Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. It's too long of a story to tell here. But you have a chapter to read today, anyway, so go ahead and read it.
We got home about fifteen minutes later. It was only about nine-thirty in the morning, but I didn't end up going in the house until long past dark, almost twelve hours later. The exact same moment that we got home, my mum was inside, grabbing some burgers four an outdoor picnic lunch. She brought the salt and the condiments outside with her and prepared our whole meal outdoors. Then our father cooked the burgers on the Muggle grill he'd gotten last Christmas and pounced on the opportunity to use whenever possible. It wa slike a dream come true for him. Anyway, the entire time my parents were cooking and getting the food ready, we were all laughing and talking. We were loud and boisterous, but we didn't care at all. My mother didn't tell us to hush once, because she was just as euphoric as we were, and therefore just as noisy- a major first for her.
"Things are going to change," Mum foretold as we were all making outrageous predictions for the next year and sipping some celebratory firewhisky. "I can tell. Sure, he's been in power for three years now, and many more than that the first time, before he first got … damaged … by Harry somehow, but he's never had Ron, Hermione, and Harry trying to kill him for more than a day before now. They're really extraordinary children, you know." By this time we were used to Mum (and all the rest of us, for that matter) saying Ron's name again. We had driven the very real possibility that Ron was dead almost completely out of our minds before it could drive us out of our minds. We had also decided by silent agreement that Harry, Ron, and Hermione could only be trying to kill Voldemort and so it was socially accepted inside our home and only inside our home to acknowledge this fact. My father, however, still managed to find a reason to comment on my mother's statement, even though mentioning Ron didn't warrant a remark anymore.
"Molly," my father gently reminded her, "they're not children." He was trying to get my mother used to not calling us children a bit in advance, since technically I still was a child, but so far it wasn't going so well. It was basically her most-used vocabulary word. At this rate, my brothers and I would be the first-ever fifty-year-old "children".
"I know, I know," she replied, sounding just a little depressed about this. She was a very motherly type, as you might have noticed, and I don't think she really knew what she would do when her kids were all out of school and living on their own. Probably visit us. A lot. And wait for grandchildren. Oh, but that shouldn't take long. If you asked me, Fleur was looking a little chubby ... even though she never ate ... hmm ... that was weird ... highly suspicious, if you ask me. I know, I know, "No one did." Too bad.
"But anyway, you're right, Mum," I said, trying to change the subject. "He hasn't had them chasing after him full-time before now, and he won't know what hit him when they find him, that's for sure. He doesn't know what he's in for." …but they don't know what they're in for, either, I added silently to myself. They're only teenagers! Then I swallowed. Oh, God. I sound like my mother.
A little while later, we had an absolutely delicious early lunch of burgers, fries, and those tomatoes with the cheese on top, and every dish was all the better for being eaten outside on the lawn on a picnic blanket. Everything tastes better outside- or at least after two months in indoor captivity. Probably not if you're trapped in the desert or freezing on the Tundra or something. But anyway. Let's get back to the food and the lunch, shall we? Let's. So ... where was I ... oh. The conversation was mostly light during lunch.
"What could we do tonight?" I asked through a mouthful of burger, onion, cheese, and sesame seed-covered bun. "How about we find a way to celebrate?"
"Well, of course," agreed my father, "but how do you kids want to celebrate?"
"I dunnou …" said George, and the conversation gradually moved away from the topic for now.
For lunch-dessert, we started a fire in the yard using magic, but then, when we roasted our s'mores, used the Muggle method. We did it that way so that they would get a good smoky flavor, the flavor of camping and being outside. At the moment, we just couldn't get enough of anything outdoors. Normally, I was a very modern-conveniences-all-the-way type of girl. Not outdoorsy at all. But for now, being out in the open air was pure magic (of the natural variety), and my favorite thing in the world.
"Why does it feel so much better to be outside today than it ever did before?" I asked absentmindedly as I slowly rotated the stick I was using to roast my fifth or sixth marshmallow.
"Because humans want what they can't have," replied my father. "It's how we are. It's evolution. Basically, it's human nature to always wish for something they don't have or which it is very hard for them to get."
"Amen," replied Fred heartily. "For instance, I really wish we had some pickles right now. Anyone want to go get some?"
After lunch and lunch-dessert were both over, Fred, George, and I raced to the orchard not far from our house to play Quidditch, our broomsticks in our hands and the biggest grins you've ever seen on our faces. It's very hard to play Quidditch with three people, I'll tell you that, but I knew we'd manage on as wonderful a day as that one.
"Go!" shouted George, as the three of us were sitting on our broomsticks in the field, ready to kick off.
I slammed my feet into the ground as high as I could and felt myself racing into the air. I put my head back and closed my eyes, feeling the wind rushing past me in all directions. Soon I was shrieking with laughter in delight. As it whipped past my face and through my hair, pulling it back sharply, that cold, crisp February air had never, ever felt so good as it did right then, and I knew it never would again. I could sense freedom in the air, and that was half my thrill. I knew it was more than just freedom from my family's house arrest. Much more. Because along with the feeling of freedom in the air came a feeling of change. It was a sad feeling, but wildly exhilarating, and joyful, too. Incredibly joyful.
You must be thinking, She's nuts! Absolutely nuts. And maybe I was … but who cares?
So we played our Quidditch game for a little while, the twins against me. I'm a better player, of course, being me, but they won, obviously. I mean, they're older and there are two of them. Really. They had only convinced me to have the teams this way because they had played the "but you always say we're like one person sometimes" thing. Why, oh why, pray tell, had I fallen for that? I had grown up with six brothers, after all! You would think I'd have learned better than to trust any of them by now!
Anyway, it was 70-210, they caught the Snitch. I thought they were just fooling around as usual, and then, all of a sudden, they had won!
But that's not really important, now, is it? Oh, wait … yes it is … I hate losing … (sighs)
But anyway, moving on, then we went back to the picnic blanket with my parents, who had been watching the game, for some random leftovers from the fridge as our early dinner. We were just talking again. The conversation turned to what we could do for the Order now that we were able to help again. It got pretty wild. The things we were saying we could do were pretty insane, especially the closer we got to emptying the tub of butterbeers my father had brought out.
Then we went into town to discuss Voldemort and the latest news regarding the war with some of our neighbors. Now, you might say, "Why?" And would you like to know why? Of course you would. We did it because we could! That's why! We were just rejoicing in our freedom. We said that a lot that night- "because we can!"
It was very fun.We talked with Tonks, for one (we invited her down to our town to hang out for a while), as well as that old Mrs. Arabella Figg, I think it is. She lives down Harry's way, but she comes up here for the pubs. I know, you never would've thought it of the old lady! But man, she knows how to hog the karaoke in there! Definitely a clubber in her younger days.
We spent awhile there, and the topic turned once again to what we could do for the Order now that we were off of probation.
"We could, like …" I had run out of things to say a few hours after arriving at the pub with Tonks and my family. We had had an early dinner, more of a second lunch or a snack, really, and it was still only about five.
"Hmm … Instead of thinking about these things that we could do to help in the war, how about we try again to think of things we could do tonight to celebrate our release from house arrest?" suggested my father, smiling.
"Good idea!" my mother agreed. I just blinked. No one had cared when I said it!
"How about we invite the Order of the Phoenix over for a little shindig?" suggested Fred, grabbing George and pretending to start a conga line with him.
Everyone laughed, but afterwards my mother was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful, then said, "You know, that's not such a bad idea, really …"
"I think it would be awesome," I put in.
"Let's do it!" shouted Fred and George.
My mother glanced at my father, who shrugged and said, "I don't see why not!"
"YEAH!" my brothers and I shouted.
"We're havin' a parrr-ty, we're havin' a parrr-ty," the twins sang, dancing around the pub as my father and mother discussed who to invite to this "parrr-ty" we were about to have.
"Wow. We sure don't have any signs of having been confined in one home and separated from humanity for over a month," I commented dryly as I saw how excited the twins were getting at the prospect of having a few friends over. No one was listening when I made my little comment, but I snickered to myself. I do crack myself up sometimes.
We went home to prepare. My mother rushed frantically around the kitchen preparing all sorts of food items while out in the yard my father was busy inviting our lucky guests.
My father shot at least a dozen Patronuses out of his wand, all headed off to other members of the Order to invite them to our little get-together. Soon enough, there were just as many Patronuses coming back at him, and each was a different animal. I didn't even recognize whose they all were as I watched them fly into the afternoon sky. But they all were carrying messages saying that their owners were coming to the party. I smiled as I heard laughter and feet from Order members already approaching the Burrow from a distance.
This made a great end to our house arrest.
PLEASE review!! I know it wasn't that long, but it didn't cover that long of a time period.