There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when Dudley awoke next morning. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as he got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt; they would change into their school robes on the Hogwarts Express.
He, Ron, Dean, Fred, and George had just reached the first-floor landing on their way down to breakfast, when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed.
"Arthur!" she called up the staircase. "Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!"
Dudley flattened himself against the wall as Mr. Weasley came clattering past with his robes on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. When Dudley and the others entered the kitchen, they saw Mrs. Weasley rummaging anxiously in the drawers - "I've got a quill here somewhere!" - and Mr. Weasley bending over the fire, talking to -
Dudley shut his eyes hard and opened them again to make sure that they were working properly.
Amos Diggory's head was sitting in the middle of the flames like a large, bearded egg. It was talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears.
"...Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems - please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -"
"Here!" said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a crumpled quill into Mr. Weasley's hands.
"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," said Mr. Diggory's head. "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur -"
"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" asked Mr. Weasley, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill, and preparing to take notes.
Mr. Diggory's head rolled its eyes. "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house, but was ambushed by his dustbins."
"Who's Mad-Eye?" Dudley whispered to Ron, trying not to laugh. It was a perculiar name.
"Dad's mentioned him before," Ron said, speaking in a low voice so they wouldn't be heard. "He used to be an Auror, but he's off his rocker now."
"My dad knows Mad-Eye," Luna said.
All three of them jumped. They hadn't noticed her approach.
"They're very good friends," she said.
"Shock," Ron muttered, sarcastically.
"He's a friend of your dad's too?" Dudley asked.
"I wouldn't say friend," Ron said. "They know each other, but it's not like he pops around for dinner."
Arthur had finished his call, for lack of better word, with Amos Diggory and was no getting ready to leave.
"You're dad has a fair bit of influence," Dean commented. "Able to get Mad-Eye off, and didn't he pull some strings to get Ludo Bagman off with something?"
"Bagman's brother, yeah," Ron said proudly. "Dad wanted me to keep it a secret, but Madam Bones is looking to give him a promotion. I dunno if dad'll take it—I think he likes it where he is."
"Molly, are you going to be all right taking the kids to King's Cross?"
"Of course I will," she said. "You just look after Mad-Eye, we'll be fine."
As Mr. Weasley vanished, Bill and Charlie entered the kitchen.
"Did someone say Mad-Eye?" Bill asked. "What's he been up to now."
"He says someone tried to break into his house last night," said Mrs. Weasley.
"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..."
"Moody was a great wizard in his time," said Bill.
"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?" said Charlie.
"Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though, is he?" said Fred. "I mean, I know he's a genius and everything..."
"Ron was just saying Mad-Eye was an auror," Dudley said, sitting down at the table.
"Yeah, and a good one," Charlie replied. "Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him.
He made himself loads of enemies, though...the families of people he caught, mainly...and I heard he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark wizards everywhere."
"He came over to visit Daddy in the summer," Luna said. "Apparently he's coming out of retirement for something."
"He's rejoining the Aurors?" Bill asked.
"Maybe Fudge thinks he needs an experienced hand to manage the search for Malfoy," Charlie suggested. "They're having no luck so far."
"The Ministry think Lockhart is right?" Dudley asked. "That Malfoy is trying to gather followers."
"I dunno, maybe Percy does though," Bill said, he called over to Percy, who had just entered. He was wearing his smartest robes ready for work.
"We were wondering if you know if the Ministry are following Lockhart's idea—that Malfoy is gathering You-Know-Who's old crowd?" Bill said.
"The workings of the Ministry are private," Percy said pompously. "I'm afraid I can't tell you the lines of inquiry that Minister Fudge is working on."
"Because you don't know," Fred said.
Percy ignored him and sipped his tea.
Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King's Cross station, but Percy, apologizing most profusely, said that he really needed to get to work.
"I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment," he told them. "Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me."
"Yeah, you know what, Percy?" said George seriously. "I reckon he'll know your name soon."
Arthur had managed to borrow cars from the Ministry to take them all down to King's Cross. They pulled up—two of them, dark green in color and each driven by a wizard wearing a peaked hat.
"Madame Bones organized these for us," Molly said, pleased, as she, Bill and Charlie loaded the trunks in the back which had been magically increased in size. "Only too glad to help. Arthur can pull in plenty of favors now."
The cars were spacious, Dudley suspected because of magic. Dudley, Dean, Ron and the twins travelled in one car. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, Hermione and Luna went in the other. Ron and Hermione had to sit separately because Crookshanks still insisted on making dives at Scabbers every now and then. Scabbers slept in Ron's pocket on the journey up to London.
When they arrived at Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, was waiting for them, billowing steam.
They all stowed their luggage in an empty compartment—as always, Dudley, Ron, Dean and Hermione were sitting together while the twins, Ginny and Luna found seats with their own friends. Then then hopped off to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie.
"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye.
"Why?" said Fred keenly.
"You'll see," said Charlie. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it...it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all."
"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.
"Why?" said George impatiently.
"You're going to have an interesting year," said Bill, his eyes twinkling. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it."
"A bit of what?" said Ron.
But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley chivvied them toward the train doors.
"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione as they climbed on board, closed the door, and leaned out of the window to talk to her.
"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley," said Dudley.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley! See you soon!" Dean said.
"Oh it was my pleasure, dears," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but...well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with...one thing and another."
"Mum!" said Ron irritably. "What d'you three 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?" said Dudley, Dean, Ron, Fred, and George together.
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you...Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"
The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.
"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sped away from them. "What rules are they changing?"
But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill, and Charlie had Disapparated.