"Thanks for getting me out of there, George."
Harry let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for ten minutes. The transition from the oppressive gloom of Knockturn Alley to the sun-drenched chaos of Diagon Alley was jarring but welcome. If George hadn't intercepted him, Harry was convinced one of those hags would have turned him into soup.
"Harry! Harry!"
A girl with bushy brown hair and large front teeth came sprinting through the crowd, practically vibrating with anxiety.
"It's so good to see you! But look at you—you're covered in soot! And your glasses!"
"Good to see you too, Hermione," Harry grinned, adjusting his cracked frames. "Had a bit of a Floo powder accident."
"An accident? Honestly. Here—Oculus Reparo!"
Hermione whipped out her wand and tapped the bridge of his nose. Instantly, the cracks sealed themselves, and the lenses sparkled as if brand new.
"I really need to learn that one," Harry muttered, impressed. Despite surviving a face-off with Voldemort, his household charm game was still weak.
George watched with equal interest. Reparo. It wasn't just for glasses. Master that spell, and you could fix a collapsed building. In the Marvel Universe, where collateral damage was a daily weather forecast, a high-level repair service could make him a millionaire overnight.
"And who is this?" Hermione asked, turning her sharp gaze onto George.
"Oh, right. Hermione, this is George. He saved me from Knockturn Alley. George, this is Hermione Granger."
George extended a hand, smiling with practiced charm.
"A pleasure, Miss Granger. Harry didn't mention his friend was the smartest witch in her year."
Hermione blushed pink, shaking his hand vigorously. "Oh! Well, I don't know about smartest, but I do read a lot. Nice to meet you, George."
Flattery: the universal key to the Granger heart.
"Well, Harry, since you're safe with your friend, I'll be off. See you at Hogwarts."
George waved and turned back toward the shadowy archway of Knockturn Alley.
First impressions were delicate. Linger too long, and you look desperate. Leave early, and you look mysterious. Besides, he had no interest in stopping Lucius Malfoy from planting Tom Riddle's diary on Ginny Weasley.
That diary was a Horcrux. It possessed people. Even with his telepathy, George wasn't arrogant enough to wrestle with a piece of Voldemort's soul. Let the canon play out. It was a necessary crucible for Harry, and chaos was a ladder for George.
"He seems nice," Hermione said, watching George disappear into the shadows. "I don't recognize him from school, though."
"He's a first year," Harry explained. "Starting this term."
"A first year? But he seemed so... grown up."
Back at Merton's Apothecary, George found his entrance blocked by a mountain.
A figure stood at his door, so massive he blotted out the sun. He was at least eleven feet tall, with a mane of tangled black hair and a beard that could hide a family of badgers.
Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
George had to crane his neck back just to see the man's face. The sheer biology of it, he thought, marveling at the half-giant. Mr. Hagrid Senior must have been the bravest man who ever lived.
"Can I help you, sir?" George asked.
The giant turned. Seeing a small, skinny boy, his beetle-black eyes crinkled in a friendly smile.
"Sorry, lad. I was lookin' for some Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent. Heard this place stocks the strong stuff, but it looks shut."
His voice was a deep rumble that vibrated in George's chest.
"Mr. Merton passed away recently," George said, unlocking the door. "I run the shop now. Come in. I know exactly what you need."
He ducked inside, Hagrid having to squeeze sideways through the frame.
George went straight to the counter. Thanks to Dorian's memories, he knew the inventory by heart. He pulled down a dusty amber bottle.
"Standard repulsion draft. Works on Flesh-Eating Slugs, but also Cabbage Worms and Bundimun."
"That's the ticket!" Hagrid beamed, his large hands engulfing the bottle. "Me cabbages have been gettin' decimated. How much?"
"Fourteen Sickles," George said.
Hagrid blinked. He dug a massive hand into his mole-skin coat and pulled out a fistful of coins. "That's... cheap. Expected two Galleons at least for the Knockturn stuff."
"call it a 'New Student Discount'," George lied smoothly, dropping the silver into the till. "I'm starting Hogwarts this year. I'm in a good mood."
He knew Hagrid. The man was simple, loyal, and obsessed with dangerous creatures. With George's telepathy allowing him to communicate with animals, a friendship with Hagrid was a strategic goldmine. Access to the Forbidden Forest? Rare magical creature eggs? Free combat pets?
Yes, please.
"Is that a fact?" Hagrid's smile widened beneath his beard. "Well then! I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Gamekeeper at Hogwarts. If yeh ever need anything—or just want a cup o' tea and some rock cakes—come down to me hut. Don't be a stranger, eh?"