Title: Hey, Where Are the Kangaroos?
Authors: Silver Sparklze and The Great Muses
Summary: When Voldemort starts to wonder why Virginia Weasley managed to escape him so long ago, not only are Harry and his friends in danger, the rest of Hogwarts is too. So Professor Dumbledore hatches a brilliant plan to send Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and the twins Fred and George, to the last place on Earth that Voldemort would ever look for them…Australia.
Chapter Title: Prologue
Chapter Summary: Enter Kiarna and Kira Blythe.
Author's Notes: This story was written by both Silver Sparklze and The Great Muses. We hope you like it, and review accordingly. In other words, review or we'll stop writing.
~*~
"Checkmate."
It was a rainy day, and Harry Potter was playing chess with his best friend; Ron Weasley in Ron's room.
"Not again!" Roared Harry's King. "Can't you choose your moves better?"
"Oh, shut up." Harry said, taking out his wand when the King began to berate him once more. "Silencio."
"Harry," warned Hermione. "We're very lucky that Dumbledore got us pardon from the Ministry so that we could do magic this hols, don't abuse it."
"Alright, alright, keep your hair on." Harry said, pursing his lips in annoyance.
"Well we're supposed to use it for emergencies."
"It was an emergency, he was giving me a headache." Harry retorted.
"Ever since Fudge saw V-V-Vold-Voldemort, we've almost been able to do as we like," commented Ron, still having trouble saying Voldemort's name.
"Except go to the Order meetings," said Ginny from the corner with a scowl.
"Yeah. I still can't figure out why even Remus won't let us go to the meetings now," complained Ron. Ginny put her book down and leant forward with feigned enthusiasm.
"Well, let's just think. When did we stop going to these meetings?" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"That would be … straight after Dumbledore came!" mocked Harry, clapping his hands together as if he'd only JUST figured out that one plus two is equal to five.
"Oh. Wow. Gold star Harry, you just graduated to kindergarten," Ginny replied dryly, returning to her book.
"Shut up you two," said Hermione and Ron simultaneously.
"Wouldn't want to come to Ron's defence too quickly Hermione," said Harry with a smirk, resulting in Hermione's instantaneous blushing. She was saved by further embarrassment by a knock on the door. They all looked up eagerly, hoping for some news about the meeting. Or more importantly, from the meeting. Fred and George poked their heads in.
"Oh," said Ron disappointed, "it's only you two." Fred faked a hurt expression.
"Only us? We just happened to have some chocolate frogs, and some of those new sweets, but I don't feel like sharing today."
"I wouldn't take sweets from you even if you paid me 20 galleons!" retorted Ron, sniffing.
"Of course we can come in!" said Fred, "Why not?"
"Why not indeed," agreed George, and they pushed the door open on Ron.
"Watch it!" he grunted angrily. Everyone except Hermione ignored him, and she just gave him a visual once over and affirmed he'd be ok. "Thanks for the concern over my physical situation," he protested, as his position was still that of being squashed against his wall.
"So, we assume that you couldn't get into the meeting either," said Harry, raising his eyebrows.
"Nope. Have more luck trying to fit ickle Duddykins through a door than to get into the meeting," snorted Fred, adopting the same sour expression that Ginny had only 2 minutes ago. Fred and George had spent half an hour arguing with Mrs. Weasley over it, but she'd refused point blank to let them in.
Harry laughed nastily, the two weeks he'd had to bear with the afore-mentioned Dudley was a nightmare, but the most horrifying memory of Harry's summer was still haunting him. Dudley had taken more boxing lessons, but even worse, he'd lost some weight and gained it as muscle, so that instead of being the size of a blue whale, he'd just been reduced to the approximate magnitude of an elephant.
"We even tried offering her a fake wand for free, and Bagman nearly let us in, but that was until she gave us, and him, The Glare. I just don't think that she fully appreciates a bargain when she sees it," explained George with a sigh. Harry grinned.
"Well, it was worth a try," he commented.
The acknowledgment from the Ministry of Voldemort's return, with the strong persuasion of Dumbledore, Fudge passed a decree stating all junior registered junior members of the Order were permitted to use magic out of the school term. It was only two weeks after that that they had stopped going to the meetings. Not by choice, of course. When the meetings were held at the Burrow, all of the children were banished upstairs and for some odd reason, Mrs. Weasley always knew when they'd come downstairs. Harry just put it down to some sort of magic. Little did he know that Mr. Weasley finally figured out how to wire the sensory buzzer (Bought at a muggle store of course) that flashed at the other end. Said other end was in the meeting room.
"How about some exploding snap?" suggested Fred.
"Alright," agreed Harry, Ron and George.
"I'll pass," said Hermione, eyeing the pack warily. Obviously the memory of her first night these holidays was still fresh in her mind. Yes, it did involve exploding snap cards, the presence of Ron (Well, of course, other wise it wouldn't have been embarrassing for her!) and let's just say that her eyebrows only fully grew back last week.
"Me too," seconded Ginny, hardly even stirring from her book.
All was silent for 20 minutes – the boys stacking the cards, Hermione watching them from a distance (Ron in particular) and the occasional swish as Ginny turned a page. Then four things happened at once. There was a knock at the door, the cards exploded, Crookshanks bolted and Pig escaped from his cage. As the mayhem was unleashed, Remus stuck his head in, looked about, and retreated when he saw the pandemonium.
"Not so fast, wolf boy," said Ginny loudly, spying him from her corner. The door shut and silence followed.
"REMUS!" they all shouted together. He sheepishly came back in.
"Yes?" They all glared at him.
"Don't you have some information for us?" asked Ginny.
"Maybe…" he said playfully. They all leaned forward eagerly. Remus grinned at their expressions.
"Just tell us!" groaned Harry exasperated.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you what I'm allowed. Pack your bags, get ready for school, because you're all," he paused and looked pointedly at Fred and George, "going to Hogwarts. Tomorrow."
"Why?" gasped Hermione. "School doesn't start until next week!"
"I thought you'd be happy to be going an extra week, Hermione. I know I'm not," teased Ginny.
"But why, Remus?"
"I'm not allowed to disclose that information," came the standard reply.
"You people are never allowed to 'disclose that information!'" mimicked Fred angrily.
"Hey! Orders are orders, mind the pun, don't shoot the messenger!" Remus threw up his hands in defence. "I think you will find you will learn information when you get there!"
"Will this be the opportune moment when I get to save the day and happen to be humanity's last hope?" asked Ron hopefully.
"If we ever are that desperate, I weep for the species," replied Ginny, turning another page boredly.