It was more or less common knowledge that the family from The Burrow were, well, weird. Everyone in the village of Ottery-St-Catchpole knew it. They almost never came into the village shop, generally acknowledged to be the place to exchange gossip, and on the rare occasions when any of them were seen about the village, they had a tendency to wear odd clothes. Old Mrs Gregg from 74 Ainsworthy Terrace swore that once she had seen Mr Weasley wearing a dress, but as Mrs Gregg also swore that her second son Edward was the King of Poland, nobody really took any notice of her. The fact was that nobody really cared that the Weasleys were weird. Their house was well out of the village, not bothering anyone, and so long as it stayed that way the St-Catchpolians were quite happy to leave things as they were.
All except for one person, that is. That one person was a girl by the name of Emmy Harris. Emmy was convinced that the Weasleys were more than weird - that they were, in fact, up to something very odd indeed.
This conviction had started three years ago when Emmy was just eleven, and taking her new bike out for a ride during the summer holidays. The holidays tended to produce such presents for Emmy, because she spent her birthday away from home at her school, a private girls-only school called Willoughby Ladies Academy. In a way it was her school which prompted her to be riding so far out of the village that day. Having been sent to Willoughby instead of to the comprehensive in Lantown five miles away, Emmy had returned to find that the village children now considered her 'stuck up', and were not to be persuaded to the contrary. Her former best friend, Helen Mills, was sauntering around with Tracey Carter, and would not even speak to her, and Emmy found herself on this Saturday morning facing the prospect not only of a very lonely day, but of six whole weeks practically on her own.
And so it was that Emmy, knowing her parents would have a pink fit if they knew, took her bike further out of the village than she would normally have done, hoping by doing this to avoid the other kids, and eventually, just at the point when she was beginning to get tired, realised that she was coming close to where those odd Weasleys lived. That would be their paddock just away to the left, the one with the tall trees. Stopping to catch her breath, Emmy got off her bike and walked for a bit. Voices were coming from the paddock - children's voices.
A thought occurred to her. Her mum had once said that the Weasley children went to a private school somewhere up in Scotland (Mrs Harris' exact words had been, 'If they can do it for all those children, we can do it for our Emmy!'). Surely they wouldn't call her stuck up for going to one too? They had a daughter not much younger than Emmy was, and if the others were boys and they were all a bit odd, well, it would be better than being on her own all summer. Emmy decided to make her way over to the paddock and ask if she could join in whatever game it was they were playing.
The next thing she knew, she was back on her bike, pedalling for home furiously, convinced that she had forgotten something very important indeed. She had gone almosy a mile before she stopped, slamming on the brakes so hard that she almost catapulted herself over the handlebars. Forgotten something important? That was when Emmy knew that something was very, very wrong. Because you see, Emmeline Morgan Harris didn't forget things. She had a photographic memory - this coupled with a ridiculously high IQ was the reason she had been sent to Willoughby in the first place. What was more, now that she had headed toward home, Emmy knew very well that she hadn't forgotten anything - so how, knowing how well her memory always served her, had she been convinced? Swallowing hard, she got back on her bike and pedalled back toward the Weasley's paddock. As soon as she got close, she had turned her bike again, that same feeling of panicked forgetfulness hitting her. This time, really frightened,Emmy carried on pedalling and did not stop until she reached her own front door. Checking her watch, she discovered that it was actually three whole hours later than she had thought. She had found herself a completely unexpected, and very disturbing, mystery. A mystery she was convinced was connected somehow with those weird Weasleys. And Emmy Harris, with six boring, lonely weeks stretching out in front of her, could not think of anything better to occupy her time than to find out what this mystery could be.
Three years later, at fourteen, Emmy was more convinced than ever that the Weasleys were beyond weird, and no closer than ever to finding out exactly how. She had heard stories told by old men and women about them and Mr Weasley's parents. She had even spotted Mrs Weasley walk into a blind alley and vanish without coming back out again. She had spent that six weeks of the summer trying to find out whatever she could. But she didn't actually know anything, except for knowing that there was something to know. Her summers were long, solitary, and for the most part not something she looked forward to. By the time the other children would speak to her again,they no longer had anything in common and Emmy found that she no longer cared. Sometimes a school friend would come to stay to brighten up the holidays, but usually she was glad to get back to school.
This summer, however, something happened which pushed her once again into determination to discover what those Weasleys were up to. She was coming out of the village store when she ran slap bang into three of them, knocking one completely to the ground.
'Oh!' she said, catching at the doorpost which was all that had prevented her from ending up on her backside too. 'Sorry! Didn't see you there.'
'You missed his ugly mug?' said one of the older boys with a grin.
'Wonders will never cease!' agreed the other. Emmy blinked. Both the older boys were absolutlely identical. The boy on the ground scowled at his brothers.
'Don't any of you help me up,' he grumbled, beginning to scramble to his feet. Emmy couldn't help smiling, until she realised that she was face to face with three of the Weird Weasleys. It was too good an opportunity to miss. She held out her hand to pull the younger boy up, and he took it, a little surprised.
'I am sorry,' she said. 'I really wasn't looking. I'm Emmy Harris.'
'Ron Weasley,' he said, nodding slightly in acceptance of her apology. 'These two apes are Fred and George. Or George and Fred.'
The twins nodded, simultaneously. Emmy found that she was really smiling now. She tried to think of something to say, but could only come up with, 'Want a humbug? Call it an apology for knocking you flying?' She offered the bag of sweets to Ron.
For a moment Ron looked at the bag curiously, then reahed out and took a sweet, popping it into his mouth and sucking it as though unsure of its flavour. Emmy also offered the bag to the twins, who took theirs eagerly. 'What did I tell you, Fred?' said one of them. 'Mines of potential.' Emmy didn't understand this, but decided it was probably a twin thing. The twins continued on into the shop, and Ron stood next to Emmy, still sucking on the humbug.
'You go to a private school, don't you?' she asked eventually, remembering the subject of her misery the day she had almost gotten to their house.
'Yeah,' he said, looking surprised. 'How'd you know?'
'Mum said. I go to one too, Willoughby. Whats yours called?'
Silence for a moment, then Ron answered. 'Hogwarts.'
'Thats an odd name. is it a good school?'
'Well, yeah. Not many people have heard of it though.'
'Oh, right. People have heard of Willoughby alright.' she could not keep the disgust from her voice. Just then the twins came back out of the shop with a big bag of something, and Ron, after accepting another humbug with considerably more enthusiasm, made his goodbyes and went off with them. Emmy continued on her own way, wondering how they could be so completely normal, and at the same time so utterly weird.
Ron Weasley, on the other hand, found himself the subject of some teasing from his brothers all the way home. 'That Muggle girl likes you, Ron,' said Fred as soon as they were out of earshot.
'Smitten. Completely gone,' agreed George.
'Don't be daft,' said Ron, his ears turning pink. 'She was just being nice to try to make up for almost killing me, thats all.'
Fred sniggered. 'Yeah,' he said. 'Right.'
All except for one person, that is. That one person was a girl by the name of Emmy Harris. Emmy was convinced that the Weasleys were more than weird - that they were, in fact, up to something very odd indeed.
This conviction had started three years ago when Emmy was just eleven, and taking her new bike out for a ride during the summer holidays. The holidays tended to produce such presents for Emmy, because she spent her birthday away from home at her school, a private girls-only school called Willoughby Ladies Academy. In a way it was her school which prompted her to be riding so far out of the village that day. Having been sent to Willoughby instead of to the comprehensive in Lantown five miles away, Emmy had returned to find that the village children now considered her 'stuck up', and were not to be persuaded to the contrary. Her former best friend, Helen Mills, was sauntering around with Tracey Carter, and would not even speak to her, and Emmy found herself on this Saturday morning facing the prospect not only of a very lonely day, but of six whole weeks practically on her own.
And so it was that Emmy, knowing her parents would have a pink fit if they knew, took her bike further out of the village than she would normally have done, hoping by doing this to avoid the other kids, and eventually, just at the point when she was beginning to get tired, realised that she was coming close to where those odd Weasleys lived. That would be their paddock just away to the left, the one with the tall trees. Stopping to catch her breath, Emmy got off her bike and walked for a bit. Voices were coming from the paddock - children's voices.
A thought occurred to her. Her mum had once said that the Weasley children went to a private school somewhere up in Scotland (Mrs Harris' exact words had been, 'If they can do it for all those children, we can do it for our Emmy!'). Surely they wouldn't call her stuck up for going to one too? They had a daughter not much younger than Emmy was, and if the others were boys and they were all a bit odd, well, it would be better than being on her own all summer. Emmy decided to make her way over to the paddock and ask if she could join in whatever game it was they were playing.
The next thing she knew, she was back on her bike, pedalling for home furiously, convinced that she had forgotten something very important indeed. She had gone almosy a mile before she stopped, slamming on the brakes so hard that she almost catapulted herself over the handlebars. Forgotten something important? That was when Emmy knew that something was very, very wrong. Because you see, Emmeline Morgan Harris didn't forget things. She had a photographic memory - this coupled with a ridiculously high IQ was the reason she had been sent to Willoughby in the first place. What was more, now that she had headed toward home, Emmy knew very well that she hadn't forgotten anything - so how, knowing how well her memory always served her, had she been convinced? Swallowing hard, she got back on her bike and pedalled back toward the Weasley's paddock. As soon as she got close, she had turned her bike again, that same feeling of panicked forgetfulness hitting her. This time, really frightened,Emmy carried on pedalling and did not stop until she reached her own front door. Checking her watch, she discovered that it was actually three whole hours later than she had thought. She had found herself a completely unexpected, and very disturbing, mystery. A mystery she was convinced was connected somehow with those weird Weasleys. And Emmy Harris, with six boring, lonely weeks stretching out in front of her, could not think of anything better to occupy her time than to find out what this mystery could be.
Three years later, at fourteen, Emmy was more convinced than ever that the Weasleys were beyond weird, and no closer than ever to finding out exactly how. She had heard stories told by old men and women about them and Mr Weasley's parents. She had even spotted Mrs Weasley walk into a blind alley and vanish without coming back out again. She had spent that six weeks of the summer trying to find out whatever she could. But she didn't actually know anything, except for knowing that there was something to know. Her summers were long, solitary, and for the most part not something she looked forward to. By the time the other children would speak to her again,they no longer had anything in common and Emmy found that she no longer cared. Sometimes a school friend would come to stay to brighten up the holidays, but usually she was glad to get back to school.
This summer, however, something happened which pushed her once again into determination to discover what those Weasleys were up to. She was coming out of the village store when she ran slap bang into three of them, knocking one completely to the ground.
'Oh!' she said, catching at the doorpost which was all that had prevented her from ending up on her backside too. 'Sorry! Didn't see you there.'
'You missed his ugly mug?' said one of the older boys with a grin.
'Wonders will never cease!' agreed the other. Emmy blinked. Both the older boys were absolutlely identical. The boy on the ground scowled at his brothers.
'Don't any of you help me up,' he grumbled, beginning to scramble to his feet. Emmy couldn't help smiling, until she realised that she was face to face with three of the Weird Weasleys. It was too good an opportunity to miss. She held out her hand to pull the younger boy up, and he took it, a little surprised.
'I am sorry,' she said. 'I really wasn't looking. I'm Emmy Harris.'
'Ron Weasley,' he said, nodding slightly in acceptance of her apology. 'These two apes are Fred and George. Or George and Fred.'
The twins nodded, simultaneously. Emmy found that she was really smiling now. She tried to think of something to say, but could only come up with, 'Want a humbug? Call it an apology for knocking you flying?' She offered the bag of sweets to Ron.
For a moment Ron looked at the bag curiously, then reahed out and took a sweet, popping it into his mouth and sucking it as though unsure of its flavour. Emmy also offered the bag to the twins, who took theirs eagerly. 'What did I tell you, Fred?' said one of them. 'Mines of potential.' Emmy didn't understand this, but decided it was probably a twin thing. The twins continued on into the shop, and Ron stood next to Emmy, still sucking on the humbug.
'You go to a private school, don't you?' she asked eventually, remembering the subject of her misery the day she had almost gotten to their house.
'Yeah,' he said, looking surprised. 'How'd you know?'
'Mum said. I go to one too, Willoughby. Whats yours called?'
Silence for a moment, then Ron answered. 'Hogwarts.'
'Thats an odd name. is it a good school?'
'Well, yeah. Not many people have heard of it though.'
'Oh, right. People have heard of Willoughby alright.' she could not keep the disgust from her voice. Just then the twins came back out of the shop with a big bag of something, and Ron, after accepting another humbug with considerably more enthusiasm, made his goodbyes and went off with them. Emmy continued on her own way, wondering how they could be so completely normal, and at the same time so utterly weird.
Ron Weasley, on the other hand, found himself the subject of some teasing from his brothers all the way home. 'That Muggle girl likes you, Ron,' said Fred as soon as they were out of earshot.
'Smitten. Completely gone,' agreed George.
'Don't be daft,' said Ron, his ears turning pink. 'She was just being nice to try to make up for almost killing me, thats all.'
Fred sniggered. 'Yeah,' he said. 'Right.'