"Adar," Hestia called walking into The Burrow's kitchen. Her father was sitting on the couch in the adjoining room/.
"Yes Hes?" Jonathon said looking up from where he was with the twins, talking to them about their prank on Percy.
"Can I keep the cauldron, the broom and the Puddlemere poster?" She asked placing the box on the table "Everything else is good, though I think some of the photos could go to Harry, or at least copies of them.
"I don't see why not." Jonathon said, "and that's- wait a sec, why do you need a broom?" he exclaimed standing up. The twins visibly paled and tried to sneak out of the room. "You two sit back down!" Jonathon said, not breaking eye contact with his daughter. "Why do you need a broom Hestia?" he asked, as Percy came down the stairs, ready to help his mother with dinner, and overheard the conversation.
"Because she play's quidditch." he replied, not batting an eyelid as he continued on his way.
"Hestia Marlene Weasley." Jonathon breathed, beckoning her to the couch as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yes Ada?" She asked playing the innocent, as she took a seat between her older cousins, pale at the use of her full name.
"Do you have something to tell me? He asked, his gaze hardening on her.
"Well, um, you see…" She started, throwing a glance at her cousin's for help, but they refused to meet her gaze. "I, um, sort of play Quidditch... But it's not as violent or as fast as real quidditch!" She said quickly.
"How so?" Jonathon asked, not entirely convinced as he pulled up an armchair and sat down directly across from them.
"We don't have full speed bludgers and the snitch is bigger and slower." Hes explained before adding, "and it's combined! We have a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw and a few Hufflepuffs as well as Gryffindors!" She explained. "Madame Hooch and Professor McGonagall set it up."
"When did this happen?" Jonathon asked the twins, "And swap jumpers again."
"Start of the year, though they only got one match because of what happened with the chamber and stuff." Fred started,
"So Hes' team won the cup." George continued, pulling his own jumper back down over his head.
"Only by default." Hes exclaimed "There are only two teams and we were supposed to play multiple matches…"
"What position are you in Hes?" Jonathon asked, breathing deeply.
"Tiriant" Hestia mumbled at her feet, slipping into her native Sindar.
"English please Hestia, you know I can't speak Sindar as fluently as you can." Jonathon sighed, softening slightly. If Hes was slipping into Sindar, then it meant that she was afraid.
"Seeker..." Hes replied in an even quieter voice.
"Seeker?" Jonathon said, standing up and walking around the room, "Well, that means that'll I'll have to give you that broom." He smiled, as the door into the kitchen banged open and a few heavy footsteps walked into the kitchen
"MUM!" Exclaimed one of the unfamiliar voices.
"You'll never guess what happened!" Came another, slightly younger voice followed the older male. "Oh, Hey Perce!"
Uncle Jonathon, the twins started to leave to greet the new arrivals.
"Go." Jonathon replied, as both of the boys left the room, exclaiming "Bill" and "Charlie" as they went. Hes thought that this was her chance to escape from a lecture that she knew was coming. As she went to slip out, her father's arm stopped her.
"Not you," he said. Hestia shuffled moving back so they were talking face to face.
"When were you planning on telling us that you play Quidditch?" He asked, "Hes, you could've written to me about it!"
"I knew you don't want me playing it, so I was going to keep it quiet." Hes admitted,
"I know that you are only 12, but you have to understand that a warrior will always tell their leaders if they have done something." Jonathon explained, "Now is there another surprise about last year?"
"I may have played one game for the house team..." Hes said, noting how her father stopped smiling.
"Come again?"
"I may or may not have played one game for the house team..." Hestia repeated, "Because Harry fouled and was sent off for the rest of the game, therefore leaving Gryffindor without a way to win, so Wood subbed me on, even though I'm the youngest seeker in the house." She added.
"What's this about Wood, Quidditch and a Seeker?" Came the second voice Hes had heard entering the house a few minutes ago. Both father and daughter turned to see a young man, possibly on his second year out of Hogwarts, covered in freckles and a few scars along his arms, leaning against the door frame, a grin plastered on his face, ginger hair very messy.
"Nothing Charles." Jonathon said, rolling his eyes at his second eldest nephew.
Charlie, please, I only get called Charles when I'm in trouble." He smiled, "You're our long lost Uncle Jonathon, right?"
"In the flesh." Jonathon replied, shaking his nephew's hand. "God you've grown, the last I saw of you, you weren't even walking yet.
"Neither was Bill." Charlie added, getting a nod from his uncle. "So you must be our youngest seeker, right?" He indicated to Hestia.
"Yeah, that's me, Hestia." She said, as she saw a manic look in his eyes.
"I must teach you what I know!" He exclaimed, barely holding his excitement in as he grabbed her by the shoulders.
Okay..." Hes said, sneaking a look at her father who smiled.
"Don't scare her Charlie!" Came a voice that sounded like her father's but older and stressed.
"Arthur!" Jonathon said, walking out of the room to great his brother.
"I'm Charlie, Hestia." The young man said, sticking his hand out to Hestia, "I finished the year before Harry started."
"Hey." Hes said picking up her shoe which Jonathon had been using to keep the internal door between the kitchen and living room open, as they both walked into the kitchen.
"So you're a seeker…" Charlie asked, smiling
"Yeah, I don't think I'm any good at it though, and Oliver's forbidden me from jumping from my broom to catch the snitch, especially after my first game." Hestia explained, seeing his face light up.
"Did he catch you?" He asked, eyebrow raised.
"By my wrist." Hestia shivered, thinking how close she had been to meeting Mandos that day.
"Then he'll come to some holiday training then too." Charlie proposed, placing a reassuring hand on his cousin's shoulder, as they walked into the kitchen, "Do you have a broom?" He asked, knowing that the brooms at Hogwarts were old and not the best for seekers.
I'm getting dad's old one, but it's going to need a lot of TLC." Hesita said, as Molly started to levitate the food over to the table.
"I'll see if I can take you to diagon alley tomorrow morning to get the kits. And
Make Oliver knock off a few sickles." Charlie smiled as everyone sat down, Ron appearing from his room.
"Yes, cause we all know Oliver practically lives here over the summer." Percy dead panned, not amused at the idea, nods of agreement from all others at the table.
"Well, he may until the end of July." Arthur said, and Charlie's face light up with excitement. He was clearly in on whatever secret Arthur had in store.
What's happening then dad?" Ron asked, almost dropping his cutlery.
"Very good question Ron, we shall be gone for a month. We are going to Egypt." Arthur smiled, as the rest of the family went into shock.
Egypt dad?" Fred asked looking up in amazement
"But that would cost-" George started as Percy cut in with the calculations
"I know." Said Arthur
"Does that mean that you won dad?" Ginny asked from next to Hestia. "Oh wow 700 hundred galleons."
"1 trip to Egypt for a month and a couple of Galleons to spare." Arthur said as Molly squealed in excitement.
"Settle down Prewett! Jonathon said, as Hestia covered her ears with her hands, hoping to block out a bit of the sound.
"I'm so happy Arthur! She exclaimed, hugging her husband
"But what about Hes, Uncle Jonathon and Aunt L?" Ron asked, opting to be safe with Hestia's mother's name.
"Luthien, Hestia, Elladan and I are house sitting for you, hence why I sent you that owl Hestia with a last minute change of plan." Jonathon explained, smiling.
"That's Wicked!" Ron exclaimed
Hestia looked at her dad. "So wait you, Charlie and Uncle Arthur knew and you didn't tell anybody? How long have you known?" She quizzed.
"Only since this morning. Your Uncle told me via the floo network and we made the arrangements for me to come here." Jonathon replied.
LINEBREAK
Wood House.
"What in Merlin's name are your reading now?!" Lorna exclaimed, pushing her brother's door open to find him reading a library book on his bed, his shirt exposing part of his torso. "It better not be about Quidditch!"
"Nah, that's for later." Oliver said, pulling his shirt down. I'm just doing a bit of light reading." he added shutting the Silmarillion.
"Light?" Lorna started, "Oliver, light reading for you is like a comic or something!" She exclaimed, catching the title of the book, "The Silmarillion? God I already knew you were crazy, now this just proves it!"
"What?" Oliver asked, as he reached for the pad of sticky notes, one of his muggle cousins had given him and pulled the pen he was using out from under his back.
"Seriously, it's like the elvish bible!" Lorna exclaimed, picking up the Hobbit and flicking through all the tags her brother had put on it.
"It's for school." He defended, grabbing the book, and checking his notes in case she had damaged one.
"With notes like Ered Luin (Blue Mountains), Song/Prophecy of Durin's day and Rivendell/Imladris." Lorna countered
"Sod off." Oliver said,
"And don't try to pass it as anything to do with either NEWT Muggle studies or Care for Magical Creatures or even Ancient Runes." Lorna said, "Because you have two older sisters who did all of those subjects." She smirked, moving her tall brother's feet so that she could sit down. "So who you trying to impress?" She asked.
"Nobody, now sod off!" Oliver said, trying to kick her, "Don't worry your pretty face Lorry." He said glaring at her.
"Right back to the real reason why I came in here, what do you want for your 17th?" She asked casually picking up an old quaffle. She wasn't on Ravenclaw's house team when she had been at Hogwarts, but having dated Bill Weasley, she knew enough about the game, that and living with her quidditch obsessed brother.
"Gryffindor to win the house cup." He deadpanned.
"Talk to your team about that one." She said, standing up, and getting ready to leave. "OH and El is bringing Todd to dinner tonight, and Ma's asked you to behave. So no fighting in the yard!" She said
"He threw the first punch though!" Oliver exclaimed as his sister shut his bedroom door. Making sure she had left, he opened one of the notes he had made in the Hobbit. "So if Durin's day is May 31st... Shoot we missed her birthday!" He exclaimed, throwing the book down, and glaring at his ceiling. Hestia hadn't had her birthday celebrated, granted they had been on the train, but he would've been able to get a cake or something.