"Ron!" breathed Harry, pushing the window up so they could talk through the bars. "Fred! George!"
"Glad you still remember our names." Fred said with a wink. He was the one driving and Rohini was pretty sure he wasn't allowed to do so. Knowing the Weasley twins, doing something illegal wasn't something that preoccupied them though.
"Good to see you again." Rohini said with a smile, standing right behind Harry. "Care to explain how you're gonna help us without using magic?"
"Dad said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles. Is that true?" Ron asked while throwing a rope with a hook at the end to Harry. "Put that around the bars."
"It wasn't us. It was- never mind. How did he know that?" Harry asked while Rohini checked that the rope was strong enough by pulling on it.
"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "Why didn't you answer my letters? Hermione said she didn't get any news from you either."
"Again, it's complicated." Harry said, nervously glancing at the door as if the Dursleys were going to erupt into the room armed to the teeth. "If the Dursleys wake up, we're dead." he pointed out as Fred revved up the car.
"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."
Rohini and Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig who was staring at the scene with her head tilted. Thranduil was now in Rohini's arms, his tail nervously yanking. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air.
"POTTERS!" They heard Uncle Vernon scream from his room. Fred reversed as close as possible to the window and Ron opened the door.
"Hurry up!"
"But all my Hogwarts stuff!" Harry said, panicked. "We only have our wands!"
"We'll deal with that later; we need to get out of there alive first!" Rohini reminded him, passing Thranduil to Ron and pushing Hedwig's cage into Harry's hands. "Get in, hurry!"
Harry got inside the old blue car right in time as Uncle Vernon slammed into the door that crashed open. For a split second, he stood in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and Rohini jumped inside the car, pulling the window shut right on Uncle Vernon's fat fingers.
"AAAAAARGGG!" He yelled in pain as the car flew away. The Weasleys roared with laughter and the Potters settled back in the backseat, grinning from ear to ear. Ron had grown up a lot and he and the twins didn't have much space to sit in the back.
"Let Hedwig out," Harry told Ron. "She can fly behind us."
"So—what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"
Harry told them all about Dobby and the warning he'd given Harry and about the fiasco of the violet pudding. Rohini wasn't listening, too distracted by the fact they were finally escaping Private Drive. She had been dreaming of a thousand ways to run away, but flying away in a magic car wasn't one of them.
"Where are we heading?" She asked as they flew across the Thames. The river was shining under the moonlight and it was absolutely beautiful.
"To our place." George told her. "I reckon dad would want his car back."
"I'm sure he'll be delighted that this old thing can actually fly without crashing." Ron said.
"Careful, Ronald; we're not home yet." Fred said, winking at Rohini through the inner rear mirror. Rohini smiled back before yawning. George gave her an old handmade plaid and told her she should get some sleep. Rocked by the car's moves and noises, Rohini finally fell asleep, drooling on Harry's shoulder.
"Touchdown!" Fred yelled half an hour later, making her jump wide awake. With a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard and the Potter twins gasped, amazed, as they discovered the Weasleys' house.
It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several feet high and so crooked it looked as though it would collapse as soon as the wind would rise. Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard and Rohini giggled when Thranduil jumped out of the car to run after them.
The Weasley boys suddenly looked less enthusiastic, whispering as they entered the house. Rohini wished she had three more pair of eyes to be able to stare at every little detail. It was the cosiest and most welcoming house she had ever seen.
There was a scrubbed wooden table in the middle of the cramped living room, surrounded by different coloured chairs and armchairs covered in old fashion patterns and many shelves with second hand books stacked on it. There was a chimney too, which hadn't been lit yet.
The clock in the kitchen had no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. There were spoons with each Weasley family member picture stick to them that replaced the traditional clock hands. As soon as the Weasleys stepped in, their spoons shifted to the "At Home" note.
"It's not much," said Ron, eating a pain au chocolat, "but it's our home."
"This is the most fantastic house I've ever seen." Rohini said with stars in her eyes. "Can your mum adopt us?"
Just as she spoke, Mrs. Weasley came down the stairs and to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket and looked quite furious. Harry and Rohini looked at each other, not sure of what to do.
"Beds empty! No note! Car and boys gone! Have you any idea how worried I've been?" Then she turned to the Potter twins with a charming smile as if to reassure them. "Of course I'm not blaming you dearies."
"Mom, they were starving them! They put bars to their window!"
"You're lucky if I don't put bars to your window, Ronald Weasley!" Molly threated him, pointing a menacing finger to his face. Ron gulped loudly.
"I'm sorry, Madam Weasley." Rohini said. "Please don't blame them, they really saved us."
Mrs. Weasley's features softened and she sighed. Rohini saw Fred and George wiping the sweat of their forehead behind their mother's back.
"Aw, poor little things." Mrs. Weasley said gently, pinching Rohini's cheek affectuously. "You do look a bit thin. Here, I'll make you some breakfast. You too Harry, my dear. Please, sit!"
Mrs. Weasley clattered around for the next five minutes, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan and muttering to herself about the stupidity of teenage boys.
"Never got that kind of problem with Bill or Charlie. Why can't you be more like Percy, tell me!" She was mumbling as she made plates fly and land on the table with a wave of her wand. Rohini saw that the dirty dishes were also cleaning themselves and she thought it would be handy for them if they could use those spells at the Dursleys' place to do the house chores.
"Do you need some help, Madam Weasley?" Rohini asked politely and Mrs Weasley declined before serving Harry and she their breakfast. Rohini realised she was starving when the delicious smell of fried sausages and scrambled eggs reached her nostrils. She noticed that she and Harry got a bigger share than Ron, Fred and George and felt a bit sorry for the boys.
"It's delicious, Madam Weasley." She said earnestly with her mouth still full. Mrs. Weasley blushed at the compliment and was going to say something when Percy joined them. The twins grunted and whispered to Rohini about how annoying their brother had been. Percy was a prefect at Hogwarts and a bit too serious. He politely shook hands with Harry and Rohini before sitting in front of his own plate.
"Mum, have you seen my-" a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress began to say from the stairs when she saw the Potter twins. Frozen, her eyes opened wide in shock before she ran and hid upstairs, making her brothers snort.
"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "She's been talking about you all summer."
"Talk about having a crush." Fred told Rohini who smiled. She never thought about the possibility that people would have a crush on them; until they came to Hogwarts, children would side up with Dudley and his gang to turn their lives into a living hell and nobody would fell in love with the tiny, skinny twins.
Things were a bit different since they were at Hogwarts; a few students had been looking at them with adoration, but it was more of a "fan like" attitude. Rohini highly doubted somebody would seriously fall for her.
Just then, the front door slammed and Mr. Weasley came in, kissing Mrs. Weasley before sitting in front of a plate with a sigh. He was a large man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long brown robes, which were dusty and travel-worn. He didn't seem to notice the Potters presence until his wife told him about their sons' misbehaviour. Rohini and Harry smiled as Mr. Weasley was clearly not upset, on the contrary; he seemed absolutely delighted that the car flew properly.
He looked around, saw the twins, and jumped.
"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? And you must be Rohini! Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about you."
"Nice to meet you too." The twins said. They talked a bit about Harry's role as a seeker for the Gryffindor's team and what Rohini's opinion about different Muggles items was. He promised to go get Harry and Rohini's stuffs during the afternoon, excited as he was to be able to meet the Dursleys. Rohini tried to warn him that they weren't the most pleasant Muggles ever but it didn't seem to bother Arthur Weasley.
"Come on, I'll show you my bedroom." Ron suggested and the twins followed after him.
They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.
"Ginny," said Ron. "I think you'll have to share her room for now Rohini, since you're a girl and all…"
"It's ok." Rohini promised. "I just hope it will not bother her."
"She'll probably ask you all sort of stuff about Harry." Ron sighed and Harry blushed, embarrassed. "Here we are."
They reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM. They all stepped in, the boys' head almost touching the sloping ceiling. Rohini felt like she just entered a giant pumpkin; Everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Blinking to get used to the flashy colour, Rohini realised every free inches of the walls were covered by posters of Quidditch players.
"Your Quidditch team?" said Harry. Unlike Rohini, he was totally in his element.
"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."
The boys began to talk about the team and Rohini leave them alone, stepping into a corner of the room where Scabbers, Ron's old rat, was asleep on a pile of spell books and comics. Looking by the window, she realised there wasn't a single house around, only fields. It felt peaceful, somehow.
"I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…" Ron warned Harry who looked just as merry as Rohini.
"This is wonderful." He said and Ron blushed, turning into a radish.
Xxx
The Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. Everybody there seemed to like the Potters, not because they were the Twins Who Lived but as if they were part of the family.
Ginny's room was less flashy than Ron's and Rohini was grateful for that, for she would have never been able to fall asleep in a fluorescent room. It was a bit messy but tidy enough to find what you were looking for easily.
Mr Weasley hadn't lied and came back the same day with Harry and Rohini's trunks, though he didn't seem as enthusiastic about the Dursleys now that he had saw how truly awful they were.
The Potters had helped the Weasley boys to get rid of the gnomes by throwing them as far away as possible, though they all came back while they were eating dinner. Rohini wished Mrs Weasley would let her help with the house chores to thank her for her hospitality, but Molly always refused politely.
Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard him with questions about life with Muggles, asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked.
"Fascinating!" he would always said.
Hogwarts' letters arrived one sunny morning during breakfast. They were all sitting around the table, Ginny as red as a tomato for she had accidentally stepped into a topless Harry who had forgotten to lock the bathroom door. Rohini felt a bit sorry for Ginny; it was a shame that she was so shy when around Harry for she truly was an interesting girl. They spent evenings talking about magical creatures and what Ginny will learn during her first year at Hogwarts. Rohini was also dropping a few random information about Harry, such as the foods he liked and the fact he wasn't good at chess.
"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing them identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here. Doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas and yawning loudly.
For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. They had to take the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books needed for the year.
"Did they found a new teacher for Defense Against Dark Arts?" Rohini asked, remembering Professor Quirrell. Hopefully the new staff member will not try to murder them as soon as they reached the castle. She remembered Dobby's words and shivered.
Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Harry's.
"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan—bet it's a witch."
Rohini rolled her eyes. She had heard about Lockhart; he was apparently a charming but narcissist man who swoon witches (and a few wizards) off their feet with just a smile.
"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive…"
"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."
"I can give you mine if you want?" Rohini asked. "My books, I mean. We need new volumes this year, so…"
"That's sweet of you dear, but don't worry about it." Mrs Weasley said, gently pinching Rohini's cheek. It seemed to be something she did a lot, as if Rohini was her own daughter. Rohini liked the sound of it.
"What are you gonna do, today?" Rohini asked the boys. "Gonna train again?"
Harry, Ron, Fred, and George often went up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high. They threw apples for one another to catch and took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand. Rohini and Ginny joined them sometimes and they were all pleasantly surprise to realise Ginny was actually really good at flying.
"Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George as soon as they were out of the house. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything…"
Rohini could only understand the Weasleys' struggle; until last year when they discovered the fortune their parents left them after their death, she and Harry had never owned more than 50 cents in eleven years of living with the Dursleys.
When they came back two hours later, all sweaty and grinning, Mrs Weasley told them Hermione had send them a letter. Their friend was doing well, spending her free time studying which seemed to horrify Ron. She told them that she was going to Diagon Alley the next week and Mrs Weasley said they will go buy their supplies at the same time.
Rohini was also delighted when she got a letter from Padma who told her she heard rumours about Rohini and Harry being held hostages by their family and telling her she couldn't wait to meet her. Rohini hurried to send her an answer, explaining quickly that she was ok now and that she missed Padma a lot.
Xxx
Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.
"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today… Ah well, guests first! After you, Rohini dear!"
And she offered her the flowerpot. Rohini blinked, glanced at Harry who seemed as equally confused and looked back at Mrs Weasley.
"They've never travelled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly, saving the twins from further embarrassment.
"Never?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Well, Fred, go first." She said, waving at her son.
Fred took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the chimney, and shouted "Diagon Alley!" before throwing the powder into a cloud of dust. With a roar, emerald green flames rose higher than Fred, who simply vanished.
"You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Rohini as she dipped her hand into the flowerpot. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going—"
"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised.
"And your eyes shut," added Mrs. Weasley. "The soot—"
"Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace—"
"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred."
"Good luck." Finally said Ginny and Rohini nodded, glancing one last time at Harry before shouting: "Diagon Alley!" and scattering the powder into the chimney.
It felt as though she was an ant getting swallowed by a vacuum machine. She felt her stomach twisting painfully as she was spinning very fast, her eyes closed and he mouth clenched to hold back a scream. Finally it all came to an end and she stumbled, falling into Fred's arms.
"How was it?" He asked her with a smile but Rohini couldn't answer, fearing to be sick if she did. Fred leaded her outside so she could breathe some fresh air. The sun blinded her for a few seconds, and then she was drowning into the noises of conversations and laugher.
"Welcome back," Fred said with a smile, "To Diagon Alley."
For the first time in months, Rohini felt like she was coming back home.
