Harry Potter and the Galator
Chapter 3
The Grand Opening
Two weeks went by fast. He received two more letters from Hermione and one from Sirius.
Harry,
That's the healing power. Only a number of wizards have that power. It's really rare. Take care of that power and work on it. I believe it has to do with the power within you. Might want to ask Dumbledore once you get to Hogwarts. You might also want to let Hermione know. She can help you research. Ron too.
Yours,
Sirius
So he decided to let Ron in on his new secret. At first he thought Harry was joking, but he quickly became a believer when Harry healed the cut on his elbow. He started looking through their library. They didn't want to let the rest of the family in on the secret yet and they decided that it was better to tell Hermione in person rather than write it to her.
Harry didn't let Ron read Hermione's letter and to his surprise, Ron respected his privacy on that matter. He had his own letters from Hermione and a post almost everyday from Lavender.
"Come on boys. Get a move on or else we'll be late for the ribbon cutting ceremony."
"We'll be right down mum," yelled Ron.
"So, how early did Fred and George leave?" asked Harry.
"They left after breakfast. You were in the shower. Sorry I forgot to tell you they said bye."
"No problem. So you excited about the opening or seeing Lavender."
"Probably seeing Lavender," they laughed. "Don't get me wrong. I am excited for them, but I haven't seen Lavender in almost two months."
"So, I guess they'll be a snogging reunion." Harry joked. Ron playfully punched him on the shoulders.
"Shut up. You're just jealous 'cause you're not snogging someone."
"Haven't found anyone I want to snog on a full time basis." He lied. His dreams were full of snogging. But to him, Hermione was probably off limits since she was his best friend.
"Whatever happened to your crush on Cho?"
"I don't know. I think I still have it. I'm not sure." He didn't want to tell Ron about the crazy thoughts and dreams about Hermione yet. He might blab it to her and if she didn't feel the same way, their friendship might become awkward or worse, ruined.
"Well, I guess we'll find out when you see her at school. You know this is her last year. If you 're going to make a move on her, you'd better make it soon."
"Don't worry, if there is anything there, I will tell her this time."
"Nice to hear it mate."
"Come on, we better get down before your mum comes up here and pulls you by the ear." He wouldn't let it pass his mum. Ron shivered and hurriedly sprayed his cologne on - the one Lavender gave him last Christmas.
As they stepped off the last step on the stars, Mrs. Weasley turned around and almost cried.
"Oh, I still can't believe you two have grown so much." She couldn't help herself and gave them a hug. Because it was an important day Harry and Ron had to wear suits. Harry wore black slacks and matching blazer with an emerald color tie and white shirt. Ron opted for the dark brown suit that used to belong to Bill, his older brother, with white shirt and a maroon tie.
"You two look so handsome."
"Thank you Aunt Molly, you look beautiful yourself."
"Where's Dad and Ginny?"
"They left a little earlier to help out with some last minute touches. Percy, Bill and Charlie will meet us there. Come on now, you'd better hold on to my bag."
"What for?" asked Ron.
"Because it's a port key. Unless you'd rather go by Floo and be smothered in powder." Ron made a face.
"Right then. Come on Harry."
"OKAY, You can get your supplies after the ribbon cutting ceremony or tomorrow." Ron and Harry looked at each other.
"Can we stay at the Leaky Cauldron overnight then?"
"Well, we'll have to see how late the celebration will last and how we feel after the clean up."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that part," sighed Ron.
"Oh, cheer up Ron. Look I see Lavender." Harry chimed in.
"Where?" asked Ron.
"Behind you silly," came a familiar voice. Ron immediately took Lavender in for a great hug and a small kiss. He didn't feel quite right giving Lavender a deeper kiss with his mother standing in front of them.
"Hey Lav" greeted Harry.
"Hi, Harry." She said and gave him a hug. They'd become close since she and Ron started dating. If Ron and Lavender weren't busy snogging, he, Lav, Hermione and Harry were playing, plotting and just enjoying each other's company. Lavender and Hermione were even closer. Even Hermione became friends with Parvati, but not as close. As for Ginny and Hermione, they practically act like sisters.
"Hi Mrs. Weasley." Lavender offered.
"Hello dear," she answered and pulled her in for a hug. She liked Lavender and approved of their relationship. She knew they wanted to get a little more re-acquainted so she left them and went inside. "Harry, would you like a personal tour of the shop before the ribbon cutting ceremony?"
"Sure Aunt Molly," he answered taking her subtle hint plainly. "I'll see you two later." But before he stepped inside he scanned the place to see of he would see Hermione.
"Who's he looking for?" whispered Lavender before placing a kiss on Ron's lips.
"Hermione probably." He answered as he gave her a kiss.
"You think he fancies her, do you?"
"I think so, but he hasn't come right out and told me yet, so I am not going to mention it. I did ask if he still liked Cho."
"And what did he say?"
"Said maybe. He'll know when he sees her."
"Oh well, enough about that. How about a real hello kiss?" before Ron could answer Lavender plastered her lips on his and were lost in the moment.
Harry came back out about 15 minutes later. He noticed there were more people standing around waiting. He couldn't find Ron and Lavender.
"Hey, Harry!" called Seamus from the side. He walked closer to greet he and Dean.
"Hey Seamus, Dean," he said as he shook their hands. He didn't want to be rude so he stood and talked to them for a little while as he kept an eye out for Hermione.
His eyes stopped when he saw Parvati and Padma. He saw them talking to a girl with a nice tan wearing a mini skirt that showed off her long beautifully shaped legs. Her brown locks fell below her shoulders down her back. From the back Harry liked what he saw.
"Harry!" Dean took him out of his reverie.
"Er, sorry. What were you saying?"
"Seamus was wondering if you know who the new Quidditch captain would be since Angelina left."
"Well, I'm not quite sure how it's done. I suppose we'll find out when we get to school.
"OOH, Hermione. Who is that hot looking guy talking to Seamus and Dean. He has a very, very nice back profile," commented Parvati.
"She means he has a nice looking arse," added Padma candidly. Hermione looked and they were right. She agreed with Padma and Parvati, the twins one from Gryffindor and the other from Ravenclaw.
"Hmm. I think you might be right.." Hermione adds and paused. She thought there was something familiar about that arse. Harry? "Harry!" she shouted and ran towards him just as Ron and Lavender were making there way to Harry. Harry hearing his name turned around and saw Hermione, the girl he was admiring a few moments ago, now running towards him. He opened his arms out just in time to catch her and spin her around.
He put her down after the spin. Then she and Lav gave each other a hug and started screaming. Then Ron after Lav, she then realized Seamus and Dean were there too.
"Hey Seamus, Dean." Their mouths were still dropped open. They were still in shock on how much Hermione had changed. The holiday in California did wonders not only to her appearance, but for some reason she felt more confident. Not just in her brains but now her looks as well.
Realizing that the two were actually ogling at Hermione, Harry subconsciously placed a possessive arm around her waist.
"Close your mouth Dean" whispered Parvati. They finally reached the place where the others were standing. "Flies are going to fly in." Dean and Seamus shut their mouths quickly and turned bright red.
"Sorry, hi Hermione," Seamus managed to let out. Hermione didn't seem to notice the affect she was having on the male population, but Harry was and was quickly getting uncomfortable and confused about his feelings for his best friend. He kept his arms around her while he was thinking things through.
"So, where were you guys?" Hermione asked. "I've been looking for you for almost 20 minutes now." Harry let go of her waist.
"Well, I think you know where Ron and Lav were." He chuckled and Ron and Lav blushed. Padma, Parvati, Seamus and Dean all chuckled as well. They knew how Ron and Lav show their affections freely.
"Hey, I resent that," said Ron jokingly.
"Oh, come on," Parvati chimed in, "You know it's true. You two were out snogging somewhere." They blushed again.
"What time is it anyway?" asked Padma.
"It's only 10:35 yet." Answered Dean.
"You two want to walk around for a while?" asked Seamus.
"I think that's a good idea," answered Parvati taking Dean's arm. "Shall we."
It was as if the four were on the same wavelength. Neither of them had any chance of getting much attention from Harry or Hermione.
"You guys coming?" asked Seamus to Harry, Hermione, Lavender and Ron.
"No, you guys go ahead," answered Ron. "I think we're going to stick around here and wait."
"You mean snog, don't you?" added Parvati who misses her best friend, but is very happy that she's happy with Ron.
"Well, some of us will anyway," answered Lavender and smiled at her friend before kissing Ron again.
"I don't think they are going to stop anytime soon. They have about two months to make up for," Harry whispered to Hermione. His breath was tickling Hermione's ear and sending some tingling feeling down her spine.
"Yeah, I don't think they're up to talking right now. So what do you want to do?"
"I want to hear all about your summer, but we probably don't have enough time right now to go over your adventures."
"Well, I'm sure you're right. Don't have much about adventures, but I think it will take more than 20 minutes to catch up with you."
"So, why don't we go see if you can take a special sneak preview of the shop?"
"Ooh, that would be great." Harry took her hand in his subconsciously as if it was the most normal thing to do. They went to the side door and knocked. George opened the door.
"Hey, Harry anything wrong?"
"No, I'm just wondering if I could give Hermione a quick tour of your shop."
"Of course," answered George. "She is after all a close friend of the family." He stood aside to let Harry in. Then he noticed Hermione and Harry's hand attached to hers. He was surprised at the transformation Hermione had gone through, but was quicker to recover than Seamus and Dean.
"Hmm. Harry, I guess Hermione is a little closer to the family than I first thought," he said as he stared down at their clasped hand. Harry finally taking notice that he'd been holding Hermione's hand, blushed and let go of her hand immediately.
"Er.. sorry," he whispered to Hermione. She didn't answer. She was a little disappointed that Harry was no longer holding her hand.
"Hey, George," she told him and gave him a hug.
"Hey, yourself. It's good to see you again. You take Hermione around Harry. Fred and I need to go over our little speech. Mum, Dad, and Ginny are in the back."
"Thanks, George, we'll take the tour first before the ribbon cutting ceremony."
"Okay. See you later then."
They walked around looking at the displays of ton-tongue toffee, trick wands, trick quills, a more advanced dung bomb and stink pellets. They came to the Crystal of answers and stopped to try it out.
"So why don't you ask a question and see what the answer is. You don't have to say it out loud."
"Are you sure it won't just blow up in our faces?"
"Nah, all the exploding things are on the other side of the room. I didn't feel like sampling those."
"Okay, you go first."
"Oh, okay. Chicken." He smiled at her and her stomach filled with butterflies and her heart did a somersault.
"Well, can't be too careful with Fred and George's creations"
"Fine. Here it goes." He closed his eyes to concentrate on his question. He figured it's only a game but might as well ask a real question. Show me the only woman meant for me he thought. He opened his eyes and almost dropped the crystal of answers ball when he saw Hermione's image inside the ball.
"What? What is it?" Harry couldn't seem to answer. "Harry, is it bad?"
"Er, No."
"Let me see."
"No! Hermione. It's okay. I was just a little surprised. That's all. " He shook the ball to erase the image. "Your turn."
"I don't know. After what you looked like, I don't know if I should try."
"Oh, come on. Be a sport. Just one question then we'll go on."
"Oh, all right. But don't look. You stay in front of me." Harry nodded. Damn he looks so good all dressed up she thought. Hermione closed her eyes and thought of her question. 'Who is the man of my dreams?' She opened her eyes and stared at the ball's answer. - The answer is right in front of you. Then she looked at Harry who was standing in front of her. She wasn't as surprised as Harry because she already knew deep in her heart that Harry would be the only man for her.
"What?" he asked. "Did you like the answer?"
"Yes, I do. Too bad it's only a toy Fred and George dreamt up. But I still hope it's true.
"I don't know about mine though. It's a little scary." Especially if you saw your best friend's face for your answer he thought. "You'd have to tell me what your question and answer was."
"Perhaps, one day I will. Let's not give it another thought. I am sure you probably saw something that Professor Trelawney would have predicted."
"What's that?"
"Your death of course."
"Er. You're right. It was something like that," he lied. "Shall we move on. Again he subconsciously grabbed her hand to lead her along. They came but the Fred and George's version of the rememberall. It was an emotion ball.
"Hmm. This looks interesting." Harry told her.
"Why don't you read what the colors of smoke mean."
"Okay, let's see. Purple means happy. Blue means sad. Burgundy means you're in love. Black means you're stressed. Yellow means excited. Red means you're angry. Orange is nervous. Green means relaxed. But you can have more than one color."
"Well, since I went first last time, you go first this time."
"Okay. I guess this looks harmless." Hermione gripped the clear ball in her hand. They both watched the color turn into burgundy.
"Well, I guess this means our little 'Mione is in love," said Fred from the side. Harry and Hermione didn't hear him come near.
"Huh?" asked Hermione. "It's a great toy."
"Well, you would think it's a toy when it tells you the truth." Harry was a little worried now and a bit jealous. Who the hell was she in love with? He thought. Did she meet someone in California? Why the hell am I so concerned? I should be happy for her, shouldn't I? His train of thought was interrupted by Hermione's voice.
"Okay, Harry. Fair is fair. It's your turn."
"Er. Isn't it time to go yet Fred?"
"We have time for a quick grip on that ball," Fred told him and flashed him a cheeky grin. Harry flashed him an 'I'll get you for that' look.
Ok, fine. Hand me the ball." Hermione handed him the ball. Harry gripped it and they watched the ball turned burgundy, brown, blue and then orange.
"Only you would be able to do that," Fred commented. Harry smiled. "I guess you're just one confused emotional person." Hermione couldn't help but giggle at Fred's comment.
"Well, I can't help what I feel now can I?"
"Yeah, well we'd best be off. It's show time." Ginny, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley walked out in time to see Hermione.
"Hermione!" Ginny squealed and gave her a bear hug.
"Hi Ginny. It's good to see you again. Hi Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley," She greeted them as she gave them a hug.
"Oh, come on you lot," said Mrs. Weasley almost in tears. "You have grown so much."
"We'd better get moving dear. It's time for the ribbon cutting ceremony." Mr. Weasley cut in.
They walked out and stood on the right side of Fred and George beside Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron and Lavender who were already standing there waiting.
"Hello, everyone" started Fred.
"Welcome to the Grand Opening of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," added George.
"First, we would like to thank our family that includes you Harry," said Fred. Harry again became emotional and Hermione took his hand and gave it a squeeze for reassurance. "Without your support and for the many times you've put up with our tests using you as our guinea pigs." This earned a lot of laughs from everyone. "No, seriously, you have been understanding of our jokes, pranks, and plainly just being us. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. We would not be here today without you."
"Today we share this moment with all of you because each and everyone of you have touched our lives in more ways than one. So we thank you and we hope you enjoy yourselves."
"And make sure you have your invitation with you, otherwise you will not be able to cross the threshold." Added Fred. They both put their hands on the scissors. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is now officially opened." They cut the ribbon.
"Okay, like Fred said you must have your invitation. If I could have Ron and Harry here for demonstration." Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Oh come on, be a sport," said George and the crowd applauded to encourage them. They stepped towards Fred and George with uneasy feeling.
"Okay Harry, you try to go in without the invitation," instructed Fred. Harry handed him the parchment and walked to the door. As he tried to cross the threshold, an invisible wall blocked him.
"As you can see," George announced. "Harry is unable to go in."
"Okay Ron, you next. Just in case you are wondering. The invitations are charmed to do something, but only for 60 seconds just to get a taste of what we offer. So, Ron. Come on now." Ron swallowed and walked nervously to the door and slowly across the threshold. As soon as he passed the threshold he sprouted feathers just like the canary cream pie. Everyone applauded and became excited to see what they would become when they passed through the threshold. "For those who do not have an invitation, we will be opened to the general public after 2:00 P.M."
One by one the guests walk in and experienced changes. Some sprouted feathers of different colors. Some grew fur. Some had their hair color changed to some wild bright color, yet others' skin started to glow a different color. They didn't seem to mind the pranks; instead they were delighted at each other's sight.
"This is fun!" exclaimed Parvati.
"Ooh look Parvi, your hair is green," said Padma with a giggle.
"And you're a bird," she giggled back.
"Are you ladies enjoying yourselves?" asked Fred.
"We are, thanks for inviting us." They chimed in unison.
"No problem. Thank you and don't forget to spread the word. Oh, gotta go my Angel just walked in." He excused himself at the sight of Angelina followed by Katie.
It was like a Gryffindor reunion. Even Oliver Wood graced the Weasley's with his presence. He finally made the starting team, no longer just a back up player for Puddlemere.
"Nice to see you again, Harry or should I say Captain Harry?" Oliver greeted him after he molted out of his feathers and shook his hands. "You too Ron, Hermione, Lavender. I heard you 're the keeper now Ron. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Oliver. Heard you're now on the starting team for Puddlemere. Congratulations to you too. It's just too bad it's not the Chuddley Cannons."
"We can't have everything we want," Oliver joked as he took his hands to shake. "And you ladies look even more beautiful now," he told Hermione and Lavender as he took their hands and kissed their hands. The girls giggled at his actions. This made Harry uneasy and scolded himself mentally for his apparent jealousy.
Lavender, Oliver thought had always been beautiful with her long brown hair and blue eyes, but now she'd filled out even more in all the right places. And Hermione. He couldn't believe it was the same little girl with the bushy brown hair and over large front teeth. She has really grown into a beautiful swan.
"Hey," came George from the back. "If it isn't the great Oliver Wood." Harry couldn't be more pleased when George arrived to pull him away.
"Well, I'll see you all later," Oliver told them.
"Bye, Oliver," the four of them said almost at the same time.
"Oh my. Is it me or did Oliver just became more handsome since the last time we saw him?" asked Lavender more to Hermione that the two boys.
"Hey, what are you saying?" Ron asked pretending to be hurt. "That I'm not handsome." Lav rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Ron. You know I think you're the most handsome man I know," she told him and kissed him.
"Well, I think you're right about Oliver," Hermione added as she watched Harry's reaction. He felt like going over to Oliver and kicking his arse at that moment, but he stood there and pretended not to let the situation or Hermione's comment bother him.
"I guess if you were a girl," Harry commented. Lav and Mione giggled at his comment.
The door chimed again and Harry saw someone he never expected to see in the shop. Cho walked in with her friends flanking either side of her. Hermione saw Harry's face and looked at what he was looking at. Her heart sank. She knew he had a crush on her since fourth year. She hoped he'd outgrown it, but from the looks of things, she was sure that he hasn't gotten her out of his system.
"Ron, I didn't know Fred and George invited Cho and company."
"They didn't mate. We're opened to the general public now."
"Oh," was all he could say as he kept his eyes on her and noticed she was walking towards him.
"Hi Harry, Ron, Lavender, Hermione," she greeted them with a nice sweet voice except when she said Hermione's name. Saying her name seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth.
"Er. Hi Cho," answered Harry immediately.
"Hi," said Hermione reluctantly as she masked her jealousy.
"Hi Cho," said Lavender and then Ron.
"This is a nice place your brothers have here, Ron" she told him but kept her eye fixed on Harry. "So what are you guys up to?"
"Well, we were going to buy our school supplies now," answered Hermione willing that she'd go somewhere else and that Harry would turn his attention back to her.
"Oh yeah. That's right," seconded Lavender knowing that Hermione secretly fancied Harry even if she hadn't told her yet. Hermione looked at her and smiled. She took a mental note to thank Lav later and maybe to tell her how she felt.
"Oh, come on we have plenty of time," complained Ron trying to help Harry out because he thought he needed to sort out his feelings for Cho.
"No, we do not Ron," cried Lav.
"Well, we'd better look around then," answered Cho getting the hint, but not liking it. She didn't even want to go into the shop, but she knew that Harry would be there because of his close relationship with Ron. She was right, but as always, had to bide her time because of his guard dogs. One Hermione Granger in particular was really annoying her.
"Er. Okay," said Harry always tongue tied around Cho. When will he ever get over that? This made him believe that all those weird feelings for Hermione might just be a cover for his real unresolved feelings for Cho. He decided, he had to ask Cho out to make sure, but first he needed to find out, if she was seeing someone. "We'll see you later then," he answered here more confidently.
Cho couldn't help but notice how hot Harry looked now. He's got rippling muscles, she'd noticed as they play quidditch against each other. He's grown taller and more handsome in a more manly way unlike in a cute boyish way as before. And his eyes and smile just makes her melt. He was actually going Ga-ga over him. She was hoping he still had that crush on her.
"Yeah, see you all later," she answered back hiding her disappointment. The four walked towards Mr. And Mrs. Weasley to let them know where they were going. Mrs. Weasley asked Ron and Harry to buy Ginny's supplies since she was busy helping out. Ron was whining, but Harry was grateful to be of help. It made him feel more part of the family. They walked out to go shopping.