It was hardly a surprise to any of them that their mother was in a right state when they returned. She wrapped her arms around Fred and George's necks so tightly that their heads cracked against each other.

"Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us -"

"I shouted at you before you left! It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O. ? Oh, Fred... George..."

In the week before they were due to return to Hogwarts, they barely saw their father or Percy; both of them leaving the house before anyone was awake and returning after everyone had gone to bed. No one in the Magical Community was very pleased with the Ministry at the moment. Percy had been receiving so many Howlers about the security at the World Cup that there was a huge hole in his desk that the Howlers had burned through.

The night before they were due to leave for Hogwarts brought the worst of the summer weather to the Burrow; the rain bounced heavily off the windows and the wind howled through the cracks in the woodwork.

With five girls packed tightly into one small bedroom, packing their trucks took an awfully long time. Bella decided to heave her trunk up to her attic bedroom where she could find everything she needed.

"Are you alright, dear?" Molly asked, reaching her bedroom at the same time Bella did.

"Yes, mum." she replied. "Just packing my trunk."

"Mum, you've given me Bella's new dress." Ron said as they entered the room.

"I most certainly have not." Molly said. "They're for you. Dress robes."

"What?" Ron said, a look of horror on his face.

"Dress robes!" Molly repeated. "It says on your school list that you're supposed to have school robes this year - robes for formal occasions."

"You are kidding." Ron said in disbelief. "I am not wearing that, no way"

"Everyone wears them, Ron!" Molly snapped. "They all look like that! Your father's got some for smart parties!"

"I will go naked before I go anywhere wearing that hideous thing!" Ron said stubbornly.

"Don't be so silly." Molly huffed. "You've got to have dress robes. They're on your list!"

"Does she have dress robes?" Ron asked, pointing a finger accusingly at Bella.

"Of course not." Molly replied. "Your sister will wear a dress."

"Do I have a dress?" Bella asked.

"Yes, dear." Molly said softly. "I put it in your trunk.

Bella lay her trunk on the ground and popped it open. Inside it lay the oldest dress Bella had ever seen in her life. She pulled it out the trunk and held it against her - the hemline fell all the way to past her ankles. It was maroon in colour, identical to Ron's robes, and had a lace trim on the arms, the neck and the hemline. Ron roared with laughter and Molly swatted his arm.

"Where did you get it, mum?" Bella asked, still holding it against her.

"It was mine when I was young." Molly said with a smile.

"What are you laughing at?" she added.

"It's awful." Ron said between sniggers. "Even worse than mine.

Molly tutted but her face dropped when she saw Bella scrunch her nose up while looking at the dress.

"Don't you like it?" She asked sadly.

"Oh, no, mum, I do." Bella said quickly. "It's lovely."

Molly smiled again, patted Bella on the cheek and left, leaving their Hogwarts robes on Ron's bed as she went.

"You don't actually think that ugly thing is lovely, do you?" Ron asked.

"No, but I couldn't tell mum that, could I?" Bella replied.

Ron snorted; "Why is everything we own so rubbish?"


The heavy rain battered thunderously down from the sky when Bella awoke the next morning. She dressed in her comfoest clothes and left for breakfast. The smell of breakfast cooking wafted up from the kitchen and Bella's stomach gave a loud rumble.

"Hungry?" Charlie chuckled from behind her on the stairs.

"Very." Bella replied as her stomach gave another loud rumble.

She had hardly sat down at the kitchen table when Mr Diggory's head appeared in the grate of the fireplace, calling for their father.

"I wouldn't trouble you this early in the morning if it wasn't important, Molly, you know that." he said.

"I know." she replied.

"Arthur!" she called from the bottom of the stairs. "Urgent call from the Ministry, Arthur!"

Their father hurried into the kitchen with his robes on back-to-front and his hair sticking up at odd angles. He began taking notes on a sheet of parchment their mother handed him as Mr Diggory spoke quickly to him. She caught pieces of their conversation. Something about Mad-Eye Moody and dustbins throwing rubbish everywhere. Bella chuckled lightly to herslef and Charlie rolled his eyes dramatically, making her laugh loudly.

Their father stuffed his piece of parchment into his pocket and dashed from the kitchen. Several minutes later, he returned; his robes on the right way and running a comb through his hair. He pulled on his travelling cloak that quickly that he almost choked himself with it.

"You have a good year, sweetheart." he said, dropping a hurried kiss to the top of her head.

"Bye, Dad." Bella smiled.

After a quick breakfast, everyone traipsed into the village, dragging their luggage behind them so they could get Muggle cars to take them to London. The journey was uncomfortable, owing to the fact that there hadn't been enough room in the boot of the car for three trunks and so Bella, Freya and Emily were all squashed in the back of the car with a large trunk lying across their legs. Charlie sat in the front of the car, trying to avoid conversation witht he obviously intrigued Muggle.

"Charlie, I can't breathe." Bella groaned.

"Not long now." he said with a nervous laugh.

The heavy rain was still thundering down when they arrived at King's Cross station and they were soaked to the skin by the time they carried their trunks across the busy road and into the station. Bella, Freya and Emily leant casually against the barrier to platform nine and three-quarters, talking nonchalantly. They slid sideways through the barrier and the Hogwarts Express appeared before them on the packed platform. They set off down the platform in search of Harry, Ron and Hermione and they found them stowing their luggage in one of the larger compartments. The six of them then came back down onto the platform to say their goodbyes.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think." Charlie said with a grin as he hugged Bella goodbye.

"Why?" Fred said, intrigued.

"You'll see." Charlie said, tapping the side of his nose. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it - it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it' after all."

"Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year" Bill said, hands in his pockets, looking longingly at the Hogwarts Express.

"Why?" George said impatiently.

"You're going to have an interesting year, that's all I'll say." Bill said. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of -"

"A bit of what?" Ron said.

At the same moment, the whistle blew, and their mother ushered them towards the train doors. Thye climbed aboard, closed the doors behind them and leaned out the window to talk to her.

"Thank you for having us!" Hermione, Freya and Emily said together.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs Weasley." Harry said.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, dears." she said. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but... well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with - one thing and another."

"Mum!" Bella groaned.

"What d'you three know that we don't?" Ron said irritably.

"You'll find out this evening, I expect." Molly said with a smile. "It's going to be very exciting – mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules –"

"What rules?" Harry, Ron, Fred and George said together.

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you - now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"

The began to roll slowly away from the platform.

"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred yelled loudly out of the window. "What rules are they changing?"

But their mother only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill and Charlie had Disapparated. Fred linked his arm through Bella's and began to lead her, in the opposite direction from her compartment, up the train. Freya followed behind them, looking as confused as Bella.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked, looking between her brothers as George hooked his arm through her free one.

"We have new products." Fred said.

"And you, little sister, are needed." George said.

Bella groaned but followed after them. The twins best friend, Lee Jordan, was sitting in the compartment they led her to and he greeted her enthusiastically. She sat on the bench beside him as the twins rooted around in their trunks. A large grin lit up Fred's face and he pulled out a large bag of what looked like ordinary custard creams.

"You want me to test... custard cremes?" Bella asked, looking around at the three grinning boys.

"These are no ordinary custard cremes, ickle Bella." Fred said.

"You didn't..." Freya said quietly.

"Didn't what?" Bella said.

"We did." Fred said excitedly.

"These are Canary Cremes." George said.

"Now, remember, these are prototypes -"

"And we don't know how long the effects will last -"

"But it should be over quickly." they said together.

"What's going to happen to me?" Bella asked, lifting the biscuit to her nose and giving it a sniff.

"You will... turn into... a canary." Fred said.

"A canary?" Bella chuckled.

"A canary." George repeated.

"What seriously?" Bella asked.

Both Fred and George nodded their heads, identical grins on their faces.

"Will it wear off?" she asked, looking at them sceptically.

"Of course -" Fred said.

"We'd never permanantely hurt you." George said.

"Maybe just embarass you for a little while." Fred said.

Bella sighed and took a bite of the biscuit. Within seconds, her head felt as thought it had exploded and a bright yellow canary head sat on top of her shoulders. The rest of her remained intact, leaving her looking like a weird bird/human hybrid.

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Fred said, scratching his chin.

"What?" Bella said, her voice now extremely high-pitched and chirpy.

"It was supposed to turn you into a full bird, not just a bird head." George said.

"Oh, that's just great." Bella squeaked.

Fred, George, Lee and even Freya laughed at Bella with her squeaky voice.

"I can't walk about like this!" she shrieked.

"You'll be fine." Fred said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You're not the one walking around looking like a bird!"

"You look kinda cute." George said with a smirk.

"I'm sure I do." Bella replied. "I'm going back to the compartment."

She stood to her feet, pulled open the compartment door, flipped her brothers a rude gesture and pulled the compartment door shut behind her. Laughter followed her up the train as the people, in every compartment she passed, popped their heads out, pointing and laughing at her.

Draco came striding up the corridor towards her and she hoped the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Blimey, what happened to you?" he said, a smile playing on his lips.

"How did you know it was me?" Draco's eyes momentarily widened when he heard her voice but he shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"Your big club feet and your abnormally large hands."

"Oh, thanks." she replied.

"I'm kidding." he smirked. "Your height gives you away. You're tiny."

"I'm not even that small." she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay, Chirpy." he laughed.

Bella shook her head and made to continue up the corridor when he spoke again.

"What happened at the World Cup?"

"Not now." she said as quietly as she could with her squeaky voice.

"Meet me in the Entrace Hall after curfew? We can talk in the dungeons."

Bella nodded her head and walked off down the corridor. Ron roared with laughter when he spotted her.

"Not another word." she said in her squeaky voice.

They all had a laugh at Bella's expense. When the Canary Cremes eventually wore off, Bella was spitting out large yellow feathers every time she opened her mouth.

"Remind me -" she said as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. "to never let Fred and George test any products on me ever again."