Hi - I don't know how many people (if any!! :-\ ) are following this story but if you are sorry for the delay! Please, please, please R/R with suggestions/comments as they would be much appreciated! Thank you! All JK Rowling's characters, etc, etc! But oh how I wish they were mine!!!!

All the Colours of Hogwarts

Mrs. Weasley continued her speech, interrupted only a couple of times by sobs and

comical shouts from Fred and George mainly consisting of thank yous to Ron for

marrying his fellow head of Hogwarts and therefore their well earned day off from work.

Their business, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, had been in such high demand that up

until now they had had only 3 days off since they left Hogwarts in which they weren't

either working in their shop or inventing (Harry had counted these - Mrs. Weasley, still

easily irritated by all the bangs and smells that noted the twins presence, had insisted that

Christmas Day should be work free but Harry saw on more than one occasion a few

under the table modifications of crackers so these three days, he guessed, he had probably

just not seen it.)

After raising their glasses of champagne, courtesy of Hermione's parents, the infamous

clipboard emerged for what everyone hoped would be the last time to prepare for those

apparating, using portkeys or the Floo Network. Harry could picture Hermione right now

pacing back and forth, fretting that she could not oversee things and knowing that people

weren't doing as good a job as she would. Ron was allowed this task off and sat very

quietly in the corner, growing steadily paler. Harry was paired with Bill, who despite

wearing the same suit as all the men still managed to look far cooler. His hair was shorter

than when they had first met but it was still too long for Mrs. Weasley. Along with this,

Fred and George's noise and smells, Charlie's constant search for more dangerous

adventures with dragons, Ron's ability to blow things up and Ginny's experimentation in

the kitchen Mrs. Weasley must have nerves like no other - but Harry guessed it must just

be a motherly thing to do - worry.

They walked out into the sunshine and towards the garage at the front of the house, away

from peering muggle eyes, where the old Ford Anglia had once lived. Three wizarding

families were to use a portkey to arrive here in the next twenty minutes, a few minutes

apart. Harry looked at the list given to him and Bill and saw that Luna Lovegood and her

father were to arrive first in five minutes. Despite being rather a good Ravenclaw witch,

Luna had taken her apparation test five times and failed. On the last attempt she split

herself right in two, giving holidaymakers in Aberystwyth and Blackpool a bit of a fright.

The head of the Apparation Council must have decided then that her mind was far to

scattered for apparating as she had not taken the test again.

With a thud, Luna and Mr. Lovegood arrived in the middle of the garage holding what

looked like a skipping rope cut in half. If Harry had not known it was Luna it would still

have been impossible to confuse her with anyone else. Her waist length, golden hair was

braided with the colours of Hogwarts - red, gold, yellow, blue but only one strand of

green) and her hat was emitting the loud chimes of church bells that echoed around the

now bare garage. The Lovegoods were the closest neighbours of the Weasleys but still

lived many miles away. Hermione was at first reluctant to invite Luna as they still did

not see eye to eye after their run in over Ron in the 6th year. Ron - torn between how he

had always felt about Hermione and not thinking she would ever feel the same and the

continuous attention from Luna - had decided to keep his options open and dated both of

them. Until they ran into each other that is after Ron had absent-mindedly arranged to

meet them both after Quidditch practice and they realised what was happening. If you

looked closely you could still see where Luna's hair had never grown back properly and

Harry now had two scars as Luna had caught him on his neck with her nails as he helped

pull the two girls apart from their hair pulling.



Bill directed them towards the arch of wands and when they were out of earshot

conversed with Harry about what Hermione's reaction to seeing (and hearing) that hat

might be. Shortly afterwards, Seamus and Lavender Finnigan arrived holding baby

Patrick and what looked like the entire Mothercare catalogue and five minutes after them

Bill and Harry stood well back as Hagrid arrived and the ground shook. With everybody

ticked off their list and directed to the back garden by the arch and cherubs, Harry and

Bill returned to the kitchen where the last off the wizards arriving by Floo Powder were

being given a clothes-cleaning spell by Fred.

"IT'S TIME!" bellowed Mr. Weasley as Harry approached Ron holding out his

hand to pull him out of the chair.