It was nearly two hours later when Mrs. Peabroom finally released them. Erin felt she was getting out of jail at this point. The acrid perfume the woman wore was stifling and it wasn't just Erin that thought they were going to faint from lack of oxygen. Fred and George wouldn't go anywhere near her, even though Erin was sitting just inches away.
So when the time came Erin gratefully climbed into the car with the rest of them. The seats had been magically lengthened, you couldn't tell it from the outside though, and everyone fit comfortably with Erin's trunk safely stowed in the trunk. Percy sat next to the window on Erin's left with Ron next to him and Fred and George were on her other side with Fred next to the window. They had had a brief, but violent struggle outside the car to see who got in first, and it wasn't that George won, but that their father had gotten to Fred first and George, seeing the opening, had zoomed in.
The car ride was pleasant, Ron chatted most of the way home, Percy was reading, Fred and George were discussing something in low voices and Erin only caught half of what they were saying, not enough to know what they were talking about. Of course even if she had caught the entire conversation it was doubtful whether she would have understood anyway. And Ginny sat up front in between her parents talking about her first year at Hogwarts; she was very excited about it. Erin smiled as she kept an ear on what Ron was saying and her other one on what Ginny was rambling on about.
Erin glanced at Ron, boy, she definitely hoped Ginny wouldn't have the same type of first year as they had. The poor girl would be scarred for life.
It was about an hour drive to Ottery St. Catchpole, where the Weasley's lived, outside of town. They pulled down the long drive and Erin was astonished. She tried to look everywhere at once, at the house, which was about 5 stories high and held together by magic, the pig pen, the chickens, the trees…it was so much to take in. Erin scooted out of the car after Fred and George and just tried to take it all in. "Wow…" She breathed out totally in awe of everything around her.
Ginny pulled on the older girls' hand. "Come on!" She said. "You're sharing my room!"
"Yeah, we tried to convince Mum to let you share ours, but it didn't fly." Fred said sighing and turning his eyes heavenward. "She apparently doesn't trust us."
"I trust Erin just fine." Mrs. Weasley said. "It's you two I don't trust."
"Our own mother!" George said making motions towards her with his hands. "Can you believe that?"
"Knowing you two." Erin grinning. "Definitely."
"She also said no to me." Ron said. "But that was because Ginny was so dead set on it and excited."
Erin looked over at the twins. "Did you have anything to say about me sharing Ron's room?"
Fred laughed and George looking ready to fall on the ground laughing. "Him?" George asked, barely able to contain himself. "Ron? Are you joking? He's not competition! He's our brother!" With that he really did fall down laughing.
Ron raised an eyebrow at them and turned back to Erin. "You know I don't think they are too smart."
"Neither do I. Wait a minute…" Erin said realizing what he was saying. "What do you know?"
"Who me?" Ron asked. "Uh…nothing!"
"Ronald Weasley!" Erin yelled hitting him. "What do you know?" She chased him around the yard hitting him.
"It's not like I'm oblivious!" He said. "OW! Erin!"
"Tell me what you know!" She ordered him.
"Ok! Ok!" He yelled defending himself by putting his arms around his head. "I know you like Harry."
Erin stopped. "And how would you know that?" She asked with her arms crossed across her chest.
"Because…" Ron said a little uncertainly and watching out for more swats. "Oh, come on, Erin! I see the way you look at him! I mean Harry is pretty dense about girls in general. I'm not the only one that saw you face a mountain troll for him! Or that you were beside him when he faced You-Know-Who! You'd sure have to like him a whole lot to do that."
Erin swallowed and blushed a little. "Ron…"
"It's ok." He said patting her shoulder. "I won't tell him. He probably wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Your secret is safe with me."
"Erin, come on!" Ginny said taking the girls' hand again and pulling her toward the house. "This is going to be great! I've never had a sleep-over before!"
"Mum home-schooled us, she didn't trust public schools." Ron whispered.
"Oh." Erin nodded and let Ginny drag her inside through a very weird looking doorway. It was a window above that you pushed up and then a swinging door on the bottom. It was pretty cute, though. This led into a kitchen with a long wooden table in it and there were knickknacks and pictures everywhere. They passed by a clock with hands on it and on each hand was the face of one of the Weasley's. Around the outside were things like: Home, School, Traveling and where the twelve was on most clocks it said, Mortal Peril. "You've been there a couple of times." Erin said to Ron.
"Too true." The redheaded boy said as they went around what Erin saw was a fireplace into a living room full of mismatched chairs and balls of yarn. Erin saw a cat dart across the room at one point just as they were climbing the stairs. The stairs curved around the fireplace and Erin saw that they went up quite a ways. "My room is at the very top under the attic." Ron said.
"Mine is just on the second floor." Ginny piped up as she led them through a doorway off the stairs and into a pretty room with two twin beds, both covered with scrap quilts and plump pillows. There were two windows, Ginny had a corner bedroom and you could see out on the north and west walls. "This is your bed!" Ginny said. Erin's trunk was already at the foot of the bed. "I cleaned out the top two drawers for you since you're taller." Ginny rambled on. "And half the closet is yours!" She opened the door for Erin to see. Ginny was definitely very excited about this.
"Do you want me to leave you alone while you unpack?" Ron asked.
"You don't have to." Ginny said. "You two can tell me all about your first year at Hogwarts!"
Erin glanced at Ron. "It that wise?" She asked.
Ron shrugged. "She's heard it about two billion times, you can take it." He said as he stretched out on Erin's bed with his arms behind his head. "I'll jump in when I feel it's warranted."
The black haired girl shook her head and rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the boy as she opened her trunk. "Oooh!" Ginny squealed. "Where'd you get that?"
Erin saw she was pointing to the music box she had carefully packed the night before. "Oh, I got this from Harry for Christmas." Erin smiled and took it out. "It plays the Hogwarts Carol."
Ginny took it cautiously so as to not hurt it and opened it. The beautiful tones sounded all around them. It was magical…Erin laughed at the thought. Everything was magical in this world, no matter what it was. The music seemed to be all around them, encircling them and it made them want to dance at the fast parts and want to be still and just listen at the slow ones. Ron wasn't affected so much, but then again, he was a boy.
When the melody ended Ginny closed the box. "It's beautiful…"
"Yes." Erin said. "Harry said it reminds him of me."
"Are you and Harry together?" Ginny asked anxiously.
"Together?" Erin asked. "No, we're just really good friends."
"Ginny hasn't stopped talking about Harry." Ron groaned and put the pillow over his face. "So please don't start!" The last words were pretty muffled.
Erin shook her head and put the music box on the night table between the beds. Ginny was delighted at this.
After all the clothes had been put away Erin started on her meager possessions. Her scrap books where she kept her most treasured papers and photos. Ginny knew it was impolite to ask, but Erin could tell she was absolutely aquiver with anticipation. Erin laughed as she opened it and showed Ginny the pictures of the Hogwarts staff and told the girl about every one of them in as great of detail as she could. And then she showed Ginny the picture Ron had drawn and that Fred and George had enchanted of her fighting the troll, though it was greatly exaggerated. And the picture of her father and mother. Erin loved that picture so much. After that picture was her second favorite, the one with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the last day of school. Erin stood there in the middle with Hermione and Harry and Ron flanked them on either side. It had been a fabulous day, as they were alive. "So, you four are like inseparable, right?" Ginny asked.
"Right." Ron said from his position on Erin's bed. "Best friends to the end! No matter what."
"Let's hope we all remember that." Erin said playfully.
Ron laughed and rolled over on his side looking at the two girls. "We will. You can't go through what we went through without remembering just how close we became."
"Oy! Ron, Erin!" Fred popped his head into the door. "You two up for some Quidditch?"
"If you have a broom." Erin said. "Sure."
"You can use Bill's old one. It isn't too fast…and I think snails can outstrip it… but it's a broom."
Erin laughed. "Ok, let me change and we'll be right down."
Ron left and Erin pulled out jeans and a t-shirt. "Do you play Quidditch, Gin?"
Ginny blushed. "Well, uh, kinda."
Erin laughed knowing Ginny felt guilty about something. "Come on, I won't tell!"
"Ok." Ginny quickly agreed. "For awhile now I've been…borrowing their brooms and using them."
Erin nodded. "Don't worry, I am sure they don't know."
"They don't." Ginny said. "They don't notice me around too often."
"That's why you're always talking." Erin said catching on.
"Yeah." She blushed again. "Being youngest is bad enough, but when you're the only girl…well…"
"I understand." Erin said. "I'm an only child, but I grew up with about 40 other kids most of the time. They don't notice me, except to make my life a living hell." Erin had changed while they had been talking. "So, ready to see me go a quarter of a mile an hour?"
Ginny laughed. "Yeah, let's go."