The Potter Twins and the Prisoner of Askaban {3}

4. Back in Diagon Alley

"If only time flew like a dove" ~ Hallelujah, Paramore

It took several days, but Harry and I have finally gotten use to our new freedom. We can do whatever we want, whenever we want.

We walk through the streets of Diagon Alley, with a pouch filled with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, stopping ourselves buying non-essential luxury items.

We comes across our favourite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, to find a large crowd surrounding it.

Curious, we edge our way in amongst the crowd, and once we reach the front, we see a magnificent broom mounted on a podium.

"Just come out...prototype..." I hear someone say.

"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" a young boy squeaks.

"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" The proprietor of the shop says. "And they're favourites for the World Cup!"

A large witch in front of us moves, and we're finally able to read the sign next to the broom;

THE FIREBOLT
The state-of-the-art racing broom sports a streamlined, superfine, handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish and hand-numbered with its own registration number. Each individually selected bitch twig in the broom tail has been honed to acrodynamic perfection, giving the Firebolt unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision. The Firebolt has an acceleration of 0-150 miles an hour in ten seconds and incorporates an unbreakable braking charm. Price on request.

I don't event want to think about go much gold this broom costs, but I want one nonetheless. And judging by the look on Harry's face, so does he.

But we've never lost a Quidditch game on our Numbus 2000s, so why empty out our vault for a Firebolt, when we already have very good brooms?

There are some essential things that we need to buy for school; we've already replenished our Potions' ingredients and bought new robes. But most importantly, we need to buy books for this year at Hogwarts.

We enter Flourish and Blotts, and I'm instantly reminded of my last experience here; with Lockhart, Draco and Lucius Malfoy.

So much has changed since then, it feels like decades ago.

"Hogwarts?" The manager asks us abruptly. "Come to get your new books."

"Yes," I reply. "We need-"

"Get out of the way," the manager says impatiently, pushing me aside.

He pulls on a pair of very thick gloves, picks up a large, knobbly walking stuck and proceeds towards the door of a cage labelled the Monster Books' of Monsters.

"Hang on," Harry says suddenly. "We've already got one of them each, remember Haylee, Hagrid sent them to us for our birthday?"

"Have you?" The manager says, looking extremely relieved. "Thank heavens for that, I've been bitten over five time already this morning..."

A loud ripping noise suddenly erupts; two of the Monster Books have seized a third and are tearing it apart.

"Stop it! Stop it!" The manager cries, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never sticking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I though we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of The Invisible Book of Invisibility - cost a fortune, and we never found them...Well, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes," Harry says, leaning over my shoulder to see the booklist. "We need two copies of Unfogging the Future, by Cassandra Vablasky."

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" The manager says, stripping his hands of the gloves and leading us into the back of the shop, where there was a corner dedicated to fortune telling.