August 1999
Audrey, Percy, George, and Fred were all in the garden trying out the garden furniture they had recently acquired thanks to an upturn in the weather. The twins were due to leave to attend the Burrow for Ginny's birthday party an event that Percy had been invited to and Audrey had not. Ginny had contacted Audrey on her mirror to explain as far as she was concerned Audrey was more than welcome to attend. Since Mrs Weasley had sent out the invitation Audrey politely declined Ginny's offer not wishing to cause a scene or go where she clearly wasn't invited.
Percy was still deeply annoyed with his mother about the whole episode and despite his sister and father apologising for his mother. The conversation around the table was broken by the distinct crack of apparition and the muffled curse and clang as someone tripped over the garden implements stored in the shed that was also the apparition arrival point. The door was thrown open, and a red-faced Ginny stomped out shooting a death glare at whatever implement had greeted her upon arrival.
"Ginny?" Percy queried in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be at home?"
Ginny crossed the grass to the grouping and dropped onto the grass her robe falling open to reveal her sweaty t-shirt and grass-stained jeans. "I'm not going back, and you can't make me."
"Gin, it's your birthday why aren't you primping for tonight," Fred asked of his sister
"Stuff tonight, I'm not going." Ginny scowled up at her brother crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
"What happened?" Percy asked resignedly, recognising the signs of a Weasley pushed to the brink.
"Mum that's what. I've had nothing but her going on about how I'm going to have to get a proper job. How Quidditch isn't a real career and how Neville will want me to be a proper wife. As if she has the slightest idea what Neville wants, and as if there is any such thing as a proper wife and don't get me started on the rubbish she's come out with about Audrey."
"Me?" Audrey asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Ginny said her arms still crossed tightly, her anger fairly vibrating her slim frame. "You don't want to know, trust me, but suffice to say this proper wife I'm supposed to turn into is what Percy should be finding himself. Well, she can shove off. I'm of age, and I'm not going back."
"Then where will you stay?" George asked. "You said try-outs would be all summer ready for the autumn training."
"I don't know," Ginny said. "And I don't care as long as it's not there."
"You can stay with us if you like." Freed offered.
Ginny pulled a face. "Thanks, but Mum will just come to the shop and cause a scene. I was thinking of bunking with Luna maybe, I don't want to have to ask Nev, it's hardly fair to him."
"You can stay here."
"You wouldn't mind?" Ginny whipped around to face Percy.
He sighed. "If you are here then you aren't tramping around the countryside sleeping on sofas. You will be safe, and while Dad and Bill know where we live, Mum does not. The wards are set to filter post so you won't be subjected to howlers either."
"Percy!" Ginny squeaked jumping up and throwing herself at him. "You are the best brother."
"Oi, we offered too!" the twins protested in tandem.
Ginny turned in Percy's arms. "Yes, you did, and I am grateful, but not daft enough to live with you pair."
"No parties. No gentlemen callers. If you want to see Neville you do not see him here." Percy said. "I'm not having anyone say you got pregnant while under my roof."
"Wand oath," Ginny said. "Thanks, Percy. It was awful. I couldn't take it much longer."
The silver form of Mrs Weasley Patronus shimmered into view. Ginny's wand was in her hand and slashing through it before it could fully form. "No," she said standing stiffly, scowling at the space the spectre had appeared. "I don't want to hear it."
Mr Weasley's Patronus arrived stopping in front of Fred and George. "Ginny has left. Let me know she is safe, please. I'll deal with your mother."
Fred looked over at Ginny with an eyebrow raised.
Ginny made a gesture with her hand. "Go ahead, Dad's been trying, you know."
Fred whipped out his wand casting his Patronus and sending it on its way with the messages that Ginny was with them and had somewhere safe to stay.
"So, since you aren't going to your birthday party shall we have a do here?" Audrey suggested. "I wouldn't want you to miss out. Seventeen is your version of the muggle eighteen, isn't it?"
"Yes," Percy said.
"Well then, if you promise not to hex it, there's my CD player and CDs. We can order in and make a bit of a night if it. If you want to invite your friends Luna and Neville over?"
"Really?" Ginny asked shooting a glance at Percy.
"Really," Audrey said. "I mean you've just come of age and walked out of your parental home. It's a big day."
"Well, in that case," Ginny said her frown disappearing. "I'll let Luna and Neville know. What's a CD player?"
Fred and George grinned. "You'll love it but no magic near it, or it goes funny."
Ginny shrugged. "Seems reasonable. Is there anywhere I can change, only I was running drills in this."
"I'll show you where everything is. You'll be in the spare room, I'll get you some towels and show you the shower. I have a hairdryer unless you know the charms?" Audrey said leading the way inside and upstairs.
"Thanks for this," Ginny said once they were alone.
"It's alright," Audrey replied. "My sister did something similar when she turned eighteen. She was seeing this guy, and my parents hated him, absolutely hated him. They wouldn't have him at the house or anything. Rachel pitched a fit said that if they wouldn't accept them, then she wasn't going to stay under their roof any longer and left."
"What happened?" Ginny asked curiously sitting on the end of the bed pulling her shrunken bag from her pocket.
Audrey shrugged. "Rachel found out her boyfriend was a waste of space after spending two weeks sleeping on other people's sofas and came home. Big apology later and all was well. My parents were frantic until one of Rachel's friends called to say she was staying with her. Then they kept tabs on her best they could and let her work it out."
"Yeah well, there will be no big apology," Ginny said. "I'm trying out for Quidditch teams, and I think I've got a good chance and unless Mum sorts her life out, I'm going to take up Harry and Hermione's offer."
"America?"
"Yeah. I don't know if I'm good enough for their leagues, but I'll try out anyway. If I end up signing for a team here, I'll have to find somewhere to live."
"Percy was in a house share before he got his flat," Audrey said as Ginny started taking off her robes and wriggling out of her jeans and t-shirt. "You might be able to share with a teammate."
Ginny pulled her dressing gown out of her bag pulling it on over her underwear. "The bathroom is this way," Audrey said. Ginny scooped up her toiletries and followed Audrey.
Once Ginny was showered and changed she joined her brothers and Audrey in the garden again.
Percy had already put a CD into the player, and the music was filtering through to them.
"This is different," Ginny said cocking her head as she listened. "I like it."
"Remember no magic," George said.
"Ok. Err where do I tell Neville and Luna to go?"
"Have them go to the shop," Fred said. "Percy's floo is attached to the flat, we can let them through from there."
Ginny nodded and sent her horse patronus on its way with the messages about the change of plans.
"We've invited Bill. He's going to the Burrow first to see Mum. It will be suspicious if he doesn't turn up too."
"Is Fleur coming?" Audrey asked.
"You've met Fleur?" Ginny asked in surprise.
"Yes," Audrey said. "Shortly after the thing in February. She's quite nice and since your Mum isn't exactly welcoming to her either we've got things in common."
"Fleur is coming," George answered. "She coming straight here while Bill goes to the Burrow. Dad is going to calm Mum down then come over for a bit too. He won't tell her where you are just that he found you at a friend's."
Ginny winced at the implications of that.
"So, baby sister, what do you want to eat? There is a cornucopia of possibilities available to you." Fred said leaving his chair to drop down onto the grass next to her.
Ginny shrugged. "I liked pizza and Dad has taken me out for Chinese which was an experience. I'm not sure he got everything right because they looked at us a bit funny when we walked in to order it and I had to help a bit with the money, but it was pretty good."
"There's a decent pizzeria and Chinese that delivers here," Audrey said. "What about your friends? What will they eat?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know I don't know if they've eaten muggle food before."
"Well, perhaps we can wait and see what they want. We could always have a bit of everything it's not as if bringing it back or keeping it warm are problems for us." Audrey offered.
December 1999
"The muggles are putting on a firework display. I thought I'd go and see it. Do you want to join me?" Arthur asked casually.
"Oh no Arthur, honestly why can't you just go down Diagon Alley? I'm sure you could get fireworks from your own sons if you want them so much."
Arthur hummed non-committaly. "Well, I shouldn't be home much later than one or two in the morning."
"Fine," Molly said. "Do try and stay out of trouble."
"I will," Arthur promised fondly.
Arthur flooed to the twin's shop. Fred and George were fizzing with excitement at the prospect of the coming event. They flooed through to Percy's house. After Percy had closed the gate on the floo, they tromped upstairs to find Audrey laying the table.
"I thought we should eat before we go out. Also, we can watch the celebrations in France since they are ahead of us. The BBC has a programme on the telly showing all the other countries celebrations as they tick over to midnight, its quite interesting," Audrey said to the collection of Weasleys. "I assume that Fred and George found us an excellent spot to watch from and if we apparate there, we won't have to fight the crowds on the Tube so we can afford to be a little bit later."
"Yes," George said helping set out the cutlery. "We went on a reconnaissance mission. You did say you wanted as broad a view of the river as possible."
"Yes," Audrey said. "It's going to be turned into a river of fire, or so the rumours go."
"Well then, we found a spot. It's an apartment building. They haven't sold all the penthouse apartments yet, and there is one empty on a corner with a brilliant view."
"And a security service I would expect," Audrey replied with a trace of worry.
Fred's grin grew devilish. "Well perhaps on the ground floor but we're not walking in the front door. We'll apparate straight on to the balcony."
"And what about the neighbours?"
"Won't know we're there. There are dividers between balcony spaces, and if they do see us, we can say we're the new neighbours. By the time they recover from their hangovers they won't remember us."
Audrey shrugged. "If I get arrested for breaking and entering, I expect you to bail me out since I'm the only one of us who can have a criminal record."
"No sooner said than done. But we won't be."
Audrey let it go. In the company of four wizards, it was entirely likely that no one would know they were there or would remember come morning. And for a few hours for one night an apartment that was unsold and unoccupied wouldn't really hurt anyone.
The meal eaten, the washing up done by magic, they settled down in front of the television to watch the world welcome in the New Year. The display in France impressed everyone, and they set about getting ready to watch London's efforts with anticipation making them slightly giddy.
Fred and George apparated them all on to the balcony. Fred had the large glass door open in a trice and curiosity drove her inside to look around. The apartment was empty. The carpet on the floor was thick and plush, and it smelt faintly of paint. The view was spectacular. The twins had found the best place for them to watch the fireworks from.
Percy enlarged the shrunken garden chairs he had packed for them all, then the picnic that Audrey had packed to see them through the fireworks. Dinner meant they wouldn't be hungry, but there was a still a fair amount of alcohol in another bag Percy had despite the fact they were only expecting to be gone an hour, so she'd thrown munchies and nibbles in to help soak up some of the booze.
Audrey poured herself a glass of wine and went out onto the balcony to settle in and watch as the crowds along the river banks and bridges swelled. To her surprise, Arthur joined her.
"Do you do this every year?"
"Break into an empty apartment to watch fireworks?" Audrey asked with a smile.
"No," Arthur said. "Though I find it unsurprising this was Fred and George's answer. I hope that it's not too uncomfortable for you. I know that sometimes we seem to ride roughshod over your laws and rules and that must become frustrating after a while. But I was referring to the fireworks."
"No this is a new thing for the millennium. Most people have their own celebrations and let off a few fireworks. This is the first time it's an organised event. It's a new millennium, so they want to mark it. I mean its technically the same as it was last year and it's just going to be another day tomorrow, but it will be two thousand instead of nineteen ninety. I don't think world poverty is suddenly going to end, but perhaps it's the hope that we might as a society fix the things that are wrong. That's probably hopelessly naïve of me, but sometimes I think you have to go with the hype. Otherwise, we'd all be sat here worrying that tomorrow none of the computers will work and the financial systems will have crashed, and we'll all be plunged into a blackout of proportions that we cannot predict."
"Is that a possibility?" Arthur asked with interest.
Audrey shrugged. "Well, there's a theory that the end of days is set for twenty-twelve so I suppose anything is possible. It's something to do with the computers seeing the two-digit date as two zeros and that resetting all the systems or something, I'm not very sure. The papers are making a huge deal about it, telling everyone they need to make sure their computers are Y2K compliant although how that is done, I'm none too clear on. Do you not celebrate New Year's in the magical world?"
"Oh yes, there's usually a few fireworks set off in Diagon Alley. People go out to the pubs and what not, but there certainly hasn't been the buzz about the millennium that you describe."
"Perhaps because you are longer lived," Audrey mused. "If over a hundred years is the average and you had a wizard that was three hundred years old maybe living for a thousand is a matter of time for you rather than the impossibility it is for us."
Percy approached with Fred in tow holding out flat folded paper bags. "Audrey, I'm not sure what to do with these. There isn't a built-in microwave."
"Oh no, I didn't think there would be. I thought a warming charm might do it. I brought more than a few in case it takes a bit of finessing."
"What are they?" Arthur asked.
"Microwave popcorn," Audrey answered. "The popcorn kernels are inside the bag with the butter. Usually, you put them in the microwave that heats the kernels until they cook and pop. The butter in the bag flavours the popcorn and the bag expands as the kernels pop keeping them all together."
Arthur nodded and eagerly reached out for one of the folded bags. Percy handed one over dubiously. "So how hot is a microwave?"
Audrey shrugged. "Usually, four minutes on high and a regular microwave is eight hundred watts. I don't know how that translates into heat."
"Well," Arthur said pulling his wand out from his pocket. "In the interest of science shall we find out?"
It took two attempts to get the right level of warming charm to cause the bags to fully pop. Arthur's concentration had wavered when the first kernel had popped causing his spell to falter. Fred impatient and eager had cast a stronger charm on the bag causing the kernels to promptly burn without popping. Arthur had reapplied his charm, and the results had been a fifty-fifty split of popped and un-popped kernels.
"You can try again on those that haven't popped," Audrey encouraged. "Sometimes they'll pop on a second go. Fred's are only fit for the bin."
Each of the Wizards picked up a bag and silence ensued while they concentrated, only broken by the sound of popping corn and munching as Audrey sat back with the popped corn from Arthur's attempt and watched.
Popcorn done, drinks replenished, warming charms and a charm against the threatening rain cast they settled in to watch the last of nineteen ninety-nine slip by.
They joined in with the thronged masses along the riverside the chanted countdown loud enough to hear from their balcony. From around them the occupants of the apartment block could be heard counting down and as Big Ben tolled, the night sky lit up.
"Happy New Year!" They chorused was the bangs of the fireworks drowned out the raucous chorus of auld langs syne coming from all around them.
The twins had picked well, they had an unparalleled view of the river. The fireworks went on and on and on while the cheers and whoops of the crowds drifted up to them. For fifteen magnificent minutes, the black night sky was painted a glorious cornucopia of colour.
When it was over Audrey lowered her gaze from the sky, her neck protesting the movement. Percy had an arm wrapped around her, and he kissed her softly. "Happy new year."
"Happy new year to you too," she smiled. Then glancing over at the twins and Arthur who were still watching the spectacle she turned back to Percy. "Clean up then back to ours? I think it might start to rain."
Percy nodded summoning the rubbish and removing all traces of their presence. Assured that the door was locked the four tipsy wizards apparated back to the house Percy taking Audrey with him.
The settled into the sitting room where Audrey turned on the television. "We can watch all the other displays of all the people behind us."
Percy unpacked the bags arranging the uneaten nibbles neatly on the coffee table and summoned everyone a new drink.
"I reckon we could do something like that," George said. "Portable firework displays. Ours are good, but they aren't as spectacular as that."
"That cost rather a lot, and was for public display," Audrey countered. "You wouldn't want to put something like that on just for any old reason. For a start, you'd need to get a permit for the noise alone."
"Yeah, but we could market them for events rather than garden parties."
"Don't you have things like that already?"
"Not quite," Percy said. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament while not finishing in quite the expected way, didn't have anything set up for afterwards as it were. There would have been a ceremony to hand out the cup and crown the winner but nothing more. The students were expected to return to their assigned sleeping quarters and carry on. The Quidditch world cup celebrations are a little more organised in that celebrations are expected, and fireworks are included in the planning but there is nothing like that. If you could make the displays big enough and last long enough there might be a market for it. You would have to do some market research, but sports teams might be interested, to celebrate winning the leagues. The World Cup organisers, if you could get in with them, might give you an opening to a more global market. But, and I don't want to throw cold water on your ideas, but aren't you going to be stretching yourselves a bit thin? With the shop and the wands and now this?"
Fred waved a hand dismissively. "Fireworks are not difficult to make. We could employ someone to make them in bulk or hire someone, or several someones to make them in bulk. We can market anything. Then it would be a case of selling them and making sure that everything went alright on the night for the first few then either sell them as a complete kit or find someone to set up and light them when the time was right."
"Tonight's were all run by a computer," Audrey put in. "There will have been people setting them up, but the ignition would have been electrical. Presumably something you could use magic to imitate?"
George leant forward eagerly. "Really?"
"Yes," Audrey nodded.
"Well then, it looks like we've got some work to do," George said to Fred.
Fred nodded and toasted his brother then Audrey, Percy and Arthur. "To good ideas!"