It was as if everyone had forgotten about the five families altogether.
On Christmas Eve, Lockhart appeared at Silverhand Publishing.
That single move sent the already-gathered crowd of women into shrieks of excitement.
Dressed in an elegant brown outfit that accentuated his mature charm, Lockhart even held a pipe in his hand.
"Don't be afraid, for I am here."
He stepped before the sea of readers and delivered that classic line spoken by the great wizard Lockhart in his books.
The screams instantly surged by several more decibels.
Even the snow on the eaves was shaken loose.
Mrs. Weasley was among the crowd.
Watching their mother scream like that, Ron and Harry both shot Lockhart a look filled with pure disdain.
They genuinely couldn't understand what was so appealing about him.
Mrs. Weasley hadn't wanted to bring them along at first, but Ron used the excuse that he was going to help the twins at their shop.
The twins' store was making absurd amounts of money—so much so that they were already planning to buy a shop in Hogsmeade and open a branch.
And it hadn't even been a full year since they'd started working.
The massive profits made even poor Ron feel a mix of envy and jealousy.
Harry, on the other hand, didn't feel much at all. He'd never really had a clear concept of money to begin with.
"Where did Ginny go?" Harry was more concerned about Ginny and asked Ron.
Ron glanced around, didn't see her, and said casually, "Probably went to George and Fred's shop?"
He didn't think his sister could possibly go missing.
After all, Ginny was very much her mother's daughter—a little lioness no one dared provoke.
Ever since the last time he'd held Ginny's hand, Harry had felt something strange lingering in his chest.
But he had to restrain himself. Ginny was Dean's girlfriend, and he wasn't shameless like Blaise.
He deceived himself into thinking it was just a sense of responsibility toward a friend's younger sister.
Maybe that made him feel a little better.
Mr. Weasley was extremely busy—so busy that even on Christmas Eve, he still had to go to the Ministry.
The disappearance of the five families had left everyone in the Order of the Phoenix uneasy.
Barty Crouch Sr. announced that Voldemort was responsible, claiming it was retaliation against Death Eater families who had failed to appear when summoned.
But anyone with clear eyes knew that Voldemort might be brutal, yet he wouldn't wipe out five families in one stroke.
The subsequent distribution of profits allowed them to vaguely guess who was behind it.
But they couldn't be certain.
Someone about the same age as their own children had wiped out five families overnight with thunderous force.
Even those who knew John's identity found it hard to believe—let alone those who didn't.
Kingsley was gathering information in the Auror Office, and the others weren't idle either.
Old Jack returned to the werewolf community. They all knew what had happened.
Their reliance on Johnny Silverhand only deepened.
Heading to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they indeed found Ginny inside.
Ginny was explaining the effects of the Daydream Charm to a Hufflepuff girl.
After listening, the girl walked away blushing, and a moment later returned to buy one before leaving.
George said, "Daym!! Ginny, you should go into business with us!"
"Yeah, we can give you shares," Fred added, slinging an arm around his sister's shoulders with a coaxing grin.
Ron came over, face dark, and threatened, "Mum would skin you alive if she knew."
"Mum wouldn't skin us," George said, pulling a face.
"Mum would only skin you, ickle Ronniekins."
Fred used Ron's childhood nickname, making Ron itch to hex his mouth shut.
Ron asked, "Harry, how does that spell of yours go again?"
"Tongue-Tying Curse?" Harry replied.
"What's that?" George asked. "Doesn't sound like a very nice bit of magic."
Ginny snorted. "Harry, are you still practicing the spells from that book?"
Even Fred looked surprised. "What book? Harry, you haven't stumbled onto some dodgy magical item, have you?"
"It's nothing," Harry said vaguely.
Fred didn't let it go. "Harry, spells of unknown origin could be Dark magic."
"Oh, come on," Ron said dismissively. "You're just trying to scare him."
Seeing his brother's attitude, Fred scowled.
Truth be told, Harry thought much the same way. Hermione had said those handwritten spells might be Dark magic the Ministry didn't allow, but he didn't see them as good or bad.
After all, he'd already used that ridiculous toe-growing curse to teach Crabbe a lesson.
They were there to help out, so they didn't linger in idle chatter.
Ron did have some complaints—he'd wanted to come out and have fun, only to end up actually working.
"Stop grumbling," George said. "Give that chubby fellow over there a bag of Fire-Dragon Roasted Chestnuts."
Ron had no choice but to go over and scoop out chestnuts roasted by the fire-dragon model, one by one.
They were so hot that he even blistered a patch of skin.
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was packed with customers. Especially after the Quidditch match, many people who'd seen the shop's gadgets in action kept streaming in without pause.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Harry and the others finally got a break.
The twins once again felt that they should post recruitment notices at Hogwarts—hire a few graduates at low wages.
"All right, I need to make a trip to Knockturn Alley," George said, winking at Ginny. "I'll leave this place to you."
"Knockturn Alley?" Ron's interest was instantly piqued. He hurried over. "Please—don't make me keep being the bloody fire-dragon chestnut guy."
"Well," George snorted, "you could always consider being a Daydream Charm salesperson?"
Ron's face immediately flushed red. Harry also wanted to go to Knockturn Alley.
He'd never officially set foot there before, and it was a place Mrs. Weasley had explicitly forbidden them from going near.
Ginny joined in as well. The three of them wheedled and pleaded until George finally relented.
Very unfairly, they dumped all the work onto Fred.
Fred's loud protests echoed behind them.
Knockturn Alley wasn't anything like what Harry had imagined.
Especially for Harry—he had once wandered into Knockturn Alley by accident and had only gotten out because John took him away.
Back then, the alley hadn't had roads this wide.
Staring at the transformed Knockturn Alley, Harry and Ron both widened their eyes.
"Did John do all this?" Harry murmured.
George led them smoothly through the Inverted Garden that lay between Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley.
They made their way to a building with Tin Trunk written on it. George was here to pick up supplies.
A bald man came out, smiling broadly. "George, same as usual?"
"Add twenty more Diagon Alley team uniforms."
The bald man nodded in agreement. From the way they spoke, it was clear they were on good terms.
Harry and Ron also wanted to wander around Knockturn Alley.
Ginny was drawn to a silver eggshell displayed by a nearby witch.
After the two of them stepped out of Tin Trunk, Harry said, "I remember this place used to be Borgin and Burkes."
He pointed in a direction and happened to see someone walking inside.
"Percy?" Harry froze, then quickly tugged on Ron's sleeve.
Ron saw it too—Percy was entering the most luxurious shop in the area.
They whispered among themselves, wondering what Percy was doing here.
Just as they were debating whether to go over, George smacked the backs of their heads from behind.
"What, thinking of checking out the Johnny Silverhand specialty store?"
Having snagged a licorice wand from the bald man, George handed it to Ginny.
"That's Johnny Silverhand's place?" Harry asked. It was his first time seeing it, and John immediately came to mind.
Maybe Percy had gone to look for John.
With his business finished, George got ready to leave. Just then, he saw Percy coming out of the Johnny Silverhand specialty store.
Percy noticed them and turned to walk over.
"Ginny, George," Percy greeted them as he came up.
Ron was distinctly displeased—his name hadn't been mentioned at all.
George said theatrically, "Oh my Merlin, it's Director Percy."
Percy was already used to his antics.
When he saw Ginny, the sternness on his face softened a little.
"I came here to pick out some gifts for the family." He took two gift boxes out of a blue, spotted paper bag.
Ginny was delighted.
Percy looked at his sister, then suddenly shifted his gaze to Ron.
"I heard from Draco that you bullied Ginny?"
Percy's expression was anything but friendly, making Ron freeze.
It had been a while, and Ron had almost forgotten about it.
But Percy hadn't.
Malfoy had described everything Ron had said to him in detail—possibly with a bit of embellishment—but Ron had indeed cursed at Ginny.
"Don't blame others for what you yourself can't manage," Percy said stiffly, lecturing him. "Work on improving yourself."
That immediately set Ron off. What right did someone from the Constellation Society have to lecture him?
But very quickly, Ron realized that besides being his brother, Percy was also a genuinely capable wizard.
Ron's eyebrows turned white, and he felt his height shrink.
If Ron hadn't been Percy's brother, he would have had to leave Knockturn Alley carried out sideways today.
"Don't you dare bully Ginny at school. Got it?"
Percy left those words behind and turned to walk away.
George patted Ron on the head, grinning. "Look on the bright side—at least he didn't turn you into a dwarf permanently."
Ron fumed in helpless rage.
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