Mrs. Weasley's warm, eager gaze left Douglas Holmes with no room to refuse her invitation. He'd planned to slip away to the Leaky Cauldron, and it was clear Percy had little interest in browsing shops either. So, the two set off together, chatting about the years that had gone by—Percy sharing stories from Hogwarts, Douglas listening with genuine affection.
As they passed Flourish and Blotts, a sizable crowd caught their attention. Above the bookstore hung a massive banner:
'Gilderoy Lockhart—Autograph Session for "Magical Me"
Today, 12:30–4:30 PM'
Nearly everyone in line seemed to be Mrs. Weasley's age, and a tired-looking wizard at the door was pleading, "Ladies… ladies… please, keep calm—no pushing, please…"
Through the bobbing heads, Douglas spotted Mr. Slane right at the front. With Percy in tow, he squeezed through the throng and clapped a hand on Slane's shoulder.
"I thought you'd be back in your office, poring over manuscripts…"
Slane jumped, spun around, and relaxed when he saw Douglas.
"Not a chance! This is a rare learning opportunity. Who knows—maybe I'll be hosting my own book signing one day. See that fellow next to Lockhart? That's Jarvis, his editor…
Honestly, I thought you weren't the type for this sort of chaos. But it's good you're here—always worth picking up a few tricks. If you ever held a signing, I guarantee the turnout would dwarf this lot… You have no idea how devoted your fans—what's the matter?"
Though Slane had lowered his voice, Percy, who'd been trailing close by, had clearly caught the gist. Douglas noticed Percy's wide-eyed stare and quickly cut Slane off before he could say more.
He introduced them, "Percy, this is my good friend, Mr. Slane. Slane, meet Percy Weasley."
But Percy was too stunned to greet Slane properly.
"Boss, you write books too? What are they called? Why haven't I ever seen them?"
Slane raised an eyebrow at Douglas, clearly amused by Percy's choice of address. Douglas shot him a warning glare—he knew exactly what Slane was up to. The man was always looking for a loophole, hoping to "accidentally" reveal Douglas's author identity without technically breaking their contract. That way, he could finally organize the grand book signings he dreamed of.
Maybe I should've made him swear an Unbreakable Vow, Douglas thought wryly.
Not that it mattered much anymore. Once, he'd worried that too much fame in the wizarding world might draw the wrong kind of attention—especially from a resurrected Voldemort. But now, as a Hogwarts professor, a showdown with Voldemort was inevitable… as long as he could rack up ten thousand points before the year's end and break that curse.
Douglas leaned down, smiling at Percy.
"This isn't the place for that conversation. I'll have Slane send you a full set of my books later. I bet Bill and Charlie never passed along the sets I gave them, did they? But you have to promise—keep it between us!"
He straightened, glancing up at the life-sized magical photos of Lockhart winking theatrically at the crowd, dazzling white teeth on display. The real Lockhart, resplendent in a forget-me-not blue robe that matched his eyes, was every bit as flamboyant as his portraits.
Douglas nudged Slane with his elbow.
"Tell me—do you think I'd look good if I carried on like that?"
Slane gave him a sidelong glance, genuinely puzzled.
"You don't think that looks good?"
Douglas nearly groaned. All the more reason to keep writing under a pen name—he had no desire to become a peacock like Lockhart, strutting for the world's applause.
He squeezed his way to the counter, purchased a set of first-year textbooks, and worked his way back out.
Slane eyed the books curiously.
"Who are those for, then?"
Before Douglas could answer, Percy blurted out, "Boss, are those for Ginny? Did you trick Mum?"
Douglas handed the books to Percy, clapping him on the shoulder with mock gravity.
"Percy, have you forgotten all those little stories I used to tell you? This isn't trickery—it's just phrasing things so the other person can accept a gift with a clear conscience. Just don't let it slip, alright?"
Slane gave a theatrical snort.
"Hmph! That's a politician's trick if ever I saw one. Don't go corrupting the boy. No wonder you can write those novels—you know every angle. Honestly, it's a shame you aren't running for Minister for Magic…"
They were still bantering when Mrs. Weasley hurried over, Ginny in tow. On the other side, Arthur Weasley was approaching with a couple—clearly the Grangers—from the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.
Douglas bid farewell to Slane, who remained behind, soaking up every detail of the event. He and Percy wriggled free of the crowd, just in time for Mrs. Weasley to press Ginny into their care. She snatched a copy of Magical Me from the shelf and dashed off to join the signing queue.
Percy dropped the textbooks into Ginny's cauldron. Moments later, Arthur and the Grangers joined them.
"Douglas! All finished? I was hoping we could chat—Mr. and Mrs. Granger were just telling me about Muggle cars. Fascinating stuff!"
Before Douglas could reply, Ginny piped up, hoisting her cauldron.
"Dad, Professor Holmes gave me a new set of textbooks!"
Percy added, "And Mum's invited Boss to dinner tonight, to celebrate him becoming a Hogwarts professor."
Mr. Weasley didn't bat an eye at Percy's nickname for Douglas—he'd heard it often enough at the Burrow. He glanced at the shiny new books in Ginny's cauldron and, learning that Molly had already made arrangements, nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, of course!"
At that moment, the couple beside them spoke up hesitantly.
"Excuse us—sorry to interrupt. Did Mr. Weasley say you're a professor at Hogwarts?"
Mr. Weasley slapped his forehead, smiling.
"Nearly forgot! This is our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Douglas Holmes. And these are the Grangers—Hermione's parents. The ones we met outside Gringotts. They're Muggles…"
Arthur knew Douglas's background well enough not to mince words.
Seeing the Grangers trying to keep their composure in the magical world, Douglas gave them a conspiratorial wink.
"No need to be nervous. I'm Muggle-born too—just like Hermione."
At his words, the Grangers visibly relaxed. Even with Arthur's company, they'd sensed a certain tension from some wizards. But hearing that Douglas had come from the same world as their daughter—and had even become a professor at Hogwarts—made everything seem just a little less daunting.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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