"How about I go talk to her, let you guys replace Tonks and Sirius." Kael suggested, "Or I could just go to Dumbledore directly."
"Forget it, forget it..."
"No need..."
"We were just joking, why did you take it seriously!"
...
Ten minutes later, Ron came over and knocked on the door, telling them it was time for lunch.
"What were you guys talking about in there?" Ron asked suspiciously, looking at the three of them.
"Nothing much."
"None of your business," Fred said, "Mind your own business."
"You better focus on taking care of that girl."
"What's her name again... Lavender?"
"It's a pity her eyesight's so bad at such a young age, actually thinking you're... handsome?"
"You peeked at my letter!" Ron's face turned red instantly.
"Don't misunderstand, we don't have that habit," George said earnestly, "You read the letter aloud in your sleep, and you were really loud."
"If you don't believe us, you can ask Harry."
"By the way, you didn't memorize the whole letter, did you?"
Then, they began to recite it with great emotion.
"Ro-Ro, why is this holiday so long..."
"Ro-Ro..."
Fred and George seemed to have a talent; once they started, Kael felt a shiver run down his spine.
And as for Ron, his face was so red it was almost smoking, he shouted loudly, "Enough, you two, shut up!"
He knocked things over in a desperate attempt to throw things at them, a candy, a multi-tool, two Sickles...all from Ron's pocket.
But Fred just lazily waved his wand, turning everything into paper airplanes.
Oh, except the Sickles, one for him and one for George, just right.
"That's all my pocket money!" Ron shouted resentfully.
"You threw it over yourself."
"We thought you didn't want it."
"It's all your fault!" Ron said angrily, "Just wait until I'm seventeen..."
"I trust you'll use some unprecedented magic to stun us," Fred said, waving his hand, "Let's go, George, Kael."
They squeezed past Ron and headed to the dining room.
Lunch was stewed beef and mashed potatoes, and Mrs. Weasley kept filling Conna's plate as if afraid she wouldn't get enough to eat.
"In the afternoon you can go back to school with Harry and them, the time is five o'clock." After lunch, Mrs. Weasley said, "Before that you can sit and chat, or play around in the house for a while."
"No." Kael shook his head and said, "We need to buy something in Diagon Alley."
"Diagon Alley?" Mrs. Weasley frowned, "But everyone else is busy right now. I can't let you go alone, it's too dangerous..."
"It's fine, we'll go." Fred immediately stood up and said:
"It just so happens we need to go to the shop, too. We can take them along."
"You?" Mrs. Weasley was still a bit uneasy, but there didn't seem to be a better option at the moment.
"Alright then, how will you get there, Apparition?"
"No, we'll take a carriage." Kael said
...
"I saw Mr. Malfoy, just ten days ago." Kreacher said at the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"Are you sure it was him?" Kael asked.
"Kreacher saw clearly, Master Kael," the little elf said, "That was Mr. Malfoy."
"Just as expected."
They arrived outside the shop.
"Malfoy surely knows the other Vanishing Cabinet is here," Fred said.
"I need to go to Knockturn Alley to make sure the items are still there," Kael said.
"No way, that's too dangerous," George frowned, "Mom asked us to protect you, so we're going with you."
"What protection, you guys are just interested yourselves," Kael directly exposed their excuse.
"Besides, have you ever seen anyone shop in the Dark Arts Items Shop with a companion? I'd actually be safer alone."
Kael glanced at Conna still in the shop, then transformed his clothes into a wide hooded cloak, ignoring Fred and George's protests, and flashed to the entrance of Knockturn Alley.
...
Diagon Alley was much quieter now, and even more so here. The street was empty, and the stalls that once sold poisons and all kinds of strange items were all gone, likely moved elsewhere.
After all, in these dangerous and suspicious times, no one would risk being spotted by an Auror to come here and buy any Dark Arts items.
There was only a ragged person sitting not far from the entrance, also wearing a hood, making it impossible to see his face.
As Kael walked past, he vaguely smelled a faint scent of blood; his intuition told him this person was very dangerous.
Turning back was definitely not an option now, as it would be tantamount to admitting his intentions. Kael could only continue to walk forward pretending to be calm, while keeping his hand tightly gripped on his wand inside his sleeve.
As he passed the stranger, the person lifted his head, revealing a pair of eerie brown eyes and the subtle sound of swallowing.
Luckily, he didn't seem intent on causing trouble, just glanced and lowered his head again.
Still, Kael didn't let down his guard, continuing to hold onto his wand and walking cautiously forward until he reached the door of the biggest shop in the street.
Borgin and Burkes, this place was just as empty, with Borgin sitting behind the counter, bored to death, dozing off.
Kael adjusted the hood on his head, making sure it covered his face before entering.