Harry unceremoniously appeared in the Weasley fire place. Having only used floo powder once in the past he had not really gotten the hang of it.

"HARRY!" came Ron's happy reaction as he raced over to his mate picking him up from the floor, "are you ok?" He said as he dusted him off.

"I'm fine Ron!" Harry said giving him a hug, which meant that Ron soon found himself covered in soot but he didn't mind.

"Mum look who just came through the floo network!" Ron said happily as he put his arm around Hary's shoulder.

"Harry dear!" Molly Weasley said coming over to grab him in a big bear hug "how are you?"

"Oh hello Harry!" Arthur Weasley said entering the room, "good thing you came when you did we were about to step out for the day at diagon alley, try and see if there are some second hand book stores to relieve some of the old text books and then spend the day getting lost in Diagon Alley."

"Oh that reminds me," Harry said taking the envelope out of his pocket, "Snape said to give you this!" He handed it to Molly Weasley.

"Oh that man!" Molly said as she read the letter, "he wants us to take your clothes shopping Harry, and he has sent some money so we can go to some of the more pricier stores."

"Oh my goodness!" said Harry thinking of how Molly would feel when given money to do something for a friend. The Weasley's whilst not having very much were proud of what they had and never accepted such hand outs from anybody.

"I'll have to have a talk with him," Molly said in her mothering tone of voice.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to," Harry said embarrassed, "I'm fine."

"Nonsense!" Molly said quite elaborate, "not according to this you don't...wearing rags indeed! You know we would have...worked out something out…if you were in that much trouble. Besides who knows how to make sure that boys have clothing that fits them all year round better than me! I've had over 20 years experience!"

"I wouldn't argue with her mate," Ron said gently. Harry opened his mouth to again say that everything would be fine and he doesn't need any help but quickly closed it remembering one word Snape said to him before he left "behave".

"Come on everybody cloaks on!" Molly stated as she walked over towards the wardrobe, "here Harry, you can wear an older one of Arthurs, You really should have worn one on your way over, oh well we'll pick one up for you when we are out."

Pretty soon all of the Weasleys (and Harry) were dressed for travel and standing beside the fireplace with floo in their hands. "You go first Harry, you're the guest!" Molly said.

Harry, remembering what happened the last time, was very certain to say "Diagon Alley very clearly to the fireplace, even checking with Ron to make sure he sounded right before throwing the floo powder down.

Ron followed Harry shortly through the network and gave him a BIG hug "I'm very glad that you made it right this time," he put his hand gently against Harry's face and then turned as Ginny came through the fireplace. "Will you two lovebirds knock it off?" she asked in a teenaged molodramatic voice. Ron and Harry blushed and stepped away from each other. Not quite ready to admit to their feelings yet.

They were joined shortly by Fred and George, Molly and Arthur Weasley. Ron gave a look of "just in time..could you imagine what would happen if Fred or George saw us?" Harry smiled cautiously and nodded as if understanding what Ron was thinking completely.

"Well…first off, I will go to the second hand store," Arthur stated as he walked away, "Molly maybe you should start helping Harry find some things that he likes."

"Good idea honey," she said and she looked at Fred and George "you two, had better not be up to any mischief whilst I take Harry to see about his new wardrobe."

Molly knew that leaving the twins on their own may not be the best idea, but they had to learn some times and the twins had been begging her to let them just see the new brooms, and take a look at Zonko's joke shop. She knew that the boys could get lost in that particular store for HOURS, but leaving those two up to their own devices in a shop like that often caused them to think of many different things which led the house to be exploded, painted pink, purple and yellow polkadots, and even tested on the other children in the neighbourhood or at school.

"Ron, would you like to come with Harry and I or would you rather go with your brothers?" Molly asked gently.

Harry pleaded with him with his eyes to please not leave him alone with his mother. He never knew how things could change when left with the matriarch of the Weasley family.

"I'll stay with you mum!" Ron said happily, "after all it's nice to see Harry get some new things for a change. His relatives have never been very nice to him."

Ron was thinking about the way that his brothers had picked Harry up in their ford anglica the year before. Whilst it did give him and the boys a smarting red behind it was worth it just to get Harry away from that place which he had been taught to call home. Ron hoped that even living with the bat of the dungeons would not be like that but he would have to find out from Harry when his mother was not around as Harry was unlikely to talk openly whilst she was there.

Molly led the boys into a nearby store which Harry had not noticed before.

"This is where we go for most of the children's clothing Ron, if you see any new t-shirts that you like feel free to pick a couple as I know that you have ripped a few playing quidditch with your brothers, oh and you need some new underwear!"

"Mum!" Ron exclaimed, could she have possibly said that any louder? How embarrassing!

But Molly led the boys around the store, allowing Harry to pick out the things that looked good on him and would be considered appropriate for the potion masters son. Severus would never forgive her if Harry came back looking anything but his best. But Molly knew what stores were less expensive than others and would prefer to go to those first.

"No Ronald, that t-shirt is to expensive, try another sweetie," Molly said as he saw Ron's reaction when he noticed a particular t-shirt. Ron sadly put it back and took another one nearby which was a little less plain.

Harry picked up the t-shirt that Ron was previously holding placing it at the bottom of the clothes that he had picked up hoping that Molly wouldn't notice. He could give it to Ron later on.

Before Harry had left the shop he was carrying more than his weights worth in clothing. T-shirts and jeans, for muggle use, trousers and jumpers with a couple of lovely jackets and of course underwear for Harry and for Ron. Molly wasn't sure if Harry had enough pairs of those, but what growing boy doesn't need some more underwear at the best of times. Especially those who have an impressive talent for finding trouble and playing rough sports such as quidditch. A part of Molly never wanted to take the chance that her boys could be hurt by such a rough sport as quidditch but she knew in her heart that all boys needed a chance to expand and to grow and to play rough with each other from time to time. Molly smiled at Harry as he noticed a pair of shoes that he liked. Sometimes it was hard for Molly to remember that Harry wasn't just another one of her boys. She and Arthur felt such affection for the boy.

Molly insisted that Harry picked up a couple of pairs of shoes, after all if one got spoiled it was always worth it to have another pair. She paid for a couple of t-shirts and some undies for Ron and then saw Harry with his heavy burden of clothes. She laughed "oh I'm sorry dear I didn't realise I'd given you just so many! Here put them on the counter. We will pay for them and then shrink them to size." Harry lifted up his burden and the girl at the counter smiled at him. "New wardrobe hey?" the girl laughed. Harry felt a little bit embarrassed, after all it was the first time that he had ever gone shopping just for him and he was not used to it. Molly looked at the money that Severus had given to her and looked at her own money. She sighed as she simply paid for the items (she did end up using some of her own money as well but not much) after all it was worth it to help Harry, the poor little thing, if only she had been his mother things would have been different. But Molly sighed, contending herself with the simply fact that she was able to do the helpful motherly thing for him like taking him shopping and ensuring he had enough clothes to wear and that finally in Severus, the boy would have some stability in his life. That was certain.

"Let's go to the joke shop boys," Molly stated after she had shrunk all of the packages and put them in her pockets. She would sort them out later. The boys ran happily to the joke store, leaving poor Molly behind to catch up. Arriving at the joke store out of breath she looked around. The first thing that she saw was Fred and George. They were….selling their little inventions to little kids! Molly angrily walked up to her boys grabbing George by the ear, "WHAT do you THINK you are doing?" she roared. The boy backed off under her glare and Fred whimpered to see his mother in such a mood.

"Mum we were just…" George started, "it's ok mum he…" Fred continued.

"I don't want to hear it!" Molly said as she looked at the two boys. "We are going home…NOW!" she stated.

"Molly what's going on?" Arthur said as he appeared as if out of nowhere.

"The usual, they are trying to sell their inventions off on helpless kids," Molly stated.

"But we've tried them already Mum, we know what they do..they a. ren't really inventions!" Fred tried.

"Mum….Dad!" an upset Ron came rushing up to them, "I can't find Harry! He's gone!"

"What do you mean honey?" Molly asked looking at her son.

"We ran here together because we were so excited to go to the joke store you know…" Ron said, "and he stopped to look at something, and I went to look at the flashing frisbees, Harry said he'd catch up…but he's gone…I've looked everywhere! He's gone!"

"Let's split up," Arthur said, "there are five of us, we are bound to find him again in no time!"

"Severus is going to kill me!" Molly said. Ron put his hand into his mothers. "It's not your fault Mum, we'll find him!"

The Weasley family looked everywhere around the store and even all around Diagon Alley but it was no use.

He was gone.