The Dream Trilogy Book One: To Dwell On Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

It was just before eight o'clock when Harry and Hermione got back to the corner shop, and Hermione stopped and stared. "How had I never noticed that before?" she asked, amazed, turning her head right to left, no doubt realising that the shop was sort of sliding in and out of her vision, like all magical buildings.

"Muggles can't see it at all," Harry explained. "But you weren't looking for it before, so now you know it's there you can."

"Wow," said Hermione.

"That's just the start of it," said Harry eagerly, and pushed the door for them to head inside.

"Hello again," cried the shop assistant, folding up his newspaper. "Oh, and you have a friend!" Harry wasn't sure the man would be able to cope with two people in his tiny shop, and he looked fit to burst with pride as Hermione looked around, open-mouthed in awe.

"Could we use your fireplace?" Harry asked, relieved to be back in the warm.

"Course, course," said the man, beckoning for them to follow him as he made his way around the counter and past his gleaming satellite dish. "You need some powder?"

Harry paused. "Oh, yeah," he said, but he was pretty sure he didn't have any more money, and wondered if maybe Hermione did.

But the man reached up to an old tobacco tin and opened it for them to see it had been scrubbed clean and filled with sparkling Floo powder. "On the house," he said with a flourish."

"Oh, thank you," said Harry genuinely. "You've been really kind." He realised Hermione was just staring at the powder being offered to her, and the man raised his eyebrows. "Sorry," said Harry, realising she had no clue what was going on. "You need a pinch of this to throw in the fire. It'll joined the mantle to the Floo network, so we can travel back to my parents' house."

Hermione, if possible, looked even more horrified. "The fire is going to...transport us somewhere?"

The shop assistant looked at them uncomfortably, and placed the tin carefully back on the mantelpiece. "I'll just leave this here with you," he said, and backed away.

"It's okay," Harry assured Hermione. "You just copy me exactly. I'll throw the powder on the flames and they'll turn green, then step onto the coals. The fire will just tickle, and I'll say 'Godric's Hollow, Potter Residence', as clear as I can. Then it'll spin me around really fast, and be spat out in my living room."

Hermione swallowed. "Alright," she said, unsure.

"I'll go first, okay?" he assured her. "Just do exactly what I do." Watching her watching him, he cast the powder into the fire. She jumped a little as the flames flared and changed from a normal shade of reddish orange to jade green. He made sure she was still looking, then stepped up and into the mantle. "Godric's Hollow, Potter Residence," he said, careful not to cough, and the last thing he saw was Hermione's anxious face as he spun into the network.

Before he knew it, he was stumbling out into the living room where he'd sat with Dr Jaisun the Healer. He managed to right himself quick enough with some grace, but then he froze. He had it in his head that the room would be empty, that the Potters would be busy off doing their own thing on this Saturday night. And perhaps they were, because it wasn't them who was sat there waiting for him.

Parvati Patil and Seamus Finnigan were perched on the couch, and at his arrival Parvati had jumped to her feet. "Mrs P!" she screeched, wringing her hands anxiously. "He's back!"

Harry glanced back at the fire, aware Hermione was hopefully right behind him, then back at Seamus and Parvati. Why were they there?

"Where have you been?" scolded Parvati, like she had some right to know, and Harry began to get an inkling he wasn't fully up to speed on something.