8-29 Two days until Hogwarts! I just can't wait for it! My stuff is packed,
my homework is done, and Ron is picking me up today so that I can stay at
his house until it's time to get on the train. I can't wait to see Hermione-
and get a decent meal into my life. All summer I've been having table
scraps and meager pieces of grapefruit. I think that I'm lighter than a
pea. I need to feed Hedwig right now, so I can't really write more, and
Ron's coming in a few minutes, plus I've got to pack my journal. Harry
Harry smiled. He had just given Hedwig her seeds when a car pulled up- ten minutes early. He grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage and nearly flew downstairs and out of the house, jumping into the ministry's car, which Mr. Weasley was borrowing. Hedwig hooted indignantly and turned huffily away from him. Next to Hedwig, Ginny smiled and stroked her beak. Her red hair was cropped just a few inches below her shoulder. She smiled.
"Long time no see, Harry." And went back to stroking his owl, who was hooting affectionately. Ron was next to her.
"Hey Harry, mate! Sorry my sister's hogging your owl, she's having a weird animal phase-"
Ginny cut him off. "It is not a phase Ron! I have liked animals since I was 6. You only just now noticed, though."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever Ginny."
Mr. Weasley turned his head. "Ron, she has liked animals since she was 6, and I'm turning into this alley, because there's a fireplace there connected specially for today to the Floo network. And yes, the car will disappear and reappear at the ministry when I preform a simple spell." He hopped out of the car and motioned for them to follow.
Harry eased his trunk out and pulled Hedwig's cage out after it. Once everything was out of the car, Mr. Weasley muttered something and the car disappeared with a small 'pop'. Then, he opened a wooden plank on the side of a building marked "Bernie's brick oven pizzas, we deliver" and looked into the flames inside.
"Good, no pizzas and no Bernie. Now, let's hurry up, Ginny, you first."
Ginny put a pinch of powder into the flames and they turned emerald green. She stepped inside. "The Burrow!" she said clearly and vanished, the flames back to their normal color.
"Ron, you next, then Harry. I'll go last." Each of them repeated what Ginny had done, and Harry landed with a flop in the middle of the Weasley's living room. He had just stepped out when Mr. Weasley landed right beside him. Mrs. Weasley came in with two ham sandwiches and stuffed them into Harry's hands.
"Eat up, you're much too skinny after all that muggle food." Harry, laughing inside because Muggle food, as Mrs. Weasley knew, was the same as wizard food, he just hadn't been eating enough of it. He gobbled down the sandwiches and lugged his heavy trunk up the stairs, along with Hedwig's empty cage.
A loud hiss immediately followed his entrance into Ron's room, and a fat calico ran through his feet, towards Ginny's room. "Ron?" Harry called out in surprise. Ron, beet red, turned down the stairs.
"GINNY!!!!!! MUM LET YOU GET THAT DARNED CAT ON THE CONDITION THAT IT ATE THE GNOMES AND MICE AND STAYED IN YOUR ROOM! KEEP IT OUT OF MINE!!" Ginny raced up the stairs and picked the cat up. "Jeez, Ron, leave Koom alone." She retorted. She turned huffily and put the cat down in her room.
"Ron, you may not borrow my broomstick, just because it's better than your old dusty cleansweep. So don't ask. I need to practice being a Chaser, since I'm trying out this year. Please leave me alone." And with that she stormed out.
"Ginny has a broom?" Harry asked. "Yeah," Ron said. "She won it through a writing contest." He wrinkled his nose. "I think as keeper of the house team I should get it, and Ginny should have my old one, but mum says she worked for it, so it's hers." Then he grinned. "Wanna go practice?" Harry nodded, grinning, and unpacked his Firebolt.
When they got outside, Ginny was already practicing. She threw the quaffle, caught it, and tossed it into an old tire that served as a hoop. not noticing Ron and Harry, she caught the ball and swerved, dodging branches of a tree. A rusty metal hoop hung from another tree across the yard. She threw the ball, putting it through the center of the hoop, then angled her broom down and landed, catching the ball. She turned and noticed them. Harry and Ron were both applauding.
"Can we play, Gin?" Ron called. She nodded and took something gold and shiny out of a box. It was an old, dirty Snitch. She let go and it flew off, so that Harry couldn't see it any longer. Then all of them mounted and took off, not returning until nightfall.
Harry smiled. He had just given Hedwig her seeds when a car pulled up- ten minutes early. He grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage and nearly flew downstairs and out of the house, jumping into the ministry's car, which Mr. Weasley was borrowing. Hedwig hooted indignantly and turned huffily away from him. Next to Hedwig, Ginny smiled and stroked her beak. Her red hair was cropped just a few inches below her shoulder. She smiled.
"Long time no see, Harry." And went back to stroking his owl, who was hooting affectionately. Ron was next to her.
"Hey Harry, mate! Sorry my sister's hogging your owl, she's having a weird animal phase-"
Ginny cut him off. "It is not a phase Ron! I have liked animals since I was 6. You only just now noticed, though."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever Ginny."
Mr. Weasley turned his head. "Ron, she has liked animals since she was 6, and I'm turning into this alley, because there's a fireplace there connected specially for today to the Floo network. And yes, the car will disappear and reappear at the ministry when I preform a simple spell." He hopped out of the car and motioned for them to follow.
Harry eased his trunk out and pulled Hedwig's cage out after it. Once everything was out of the car, Mr. Weasley muttered something and the car disappeared with a small 'pop'. Then, he opened a wooden plank on the side of a building marked "Bernie's brick oven pizzas, we deliver" and looked into the flames inside.
"Good, no pizzas and no Bernie. Now, let's hurry up, Ginny, you first."
Ginny put a pinch of powder into the flames and they turned emerald green. She stepped inside. "The Burrow!" she said clearly and vanished, the flames back to their normal color.
"Ron, you next, then Harry. I'll go last." Each of them repeated what Ginny had done, and Harry landed with a flop in the middle of the Weasley's living room. He had just stepped out when Mr. Weasley landed right beside him. Mrs. Weasley came in with two ham sandwiches and stuffed them into Harry's hands.
"Eat up, you're much too skinny after all that muggle food." Harry, laughing inside because Muggle food, as Mrs. Weasley knew, was the same as wizard food, he just hadn't been eating enough of it. He gobbled down the sandwiches and lugged his heavy trunk up the stairs, along with Hedwig's empty cage.
A loud hiss immediately followed his entrance into Ron's room, and a fat calico ran through his feet, towards Ginny's room. "Ron?" Harry called out in surprise. Ron, beet red, turned down the stairs.
"GINNY!!!!!! MUM LET YOU GET THAT DARNED CAT ON THE CONDITION THAT IT ATE THE GNOMES AND MICE AND STAYED IN YOUR ROOM! KEEP IT OUT OF MINE!!" Ginny raced up the stairs and picked the cat up. "Jeez, Ron, leave Koom alone." She retorted. She turned huffily and put the cat down in her room.
"Ron, you may not borrow my broomstick, just because it's better than your old dusty cleansweep. So don't ask. I need to practice being a Chaser, since I'm trying out this year. Please leave me alone." And with that she stormed out.
"Ginny has a broom?" Harry asked. "Yeah," Ron said. "She won it through a writing contest." He wrinkled his nose. "I think as keeper of the house team I should get it, and Ginny should have my old one, but mum says she worked for it, so it's hers." Then he grinned. "Wanna go practice?" Harry nodded, grinning, and unpacked his Firebolt.
When they got outside, Ginny was already practicing. She threw the quaffle, caught it, and tossed it into an old tire that served as a hoop. not noticing Ron and Harry, she caught the ball and swerved, dodging branches of a tree. A rusty metal hoop hung from another tree across the yard. She threw the ball, putting it through the center of the hoop, then angled her broom down and landed, catching the ball. She turned and noticed them. Harry and Ron were both applauding.
"Can we play, Gin?" Ron called. She nodded and took something gold and shiny out of a box. It was an old, dirty Snitch. She let go and it flew off, so that Harry couldn't see it any longer. Then all of them mounted and took off, not returning until nightfall.