Chapter Forty Six: The Quidditch World Cup

A/N: A request, if there are any native French speakers who wish to help me translate a small part for my upcoming chapter I would be very grateful. Send me a PM if interested.

Emalia felt she had just closed her eyes when Mrs Weasley came into the room, gently coaxing them awake once more.

'Time to wake up girls, you don't want to be late and end up missing the match now do you?' she whispered gently.

Ginny groaned in her bed, and turned her back to her mother, hoping to get a few more minutes sleep. Emalia smiled sleepily to herself as she stretched in the camp bed before slowly getting out of the bed. Hermione was sitting up in Ginny's bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she stifled a yawn. Her hair was unruly after a night's sleep. Ginny had gone back to sleep, and Emalia had to gently shake her awake, resulting in a very grumpy response from Ginny.

'Come on Gin, or you'll miss out on all the fun' she soothed gently. Ginny muttered something about hexing her if she didn't leave her alone, causing Emalia to laugh.

'Your mum will be coming back after she wakes the boys. It's probably best if you just get up now.'

'Hurmf' sighed Ginny as she threw the blankets off her and Hermione in a rather dramatic fashion.

'Another Weasley who is not a morning person,' Emalia chuckled softly.

She pulled on a pair of jeans, a light green t-shirt, which was very oversized, and she quickly realised that it was Fred's. She tied the hem of the t-shirt in a knot at her hip, then slipped on a cardigan and a pair of runners.

When she was dressed, she made her way down to the kitchen, meeting the boys on the stairs. Fred kissed her cheek sleepily, before yawning loudly.

Mrs Weasley was stirring the contents of a rather large pot on the stove, Mr Weasley was sitting at the table, checking on a sheaf of large parchment tickets.

'Where's Bill, Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?' asked George, failing to stifle a huge yawn as he looked around the kitchen.

'Well, they're apparating, aren't they?' said Mrs Weasley, heaving the large. Pot over to the table and started to ladle steaming hot porridge into the bowls on the kitchen table. 'So, they can have a bit of a lie-in.'

'So, they're still in bed?' asked Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge to him. 'Why can't we apparate too?'

'Because you're not of age and you haven't got your test,' snapped Mrs Weasley. 'And where have those girls got to?'

She directed that last question to Emalia but did not wait for the answer, bustled out of the kitchen and climbed up the stairs.

'And side along apparation is uncomfortable' murmured Emalia to her grumpy boyfriend, who just grunted at her in return.

'Looks like you are the grumpier twin this morning' she teased, smiling gently at her boyfriend as she watched him shovel porridge into his mouth.

George on the other hand was leaning on his elbow, his eyes closed, his head drooped suddenly, and he jolted awake. Fred and Emalia laughed softly, causing George to frown at them.

'Bill, Charlie and Percy can all apparate?' Harry asked Mr Weasley. They had been talking about apparition, with Mr Weasley answering Harry's many questions.

'Charlie had to take the test twice,' said Fred grinning. 'He failed first time, apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?'

Emalia nearly choked on her porridge as she laughed at Fred's statement; Fred grinning and gently pat her back.

'Yes, well, he passed the second time,' said Mrs Weasley, marching back into the kitchen amid hearty snickers.

'Percy only passed two weeks ago,' said George. 'He's been apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can.'

There were footsteps down the passageway and Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen, both looking pale and drowsy.

'Why do we have to be up so early?' huffed Ginny, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.

'We've got a bit of a walk,' said Mr Weasley.

'Walk?' asked Harry, looking completely bewildered. 'Are we walking to the World Cup?'

'No, no, no, that's miles away,' chuckled Mr Weasley, 'We only need to walk a short way, to our mode of transportation. We are taking a -'

'George!' said Mrs Weasley sharply, causing the whole table to jump.

'What?' said George, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody. Emalia looked at Fred, and saw him looking wide-eyed at his brother.

'What is that in your pocket?'

'Nothing!'

'Don't you lie to me!'

Mrs Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, 'Accio!'

Several small, brightly coloured objects zoomed out of George's pocket; he made a grab for them but missed, and they sped right into Mrs Weasley's outstretched hand.

'We told you to destroy them!' said Mrs Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakeably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. 'We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!'

It was an unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs Weasley managed to find them all.

'Accio! Accio!' she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.

'We spent six months developing those!' shouted Fred angrily, as Mrs Weasley threw the toffees away.

'Oh, a fine way to spend six months!' she shrieked. 'No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!'

All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they made their departure. Fred was seething with anger that all his and George's hard work had been chucked in the bin. He was gripping Emalia's hand tightly, only when she gently squeezed his hand, did he loosen it slightly.

Mrs Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their backpacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her.

'Well, have a lovely time,' said Mrs Weasley, 'and behave yourselves!' she called after the twins' retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. 'I'll send Bill, Charlie and Percy along around midday.' Emalia turned and waved back at Mrs Weasley, as Fred firmly pulled her along the dark yard.

It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, green-ish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Emalia, Fred and George all walked along in silence, the angry atmosphere tinging, what should be an exciting morning.

She sighed loudly, 'Are the two of you going to stew silently for the rest of the day, or are you going to try enjoy yourselves?'

Fred turned to look at her and flashed her an apologetic smile, George nodded stiffly, still brooding.

'I know you're both disappointed and annoyed, but I have a surprise for you when we get back to the Burrow after the Cup. Just promise me that both of you will push it aside and try to enjoy yourselves?' she asked.

The two of them nodded and tried to start a conversation, but they didn't have much breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tuffets of grass.

'Want to give me a piggy back, Freddie?' Emalia teased breathily. He grinned at her in response, shaking his head to say no, as they continued their climb.

'Whew,' panted Mr Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. 'Well, we've made good time – we've got ten minutes…'

'Now we just need to find the Porkey,' said Mr Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting at the ground. 'It won't be big … come on…'

They spread out searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, when they heard a shout echo in the air.

'Over here, Arthur!'

'Amos!' said Mr Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed.

Mr Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy-faced wizard with a scruffy brown beard, who was holding a mouldy-looking old boot in his other hand.

'This is Amos Diggory, everyone' said Mr Weasley, 'And I think you know his son, Cedric?'

'Hi' said Cedric, looking around at them all.

Everybody said 'hi' back, except for Fred and George, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Cedric for beating their team in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. Emalia rolled her eyes at them both, and proceeded to strike up a conversation with Cedric. They knew each other well enough after a year sitting side by side in Ancient Runes.

'Long walk, Arthur?' asked Amos.

'Not too bad,' said Mr Weasley. 'We live just on the other side of the village there. You?'

'Had to get up at two, didn't we Ced? I tell you; I'll be glad when he's got his apparition test. Still… not complaining… Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons – and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy …' Amos peered good-naturedly around at the group. 'All these yours, Arthur?'

'Oh no,' chuckled Mr Weasley, 'Only the redheads. This is Hermione, this is Emalia -'

'Oh, I've heard about you, Miss Emalia. Cedric said you're the smartest witch he's ever met. That right Ced?' he teased elbowing his son in the ribs. Cedric turned red and muttered something to his father. Fred scowled at Cedric, wrapping his arm possessively around Emalia's waist.

'Merlin's beard' said Amos, his eyes settling on Harry, 'Harry Potter?'

'Er – yeah' said Harry.

Amos then proceeded to talked about the match last year where Hufflepuff had beaten Gryffindor. Fred and George were both scowling deeply, but Cedric looked mortified.

'Must be nearly time.' Said Mr Weasley quickly, cutting through the tension that had settled between the groups. 'Are we waiting for anymore?'

'No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets' said Mr Diggory, 'Any other wizarding families live nearby?'

'None that I am aware of,' said Mr Weasley, 'We better get ready.'

Everyone stepped forward and, with great difficulty due to the backpacks, the ten of them crowded around the old boot, finding a spot to grab a hold of.

Suddenly they were all pulled and jerked from their position, speeding forwards in a howl of wind and swirling colour; until their feet hit the ground.

Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory, Cedric and Emalia were still standing, though looking very windswept; everyone else was on the ground.

Emalia giggled and extended her hand to her boyfriend, 'Need a hand?'

Fred grinned up at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her down to him, causing her to squeal with laughter. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently.

'See! This is what I have to put up with all the time,' teased George in a jokey voice, causing the others to laugh. George pulled Emalia up off the ground, then offered his hand to his twin and pulled him up.

They all followed after Mr Weasley. 'Morning Basil,' he called, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him.

'Hello there, Arthur,' said Basil wearily. 'Not on duty, eh? It's alright for some … we've been here all night … you'd better get out of the way; we've got a but party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite … Weasley … Weasley …' he consulted his parchment list.

'About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr Roberts.

They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to them.

'Morning!' said Mr Weasley brightly.

'Morning' said the muggle, man.

'Weasley – two tents, booked a couple of days ago?'

'Aye' said Mr Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. 'You've got space up by the wood there. Just the one night?'

'That's it,' said Mr Weasley.

'You'll be paying now, then?' asked Mr Roberts.

'Ah – right – certainly –' said Mr Weasley. He retreated a short distance from the cottage, Harry and Hermione walked over to him, eager to help him with the Muggle money they were both familiar with.

'How many tents do you think there will be?' whispered George to the others.

Ron shrugged, unsure.

'Probably over a thousand' said Emalia, 'A lot of people have stayed for the final, even if their national team lost.'

Mr Weasley returned to the group and lead them forwards. They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but some had slipped up by adding chimneys, or weather-vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that it stuck out like a sore thumb.

'Ah, here we are, look, this is us' said Mr Weasley.

They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and there was an empty space with a small sign hammered into the ground that read: 'Weezly.'

'Couldn't have a better spot!' said Mr Weasley happily. 'The pitch is just on the other side of the wood there; we are as close as we could be!'

Mr Weasley lowered his backpack, and pulled out two unmade tents.

'Right,' he said excitedly, 'no magic allowed strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult … muggles do it all the time…' He turned to Harry and Hermione, 'Where do you think we should start?' he asked them.

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, both unsure of what to do, because as it transpired, neither of them had ever put a tent together before.

However, between the two of them, and with a little help from everyone else, they worked out where most of the poles and pegs should go. Finally, the managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.

They all crouched down and made their way into the tent one by one. They walked into what looked like a three roomed flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs, and this tent had a strong smell of cats.

'Well, it's not for long,' said Mr Weasley, peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. 'I borrowed this from Perkins at the office, doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago.'

He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. 'We'll need water …' Handing the map of the campsite to Ron. 'Why don't you Harry and Hermione go and get some water, and the rest of us will get some wood for the fire.'

Ginny, Hermione and Emalia left their belongings into the other tent, that was where they would be staying. It was smaller than the boys' tent, but it also did not smell like cats.

They all split up, George and Ginny went one way, with Fred and Emalia going another. They went off in search of sticks for wood, though Fred seemed to have other things on his mind. When they could no longer see George and Ginny, Fred pushed Emalia up against a tree and started kissing her passionately. They stayed there snogging for what seemed like an age, until they heard Ginny calling out for them.

They quickly separated and gathered some sticks, before making their way back to the campsite. They appeared dishevelled, their eyes shining brightly and their lips pink and swollen from kissing each other.

'What took you so long?' asked Ginny, 'We thought you'd gotten lost!'

George grinned at the pair of them, he knew they had been off being all lovey-dovey, 'Not got much wood for all the time you've been gone' he teased.

'Well, there wasn't much to find near us!' replied Emalia grinning at him.

'Ahuh' he said, looking entirely unconvinced.

Fred grinned at his brother, 'You told me I share too much, Georgie. Don't push it if you don't want the answer.'

George grinned back, but dropped the subject, as Fred and Emalia dropped the wood they had found onto the pile in between the two tents. Mr Weasley emerged from the tent, a box of matches in his hand, and a wide grin on his face.

'Now!' he said excitedly, 'Time to start the fire!'

'You've been ages,' said George, when Harry, Ron and Hermione finally returned to the tents.

'Met a few people,' said Ron, setting the water down. 'You not got that fire started yet?'

'Dad's been having fun with the matches' said Fred from a chair that he had dragged outside. Emalia was sitting on his lap, the two of the watching Mr Weasley try time and time again to light the fire.

It wasn't from lack of trying; splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life. Eventually Hermione stepped in and showed him how to do it properly.

At last, they had got the fire lit, but it would be at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything.

Finally, the fire was hot enough, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when the older Weasley brothers came strolling out of the woods towards them.

'Just apparated, Dad,' announced Percy loudly. 'Ah, excellent, lunch!'

They were halfway through their plates of food, when Mr Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding towards them. 'Aha!' he said. 'The man of the moment! Ludo Bagman!'

'Ahoy there!' he called happily, bounding over to the Weasley tents. 'Arthur, old man,' he puffed, when he reached them, 'What a day eh? Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming … and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements … not much for me to do!'

Mr Weasley continued to introduce them all to Ludo Bagman, who nodded at them all and gave a quick small wave.

'Fancy a bet on the match, Arthur?' he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow and black robes.

'Oh … go on then,' said Mr Weasley. 'Let's see … a Galleon on Ireland to win?'

'A Galleon?' Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. 'Very well, very well … any other takers?'

'They're a bit young to be gambling,' said Mr Weasley, 'Molly wouldn't like -'

'We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts,' said Fred, as he and George quickly pooled all their money, 'that Ireland will win – but Krum will catch the Snitch. Oh, and we will throw in a fake wand!'

Bagman took the wand from Fred, it gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, he roared with laughter.

'Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!'

Mr Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and jotted down the twins' names. He ripped off a slip and handed it to George, who tucked it safely into the pocket of his jeans.

As this unfolded, another man by the name of Mr Crouch came up to the tent, evidently looking for Ludo.

'Pull up a bit of grass, Barty,' said Ludo brightly patting the ground beside him.

'No thank you, Ludo,' said Crouch, there was a bite of impatience in his voice. 'I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box.'

'Oh is that what they were asking about?' said Bagman.

'Mr Crouch!' said Percy breathlessly, sunk into a kind of half bow which made him. 'Would you like a cup of tea?'

'Oh,' said Mr Crouch, looking over at Percy in surprise. 'Yes – thank you Weatherby.'

Fred and George choked into their own cups of tea, they looked at each other grinning manically, as if Christmas had arrived early. Percy on the other hand, had gone very pink around the ears.

Bill and Emalia were discussing Bill's job, she was curious about the Curse Breaking aspect of it and how he got along with the goblins.

'Well, it helps that I can speak Gobbledegook, but I've gotten to know Goblins pretty well since I've been working for Gringotts' said Bill.

'Did it take you long to learn?' she asked, before taking a sip of her tea.

'A couple of months,' he replied, 'Why are you looking to learn?'

'I don't think I need to' she replied in perfect Gobbledegook, with a grin. Bill looked at her taken aback before laughing.

'I know a few others,' she said, 'to be honest, I didn't really have much to do when I was younger. We didn't live near any other wizarding families with children, so I spent a lot of time learning languages. Albus always thought it would be a handy skill to have.'

'Well, he's not wrong!' chuckled Bill, 'I'm just amazed you speak it so well. What others do you speak?'

Emalia was in the process of listing off the various languages she spoke when Fred asked rather loudly, 'What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad? What were they talking about?'

Everyone turned their attention to Mr Weasley, 'You'll find out soon enough,' he said smiling.

'It's classified information until such time as the Ministry decides to release it!' said Percy snootily.

'Oh, shut up Weatherby' said Fred, causing the rest of the group to chuckle.

Fred and George turned to Emalia while everyone was laughing.

'Do you know what they were talking about?' whispered Fred quietly, as Bill and Charlie began to gather up the plates, bringing them inside the tent.

'I wasn't really listening,' admitted Emalia quietly, 'But I hadn't heard that anything special was happening at Hogwarts this year. Just because I live with the Headmaster, doesn't mean he tells me everything, or anything for that matter.'

Fred and George nodded, disappointment evident on their faces, but it didn't last long, as a sense of excitement developed between them as the day wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards and witches, the last vestiges of pretence disappeared, the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. Emalia set off with Ginny, Charlie and Bill, purchasing various souvenirs for the match. Fred and George had stayed behind at the tent, they had gambled all their money with Ludo Bagman and had nothing left to buy any souvenirs.

Emalia returned back to the tent and handed them each a pair of brass omnioculars, a green rosette and a pointed green hat covered with dancing shamrocks. She had bought herself the same things.

'Wow, thanks Em!' said George gratefully as he pinned the rosette to his chest.

'You shouldn't have' murmured Fred as he kissed her gently.

'Oi, break it up you two' called Charlie grinning, 'It's time to go.'

With everyone decked out in their supportive gear, they began to make their way towards the stadium. They all followed Mr Weasley, hurrying through the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. Fred's hand firmly clasped onto Emalia's, as they walked.

They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, singing and chanting. The atmosphere was that of feverish excitement, which became highly infectious, all of them were grinning and felt as if they could take off in flight if they concentrated hard enough.

They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last, they emerged on the other side, and found themselves in the shade of a gigantic stadium. They all looked up and marvelled at it, it was gigantic.

'Seats a hundred thousand' said Mr Weasley, as he read the question on all their faces. He led them towards the nearest entrance.

'Prime seats!' said the Ministry witch at the entrance, when she checked their tickets. 'Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go!'

The stairs of the stadium was covered in a deep purple carpet. They all climbed up the stairs with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands on their left and right.

'Ouch!' exclaimed Emalia suddenly, her hands flying back behind her to cover her bottom. She turned and came face to face with Fred grinning mischievously at her.

'Are you alright there, Emalia?' called Mr Weasley from ahead of them.

'Yes! Fine!' she called back, her face turning pink.

She turned back to face her boyfriend again, 'Don't pinch my arse again' she whispered hurriedly, as she continued to climb the stairs.

'I can make no promises, darling' growled Fred lowly, 'Your arse is quite stunning.' Emalia turned beet red and continued on climbing, not saying a word to her boyfriend, who was chuckling behind her.

They kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase, and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goalposts. About twenty purple and gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and they all filed into the front seats.

A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their seats which rose in numerous levels around the oval pitch. The pitch itself looked as smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the pitch stood three gold goalposts, fifty feet high, and right opposite them was a gigantic scoreboard.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, arrived in the top box mere minutes after they had taken their seats. He was closely followed by the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and the Malfoys. Fudge did a rather poor job of trying to introduce everyone to the Bulgarian Minister of Magic in broken English. Emalia greeted the foreign Minister in Bulgarian, and he returned her greeting smiling at her.

Ludo Bagman charged into the box, whipped out his wand and directed it at his own throat, 'Sonorus!'

He spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoing over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

'Ladies and gentlemen … Welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!'

The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant chants and anthems to the racket.

'And now without further ado, allow me to introduce … the Bulgarian team mascots!'

'I wonder what they've brought?' said Mr Weasley, leaning forwards in his seat. 'Aaaah!' He suddenly whipped off his glassed and polished them hurriedly on his robes. 'Veela!'

Everyone peered down to get a look, everyone but Emalia. She sat in her seat, turning a bright pink and feeling slightly uncomfortable. Fred felt her stiffen beside him, turned his attention to her.

'You ok?' he whispered quietly, watching her intently. She nodded stiffly as she watched the Veela dancing and noticed how they were trying to lure men to them. She sighed heavily as she watched all the men, save for Fred watch on dreamily. When they stopped, Harry, Ron and George looked as if they were about to take a swan dive off the stand onto the pitch, the other Weasley men wore slightly dazed looks on their faces, their ears slightly pink.

Fred started laughing as he watched his family act like fools, took hold of Emalia's hand and squeezed it tightly. She was starting to glow faintly, as if the Veela's music and dance was calling out to her.

'I didn't know you were part Veela' said Charlie leaning down to whisper to her. She looked up at him surprised; she had not shared that information with many people. Though when she thought about it, it made sense. Charlie worked in Romania, he would have had contact with Veela in some shape or form.

'It's not really something I pay much attention to,' she whispered back. He smiled at her gently, 'Don't worry Miss Emalia, your secret is safe with me.' She smiled at him and started to relax a bit more, just in time for the Irish mascots' debut.

What seemed to be a green and gold comet came zooming into the stadium, doing one circuit before splitting into two comets, hurtling towards the goalposts. A rainbow arched suddenly across the pitch, connecting the two balls of light. The rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged, forming a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Sending golden rain falling from it, only it wasn't rain, but heavy golden coins.

'Leprechauns!' said Mr Weasley, over the tumultuous applause of the crowd. The great shamrock dissolved; the leprechauns drifted down onto the pitch opposite the Veela.

'And now ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaaand – Krum!'

The stadium erupted with roars and tumultuous applause as the Bulgarian team flew out onto the pitch.

'And now, please greet – the Irish National Quidditch Team!' yelled Bagman. 'Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaand Lynch!'

The Leprechauns had transformed themselves into a pair of hands clapping, along with the roars of support and applause from the crowd.

'And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!'

Mostafa flew onto the pitch, a silver whistle hanging over his pure gold robes, and with a sharp blast of his whistle, the match began.

It was an extremely high paced match, everyone was hanging on the edge of their seats as they watched the Irish and Bulgarian teams battle it out for the glory of lifting the Quidditch World Cup.

Emalia didn't fail to notice the Leprechauns baiting the Veela every time Ireland scored, and she silently prayed to herself that they would not shift in front of everyone.

The match became faster still, and more brutal. The Bulgarian Beaters were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks, dodge Ryan, the Keeper, and score Bulgaria's first goal.

The crowd began to gasp and shout as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the centre of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from their brooms and plummeted to the ground with no parachute.

At the very last second, Krum pulled from the dive and spiralled off, Lynch however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.

'He'll be ok, he only got ploughed!' Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny who was hanging over the side of the box looking horror struck. Even Emalia was a bit perturbed, she had watched it all through her fingers, much to Fred's amusement when he noticed.

Lynch got to his feet at last, after being looked after by medi-wizards, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, and kicked off into the air once again. This return seemed to renew Ireland's vigor and they very quickly pulled ahead, scoring ten goals in quick succession.

The match continued to get more aggressive, and it was not only on the Quidditch pitch but off it as well. All through the match the Leprechauns had been signalling to the Veela, many messages, continuously baiting them throughout the match.

Dimitrov had committed a foul on Morgan, tackling her straight nearly knocking her off her broom. Ireland were given another penalty. This time the leprechauns had risen into the air and this time they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude gesture across the pitch towards the Veela.

At this, the Veela lost control. The launched themselves across the pitch, and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. They no longer looked beautiful, in fact, their faces were elongated into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders.

'And that, boys,' yelled Mr Weasley over the commotion, 'is why you never go for looks alone!'

Everyone was watching what was happening on the pitch below. Emalia was frozen in her seat; she had paled considerably as she watched the harpy creatures storm across the pitch. Her heart started to beat uncontrollably in her chest and her breathing became more and more erratic. Terror and fear wrapped themselves around her heart as she had flashbacks to her nightmares, a shiver of pain ghosted her arm and shoulder where the silvery scars, given to her by a harpy creature, lived.

Fred turned to his girlfriend instantly, he was not interested in the drama on the pitch, he was more concerned with the panic attack his girlfriend was having. He crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in his and gazing into her eyes.

'Em,' he said softly, 'Em… look at me. Ok? Just focus on me.'

She looked at him, her eyes wide with terror, staring into those deep brown eyes that held so much love and affection for her. The others were now staring at her, confused and concerned about what was happening.

'Fred? Whats -' began Bill, but George quietened him with a shake of his head.

'Look at me Em. Stay focused on my face and take nice deep breaths for me. Ok?'

She nodded silently as she tried to steady her breathing, her eyes never leaving his. By the time she had gotten herself back to normal the match was underway once again. She felt slightly shaky, but overall, she felt grounded once again. Fred had his arms wrapped around her now, as the two of them watched the match. A feeling of love, protection and safety washed over her, she was never more thankful for Fred than she was now. He had stopped her from shutting down completely, pulling her back from the precipice of a full-blown panic attack.

'Look at Lynch!' Harry yelled.

The Irish seeker had suddenly gone into a dive. 'He's seen the snitch!' Harry shouted. 'He's seen it! Look at him go!'

Half the crowd seemed to have realised what was happening, the Irish supporters rose in a great wave of green, screaming their seeker on; but Krum was hot in his tail. He was drawing level with Lynch as the pair hurtled towards the ground again.

Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force, and was immediately trampled by a horde of angry Veela, the medi-wizards came storming out on the pitch to stop them.

'THE SNITCH, WHERE IS THE SNITCH?' bellowed Charlie.

'He's got it! Krum's got it! It's all over!' shouted Harry.

Krum was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY, IRELAND: ONE HUNRED AND SEVENTY, across the crowd, who didn't seem to realise what had happened. Then slowly, the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder, erupting into screams of delight.

'IRELAND WIN!' shouted Bagman, who, like the Irish, seemed to have been taken aback by the sudden ending of the match. 'KRUM GETS THE SNITCH – BUT IRELAND WIN – good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!

Once the Irish team lift the Cup, the stadium exploded. The cheers were so loud that those in the top box felt the need to cover their ears for a moment.

When Ludo Bagman had concluded his commentating, Fred and George clambered over the backs of their seats, and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

'Don't tell your mother you've been gambling,' Mr Weasley implored the twins as they all made their way slowly down the purple stairs.

'Don't worry, Dad,' said Fred gleefully, 'we've got big plans for this money, we don't want it confiscated.'

Mr Weasley looked as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide that he was probably better off not knowing.

They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing filled the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit paths. Emalia was currently being piggy-back by Fred back to the campsite. She had tried to resist, but Fred was adamant, saying he would get George to lift her onto his back if she did not do so willingly.

'I love you Freddie' she whispered in his ear, 'thank you for keeping me calm.'

Fred angled his face back to look at her and gave her a gentle smile, 'Always' he murmured quietly. Emalia gently kissed his cheek, before lying her head down on his shoulder, gently humming as they walked back to the tent.

When they finally reached their tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the noise level around them, Mr Weasley agreed that they could stay up a little longer. He made everyone a cup of hot cocoa, and everyone was reliving the finer details of the match. It was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilt hot chocolate over the floor that Mr Weasley put an end to the verbal replays, and insisted that everyone went to bed. Hermione, Ginny and Emalia went into the next tent. They had just left when Fred ran after Emalia, grabbing her forearm and spinning her around her planted a kiss right on her lips.

'You forgot to say goodnight' he huffed softly when he pulled away from her.

'Goodnight, Freddie' she murmured as she hugged him tightly.

'Goodnight, love.'

When Emalia got back into the girls' tent, Ginny was already in her pyjamas and fast asleep. Hermione had just clambered in bed, she waved goodnight to Emalia and closed her eyes, and she too fell asleep. Emalia got ready, pulling on her pyjamas she made her way to bed.

Emalia jolted awake. She could hear screams and the sound of people running outside the tent. She quickly hopped out of bed and pulled on runners and a coat. She made her way to the other tent, running into Bill on her way.

'Get into our tent now, I'm going to get the other two,' he said hurriedly as he ran into the other tent.

'What's going on?' she asked as she ran into the tent, her stomach sinking, she felt on edge. Fred took long strides towards her closing the distance between them. He was still wearing his pyjamas, with a coat pulled over him and shoes on his feet. He enveloped her in a hug, not saying anything. No one was quite sure what was happening.

People were screaming outside, a large group were marching, laughing manically as they kept Mr Roberts and his family floating in the air.

'You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!' said Mr Weasley, who took off after his eldest children.

'Come on!' said Fred grabbing hold of Emalia's hand. Emalia reached for Ginny's hand, who in turn reached for George's. They ran towards the woods, the lanterns that had once lit their path were smashed, they had been trampled by people fleeing the marchers.

The darkness cascaded around them, making everything sinister and ominous, the screams echoing off the trees as they ran, looking for someplace safe to hide. Fear and panic swirled around the forest like a fog, suffocating everyone as they stumbled through the darkness.

They listened out, checking for any sounds of people creeping closer, all Emalia could hear was the sound of her heart beating loudly in her ears. She turned to face Ginny and George, who were extremely pale. She waited for Harry, Ron and Hermione to appear after them, but when minutes passed and they did not appear, Emalia became worried.

She clung onto Fred when he wrapped his arms around her. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then let go of Fred and pulled out her wand.

'What are you doing?' he asked quietly.

She looked up at him, 'I know we are underage, but if one of those people come across us, we have to be ready to defend ourselves.'

The twins nodded and pulled out their wands.

'I left mine in the tent' whispered Ginny, in a quiet sob.

Emalia took her hand and squeezed it, 'Don't worry Gin, we will be fine, I promise.' The younger girl looked up at her and smiled weakly.

They stood on guard, watching the darkness to see if they could see any outlines moving in the shadows, there were too many sounds, they could not rely on noise to let them know who was nearby.

Half an hour passed, and the noise had died down.

'We should try make our way back' said Fred, 'It's quiet, it might be safe enough to try get back to the tent.'

The rest of them nodded, but Fred, George and Emalia kept their wands at the ready, just in case they were confronted by anyone. They arrived back in the tent, finding Charlie, Percy and Bill sitting at the kitchen table. Bill was holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely, Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose.

Emalia, shaken but seeing that others needed help, went and put on the kettle. She got Fred to start getting cups organised for everyone. Ginny in particular looked like she needed a cup of hot tea with some sugar to help deal with the terror of the night.

'Do you know how to stitch the skin back together?' she asked Bill from the kitchen.

'I know basic ones, though I think this needs more than just a basic spell,' said Bill, wincing as he moved the bed sheet.

'I can help,' she said, taking out her wand, she hesitated slightly before Charlie called out, 'I don't think the Ministry are going to be monitoring underage magic users right now.'

She smiled and took the bed sheet from Bill's arm. It was a nasty gash that stretched a good length of his upper arm.

'Consarcio' she muttered, waving her wand over Bill's upper arm. He gasped as he felt his skin begin to stitch itself back together. She watched as the skin formed together again.

'I don't think that will leave a scar' she said smiling at him.

'You'll have to teach me that' grinned Bill, as he stretched out his arm, to inspect where the wound once was.

At that moment the kettle began to whistle loudly, causing everyone in the tent to jump. Emalia walked over and took the kettle up and began to pour the hot water into cups for everyone.

Mr Weasley arrived back in the tent, Harry, Ron and Hermione walking in behind him. Emalia ran and pulled the three of them into a hug, which got an awkward 'errr' from the boys.

Fred was handing around tea when Emalia let go of them all. Mr Weasley began discussing the night's events with them, trying to answer their questions and to quash any fears they may have.

'Listen… it's very late, and if your mother hears what happened, she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours' sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here' he said finally.

They all trudged off to bed. Emalia made sure that Ginny and Hermione were alright before they went to sleep. Exhaustion got the better of the two younger girls and they fell asleep instantly.

Emalia lay in bed, tossing and turning, but soon she heard someone enter. She shot up and saw her boyfriend enter the tent. He walked over to her silently and hopped into bed with her. They said nothing, but they cuddled together and soon fell asleep.

Mr Weasley woke them up after only a few hours' sleep. Whether he was annoyed or disappointed when he saw Fred in Emalia's bed, he didn't say. He used magic to pack up the tents and they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr Roberts had a strange, dazed look about him, and he waved them off with a vague 'Merry Christmas.'

'He'll be alright,' said Mr Weasley quietly, as they trudged by him. 'Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes them a bit disorientated for a while … and that was a big thing they had to make him forget.'

They were able to get an old rubber tyre portkey back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen. They walked back through Ottery St Catchpole towards the Burrow in the dawn light, talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their breakfast.

As they rounded the corner on the lane, and the Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the damp lane.

'Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness!'

Mrs Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them to come home, came running towards them, in her nightware, her face pale and strained.

She flung her arms around Mr Weasley's neck, 'You're all right,' she muttered distractedly, releasing Mr Weasley and staring around at them all with red eyes, 'you're alive … oh boys…'

And to everyone's surprise, she seized Fred and George, pulling them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together.

'Ouch! Mum – you're strangling us -'

'I shouted at you… before you left… it's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.L.s? Oh Fred… George…' Mrs Weasley had begun to sob.

'Come now Molly, we are all ok' soothed Mr Weasley, prising her off the twins and bringing her into the house.

The all squeezed into the small kitchen, with Emalia and Hermione making tea for everyone, Mr Weasley insisted on putting a shot of Firewhiskey into Mrs Weasley's cup before handing it to her.

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way upstairs. Soon followed by Ginny who went up to bed. Mr Weasley and Percy disapparated, making their way to the Ministry to deal with the fall out of the Death Eater attack at the World Cup.

Bill and Charlie gently coaxed Mrs Weasley to go back upstairs and get some rest. After promising her numerous times that everyone would be fine, she eventually agreed to get some sleep.

Emalia, Bill, Charlie and the twins all sat down in the living room in silence. George, Charlie and Bill eventually decided to follow the rest of the house and get some rest. Emalia and Fred curled up together on the couch. Fred lay down length ways, the bottom half of his legs dangling over the arm of the couch. Emalia lay, half beside him and half on top of him, listening to the steady thrum of his heart, as his chest rose steadily with each breath. He wrapped his arms around her, held her closely and the two of them fell asleep, feeling safe in each other's arms.

Emalia awoke a couple of hours later, to a still and quiet house, with Fred's arms still draped around her. Her mouth was dry, as if she hadn't drank anything in days. She moved slightly and noticed a damp dark patch on Fred's t-shirt, she had drooled all over him in her sleep. She giggled to herself causing her boyfriend to stir.

'What's so funny?' he murmured lowly, his voice heavy with sleep, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming in through the window.

'I drooled … all over you' she said laughing, sitting up from him.

'Mmhm' he said pulled her back down to him, nuzzling his face into her hair, breathing in her scent, 'What else is new?'

She smiled against his chest, before craning her head up to look into his half open eyes, she could see the sleep in the corner of his eyes, admiring the way the light and shadows highlighted the crook of his nose, freckles peppering his face. She leaned up and kissed him gently, he responded in kind, sleepily at first but slowly waking up more, his hands travelled down her body, resting on her bottom, he pinched it gently.

She broke away from him and grinned, 'You're a terror.'

Fred laughed loudly, echoing around the silent room.

She hopped up off the couch and turned to him, extending her hand. 'Come on, let's get some food.'

'Can you cook?' he teased, as he took her hand, and she hoisted him up out of the soft dusty couch.

'Oi, watch it' she laughed as she pushed him back into the couch, sending particles of dust flying up in the air, the light catching them as they fell towards the ground.

He laughed heartily, the fear and terror from last night had dissipated somewhat. It still sat around them, they still felt unsettled, but they knew they were safe here in the Burrow.

Emalia walked into the kitchen, their cups from the tea earlier were littered all over the kitchen, some of the were half full of cold tea. She picked them up, emptying the contents down the drain, before filling the sink with hot soapy water. She nearly had them all washed when Fred walked into the kitchen, he had gone to change out of his drool-soaked t-shirt. He picked up a tea towel and began to dry the cups, placing them on the table when he was done.

Emalia went rooting through the fridge, pulling out rashers, sausages, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Fred ran outside and gathered eggs from the chickens, in his haste to get back into the house, he dropped two eggs.

Emalia got to work, lighting the stove, and put the sausages and rashers into the pan, the sizzling sound filling the kitchen as she turned her attention to the onions and mushrooms.

'You surprise me' said Fred as he came back in the backdoor carrying the eggs.

'Hmmh?' she hummed, as she glanced up from chopping mushrooms.

'Knowing all these muggle skills, like cooking' mused Fred as he leaned against the counter and began juggling some eggs with his hand.

'Cooking isn't just a muggle skill, Fred' she snorted, 'You need to know how to cook to feed yourself.'

Fred caught the eggs and gently placed them in a bowl on the counter, 'Will you teach me?' he asked.

'Of course,' she said smiling up at him. She handed him the knife and pushed over the wooden chopping board and mushrooms, 'Get to chopping.'

Emalia walked over, leaving Fred chopping mushrooms, and turned on the radio, music softly playing, with the bacon and sausages sizzling in the background, the aroma spreading around the kitchen.

Emalia then peeled the onions and gave them to Fred, grinning slyly, wondering if they would make him tear up. She busied herself by flipping the sausages and eggs, she only turned her attention to Fred when she heard sniffling beside her.

'Are you feeling a little emotional, Freddie?' she laughed.

'Oh shush, you' he laughed back.

'It's ok to cry' she teased, as he finished chopping the onions, and grabbing the tea towel rubbed the tears from his eyes. She threw the mushrooms and onions into two pans and began to fry them.

'Have you ever seen mushroom and onions chop perfectly like that?' said Fred proudly.

'You did an amazing job' she agreed, pulling him down to kiss his cheek, 'Now on to the eggs.'

She demonstrated cracking the eggs and left Fred to that, as she put the rashers and sausages onto a platter and put them into the oven to keep them warm.

When Fred had cracked all the eggs into the bowl, he whisked them, adding salt and pepper.

'So, if you pour them into the pan, and leave them for a minute or two, we are going to cook them low and slow' she said quietly, her hand place on his as she moved the wooden spoon he was holding in slow circles.

'Maybe I should leave school and become a chef' laughed Fred.

'Ahahaha, maybe we should wait and make sure that we don't poison anyone first' giggled Emalia, letting go of Fred's hand. She had started gathering plates and cutlery, laying them down on the table, along with butter, jam, marmalade, and a jug of milk.

There was shuffling upstairs, letting Emalia and Fred know that people were beginning to wake. A few minutes later, they could hear the wooden stairs creak as someone walked down it. Mrs Weasley appeared in the kitchen, completely taken aback by what was happening in the kitchen.

'Did… did you do all this?' she asked gesturing around to the food cooking away.

Fred turned around from the pan of eggs, 'Of course, Mum. I've decided I'm dropping out of school to pursue my newfound passion for cooking.'

That got a high laugh out of Mrs Weasley, with Fred grinning turning back to the eggs. Emalia turned her attention to making a pot of tea, Mrs Weasley took a look in at the eggs.

'They're done' said Mrs Weasley pushing the pan off the flame, she whipped out her wand and began to toast a full loaf of bread. 'You should go wake the others; I am sure they are famished.'

Emalia and Fred nodded, making their way to the stairs.

Emalia turned back to Fred, grinning at him, 'Race you' and she tore off at a wicked speed up the steps. Fred grinned widely and tore up after her. His long legs gave him an advantage, he was able to climb the stairs two to three steps at a time.

Emalia found Ginny and Hermione lying in bed chatting lazily and informed them that food was ready downstairs. Fred decided he was going to head straight up to Ron's room and then to Bill and Charlie's. He was going to leave his twin to Emalia, she could deal with any potential grumpiness.

Emalia knocked on the door, the curtains were drawn in Fred and George's room, keeping the daylight out, save for the crack at the bottom near the window frame. George was snoring lightly, mumbling in his sleep.

'George?' she called softly, as she walked into the room. He groaned softly, 'Go away.'

'Food is ready' she said, trying to tempt him to get up.

George groaned again, but his stomach rumbled, and admitting defeat he got up from his bed. Emalia grinned at him as he looked at her with a tired and grumpy look on his face, 'Oh brighten up, Georgie. I could have thrown something at you, consider yourself lucky.'

She dipped out of the room and was about to head upstairs but met Fred coming down with Bill and Charlie not far behind him.

'Did I win?' he asked grinning at her. She nodded in defeat in return. Fred whooped in delight and pulled her into his arms, carrying her down the creaky stairs bridal style, only placing her down when he reached the kitchen. Bill and Charlie chuckled behind them as they watched as Fred bolted down the stairs like a giddy child.

Emalia laughed heartily when he bound into the kitchen, Mrs Weasley watched them closely, smiling gently at the way they interacted.

'Smells great Mum!' exclaimed Bill as he walked into the kitchen, 'Thanks!'

'You should thank Fred and Emalia; they did all the work' she said as she handed Bill a plate of food.

'Seriously?' asked Charlie between mouthfuls of toast. Mrs Weasley nodded as she sat down and tucked into her own food.

'Look at you going all soft, Freddie' teased Charlie, 'Playing the role of the adoring husband.'

Fred flipped him off from behind his mother's back.

'Now, now Charlie' said Mrs Weasley frowning at her second oldest, 'There will be no talk of husbands or weddings, Fred and Emalia are much too young to even be thinking about marriage.'

Emalia flushed red but said nothing, she suddenly was very preoccupied with buttering her toast.

'That's what you think' Fred muttered under his breath as he sat down beside his girlfriend. Within five minutes, everyone was sitting round the table, eating and chatting merrily. The discussed the match and went through it play by play, avoiding the events that occurred afterwards. The atmosphere in The Burrow moved from one of fear to a relaxed and laid-back mood. That afternoon succeeded in convincing everyone that everything would be fine, at least for a little while.

The next few days passed quickly; both Percy and Mr Weasley were putting in long hours at the Ministry, trying to smooth over the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. Everyone else spent the last few weeks before term started once again, to relax or spend time finishing up last minute homework.

The weather had changed dramatically over the past couple of weeks, going from long warm sunny days, to dark, cloudy and rainy. Rain lashed against the living-room window, in a pitter patter manner. Hermione was immersed in her new charms book. Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava, chatting to Emalia about Dragonology as he did so, she had a cup of tea in her hands and was laughing at something Charlie had just said. Harry was polishing his Firebolt, and Bill and Ron were playing a rather rousing game of chess by the fire.

Fred and George were sitting in a corner far removed from everyone else. The had their quills out, talking in whispers, their heads bent over a piece of parchment.

'What are you two up to?' asked Mrs Weasley sharply, her eyes on the twins.

'Homework' said Fred vaguely, not taking his eyes up from the piece of parchment.

'Don't be ridiculous, you're still on holiday,' said Mrs Weasley.

'Yeah, we left it a bit late,' said George.

'You're not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you?' said Mrs Weasley shrewdly. 'You wouldn't be thinking of re-starting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, by any chance?'

'Now, Mum,' said Fred, looking up at her, a pained look on his face. 'If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel knowing that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?'

Everyone laughed, including Mrs Weasley. The interaction reminded Emalia that she actually had a box of Ton-Tongue Toffees stashed away in her trunk. She made a mental note to tell the twins on the train tomorrow that she had saved them from Mrs Weasley's purge. She figured now was probably not a good time to share the information, in case Mrs Weasley decided to search their belongings before they left.

The next morning when everyone awoke, the feel of post-holiday doom and gloom had set in. Although everyone was looking forwards to getting back to Hogwarts, their time in The Burrow flew by, they felt it had gone in the blink of an eye.

The rain did nothing to brighten the mood, it was raining heavily, mimicking the mood in the house now that their holidays had ended. Emalia was busy double checking that she had everything packed into her trunk, she had already eaten breakfast with Ginny and Hermione. The boys had slept longer, and only got up when Mrs Weasley shouted up at them for the sixth time.

She arrived back down in the kitchen just in time to see Mr Weasley disappear.

'Did someone say Mad-Eye?' Bill asked as he walked in behind Emalia, Charlie was close at his heel. 'What's he been up too now?'

'He says someone tried to break into his house last night' said Mrs Weasley. Emalia made her way over to the kitchen table, sitting beside Fred who was busy shovelling porridge into his mouth.

'Mad-Eye Moody?' said George thoughtfully, spreading marmalade on his toast. 'Isn't he that nutter -'

'Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody,' said Mrs Weasley sternly.

'Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?' said Fred quietly, as Mrs Weasley left the room. 'Birds of a feather…'

George nearly choked on his toast, eating and laughing at the same time.

'Moody was a great wizard in his time,' said Bill.

'He's an old friend of Dumbledore's isn't he?' said Charlie, looking over at Emalia.

'Yeah, he's been at the house a few times, and I've been at his. It's amazing… and he's not mad… just very vigilant,' she responded.

'Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though is he?' said Fred.

'I mean, I know he's a genius and everything …' he backtracked, when he saw Emalia looking at him, her eyebrow cocked, a bemused look on her face.

The kitchen laughed as Fred smiled sheepishly at Emalia.

Bill and Charlie decided to come see everyone off at King's Cross Station. They all travelled by muggle taxis, which was a huge undertaking. The taxi drivers were completely perplexed by the trunks, owls and the amount of people they had to carry.

The journey was uncomfortable, everyone was jammed into the taxis and owing to the fact they could not use magic to give them anymore space. Everyone was very relieved to get out at King's Cross, but none more so than the taxi drivers.

The rain was coming down harder than ever, and they all got soaked through carrying their belongings into the station. When they finally arrived on platform nine and three quarters, the Hogwarts Express was already in the station, steam billowing from it. The platform was brimming with students and parents, saying goodbyes and rushing to get onto the train to discuss their summer with their friends.

They group of them said their goodbyes to Mrs Weasley, Charlie and Bill.

'I might be seeing you sooner than you think,' said Charlie grinning, as he hugged Ginny goodbye.

'Why?' asked Fred excitedly.

'You'll see' said Charlie smiling knowingly.

'Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year,' said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully ay the train.

'Why' asked George, his patience for this purposeful vagueness beginning to wear thin.

'You're going to have an interesting year,' said Bill, his eyes twinkling. 'I might even get some time off to come and watch some of it….'

'Some of what?' asked George hotly.

But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs Weasley chivvied them towards the train doors.

'Thanks for your wonderful hospitality' said Emalia, as she pulled Fred and George onto the train, they were bickering with their older brothers trying to get more information from them.

'Oh, it was my pleasure!' said Mrs Weasley, 'I would invite you all to spend the Christmas holidays with us, but… well I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with … one thing and another.'

'Mum!' said Ron, 'What do you know that we don't?'

'You'll find out this evening I expect,' said Mrs Weasley smiling. 'It's going to be very exciting – mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -'

'What rules?' asked Harry, Ron, Fred and George in unison.

'I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you … now, behave yourselves, won't you? Won't you Fred? And you, George?'

'Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!' Fred bellowed, hanging halfway out the window, 'What rules are they changing?'

'Fred' said Emalia, straining to pull her boyfriend in the window, 'Stop it, you'll fall out!'

Mrs Weasley only smiled and waved, Bill and Charlie did the same. They grew smaller and smaller as the train gathered speed and pulled out of the station, making its way back to Hogwarts.