, still giggling a bit, "After you finish cleaning up this mess, you'll be too tired to go out." He then began laughing heartily again.

She stared at him hard, her eyes wide. Then her gaze drifted to the huge mess of containers and bottles lying on the floor and the open cabinets and such. Then she sat on the floor and mocked crying, but between her fake breathes were angry sighs and disappointment.

Hagrid stopped laughing and turned to her comfortingly, as he bent down close to her, she looked up, not a trace of tears to be seen. Her eyes were puffy and her face red, but that was from pressing on her temples with hands as hard as she could to maybe fake she had been crying. She looked over Hagrid's face and thought to herself, 'reeling him in." As he bent down he whispered in her ear, "Yeh can't trick a decent wizard." And then he started laughing once again. She hit him with the back of her hand and stood up, and started placing everything back where it belonged.

* * * * * * * * * *

As they reached the Burrow, everyone was waiting for them. Mrs. Weasley practically ambushed Harry as he fell out of her fireplace and gave him the biggest hug he had ever received. Same with Hermione. Ginny wasn't as shy this time, probably because she had grown a bit more mature and she shook Harry's hand and said 'hello' still very softly. After all the hello's and kisses and hugs, Harry and Hermione brought their things to the appropriate rooms and got ready for dinner. Ron busied himself arguing with Fred and George about something Harry didn't know about. When he met Ron at dinner however, he looked quite flustered and red around the ears.

"So did you get all your things, dears?" Mrs. Weasley directed this question towards Ron and Hermione. Harry answered first since Hermione had a forkful of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

"Yes, of course. How was America?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly at him. "Wonderful, dear," she said. "I'm sorry you couldn't come with us, with the Ministry and everything..."

"I understand," said Harry.

"Very different folk there Harry," said Mr. Weasley urgently. "You have to be careful on where you put or say things. Some of the muggles there, are just plain strange."

"Yeah!" screamed Fred, spraying bits of string beans all over the table. "There was this muggle girl, she asked us for help, she even knew my name!"

"That's because your a big mouth, Fred," Ron said to him, and then got smacked in the head. "Oi! What was that for, it's the truth!"

"She was actually kind of cute," George said way too politely.

"Yeah, if you consider filthy attractive," Fred said to him, without giving everyone a string bean shower.

"Now boys," Mrs. Weasley said to them all, "Why don't we continue this conversation after eating."

The rest of dinner fell quite quiet. After supper Harry, Ron and Hermione headed for the living room to talk and play some chess. "Checkmate," Ron said a couple minutes later as Harry whined.

"One day," he said to Ron. "One day I'm going to beat you, and you know it, you just wait." Ron laughed.

"Yes, " Ron started. "That will be the day that gnomes degnome themselves." Hermione looked over at them both from the top of her book. "You guys are impossible," she said and turned back to her book. Before Ron could retort, Fred and George came into the room.

"I actually think she was cute," Fred said in a squeaky voice to imitate George. "Honestly, now a days you think any female with a pulse is cute."

"Oh yeah, well what about Dear Angelina," George started, in the same mock voice that Fred had used earlier. "How are you love? You're going to be playing Quidditch again, right? Those team robes do look stunning on you..." He was cut off by the sound of a dying dog, which turned out to be Fred choking.

" How did you -- but, how did..." he snapped at Ron. "I told you to give those letters straight to Pig!" Ron started howling with laughter.

"What can I say?" Ron bellowed, hardly breathing with all his laughing. "Pig doesn't always take round trips!" Fred pounced on Ron, in an attempt to strangle him, but Mrs. Weasley came in moments too soon.

"FRED!" she said her eyes widening with anger. "What are you doing to your brother!"

"Killing him!" he shouted, Ron was gasping for air.

"Leave him be!" she screamed at him and picked him up by the ear, the way you'd handle a six year old. Ron got up gasping, but still laughing, George slipped out of the room before he was caught.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Thata girl," Hagrid said, "Just one more, there ya go!" Persephone sighed and placed the last bottle in place. She took a look at her watch. It read 11:30 pm and she plopped down on the kitchen chair.

"I am never going to pull something like that ever again," she said absentmindedly. Hagrid chuckled. "Phew, I'm going to bed," she said and she picked herself up in an attempt to cross the room and head to her pitiful bed. Her room consisted of a small mound of hay covered by a blanket and a small barrel which she used a table. She had a small trunk where she kept her one and only possession, a blue book bag that she'd had ever since she could remember. In there she kept a few clothes, a watch and a Discman that she had found somewhere in the streets. She also had a wallet that kept about $2.00 in change. She pulled out one of the oversized shirts that used to belong to Hagrid that he had given to her, she was using it as pajamas.

She laid down on her tiny bed, which she treasured and immediately fell asleep. A few minutes later, or what seemed like a few minutes, someone knocked on the door. She heard Hagrid's footsteps and she also heard him open the door. Then she heard someone's voice address him followed by Hagrid's voice again. "Please come in Dumbledore," he said.

"It's him," Persephone whispered and slowly got up.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Wake up, Harry!" Ron shouted. "Come on, we've got to get ready!"

"Wassamatta?" Harry grumbled as he accidentally whacked Ron in the face.

"Hey watch it!" as an angry Ron shoved Harry out of bed. "It's your problem if you miss the Hogwart's Express!" At this Harry got up and smiled at Ron. "It's about time!" Ron retorted and they headed downstairs.

"Okay, so both you boys have everything you need, right?" Mrs. Weasley searched through their things to make sure they had everything. "Now remember, you boys behave, I don't want any bad owls being sent here by Dumbledore, Merlin knows he has enough on his plate without all the mischief of 5th year boys."

"Yes, ok, mum, we've really got to get going," Ron said and looked around. "Hey, where's Hermione?"

"The girls are already in the car, now hurry," Mrs. Weasley said to them, then kissed them both good-bye. Ron glanced at Harry, "We'll talk on the train," he whispered. Harry nodded and they both left the Burrow.

The drive to Platform 9 3/4 was a pleasant one, but when they reached it the atmosphere changed. Everyone was dead serious, not a smile to be seen. As they unpacked the car, no one said a word to each other, Harry supposed that everyone else sensed the odd mood around there. They quietly said good bye and Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to walk through the platform together, they're trunks and suitcases on little carts in front of them. As they approached the giant brick wall, however, someone stopped in front of them with a wand and said "Inspection." This someone was Cornelius Fudge.