Their new year Hogwarts letters arrived the next morning. Gwen was delighted to see that in her one, along with her list of new supplies for the school year, a permission form for Hogsmeade had arrived too. Her father signed it when she took it to his office, barely even sparing her a glance as he turned back to the letter he was writing and asked her to get the elves to send up some pumpkin juice and a sandwich. Since the escape of Sirius Black, he had been laboured which much more work than usual, and on the few days off that he had from the Department of Mysteries, he spent it locked up in his study, probably aiding in reading through the recorded sightings of Sirius Black and evaluating their legitimacy for the Ministry.
Orion returned a couple days later with a quickly scribbled 'thank you' note from Harry. When they'd finished their second year, he had given her, Ron and Hermione a number to ring on a telephone. Gwen barely even knew what they were, and knew she wouldn never have access to one as her parents would never be caught dead with Muggle devices in their home. Even if she'd managed to get hold of one and learnt how to use it, she wouldn't be able to speak to Harry with it; earlier on in the summer, Ron had sent her a letter warning her not to try and ring Harry, as he'd accidentally angered his Muggle uncle when he'd tried - and presumably failed - to use it correctly. Harry's family also wouldn't let him send letters to his friends either, which Gwen thought to be cruel, but she knew Harry would simply shrug off. She was grateful for his note though, and couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips when Orion dropped it in front of her.
Later that same night, Hedwig, Harry's owl, flew through her open bedroom window, a loose piece of parchment clasped between her beak.
Gwen stared at the snowy owl, taken aback for a second, then jumped to her feet, startling Orion who was asleep on his stand on the other side of the room, took the parchment from Hedwig's beak and fed her a small handful of seeds from Orion's food bowl.
She sat on the end of her bed to read the note.
Dear Gwen,
First, I want to say an actual thank you for the Handbook. It was the only thing that got me through dinner when my uncle's sister came to stay.
It didn't go well... long story short, she ended up floating over Surrey for a couple hours.
I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of summer. Don't worry, I've not been expelled. The Minister for Magic met me here and checked me into a room and basically just said that he was more worried about me wandering around on my own with Sirius Black on the loose.
I'll explain everything properly when I see you, but I wanted to ask if you'd be alright to come stay here too for a bit. Obviously, make sure your parents know this time, I don't want you getting in trouble because of me. But if they're OK with it, it would be great to see you.
Let me know (:
Harry
Gwen found herself reading the letter several times. How had his uncle's sister ended up floating over Surrey? What had the Muggles done that caused Harry to react like that? She sincerely hoped nothing terrible had happened. Well, aside from his aunt magically finding herself floating over a whole county.
She checked the time; it was almost eleven in the evening and she doubted her parents would be happy if she asked now to go stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a bit. She doubted they'd have any issues - they quite liked that she was friends with Harry as it made them look good, some witches and wizards were still suspicious of their affiliation with the Dark Lord.
She briefly thought about keeping Hedwig overnight and sending a response with, hopefully, confirmation, in the morning, but then remembered that the owl was the only company Harry would have.
Pulling a spare scrap of parchment from the desk in her draw, Gwen scribbled down a quick response.
Hi Harry,
Hope you're OK. I'm gonna need a proper explanation because I can't even imagine what you mean when you say your aunt was 'floating over Surrey'. Seriously, that's one of the strangest things I've ever heard.
Anyway, it's late, and I was gonna send this in the morning, but I thought it best that you have Hedwig back to keep you company for a bit. I'll send Orion tomorrow to let you know if I can come.
I'm glad you liked your gift.
Love, Gwen x
She sealed the note in a small envelope and gave it to Hedwig. The owl nuzzled into her hand in thanks for the food, then spread her snowy white wings and disappeared into the night sky.
It would be almost two weeks before Gwen was able to join Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. Although her parents had agreed the following day, they wanted her to stay with them for a bit longer. Gwen suspected it was her mother's choice to make her stay at home. Although Gwen's mind was still plagued with the memories of Tom Riddle, it got easier every day to slowly distance herself from the experience, and her mother was likely monitoring her every day. If what Eddie had said about their parents being Legilimens was true, her mother was probably looking into her mind to see how the night terrors were affecting her.
Finally, she found herself with her trunk packed, standing by the fireplace saying goodbye to her mother.
'You'll write to me, won't you?' she said, hugging Gwen in a surprisingly affectionate way.
'Yes, of course.'
'Especially if anything happens?'
'Yes, Mum. I'll be fine.'
Her mother pulled back, surveying Gwen's eyes.
'Stop changing them,' she said.
Swallowing down a slight sensation of guilt, Gwen allowed her eyes to change from her preferred green to her natural icy blue. Her mother's eyes.
Enola smiled. 'Much better.'
They stood in silence for a moment, before Gwen turned and stepped into the fireplace. She took a handful of floo powder, announced her destination, and disappeared into the emerald green flames, her mother's face fading behind the fire.
The Leaky Cauldron was unchanged since she'd last been there. It was an historic pub, Gwen guessed at least five hundred years old, with rickety tables and chairs and lit by old oil lamps. The ceilings were low and held up by dark beams of wood, the only difference being that these beams were plastered with images of Sirius Black.
Gwen stepped out of the fireplace, hauling her trunk with her and approached the bar. As usual, Tom was the only bartender.
'Been a while, Everill,' he said as he noticed her. He was pouring a pint of butterbeer for a very old looking wizard with a shaggy white beard. She smiled.
'I've got a room booked,' she said, leaning her trunk against the front of the bar.
Tom nodded, taking payment from the wizard, then came round the bar. 'Follow me.'
Gwen's room was as old as the pub itself. She had a four poster bed with a sheer curtain hanging from the frame. The bedsheets were white with a fur blanket placed at the end. She had her own en suite and the shuttered windows looked out over the cobbled street of Diagon Alley.
Tom gave her a key to the room then left her to unpack. Orion was already perched on the window sill when they'd entered and was picking at the food that was laid out in a bowl for him on the dressing table.
Gwen began to unpack her things; she would be staying there for just over a week before she would be boarding the train to get back to Hogwarts, and she wondered if it was even worth fully unpacking. She did so anyway; she might as well make herself at home.
When she was done, she knocked on the door to Harry's room. Tom had told her which room he was staying in, but there was no answer. She decided to wander down to Diagon Alley, hoping to find him somewhere down there. With the massive selection of magical stores lining the cobbled street, her best bet at finding her friend would be down there.
She was right. Harry was sat at a table outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop, a huge strawberry sundae on the table in front of him, writing on some parchment with his quill and some textbooks laid out beside him.
Gwen approached. 'Fancy seeing you here.'
Harry looked up, his green eyes bright as he saw her, jumping up to give her a hug. 'Gwen! It's good to see you.'
'And you,' she said, taking the seat opposite him. He was writing one of their Potion's essays. From the length of it and the ink splotches that dotted the page, he didn't seem to be getting far. 'How've you been?'
Harry shrugged. 'Better than ever. It's strange, I can get out of bed whenever I want and I can go wherever I want-- well,' he took a spoonful of his sundae. 'Fudge said I can't leave Diagon Alley, but I haven't needed or wanted to.'
Gwen nodded. That made sense, considering there was a murderer on the loose.
There was a brief silence between them.
'Well?' she said. 'You're not avoiding it, Harry.'
'Avoiding what?'
'"My aunt was floating over Surrey"?'
Harry's cheeks tinged pink. 'Oh. That.'
Gwen looked at him expectantly. He told her the whole story from start to finish, how Aunt Marge, as Harry called her, had been provoking him the whole time she'd been there, making nasty comments about Harry and his parents, calling his father a drunk and his mother a freak, and the night that it happened, Harry had lost it. She had inflated and flown out of the Dursley's house, floating over Little Whinging in Surrey until the Ministry had got to her erased her memory of the event.
'And that's when Fudge showed up,' Harry finished. 'He checked me in here and told me it was all dealt with.'
Gwen couldn't stop laughing. Her reaction made Harry's lips pull up at the corners, relieving any potential guilt he may have still been feeling. Gwen knew she shouldn't find it as funny as she did, but the image in her head of a woman, the image of Harry's Uncle Vernon inflating and flying over the tops of quiet villages in Surrey, was nothing more than hilarious to her.
'I would have paid to have seen that. Do Hermione and Ron know?'
Harry nodded. 'I told them what I told you. Ron found it hilarious, Hermione not so much.'
Hermione and Ron were both still on holiday. Ron was in Egypt with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione was still in France with her parents. She could imagine both of their reactions, Ron's being very similar to Gwen's and Hermione's being much more serious.
'That's brilliant,' she said, finally managing to calm her giggles.
The day went on, Gwen helping Harry finish his essay and Florean Fortescue offering them both a free ice cream sundae. They ate their treats as Harry finished his homework, then wandered the streets of Diagon Alley, poking their heads into several shops before filling their purses with money from Gringott's Bank.
They got out their Hogwarts letters around lunchtime, reviewing the supplies for the new year that they had to buy. Gwen showed her signed Hogsmeade form to Harry, asking if he had his signed.
His face sunk a little. 'Not yet. I doubt the Dursleys would sign it now anyway.'
'Forge the signature,' Gwen suggested. Harry shook his head.
'I'll ask Mr and Mrs Weasley if they'll do it, I think they'll know if I signed it.'
They wandered past Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Harry pulled her aside to look in the window.
'Look at this,' he said.
In the window of the shop, Gwen saw what he wanted to show her. It was impossible to miss. The new Firebolt, a sign in the window read, and Gwen found herself looking at the broom in awe. It was beautiful, erected on a large podium, standing tall and magnificent as it looked over them.
The sign read:
THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART PACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED,
SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND
HAND- NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY
SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC
PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION.
THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST.
'Price on request,' Gwen read aloud. 'I don't want to imagine how much that costs.'
'That's what I thought,' said Harry.
As much as Gwen's impulsive side was screaming at her to go in and ask, she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to resist buying the broomstick. It was beautiful and she'd never wanted to buy a broom so much in her whole life. Yet she knew that her Nimbus 2001, while not so magnificent, was in brilliant condition and it had never failed her so far when playing Quidditch.
She found herself having to tear her eyes away with great effort, and the two of them continued down the street. Gwen and Harry both silently agreed with a glance at each other that they would be coming back to see the broom again.