Chapter 13: Switch teams with me

Zoey stumbled out of the fireplace and landed on something soft. She coughed a bit and rubbed her eyes. She didn't know where her glasses were. They most likely fell of somewhere. Zoey swallowed a bit and noted her throat was rather dry. She groaned.

"Gee Zoe," she heard someone say at the same time she felt the ground beneath her rumble; "I know you missed me and all but do you really have to tackle me to the ground?"

Zoey gasped as she lifted herself up and came across sparkling blue eyes. The same blue eyes she came across in many embarrassing situations. She felt her cheeks redden.

"Smm-mooth, Zoey. Just smooth," Echo giggled from behind George as they came from the kitchen to find out what happened.

Zoey sent a glare (a rare action from the Emeraude girl) towards her friend before picking herself up and inching away from both Fred and the fireplace. She watched from under her lashes George smirking and stepping back to be beside Echo.

George bent down a bit and whispered to Echo, "Why don't we have moments like that?" His voice held a slight whine as he jerked his head towards a kneeling Zoey and a grinning Fred.

Echo smirked at him in return before whispering back, "We are too important to have moments like those"

George, not expecting such an answer, blushed.

"Oi! Lovebirds!" Fred's voice brought George and Echo back to somewhat reality, "Mind stepping away from the floo network? I expect mom to be arriving soon"

"Did you have to ruin the moment, Fred?" Zoey asked as she stood up and dusted off her shirt, "But…I don't see what's taking Mrs. Weasley so long… she couldn't have ended up cleaning the rest of the house could she?"

"She might as well have, but what took her such time? Mrs. Weasley's a pure blood after all," Echo shrugged.

"Just because -," but Zoey was not able to complete her statement because Mrs. Weasley had appeared in the fireplace. She smiled up at them before stepping out.

"Just make yourself at home Zoey dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she kissed both Fred and George on the head, "You haven't done anything that you shouldn't have, have you?"

"Of course not!" Fred exclaimed as he mocked hurt

"You wound us mother with your mistrust," George said as he placed a hand over his heart and staggered a bit.

Zoey watched as Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes at her sons and retreated to the kitchen. Echo followed after her muttering about how hungry she was. Zoey shifted at her feet and took hold of her suitcase. She looked at the direction of the stairs. Mrs. Weasley had said she would be staying over until school begins. Zoey's only problem was that she didn't know where. She never stayed over at the Weasley's long enough to have to sleep over.

The twins noticed her slight discomfort.

"You'll be staying with Ginny," Fred said as he took hold of Zoey's suitcase, "Forge, after you"

George sent a grin at the two of them before heading up the stairs. Fred gently pushed Zoey towards the same direction. She stumbled a bit before grabbing hold of the stairs railing she took several steps before stopping abruptly. Fred crashed into her back.

"Sorry, love. Why'd you stop?"

"I should carry my luggage," Zoey fidgeted as she reached over to the handle of her suitcase. Fred gently swatted it.

"No can do, Zoe," he said as he transferred the suitcase to his other hand.

Zoey's eyebrows knitted in slight worry as she slowly ascended up the stairs shortly after George called back to them. She walked down a short hall before coming across a room that's door was slightly ajar.

"And here's your stop milady," George said jokingly as he slightly pushed the door open.

"Thank you," Zoey held back a laugh as she tried to keep a rather sophisticated air about her.

"The pleasure's all ours m'dear," Fred said as he bowed and kissed her hand. Zoey's eyes widened and another blush crept on her cheeks. Fred took no notice as he stood back beside George, grinned and left back downstairs.

Zoey bit her lip as she watched the twins figures disappear from her sight. He eyes glazed a bit over as she pictured Fred's grinning face and sparkling eyes in her mind. She did not want to destroy such a perfectly imperfect boy and his family.

Zoey knew calling the Weasley's "imperfect" was no insult (that is until she says it out loud) for her view on them is the exact opposite of her view on her own family. The Emeraude Family was the most accurate example of perfect with their flawless skin, breath-taking smile and the ability to get along with everybody. The Emeraude's were one of the most riches wizarding families and also one of the most powerful. It was said that each Emeraude Family member held a special power that no one in the wizarding world could imagine.

Zoey did not know if this was a fact for she never experience having anything happen to her that was unexplainable. Magic not included.

She shook her head at the thought of her having a special power and went back to thinking about how perfect the Emeraude's were. Zoey recalled one of the Elder Emeraude's say that each Emeraude home was decorated to look the same as the other with big bedrooms and beautiful red roses to decorate each room and to give the house a more homey feeling.

Homey. Zoey shuddered. It was the exact opposite of what she felt in her own home.

On the other hand, The Weasley Family was nothing like the Emeraude. They were the opposite; therefore, they were imperfect. The family wasn't exactly rich but they lived happily with each other. Their house looked like it could fall apart at any moment but Zoey knew it stayed up strong. The inside might not be as organized as the other Emeraude houses but it was clean and there was nothing to complain about. The Burrow didn't have a specific smell to Zoey. No, it just gave off a pleasant scent that made her feel all warm inside. Yes, this was the perfect example of Homey.

'Maybe I should find a better word instead of "imperfect",' Zoey thought to herself as she stared into the wall, 'Hm… They're just… them… I can't find something to describe them with…Maybe I should ask Echo… she has a massive vocabulary…'

As Zoey dwelled on the subject of describing the Weasley's she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Fred.

She couldn't exactly explain why she had a crush on him rather than his brother. It was true, to Zoey's observation, that George was the more…gentler and nicer twin but, not saying that Zoey like the "bad boys", Zoey could not help but note that Fred was always the one that was with her when things went bad.

Would Zoey say she was in love with Fred Weasley? No, she was just thirteen; she did not know what love was.

"You fancy Fred, don't you?"

Zoey jumped a bit in her place as she whirled around to see a red headed girl slightly leaning against her doorframe. She had the same brown eyes as her mother.

"Ginny," Zoey sighed as she opened her arms, "You scared the chocolate frogs out of me"

Ginny gave a laugh as she ran towards Zoey and enveloped her in a hug.

"I seriously don't know where you come up with those… Scared the chocolate frogs out of you? How does that work?"

"Come to think of it. I don't really know," Zoey said as she patted Ginny's head causing the smaller of the girls to let go.

Ginny smiled as she approached Zoey's suitcase and dragged it into her room. She, with the help of Zoey, lifted the suitcase and dropped it on the spare bed. Zoey smiled in thanks.

"You still haven't answered my question," Ginny said after a few minutes of silence, "Do you fancy Fred?"

Zoey blinked several times before opening her mouth to answer but before she could get the words out the door of Ginny's room slammed open revealing Echo whose hair was tied up in a ponytail yet her bangs still covered half her face. In her hands was her broomstick.

"Zwei, the three of us are going to play Quidditch. Wanna come with?"

"Quidditch?" Zoey asked in shock, "Are you sure about that?"

"We need one more member," Echo said

"And you think it's wise for me to be that 'one more member'?" Zoey asked as she raised her eyebrow in question. Surely, Echo knew she was no good on the broom.

"We need one more member," Echo repeated

"B-but I don't even have a broom," Zoey reasoned as she re-tied her hair nervously.

"How many Weasley's do you think live in the Burrow?"

"Well, Bill's gone and so is Charlie. So five Weasley kids but seven Weasley's counting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Zoey replied as she raised each of her fingers indicating each Weasley.

"Some of them aren't in the game," Echo said as she held her broomstick tighter in her hand, "More broomsticks for you"

"B-"

Echo did not let Zoey argue. She grabbed hold of her wrist in an iron grip and dashed down the stairs and headed out of the house

"So here are the teams," Fred said as soon as they equipped Zoey with a broom and safety equipment such as a helmet, "Echo and Zoey versus me and George. Simple as that"

Zoey bit her lip as she awkwardly held her broomstick awkwardly in her hands. She did not like the sound of flying.

"Strictly no daydreaming during Quidditch, unless you want to fall of your broom and land on the ground," Echo spoke aloud.

Zoey tensed, "What would make you think that I would daydream while up in the air? I'm not mental!"

"I didn't say anyone, Zwei"

"What?"

"Hey!" George called out

"Are we playing or not?" Fred asked as he mounted on his broom.

Both of the twins kicked off the ground and were now up in the air. Echo mounted her broom as well but not before whispering: "Watch for the Quaffle," to Zoey. Echo kicked off.

Zoey bit her lip as she awkwardly kicked off the ground and wobbled a bit as she reached the same level as Echo.

The game has begun.

"Time out!" Echo hollered as she balanced on her broom and made a "T" formation with her hands

"What?" the twins asked as they flew towards her. Zoey just aimlessly bobbed on her broom as she tried to regain balance. It looked like she did not hear Echo's exclamation.

"I just realized that these groupings are unfair since the two of you are Beaters and well, one of us is… a rookie at this," Echo said as she shot a glance at Zoey.

Fred raised an eyebrow, "And what does being Beaters have to do with this?"

"You both are Beaters"

"I don't see anything unfair about this Echo," George said, "Beside's we're just playing with the 'Quaffle' here. No Bludgers in this game so technically being Beaters has nothing to do with this"

"Switch teams or die by broomstick," Echo merely said, maintaining balance on her broom

"But you still haven't given us and answer Echo. Why would you want to switch teams? You were doing so well with Zoey over there," Fred smirked as he flew around Echo.

"Frankly, Zoey isn't much of a player"

"Ouch Echo. You didn't have to be so mean, "George said

"Look at her," Fred jerked his head towards Zoey, "She's doing brilliantly for a 'rookie'"

Echo turned her attention to Zoey and noted that Zoey was currently hanging upside down.

She looked back at the twins with an 'are-you-effing-kidding-me' expression on her face.

"Come one echo, just tell us your real problem with Miss Emeraude," Fred and George smirked.

"She can't fly"

"Is that all?" Fred asked with an eyebrow raised

"No need to get into details!" Echo said haughtily

"Er –guys?" Zoey called as she slowly flew towards them, often slipping on her broom, "I can hear everything you are saying and… Frankly, I agree. Can't you just put Ginny on the team?"

"Oh can't I please?" Ginny asked as she stood up from her spot on the ground. She was watching the game before Echo called a time-out.

"No!" Fred and George said at once before turning their attention back at Zoey

Zoey glanced at Gunny and saw her stick her tongue out at her brothers before retreating back into the house.

"You know," Echo said, "I'm one more nerve away from going to a desperate mode"

"You going to beg Echo?" Fred asked

"The floor's all yours. Figuratively speaking of course," George added.

Echo but her bottom lip as she sighed, "Could there be a switch of teams, please?" she spoke in a fake tone of voice that sounded innocent.

"Now, now, Echo," George waved his finger, "You have to be sincere"

Echo glared at George before going again. "Please, could there be a switch of members between teams? Just, please!" Now, Echo sounded like she wanted somebody not to die.

"Well," Fred pretended to think about it but before he could get any second longer in torturing Echo he, along with everyone else, heard Mrs. Weasley call that Lunch was ready.

"What? I did all that just for nothing?" Echo burst out before turning her attention back at the twins, "I'll get you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely, someday in your lives"

Echo tilted her broom down and swiftly flew back to the house. The twins shrugged not much minding Echo's threat and, too, tilted their brooms down and headed towards the house.

Zoey's eyes widened

"W-WAIT!" she exclaimed, "HOW DO I GET DOWN? YOU GUYS!"

Honestly, I think the teachers plan on giving all homework on the same day or something. It's murder I tell you... MURDER! anyway, A nice reviewer had asked if Zoey was ever going to tell Fred about her past. Well, lovely reviewer. I would say she is. When and how? That, I cannot say.

Anywayz~! Please review and if you have questions feel free to ask!

I only own what I own