"Professor, please," Adam pleaded with Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore sighed and pointed his wand at Adam's face. Suddenly, Adam felt a slight prickling sensation on his face and throat.
"Adam, will you say something to me please?" Professor Dumbledore said.
"Hello," said Adam.
"Excellent," Professor Dumbledore replied. "You sound different."
Adam nodded in response. At his request, Professor Dumbledore had put a spell on his vocal cords. It should make him sound different enough so not to arouse suspicion, but not so different that Adam didn't recognise his own voice anymore. He had also, apparently, slightly changed Adam's skin tone which would also help ensure he would not be recognised. Adam didn't want to be recognised, at least not now. He hadn't decided what he was going to do and who he was going to tell. So he didn't want Ron to recognise him, at least not yet.
With the spell work complete, Professor Dumbledore then left to fetch Ron from the Floo in the reception area.
Once he had gone, Adam decided to sneak out, as he was feeling cooped up in his room. He wasn't going to go far, just down the corridor for a quick walk. He was still walking rather shakily but he wanted to do something other than walk up and down in his small room. This was one of the few times Professor Dumbledore had left him alone, and Adam knew he would never let him outside the room when he was here.
Adam walked right to the end of the fourth floor, where he was stopped by the locked door which led to the closed ward. After having a rest on a nearby chair to catch his breath, Adam set off back towards his room. With a bit of luck he would be back before Professor Dumbledore noticed he was missing. He was pleased with how far he'd been able to walk. All the Healers let him do was walk up and down in his room. He wanted to be normal again!
"Harry!"
Adam cringed when he heard Professor Dumbledore's voice. He'd been caught! Adam turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw Professor Dumbledore and Ron walking up the hallway towards him.
"Harry!" Professor Dumbledore repeated. "Why did you leave your room?"
"I just wanted to have a walk," Adam replied sullenly.
Adam turned to look at Ron, who was looking uncomfortable.
"Hi," Ron said and he held out his hand. "Ron Weasley."
"Hi, Ron," Adam replied, also feeling very uncomfortable. He shook his hand and said. "I'm… err… Harry Potter."
"Let's get back to your room then, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, glancing around the ward.
As they turned and began walking back down the ward, Ron suddenly exclaimed, "Neville?"
Adam spun around and saw Neville walking towards them. He was with an older witch in a green dress. She had a fur thing over her shoulders.
"Neville!" Ron called again.
Neville looked as if he wanted to sneak past, but when the woman saw them she immediately ushered him over.
"Good morning, Albus," the woman said.
"Hello, Augusta," Professor Dumbledore replied neutrally.
"Do you know these boys, Neville?" the woman, Augusta, asked.
"That's Ron, Ron Weasley," Neville replied. "I don't know the other one, though."
"Well, you're definitely a Weasley," Augusta said. "And who are you, young man?"
Adam looked up a Professor Dumbledore, who nodded to him.
"I'm Harry Potter," Adam said slightly awkwardly.
Augusta gasped and Neville just stared at him. All this attention made Adam feel like he was on display.
"But…" Augusta began to stutter.
"No, Augusta," Professor Dumbledore interrupted. "He is not dead. I kept his survival a secret until recently."
An awkward silence fell, as Neville simply gawked at Adam. It made Adam feel even more uncomfortable.
"So what are you doing here, mate?" Ron asked Neville.
Neville mumbled something so softly in reply, that Adam could hardly hear him.
"Neville?" Augusta inquired in a surprised voice. "Haven't you told your friends about your parents?"
"My mum and dad are in the closed ward," Neville answered hesitantly, looking down at his feet and seeming as if he wanted to be anywhere other than here.
Augusta put her hand on Neville's shoulder and said, "They were tortured into insanity by the followers of You-Know-Who."
"They were Aurors," Neville added faintly.
There was an uncomfortable silence, during which Neville alternated between staring at his feet and staring at Adam.
"Well, we better get going," sighed Augusta, guiding Neville towards the entrance. "Good day, Albus."
Adam watched in relief as the two of them left the ward.
Once the Longbottoms were out of sight, Professor Dumbledore led them back into Adam's room. Once inside, Adam sat on the bed and Ron took a seat on the chair.
"I'll leave you boys to it," Professor Dumbledore said brightly and then he left the room, leaving Adam and Ron alone.
They both sat there in silence for several minutes, both of them looking extremely uncomfortable.
"So… Ginny's your sister," Adam said, at a loss for what else to say in order to break the silence.
"Yeah," Ron replied. "So, what have you been up to?"
"In, erm, hospital mainly," Adam replied. "What about you?"
"Oh, we've all moved back to The Burrow now, so we've been busy clearing up and sorting all out stuff out."
Adam nodded in response. He couldn't help but think how awkward it was to pretend that he didn't know Ron.
Would this be what it was like if he told the Weasleys he was Harry Potter?Would everyone other than Ginny treat him as an outsider?
As he sat there, Adam realised it had been nearly a minute since either of them had spoken. He would have to think of something to say.
Adam sighed, it looked like it was going to be a long morning.
July 9th 1996
Adam was sitting restlessly in his chair when Ginny entered the room. When he saw her, he leapt up and wrapped her in a hug.
"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked.
"Much better!" Adam replied happily.
The two of them sat down on the bed and cuddled up against each other.
"I can only stay for a couple of hours today," Ginny said sadly. "Mum wants me back by dinner."
"Nevermind!" Adam said brightly. "At least you're here! But I've got some good news! I'm getting out on Thursday!"
Ginny gave a whoop of joy, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "At last!"
Adam laughed. "So Adam should be back on Friday."
Ginny paused for a second.
"You were in the paper this morning," she said quietly.
"What?" Adam replied angrily. How had the Prophet found out?
"Oh, there wasn't much," Ginny said hurriedly. "The story was about how you were alive after all this time and that you were currently here."
"Oh," Adam replied flatly.
"There were no pictures, luckily," Ginny continued.
"Good," Adam replied sullenly. He didn't want any attention.
"So how have the visits been going? Ron was acting very funny when he came back." Ginny asked, changing the subject.
"Oh," Adam hesitated. "It was really awkward with Ron; plus, we bumped into Neville."
"Yeah, he told me about that."
"The twins were great though, they gave me a demonstration of all their products."
Ginny giggled at that news. "What else? You've got a guilty look on your face."
"Well, I kinda agreed to invest in their shop," he said in a rush.
Adam watched, with relief, as Ginny's face slowly broke into a massive grin.
"Wicked!" Ginny exclaimed. "So they're going through with it?"
"Yep, with my investment, they have enough to buy a shop," Adam said smugly. "All I had to do was write a letter to Gringotts, telling them to move the money from my account into theirs'."
"I need to be there when they tell Mum!" Ginny exclaimed gleefully. "It's going to be fantastic!"
"I bet it will. They told me they've got all the stock sorted so they just need to pay for the shop, using my money. Then they can open," Adam replied, grinning. "It felt really good to be able to actually do something with all this money I have!"
"Why haven't they told me any of this?" Ginny remarked suddenly.
Adam shrugged. "I guess they don't want to take any chance of your mum finding out."
"I wouldn't tell her," Ginny pouted.
"I wouldn't take it personally."
"I know, I'm only taking the mickey," Ginny smirked up at him. "I've still got a least an hour here," she said with a wink.
Adam smiled back, determined to take full advantage of what could be their last private time together for some time.
July 11th 1996
Today was his final day in hospital and Adam was waiting eagerly for Professor Dumbledore to come and fetch him. He couldn't wait to get out of here!
"Good morning, Harry," the Healer said as he entered the room. "Let me just quickly check you over, then you're free to go."
The Healer quickly moved his wand over Adam.
After several minutes he announced. "You're good to go. Good luck!"
Adam stood and left his room. Professor Dumbledore was waiting for him outside.
"Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, "I have had all your things sent to Hogwarts, we just need to go down to the Floo."
The two of them descended the stairs. As they walked, Adam gripped onto the banister tightly; he still had shaky moments on his feet and didn't want to risk a tumble down the stairs putting him back in hospital.
"Harry," Professor Dumbledore said when they reached the ground floor, "unfortunately, someone here has told the Prophet that you are leaving today." He paused. "Ignore anyone who may be out there, and stay with me. Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yeah," Adam replied, already feeling slightly out of breath.
"When you get to the Floo, head straight to the Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts."
Professor Dumbledore pushed open the door that led from the staircase onto the ground floor. Adam felt extremely awkward as they walked along the corridor ,attracting the stares of patients and Healers alike.
"Harry Potter!" a voice shouted from behind them.
Adam glanced over his shoulder. A short, squat woman with a bow in her hair was waddling towards them. She was wearing the most awful green robes and pink cardigan.
"Keep moving," Professor Dumbledore ordered.
Adam followed Professor Dumbledore down the corridor.
"Albus Dumbledore! Stop this instant!" the woman ordered.
They kept walking.
"Mr. Potter, I am a representative of the Ministry of Magic. I insist you stop this instant!" she shrieked down the corridor.
"Ignore her," Professor Dumbledore said.
At the end of the corridor they reached a set of double doors. Professor Dumbledore pushed them open and Adam followed him out into the reception area of St Mungo's.
"Stop!" Adam heard the woman shriek as they went through the doors into the reception area.
As soon as he stepped into the reception area, bright flashes erupted all around him, making Adam jump violently.
"Mr. Potter!" one voice called.
"Professor Dumbledore!" shouted another voice.
"Keep moving," Professor Dumbledore said to him above the clamour.
"Where have you been all these years?" one of the reporters cried.
"How did you survive You-Know-Who's attack?" yet another voice called, attempting to make itself heard.
"Professor Dumbledore! How could you lie to us for all these years?"
Adam kept moving across the reception area with Professor Dumbledore clearing him a path through the assembled reporters. Adam felt several hands try to grasp him on the shoulder, but he shrugged them off.
The shouts and flashes continued as they pushed through towards the Floo. Luckily, the reporters appeared the have hampered the progress of the short woman from the Ministry who had been following them down the corridor.
Once they reached the Floo, the cries of the reporters became more frantic.
"Mr. Potter! Please give us a short statement."
"Mr. Potter! The people want to know about you! Please!"
"Go on through, Harry," Professor Dumbledore ordered.
Adam stepped into the fireplace and shouted, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!"
Adam tumbled out of the fireplace in Professor Dumbledore's office. As he stood up, his leg cramped painfully, forcing him to sink down into a nearby chair. The trip through the hospital had left him tired and breathing heavily.
Professor Dumbledore emerged gracefully through the Floo a short time later.
"Well, that was fun," he said dryly.
"Were they all there to see me?" Adam asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I am afraid to say that your reappearance has created quite a storm with the public and the Ministry." He paused. "It is fortunate, in a way, that we have a method to keep you hidden."
Adam nodded, somehow feeling strangely offended.
"Molly is expecting you back tomorrow so I will let you go back to your room in Gryffindor Tower for the night. A house-elf will bring your dinner, which should be soon, I believe."
"Okay," Adam replied. He wanted to go back to The Burrow as soon as possible. He missed Ginny.
"But first," Professor Dumbledore continued, "let's get you sorted out."
Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand at him and he felt a strange sensation, almost like thick liquid flowing over his hair. Then his eyes, skin and throat began to sting and Adam hissed in pain, but as soon as the pain began, it was gone.
Adam felt a mirror being placed into his hand and he looked into it. Looking back at him was Adam.
Adam grinned. "Thanks!" he said enthusiastically.
"Now," Professor Dumbledore said, suddenly sounding much more like a teacher, "have you decided what you are going to tell the Weasleys?"
Adam hesitated, suddenly feeling his face heat.
He was a coward.
"You…" Professor Dumbledore began. "I am correct in saying you don't want to tell them?"
Adam could only nod guiltily in response.
Professor Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, I promised that this would be your decision and I will stand by that promise, but please bear in mind the feelings you felt when you first found out and try and put yourself in Mr and Mrs Weasley's shoes."
Adam's immediate reaction to Professor Dumbledore's pronouncement was anger. How dare he tell him off for wanting to keep it a secret when the Headmaster had kept it from him for so long! Then, slowly, his anger gave way to guilt. He did remember how he'd felt when he'd finally found out, but then the secret was about him. Surely it wouldn't be as bad for anyone else?
Not wanting to hear any more, Adam stood to leave. He was eager to get back to his room. He didn't want Professor Dumbledore to lecture him anymore, plus, he was feeling tired again.
"Adam," Professor Dumbledore said as Adam stood up from his chair.
Adam looked over at Professor Dumbledore, who was holding out his Invisibility Cloak!
"I believe this is yours," he said, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Thanks!" Adam exclaimed, quickly grabbing the Cloak and running its material through his hands. He had no idea what had happened to his Cloak, but was extremely glad it was safe.
"Go and rest up, Adam," Professor Dumbledore advised. "You look exhausted."
"Thanks, Professor," Adam replied and, to his surprise, he really felt genuinely grateful. Since his capture and escape, Professor Dumbledore had done everything Adam had asked of him and told him everything he had wanted to know about his parents or the Prophecy. Adam was convinced that the man had at least started turning over a new leaf… Even if he was still hypocritical at times.
"Oh, Professor," Adam asked, suddenly remembering something else he'd wanted to ask him, "will you teach me how to do the appearance charms?"
"Of, course," Professor Dumbledore replied. "I had planned to, once term starts again."
"Oh, thanks," Adam replied tiredly, stifling a yawn.
Adam made his way tiredly back to his room in Gryffindor Tower. It would be strange to be completely alone in his school room, but it was only for one night.
Ginny July 12 1996
Ginny waited eagerly by the fireplace. Today Adam was coming home! She had been bouncing around the house excitedly all morning in anticipation.
"It won't be long, dear," her mum said from the stove as Ginny paced up and down in front of the fireplace.
True to her mother's word, it wasn't long before the fireplace blazed into life and Adam tumbled through.
Ginny rushed over to him, helped him to his feet and wrapped her arms around him.
"You're back!" she exclaimed as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh, I've missed you!"
"Now, now, you two," Mum said as she came over. "Welcome back, Adam!"
Ginny released Adam and was surprised to see him blushing furiously.
"Thanks, Mrs Weasley," Adam replied.
"So how was your trip?" Mum asked Adam.
"It was alright," Adam replied hesitantly.
"Did you find any family?"
"Oh…" Adam hesitated. "Well, we found a few people I might be related to, but our leads kept turning into dead ends. Eventually, we gave up."
"Oh," Mum said, hesitating slightly. "Adam, you know you've always got a home here!"
"I know," Adam replied, still blushing slightly. "I think…" he hesitated, "that this is all the family I need."
Ginny watched as her mum beamed and wrapped Adam in a hug. As she watched, Ginny felt a surge of guilt that they were both currently lying to her.
A second sudden bump from the fireplace distracted them. Adam's trunk had followed him through the Floo.
"Ah, here are your things. Why don't you take them up to your room and unpack? Then you can come down for some lunch in a bit," Mum suggested
Ginny grabbed Adam's trunk and dashed up to his room, with Adam following her at a slightly slower pace.
As soon as they entered the room, Adam sank onto the bed tiredly, breathing hard.
"It's good to be back," he sighed.
Ginny moved over to him, sat herself down in his lap and snuggled up against him.
"I'm glad you're back, too," she sighed happily.
Before they'd even had a chance to kiss, the door opened, making them pull apart so quickly that Ginny nearly fell off Adam's lap.
"Urgh."
Ginny looked up and glared at her brother.
"I don't need to see that, guys," Ron continued, waving his arms in front of his face.
"Alright, Ron," Adam replied and Ginny was pleased that he kept his arms around her, firmly holding her in place on his lap.
"Alright, mate? You missed a whole load of stuff while you were away."
"I heard," Adam replied neutrally.
Ginny wriggled her way off Adam's lap and sat next to him on the bed. Ron came into the room and sat down next to them.
"Did Ginny fill you in?" Ron asked.
"Yeah," Adam replied. "Remus told me some stuff as well."
"They were in the paper again today," Ron said.
"Who?" Ginny asked. She had been so excited about Adam coming home she hadn't read the paper yet.
"Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore."
"Oh," Adam said blankly.
Ron pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet and pointed to the main headline:
Harry Potter and You-Know-Who Return! —Minister Denies the Testimony of Albus Dumbledore
As she read the paper, she saw that, beneath the main headline, there was a moving picture on the front page. It was a picture of Adam. He was looking straight at the camera. Suddenly the photo was filled with flashes and he flinched away.
She couldn't quite understand why no one could see that Adam was Harry, but she guessed, if you weren't looking for them, their common facial features were not easy to spot.
"Poor guy," Ron said. "Having all that attention and being hidden away like that."
Ginny noticed that Adam was looking uncomfortable so she squeezed his hand affectionately.
"He seemed normal enough, when I met him. Rather quiet, but what do you expect?" Ron continued.
"You met him?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, me and Ginny. Oh, and the twins."
"What was he like?" Adam asked, and Ginny could see a smile forming on his face.
Ginny felt him squeeze her hand in return.
"He seemed alright…" Ron mused.
"Yeah, pretty decent guy," Ginny chipped in playfully. "Not a patch on you though!"
"He better not be!" Adam exclaimed in mock horror.
They both dissolved into a fit of laughter at this.
"You two are weird," Ron added when they finally stopped laughing. "Anyway, Mum said it's nearly lunch time, so you're to come downstairs once you've unpacked."
Adam and Ginny hung back until Ron finally got the hint and left them alone.
"So…" Ginny prompted, once Ron had left and the door had been closed, "are you going to tell Mum and Dad?"
When Adam didn't immediately answer, Ginny knew that he had decided not to tell and, to be fair, she could understand why he would want to keep things the same.
"Why?" she queried, keen to understand what Adam was thinking.
"Well…" Adam began, "everyone seems to have accepted that I've just been away… and, well…" he paused, suddenly looking embarrassed.
Seeing his discomfort, Ginny immediately moved closer to him, put her arms around his neck and said, "You can tell me… I want to know."
"Being Adam is just…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "It's just easier right now. Harry Potter has Voldemort after him. Harry Potter is hounded by the Prophet!" he exclaimed, his voice beginning to rise. "Harry Potter has crazy women from the Ministry trying to get him. Harry Potter gets captured and tortured! Harry Potter apparently has a power the Dark Lord knows not!"
"But…" Ginny began.
"I'm just Adam…" he replied softly. "Maybe I'll tell them later… but, right now, I just want to be Adam…"
Ginny stared at Adam for a few seconds, before replying, "I understand," she said softly, giving him a squeeze. "I'm glad Adam's back."
At her acceptance, Adam's face immediately brightened and Ginny felt a surge of happiness. If he was happy, she was happy.
"We better get downstairs for lunch," Ginny commented, noticing how long they'd been alone in the room for. "Or Mum will be up here investigating!"
The two of them trooped downstairs, ready for lunch. As they descended the stairs, Ginny turned to see that Adam was smiling once again. It was good to have him home!
Adam August 9th 1996
"Hogwarts letters!" Ron called excitedly, as he spotted one of the school's owls flying in through the window.
Ron began removing the letters from the owl's leg and passing them around the table.
"Well," Ron said, "they've got your name this year, but no address."
Adam looked at his envelope. Ron was correct, there was no address and his name appeared to have been written on by hand, in different handwriting than the other envelopes.
Adam shrugged and started to open the envelope. As he did so, he noticed Mrs Weasley was hovering and looking on intently.
"She's hoping one of us will become a prefect," Ginny whispered.
"I doubt it," Adam mumbled back.
Unless Professor Dumbledore did it to try and make things up to him… which, now he came to think about it, was entirely possible.
Adam ripped open his letter; there was no badge inside. He felt strangely relieved.
"We both get into too much trouble," Ginny whispered conspiratorially to him.
Even so, Adam did feel guilty that Mrs Weasley looked disappointed.
"Tough break, guys," Ron added. "I wonder who got Quidditch Captain."
"Katie," Ginny replied. "Obvious, isn't it? She's the oldest on the team."
"Yeah, I suppose," Ron replied.
As Adam read through his Hogwarts letter, he realised that, in under a month, he would be back at school. This year he was taking his OWLs. Plus, he had his private lessons with Professor Dumbledore.
The summer seemed to have flown by since he came back to The Burrow. It had been great just to relax and recover. He'd needed that. Mrs Weasley had even insisted on celebrating his birthday, even though he had arrived back at The Burrow a few days after it.
After his time in captivity and his days in hospital, Adam had found that his fitness level had dropped dramatically, to the point where he was no longer able to compete with Ginny in a sprint. He'd also had trouble with his flying. According to the Healers, the Cruciatus Curse had affected his nervous system. He had recovered well, in his opinion, and the only remaining effect was a slight trembling in his arms from time to time. This had badly impacted his broom control, but with constant practice over the last few weeks, he was definitely getting better.
There had also been a fair share of drama at The Burrow. Mrs Weasley had simply not believed the twins when they said they were going to move out to open a shop. So, when they actually did it, she had been mortified. Adam, Ron and Ginny had retreated to the garden to get away from the shouting, but in the end Mrs Weasley had relented and the twins had left to start their shop. Adam hoped Mrs Weasley never found out who had given them the money for it. That was another secret it looked like he was going to have to keep.
Percy had been another cause for tension at The Burrow. He had written to Mr Weasley asking for all the information that he had on Harry Potter. Adam knew that Mr Weasley, much to his relief, had not told him anything. Percy hadn't communicated with the family since. Adam hated the fact that he was coming between members of the family and even worse was the fact he couldn't talk to anyone about it, except Ginny.
Adam was beginning to get tired of all these secrets, but he couldn't change his mind now. Harry Potter was still appearing in the Daily Prophet at least once per issue and Adam was glad he didn't have all that attention on himself. But did that make all the secrets worth it?
August 30th 1996
Adam was awakened by a hand touching his forehead. It appeared to be pulling back his fringe and rubbing the area near where his scar would normally be.
In his half-asleep state, the only person Adam could think it could possibly be was Ginny, but why would Ginny sneak into his room to rub his forehead early in the morning?
"…Ginnnny…" Adam mumbled sleepily, not sure if he wanted Ginny to stop.
"Harry Potter!" a voice called. "Harry Potter is awake!"
That brought Adam back to full wakefulness quickly. It wasn't Ginny! He sat up rapidly and heard the voice gasp.
The voice had come from a house-elf. Adam had only briefly seen them around Hogwarts, but he had never spoken to one before and he had no idea why this one was in his room, stroking his head.
"Dobby has found Harry Potter!" the elf exclaimed loudly.
"Shut it!" Adam whispered frantically to the elf. "No one can hear you call me that!"
"Dobby has been searching for Harry Potter! You is hiding well, but now Dobby has found you!"
"Dobby, ssshhh!" Adam replied as he got out of bed. Apparently the elf's name was Dobby.
"Dobby must tell Harry Potter but… it is difficult, sir!" Dobby continued, still in a very loud voice.
"Dobby," Adam whispered, "sit down and tell me, and please keep your voice down."
"Sit down!" he wailed, bursting into tears. "Never… never!"
"Dobby?" Adam asked, now completely baffled. "What's the matter?"
"Harry Potter is a great wizard! Dobby has never been asked to sit by a wizard, like an equal!"
"Never?" Adam asked.
Without warning, Dobby jumped up and began banging his head on the door to Adam's wardrobe.
"Dobby!" Adam cried, and leapt up to drag the elf away from the wardrobe.
"Dobby must punish himself, sir! Dobby thought bad of his family!"
"Your family?" Adam questioned.
"The family Dobby serves, sir! They is the reason Dobby came to you!"
"They sent you?" asked Adam, still completely bewildered.
"No!" Dobby wailed and he moved back towards the wardrobe.
Adam grabbed Dobby and pulled him back to the bed, hoping to avoid anymore loud noises.
"If they didn't send you, why are you here?" Adam asked.
"Dobby heard! He heard tell of a plot to capture Harry Potter! Harry Potter who overthrew You-Know-Who once before!"
"What?"
"You-Know-Who wants Harry Potter back!"
"How are they going to try and capture me… again?"
"Dobby doesn't know, sir! Dobby just knows that they are after sir! Harry Potter must be careful!"
"I know they're after me, Dobby!" Adam exclaimed. "If you can tell me how—?"
"Dobby doesn't know!" he wailed and, suddenly, he started bouncing up and down on Adam's bed. "But Dobby will find out, sir! Dobby will find out for Harry Potter!"
"Dobby, how do you know this?" Adam asked the elf. If Voldemort really was after him, he needed some straight answers.
"Dobby's…" Suddenly the elf wailed. "Dobby cannot say! Dobby cannot speak badly of…" He pressed his hands to his head and cried, "Dobby must go! His family…"
"What will your family do when they know you came here?" Adam asked. The elf seemed afraid of his family. "Will they hurt you?"
"No! Dobby must punish himself! Dobby is disobeying his family!"
"Can't you stay here?" Adam asked. "Can I help?"
"Oh, great Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed and, to Adam's horror, began to sob loudly again. "Dobby thanks the great Harry Potter! But Dobby must go before they find out!"
Adam watched helplessly as suddenly, with a crack, Dobby disappeared from his room.
Adam lay back in bed tiredly, feeling exhausted after even a short conversation with the elf. He seemed… energetic and very excited to see him. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to give him any useful information. He already knew Voldemort was after him.
Adam glanced at his watch, it was nearly four and… he needed the loo. He walked towards his door, opened it and stepped outside.
As he walked out onto the landing, he collided with Ginny, who was kneeling outside his door. Adam tripped and he and Ginny landed in a heap of arms and legs on the floor of the landing.
"What?" Adam grunted.
"Oi!" Ginny exclaimed.
"What are you doing out here?" he whispered.
"I heard strange noises from in there," she replied. "I wanted to check you were alright. What was going on?"
Adam pulled Ginny inside the room and closed the door.
"There was a house-elf here!" he said, quickly telling her about Dobby's visit.
"How did he find you?" Ginny asked when he had finished.
"No idea, but he seemed convinced that Voldemort was after me," Adam sighed. "Which I knew."
"Yeah, but it's kind of creepy to know he's actually planning to get you."
Suddenly a creak from upstairs made them pause.
"Bugger! If Mum catches me in here, I'm dead!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Take the Cloak!" Adam replied, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and chucking it to her. "I'll pretend I'm going to the loo."
Adam opened his door and stepped out onto the landing. As he stepped out of his room, he saw Mrs Weasley coming downstairs.
"Morning, dear," she whispered. "What are you doing up at this time?"
"Just going to the toilet," Adam replied. He felt Ginny move past him as he spoke.
"Oh, alright, dear," he saw her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Do you know why Ginny's door is open?"
"No idea, Mrs Weasley," Adam replied, feeling guilty for lying to her.
"Oh, carry on then, dear," she replied.
Adam trudged up the stairs to the toilet. He hoped Ginny had managed to get back into bed before Mrs Weasley investigated her room. As he washed his hands, Adam glanced at his watch, today was the thirtieth. Adam felt a surge of excitement. Today they were going to Diagon Alley to the get school things and possibly even visit the twins' shop. Adam couldn't wait to see what they had done with his money.
Ginny August 30th 1996
Adam was the last person to tumble through the Floo and Ginny, once again, had to help him to his feet. She glanced around the Leaky Cauldron, glad to see it was relatively quiet with only a few customers.
Ginny, along with Adam, Ron, and her parents walked out into Diagon Alley. The Alley itself also seemed quieter than usual, but it was still relatively busy with Hogwarts students shopping for their school things.
Even though they were out today to shop for their school things, Ginny also desperately wanted to see her brothers' shop. She knew that Adam shared her enthusiasm because he wanted to see what they had done with the money he had given them. Mum, however, seemed a lot more reluctant to visit the twins' shop. Ginny wasn't quite sure why.
"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed suddenly, spotting the bushy-haired girl in the distance.
Hermione waved back at them and soon the group joined up with Hermione and her parents.
Ginny hugged her friend, and they exchanged pleasantries about their summer. Ginny had to stifle a giggle when she saw her brother blush furiously when Hermione hugged him.
"Shall we go on with the shopping, then?" Hermione's mum asked. "Where do you want to go, Hermione?"
"Books first?" Hermione suggested.
Ginny nodded, slightly reluctantly. She wanted to go to Fred and George's shop but, she supposed, they would have to do their school shopping sometime.
After an exhausting morning of trudging from shop to shop, they were laden with packages of books, supplies and robes but they still hadn't visited the twins' joke shop.
"Mum, can we go to Fred and George's now?" Ron pleaded.
"Oh," Mum replied, looking a little flustered, "I don't know. We really do need to be getting back…"
"Mum! Please!" Ginny pleaded, doing her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Oh, all right!" Mum conceded and then asked, "Hermione? Will you join us?"
Ginny watched as Hermione hesitated.
"Oh, alright," she sighed. "Let's go."
Ginny smirked at Adam, he grinned back, and they walked together down the Alley towards the joke shop.
"Whoa," Ron exclaimed suddenly and just stared at the shop in front of him.
Ginny, Hermione and Adam quickly caught up with him to see what he was staring at. Fred and George's shop stood out by a mile. Compared to the dull neighbouring shop fronts, their shop was a rainbow of colours. In both windows were displayed samples of their popping, whirring, and bouncing goods.
"Cool!" Adam exclaimed. "They've really gone for it!"
"Let's go in!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly and she grabbed Adam's hand and dragged him into the shop.
The shop was packed with customers, and Ginny had to force her way through crowds to even get near the shelves. She gazed around in awe; on the shelves were many of the products that she had seen over the years, fully finished and selling. Selling well!
"Wow," she heard Adam breathe softly.
"Adam! Ginny! Ron! Hermione!" she heard a voice shouting above the noise of the shop.
George was pushing his way through the crowd towards them. He was wearing bright magenta robes that clashed so badly with his hair it made Ginny flinch.
"Well," George said "shall we give you the tour?" He paused. "Hi, Mum, do you want to come?"
Ginny looked over at her mother, who was looking uncertainly around the shop, as if something would jump off the shelf and bite her.
"Where did you get the money for—" Mum said, gesturing around the room, "—all this?"
"We got ourselves an investor, Mum," George replied. "We told you that."
"Yes, but who?"
"Ah, you see, he wanted to remain anonymous."
Ginny couldn't help but giggle a little.
"So, about that tour?" she asked.
"Right, let's go," George replied with a smile.
George led them round the shop, showing them all of their products.
"We only have the joke line running at the moment," he said to them in a conspiratorial tone. "But we're working on a, er, second line," he paused "to help if there's anymore business such as went down over the summer."
"Brilliant idea," Adam commented absently as they continued around the shop.
George soon led them over to where Fred, who was also wearing a terrible magenta suit, was busy demonstrating a product to a group of children. When he saw them, he waved to the shop assistant that was nearby.
"Verity, will you take over here?" said Fred.
"Yes, Mr Weasley," Verity replied.
"So what do you think, guys?" Fred asked.
"It's awesome!" Ron replied. "Any chance of a discount?"
Fred and George looked at each other and laughed. "No chance, bro."
"But," Fred continued with wink, "we do have some things to show our dear sister and Hermione."
"What?" Hermione asked warily.
"Follow me," Fred instructed.
They followed Fred over to a section of the shop that they hadn't been in yet.
"This is our WonderWitch range!" Fred said proudly.
Ginny and Hermione browsed the shelves, looking at the various items. Ginny picked up one of the bottles up and looked at it.
"Love potion?" she asked.
"Yep, they really work as well," Fred replied. "Not that I think you need any," he finished with a wink. "Or you, Hermione."
Ginny discarded the love potion and her attention was grabbed by the pink fluffy balls that were moving around in a nearby cage.
"Oh! What are these?" she exclaimed.
"Pygmy Puffs," Fred clarified.
Ginny put her finger into the cage and one of the Puffs licked it with its long tongue.
"They're really cute!" she exclaimed.
"What are they?" Adam said from behind her, making her jump.
"Pygmy Puffs!" she replied. "Look, aren't they cute!"
"Er…" Adam hesitated. "What do they do?"
"What?" Ginny replied; she put her hands on her hips. "They don't need to do anything! They're cute!"
"Okay," Adam replied. "I guess, they are, sorta."
"I want one," Ginny decided.
"O-Okay," Adam replied. "Shouldn't you ask your mum though?"
Damn, he was right. Ginny looked around the shop for her mother. She could see Hermione, who was still apprehensively browsing the various items of make-up that the twins had on display. Her mother was on the other side of shop holding a conversation with Fred and George. Ginny dashed over to her.
"Mum! Can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny asked excitedly.
"A what?" Mum replied.
"Come on! I'll show you!" Ginny said excitedly and pulled her mother over to the cage where the Pygmy Puffs were living. She'd never had a pet of her own before.
Adam was still looking uncertainly into the cage. They probably weren't really a boy's pet, she thought.
"Ginny, if you have a pet you'll have to look after it," Mum told her.
"I know, Mum," Ginny replied. She knew that!
"You can have one, Ginny, but you will be responsible for it, not me nor your father," she looked around. "And not Adam, either!"
Ginny squealed with excitement. She was going to have her very own Pygmy Puff!