Chapter 5: Diagon Alley
But the next day, Ron had cheered up again.
He didn’t sleep in as usual, and after finishing his grooming before dawn, he curled up on the sofa in the living room with Scabbers, greatly startling Molly, who woke up later.
“Merlin’s socks, Ron, what are you hiding here for?”
Ron mumbled an excuse, and only told his mother the truth when the twins, who were up early to clean the garden, came out.
“Ron is flattering Vaughn!”
“That’s right, we overheard yesterday, Vaughn said he’d give him a new wand as an early Christmas present this year.”
“Yes, George, the recap is very accurate. It seems our foolish brother isn’t too stupid, knowing to show respect to a patron.”
“But he’s still not sincere enough, Fred, he doesn’t even dare to tell Mom!”
“Yes, George, foolish brother’s useless pride.”
The twins, one after the other, teased Ron until he was furious, and then they skipped out of the house.
Vaughn was woken by their cheers.
When he got up, the sun had already crossed Weasel Mountain and shone through the window in stripes. Ginny was still sleeping soundly in his arms.
Last night, she had come to him with a storybook, and Vaughn had read her fairy tales for at least an hour before she fell asleep.
This was also one of the reasons the siblings were so close. Bill and Charlie had left home to work early, Percy never had patience for anything outside of his studies, and Fred and George were as lively as monkeys all day.
Only Ron and Vaughn were willing to tell Ginny stories. Of course, Ron only told stories he was interested in, so Ginny had stopped paying attention to him long ago!
Vaughn got up and dressed, then opened the window to see old Errol flapping his ancient wings, hopping among the weeds and bushes in the garden, chasing out goblins that were only a foot tall, yellowish-brown, with large heads and slender limbs, looking like potatoes with legs.
Meanwhile, the twins, each riding a flying broomstick, darted back and forth in the air, catching the goblins Errol chased out, shaking them and spinning them around before tossing them far into the wilderness.
All that remained were the fading screams in the air and the twins’ happy laughter.
“Those two fellows seem to find joy in everything they do!”
Vaughn chuckled and shook his head, then went back to bed to pick up Ginny.
The little girl woke up, rubbed her eyes sleepily, and yawned, “Vaughn?”
“I’m going to Diagon Alley, Ginny, you need to go back to your room and sleep.”
“Oh…” Ginny buried her face in his shoulder and mumbled sleepily, “I want… a Chocolate Frog…”
“Okay, I’ll bring you one back!”
As he went downstairs carrying Ginny, he met their mother, who was about to call them.
“Oh—look at my two little darlings, my precious ones.” Molly’s ample frame could embrace both her children. She wiped her eyes, “Mom is so happy you brothers and sisters are so loving. Vaughn, you are always so sensible, taking care of Ginny, and buying Ron a new wand… In fact, I think his old one is good enough!”
Downstairs, Ron, who had run over hearing the commotion, clenched his fingers tightly in fear.
He almost strangled Scabbers, terrified that his ill-tempered brother would go back on his word, following their mother’s lead.
Fortunately, Vaughn only glanced at him: “It’s okay, Mom, it’s just 7 Galleons, and besides, using a wand that doesn’t belong to him might affect his studies!”
7… 7 Galleons, and “just”?
Ron felt like he’d been dunked in a barrel of lemon juice, sour through and through.
Knowing her son was wealthy, Molly didn’t say any more. Vaughn and Ron were both her sons, and she loved them both. Although, due to her educational philosophy, she didn’t want Ron to spend Vaughn’s money, she wouldn’t object if Vaughn wanted to give his brother a gift.
She already felt guilty that her younger son had to use his older brothers’ old things, and Vaughn was right, using a wand that didn’t belong to him would indeed have an impact, so she didn’t stop them.
Molly carried Ginny back to her room.
After washing up, Vaughn and Ron ate breakfast. Seeing that it was getting late, Molly took a pot filled with grayish-white, glittering powder from the fireplace and said to Vaughn and Ron:
“Vaughn, you’ve used Floo Powder before and know how to do it, but Ron, you haven’t. Pay close attention to your brother’s demonstration, and speak clearly and strongly. Diagon Alley! Diagon Alley! Do you understand?”
“Understood, Mom!” Ron was very excited, his ear tips turning red.
Molly handed the pot to Vaughn. Vaughn pouted; he had never liked the stuff, as it made clothes and hair dirty.
However, since he hadn’t yet learned Apparition, this was the only way.
Vaughn grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, stepped into the fireplace, threw the powder down forcefully under his feet, and shouted: “Diagon Alley!”
Bang.
Green flames erupted before his eyes. Vaughn felt as if he had been thrown into a washing machine, stretched into a long strip, and spun rapidly around a point, surrounded by similarly distorted and bizarre images.
After a few seconds, he staggered to a halt, shook his head, dispelled the residual dizziness, and, while brushing off the soot clinging to him with disgust, surveyed his surroundings.
This was a closed alleyway. Several fireplaces were neatly embedded in the dark brick walls, with green flames erupting one after another, from which emerged wizards and witches, some leading children, likely also notified by Hogwarts and brought to buy books and supplies.
Vaughn didn’t observe further. He waited in place for a moment. Behind him, green flames ignited, and the next instant, Ron tumbled out, covered in dust, and fell at Vaughn’s feet.
“Ron, such a grand entrance?”
Vaughn laughed and pulled him up.
Ron’s eyes were spinning, and he couldn’t hear what Vaughn was saying. It wasn’t until Molly arrived, brushed the soot off him, and led the brothers out of the closed alley and into the bustling Diagon Alley that Ron fully sobered up.
It was a long, endless street, several meters wide, paved with cobblestones, crowded with men and women wearing pointed wizard hats.
On either side of the street were all sorts of shops, each with square shop windows divided by panes of glass. Sunlight streamed down from above the alley, making the shop windows and the goods inside gleam.
The nearest shop to the alley entrance had its door open. A wizard and witch couple came out with a boy. The boy chewed, his hair changing color with each chew.
Ron’s eyes widened in disbelief—he saw the sign of the shop: Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George’s favorite store, which he had heard them mention countless times.
It was the place he visited most often in his dreams!
Dazed, he heard Vaughn say to him, “Ron, welcome to Diagon Alley!”
At the same time, someone behind him said:
“Welcome to Diagon Alley!”
