Chapter 3

"Are you sure I can't use Side-Along Apparition?" I asked once again.

"No. I'm not risking you or Mikey getting Splinched. You're using the Floo Network, and that's final," Mom stated.

I took a scoop of Floo Powder and put it into the fireplace. The flames turned bright green and I stepped into them. "Flourish and Blotts!" I said as clearly as I could. The Floo Network could be picky sometimes.

A few minutes later, I arrived at Flourish and Blotts, and Mikey arrived shortly afterwards. We both started looking around in the store, and I quickly spotted Ray. "Hi Ray!" I shouted.

"Gerard!" he exclaimed. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too," I said. "Did you already exchange your money at Gringotts?"

"Yeah," Ray said.

"Great. My parents already gave me some money, so we should be fine. What books do you need?"

Ray showed me his supply list, which was very similar to mine, except Ray was taking Arithmancy and Divination instead of Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Ray was also taking History of Magic, which I had dropped after I got a D on my O.W.L. History of Magic is one of those subjects that needs to get cancer and die a long, painful death though.

Ray, Mikey, and I found all of books at Flourish and Blotts. On our way out, we ran into Hayley Williams. "Hello!" Hayley exclaimed.

I smiled. Hayley was in my year and she was the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so she and I were sort of friends. She had copied me by constantly changing her hair color though. At that moment, it was a vivid red-orange. "Hi Hayley," I said. "What's up?"

"Didn't you hear? I'm going to be Head Girl!" she exclaimed.

"That's great," I said. "Ready for Quidditch season?"

"Yeah! I even picked up a copy of Quidditch Through The Ages!"

"You guys are going to be rooting for us, right?" I asked Ray and Mikey.

"Of course!" Ray shouted.

"I'll cheer for you, as long as it's not Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Then I'll cheer for Slytherin. I have to support my own house, you know," Mikey said.

"We know, Mikey," I said.

"So do you want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies with me?" Hayley asked.

"Sure!" I exclaimed. Mikey, Ray, and I followed Hayley to Quality Quidditch Supplies, but we got lost along the way. None of us had a particularly good sense of direction.

"Where are we?" Ray asked. "I don't think I've ever been in this part of Diagon Alley."

"It's probably a shortcut to Quality Quidditch Supplies," Hayley assured us.

At one point, we ran into Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer. Despite all of them being in different houses, they were all super close friends. They were in Mikey's year, and they were all sort of friends with him too. "Hey Mikey!" Brendon shouted.

"Hi Brendon!" Mikey said.

"Want to shop with us?" Brendon asked.

"Sure," Mikey said.

"Hey Mikey, meet us at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at 5:30, okay?" I said.

"Okay, Gee!" Mikey exclaimed before running off into an alley with Dallon, Spencer, and Brendon.

Ray, Hayley, and I were on our own now. "So how's Lindsey?" Hayley asked me.

"We broke up at the end of last year, remember?" I said. Lindsey was nice, and she was definitely cute, but sometimes I swore that my parents liked her more than I did. She was a pure blood, which was really all that they cared about.

"That's too bad," Hayley said. "You two were a cute couple."

I shrugged. A lot of people said that. In fact, it was kind of a shock for everyone when we broke up, including me. "I'd rather not talk about her," I grumbled.

"That's okay. We're at Quality Quidditch Supplies anyways," Hayley said as she opened the door for us.

"Thanks Hayley," I said as I walked into the store. I started looking through the broomsticks, since I needed a new one. My old Cleansweep Seven just wasn't keeping up with all of the newer models.

That's when I spotted him. Frank Iero. The bubbly, energetic, vertically-challenged captain/dictator of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Like me, he was a Chaser, and he was by far the best player on the team. In fact, his broom flew so fast last year that the professors had to check to make sure that he hadn't jinxed it. He also happened to be extraordinarily hot.

"Gerard!" Frank exclaimed. "Picking out a new broom?"

"Yeah," I said. "Which one should I get?"

"The Firebolt Supreme is the best on the market, but it's super expensive. I would go for a basic Nimbus 2000 if I were you. It's a little old, but it's still super fast," Frank recommended.

"Nope, I'm getting a Firebolt Supreme," I said. I smiled at Frank and said, "Thanks for your help."

"No problem Gee," Frank said. "Anything to help a fellow member of my team!"

I found a Firebolt Supreme and looked at the price tag. 75 Galleons. Well, there went my birthday money and my Christmas money. I took the broomstick off of the rack and gave it to the cashier so I could buy it.

Hayley stared at the broomstick. "You're getting a FIREBOLT SUPREME?!?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," I said. "Frank said it was the best on the market."

"That is such an understatement," Hayley said. "It's the greatest broom of all time!"

"Gryffindor is so going to win the Quidditch Cup this year," Ray stated.

"We have to!" Frank shouted. "Especially now that Gee has a Firebolt Supreme!"

"You'll still probably be better than me," I told Frank.

"No way. Not with that broomstick," Frank said.

"The broom's not everything, Frank," I said.

"True, but you're a good flyer," Frank said.

"You're better," I said.

"This is pointless," Hayley said. "Let's go Gerard."

"We have to be back at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes by 5:30," Ray reminded us.

"Bye Frank!" I shouted as we left Quality Quidditch Supplies. We stopped at a few more shops on our way to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. I insisted on checking out Diagon Alley Arts Club, while Ray wanted to stop at Sugarplum's Sweets Shop. It was well past 5:30 by the time we actually got to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and we were all a little bit worried that Mikey was stuck waiting for us.

Of course, he wasn't there, so Ray, Hayley, and I started browsing.

"Pink?" Hayley said when she saw the WonderWitch display. "That is so sexist." She then spotted one of the Pygmy Puffs. "Aww, this thing is adorable!"

I didn't have any money after buying the Firebolt Supreme, so I couldn't buy anything. While Ray started looking at the fireworks, I went up to George Weasley, who was working at the cash register.

"Hey George," I said.

"Gerard Way!" George exclaimed. "Are you here to buy something?"

"Nope, I ran out of money," I replied.

"Diagon Alley can do that to you," George said.

Whenever I visited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, it reminded me of the first time I went there. You see, when I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band. Afterwards, we went into Diagon Alley and I distinctly remember going into the newly-opened Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and seeing the two red-headed boys that ran the shop. The next time I went there, there was only one of them. I only learned later that George had lost his ear and his twin brother Fred in the Second Wizarding War.

I guess I feel bad for George sometimes. He's lost everything, and yet he still manages to hang on. It's inspiring, really.

"Hey Gerard!" I heard someone shout. I turned around and saw Pete Wentz and his friend Joe Trohman. They were both fifth year Gryffindors and Beaters on the Quidditch team. "Do you know where Mikey is?" Pete asked.

"I don't know," I said. "He ran off with Brendon Urie and his crew a few hours ago." How did Mikey suddenly get so popular? I swore that he had more friends than me.

"Got it," Pete said.

"Store's closing!" George shouted. Hayley suddenly got into the checkout line with her Pygmy Puff, and Pete and Joe both exited the store. After Hayley bought the Pygmy Puff, all three of us left the store.

That was when it really dawned on us. Mikey was missing, and we really needed to get him back.