Ariana felt a rush of excitement as she glimpsed the Weasleys' home for the first time. It was amazing, and looked as though it was held up by magic. She smiled at the chickens in the yards. "This is so cool!"
Bill looked amused. "Do you really think so?"
"It's so... British."
He laughed at that. "Guess it is. Are houses different in America?"
"Don't know. Never actually been to the country. I'm very much a city girl."
"Well, then you'll find this a time." He pushed open the door. "I'm back!"
Ginny ran to the door to greet them. "Ariana!" She hugged her. "How was your summer?"
"Pretty good. I went to science camp, and my dad got a new computer."
"What's a computer?"
"Wow."
"Where are Mum and Dad?" asked Bill.
"Dad's in the garden, cooling off," said Ginny. "For the best, really. He almost never gets mad."
"What was he mad about?" Ariana asked.
The two exchanged looks. "Well," said Ginny, "When they went to pick up Harry, Fred and George played a trick on his nasty Muggle cousin."
"Oh. So Harry's here?"
"Yeah, he's up in Ron's room. Come on, you're sharing mine with me and Hermione."
"Alright." She followed Ginny up the stairs. When Ginny pushed open the door to her room, Ariana couldn't help but note how small it was. Her parents were fairly well-off, and her room quite large. Ginny's room was not only small, but had three beds shoved into it. The walls were plastered with Quidditch posters, primarily of the Holyhead Harpies.
"Hi," said Hermione with a smile.
"Hi. It's a bit cramped in here, isn't it?"
"It'll be fine," said Ginny. "We have to be up really early tomorrow anyway."
"Oh. How early?"
"Before dawn, I think."
"Ew."
"Yeah. We have a Portkey to take to the Cup."
"A Portkey?"
"I'll explain later. You can put your trunk in the corner there," Ginny said, pointing.
Obliging, Ariana said, "Your house is so cool. I can't believe you have chickens!"
Ginny tilted her head. "That's what you find interesting?"
"I grew up in the city. So yes. And yeah, all the magic is cool too. The whole place is fascinating."
"Glad you think so."
"So, how was your summer?" Hermione asked.
"I went to science camp."
"Cool!"
"So, you must be hungry," said Ginny. "It's almost 3pm, have you eaten anything yet today?"
"We had a quick bite in the airport," Ariana said. "But yeah, I'm pretty hungry."
"Come on, let's head to the kitchen."
They walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was frantically cooking. "Hey Mum," said Ginny. "Any chance Ariana could get a snack?"
"Of course!" said Mrs. Weasley. She waved her wand, and a second later she was handing Ariana a sandwich.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"Of course, dear."
Walking out of the kitchen, Ariana and Ginny ran into Harry. "Oh. Hey, Harry," said Ginny, blushing fiercely.
"Hi, Ginny, Ariana," he said.
"Hi," said Ariana, trying to avoid looking at her brother. It was hard to not tell him who she was.
"Excited for the game?"
"Yeah."
Percy joined them in the room. "Hello."
"Hi, Percy," she said, not wanting to be rude. "Are all your brothers here?" she asked Ginny.
Ginny nodded. "All nine Weasleys are here. And you, Harry, and Hermione. Burrow's at capacity. Maybe past it."
"Yikes."
Ginny shrugged. "Just part of having a big family."
"Well, I'm an only child," she replied. Of course, that wasn't true, but she had been raised an only child.
"Right," said Ginny. "Well, you know Ron, Percy, and the twins, of course. And you met Bill. So it's just Charlie left."
"Oh, the dragon tamer."
"Yes. Well, dragon handler. Tame is a bit of a strong word, you can't really tame a dragon."
"Maybe you can't," said a voice.
"Oh, speak of the devil," said Ginny. "Hey, Charlie."
He looked as cool as his profession would suggest. "Is this your American friend?"
"That's me," Ariana said. "Nice to meet you."
"And you. Excited for the Quidditch game?"
"How could I not be? It's practically the only thing Ginny talks about."
Charlie beamed. "That's my sister."
That evening, the twelve of them all sat down for dinner, and Ariana couldn't help but feel like she was the odd one out. Harry and Hermione had both been here before, but it was her first time, and she was only here to go to the match. She did her best to keep up with Ginny's conversation with Hermione, but she was distracted by the sheer amount of food that Mrs. Weasley had prepared.
"This food is amazing!" she couldn't help noting.
"Well, thank you, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "It's nice to be appreciated."
"Food's great, Mum," said Ron through a mouthful of potatoes.
Ariana chuckled, and Ginny snorted beside her. Even if this was awkward, she would always be fine with Ginny by her side.
After dinner and dessert, when Ariana was so full she could hardly move, they were all told to go to bed, since they had to be up bright and early the next day.
"I don't know if I've ever woken up early in my life," Ariana whispered to Ginny. "And I'm still on American time."
"Don't worry," Ginny replied. "In this house, you'll have a hard time not waking up."
Ariana smiled, wishing again that she had a big family.
