Chapter 19: First Diagon Alley Visit
The Burrow
Ronald Bilius Weasley
July 15, 1989, Saturday
After three hours of playing Hightower (Jenga), Ron, noticing that it was almost noon, turned to Bill, who was preparing for a new game, and said, "Bill, what do you think? I think these games could be sold in the wizarding community."
"Yes. I think this game could be sold easily. I don't know about the others, though," Bill said, his voice more relaxed than serious. He probably took it as a question asked during the game.
At this, Ron placed his hands on the table, interlocked his fingers, and spoke in a slightly more serious tone. "You can be sure that the others are just as much fun as this game. So, do you think you can help me?"
Hearing Ron's more serious tone, Bill turned his gaze from the tower under construction to Ron and, seeing his serious demeanor, realized it was time to discuss important matters rather than play games.
But for a moment, he couldn't help but question who was the adult and who was the child here. Apparently, he would have to take this situation more seriously to maintain his charisma.
"What do you need me to do, Ron?" Bill asked.
"First, you need to help me convince our parents that I should make and sell these games. We can't do anything without their permission," Ron said.
Bill thought for a moment and said, "I think it would be better if we didn't tell our parents first. If we talk to them after you've sold these games and made some money, it will be easier to convince them."
Bill's answer surprised Ron somewhat.
Frankly, Ron would also prefer to prove his success first before talking to his family. But he knew that attempting something like this on his own would definitely backfire.
His mother and father would certainly do everything in their power to prevent it from happening again if they found out he had run away from home to sell his games.
But if Bill, an adult, were by his side, things would be completely different. What surprised Ron most was that Bill was spontaneously offering something that might incur their mother's wrath.
Ron, however, remembered that Bill had always been open to new ideas and never shied away from taking responsibility.
"Are you sure, Bill? Won't our parents be mad at us later?" Ron asked, just to be sure.
"Haha. Don't worry, Ron. As long as I'm with you, I don't think they'll be mad. But whether they'll allow it is another matter. Now, you said this was the first thing. What else do you need?" Bill said.
"Oh. I need to talk to a solicitor. Please research and gather information on reliable solicitors and their fees. And if possible, it would be good if you could focus on Muggle-born and half-blood ones." Ron said.
"Solicitor? Why do you need a solicitor?" Bill asked.
"I need legal advice on what I need to do before putting these products up for sale. You know, to avoid getting bogged down in patents, permits, copyrights, and things like that." Ron said.
"Do you really need to talk to a solicitor about this? Why don't we just find someone to buy your games and make a deal with them?" Bill said.
"Because I don't want others copying my games, stealing their names, or facing hefty fines later for not having permission from the Ministry. Believe me, Bill, if what I've read is true, getting into things without legal advice is a very bad decision," Ron said.
"I guess you're right. It makes sense to get advice from professionals before getting into something," Bill said, then added, "Why do you want the solicitor to be Muggle-born or half-blood?"
"Actually, rather than them being Muggle-born or half-blood, I need someone who knows about the Muggle business. And I don't trust the knowledge of purebloods in that area," Ron said.
"Hmm… Why do you need them to know about the Muggle business?" he asked again. He was really struggling to understand what Ron was thinking.
"I saw in the Muggle newspapers our father read that Muggles used different concepts for businesses. I want to ask someone knowledgeable about this," said Ron.
"I see... Well, I understand what you need. And frankly, it's not too difficult. I think I can go to Diagon Alley, do some research, and find good solicitors. I think I'll be back with the information you want by evening," Bill said, and prepared to stand up.
But Ron's next question stopped him, causing him to look at Ron.
"Diagon Alley? Can I come with you?" Ron asked.
"Uh... Ron, I'll probably have to go to a lot of places to gather the information you want. It'll be faster if I go alone," Bill said.
"You don't need to drag me everywhere with you. Actually, I wanted to stop by Flourish and Blotts to look at some books. I can wait there until you come back. Then, based on the information you've gathered, we can decide on a solicitor and talk to them. That way we can get our business done today," Ron said.
Bill seemed hesitant. He probably didn't want to leave Ron alone somewhere.
"Come on, Bill. I'm almost out of books to read. Staying home is getting really boring," Ron said.
"Huh? You've finished all the Hogwarts books?" Bill asked in surprise.
"Yes," said Ron.
"We'll ask Mom. If she allows it, you can come with me," Bill said, standing up. Then he added, "Come, let's ask Mom."
"Wait a minute," Ron said to Bill, then turned to Little Merlin and spoke. "Little Merlin, pack up the game."
At Ron's command, the blocks of the newly constructed Hightower tower flew up and were rearranged back into their box. Then the box closed, and with it, Little Merlin disappeared.
Then Ron levitated the three games, carrying them back into the chest waiting in the corner of his room. He then approached the chest, closed the lid, and applied a Shrinking Charm, reducing it to the size of a keychain.
When Ron lifted the shrunken chest into his hand, a binding cord was visible at the end. Ron designed this box so that when he shrank it, he could attach it to his belt.
And although it wasn't obvious, the chest contained several security spells and runes, including an Anti-theft Charm.
After all, Ron couldn't leave the chest containing his inventions unprotected. Though it only held a limited number of items.
He found it safer to keep most of them in his inventory.
After attaching the keychain-sized chest to his belt, Ron walked towards Bill and said, "Now we can go."
It didn't take long for Bill to talk to and convince their mother, Molly Weasley. They found her busy in the kitchen, and Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to read aloud to their mother from a book.
It seemed Ginny was trying to improve her reading.
Their mother didn't object to Ron going with Bill because an adult was there. But she tried to convince them to go after lunch.
However, this meant Ron and Bill would have to wait at least two or three hours, which neither of them wanted because they had a lot of work to do.
Bill refused, saying they would finish their tasks quickly and try to return by lunch. If they couldn't, they would grab a bite to eat and come for dinner.
This seemed to convince their mother, even though Ron and Bill knew they probably wouldn't make it to lunch.
When Ginny heard that Bill was going to Diagon Alley and Ron was going with him, she said she wanted to come along too, but their mother intervened, saying they would go to Lovegoods after lunch.
To avoid missing the chance to play with Luna, Ginny reluctantly decided against going with Bill and Ron.
If it were another time, Ron would have liked to go to the Lovegoods with them and meet Luna and Pandora Lovegood. Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say, "to meet again."
Although he remembered going there with his mother and Ginny before, he hadn't had the chance to go since transmigration. And it seemed he would have to pass up the first opportunity that came his way.
Ron remembered that on their previous trip to the Lovegoods, he had gone reluctantly and refused to play with Luna and Ginny. His old self had considered playing with girls embarrassing.
So, when they went to Lovegoods, he would spend the whole day sitting in a corner and eating snacks. And the old Ron didn't have a very good view of Luna either. He saw her as a bit eccentric and therefore didn't want to play with her.
'A few more things I need to change,' Ron thought.
But he would deal with that later. Now he and Bill had more pressing business to attend to.
Ron followed Bill to the fireplace. Bill used the fireplace first, then Ron entered after him, saying "Leaky Cauldron," and threw the floo powder he was holding onto the fireplace floor beneath his feet.
And, accompanied by emerald green flames, Ron arrived at Leaky Cauldron's public fireplace.
As Ron stepped out of the fireplace, Bill was waiting for him, and with a flick of his wand, Bill cleaned the soot off Ron.
"Come on, Ron, I'll drop you off at Flourish and Blotts first," said Bill, and he headed towards the secret door behind Leaky Cauldron that led to Diagon Alley.
Ron immediately followed Bill. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was excited about this visit to Diagon Alley.
There were two main reasons for this. First, although he remembered visits to Diagon Alley from his past, this would be the first time he would see it with his own eyes.
Secondly, arriving at Diagon Alley would allow him to achieve another Achievement.
As Ron stepped through the brick wall, which opened with Bill's wand (tapping three up and two across from a trash can), the familiar notification sound echoed in his ears.
-Ding
[Congratulations, Master Ronald. You have completed an Achievement: First Diagon Alley Visit.]
[You can claim your reward by going to the Achievements feature and clicking on the achievement card you've completed.]
Among the achievements, Ron classified this as minor, since its reward was only 100 galleons, much like the First Hogsmeade Visit achievement.
Although 100 galleons wasn't a small amount, Ron didn't need this type of money of unknown origin right now.
He hadn't yet used the 1000 galleons the system had given him in the starter pack, and he wouldn't be able to use them until he earned some money legitimately. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to find a reason to explain where this money came from.
Therefore, this achievement wasn't a reward that would be useful to Ron at the moment.
Nevertheless, as Ron walked alongside Bill, he accessed the system's Achievements feature, found the completed achievement, and claimed his reward. Even though he couldn't use it now, that didn't mean he couldn't use it in the future.
Soon, Ron and Bill arrived at Flourish and Blotts, and after entering, Bill warned Ron not to leave and said he would be back in an hour or two.
And if any trouble arose and he had to leave, he instructed him to go to Leaky Cauldron and stay with Tom, waiting for him there.
Ron nodded to all of Bill's instructions and promised he wouldn't leave.
After Bill left, he turned to the books in the store, but unlike his earlier innocent expression, there was a mischievous smile on his face.
Then, Ron spoke to Alfred in his mind, giving him instructions: 'Alfred. Start the scan.'
His reason for coming here today wasn't to buy a few books. It was to absorb all the books here and add them to his library.
End of Chapter 19.