Here we go, we're finally on third book! Yay! Hope you like it =]
Chapter 9 – Pyramids and Black
Friday 2nd July 1993
It's been a week since we've been home. My life has pretty much turned to normal, although Dad insists on inspecting everything I buy. While Fred and George are down in the village I take their brooms and fly them around in the paddock. I heard Ron saying he was going to the village to use the fellytone. I asked if I could come, I want to see how they work. We walked down to the phone box and Ron went in and I followed, it was big enough to fit us both in. He took out some weird looking silver coins that were apparently Muggle change. He put it in the slot at the top of the metal contraption and lifted up, what must be the thing you talk in. He took out the piece of paper Harry had given him and pressed the right numbers on the thing and waited. I could hear a ringing through the thing Ron held to his ear. Someone must have answered as Ron started talking or shouting into the thing.
"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I – WANT – TO – TALK – TO – HARRY – POTTER!" Then I heard the person on the other end shout as loud as Ron.
"WHO IS THIS? WHO ARE YOU?" It sounded like Harry's uncle and he didn't sound happy.
"RON – WEASLEY," Ron shouted back, thinking he was making progress. "I'M – A FRIEND – OF – HARRY'S – FROM – SCHOOL – "
"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" roared Harry's uncle at Ron. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!" The thing went dead, Ron put it back in its place and took the change that came out of the shoot at the bottom. We opened the door and walked out.
"I don't think that went well at all," I told him.
"Yeah, I hope I didn't get him in too much trouble," Ron said as we walked back to the house. "I'll ask Dad about it."
Ron wrote Hermione a letter to warn her about what happened when he had called. Dad told Ron that he probably shouldn't have shouted.
Monday 19th July 1993
I was sat eating my breakfast when a barn owl flew in through the open kitchen window. The owl waited, I'm guessing for whoever that letter was for. Fred looked at the letter.
"Percy! There's a letter from Hogwarts here for you!" Fred yelled, so that Percy could hear him from his room. Percy hurried downstairs and into the kitchen, he took the letter from the owl. As he read the letter a grin spread across his face. He looked in the envelope and took out a silver badge that said 'Head Boy' on it. "Percy's Head Boy, great Mum is going to be awful." Percy had walked off to find Mum and show her the badge, she went on and on about how proud she was of him. When Dad got home he was the same. This was so going to go to Percy's head.
Thursday 22nd July 1993
Mum came into the living room quickly, calling all of us to join her.
"Kids your Dad just won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw," Mum said excitedly. "Seven hundred galleons! We are planning a holiday in Egypt, so you need to pack, while I contact Charlie."
"Wow, this is great," Ron said getting up. "Mum, does this mean I can get a new wand?"
"Of course, dear," Mum said smiling happily as she grabbed some parchment, quill and ink to write to Charlie.
"Mum, when exactly are we leaving?" Fred asked getting up and looking very excited.
"Oh, your Dad wants to leave tomorrow evening," Mum said not looking up from the letter she was writing. "He wants to spend a month in Egypt. He's going to sort everything out with work, before he gets home today."
"OK, then we better start packing," Percy said in his usual bossy tone. I walked upstairs to my room. I opened my wardrobe and looked through my clothes, thinking about what to pack. We may not be able to come back home before we leave for school, according to Mum, so best pack everything (I left the Lockhart books at home). I put all my clothes for cold weather at the bottom of my trunk and then put all of my other things and lastly all my clothes suitable for warm weather on top before shutting my trunk. I took my out my Potions homework and sat at my desk doing it until Mum called us down for dinner. Dad was already there at the table.
"Alright kids, it's all set," Dad said with a huge smile on his face. "We have a Portkey for tomorrow afternoon, to take us to Egypt. Bill will meet us there and Charlie is arriving there a while after us."
Friday 23rd July 1993 (Daniel Radcliff's birthday, he was four on this date).
All of us held onto the portkey as I felt the familiar pull at my navel and we left Ottery St Catchpole. We landed after a few minutes, Dad remained standing and so did Mum but only because she held on to Dad. The rest of us were on the ground. We got up quickly and joined our parents. We saw Bill walk over to us and I ran over to hug him, he lifted me off the ground. His hair was longer and then the last time I saw it. He said hi to everyone else and then we left to go to the hotel where we were staying, since Bill couldn't fit us all in his apartment. The hotel was near his apartment so that was OK, Charlie was going to stay with him anyway. We went to our rooms, Percy and Ron were sharing (Ron was not at all happy about this), Fred and George were sharing a room as well and I was by myself (Ah benefits of being the only girl). I put the clothes I bought for this holiday into the wardrobe in my room. My room was a decent size with a single bed and a large window, which had a beautiful view.
We decided to have dinner in the hotel and when we were about to start Charlie showed up. I hugged him in greeting and then we all sat down to have dinner together as a family, which we haven't done in a while. Charlie and Bill both sat on either side of me and questioned me about my first year at Hogwarts and I had to keep assuring them that I was OK. They are so overprotective; this is the down side of being the only girl and the youngest.
Friday 30th July 1993
We've been in Egypt for a week now and it's been great. Bill's been taking us round all the tombs. The curses the old Egyptian wizards put on them are so bad. We were at the last tomb we are going to see today. Fred, George and Ron walked in after Bill, Charlie, Percy and Dad and their reactions made Mum stop. She told me to wait and went inside, she came out almost immediately and said that I couldn't go inside, which is so unfair, I don't scare that easily.
When the boys and Dad came back out we headed off to the hotel for dinner. I lingered back and got the twins to tell me what was in the last tomb. They told me there were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I wanted to see that.
At dinner the Pocket Sneakoscope that Ron had bought for Harry's birthday present kept lighting up and spin around. Bill told Ron that its rubbish sold for tourists and isn't reliable. But I think it was going off because Fred and George had put beetles in Bill's soup.
After dinner Ron went to his room and wrapped up the present and bought it downstairs where everyone was sat. Mum and Dad were off talking with Bill and Charlie. Ron put a letter he had obviously written to Harry along with the Daily Prophet article about Dad winning the prize draw (Which also has a picture that was taken the day after we arrived here) into the envelope with the birthday card. He attached both the envelope and present to Errol and told him to take it to Harry. Errol took off and Ron kept watching him to make sure he left before Mum and Dad got back, since he's not supposed to send Errol on long journeys, that's probably why the sneakoscope was going off again. It scared scabbers, who was in Ron's shirt pocket, but I don't really like scabbers I never have.
Saturday 31st July 1993
I walked downstairs for breakfast and Dad passed me a letter, it was my Hogwarts letter. I quickly opened it, it said the normal really that school would begin on the 1st of September and that I should catch the Hogwarts Express then, which will leave at eleven o'clock. I looked at the list of things I needed for second year.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Second-year students will require:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2) by Miranda Goshawk
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
That's not so bad, only two new books needed. I could probably persuade Mum into getting me new robes now. I showed the list to Mum, who looked over it and then gave it back to me. I started eating my breakfast and talked to Bill and Charlie who had just arrived. Fred, George, Percy and Ron came downstairs then and Dad passed them their letters.
"Cool, I get to go to Hogsmeade this year," Ron said excitedly. Oh, I have to wait another year before I can go. "Dad can you sign my permission form?"
"Of course, I'll sign it after breakfast," Dad said and continued to eat his breakfast.
Wednesday 11th August 1993
I walked around with Bill, as mum looked around for a nice present for me. I'm now officially twelve. Everyone bought me a little something and loved all my gifts. We had a great day and a lovely dinner to end the day with. Dad had gone out a bought a cake as well, which we cut and ate after dinner.
Thursday 12th August 1993
Percy had yesterdays paper in his hand and he just finished with it and put it down on the table. I looked at the heading on the front page which read 'BLACK STILL AT LARGE'. Dad came and sat down looking a little distressed.
"Apparently Harry blew up his aunt, who was visiting and then ran off," Dad said to Ron. "The minister found him and now he's staying at the leaky cauldron for the remainder of the holidays." Ron looked shocked and amused all at once, so did Fred and George.
We set off to go see some more pyramids today, also Bill said he'd show us where he works and all. Fred and George tried to shut Percy in a pyramid but Mum spotted them.
Sunday 22nd August 1993
Today is Percy's 17th birthday, which is a pretty big deal as he is now of age. We went to some historical places because Percy wanted to go there. He got a lot of information today and so did the rest of us. Percy had a lot of fun and I'm glad that he enjoyed his birthday.
Tuesday 31st August 1993
We entered the Leaky Cauldron and walked over to Tom the barman to book rooms for the night. I went to my room to put my things away. As I came back down the stairs and saw Hermione talking to Ron. Mum told us that we had to hurry up and get our shopping down quickly, she told Ron he could go with Hermione and find Harry. I walked out into Diagon Alley with Mum, Fred, George and Percy. We went to Madam Malkin's and got new robes for the boys and then went to get parchments and ink. Then we went to the Apothecary had refilled all our Potion ingredients. Finally we walked into Flourish and Blotts, there was a large iron cage holding about a hundred books that were fighting with each other on display in the window. The sign above the cage said 'The Monster Book of Monsters'. We walked inside and looked around for the books we needed. I walked around with Mum and found 'The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2)' by Miranda Goshawk and 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' by Quentin Trimble. Once the boys had got their books we headed back to the Leaky Cauldron laden with shopping.
I saw Ron, Hermione and Harry talking to dad. I looked down and muttered 'hello'. Percy held out his hand as though he had never met Harry before.
"Harry. How nice to see you," Percy said.
"Hello, Percy," Harry said trying not to laugh.
"I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands.
"Very well, thanks –"
"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy –"
"Marvellous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing." Percy scowled, I thought it was funny.
"That's enough, now," said Mum.
"Mum!" said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her, and seized her hand, too. "How really corking to see you –"
"I said, that's enough," said Mum, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" Mum pointed at the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" Mum said, swelling with pride.
"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.
"I don't doubt that," Mum said, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two Prefects."
"What do we want to be Prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life." I giggled at that.
"You want to set a better example to your sister!" Mum snapped.
"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," Percy said. "I'm going up to change for dinner ..." He disappeared up the stairs and George heaved a sigh and turned to Harry.
---
Dinner that night was very enjoyable, Tom put three tables together so that all of us Weasleys, Hermione and Harry could sit together.
"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" Fred asked as we ate our chocolate pudding.
"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," Dad said making everyone look up at him. Why was the Ministry providing us with cars?
"Why?" Percy asked curiously before anyone else could.
"It's because of you, Perce," George said seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the bonnets, with HB on them –"
"- for Humongous Bighead," said Fred. Everyone except for Percy and Mum sniggered into their pudding. The twins are always picking on Percy, it's his fault for making it so easy.
"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.
"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," Dad said. "And as I work there, they're doing me a favour ..." Dad's ears went red as he tried to keep his voice casual, he was obviously hiding something.
"Good job, too," Mum said briskly. "Do you realise how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground ... You are all packed, aren't you?"
"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."
"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mum called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.
After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy, so we all headed up to bed, one by one. I entered my room number 14 and made sure I had everything packed. Once I was done I got changed into my nightdress and walked over to my bed. I could hear Percy yelling at Ron about something, sounding like his badge had gone missing. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Read and Review please!! I'll try and update soon. =] =]
