"Wow, even a trip to Egypt didn't leave me as tanned as you, Hermione." Ron's very first words froze the atmosphere.
Hermione shot Ron a death glare.
"Let's hurry and buy our books," Harry said quickly, sensing something was wrong. "I've already bought all mine over the past few days. I can come with you, and then we can get something nice to eat at Mr. Fortescue's shop."
"Fortescue?"
"Oh, he's the owner of that ice cream shop. I've been doing all my homework there these past few days. Mr. Fortescue knows a lot, and he's helped me quite a bit, especially with that essay on medieval witch-burning."
"Oh, how are you, Ginny?" Harry greeted everyone as he headed toward the Leaky Cauldron's backyard.
Harry deftly took out his wand and tapped the correct spot on the courtyard wall. A passage wide enough for everyone opened up, with bustling crowds at the far end of the cobbled path.
By then, the Weasley Brothers had already latched onto Su Er.
"Hey, we heard all about it."
"That big incident in the Forbidden Forest last term."
"You were the one who started the fire, weren't you?"
"Burned down that whole patch of forest."
"That was so cool."
"Make sure you take us along next time." The twins spoke in turns, each hooking an arm around Su Er's neck from either side.
"How did you find out?" Su Er asked in surprise.
"Hagrid told us. Actually, we came to Diagon Alley once before going to Egypt," George said.
"To collect that big cash prize," Fred smoothly picked up.
"We ran into Hagrid at the apothecary. We asked a few probing questions, and he told us." They exchanged a glance, snickered, and spoke in unison.
Hagrid must have grown up drinking Veritaserum! Su Er