Street lights shed some light onto the dark streets of a peaceful, country town. Only the sound of crickets chirping and an owl hooting off in the distance disrupted the sleeping town. The occasional squirrel or opossum would scurry across the dimly lit streets, disappearing into the darkness of yards and the forest that lay as a protector to this town.
For all the peace the town had, what was about to occur could not have been predicted. The silence of the night was abruptly shattered when a dark, messy-haired boy came barreling out of the woods, with such a look of fright that it would seem that death himself was chasing the boy this night. This boy, seeing the street lamps ahead ran for that light as if it were his only saving grace from what he was running from. He ran from the edge of the woods through the large open field. As he did, a wolf's howl echoed through the night, shattering completely whatever peace the night had held. Following the howl of the wolf, a dark, curly-haired young woman came bolting of the woods, as the boy had, except whatever expression her face wore, it seemed that the darkness hid it from the world. A few short seconds after she looked to see where the boy was heading, she made after him as another loud, more dangerous sounding howl echoed through the streets of the town. The sound was getting closer, much closer. A few houses close to woods became dimly lit, as the residence of those homes tried to see what the noise was. Another howl, this one was now frighteningly close, right at the edge of the woods. It seemed as though the wolf was about to come out right at that moment. Instead another young woman, this one with strawberry-blonde, straight hair came almost gallivanting out of the woods, but hot on the trail of the two ahead of her. As if on cue, she reared her head back, soaking up the dim light of the moon and let out an unearthly howl as she continued to chase the two ahead of her. A twig snapped behind her and she stopped. Turning to look, a red-headed man came blundering out from the woods, gasping for air. The woman in front of him, howled with laughter, which sounded as yet another howling wolf.
"Knock it off with the howling already! And go! I'll catch up in a sec. Gotta catch my breath" The man said, the woman laughed and took off at a run. Still able to see the two ahead of her, she followed in their direction.
The boy, now seemingly still frightened, especially from the howling, ran harder through the light as soon as his feet hit pavement. Not knowing where to run to with one of his chasers so close on his heels, he decided just to stay in the light until an opportunity to hide came. His run became more of danger as he had to leap over stray animals, garden gnomes, small fences, and so on. Through yards, past parked cars, through a small playground, through front yards, until he thought he was home free. He turned to see if he lost whoever, or whatever was chasing him when 'smack!' he tripped when he avoided a bench and tumbled onto the ground. He rolled over, ignoring whatever pain, just in time to see his pursuer had caught up to him. He made to jump on his feet and run again when she yelled.
"No! Wait... Please... Harry Wait! Don't run!" the dark haired girl yelled between gasps for breaths. She stopped a few feet in front of him, finally catching up, to her relief. Harry froze, puzzled and looking for a way to get away, but curious as to how this normal looking stranger could possibly know his name. She had to be one of his kind, or so he thought when he first glanced at her through the woods a few miles back.
"How.." he had started to speak, but stopped when the woman in front of him pulled out an inhaler and brought it up to her lips, by which time, the second female that was chasing him caught up, laughing.
"I don't understand what's so hard about understanding to breathe. It's like that movie we watched, ya know; "Wax on, Wax off"?
It's called you breathe in, breathe out and repeat millions of times day in and day out." Her ranting stopped by the dark-haired woman's look of death that was aimed at the blonde.
The strawberry-blonde frowned, and then smirked in a kidding way. "I sorry, I love you and please don't kill me?" Even though she had a playful tone, Harry felt that the killing part was what these girls were here to do. But wanting answering to so many things first, he decided to ask his questions.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? How'd you find me? Why were you chasing me and who the hell are you?" He said in slight frustration, hoping to get answers. Just as he got out all his questions, the dark-haired girl brought the inhaler away from her lips and took in a few deep breaths as if she really had forgotten how to breathe as her friend had said.
"Thank god you stopped running Harry."
"Well to answer one of our questions, I am Bianca, and the one gasping for breath next to me, her name is Abigail."
"What's going on? Why were you chasing me like that? I thought you were death-eaters. And weren't you wearing robes?"
"Sorry Harry, but as soon as you bolted we had no choice but to follow. And well the robes got in the way so I ditched them." Abigail said, with her inhaler still in her hand.
"What do you mean no choice?" Harry asked.
Abigail moved her inhaler. "How about we answer all your questions someplace you'll feel safe, and I think we woke up the town. Rather 'Miss I-love-to-howl' over here did."
"Where do you think we should go?"
"Charlie's mum's of course." Bianca said with a smile then howled again and laughed.
"B, do you mind? Like, this is important."
"Right, the thing... yeah... I should make myself scarce." Bianca turned around to walk away, but apparently expected to see another person behind her. "Charlie? Charlie come on! Where'd ya go?"
Abigail removed a sealed letter from her pocket and handed it to
Harry. "All the answers are in this letter, and whatever questions don't get answered then I can fill in the blanks."
Harry looked at the letter, but still not knowing who these two girls really are, and if they could trust them or not, pretended as if the letter wasn't even there. For all he knew something could be in there that could kill him just by touching it, or a portkey to send him straight to Voldemort. He sighed, they seemed like nice, trustworthy people.
Harry looked at Bianca walking around like a lost puppy dog, still looking for whoever this Charlie was, then looked at Abigail. "Is she always like that?"
"Yeah, pretty much. She and Charlie are my best friend's so ya learn to live with how you're friends are."
Harry then mumbled to himself, "And I thought my friends were weird."
"What was that Potter?" Bianca asked him, suddenly turning to him and stopping her looking for Charlie.
"I didn't say anything." Harry said a bit too surprised that he was heard.
"You think Abigail has weird friends? What and Ron and Hermione aren't weird?" Bianca said sharply.
"How do you know me, and how do you know who my best friends are?"
"Ronald Weasley right? And Hermione Granger?" Bianca said smiling softly.
"Yeah, but how?.."
Harry was cut off by Charlie walking up behind them.
"I know you know Charlie, Charlie Weasley, your best friend Ron's older brother." Bianca said as Abigail still held onto the letter she was trying to give Harry.
"Harry. Good to see you stopped. I can't keep up."
"That's cause you're out of shape you jock."
"Prissy wolf."
"Mama's boy."
"Wanna be a real witch."
"Oh stuff it, the both of you. Now let's get to Mum Weasley's
please. This isn't exactly the best place to be talking to Harry."
"Sorry Abi, you're right. Come on, I got the portkey. We can get home easier that way."
"Sure it's safe Charlie?"
"Yeah, me and Dad made it ourselves."
"Okay, now on three. Everyone touch it."
"One."
There was a noise in the distance coming closer, faster and faster, closer and closer it came.
"Two."
And suddenly two blurs of identical red-hair landed and hopped off their brooms, and together said.
"Never fear, the twins are here."
Bianca, Charlie, Harry, and Abigail laughed.
"Three." And woosh, they were gone by the portkey.
"Oh man! George. Now we have to fly all the way home cause you just had to fly and swear to mom not to Apparate."
"Well you're the one that took so long in getting our brooms."
"Oh shove off!" The Weasley twins hopped back onto their brooms and flew off in the direction they came. Leaving the little country town to return to its peaceful and silent nightly slumber.
