Chapter Six:

"Shouldn't we get going, Emma?" Hermione asked because that day, they were supposed to meet Tom, Jenny, and Lorena at the Leaky Cauldron.

"We can't leave Hermione! Midnight hasn't come with their reply yet!"

Emma stated angrily.

"But Emma, we need to leave and go meet them. Midnight is a smart bird. She'll know where to find you." Ginny told Emma as she walked through the door way.

"So, I don't want to go until Midnight comes." Emma said as she sat down in a chair. "You'll have to move me first."

"Ok, that's easy enough," Fred smiled as he and George walked in the room. "Are you thinking what I am George?"

"Yes, I think I am. Does it involve..." George replied with a bunch of weird gestures.

"It does in fact," Fred told George as they crept up behind Emma, who screamed, and grabbed her like a baby on each side of her.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Hey! Help! Ginny, Hermione..." Emma was interrupted by George who put his hand over her mouth to quiet her.

"You're going to wake up your grandmother," George told her when she looked at him menacingly.

"And we're moving you if you wanted to know. You're the one who said and I quote this, 'You'll have to move me first.'"

To this, Emma rolled her eyes and stopped struggling as they walked out the front door. So, they set her down and each of them put a hand on either of her shoulders to guide her to the alley where they had planned on getting a right from the Knight Bus.

As everyone got on, they were asked where they were going to which they replied, "The Leaky Cauldron." And they all had to pay up.

"I always enjoy riding on the Knight Bus. Don't you, Emma?" Melanie asked Emma as they all sat down.

"Yeah I do enjoy it. The more people to trick."

"Thank you!" Emma called after the Knight Bus as it speeded away from them.

"Well, are we going to go in?" Harry asked the rest of them and they all started up the steps to the bar.

"They're not here yet, Ron told everyone.

"No, they're here, they're just invisible," Fred laughed.

"Well as soon as they get here, we'll go to get yours and any of their Gryffindor colored robes, Ron." Harry told Ron trying to make Ron forget what his older brother just said.

"Hey, look! There they are!" Emma smiled as she waved to the three people who had just entered.

"Hi!" Jenny said as soon as she reached them.

"Hey, Lorena, do you have Quidditch practice robes in our house's colors?" Harry asked.

"No," Lorena replied as her cheeks turned red.

"That's not going to be true for long. We're going to buy you some," Emma told Lorena.

"I don't need any charity."

"This isn't charity," Emma assured her. "It's more like a... When's your birthday?"

"October 2."

"Right, it's more like an early birthday present."

"Well let's go get them!" Melanie cried and they all walked to the brick wall and tapped on the right bricks in the right order.

"Let's use floo powder to get to Mel's house!" Jenny said.

"No, let's not," Lorena replied softly.

"What do you think we should do Tom?" Emma asked.

Tom just shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's have a vote," Ron said.

"Alright, who wants to go to my house by floo powder?" Mel screamed. And everyone but Lorena raised their hands. "Majority wins. Sorry Lorena."

"It's ok. I'll live through it," Lorena said with a smile.

When they finally arrived at the Fudge Mansion, they all chose their rooms, put on their pajamas, and fell asleep, accept for Emma and Melanie, who were waiting for Midnight.

"We've been waiting for Midnight for the past three hours and it is two o'clock in the morning. Can't we just call it a night, Emma?" Melanie asked Emma in a tired voice as she covered her face with a pillow. "Or, at least, can you turn off your light?"

"No, we can not call it a night, Mel, and I can't turn off my light because if it is off, then Midnight won't know if anyone is awake. And she has been taught to wait until she knows there is someone awake in the house of the delivery before she tries to get let in." Emma whispered bitterly at Mel as she paced up and down their room. "But, if she doesn't come with in the next hour, I'll turn in for the night if you really want me to."

"Hey, Emma! I have an idea, how about you shut up?" Ginny yelled in a whisper that would have been heard if she had been on a stage by the back row two football fields away.

"Sorry Ginny, I'll try to be quieter. Just go to sleep you guys and I'll tell you what..." Emma stopped mid-sentence and turned towards the window after hearing a faint click of nails on the window. "Midnight!" And she rushed to the window to open it.

As soon as Midnight got inside, she flew onto Emma's shoulder and held out her leg that had a silvery envelope tied to it. Emma untied it, opened the envelope, and unfolded the letter. It read:

Gryffindor House Team,
We accept your offer. We will all meet you at ten in the morning at the Leaky Cauldron, even though it is rather grimy and disgusting in there and we really don't go muddle in that riffraff if you know what I mean.
Blaise Zabini would like to point out that since you chose the field, standard Quidditch rules say that we choose the referee. We hereby choose Severus Snape to be our referee and-
-and never mind anything else Blaise was going to write here.
Anyway, Theodore Nott would like to tell you not to look like 'a piece of crap' (his words, not mine, thank you), and if he could say it any nicer he would. Er, I think he means to dress nicely in practice Quidditch robes, but since you're all Gryffindors you could be poor- excuse me...

What Elizabeth seems to be trying to say in my name is that we want you to look presentable and not like the way you lot usually look. If we are to be seen with you publicly, you must wear quality Quidditch practice robes, preferably in your house color and if you don't have those, just wear your House robes.
You might look like complete fools, but, that's life. Blame your parents and your ancestors. Oh, and if you plan to bring anyone of 'questionable blood' let us know so we can be accompanied by one of our parents so they can finish them-
Draco doesn't mean anything he says. The whole lot of them are complete idiots and I will never try to write a letter with them in the room again. Anyway, ten o'clock in the morning is fine, and we'll see you there. (This is rather awkward, but I would suggest not bringing any Mugg-
Oh, just say it Beth. Don't bring any Mudbloods because we might get them. BOO!
Don't be so immature. This is rather annoying and I hope you all got the message of this, because I haven't got the time to re-write this letter.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth M. Malfoy
Draco A. Malfoy
Blaise V. Zabini
Theodore H. Nott

"Well, that was the most beautiful and friendly thing I have ever read!" Ron said sarcastically. "You can hardly grasp what it's really trying to say."

"Oh Ron, really, can't you just give it a rest? We all know that this letter is not holding us with high standards, but it doesn't mean that we need to, um... say bad things about the writing!" Emma yelled at Ron as she turned away from Harry, her eyes now had an unnatural angry glint in them. Everyone knew not to mess with Emma when she got like that. Ron would now have to wait until Emma either smiles and starts to laugh or she scrunches up her face and turns her eyes to red, then to gray, then to blue.

This time, it only took Emma a few seconds to calm down because she was so tired. So, when Emma started to laugh, Ron and Harry were relieved. They even started to laugh along with her. Finally, after about a minute, Emma stopped laughing and following her lead, so did they.

"Emma, do you want to write the reply?" Harry asked cautiously, not wanting another blow up.

"Sure," Emma smiled at Harry's carefulness. "All you need to do is tell me what to write."

"Ok, write:

Dear Slytherin House Team,

We will see you in the Leaky Cauldron on the day of the friendly scrimmage at ten o'clock in the morning. That is fine that you choose Professor Snape as the referee, but if he makes a mistake, we will have spectators to correct him.

"Say, 'Ron would like to tell you guys not to look like 'a piece of crap' either." Ron put in excitedly.

"Right, and that Ron would like to tell you guys not to look like 'a piece of crap' either. And don't worry; we have Quidditch practice robes in the color of our house for each and every one of us. See you at ten.

Sincerely,

Emma P. Black

Harry J. Potter

Ronald B. Weasley"

"That's good. Really good actually to making up off the top of you head in the middle of the night," Emma told Harry as she finished writing what he had said.

"Thanks, Emma."

"Your welcome. Now since we're done with that, as soon as I put this in an envelope, I'll go to my room, and tie it to Midnight's leg. Then, right after I'm done with that, I will collapse on my bed and fall asleep and not wake up until after everyone, as usual."

"Well then, good night." Ron said to Emma.

"Yeah, good night, Emma," Harry stated while taking off his glasses and putting them on the desk beside his bed.

"'Night guys," Emma said softly as she went across the room the door, which she opened. And as soon as she locked the boys' door just in case Kreacher decided to go in there, she jogged back to her room where she did exactly what she said was going to do.