CHAPTER 2 - What a Day
Everyone had flooed to Grimmauld Place, the wedding things had arrived and the Dursley's had passed out in one of the rooms. The Delacour's looked very scared. It was now dark outside when there was a quiet knock on the front door, everyone jumped and Harry got up to answer it.
"Who is it?" Harry asked
"Its Fred and George, now hurry up, we don't want to be seen." Fred replied
"Who gave you the money for your shop?" Harry decided to ask, just to be sure
"You did you prat, now hurry up." George replied impatiently
Harry opened the door, and was shocked at what he saw. Fred's robes were ripped, and George had bleeding gashes all over his face and arms. They hurried in and went down to the kitchen where everyone else was waiting anxiously for some news.
Hermione screamed when she saw George, and she ran upstairs to her room and came back with a heavy book and her wand.
"Sit, I can fix these wounds, although ive never done this charm before, but still, its worth a try."
George sat and Hermione started muttering in what sounded like the sing song tune Snape had used last year on Malfoy.
"Harry, Dad wants you to talk to Phineas Nigellus and let him know what is happening, and we should start something for dinner, George and I will tell you what has happened soon enough." Fred explained.
"Ok, wait, I know something that will help, err, Kreacher? Dobby?" Harry called
With two cracks, the two house elves appeared.
"His master ship half breed called." Kreacher said with much pain in his voice
"You called Harry Potter sir." Dobby said in his high pitched voice
"Kreacher, Dobby, I would really like it if you could cook dinner for about 20 people." Harry asked
"As his master wishes." said Kreacher plainly wishing that he was dead
"Dobby will do as Harry Potter asks." Dobby replied excitedly.
Harry went up stairs to his room and saw Phineas Nigellus leaning against his portrait frame.
"I heard voices in my house." He said as Harry entered the room
"Mr Weasley wants me to tell you what has happened, I think it is so you can tell Professor McGonagall. We were all at the Burrow getting ready for Bill and Fleur's wedding tomorrow when Charlie apperated and told us that there was an army of Death Eaters on their way, so now we are here. There should be, ummm, 17 of us here when the others arrive back from the Burrow." Harry told him
"Right." Phineas said, as he walked out of his portrait although Harry distinctly heard him mutter something along the lines of 'adolescents, who do they think they are bossing elders around, the arrogance.'
Back in the kitchen Dobby was happily cooking dinner, and Kreacher was standing to the side sharpening a knife.
"Ah, Kreacher, put the knife down. I want you to set the table."
"As the half breed master wishes, if only my mistress knew." Kreacher muttered
After the table had been set and everyone who was here was sitting at the table, including the Dursley's, Fred and George stood back up.
"I suppose we have to tell you all what was happening when we left." Fred said
"After you all flooed here the Death Eaters arrived, there were about 20 of them. They started firing off curses everywhere. Fleur was the quickest, stunning 3 before any one else got there wands out, she was angry. We think she wants revenge for what Greyback did to Bill. Anyway George and I took advice from our lovely little sister and sent Bat Bogey hexes towards Dolohov, Rookwood and Mulciber, then we stunned them. Mum and Dad were battling 5 between them, but they were going well. Bill was in a fierce battle with that big blonde who was sending curses everywhere last year at the school, he finally hit her with a Petrificus Totalus then stunned her. Charlie sent a message to the minister and was attacked by Amycus and Alecto. Fleur revived him and went to help Bill." Fred said
"Charlie started binding the stunned Death Eaters, put an anti-disapperation jinx on them and stunned them again for good measure. Then we heard a scream. Mum was been tortured. Fred I and ran at the Death Eater and sent curse after curse at him, we finally hit him with a mix of about 7 curses and he exploded. That scared the Death Eaters and the ones that could, disapperated. Dad told us to come here and let you guys know, and that was all we saw." George finished
Everyone stayed silent. The silence was broken by Aunt Petunia
"What about the wedding?" she asked
"Aunt Petunia, im sure it will still happen, but we need to go back and see what has happened." Harry said
"Was mum alright?" Ron asked, he looked very white
"Mum was fine, but she was really angry, I have never seen her that mad before." Fred answered
"We have to go back, where's the floo powder." Ginny said standing up
"Ginny, sit down, we shouldn't do anything until we have heard from someone." said Hermione pulling her back down
"Hermione, stop it, shes my mum, I want to know if shes alright, im going ok." Ginny snapped
"No, we are all to stay here." Hermione replied
Just as Ginny was about to retort, Dobby cleared his throat and said
"Harry Potter sirs, I found Kreacher talking to someone upstairs, so's I went to see and he was talking to a portrait. I have Kreacher for you Harry Potter sir."
Harry turned around and there was Dobby, struggling to hold onto Kreacher.
"Thanks Dobby. Kreacher, were you talking to Phineas?" Harry asked
"My master has something to tell you, my other filthy master." Kreacher replied.
Harry ran up to his room as fast as he could, with Ginny and Ron right behind him.
"Harry Potter, you took your time, I would have expected you to be waiting for me." Phineas snickered
"What is it Phineas. Sir?" Harry quickly added
"Professor McGonagall has requested you stay in the house and do not move, she has sent some of the Order to the Burrow to see what has happened. Fred and George, the Professor has asked you two to go back to the Burrow and send all of your most important possessions to Grimmauld Place." Phineas said lazily
What seemed like hours later, as many possessions as Fred and George could find were vanished to Grimmauld Place, including Mrs Weasley's fantastic clock. The Dursley's and the Delacour's had all eaten and gone off to bed and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the living room next to the fire drinking butterbeer. There was another knock on the door and Harry got up to answer it again.
"Who is there?" he asked
"It's Fred, George, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Tonks, Lupin, Shacklebolt and Alastor." they all replied
Harry quickly let them all in and ushered them into the living room. When Mrs Weasley entered the room Ginny ran at her and hugged her tightly.
"Dobby?" Harry called
"Yes, Harry Potter." he replied
"Could you please bring in dinner for the people who have arrived, there are 9 new people."
Tonks conjured up a few more plush armchairs and made the fire even hotter. Once everyone had sat down again and the new arrivers had food in front of them, Harry asked Dobby to keep a close eye on Kreacher and to go back to Hogwarts.
"Dad, what happened after Fred and George left?" Ron asked
Mr Weasley finished his mouthful and took a long drink of his butterbeer before replying
"After Fred and George left, Rufus Scrimgeour arrived with Shacklebolt and Tonks. Scrimgeour went with the captured Death Eaters to the new high security prison. Fleur went around to make sure everyone was alright and helped Molly to her feet. Not long after about 10 more Death Eaters arrived and tried to get into our house. Charlie had already magically locked it and made it fire proof. We managed to stun 7 of them but the last 3 had incredibly strong protecting spells. That was when Alastor and Lupin arrived and stunned one from behind. They drove them away from the house and started duelling. Bill went inside to find Fred and George vanishing our possessions to here and helped aswell to get it done faster. Just as they had finished, the last Death Eater shot a curse at our house and it burst into flames. Charlie stunned the last Death Eater when it laughed at the sight of our house, and he bound them and anit-disapperation charm on them. Scrimgeour came back looking stressed and took the last of the Death Eaters to the new prison. Our house was destroyed, but it was practically empty. Harry, is it alright if we live here?" Mr Weasley finished
"Of course you can!" Harry said.
It was 3 in the morning before everyone went to bed.
"What a birthday." Harry said
"Yeah, can't be your worst though, can it?" Ron asked thickly
"Na, its not, the Dursley's usually ignore it."
And without anymore noise, Harry fell asleep instantly. It had been a long night.