Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: The Path of Trials! Let's just jump right into it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of HP save for OCs.

Now, here's...

Chapter 4: To the Weasley's

Enjoy, one and all!

Before Marcus knew it, the time had flown by. The remaining time he spent at the Diggory's was as if put on fast-foward. Any animosity he felt towards Cedric was long gone, replaced by respect and admiration he knew he would've never felt for him had he not put his feelings aside and got to know Cedric for who he was.

And as he spent his final training session at the Diggory's with Cedric, Cedric really put him through the paces with some pinpoint accurate spell casting, making Marcus work harder than ever just to dodge them.

"And that's it," said Cedric, who was keeping track of the time, "That concludes your workout, Marcus."

"Phew," said Marcus, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I've got to admit, Cedric, you really had me on the ropes multiple times."

"I was thinking the same thing, actually," said Cedric with a smirk. "I didn't think being in physical shape was that important for wizards, but now I definitely see just how important it is."

As the two of them entered the house from the backyard, Mr. Diggory said from the kitchen, "Marcus, my boy! Do you have all your things packed?"

"Yes, Mr. Diggory," said Marcus. "I managed to do it all last night."

"A shame you have to leave so soon," said Mr. Diggory. "I wouldn't have minded having you the whole summer. Not too many people can challenge my boy, Cedric, the way you have."

"Father, stop it," Cedric said, looking embarrassed.

"I wholeheartedly agree, sir," said Marcus. "Cedric's going to do some amazing things when he gets out of Hogwarts."

Marcus looked to Cedric, who looked a bit sheepish, and said, "Speaking of which, what are you going to do when you're done with Hogwarts?"

"Well, actually, I want to become an Auror," said Cedric.

"An Auror?" asked Marcus.

"Well, I know it's a little embarrassing, but your father is a really big inspiration for me," explained Cedric. "His knowledge and the way he takes care of business is something I want to be able to tell about myself one day. Plus, I want to make the world a better place. So, I figured the best way to do that is to hunt down Dark Wizards and put them away."

"I definitely understand," said Marcus with a smirk. "That's what I plan on doing after I'm done with Hogwarts. Honestly, I can't think of anything better suited for me. Perhaps we'll be taking down Dark Wizards together."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Cedric with a smile.

In that moment, the doorbell rang. The three of them went to the front door and opened it to find -

"Arthur! Molly!" Mr. Diggory cried, shaking Mrs. Weasley's hand and hugging Mr. Weasley. "How are you?"

"Living another day, Amos, can't complain about that!" Mr. Weasley replied. He then saw Marcus and said, "There you are, Marcus! Doing all right?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Weasley," said Marcus with a smirk.

"A shame he's going with you, Arthur," said Mr. Diggory. "But, a deal's a deal."

"Marcus, dear, do you have your stuff all ready?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a smile.

"It's right here," said Marcus as he grabbed his two suitcases. Marcus was fully intending on going back to his house to get the remainder of his belongings after the Quidditch World Cup. It was too much to get all of them, with the Burrow no doubt being as full as it is.

"Well, we'll be seeing you real soon, Arthur," Mr. Diggory told Mr. Weasley. "You haven't forgotten our meeting place, I assume?"

"Of course not, Amos," said Mr. Weasley. "We'll be there, bright and early, I assure you."

"See you real soon, Cedric, Mr. Diggory!" said Marcus.

And with that, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Marcus started walking down the road.

As they were walking, Mr. Weasley said to Marcus, "So, Marcus, did you enjoy your stay at the Diggory's?"

"To be honest, Mr. Weasley, I enjoyed it immensly, though it was rough at first," Marcus replied. "It went by way too fast."

"I told your father we would've been more than happy to have you from the beginning," said Mrs. Weasley. "But, he didn't want to make it too big of a burden on us. At least, that's what I think it was."

"Actually, I don't think that was it," Marcus stated.

"Oh?" said Mr. Weasley.

"I think Dad was trying to teach me the importance of knowing a broader group of people," said Marcus. "Not sticking so close to a select group of people. I would've never known just how talented and amazing Cedric was if I had never stayed there."

Just then, Mr. Weasley said, "All right, I think this should be far enough. Molly, Marcus, my sleeves."

"Oh, crap," Marcus thought. "Side-along Apparation."

Sure enough, Marcus felt like he was being stuffed in a tube, hardly being able to breathe, but it was over just as soon as it began: He found himself on the outskirts of the Burrow and it was a sight to behold.

From the beautiful countryside scenery to the winding house held together like magic, there were hardly any changes to the place, and it was just the way Marcus liked it.

"Only a short, brisk walk and we'll be home again," said Mr. Weasley.

He then brought out his wand, gave Marcus's luggage a tap, and the luggage started to hover and move with them.

"Of course, Ron's been most anxious to have you over," said Mrs. Weasley. "Fred and George could use a distraction, for goodness sake. Oh, and we were able to get our two oldest boys, as well."

"Bill and Charlie are here?" Marcus asked in earnest.

"About time, too," said Mr. Weasley. "Romania's Department of International Cooperation is anything but cooperating. Still, Charlie's here, and that's what matters. Bill was a bit easier. He simply took some time off from Gringotts to watch the World Cup."

"I didn't think goblins were that compromising on their employees," said Marcus.

"They're only a tad worse than humans in that regard," admitted Mr. Weasley.

Just as the three of them crossed the fence line of the Burrow, Marcus saw Ron poking his head out of the doorway before crossing the threshold and running out to meet him.

"About time you got here, Marcus!" Ron said to him after meeting him. "I thought the Diggory's would keep you all summer!"

"Well, they certainly wanted to," Marcus said. "Though, I don't think I would have minded."

"Have you already gone mad?" Ron asked him.

"Nah. It's a bit complicated to explain."

He then took his luggage and continued, "Regardless, I'm here now, all psyched for the World Cup!"

Marcus and Ron then proceeded to go into the Burrow as Ron said, "Yeah, this should be one to remember! Mind, the semifinal match U.S. had against Irish International was stellar, but that'll be nothing compared to the Finals!"

"Well, I still think the U.S. All-Stars will pull out the win against Bulgaria."

"You have gone mad! Bulgaria has the world's best Seeker, Viktor Krum!"

"Viktor Krum's one decent player. The All-Stars have seven."

"Even if that's true, the All-Stars have to overcome 150 points. How do you suppose that's going to happen?"

"Yeah, that is going to be pretty interesting," Marcus said out loud, stroking his chin in thought.

Finally, Marcus and Ron made it up to Ron's room. As Marcus dropped off his luggage, Marcus asked, "Is it me, or does it seem a little less spacey?"

"Fred and George are staying in here while Bill and Charlie are staying," Ron explained. "It'll get interesting when we get Harry tomorrow."

"Yeah, five people staying in the attic, two of which are troublemakers," stated Marcus. "Yeah, you're right, it's going to get interesting."

Seeing as it was around dinnertime, Ron and Marcus made their way back down to the kitchen where Marcus saw two people he had never seen before.

As the two of them were standing in the kitchen, he got a good look at them both. One of them was shorter, but stockier, built like Fred and George were. He noticed that the shorter one's arms were quite built, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it, along with calluses and blisters under his fingers. Despite his physical intimidation, the shorter one had a broad, good-natured face, one so weathered and freckly that one would think the man to be quite tan. Marcus knew at first glance this one had to be Charlie Weasley, who studied and worked with dragons in Romania.

The other one was quite tall, much akin to Percy and Ron. His long hair was put up in a ponytail, he wore an earing that had what looked eerily like a fang dangling, and the clothes he sported would place him quite well at a muggle rock concert. The only difference was that his boots were not of leather, but of dragon hide. Marcus pictured what Bill would possibly be like, but seeing him in the flesh, Bill gave off a sort of vibe that made him, undeniably, cool. No doubt he was, Marcus thought. Being a curse-breaker was a very selective and highly qualified job in the Wizarding World, being so few in number that even Marcus hadn't met any. On top of that, working for Gringotts as one meant that a curse-breaker's skill sets had to be above the rest, as treasure hoards were the most complex and curse ridden locations in the entire world.

"Ah, you must be Marcus," said Bill, who approached him with an extended hand. "A pleasure to meet you at last."

"The same," said Charlie, who did the same thing Bill did. "I've heard a lot of good things from Mum and Dad."

"I'm sure it's an exaggeration," said Marcus as he shook both of their hands.

"So, we're only missing a couple of people, aren't we, Ron?"

"Well, Mum and Ginny will be getting Hermione tomorrow," Ron stated. "And the rest of us will be getting Harry, Marcus included."

"I would've thought your Dad would go to Hermione's place," Marcus stated.

"Actually, he wanted to," Ron said. "But, Mum stamped out the idea at once. Can't exactly blame her. I don't think we'd get Dad back otherwise."

"Ron, can you come here?" shouted Mrs. Weasley from the backyard. "I need some help with the vegetables."

"Coming, Mum," shouted Ron, who scurried out the back door.

Marcus then looked to Charlie and said, "I'm actually curious about something, Charlie."

"Hm?"

"When you were at Hogwarts, you were considered a Quidditch natural, right?"

"I guess so."

"So, if you were talented enough to land a spot on a national Quidditch team, how come you went into the profession of studying dragons?"

All of a sudden, Marcus heard Bill say, "Oh, bloody hell, here we go again."

"Shut it, Bill!" Charlie exclaimed. "Marcus asked the question, it's only fair he gets the answer."

"Better hang on tight, Marcus," Bill told him. "This one's a doozy."

Marcus took a seat alongside Charlie at the kitchen table and that's when Charlie began.

"It was around my fifth year, shortly after the Christmas holidays. Everyone just got back, and Quidditch practice hadn't resumed yet, so I was quite bored. In those days, I would happen to go to the library and pick out a book regarding magical creatures. I've always been fascinated with them, since I was really young. This day, however, would happen to change my life from there on."

"Really?" Marcus asked. "How come?"

"Because that's when he went mental," Bill remarked.

"Bill," Charlie growled in such a way that Bill put his hands up in surrender and said, "Sorry, slip of the tongue. Please, continue."

Charlie coughed and continued, "I happen to stumble across the dragon section of the library, where this particular book happen to stick out in my mind, so I felt like I had to grab it. Not really sure why, looking back on it. The book was in a dusty corner at the bottom of the bookshelf, and it probably hadn't been cleaned in -"

He glanced at Marcus, who gave a sort of puzzled look that prompted Charlie to say, "-well, anyway, I took the book, sat down at the nearest table, and started to flip through the pages. At first, it was pretty standard material, nothing I hadn't read before. But, halfway through, a passage had caught my undivided attention."

"And that being?"

"A passage on a legendary dragon, the likes of which hasn't been seen for centuries, not since the time of Merlin: The Shieldhide."

"The Shieldhide?" asked Marcus in earnest.

"Oh, yes," said Charlie, whose face started to form a smile, "Known for their impenetrable dragon hide, the Shieldhide were revered for being able to win wars for countries in what seemed like overnight. As such, they were also known as the Victory Dragon, such was their guarantee in battle."

Marcus felt as if he read the term before, but he put it to the side as he asked, "What made them such fearsome beasts to begin with?"

"No one really knows for sure, not these days, anyway," said Charlie. "But, from what I read, it was their unparalled ferocity and their small stature."

"Small stature?"

"The longest Shieldhide ever measured was only ten feet long, unusually small for wyverns. It seemed that this played to their strengths somehow. But, I also think that they were quite intelligent, as well."

"What makes you say that?"

"Unexplainable things would happen whenever a Shieldhide dragon was spotted in battle. It was as if they knew who to take down, who to maim, and who to kill. Normal dragons just wreck whoever are in their way when angered, which to me says that the Shieldhide were quite intelligent."

"And what do they look like?"

"No one knows today, and anyone who could have told us have long since passed on," said Charlie, who sounded a bit disappointed. "As much as they were revered, they were feared just as much, if not more. It was so bad that no one was brave enough to draw what a Shieldhide looked like out of fear of their own lives. Said it brought bad omens, or something to that effect."

"So, a dragon who had impenetrable hide, unparalled ferocity, and may have displayed great intelligence once existed?" asked Marcus. "Where are they now? Surely, such a powerful type of dragon couldn't have just up and disappeared."

To this, Charlie just sighed and said, "Well, the last bit of the passage I read that day said that an incident took place in Europe during Merlin's time forced all the Shieldhide to fly west over the horizon, never to be seen again. I guess, if they were to be found today, they would be called American Shieldhides. Problem is, no one has found them."

"That's because they no longer exist, Charlie," said Bill in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't believe that, Bill," said Charlie in quite the serious tone. "And I'll prove everyone otherwise."

Charlie then looked to Marcus and stated, "Since I read that passage, it's been my dream to understand dragons so that, when I find a Shieldhide one day, I can understand them. And that's how I came to have studying dragons as a profession."

"I hope you do find them, Charlie," said Marcus with a smirk, who then looked to Bill and said, "And how exactly were you able to become a curse-breaker?"

"Well, I always had a curiosity for spells, curses in particular," Bill explained. "My curiosity got to the point where I became quite knowledgable in how curses work. As such, they were easy to break. I traveled around the world a bit to satisfy my curiosity and, before I knew it, I was offered a job at Gringott's Egypt branch as a curse-breaker."

Marcus sweatdropped a bit as he asked, "Isn't that a bit simplistic?"

"Perhaps," said Bill. "Better than chasing some fantasy, though."

"Knock it off, Bill!" said Charlie, who stood up from his chair to face Bill.

Suddenly, he heard a voice from the back door say, "Enough, Bill, Charlie! Come on, help me set the table!"

"Yes, Mom," both of them said at the same time.

As Bill and Charlie helped set the dinner table, Marcus saw Mrs. Weasley approach him from his left, her left hand cupping her face in worry and said, "Oh, dear, I was hoping we would avoid that topic."

Marcus looked to her and asked, "What do you mean, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, "Charlie's inspiration for studying dragons has always been a sensitive topic under this roof, Bill in particular. Goodness knows I've had to break them apart more times than I can count. Bill's a practical man, doesn't necessarily believes in legends and tales of the sort."

"And what is it that you believe?"

"At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what I believe," said Mrs. Weasley. "All that matters is what you believe, and what you're willing to do in what you believe. Now, could you be a dear and round everyone up? Dinner is almost ready."

"Of course," said Marcus with a smirk.

Dinner was a rather standard affair. Not too many words were exchanged, not even from Fred and George, which surprised Marcus. All they did was mumble to themselves, earning nasty glares from Mrs. Weasley, though why that was, Marcus couldn't tell. He also noticed that Bill and Charlie were back to normal, even having a friendly conversation.

As Ron and Marcus were going up to his room in the attic, Ron looked to Marcus and said, "What's the matter, Marcus? You've been awful quiet."

"Ron, do you think Shieldhides exist?"

Marcus looked to Ron, who had a brief look of surprise before saying, "Charlie must've told you his story. Hmm...well, it's not that I don't believe they exist. It's just..."

"What?"

"Well, they disappeared around the time of Merlin," said Ron. "No one has even seen one or even proof of their existence for nearly eight centuries. It's hard to believe they're still around when there's nothing to prove it, isn't it?"

"I suppose so."

"Why do you ask, Marcus? Do you believe they're still around?"

"Well, a dragon with such attriubtes as the Shieldhides couldn't have possibly died off," Marcus stated. "That, and..."

"And?"

"I guess it's just a feeling I have," said Marcus. "When Charlie was explaining the Shieldhide's attributes, I had a feeling I've seen it before."

"Really?!" said a startled Ron. "Where?!"

Marcus put on a puzzled look on his face and said, "That's just it: I don't remember. I mean, I couldn't possibly have physically seen one. I think I would've remembered otherwise."

"Well, if you believe that they're still around, then I'll keep an open mind."

As Marcus was laying in his makeshift bed, his mind was entirely on the idea of the Shieldhide dragon. He could sympathize with Charlie's passion in this regard. How could such a powerful species of dragon just one day up and disappear like that? If they were merely in hiding, what would keep them hidden from the world for such a long time?

He didn't realize how long he was thinking about the subject, because he rolled over to check the time and realized that it was already four in the morning.

"Crap!" thought Marcus. "Time for my morning workout!"

Eventually, Marcus was able to make it to his designated workout meadow, a nice clearing of grass nestled in the woods about two miles out from the Burrow. He started his workout with his standard circuit training, followed by a cardio intense session, and finally ended it with sword practice.

However, Marcus noticed something different during this training session. It must've taken place several sessions ago, but he didn't give it much thought, as he was too focused. However, it was more prominent than ever.

He felt incredibly sensitive to his surrounding areas, almost as if he knew exactly what was going on with everything around him. Where certain animals were, which trees were dropping their leaves. This left him quite confused. He was pretty sure he hadn't done any instinctual training, as he didn't know how. So, how could he possibly be attuned to everything around him?

At the very end of the training, he sensed someone coming from behind him. He whipped his wooden nodachi blade around to face this someone, only to find -

"Charlie!" exclaimed Marcus, who put down his weapon hurriedly. "Sorry about that!"

"It's quite all right," he stated, giving off a nervous chuckle. "I wanted to join you out here for a bit before Mum got breakfast around. Nice meadow you found, Marcus."

"Yeah, I found it when I stayed at the Burrow for the first time," stated Marcus. "For some reason, it really screamed out as a nice workout spot and, well, I've been using it everytime I've stayed here since."

"So, still thinking about the Shieldhides, aren't you?"

Marcus looked to Charlie and said, "Was it that obvious?"

"Well, Ron told me about it," Charlie clarified. "Well, more so scolded, I'd say. Anyway, I wouldn't think about it too much while you have other important matters, like school and bettering yourself. Leave it to the professionals, all right?"

"I see what you did there," Marcus remarked, to which he followed up with, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Now, what do you say we return back to the house? Mum should be finishing up breakfast by now."

Almost as if it was on cue, Marcus noticed a peculiar set of smells in the air.

"Ooh, what's this?" Marcus asked out loud. He sniffed the air a few more times and said, "Cheesy scrambled eggs? Wheat toast? Apples and Oranges, I think. Ooh, no way! She made Shepard's Pie for breakfast?! Not to mention corn beef hash and applewood bacon! Ooh, come on, Charlie, this is going to be fantastic!"


"Well, everyone, dig in!" Mrs. Weasley told everyone.

As Marcus helped himself to some Shepard's Pie and bacon, Mr. Weasley said, "Are you all right, Charlie?"

Marcus glanced over to Charlie, whose mouth was agape, something akin to shock.

"Um, Charlie?" Marcus said.

Charlie then rounded on Marcus and said, "How did you do it?!"

"Huh?"

"How were you able to guess everything Mum cooked like that?!"

"Oh, Charlie, be reasonable," said Ginny, who was enjoying her scrambled eggs. "He obviously smelled it all when you two were coming back to the house."

"He accurately stated our breakfast two miles away, in the middle of the woods!"

Marcus then noticed that all eyes were on him as Fred said, "Oi, old geezer, is Charlie saying the truth?"

"Um, yeah, he is," Marcus stated in a nervous voice.

"How did you do it?!" asked George.

Marcus knew that he needed to get himself out of this situation fast, as it was making him more uncomfortable by the second.

"Well, obviously, Mrs. Weasley's cooking is just that exceptional," Marcus stated rather fast. "Seems to me that all those years hanging around those dragons is destroying your sense of smell, Charlie."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Charlie.

"I bet he means all of that dragon dung," said Fred, making waving motions with his right hand in front of his noise and contorting his face to one of mock disgust.

"Can't imagine working with that smell in the air," said George, pretending to faint from a fake, disgusting smell.

"It's not that bad!" Charlie protested, to which he fell silent after that.

"So, Mr. Weasley, what's the plan today?" asked Marcus, eager to switch the topic.

"Well, Molly and Ginny are going to be getting Hermione from her residence," said Mr. Weasley. "Once they return with her, then the rest of us guys, except for Charlie and Bill, will go and get Harry from his place."

"And how exactly will we accomplish that?"

"I've arranged it with your father to pick him up via Floo Network."

"Oh, great," said Marcus sarcastically. "This couldn't possibly go wrong."

"If all goes to plan, we should arrive at Harry's precisely at noon and get him back here in no time."

"Well, it'll be interesting, to say the least," thought Marcus.

As Marcus was getting ready later in the morning, he saw Fred and George peering over something in Ron's room.

"All right, you two, what's going on?" said Marcus. "You haven't made nearly as many elderly jokes as you should have by now!"

Fred looked over his right shoulder and said, "Well, if it's you, I guess it's okay. What do you think, George?"

"I think ol' bag of bones over there is trustworthy," said George. "Let's tell him."

Fred and George then made sure no one else was around, then said, "We're planning on opening our own joke shop."

"Really?" said Marcus, who was taken by surprise. "Opening up your own shop?"

"What's wrong with that?" asked Fred.

"Well, it's just that opening up any shop takes a lot of time and money, and not all businesses are successful," stated Marcus.

"Well, we've already started a starter list of the products we'd sell," said George, who handed him their parchment.

Marcus took a look at it and, by the time he was done looking at it, said, "Wow, a lot of these products sound like really good sellers! And you've made all these items already?!"

"Yes," said Fred. "Well, at least, before Mum destroyed most of them."

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, Mum already knows we're trying to open up a joke shop," George said in a sour tone. "Wasn't too happy about it, either. Said that we had our priorities wrong and that we should've concentrated on getting more O.W.L.'s"

"That's just it, though," said Fred. "We know our talents don't lie within the system, and we don't think we should be forced through that system just because everyone else goes through it."

"I completely agree with you," said Marcus.

He saw the looks of surprise on the Twin's faces before continuing, "Take me, for example. I do physical workouts nearly every day to better my physical condition, even though magic folk consider it a waste of time. Do I care what they think is considered normal? No, I don't, because I only care about what's best for me."

He then allowed a smirk on his face and said, "You two may be the biggest troublemakers I've ever met, but you've never failed to make the people around you smile and laugh. And, if you think the best thing to do is by opening up a joke shop so that people from all over can smile and laugh, then you two have my full support."

"Well said, old man!" said Fred.

"Nice to see that someone understands!" said George.

All of a sudden, he heard Mr. Weasley speak.

"All right, your Mum and Ginny should be returning with Hermione shortly. Ron, can you go and get Fred, George, and Marcus? I want all of us ready before we depart."

Marcus turned to Fred and George and said, "I think we should wrap this up. Mr. Weasley just sent Ron for us."

"How d'you know that for sure?" asked Fred.

"I heard him say it."

Right on cue, the door opened to reveal Ron, saying, "Guys, we should get downstairs. Dad's all ready by the fireplace."

Fred and George looked at Ron, confused, with Fred saying, "Wait, Dad's not up here?"

"No, he's been by the fireplace, waiting for Mum and Ginny to return with Hermione."

Fred looked at Marcus and said, "Didn't you say Dad sent Ron for us?"

"Yeah, I heard him as if he was right next to me."

Marcus then did a mental double take. "Wait, how in the world did I hear Mr. Weasley if he was by the fireplace?! That's on the complete opposite side of the house! What in the world's going on?!"

Marcus then said hurriedly, "Of course, I was able to accomplish this thanks to my training. See what I mean, Fred and George?"

"Ah, right," they chorused together.

"Come on, let's go," said Marcus.

But, as they were going down the stairs, Marcus thought, "I have no idea what's going on with me right now! First, the breakfast debacle, then this?! I can't make head or tails of this!"

As they gathered by the fireplace, waiting for the ladies to return, Fred leaned over to Marcus and whispered, "Oi, Marcus, are you feeling all right?"

"As fine as I can be," whispered Marcus right back.

Suddenly, the fireplace sprouted a green flame and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny came into the kitchen, along with -

"Hermione!" Marcus said.

"Marcus!" said Hermione, who hugged him. "It's been too long!"

"Well, I'm glad to see that getting Hermione went without a hitch," said Mr. Weasley. "Marcus, want to do the honors?"

"You bet!" said Marcus, who let go of Hermione, grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, and went into the fireplace with Mr. Weasley.

"Hey, old fart, don't get too ahead of us now!" Fred told Marcus.

"Ron, stay behind a bit," said Mr. Weasley. "If we're not back with Harry in a couple of minutes, then use the Floo Network."

"Right," said Ron.

"All right, Marcus, whenever you're ready," said Mr. Weasley.

Marcus took a deep breath before shouting, "Number Four Privet Drive!"

He threw down the powder and was engulfed in a green flame.

He then saw numerous fireplaces, but Marcus knew which one to go through. He tried to go through it, only to be stymied.

"What the crap is this?!" Marcus said before feeling Mr. Weasley's full weight upon him.

"Ouch!" said Mr. Weasley. "Fred no - go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake - tell George not to - OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -"

"Of course this wouldn't go without a hitch!" said Marcus. "It just couldn't be that simple!"

"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad," Fred told Mr. Weasley. "Maybe he'll be able to let us out -"

Marcus immediately started to hammer the wall and said, "Hey Harry! If you can hear us, get over here, quick!"

All of a sudden, Marcus heard a very familiar, very unwanted voice growl, "What is this? What's going on?"

"They - they've tried to get here by Floo Powder," Marcus could hear Harry say, and by the sound of it, he was fighting the desire to bust out laughing. "They can travel by fire - only you've blocked the fireplace - hang on -"

He then heard Harry say, "Marcus? Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Harry," stated Marcus.

Marcus then heard Harry say, "The fireplace has been blocked up. You guys won't be able to get through there."

"Leave it to some great prunes of Muggles to actually block a fireplace!" growled Marcus. "No common sense whatsoever!"

"Harry, what on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.

"Really?" Mr. Weasley asked excitingly. "Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that..."

"Mr. Weasley, now is not the time!" Marcus growled, growing more impatient the longer he was stuck in the fireplace.

"Right, right," Mr. Weasley hurriedly said. "Let's see here...ouch, Ron!"

Marcus suddenly felt more weight on his shoulders and, while it wasn't more than he could physically tolerate, his patience was quickly wearing thin.

"What are we doing here?" Marcus could hear Ron ask. "Has something gone wrong?"

"Oh, no, Ron," came Fred's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."

"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," said George, who sounded like his face was squashed against the wall.

"I just couldn't possibly imagine being anywhere else except in this beautiful fireplace," said Marcus, his sarcasm dripping like a waterfall.

"Boy, boys..." said Mr. Weasley vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do...Yes...only way...Stand back, Harry."

"What on Earth is he -?!" Marcus started to think.

He saw a spell trail by his face for the briefest of a second and, the next thing he knew, he went tumbling out of the fireplace.

As he recovered himself, he heard Mr. Weasley pant, "That's better." He took a few seconds to straight his glasses and his green robes. "Ah - you must be Harry's aunt and uncle."

Mr. Weasley went to shake Mr. Dursley's hands, but Marcus saw him back away several paces. Mr. Dursley was wearing a nicer suit than Marcus thought would be possible for him, but the incident with the fireplace caused said suit to look rather drab, and the fact that the settling soot on his hair and mustache made him look thirty years older was not helping.

"Er - yes - sorry about that," said Mr. Weasley, who lowered his hand looked over his shoulder at the wrecked fireplace. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that we wouldn't be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see - just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking - but I've got a useful contact at the Ministry of Magic and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate."

"If the Dursleys got even one word of what Mr. Weasley said, I'll glady donate all of my Galleons away," thought Marcus as he saw Mr. and Mrs. Dursley still staring at Mr. Weasley, no doubt thunderstruck. Mrs. Dursley staggered upright once more and hid behind Mr. Dursley.

"Hello, Harry!" said Mr. Weasley brightly. "Got your trunk ready?"

"It's upstairs," said Harry, who was grinning back.

"We'll get it," said Fred at once. He winked at Harry once before him and George left the room. They knew where Harry's room was, having taken part in the rescue of Harry two summers ago. Marcus had a sneaking suspicion that the Twins were trying to get a glimpse of Dudley. No doubt Harry told a lot of things about the boy.

"Well," said Mr. Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very - erm - very nice place you've got here."

Marcus facepalmed himself, thinking, "Yeah, I was right: This is about as smoothly as I thought it was going to go."

He then saw Mr. Weasley surveying the living room, checking out all the apparatuses in the vincinity.

"They run off eckeltricity, do they?" he said knowledgeably. "Ah, yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," he added to Uncle Vernon. "And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife think I"m mad, but there you are."

Based on the looks of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, Marcus surmised that they thought the same way about Mr. Weasley, but as Marcus didn't necessarily care about them, he let it go.

He then saw who Marcus surmised to be Dudley reappearing in the room. No doubt the clunk of Harry's trunk on the stairs had scared Dudley from whatever room he was hiding in. The boy edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes. However, he then saw Marcus, who decided to give him an evil smirk. To this, the boy attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father, covering his rear end as if it was going to fall off. To this, Marcus silently scoffed. While it was more than sufficient for Mr. Dursley to hide his bony wife, the same could not be said for the boy. It did bring Marcus some satisfaction that Dudley didn't forget the first time he met him.

"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?" said Mr. Weasley, taking another brave stab at making conversation.

"Yep," said Harry, "that's Dudley."

"My God, I didn't think it was possible that he could get any fatter," said Marcus, clearly goading him. "Goodness, hot air balloons are smaller than him!"

He heard Harry trying desperately to conceal his laughter while Mr. Dursley roared, "I'm not going to allow some punk to bully around my son like that!"

Marcus summoned his wand, pointed it at Mr. Dursley, and said in a dark tone, "Last time I saw him, Dudley was sporting a very befitting pig's tail on his rear end. Personally, I think it would be even more suited on yours. What do you think?"

All manner of courage left Mr. Dursley's face, leaving it very blanched and very cowardly.

"Marcus, for goodness sake, put your wand away!" scolded Mr. Weasley. Marcus, despite the fun he was having, loosened his grip on his wand, which proceeded to shoot back up his left arm sleeve.

Mr. Weasley then turned to face Dudley and said, "Having a good holiday, Dudley?"

Dudley whimpered. Marcus saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside.

Fred and George came back into the room carrying Harry's school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins.

"Ah, right," said Mr. Weasley. "Better get cracking then."

He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Marcus saw that the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one, leaving Marcus confused as to why they didn't do the same with him.

"Incendio!" said Mr. Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.

Flames rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever.

"Off you go then, Fred," said Mr. Weasley.

"Coming," said Fred. "Oh no - hang on -"

A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred's pocket and the contents were now spilling in every direction - big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers.

Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying "the Burrow!" Mrs. Dursley gave a litte shuddering gasp. There was a wooshing sound, and Fred vanished.

"Right then, George," said Mr. Weasley, "you and the trunk."

As Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better, Marcus noticed out of the corner of his eye that one remaining brightly colored wrapped toffee still loomed on the living room floor. He then glanced at Dudley, who had spotted it and started to make his way towards it.

"Ooh, ho, ho," thought Marcus. "Looks like this trip won't be such a waste after all."

He then looked back at George, who had cried, "the Burrow!" and was whisked away, just like Fred.

"Ron, you next," said Mr. Weasley.

"See you," said Ron brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned broadly at Marcus and Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted "the Burrow!" and disappeared.

Now, only Marcus, Harry, and Mr. Weasley alone remained.

"Well...'bye then," Harry said to the Dursleys.

They didn't say anything at all, which Marcus expected of them. Marcus and Harry moved together toward the fire, but just as they reached the edge of the hearth, Marcus saw Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement.

"Harry said good-bye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear him?"

"It doesn't matter," Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. "Honestly, I don't care."

"Mr. Weasley, it's a little much to be asking these particular Muggles to practice good ettiquettte," said Marcus, not bothering to keep his voice low.

Mr. Weasley, however, did not remove his hand from Harry's shoulder.

"You aren't going to see your nephew till next summer," he said to Mr. Dursley in mild indignation. "Surely, you're going to say good-bye?"

Marcus saw the face of Mr. Dursley work furiously, as if he was waging war with his inner demons. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living wall seemed to, no doubt, cause him intense suffering. But, as Mr. Weasley was still gripping his wand (and Mr. Dursley glancing at it once), he let out a very forced, very resented, "Good-bye, then."

"See you," said Harry. And as the two boys put one foot forward into the green fire, feeling like a pleasant warm breath, Marcus heard a horrible gagging sound erupt from behind him, and Mrs. Dursley started to scream.

"Looks like it's time to see the results," thought Marcus with satisfaction.

He turned around to see that Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. When Marcus realized that the slimy protrusion was, in fact, Dudley's tongue, it took everything he had not to bust out laughing from what he was seeing.

Mrs. Dursley hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; not surprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Mr. Dursley was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.

"Not to worry, I can sort him out!" he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Mrs. Dursley screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley.

"No, really!" said Mr. Weasley desperately. "It's a simple process - it was the toffee - my son Fred - real practical joker - but it's only an Engorgement Charm - at least, I think it is - please, I can correct it -"

But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic-stricken; Mrs. Dursley was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley's tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Mr. Dursley, who had completely lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top the the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace.

"Now really!" said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. "I'm trying to help!"

Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Mr. Dursley snatched up another ornament.

"Harry, Marcus, go! Just go!" Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Mr. Dursley. "I'll sort this out!"

Marcus most certainly didn't want to go, as he was having far too much enjoyment watching this debacle unfold before his eyes. However, as Marcus had to dodge Mr. Dursley's second ornament to prevent smashing in his face, he thought it best to depart before he found himself in an irrevocable situation. They stepped into the fire, looking over their shoulders as Marcus said, "the Burrow!" Marcus' last fleeting look of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Mr. Dursley's hand with his wand, Mrs. Dursley screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley's tongue lolling around like a great slimy python. But next moment, Marcus and Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys' living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames.

And this concludes this chapter of HP: The Path of Trials! Please feel free to leave a review, as this helps me refine my writing skills! If you want to ask me anything, feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: The Path of Trials!