Rose Granger-Weasley and the Unleashing of Power

Chapter 3. Diagon Alley

Later that morning, whilst Hermione was preparing her 'thank you' speech that she was going to deliver at her book launch, Ron and the twins got ready to leave for Diagon Alley. 

Rose slipped into a navy and red checkered flannel blouse. She was wearing it over a plain white crop top. She tied her hair back into a high bun. Because of the unruly nature of her curly hair, a few stray fiery red strands came out of her bun and dangled down the sides of her face. Subsequently, Rose headed downstairs to the foyer, removed her pair of sneakers from the shoe rack, and put them on. Once she was fully ready, she walked over to the living room, where Ron and Hugo were already waiting for her by the large fireplace. The firebox opening was nearly as tall as Ron! "All ready?" Ron asked. Rose nodded, "I'm ready to go!" "About time!" Hugo muttered under his breath. He had been ready within minutes of Ron's announcement that they would be going to Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies. That had been approximately half an hour ago. Ron - incognizant of Hugo's comment - picked up the small terracotta jar which stood on the stone mantlepiece. He removed the lid and handed the container over to Rose. "Remember -" he told her and Hugo, "you must speak very clearly. And be sure to get out at the right grate! We don't want you ending up at Knockturn Alley!" "We know, Dad! We've done this about a million times before!" Rose rolled her eyes in exasperation. She then scooped up a pinch of the glittering powder from the jar, stepped closer towards the fireplace and scattered the silvery powder into the flames. With a thunderous roar, the scarlet flames transformed into an emerald green. The fire rose high above the young girl, who stepped right into it. The flames licked her face, hands and legs; the floo powder had caused them to become completely harmless, and they felt like a warm breeze washing over her. Rose took a deep breath and shouted, "Diagon Alley!"

Suddenly, it felt as though she was being sucked down a giant drain. She was travelling at whirlwind speed, descending further and further downwards, spinning very, very fast. Rose kept her elbows tucked in (to avoid banging them on the passing fireplaces), and her eyes shut (to keep the soot out of them) - just as she had been taught, and soon it was all over. She suddenly stopped to a halt. She cautiously opened her eyes and came face-to-face with a pair of blazing amber orbs. The eyes with thin-slitted pupils belonged to a spotted silver tabby cat that was peering curiously at the witch who had just arrived in the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron. Rose dusted herself off and emerged from the fireplace, looking around at her surroundings. Nothing much had changed since she had last visited Diagon Alley a few months ago, to stock up on household necessities. The interior of the pub was very dark and shabby. The stone walls were extremely grimy and were in desperate need of a good scrubbing down. The rickety wooden tables were in a dilapidated state and the bar counter had numerous stains from alcoholic beverages that had accumulated over time and were by now incapable of being removed. Immediately after Rose came out of the fireplace, the fire was rekindled and burned brighter than ever, crackling merrily. The dining area was packed as always, teeming with all sorts of individuals. A wizened old witch - who looked suspiciously like a hag -, with a woolen babushka head scarf draped around her head and tied under her chin, was rapidly devouring a plate of raw pig liver. A venerable-looking wizard was smoking a pipe and perusing that day's issue of the 'Daily Prophet'; a young man with golden brown hair was conversing with the barman; and a young witch, around eight years old, was sheepishly crawling from under one of the tables with an indignant-looking siamese cat in her arms.

Suddenly, without warning, the flames in the fireplace were extinguished once again, and a ginger-haired tween boy came tumbling through the firebox opening. He slammed into Rose, and the two came crashing down onto the tiled floor. Rose winced at the pain that she felt upon impact, and the dreadfully uncomfortable weight of her brother sprawled across her back. Hugo quickly scrambled to his feet post-haste. He looked on sheepishly as Rose stood up and dusted herself off. She turned to face him, anger and annoyance written all over her face. Hugo smiled at her ruefully, "Sorry, sis!" He apologized. Rose opened her mouth to chastise him when suddenly Ron appeared behind them. The twins spun round upon hearing the dull thud of his feet hitting the hearth. "Hey, kids! Ready to do some shopping?"