Su Er bought some juice for himself, Harry, and the others, and Ginny shyly thanked him.
Ron had been indignant the whole way, still dwelling on the clash in the bookshop.
Harry, meanwhile, looked pale, as though he had narrowly escaped death.
Su Er had no thoughts about what they had encountered at Flourish and Blotts. By comparison, he was more concerned with Ginny-or rather, the battered notebook in Ginny's cauldron.
He was wondering how to talk his way into getting that book without making it seem too abrupt, then find a chance to give it a good hit. That way, he could happily enjoy a peaceful year.
"Su Er, Su Er, I'm talking to you!" Hermione was chattering away beside him too, but Su Er's mind was elsewhere, so he had not heard anything she was saying. The girl grew annoyed and smacked his arm.
"Huh? What were you saying, Hermione?"
Hermione turned her head away and refused to speak to him in a huff.
Even by the time they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, Su Er had not found a good excuse to talk to the girl who blushed so easily.
There was nothing for it. He could only see whether an opportunity came up at school.
The Weasley family would use Floo Powder to return home, while the Granger family and Su Er would head to the nearby Muggle street and drive back to Lily Street, so they had to part at the Leaky Cauldron.
Before they parted, the Weasley family invited Su Er to stay with them for a few days, but he declined, though he was indeed very curious about their oddly shaped house.
"I still need to read ahead for next year's classes, and I have homework to do."
"Good heavens, you should have