Chapter 3: The Night Before School
"Girls, are you sure you have everything?" Alicia Weasley asked for the billionth time.
"Yes Mum, we have everything. Now calm down." Celeste replied irritably.
"Well if you're sure then I'll go check with your friends." She turned and left the room to go and bother the two rooms full of boys.
After the Quidditch World Cup most of us had decided to spend the rest of our vacation in the Leaky Cauldron, in other words the entire Weasley family, the Woods (Spencer and his mom), the Seaworth family and Dean were all staying there oh, and me. I found this particularly funny since we weren't more than an hour's drive from the Weasley house even in the worst traffic.
"Honestly, she's asked us like a billion times if we had everything. I was completely packed the first time she asked." Celeste complained.
"I'm going downstairs." Lauran said. "You two want to come?"
"Yeah, let's go." I replied shutting my trunk, "I've been packed all day."
"The guys were finished ages ago." Celeste commented, "I wonder how long it'll take her to notice."
"I hope they're fully packed. If they're not then…" Alicia muttered as she came back down the hallway. "All packed then?"
"Yes, Mum, we've been packed." Lauran pointed out.
"Right, I think everyone's in the parlor. You mustn't stay down there for too long, we have to get up early tomorrow to get to the Train."
"Okay Mum." Celeste rolled her eyes.
"What took you so long?" Colby asked as we walked in. Celeste took a seat next to him and Lauran sat next to Dean, go figure.
"What do you expect with Mum's hovering? It makes you all nervous and forgetful." Celeste cringed.
"Spencer's still packing. I think his plan is to miss the Hogwarts Express so he doesn't have to go back to school." Dean laughed.
"So," I whispered to Greg, "You take Celeste and Colby's conversation and I'll take Lauran's and Dean's. You know you're getting better at this whole dropping-embarrassing-moments-thing."
"It's a gift." He replied before scooting off close enough to Celeste and Colby to listen for the opportune time to jump into their conversation and bring up embarrassing moments.
"There's something I like about that kid." I muttered as I slowly snuck closer to Lauran and Dean's conversation.
I hadn't been there for more than a minute when I heard Greg say, "Hey Mum, remember that time when Celeste was six and we went to the zoo and she tripped and fell into the elephant dung?"
"Oh, yes, that was the cutest thing. Have I ever told you about that?" Alicia Weasley turned back to Mrs. Seaworth and started telling the whole story.
Colby was laughing and Celeste turned crimson as she tried to smack Greg on the back of the head. Greg dodged her swing and vacated her range saying, "I can see when I'm not wanted."
"Nice job," I said. "Now what's really fun is when you do it to the adults. I don't know haw many times I've pulled stunts like that and my Mum had to pretend to laugh while she was really trying to keep from dying of embarrassment. Now, watch a pro."
I listened for the perfect moment. It came when Lauran told Dean that she used to hate setting the table.
"Oh, yes I remember that Lauran. You used to set an extra place for your imaginary friend. What was his name? He was a giraffe named Gaffie, right?" I asked sweetly.
"Yes," Lauran mumbled as Dean laughed.
"And when I came over for dinner you told Gaffy he had to eat outside because it wasn't polite for a Giraffe to eat at the table with guests over." I continued relentlessly.
"Riley, can I talk to you for a second!" Celeste yanked my arm and pulled me out of the chair, "Come on, you too bullet head!"
"If you mean me then… OUCH! Let go will you?" Greg stood in the hall massaging his arm.
"What the heck are you playing at?" Celeste demanded.
"Whatever do you mean my dearest friend?" I smiled innocently.
"You know what she means!" Lauran said angrily.
"I most certainly do not, and if you continue to rage like this without explaining to me what it is you mean then my counterpart and I will take our leave of you." I said politely.
"You're so aggravating sometimes! Why don't you grow up? We're not kids anymore! You're ruining everything" Celeste shouted.
Flinching I replied, "Well I'm so sorry to be spoiling your life. Your boyfriends must be waiting so I'm going to leave you alone. If there's one thing I learned from my mum and sister it's when you're not wanted. Come on Greg, let's go." I set off up the stairs.
"Riley, that's not what she meant. Come back here!" Lauran called after me.
"Shut up, it is EXACTLY what I meant. She's going around embarrassing us in front of out boyfriends and teaching Greg how to do it seamlessly." Celeste turned on Lauran.
Pulling Greg down I sat on the top step listening. "Ah, only five minutes before they caught on tonight. They're getting better." I commented above the yelling.
"Who's yelling? What are you two doing sitting there listening to it?" Spencer had come out of his and Greg's room.
I grabbed his leg and yanked him down. "Be quiet for God's sake Wood, they'll hear you!" I waited until the shouting went away and then explained. "Well, let's see what other damage we can cause tonight Greg. You finish packing or Alicia's going to have a fit."
"All right, all right," Spencer went back into their room to finish packing.
"I've got an idea," Greg said, "Can we get into their trunks? Or did they lock them already?"
"They locked them but you're forgetting who you're talking to, I can pick most any lock." I pulled out a bobby pin and smiled a lopsided grin. "Ready when you are."
"Okay, let's go." Greg and I went into my room and picked the trunks' locks. "Now we've got to take Celeste's broom and- get the window will you- hang them up outside so they'll tap the window at night. Now where's your invisibility cloak?"
"Oh, I get it. We'll wrap it around the brooms so they can't see what's making the noise. I'll have to unrig everything while they go down to breakfast tomorrow." I said thoughtfully.
"Exactly, it's good to have you as a partner again." Greg said smiling mischievously.
"You too, just keep it up at school." I replied. "Now I'm going to bed to make it look like I'm mad at them. They'll feel horrible by tomorrow. And they won't have slept a wink, even if they don't feel bad." We laughed and Greg went off to his room to bed. I was going home tomorrow! Back to Hogwarts, thank God!