Hello everybody! So, I have a couple of things to say…first, thank you all so much for the birthday wishes, I really appreciate them seeing as it wasn't one of my better birthdays. But, never mind that! Thanks a ton to lil-squirrel for guessing the correct answer to the trivia question, the name 'Libatius Borage' was indeed from the HBP, and you guessed it even before the book came out! Nice one!
Speaking of, what did you all think? I really really want to hear all of your reactions! I'll be posting mine shortly on my user profile, right underneath the review responses, so you can read my opinions (if anyone cares). That way, anyone who hasn't finished yet won't have to read any annoying spoilers. I'm also terribly sorry to have left you with that nasty cliffhanger last chapter, but you must agree, it wasn't as bad as the one JKR gave us in the HBP! Also, in case you were wondering, the newest book will not affect this story or its sequel. There are only a few light spoilers. I already have a definite plan that isn't changing anytime soon.
I'm going away to volleyball camp from the 24th to the 28th of July, so this might be the last post for a couple of days. Then, there'll be another week where I will be at home, and then – pause for mass cringing – I'm leaving for the Caribbean for two and a half weeks. So sorry! But I promise to do plenty of writing during that time and there'll be many quick updates after that time. Hopefully, To Die Laughing will be done at that time as well. Sorry it's taken so long. Okay, that's all I had to say!
Disclaimer: I would hope, by now at least, that you were all aware whom Harry Potter belongs to…
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Harry woke early on Saturday, July 20th, to a series of several small sharp pains in his left arm.
Pick…pick…pick…
He rather felt like a small jackhammer was being plunged repeatedly into his skin. Groggily, Harry sat up and reached for his glasses, only to find Hedwig sitting on his bed beside him, tapping him with her beak.
"I'm up, I'm up!" Harry said, taking a small scroll from her leg. Harry hastily ripped it open and eagerly read the message from Ron.
Harry – feel like coming over for the day? Bring your Firebolt; we're having a family outing and probably'll play Quidditch a bit. Send answer ASAP, someone will come for you.
-RonHarry brightened at once. An outing with his favorite wizarding family, playing Quidditch, and probably eating some of Mrs. Weasley's delicious food? And he didn't even have to invite himself over, as he had planned! He wouldn't miss it for anything.
Ron- How early can they come for me?-Harry
He sent back this message with Hedwig, threw on some clothes, and scrambled into the kitchen to help Tabitha with breakfast. When he returned a half hour later, Hedwig was waiting for him – sure enough – with another small scroll tied to her leg.
About 11:00.
-Ron
Harry grinned and set the parchment down. It would be so good to get away from the Dursleys for a day, to see people he liked, to feel the rush of air on his face while flying on his broomstick But Harry's grin faltered a little when he thought of Tabitha, her friendly face strained whilst running around after Petunia, playing slave to Dudley, humoring Vernon. The Dursleys always gave her massive amounts of work to do – wouldn't she fall short of her usual expectations without Harry around to help? But…Harry looked down at the note from Ron. One day of fun wouldn't do any harm.
o-o
Harry was standing ready in his room at 10:50, broom and bag in hand.
The last time the Weasleys had come to pick him up at Privet Drive had been two years ago, when they had arrived by means of Floo in the Dursleys' fireplace. Harry really hoped they had found a different method of transportation now, for that one had not been a pleasant experience.
A loud crack sounded a few feet away from Harry, startling him somewhat. Of course, they're Apparating, he mused. But how-
A second crack followed, and Harry found himself staring into the freckly grinning faces of the Weasley twins.
"Hia Harry," George bowed theatrically. "How're you?"
"He can't be that well, George," said his brother Fred, curtseying with flourish. "You Apparated on his robes."
"Oh. Deepest apologies." George shifted a bit, and Harry was free.
"It's great to see you two," Harry grinned. "How's business?"
"Booming!"
"Better than we could have expected!"
"We're even thinking of opening up shop in Hogsmeade, you know, a separate branch."
"So all the Hogwarts students can fulfill their pranking needs during the school year, as well as before in Diagon Alley." Fred finished enthusiastically, beaming at him.
"That's great news! I'd love to see the shop sometime." Harry told them.
George winked at him. "Don't worry, you will. Our original funder, not even get a glimpse of the fantastic results his own contributions made possible? It's preposterous!"
"Outrageous!"
"Unheard of!"
"Alright, I'll make sure I visit, then." Harry assured them. "But we ought to get going, shouldn't we?"
"Ay, we should." Fred reached out for Harry's broomstick and bag. "We're going to Apparate with you, you know, Side-Along Apparition. It's very simple. Just hold onto mine and George's arms very tightly. That's good. Ready? Here we go!"
o-o
After Apparating to a corner of the Burrow's property and being rushed inside by Mrs. Weasley ("Hello, Harry dear…come along, not safe to dawdle outside these days, you know."), but not after asking the twins' secret question ("Who are your idols?"), Harry was hugged and greeted and shaken and questioned until they had had their way with him. He met the rest of the Weasley family (minus Percy), who all seemed to be coming with them.
"Do you do this sort of thing often?" Harry asked Ron a bit later on.
"Family outings, you mean? I s'pose. Usually just once in the summer though, when everyone's together," Ron filled him in as the boys helped Mrs. Weasley and Ginny stock sandwiches and drinks into several picnic baskets.
"It was really nice of you to invite me," Harry said gratefully. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was imposing on a family tradition.
Ron glanced at Harry, spotting the uneasiness and light envy on his friend's face. "No big deal." He shrugged, slightly uncomfortable himself with the situation. "Besides, we needed one more person to make it even for Quidditch. Bill probably won't play," Ron grumbled discontentedly.
"Why? I thought Bill liked Quidditch?"
Ron frowned. "He does, but Fleur will want him to stay on the ground with her. Afraid of heights, I reckon."
Harry nearly dropped the jars of jam he was juggling. "Fleur? What is she doing here?" He asked, surprised
"Oh, didn't I tell you? Fleur and Bill are getting married." Ron told him, with the slightest hint of resentfulness in his tone.
"Oh, that's great…isn't it?" Harry questioned at the look on Ron's face.
"Mmhmm," said Ron, whose face was now buried in the picnic basket.
o-o
It was a bit of a walk to get to the Weasleys' usual spot, although, as Harry noted when they got there, well worth the distance. It was a sunny green field with a few wild-looking daffodils growing in random crops along the back pathway. A modest sized creek ran along the short side of the field, gurgling quietly and splashing cool drops onto the rocky bank. The field was large enough for a decent game of Quidditch; that was obvious to Harry right away.
And it was…Charlie had set up the portable goal hoops on the far sides of the grassy field and unpacked the Weasleys' somewhat shabby set of Quidditch balls, so the Weasley children and Harry were able to play a good game, three against three. Harry played Seeker for his team, which included Ginny as Chaser and Fred as Keeper. Charlie was the Seeker for his team; George played Chaser and Ron Kept. It was a very close match; there were frequent Ron vs. Ginny and Fred vs. George showdowns, but Harry's team won in the end. Harry caught the Snitch as it was hovering over Fleur's hair and she nearly had a fit when he came zooming towards her on his broom; she jumped into Bill's lap and cowered behind him until Harry was flying away once again.
"Zat was such a 'orrible trick, 'Arry!" Fleur scolded him later on as the whole family sat down at a picnic table to eat. Harry apologized and offered her another peach for forgiveness. Behind Fleur, Ginny rolled her eyes and gagged.
Mr. Weasley stood from his seat and placed his napkin neatly on the table. "Excuse me for a moment, Weasleys, I just want to check back on the house."
"Oh, Arthur, is that really necessary? Your one day off…" Mrs. Weasley looked upset.
"Yes, dear. We have to be certain that all the security measures are still…in place." He told her, with a quick glance at Harry, and then Apparated away.
Mrs. Weasley sighed and began putting away her husband's plate.
"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked from the other end of the table. "Why is there so much security on your house?"
"Well, for you of course, Harry." Mrs. Weasley told him patiently. "The Ministry had to place a number of protection enchantments on the Burrow when they found out that you were coming to visit."
"Oh," was all Harry could manage, and he continued eating, slightly ashamed.
There was a silence for another few minutes while everyone pondered over the Ministry's protection. Until a loud crack! sounded once again from the middle of the field, and Mr. Weasley came running towards them, panting, a graze down his cheek from which blood was running openly.
"Arthur…!" Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened, alarmed.
"Molly! Death Eaters! Death Eaters, back at the Burrow!"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Now, this is the second time I've left you with that cliffhanger. I must be truly evil…
Trivia Question:Who are Fred and George's role models? This question is much too easy, actually, I'm thinking of taking it back. Oh well.
Review replies are on my user profile!
Toodles!
LaRohaZeta