AUTHOR's REPLY-----Actually, no.
Harry gave them five sickles each.
"Now remember," he told them seriously. "This is a 'stupid' stop. I want you all to buy something cheap, absolutely useless, and won't last for more than two weeks."
"Fred and George would know about that." Charlie said.
"We sure do, bro'." George said, giving Charlie a slap on the back.
***
Five minutes later, they all met outside an ice cream shop. Ron had bought a magical rubber hand attached to a rubber string. Once Ron told it, it would snake out of its own accord, and slap someone very hard.
Fred and George had bought another packet of Dungbombs. Bill, who had bought a quill that squeaked nonsense words loudly as you were writing, wrinkled his nose at them. And last of all, Charlie had bought a clock that sang shrill songs instead of chiming.
Harry himself had bought a pair of baby-sized gloves for Dobby, and he was relieved that they were all able to enjoy themselves this afternoon. He felt that things might arise in the Order meeting tonight.
***
The Burrow was reasonably quiet when they got back. Mrs. Weasley was gently snoozing on the couch. Mr. Weasley was reading a book on an armchair by the fireplace; as Harry got closer, he could see the silver-outlined title: The Miracle of Muggle Computers. Dobby was most likely outside, tending to the garden.
"Back, boys?" Mr. Weasley said to them in a low voice. "Shh, be quiet."
"Yep." Fred whispered. "Look what Harry bought us, dad."
In unison, they held up their plunder from the "stupid stop".
Harry chuckled at the indignant look on Mr. Weasley's face. "Go, upstairs, I'll explain to him."
The Weasley brothers hurried upstairs before their father could tell them off.
"Now, Harry, why did you go and buy them all those things?" he asked.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I just have this feeling that we're not going to be able to feel happy for long So I let them enjoy themselves for now, because in a year or so they might not be."
To his suprise, Mr. Weasley understood. "I see what you mean, Harry," he sighed wearily. "Two years earlier, I was enjoying myself at the office. And now that You-Know-Who's back, the Ministry and the Daily Prophet's been in a bit of a turmoil."
He glanced at a normal clock set above the fireplace. It was nearly three o'clock.
"The meeting starts in about five hours. I've told all our members to come at around five, so we could have dinner together. Mad-Eye and Kingsley say they'll be in a tad early, their shift ends soon. Now, Harry, I know this is your first meeting, but be slightly careful what you ask; Mad-Eye's been getting a bit paranoid lately."
Harry nodded eagerly.
***
They passed the rest of the afternoon examining their various temporary treasures. Harry took out the little model of the Hungarian Horntail that he had gotten in his fourth year and put it beside Ron's rubber slapper; the miniscule dragon backed away from it cautiously.
A loud rap at the door made them all jump except for Bill.
"That'll be Kingsley and Moody." he muttered hastily.
AUTHOR's NOTE----I lied. Finished HW with half an hour to spare, so...
Outside, a snowstorm was roaring around enthusiastically, not like the light snow that was drifting three hours ago.
Moody stumbled in first, shaking wet flakes of snow from his grizzled grey mane of hair. He accidentally trod upon a carelessly-thrown shoe and nearly stumbled.
"Blasted leg," he said. "At least I got the scum back who took it from me."
Kingsley pushed ahead, wiping his face on a corner of his robes. "Phew! Even apparating outside your door, Bill, we still get soaked. Weather's horrible."
"Yeah, we can see that." Bill said cheerfully, hanging up their cloaks to dry.
"And how've you been, Harry?" Kingsley asked, noticing Harry and the others sitting near the fire.
"Yeah, hope you've been getting along fine, Potter," Moody shrugged his wide-boned shoulders reflexively. "Hope Dumbledore didn't tell you too much."
"No." Harry said, slightly defensively.
The door banged open again, and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione staggered in, carrying armfuls of bags and gasping like mules.
"Goodness gracious, Molly!" Kingsley exclaimed, immediately raising his wand to help levitate a few to help out. "What have you and these young ladies been shopping for?"
"Christmas presents." Ginny huffed.
"Five days before Christmas Day?" Fred said, tutting like an elderly woman scolding a grandson. "Pulling it a tad late, if you ask me."
"Oh, shut up." Hermione groaned, dropping her load, which gave a dull thump as it hit the ground. She also used her cloak to dry her sopping wet hair, and hung it up.
"How was getting back in the storm?" Harry asked her, as she lay down beside him.
"Terrible." she replied.
"So when did the storm start?"
"Well, we were just about finished, right? And then we start getting blasted by wind. Mrs. Weasley suggest that we all take refuge in a shop, but the keeper told us the storm'll last all night, so we had to make it back here, better or worse."
Harry peered at her weary features closely. "Seems the worse half, if you ask me."
"Definitely. I don't even think Dobby knows that the garden he worked on this afternoon died because of the storm."
Harry very much doubted that. He had seen Dobby's forlorn face when he and the others got back, but Bill had successfully cheered him up by telling him that he had done a splendid job on the bathroom.
There was a flash of fire. None of the adults took notice, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Ginny jumped.
Dumbledore appeared, Fawkes at his side.
"Well, it is a pleasure to see you all again!" he beamed. "And I see...(he checked the clock)...that it is nearly time for dinner. Molly, if you are currently too weary to prepare supper, I shall be more than glad to assist....ah, Dobby! Been enjoying yourself?"
Dobby had edged in, and sank into a very low bow at the sight of Dumbledore. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore, sir!"
"Excellent, excellent." Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Kingsley, Mad-Eye, if you could contact the others and tell them to come very soon."
They nodded. Dumbledore turned to Harry and the rest of the Weasley family.
"Now, I expect you are all eager to participate in your first Order meeting, you four...but try to let us inform you of the current and recent events going on first, all right?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny nodded quickly.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I must go and prepare some supper for the Order," Dumbledore smiled. "Goodness me, I can't even remember the last time I cooked with magic. My most sincere apologies to all those who find my cooking appalling."
Everyone laughed.
"Dobby can help, sir!"
"Well, if you must insist, Dobby."
The headmaster and house-elf trotted off to the kitchen.