Now we're finally getting into the good part of this. I am pretty much almost caught up with what I have finished written now, which is good. This, just incase you're confused, is the summer before Rose, Mariana, and Al's third year at Hogwarts. (Meaning that it's James, Fred, Roxanne, Alice, and Jerry's fifth year) I'm so excited that I'm finally getting to show you guys some of the work that I'm really proud of. So, this chapter is all about a perfect Wizard's summer day! Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, I would have given thousands of autographs. Since I can still barely spell my name at the top of my test, I would assume that I am not her, so I do not own Harry Potter.
My eyes fluttered open early one morning while I was still on holiday. The summer sunbeams were peaking inside through the windows, and the warmth from outside was creeping through the walls of The Burrow, where all the Weasley's and Potter's spent the precious moments that we weren't in school. I heard laughter outside and assumed that Lily and Hugo playing on the swing set, something that Muggle kids love to play on. Grandpa Weasley bought it in something Muggles call "garage sales". I looked outside. When the swing was facing the sky, Lily jumped off, floating far too long in the air and landing much too softly. I smiled as Hugo climbed up on the swing next to hers and promptly followed. It must be great still being young and trouble free, as it appears Lily and Hugo were. I looked beyond them and stared at the field that we Weasley's and Potter's play Quidditch in all summer and I was grateful for our family.
I walked through the small but bright room and opened the dresser drawer, pulling out my favorite sweatpants on and a soft, comfy cream sweater. I twisted my hair up into a knot on the back of my head and ran down the everlasting, crooked flight of stairs and into the kitchen. I plopped next to James, who was writing furiously on a bit of parchment.
"Slow down, Superman," I said with a wink, grabbing some orange juice and pouring a glass, "You might write straight through the poor piece of paper."
James grinned and continued to write like there wasn't any tomorrow. I, being a concerned (okay, mainly nosy) cousin, peeked over his shoulders and saw "Dear Alice," written on the top.
"Oh, Alice, huh?" I said with a grin.
He nodded and I noticed a giant smile curl up on the sides of his lips.
"Alice is… she's just… wow," he said with a smile, "I don't ever want to stop being with her. She's like a sugar quill."
"A sugar quill?" I burst out laughing at my cousin, "You're comparing your girlfriend to a Honeydukes sweet?"
"Well think about it," he said with a roll of his eyes, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "When have you ever eaten just one sugar quill?"
I nodded in agreement and took a swig out of my orange juice. Just then, the floors above creaked and Uncle Harry walked in, yawning, and ruffling his black hair.
"Hey," James said defensively, "You tell me not to mess up my hair."
"But you do it to look cool," he said groggily, "But you just look like a massive prat."
"Thanks Dad," James muttered indignantly, taking a chomp out of a pear he grabbed out of the fruit bowl, "You do wonders on my self esteem."
Just then, Aunt Ginny walked down with a pair of yellow pajama pants, a red tank top, and a white bathroom on. She stretched her arms towards the ceiling as she walked over to grab an apple. She ran her hands through the back of James hair and kissed him on the cheek.
"Morning, sweetums."
"Mum!" James yelled, looking highly revolted, "I am 15, not a newborn. Please go shower Al with kisses."
Aunt Ginny snorted.
"Yeah, dream on, James," she said, linking hands with Uncle Harry.
"Good morning to you too, Gin," Uncle Harry said with a pout, playing batting his eyelashes at Aunt Ginny, as though she had mortally wounded him.
"Oh, hey you," Aunt Ginny turned to Uncle Harry, as though she had never seen him properly before, "Say, you look a lot like this guy I used to date in school."
"Really?" Uncle Harry said with astonishment, "Was he a dashingly handsome, orphaned Quidditch player who saved all of wizard kind when he was 17?"
"Naw," she quipped back, her long, fiery red mane flowing freely as she shook her head, "He was a quiet, thick type who kept to the Dark Side for the most part."
"You dated Goyle?!" Uncle Harry yelped in reply, and the table burst out laughing.
"Hey," I said protectively, waging my finger at my uncle, "Don't you go hating on the Goyle's. Vincent's a good bloke."
Uncle Harry's brilliant green eyes clouded over with mischief, telling everyone in the room his opinion on Vincent's father, without saying a word. Aunt Ginny tapped her fingers on the table and let out a low whistle. Just then, Al bounded in the room with a smile.
"Morning, everyone," he said cheerfully, hugging his mother and father, and went to fix some coffee.
"Stupid morning person," Uncle Harry muttered, "I have no idea where he gets it from."
Grandma Molly then walked in the room, looking astonished everyone was up.
"Hello, dearies, must be an early morning today!" she said pleasantly, "Would anyone like some pancakes and sausage?"
"Oh, that must be where he gets it from," Uncle Harry whispered inaudibly and Aunt Ginny thwacked him on the arm.
"What was that, Harry dear?" Grandma Molly called from the kitchen.
"Oh, just that pancakes sound wonderful," he called back in a brilliantly convincing ebullient voice.
Soon, warm, mouth watering smells were erupting from the kitchen and Aunt Ginny got up to go help her mother, Uncle Harry's eyes following her as she walked out.
Al suggested we go for a morning walk (something that the idiotic crack of dawn lover insisted on doing every morning…) and we walked out into the glorious sunlight. The rays were reflecting off of anything shimmery, making it appear as if a million glittering fireflies were happily teeming through the summer air. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the exact same color as Victorie's eyes I noticed, which made the radiant clouds dazzle even more vividly. The colors of the garden seemed to pop out even more, since the rest of the world was brimming with color. The crimson roses appeared darker, the amethyst lilacs stuck out faultlessly, the luminous jade grass blades wavering beneath our bare feet, and the entire world seemed in harmony with each other. I took in the exterior of The Burrow for the first time in my life, though I had been here thousands of time, I studied every entity as though it was brand new. Al seemed to notice I was off in a daze and walked fluidly next to me, remaining silent, and kindly letting me go along with my inspection of the world, which I had come to decide, was absolutely stunning.
I swooped down to the pond and ran my fingertips through the water, letting the warm, damp sensation linger in my skin. I explored the way it felt to dip my toes into the surface of the water and wriggle them curiously. I felt like a child who had woke up after a long nap.
"You're kind of inspiring, you know," Al said softly, bringing me back into reality.
"Huh?" I asked rather bemusedly.
"Just the way you look and touch everything, as though it's for the first. You explore the world as though is a mystery, calling out at you to solve it."
I stared at my cousin. On the outside, Al looked just like his father. But on the inside, Al was very much like Lily, the grandmother he had never known, nor had his father. He saw wisdom and beauty in everything, and had always been the most calm out of the wild and crazy Potter/Weasley clan. I smiled and took my cousins hand, as we explored the earth we had walked on so many times before as though it was pristine.
"Al! Rose!"
We ran out from the forest and saw Aunt Ginny waving us inside. We ran inside, hand in hand, and found the house was exploding with delicious smells. I saw Dad had finally made his entrance back into the reality. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at me.
"ROSIE HERMIONE WEASLEY, WHO ARE YOU HOLDING HANDS WITH?!" he exclaimed furiously, until his eyes had evened out, "Oh, it's Al. For a second, I could have sworn it was... never mind."
"Nice work, moron," Uncle Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's Al, my son, remember him? You know, you were only there when he was born."
Ron cringed.
"Please, I'm trying to forget the things I saw that day," he said with revulsion, glancing at Aunt Ginny.
"Oh get over it, you stupid git," Aunt Ginny said with a sigh, "It's not like you have never seen a woman giving birth before."
"Well, it's not as if it's a particularly enjoyable sight!" Ron snapped back.
"Well, it's not as if it's a particularly enjoyable feeling," muttered Aunt Ginny.
"Ronald! Ginerva!" called an agitated voice.
"Sorry, Mum!" the two called back in unison, continuing to glare at each other.
Grandma Weasley bustled out carrying several breakfast entrees that made your stomach rumble at the sight and smell of them. She dished out several servings to each plate and passed them around, looking at them expectantly.
"Well, eat!" she said briskly, "Goodness knows you children need to get some food in you, running around outside all summer, and such. Harry, dear, you look especially thin. Is Auror work wearing you out? Here, let me get you some more of those potatoes…"
The entire family indulged in her delicious cooking, deciding not to think about how bad it probably was for us. After we devoured the dishes, I stayed to help clean up. Grabbing several plates, I waddled to the sink and set them down in there gingerly, which magically began cleaning them.
"Oh, thank you, dear," Grandma Weasley said, with a peck to my cheek.
"You're welcome," I said as a thought popped in my head, "Grandma? When did you realize Aunt Ginny liked Uncle Harry?"
"First time she laid eyes on him," she immediately retorted cleverly, "It was the summer before her first year. She ran down the stairs, exclaiming she couldn't find her jumper, locked eyes with Harry, and then ran squealing out of the room. It happened right there."
I looked over at the banister next to the staircase and imagined the scene in my head. I saw a little rocket of fiery red hair running downstairs, bursting out about her missing clothing article. Her brown eyes locked with a pair of brilliant green, and she gasped, zooming straight back upstairs. I laughed. My mind worked an exceptionally lot like a TV. (By the way, I only know what a TV is because Grandpa Weasley bought one and ended up breaking it in the process of trying to set it up.)
Suddenly, a roar of crackling fire sounded and the afterglow of an emerald green blaze filled the room. My mother stepped out of the fireplace, clutching Ministry scrolls, and in her work uniform.
"'Lo, mum!" I said with a smile.
"Hey, sweetheart," my mother sighed out exhaustedly, collapsing into one of the kitchen table chairs, "Horrid day at the office. A group of fourth year girl's in southern London decided to try to Apperate! One of them splinched herself completely in half."
The three Weasley women in the kitchen shuddered.
"I am absolutely done in, I need some sleep. See you tonight."
She walked upstairs and I, feeling sneaky, follow her up. In the hallway, I heard my father's voice.
"Hermione," he said happily, "You're home."
"Hi, Ron," Mum said pleasantly, and I peaked around the corner to see him give her a quick peck on the forehead.
Mum pulled my Dad in for a hug and the two stood there. Dad smiled and looked as if nothing would make him happier than to stand there forever, in the hallway he grew up in, just holding his wife. Still smiling, I ran down the stairs and plopped on the couch, deciding I was in need of a nap. Unfortunately, sleep usually comes accompanied with dreams. And I have to admit, my dreams embarrass me.
I was back at Hogwarts, and it was obviously near the end of term. The sunrays were falling all over the castle and the warm tingle of the end of spring was in the air. I was sitting on the edge of the boat house, feet in the warm water. I felt someone sit down next to me.
"Hey," I said, my long red hair shielding my view from the person next to me, but I already knew who it was.
"Weasley, I'm so sorry," said the voice of the person next to me.
"It's not like it's your fault, Malfoy," I said softly, "I just don't know how James is going to get over this."
"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked as he picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lake.
"You know why. It's obvious. They, them, whatever you call it, their friendship, meant more to James than Quidditch even," I said with a long sigh.
Scorpius let out a sad chuckle.
"That's saying something if Potter cared more about them than Quidditch. I thought the guy was going to drown himself in the locker room after we beat Gryffindor in his fifth year."
We sat there in silence. I stared at the mountains surrounding Hogwarts vaguely. They were just as beautiful as ever, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. So many things are filled with beauty, but they get taken away before our liking. I couldn't stand looking at the mountains, for all I know; they'd be gone tomorrow, too. Tears suddenly fogged my vision as I stared down into the lake, and watched them fall, creating a ripple effect in the dark, murky waters.
"It's gonna be okay," Scorpius said strongly, lifting himself up, and smiling down at me, "You'll see."
"Are you sure?" I called back anxiously.
Scorpius turned back around, looking at me honestly. Somehow, just being near him made me feel better.
"Positive."
With that he walked away, leaving me to my thoughts.
Suddenly, I felt something, or I should say, someone pounce on top of me.
"Ah! What the-"
A girl's pair of eager ocean blue eyes were looking at me with enthusiasm. Her long, brunette hair was fanned behind her back.
"Mari?" I gawked.
My best friend giggled and climbed off of me, allowing me to freak out over the fact that she was supposed to be in Denmark.
"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Who took you? How long are you staying?" I puffed out in one breath.
"Down, doggie, take a breath," Mariana grinned, "One question at a time. Well, why else would I be here, you great prat? Not to snog Hugo!" she shuddered, and then continued, "Well, I got here using the Floo Network, ever heard of that? Yeah, let's see, what was the next question? Oh yeah, I Flooed here, we've already been over this. And… I'm staying for the rest of summer!"
I gasped.
"Are you for real?"
"No, I'm lying to you," Mari said with a roll of her eyes, "Of course I am!"
I squealed and rolled over to tackle my best friend. She let out several opposing gags and giggles. Just then, Al and James bounded in the room, sweaty from running around outside.
"Mariana?" Al gasped out.
Mariana chin-uped Al and James and flipped her shiny, long locks over her back. She looked around, noticed Uncle George's wand on the table, grabbed it, and conjured a hackey sack. She tossed it back and forth between her fingers.
"H-how? Where? Wh-why?" James stuttered.
"James, you dropped your jaw on the floor, you might want to pick it up," Mariana said flippantly, tossing the sack to me, "I'm spending the rest of the summer here."
"That's great!" James responded enthusiastically, "You can tell Rosie to start playing Quidditch with us again. She's locked herself up all summer reading textbooks."
"Rosie!" Mariana squawked, looking at me like I had broke a federal law.
"What? Third year is a hard year," I shot back defensively, "I was just preparing."
Mariana set her head in her hands, laughing from her stomach.
"Only you, Rosie," she giggled, wiping away laughter tears with the back of her hand, "Only you."
I glared at the three, who were all laughing now, but smiled to myself. When they were in over their heads in homework, was I gonna help them? Naw. Just then, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry walked downstairs, yawning, and holding each other's hands. Aunt Ginny took one look at Mariana, and immediately knew who she was.
"Well, you must be Mariana Corner," she said with a smile.
Mari smiled and Aunt Ginny gave her a huge hug while Uncle Harry waved and smiled very warmly.
"You look just like your father," Aunt Ginny said, while studying my best friend, "Your eyes are identical, it's rather spectacular: big, beautiful, dark sea blue eyes…"
Uncle Harry coughed.
"But, I prefer green eyes," she recovered quickly.
"Aw, shucks, Gin," Uncle Harry said with a wink, pretending to blush.
Uncle George then bounded downstairs, having not shown himself all through the day until now, and stared at his sister and brother-in-law.
"Freaks," he said, rolling his twinkly blue eyes, "Mari Carrie Bearie!"
"Mr. Weasley, must you rhyme everything?" Mariana asked exasperated, but after seeing the look on Uncle George's face, "I mean, Uncle George."
"Good girl," Uncle George said with approving smile, "Now what are you all sitting around down here for? Shouldn't you be off causing trouble or something worthwhile like that?"
"Please, George, don't coax them to make any more damage than they already do sufficiently well themselves," Aunt Ginny pleaded.
"I wouldn't dream of it!"
"Oh, George, Dad and I fixed up the old Ford Angelia the other day," Harry said excitedly, and the two men ran off to go find it.
"Shall we go play Quidditch?" James asked.
"Gee, James, what a shocker that you'd be the one to suggest we play Quidditch," Mariana said with a roll of her eyes.
"You three have fun," I said, "I'm going to be reading my Advanced Potion Making textbook."
"We aren't assigned that book till 6th year, Rose," Al said incredulously.
"I know that," I said defensively, "I'm just trying to get ahead."
"Three years ahead?" James smirked.
I ignored their giggles and continued scanning my textbook, occasionally stopping, grabbing my quill, and writing a note in some spare parchment.
"Rosie, please?" Mariana whined it a childish, sullen voice, batting her eyelashes offendedly.
"Oh, fine," I grunt, putting the manuscript on the coffee table, "But, only for a few hours."
"Yeah, guys, seriously," James said with a teasing wink, "She has O.W.L's in only two years! And N.E.W.T's in only four. Stop distracting the woman!"
I grabbed the largest textbook available and hit him on the arm, not feeling sorry in the slightest. Al snorted and Mariana pouted, probably wishing she was the one to inflict pain on someone else. I ran upstairs, changed into my Quidditch outfit (long, black tights, mid-sleeves red shirt, and my Quidditch trainers), and buckled my gloves on while running down the stairs. When I bounded down the last step, James and Al were playing Exploding Snaps and Mariana was pulling back her hair with a rubber band.
"Alright, Rosie has emerged, finally," Mariana jumped up excitedly, "Let's go, prats."
"Yes, ma'am!" Al and James said in unison with a smile and a fake solute.
We walked through the kitchen and opened the door, walking out to the broomstick barn, when a voice called from behind us.
"Kids, are you going to play a few matches?" Grandma Weasley called out.
"Yep!"
"Alright, I'll have warm cookies ready when you get back!"
Mariana smiled.
"I love your Grandma," she laughed out, "I could get used to being a Weasley/Potter."
"Well, to be official, you're going have to marry one of the Weasley or Potter's, but since there are a million of us, there are plenty to choose from! Take your pick," I grinned.
"Oh, gosh, I'm not going to comment," James said nonchalantly.
"Well, no one really wanted you to, anyway," Mariana punned back.
The three of us walked together to the broomstick barn, laughing, teasing, and goofing off all the way. James tripped Al into a pile of dirt, Al pushes James back in the pond, and Mari shoved both of them into the barn for half an hour without letting them out.
"I wish I had my wand," James grumbled from inside the barn.
"No such luck, James Sirius," Mariana sang back.
"Rosie?" Al asked; fear shaking through his voice, "There are a bunch of spiders in here!"
Immediately, I ran to the door and undid the hitch.
"Dude!"
"Al is deathly afraid of spiders," I whispered, "He gets it from Uncle Ron. Unless you wanted him to have a nervous breakdown, I had to unlock the door."
"Fun sucking git," Mariana muttered under her breath.
We walked to the Quidditch pitch and mounted our brooms. The rush of wind rippling through our hair was amazing, and you couldn't even describe the feeling of exuberance zooming through the sky. James veered away from the pitch and headed towards the flying route in the woods, and Mariana followed quickly in suit, as did Al and I. We zoomed through the trees and through fallen logs. We whooshed through an old barn that's roof was broken and burst out to the other side of The Burrow. Gliding over the glittering lake, I smiled and let out a delighted shriek and did a loop-de-loop. Crunching down to straddle my broom, I soared through one of the rings on the three goalposts.
That is how the entire afternoon went. It was undoubtedly the best day ever, zooming throughout the sky like there was no end. I felt like the happiest witch alive.
"Woohoo!" Mariana yelled and smiled at Al, who smiled back.
James fist pumped, his golden hazel eyes sparkled with crazy enthusiasm, and he smiled like he was in heaven. After all, we all know James is the most Quidditch obsessed person alive.
Well, maybe next to Oliver and Aiden Wood…
Mariana and Al touched down, James and I quickly followed. Mari threw her broom on the ground and flopped down lifelessly next to it.
"I think I might die of exhaustion," she croaked out, looking me dramatically in the eyes, "Tell Pete Patterson, the lead singer of the Hunky Warlocks, that I love him."
She then theatrically let her head fall back; her arms rest on her stomach, and stuck out her tongue in a dead fashion.
"No!" I cried out goofily, playing along, "She was so young! Why couldn't it be me?!"
"Yeah, why couldn't it be her?" Mariana quipped back.
"Mari, you're supposed to be dead," I reminded her.
"Oh, yeah," she said, and then flopped lifelessly again.
Al and James, being stupid boys, completely ignored the whole theatrical production being preformed.
"How rude!" Mariana exclaimed, jumping up and brushed dirt off her shoulder, "I died and you didn't even care to give me the time of day."
"The time of day is 3:47, Mari," Al said.
Mariana laughed, and I could've sworn a flush of pink crept on her cheeks, but it was quickly replaced by her usual smirk.
"Why thank you, Potter Numero Uno. Potter Numero Dose, you've got some work to do."
"Oh no!" James cried in fake concern.
The four of us packed our broomsticks back up in the barn and walked back. Mariana was chiding James for his lack of response to her "death" while Al and I discussed Quidditch strategies.
We walked into the kitchen, where as promised, a fresh batch of cookies were set gingerly on the table.
"I love your family!" Mariana squealed and grabbed a cookie.
"It gets old when you're actually in the family," James said in a drawing voice, chewing on a cookie.
"I'll take my chances," Mariana said with a smile, through her chomping.
James and I began to play a quick game of wizard's chess, he actually does have some skills, and Mariana and Al argued about Quidditch… like usual. Everything was right in the world.
"Puddlemere United should definitely take the cup next year," Mariana said firmly, "They've worked so hard for it. Plus, I'd die if the Appleby Arrows won."
"For once," Al said slowly, "I agree with you, Corner."
We sat in the living room for nearly three hours, playing game after game after game. Suddenly, Mariana jumped up.
"I'm thirsty. Do you have any Muggle lemonade mix?"
"Muggle?" James asked incredulously.
"Lemonade?" Al asked, even more incredulously.
"You've never had lemonade?" Mariana shouted in disbelief.
The three of us shook our head. Mariana gasped and ran over to the fireplace. Before any of us could stop her, she grabbed some Floo Powder, yelled an address that we didn't catch, and jumped into the emerald fire. James groaned.
"Mum and Dad are gonna kill us!"
"This isn't our fault!" Al said nervously.
"Oh, you know Mum," James said with a roll of his eyes, "It'll be our fault. She'll say we should have stopped her or something. Jumped into the fire at the last moment."
"Luckily, I don't think my Dad will care," I gloated happily, enjoying the glares from my cousins, "And my Mum is passed out cold!" I dawned on this for a moment before continuing, "I am so lucky! Ha! Sucks for you guys."
"What sucks for them?" Aunt Ginny asked, walking downstairs looking polished and pretty.
She was wearing a casual, forest green, summer dress with a dark blue cardigan, and flats. Her hair, which usually hung wild and mane-like, was smooth and silky. She also was wearing a little touch of makeup, something she normally didn't do, which made her brown eyes pop.
"You look great, Aunt Ginny!" I said with a smile.
"Thanks," she replied with a smile, "But don't avoid the subject."
I blinked my eyelashes innocently and she then, probably deciding she didn't want to know anyway, headed towards the fireplace.
"I have a meeting, so I'll see you guys later tonight," she called to James, Al, and I, "I love you."
"Love you too," we called back.
Suddenly, the fireplace erupted in emerald green, though Aunt Ginny hadn't thrown in the Floo Powder yet.
"Oh," Mariana said awkwardly, nose to nose with my aunt, "Hi, Mrs. Potter!"
Aunt Ginny laughed as she threw her own Floo Powder into the hearth.
"I don't want to know," she said with a smile, "Be back later!"
Mariana waved innocently goodbye and waited until Aunt Ginny had completely disappeared, then pulled out a yellow packet out of her pocket.
"Alright, you hopeless, Muggle ignorant wizards," she said with a smile, "I shall teach you the art that is lemonade making!"
"Art?" Al yelped, "I thought it was a food!"
"It's a Muggle figure of speech," Mariana said exasperatedly, pulling a pitcher out of a random drawer, "And it's a drink, Albus."
"I knew that," he muttered indignantly.
"So, what's going on with the extra bashing on Al?" I teased my best friend, who was beating water and lemonade mix together furiously.
"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, her ocean blue eyes fixed in concentration on the jug.
"What is going on with you and Albus Severus Potter?" I asked firmly, penetrating her deeply with my bright brown eyes.
My best mate stared at the ground and continued to stir absentmindedly, ignoring the fact that the lemonade mix was completely blended in.
"Mariana Corner," I said firmly, "Relax. It's just me. I'm not going to run back and tell anyone," I paused and continued more softly, "Please tell me."
She scrounged around for some ice, I then pointed to the bin, and I squeezed her arm gently.
"Please, Mariana," I pleaded.
She still avoided my eyes, pouring the drink in four ice-filled glasses, and whispered so softly, as though she had never said it.
"I like him," she whispered.
A tiny, translucent tear drop plopped from Mariana's eye and into the pitcher, creating a little wave. My heart broke for my best friend, who I could tell was erectly in love with my cousin, but it hurt her because she was too proud to say so. I squeezed her shoulder gently and comfortingly, since I was stuck in the same position she was. If I held my breath, I could've sworn I heard a crack come from inside Mariana, her heart crumpling to ruins inside her.
Al and James, though standing only several inches away from us, were completely oblivious to the emotional encounter taking place in the kitchen of The Burrow. I took the pitcher from Mariana and poured four glasses of lemonade, mouthing, "We'll talk later."
"Mariana, this is awesome!" Al exclaimed after taking a sip of the drink, "I can't believe we've never tried this before."
He then embraced Mariana in a huge hug, making her face light up like a thousand fireflies.
She smiled, her pearly white teeth glowing, and seemed to forget all her troubles just seconds earlier.
"This IS good, Mari!" I smiled after taking a sip, "I like it a lot."
Just then, Mum walked down the stairs yawning, her hair in a lovely disarray.
"Well, good morning, sunshine!" James said with a smirk, "Nice to see you out in the daylight. A slumbering beast awakens!"
Mum thwacked James with the back of her hand and collapsed on the chair in between James and Al.
"Good morning, Aunt Hermione," Al, the ever so sweet one, "Want me to fix you some eggs?"
Mum smiled.
"Oh, Al, that'd be wonderful, thank you. Why did Ginny get to have you for a son? I wouldn't mind if I swapped you with Hugo sometimes."
"You and me both," I muttered.
Mariana looked up and caught my eye, motioning over to Al, who had just finished making eggs for my mum. She raised an eyebrow and I nodded enthusiastically, smiling at her. Nervously tucking her hair behind her ear (yeah, you know something is wrong if bloody Mariana Corner is nervous!) she turned over to Al.
"Hey, Al, you want to go take a walk or something?" she said casually, "I'm sort of getting bored."
"Yeah," Al responded earnestly, pushing his chair back under the table, "James, you in for a walk, mate?"
I saw Mariana's self esteem falter and she bit her lip disappointedly. I quickly starred daggers at James, who's lips were almost forming the word "Yes" and he seem to catch on.
"No, you go ahead. I need to go owl Alice," he said smoothly, obviously an expert at lying.
With that, he got up and ran up the flight of stairs, probably going to do just that. After all, it just makes the lie seem all the more realistic.
"You, Rose?" Al asked politely, tying is shoe lace.
"Nope, I think I'm going to owl Lila. It's been a few days," I said with a smile, and ran up to my room.
Okay, I know that it is probably bad karma to spy on your best friend and cousin, but hey! I'm curious!
"Mariana Potter," I muttered to myself, "Hey, that kind of has a ring to it!"
"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," the mirror said wisely.
I sighed.
"Oh, shove it," I snapped, smiling to myself as Mariana giggled at something Al said, "Stupid talking mirror…"
Don't you hate it when you're mirror starts talking to you? I know I do. Ooooh. Mariana and Albus, sitting in a tree, S-N-O-G-G-I-N-G... what?! So, do you love Mariana and Albus or does it not seem to fit to you? Let me know what you think! Please comment and tell me your opinions. I love reading them :)