Harry originally planned to stay at the Waters' old house until the start of the school term, but Orli took him to Diagon Alley that very afternoon. Using the fireplace at Gringotts, she sent him to its Egypt branch.
Bill Weasley, who worked as a curse breaker at Gringotts' Egypt division, greeted Orli through the flames after ensuring Harry's safe arrival.
Though Harry was about to reunite with Ron and spend several weeks exploring Egypt, he didn't leave with a light heart. He had the nagging feeling that Orli didn't want him around. However, Orli thought it wasn't a good idea for the two of them to live alone together for a whole month. Besides, she really didn't want Ginny to spiral into darkness on her account.
Even Dobby supported her decision. On the day Harry left, though reluctant to see him go, Dobby firmly stood by Orli's side:
"Dobby is delighted for Harry Potter to visit often, but Harry Potter must not stay long! A proper young lady must guard her reputation!" Dobby declared earnestly.
It wasn't entirely unreasonable for Dobby and Orli to overthink. Thirteen-year-olds were like weeds in spring, growing wildly. They were no longer the tiny sprouts they had been in their first and second years but were now teenagers entering adolescence.
Orli, in particular, had experienced a growth spurt over the summer, shooting up to five feet three inches. Her trousers from last summer barely reached her calves. As a result, she had to add new school robes to her shopping list before the term started, as her old ones were now several inches too short for her limbs.
In the final week before school, Orli met up with Ron, Harry, and Hermione in Diagon Alley. They were sitting under the umbrellas at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, enjoying ice cream while waiting for her. Hermione, slightly tanned from the French sun, was scolding Harry about inflating his aunt. Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were completely engrossed in tinkering with a noisy Sneakoscope, letting Hermione's words go in one ear and out the other.
"Come on, we need to head to Flourish and Blotts," Hermione eventually gave up her lecture and handed Orli a massive triple-scoop ice cream cone, suggesting she eat while they walked.
Orli didn't have many books to buy this term—just Unfogging the Future, Intermediate Transfiguration, and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3. But Hermione's booklist was ridiculously long, including not only textbooks for all her elective classes but also an extensive list of extracurricular reference books she had prepared in advance.
The moment they stepped into the bookstore, they were startled by the chaos inside. A manager shot them an exasperated glance, muttering, "More Hogwarts students," before putting on a pair of thick gloves.
A massive iron cage sat in the center of Flourish and Blotts, crammed with struggling, snarling copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. With a loud tearing sound, two of the books teamed up to rip a third one to shreds.
"Stop it, stop it!" the manager shouted, jabbing a knotted stick into the cage to separate the fighting books. "How many do you need?"
"We've already got this one!" Harry said quickly. "We're here to buy something else—something normal."
"You've already got it?" The manager's face lit up with relief. "Thank Merlin! I've been bitten five times this morning."
Half an hour later, they left the bookstore and headed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Ron, having received Scabbers' entire summer "salary," finally bought himself a new wand: fourteen inches long, made of willow, and much more comfortable than his old one.
"This year, I might actually get an 'Outstanding' in Charms," Ron said excitedly, waving his new wand. Hermione had to remind him not to cast spells outside school.
Hermione planned to buy an owl at the pet shop since she was the only one without one, which made sending letters during the holidays inconvenient. However, fate seemed to intervene, and she ended up choosing Crookshanks instead.
Fortunately, Scabbers had been left at the Waters' old house and wasn't brought along. Although Ron had some opinions about Hermione getting a cat, he didn't say much in the end.
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