Surprisingly, Ron had bounced back the very next morning.
He didn't sleep in like usual. Before the sun had even risen, he was already washed and dressed, curled up on the living room sofa with Scabbers clutched in his arms. When Molly Weasley came downstairs and nearly tripped over him in the half-light, she jumped in fright.
"Merlin's socks, Ron! What are you doing lurking around like that?"
Ron muttered something vague in response, but his story didn't last long. As soon as Fred and George came downstairs for early garden duty, they blurted out the truth.
"Ron's trying to suck up to Vaughn," Fred said gleefully.
"Too right. We overheard Vaughn yesterday, said he might give Ron his Christmas present early. A brand-new wand."
"Exactly, George. Excellent recall. Seems our daft little brother isn't completely hopeless after all. He's figured out it pays to treat your benefactor with proper respect."
"But not enough respect, Fred. He didn't even dare tell Mum!"
"You're right, George. Useless pride."
Their teasing came in quick succession, and before Ron could get a word in, they were already skipping off, howling with laughter while Ron sat there steaming.
Vaughn was woken by all the ruckus.
Sunlight had just begun spilling over the hills behind Ottery St. Catchpole, sending dappled stripes of gold through the window. Ginny was still fast asleep in his arms, breathing softly. She'd come in the night before with a storybook and curled up beside him. He'd read to her for over an hour before she finally drifted off.
That, more than anything, was what kept them so close. Bill and Charlie were long gone with work, Percy barely had patience for anything outside his studies, and Fred and George were more interested in explosions than bedtime stories.
Only Vaughn and Ron had ever taken the time to read to her, and even then, Ron only ever told stories he liked. Ginny had quickly stopped bothering with him.
Vaughn got up, dressed, and opened the window to let in the cool morning air.
Down in the garden, old Errol was flapping his ragged wings with surprising energy, hopping through the tall grass and chasing a pack of garden gnomes. The gnomes were barely a foot tall, brown and lumpy with oversized heads and stick-like limbs. They looked like angry potatoes with legs.
Up in the air, Fred and George swooped about on their broomsticks, plucking up the fleeing gnomes one by one and hurling them into the fields like they were competing in the Gnome Tossing Olympics. The high-pitched wails of the airborne gnomes faded in the distance, while the twins whooped and cheered like madmen.
Vaughn couldn't help but grin.
"Those two find a way to make anything into a sport."
He turned back to the bed and gently scooped up Ginny.
The little girl stirred, yawned, and blinked up at him sleepily. "Vaughn?"
"I've got to head to Diagon Alley. You should go back to your room and get some more sleep."
"Mmm... I want... chocolate frogs…"
"I'll bring you some," he whispered with a smile.
He carried her downstairs and nearly bumped into Molly, who was just about to come looking for them.
"Oh, my sweethearts," she gushed, wrapping her arms around both of them in one of her signature crushing hugs. "My precious children. Vaughn, you're such a good brother, always looking after Ginny and even buying Ron a new wand. Honestly, I think the old one was fine…"
At the foot of the stairs, Ron froze. He'd just arrived and overheard everything. His fingers clenched tighter around Scabbers, nearly choking the poor rat.
He was terrified Vaughn might change his mind.
But Vaughn only glanced at him and shrugged. "It's fine, Mum. Just seven Galleons. Besides, using someone else's wand isn't ideal. It could hold back his learning."
Seven Galleons… just like that?
Ron felt like someone had stuffed his entire body into a barrel of lemon juice. His skin practically tingled from the sour jealousy.
Molly, who knew Vaughn was well-off, said nothing more. She loved all her children, and though she didn't approve of Ron spending his brother's money, she wasn't going to stop Vaughn from giving his sibling a thoughtful gift either. Her heart still ached whenever she saw Ron using secondhand things.
She took Ginny back upstairs.
Vaughn cleaned up and ate breakfast with Ron, who was unusually quiet. When the clock showed it was getting late, Molly pulled down a pot from the mantle, it was filled with a sparkling grey powder that shimmered in the light.
"Vaughn, you know how to use Floo Powder, but Ron, this is your first time, so pay attention. Speak clearly and firmly. Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley, alright?"
"Yes, Mum!" Ron was visibly excited, his ears turning pink with anticipation.
Molly handed the pot to Vaughn. He wrinkled his nose. He had always disliked using Floo Powder. It left soot in his clothes and ash in his hair.
Still, he hadn't mastered Apparition yet, so he didn't have much choice.
Grabbing a handful of the powder, Vaughn stepped into the fireplace and threw the powder at his feet. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted.
With a loud whoosh, green flames shot up around him. The world spun as if he'd been launched into a giant tumble dryer. His body stretched and twisted around a central point while the fireplace scenery zipped past in a whirl of color.
Moments later, he stumbled out of a fireplace in a narrow, bricked alley. He coughed, brushing soot from his clothes while blinking away the dizziness.
The alley was lined with fireplaces set into the dark stone walls. Green fire flickered from several of them as witches and wizards appeared, some with children in tow. Clearly, they were here for Hogwarts supplies too.
Vaughn didn't wait long.
Another burst of flame erupted behind him, and Ron came tumbling out like a sack of potatoes, landing flat on his face.
"Bit dramatic, aren't we?" Vaughn chuckled, helping him up.
Ron was too dizzy to reply.
Molly arrived a moment later, dusted off Ron, and led the boys through the alleyway and out into the open. And there, at last, was Diagon Alley.
It stretched out before them, long and winding, paved with uneven cobblestones and bustling with life. Witches and wizards bustled past in pointed hats, and the shop windows lining both sides of the street sparkled in the morning light.
The first shop they passed had just opened. A couple stepped out with their son, who was chewing something happily. Ron's eyes widened. The boy's hair changed color with every chew.
He looked up at the sign above the door: Zonkos Magical Joke Shop.
Fred and George never shut up about that place. They'd talked about it so often Ron felt like he'd been there a hundred times, in his dreams, at least.
He stood there, awestruck, until Vaughn leaned in and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley, Ron."
And just behind them, someone else echoed cheerfully, "Welcome to Diagon Alley!"