Chapter 16:

The weeks flew by and the summer was almost over. Ruby was certain that she just spent the best summer of her entire life. Before she got to Hogwarts she had a sheltered life and not many friends. Now she was surrounded by friends she considered family. Everybody got along just fine. It was the end of august and soon they would be returning to their second year to Hogwarts. Tonight they had planned something special. All the kids would be sleeping outside in a tent, which was magically extended in the inside. When Ruby saw that she was amazed. Everything was still new to her sometimes and she couldn't help but be amazed by the magic. They had a nice little barbeque, which became quite the traditional meal. Everybody helped and enjoyed themselves. The kids then decided to change into their pajamas and meet in the tent.

'-Is everything settled?' Ginny asked.

'-Yes. The makeup and the markers are in my bag. The boys wouldn't dare touch it. They are too afraid to find any sanitary products.' Ruby answered giggling.

'-Now we just have to wait until their asleep.' Ginny stated with a devilish grin.

'-Well that's easier said than done. Fred and George will be difficult.' Ruby said. She thought about their time in Hogwarts where she was almost asleep and the twins were still as energetic as ever. It appeared that they didn't need much sleep. Maybe that would change over the years, Ruby hoped she was right. But she had the feeling that it may get worse over time.

'-I know what to do with the others.' Ginny added. Ruby looked at her expectantly and she continued.

'-Well Percy is easy. He always goes to bed around the same time. So he will be tired after a while and fast asleep. Charlie can be as energetic as the twins but as soon as he's comfortable somewhere he can fall asleep within seconds.'

Ruby laughed at this statement. It was true. Charlie fell more than once asleep in her lap. He had adopted the habit of laying down in her lap or on her shoulder. She wasn't complaining. She found it kind of cute.

'-Then we have Ron, who loves to eat.' Ginny said.

'-Honestly, I have never seen someone eat so much.' Ruby said laughing.

'-Yeah he can eat pretty much at every time of the day.' Ginny said rolling her eye.

'-So the only thing we have to do is feed him and he will fall asleep?' Ruby asked. Ginny nodded.

'-Yes he will fall asleep pretty quickly. Now the twins. Any ideas?' Ginny asked.

'-This will be hard. I think we have to keep them entertained and then they will be so exhausted they sleep.' Ruby said. She wasn't too sure that would work but her plans with Ginny were worth the shot.

'-So let's do it then.' Ginny said.

xXx

When they arrived in the tent the boys were already there and settled. They made a few changes. In the middle, where normally the dining table was, they had a pile of mattresses and cushions. It looked comfy. It was aligned in a circle so everybody could talk to anybody and nobody got excluded. Many blankets will be keeping them warm during the chilly night. In the middle of their circle was a ton of food. There were pies, sweets, cookies. Everything someone could desire. Ginny and Ruby looked at each other and made their way over.

'-Where did you get all the food?' Ruby asked amazed. She just had eaten but seeing this pile of sweets made her hungry for more.

'-Our mums were afraid we might starve.' Fred stated.

'-Oi Freddie be grateful.' Charlie said while eating some muggle delicacy.

'-It was a surprise. We didn't know either. But mum and phoebe decided to bake some stuff.' Percy explained.

'-Oh fantastic !' Ginny said enthusiastically.

Ginny was making herself comfortable between Ron and George who saved her a spot. Ruby made her way over to her mattress next to Charlie and Fred. She cuddled into her blanket and faced the Weasley bunch,

They talked about almost everything. Everybody was equally part of the conversation. Sometimes it could get a little bit loud. Especially when they talked about Quidditch. Ron and the twins didn't cheer for the same team, which caused some heated discussion. Charlie and Percy managed to calm Ron down, who was a devoted fan of the Chudley Cannons.

'-I will miss you a lot when you're in Hogwarts.' Ginny said with glassy eyes.

'-Don't worry little sister. You still got me.' Ron said.

When Ginny continued to look like she was about to cry the twins got up and gently tackled her. They kept tickling her until she couldn't laugh anymore. Her other brothers also joined in and soon everybody was having a pillow fight. Ruby was convinced that Ron targeted the twins more often than everyone else because of earlier.

Ruby was tackled by Charlie and held on the ground.

'-I have no idea if you're trying to protect me from your siblings or if you're trying to fight me.' Ruby said laughing.

'-Well maybe a bit of both.' Charlie said giggling. His giggling immediately stopped when a pillow hit him right in the face. Fred had just attacked Charlie and George were rescuing Ruby. Well by rescuing meaning she was piggybacked around the tent. George trying to avoid his siblings trying to help Ruby. They all calmed down when Ron surrended.

'- So Charlie are you excited for your final year ?' Percy asked.

'-Oh I definitely am. It's also my final year as Quidditch captain, which I'm excited about. I have to replace a lot of players so maybe I will see some familiar faces.' Charlie winked towards Ruby and the twins. They all looked at each other and grinned. Ruby told Charlie about her plans with Alicia and Angelina. He was excited to hear that they were trying out. He promised her to help them but he also made clear that he couldn't guarantee them a spot. They had to prove themselves and Ruby was ready. She was almost certain the twins would get the spot as beaters. Nobody had a better connection and worked better together than these two.

'-This year I will focus more on my studies.' Percy said determined to make the best out of his fourth year.

'-Study more? Is that even possible?' Fred asked baffled.

'-Well it wouldn't hurt to study more in your case.' Percy said. Fred wanted to answer in return but Ruby stopped him.

'-Fred you know he got a point.' She said with a grin plastered on her face.

'-We don't study until we need to.' George stated and winked.

'-Who wants pie?' Ron asked. Everybody laughed. Ron was sometimes oblivious to his surrounding which made him even more loveable.

They had their mouths filled with the pie when Ruby remembered a tradition she started with her friends.

'-I just remembered something.' She said

'-Fred, George you might know what.' She looked at them but they only looked confused. She rolled her eyes and continued.

'-Well I was thinking about our tradition.' She said. There were an AHHH and OHH coming from the twins and the began to laugh.

'-Tradition?' Ginny asked curiously.

'-Yes. Every time before the end of term we gather together and tell each other our favorite thing that happened during this time.' She explained.

'-So how about we do it know? Who wants to start?' she asked.

'-I will. Mine is easy. My favorite thing was the zoo!' Charlie said loudly.

'-I liked your muggle literature.' Percy said. When the twins groaned he added.

'-I wasn't finished. I also love spending time with you all.' This statement earned him a lot of teasing from the twins. Ruby knew they were happy he felt this way.

'-My highlight is probably this evening.' Ron said.

'-And I thought you were going to say the food.' Ginny said laughing.

'-Oh my god you were going to, weren't you?' Ginny continued when she saw Ron get red in the face.

'-My highlight was the day we had our pool party and it was so much fun when our parents joined in.' George said and everybody nodded.

'-My highlight was our girls' day and sharing a room with Ruby.' Ginny said. Both girls looked at each other, got up and hugged tightly. Soon they were surrounded by the boys who joined them.

'-My highlight is probably this moment right now.' Fred said.

They made their way back to their beds and Ruby spoke.

'-My favorite thing was having you here with me and spending the best summer of my life with you.'

xXx

The bunch of them spent hours and hours talking, eating, and laughing. It was perfect. It was getting late and Ron was the first one falling asleep. Ginny was right. Ron ate so much that evening that he most certainly fell asleep due to a food overdose. Percy soon followed. He stopped taking part in the conversations and only listened. He slowly but surely fell asleep. Charlie was starting to get exhausted by the twins' shenanigans. He was the next to fall asleep. Know the hard part was the twins. Nobody could have this much energy. Ruby got comfortable in her bed and the twins soon followed. When they lied down their fatigue took the best oft hem and they finally slept. The only problem was that Ginny also was fast asleep. So Ruby had to carefully wake her up.

'-Ginny it's time. It's now or never.' She said. He got her bag and presented her make-up and markers.

'-I will start with Ron and George and you take Fred and Charlie. Then we can do Percy together.' Ginny said. Ginny was right. It was easier to paint the person next to them. So they wouldn't cause much noise.

When they finished with Percy they lay back down and Ruby fell asleep with a smile.

xXx

Ruby was woken up by laughter. Sleepily she lifted her head to see her parents, Molly and Arthur standing in the tent entry. She was the only one being awoken by their presence.

'-Am I right to assume that this was your doing?' her father asked gently. She nodded and pointed to Ginny.

'-Well that doesn't surprise me either.' Arthur said.

'-You had quite the influence on her.' He continued.

'-Trust me she had it in her.' Ruby said quietly.

'-Wait I have to get the camera.' Her mother said and left the tent. Soon afterward she came back and carefully made her way around to take a picture of every single one of them.

'-Did you have fun, love?' her mother asked.

'-Yes we did. Thank you fort he pastries. They were incredibly delicious.' She answered.

'-It sounded like you had a lot of fun.' Molly said. She lovingly looked over her kids.

'-Enjoy this peace because it will be over as soon as they awake.' Arthur said putting an arm around Molly.

'-I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.' She said.

'-So it's time to wake them up?' Ruby asked expectantly.

'-Yes. Why don't you give us the honor.' Molly replied.

Ruby didn't need to hear any other word. She carefully got up and made her way to Ginny. She wanted her to be a part of the waking ceremony.

'-Ginny wake up.' She said gently. Ginny murmured some ununderstandable words and turned around.

'-Don't you want to help me wake your brothers up?' she asked. Ginny still wasn't convinced.

'-In the most gentle way possible?' she said in her most angelic voice. This convinced Ginny.

'-Let's do this then.' She said. They got up each grabbed a pillow and began their way around.

'-GOOOOOD MORNING SLEEPY HEADS!' they shouted and hit them with the pillows. They jumped from mattress to mattress, careful not to hurt anyone.

'-RUBY !' George shouted.

'-How many times do we have to tell you that this is not a nice way of being woken up.' He glared at her.

'-Well Georgie some things never change.' She winked and continued.

Soon all boys were awake. Some more grumpy than others. Ron definitely wasn't a morning person. This changed when he was attacked by his brothers. It ended in a pillow fight. Like always. Ruby was right. Some things never changed and she didn't want them to. Her mother was taking a lot of pictures that she could add to her collection. The funny thing was that they first didn't realize what the girls had done. But after a while, they noticed the appearance of each other.

'-RUBY, GINNY.' Was all they could say. The girls hid behind the adults.

'-Hey you can't say we aren't creative.' Ruby said.

'-Yeah we made you look pretty.' Ginny exclaimed. A pillow was sent their way to this statement.

Soon all the boys left the tent to examine how they looked. They would never admit it but it was quite a good prank. But they swore to get their revenge. And all the Weasley boys working together. That couldn't be good.

xXx

Now the time had come to say goodbye. Goodbye to her parents. Goodbye to Ginny and Ron and goodbye to Molly and Arthur. They were starting their second year. Ruby was excited, to say the least but it was hard for her to leave Ginny behind.

'-Two years then you can come with us.' She whispered this into Ginnys' ear while hugging her tightly. She could smell her familiar sense. Ginny was trembling slightly. She was crying. It was hard for her to be left behind. Especially after this summer.

'-Why do I have to wait.' She asked desperately.

'-This is the rule, Ginny.' Molly said kindly.

Ginny let go of Ruby to hug her brothers goodbye. She turned and faced her parents.

'-Well this never gets easy, does it?' her father asked with a gentle smile. She could see that he had trouble letting his daughter leave.

'-Christmas is just around the corner.' Ruby said trying to sound optimistic.

'-I will be back before you know it. I promise.' She said gently. She jumped into his arms to say goodbye. Her cat wasn't amused being in her cage for too long and all the people around her made her nervous.

'-She is definitely ready to go back to Hogwarts.' Her mother said referring to Lia.

'-Darling look after yourself and be careful. We don't want any other accident to happen to you. Especially if you're making the Quidditch tea, which I am absolutely certain you will.' Her mother said. She hugged Ruby tightly and kissed her head.

'-I will.' She said. Her parents knew that this was easier said than done. Quidditch was known for being a brutal sport.

She went over to Ron so say goodbye when she heard her father say

'-You Boys I'm counting on you to keep her safe.' She was curious and turned around, careful not to draw any attention. Her father was talking to the twins and Charlie. All three looked deadly serious when they replied:

'-We won't let anything happen to her. We promise.' The three of them replied.

'-I'm trusting you, boys.' Her father said. He clapped on their backs and wished them a good term. She turned and looked at Ron.

'-Look after yourself and your sister. She needs you now more than ever. But I know you will be taking good care of her.' She said. Ron was a bit reddish on the face and he then hugged her.

'-Next year I will also be here to protect you.' He said with all sincerity. He was referring to the task the boys were given. Ruby became glassy eyes and hugged him again.

'-Thank you, Ron. We will see each other at Christmas. Write to me! Ok ?' she asked. He nodded. She made her way over to hug Ginny once more before the twins each took a hand and dragged her into the train. When the doors were closed and the whistle blew she leaned back out and waved them. She train was beginning to move and she could see Ginny and Ron trying to keep up until the train turned and she lost them.

xXx

'-Rue come on. Let's find the others.' Fred said. He gently guided her along the compartments where she saw some familiar faces.

They were going back. Back to the place where she had so many great memories and adventures. To the place where she found so much happiness and friends. That was when her mood lifted. She was going to see them soon but know it was time to see the others again. George was the first one to spot them. He entered the compartment and he was greeted gleefully. When Ruby entered she was immediately hugged by Angelina. She had her best friend back. They grinned from ear to ear when they let go. Alicia and Lee soon followed and they settled down.

'-I missed you so much! Writing isn't just the same thing.' Ruby said and the girls nodded.

'-I would have hoped to receive more letters from you.' She said looking at Lee in a reproachful way.

'-Don't be surprised. You should have known better.' He shrugged and ate a chocolate frog.

'-How was your summer?' George asked and everybody began to speak.

It was good to have them back. Hours and hours went by and they still haven't finished telling everybody what they were up to. Of course Ruby showed them pictures. Alicia, Angelina, and Lee had a hard time stopping laughing when Ruby showed them the pictures of the boys with make-up. They didn't realize when the compartment door was opened. Someone was leaning on the door and looked curiously at the scene in front of him.

'-With so much noise I don't even have to guess who's in this compartment.' He said smirking.

'-Cedric!' Ruby exclaimed. She got up and made her way to the door. She immediately hugged him tightly.

'-Miss me?' Cedric asked teasingly.

'-Oh please you missed me as well.' Ruby said in an equal tone.

'-Well it was quite nice not getting run over every five minutes.' He winked and she laughed.

'-How was your summer?' she asked him. They made some room for Cedric and the two sat down.

'-Quite nice. Spent some time helping my dad. He works at the Departement for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. So we traveled a bit.' He said.

'-Oh fascinating.' Ruby said with wide eyes.

'-Of course, you would find this fascinating.' He said chuckling.

'-So ready for Quidditch ?' he asked.

'-No, not yet. We have to practice together. But we will be ready. Don't worry.' Ruby said while pointing at Alicia and Angelina. The girls nodded and the conversation went on until they could see Hogsmeade in the distance.

'-I think it's time for me to head to my compartment. I will see you at dinner.' He said. He got up, waved and left.

'-Uf, did he get even more handsome than before?' Alicia gushed.

'-Yes and did he get taller?' Angelina added.

Ruby and the boys just rolled their eyes. It was time to go home.