Finding Home
Chapter One: Meeting The Host Family
"Mummy! Mummy! She's here!" a little girl screeched excitedly.
"Shut up, Gin!" said a boy. I opened my eyes, stepping out of their fireplace.
"So that's her?" another boy said. He stood next to a boy who lookeed exactly like him. Twins. Great.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I eyed him suspiciously, somewhat offended by his tone.
"Oh, be nice, Fred. Remember what Mum said?" a younger boy nudged him, Fred, in the side. "I'm Ron. That's Ginny, she's the youngest."
"Hiii! I've been waiting for hours! you can just ignore Fred. He's just mad because Mummy made him de-gnome the garden. You won't believe what they've done this morning!" Ginny grinned, "I'll go get Dad and Mummy."
"Well, you know who Fred is. I'm his twin, George. The nicer, funnier, better looking one." George grinned, holding a hand out for me to shake. I just stared at him. They all had red hair, and plenty of freckles.
Where was Professor Turner?
A middle-aged man, who had the same red hair and freckles as his children, walked in. "Hello, Ash-Lyn! I'm Arthur Weasley. Hope the twins here haven't been bothering you."
"Oh, no. Ron was introducing us." I smiled politely and looked around. Dishes were stacked on the counter, putting themselves in their rightful places. It wasn't messy, but cluttered.
"Just got a message from Professor Turner. She's said something's come up and she'll see you next summer. We've made up a bed for you; hope you don't mind sharing a room with Ginny. C'mon. I'll give you a tour."
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Ginny sat on her bed and watched as I unpacked my things. It didn't annoy me, surprisingly, when she asked me why I had no parents.
"I had parents. Everyone does; it's just mine aren't around. You're lucky, see. I've always wanted to have older brothers, a family like yours. Oh, well." I shrugged. "You're starting Hogwarts this year, right?"
"Yeah. I can't wait! I hope I get into Gryffindor!" Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she explained briefly that there were four houses. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Gryffindor. Her whole family had been in Gryffindor for centuries!
Mrs Weasley called everyone down to the kitchen for supper; that's when I met Percy and the famous Harry Potter. The twins and Ron 'rescued' him last night in a flying car. He was scrawny, and real pale. His clothes appeared four sizes too big, and I was reminded of foster kids I'd known.
"Help yourselves, Harry and Ash-Lyn. There's plenty to go around." Mrs Weasley smiled, kind eyes twinkling. And we did. I loaded my plate with chicken, potatoes, corn, and gravy. Harry ate like there was no tomorrow, like he'd had nothing to eat in ages. I wonder, what's his home life like? It must be harsh.
"Ash-Lyn? Mum's asked what kind of pie you'd like." George nudged my arm.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
"That's ok. Pecan, or lemon merangue?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Pecan! My absolute favourite. I could eat it all day."
"We've done that." Fred winked, "Duplication charm."
"And you'll not be doing it again, either!" Mrs Weasley scolded and handed me a slice of pecan pie. I took a bite; it was the best thing I'd ever tasted. I ate it as slowly as possible, with the twins laughing at me. Ginny told them to shut up and go away, when Mrs Weasley sent her, Ron, and Herry off to bed. Fred and George followed suite not long after. I guess staying up all night to rescue someone with a flying car can tire a person out.
After talking to Percy about school rules and regulations (turns out he's a prefect), I was exhausted. The time difference, because they were several hours ahead, wore me out. I didn't want to sleep; I wanted to explore! A chicken coop and pigpen sat side by side in the front yard.
A pond.
A vegetable garden, a herb garden.
A garage filled with Muggle objects that truly fascinated mr Weasley. There were piles upon piles of batteries.
A clock in the kitchen that didn't tell you the time, but where each member of the family was. Home, work, school, prison... It made me smile
Professor Turner had been right about this family; there was a lot of love here. Childrens' artwork lined the walls. Framed family photos sat in a glass cabinet.
I loved it here. I never wanted to leave. And wished that this was the home I would return to for each Christmas and summer break. This was the family I'd always dreamed of having.
I ended up crying myself to sleep.
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After the first three days, my body had adjusted to the time difference and I wasn't so tired all the time. I got along best with Harry, Ginny, and Percy; the twins mostly pranked and annoyed me. From what Ron told me, they've always been like that and it was a wonder they even had friends. They were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and pretty popular among thier year.
"What's Canada like, Ash?" Harry asked me as we ate ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch.
"It's alright, I guess." I shrugged. "It gets boring sometimes, because I'm always at the Institute."
"I know what you mean. The Dursleys never let me leave the house. So I'm always in my bedroom, to avoid Uncle Vernon and Dudley. Aunt Petunia isn't so bad, she feeds me twice a day." I watched this boy as he ate and felt bad for him. It was child abuse, what they were doing to Harry. I'd seen it happen; hell, I'd been through it.
"We're going into town!" Fred said.
"You two coming, or what?" George asked. They were identical in every way but if you actually looked closely, you would notice the calming patience in George's eyes. Fred was a thinker, a dreamer; last night he'd stared off for minutes at a time.
"Well? Are you coming, Ash-Lyn?" Fred tapped his foot impatiently.
"Yeah, sure. But wait a minute, I want to change into something cooler. It's gonna be hot today." I drank the rest of my milk before running upstairs. Ran a brush through my hair, tying it up in a ponytail. I hurried to put on a pink shirt and blue shorts, pulled my shoes back on, and ran down the stairs. Fred was waiting by the door.
"Let's go. I told them we'd catch up." We walked down the long driveway in an awkward silence.
"Do you hate me, or something?" I blurted and covered my mouth before I could say anything else.
"No, of course not! What made you think that?" Fred exclaimed, completely taken aback.
"Because you act like you do. If you have a problem with me then say it to my face." George, Harry, and Ron weren't too far ahead of us, so I ran to catch up with them.
"There you are!" Ron grinned.
"Yea. Sorry I took so long. Oh, I have some Muggle money from Professor Turner that needs to be spent." I turned to Harry, "I might need your help. I'm used to the Canadian currency."
"Sure, no problem!"
"Hey!" Fred poked my back. "Why'd you run off like that before I had the chance to talk to you?"
I shrugged and pretty much gave him the cold shoulder. The village of Ottery St Catchpole was buzzing with happy locals, and shopping tourists. Fred and George led us around for a while, until I saw an ice cream parlour.
"They any good?" I asked.
"Dunno, never tried it." George told me and I decided I wanted to buy everyone an ice cream.
"You don't have to." Fred stated as if trying to change my mind and I shot him a look.
"I'll do whatever I want." I said coldly and as soon as everyone got what they wanted I told them to wait outside while I paid. Harry, of course, stayed behind to help.
"What's going on between you and Fred? He's been acting really strange all morning."
"Nothing. I think he hates me, though." I was interrupted by the girl at the cash register and handed my small red money purse to Harry. He took out the right amount and gave it to the girl. who handed him a receipt. "We should get something for Ginny."
We ate our icecream on a bench outside of a bakery; Harry finished his last. The Dursleys never let him have treats, unless they had been tossed aside by his spoiled cousin Dudley. I closed my eyes, soaking in the sun, and yawned. When I opened them again, everyone had gone. Except Fred. I knew what this was; he was trying to get me alone so we could finish that conversation I'd run from. I chose to go along with it, see what would happen. There wasn't really much else I could do, unless I wanted to run off and get lost. That's my problem, see. I run when confronted. My years in foster care are to blame.
"I don't hate you. Okay? And I'm sorry I made you think that." he sat next to me. "We're going to be in the same year. That means a lot of the same classes."
"Ok. Let's start over then. No more pranking me. Deal?" I sighed, turning to face him.
"Deal!" he jumped to his feet and pulled me up. "C'mon, I'll take you to the gift shop. Harry said you mentioned getting Ginny something."
According to Harry, I had the equivalence of 75 Canadian dollars left. I bought matching friendship bracelets for the twins and I, and a pair of red ladybug earrings for Ginny. Harry and Ron just wanted candy, and chocolate bars. That was easy enough. We got back to the Burrow just in time for supper and I gave Ginny the earrings.
"Thank you, Ash! I love them!" Ginny hugged me, "Mum! Mum! Look what Ash gave me!"
"That was nice of her. Did you say thank you, Gin?" Mrs Weasley asked, smiling at me.
"Yeah, of course I did, Mum." Ginny rolled her eyes, pouring gravy over her mashed potatoes and peas. I sat between Percy and Fred, when Errol, the family owl, crashed into the kitchen window.
"I'll get him, Mother." Percy excused himself and came back in several minutes later. "Hogwarts letters have arrived. Yours too, Harry." he handed out the envelopes. I held mine in my hand, staring at it.
"Open it." Fred muttered as he tore his open and skimmed through the pages.
"This lot won't come cheap, Mum. The spellbooks alone are very expensive." George shook his head, handing a page to Mrs Weasley.
"We'll manage." she sighed. "Ash-Lyn, aren't you going to open your letter?"
"Yea. I'm kinda nervous." I attempted a smile, but probably ended up making a weird face.
"Here. I'll do it for you, then." Fred took my letter, slowly opening the envelope.
"Fred Weasley, you give that back right this second, young man!" Mrs Weasley scolded.