But the next day, Ron perked up again.
He didn't sleep in like usual. Before dawn, he had already washed up and gotten dressed. Hugging Scabbers, he curled up on the living room sofa, startling Molly when she came downstairs later.
"Merlin's socks, Ron, what are you doing hiding here?"
Ron stammered and tried to brush it off until the twins, who had gotten up early to tidy the garden, walked in—then the truth came out.
"Ron's buttering up Vaughn!"
"Yep, we overheard yesterday—Vaughn said he'd give him a new wand as an early Christmas gift."
"Excellent memory, George. Seems our silly little brother isn't completely dumb. He knows how to show respect to a sponsor."
"But he's still not honest enough, Fred. He didn't even dare tell Mum!"
"Exactly, George. That useless self-esteem of his."
The twins snickered and teased, making Ron so furious that he stormed out of the house.
Vaughn was woken up by their laughter.
When he got up, the sun had already crept past White Stoat Mountain, casting golden stripes of light through the window. Ginny was still fast asleep in his arms.
She had come in last night with a storybook, and Vaughn had read her fairy tales for nearly an hour before coaxing her to sleep.
That was part of why the two were so close. Bill and Charlie had left home for work early on, Percy never had the patience for anything that wasn't academic, and Fred and George were as wild as monkeys.
Only Ron and Vaughn would tell Ginny stories. But Ron only shared the ones he liked—so Ginny had long since lost interest in him!
Vaughn got up, dressed, and opened the window. Outside, old Errol was flapping his worn wings, hopping through weeds and bushes, flushing out goblins—foot-tall, brown-skinned creatures with oversized heads, thin limbs, and bodies like walking potatoes.
The twins zipped back and forth across the sky on brooms, chasing after the goblins Errol had startled. They spun them wildly before tossing them far into the wilderness.
Only the goblins' fading screams and the twins' delighted laughter were left behind.
"These two seem like they can turn anything into fun." Vaughn chuckled and shook his head. Then he turned back to the bed and gently picked up Ginny.
The little girl stirred, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and yawned. "Vaughn?"
"I'm going to Diagon Alley, Ginny. You need to go back to your room and rest."
"Mmm… I want… a chocolate frog…"
"Okay, I'll bring you one when I come back."
As he carried her downstairs, they ran into their mother, who had just come up to call them.
"Oh—look at my little sweethearts, my precious ones." Molly's broad frame enveloped them in warmth. Wiping her eyes, she said, "Mum is so happy to see you two love each other so much. Vaughn, you're always so thoughtful—looking after Ginny, and now buying Ron a new wand… Though to be honest, I think the old one is still fine!"
Downstairs, Ron heard her voice and dashed over, panicking.
He clutched Scabbers so tightly that it nearly crushed the poor rat. He was terrified that Vaughn would lose his temper and take back the gift after hearing what their mother said.
But Vaughn only glanced at him and replied, "It's fine, Mum. It's just seven Galleons. Besides, using a hand-me-down wand could hold him back in his studies."
Seven… seven Galleons… just? Ron felt like he'd been dunked in a tub of lemon juice—sour to his very core.
Molly knew Vaughn was well-off, so she didn't press further. Vaughn and Ron were both her sons, and she loved them equally. Though she didn't like Ron accepting money from his brother, she couldn't say no if Vaughn offered out of goodwill.
She had always felt a bit guilty that Ron had to make do with secondhand things. And Vaughn had a point—using someone else's wand could indeed affect learning.
Molly carried Ginny back to her room.
Vaughn freshened up and ate breakfast with Ron. Once it was nearly time to go, Molly brought over a flower pot filled with fine, shimmering gray-white powder from the fireplace and said:
"Vaughn, you've used Floo powder before, so you know how. Ron, you haven't. You need to watch your brother closely. Speak clearly and firmly: Diagon Alley. Got it?"
"Got it, Mum!" Ron was bouncing with excitement, his ears turning red.
Molly handed the pot to Vaughn, who frowned. He had always disliked this method—it left ash on clothes and hair.
But since he hadn't learned to Apparate yet, he had no choice.
Vaughn grabbed a handful of powder, stepped into the fireplace, and threw it down with force, shouting, "Diagon Alley!"
Whoosh!
A burst of green flames shot up.
Vaughn felt like he'd been stuffed into a washing machine. He was stretched long and thin, spinning wildly as distorted images swirled around him.
After a few dizzying seconds, he stumbled out, shaking his head to clear the fog, brushing ash off himself in disgust while looking around.
It was a closed-off alley with several fireplaces built into the dark brick wall. Green flames blazed one after another as witches and wizards stepped out, many of them with children, likely families who had just received their Hogwarts letters and were here for supplies.
Vaughn didn't linger. A moment later, green flames erupted behind him again, and Ron tumbled out, covered in ash, landing right at Vaughn's feet.
"Ron, what a grand entrance!" Vaughn laughed, pulling him up.
Ron was too dazed to respond. It wasn't until Molly appeared, brushed him off, and guided the two of them out of the alley and into the bustling heart of Diagon Alley that he snapped back to his senses.
The cobbled street stretched far into the distance, lined with witches and wizards in pointed hats.
Shops flanked both sides, their glass-paneled windows filled with colorful wares. Sunlight streamed down through gaps in the buildings, making everything gleam.
The shop closest to the alley had just opened. A couple of wizards were leading out a boy whose hair kept changing color with every chew of his gum.
Ron's eyes widened—he'd spotted the sign: Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop.
Fred and George's favorite store.
He'd heard them rave about it countless times. He'd dreamed about visiting it more than once. As he stood there, half-dazed, he heard Vaughn say beside him, "Ron, welcome to Diagon Alley."
And at that moment, another voice behind them echoed,
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."