After Stan literally threw their trunks out of the Knight Bus, the bus took off with a loud BANG. The teens found the correct trunks and dragged them to the front door. Hailey raised her fist to knock on the door, but Ron threw open the door. He said, "They're all waiting in the kitchen for you. Just leave your stuff in the living room."

They walked in the Burrow and left their trunks in a corner of the room, out of the way, so no one would trip over them.

"Eva, I'm losing feeling in my arm, you know." Michael said to Eva, who was holding onto his arm in, what appeared to be, a very tight death-grip. Eva was looking like she was inwardly panicking, probably because it was a different house with people she never met before. She released Michael's arm and he shook it, to get feeling back.

Hailey led the others to the kitchen where Ron was now sitting beside George at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired men that Hailey remembered seeing in a photograph from a newspaper clipping from when the Weasley family went to visit Bill in Egypt. She knew that they were Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers, but she wasn't sure who was who and she couldn't help but feel giddy of finally getting to meet the two elder Weasleys in person, after hearing so much about them from Ron. She couldn't help but smile widely at them.

"How're you doing, Hailey?" asked the nearest of the two. He held out a large hand, which Hailey shook and she couldn't help but notice that under his fingers were calluses and blisters. Hailey guessed that he was Charlie, who works with dragons in Romania. She noticed that he was built like the Weasley twins. He was also shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who happened to be long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was so freckly that it almost looked tanned. His arms were also muscular and one of his arms had a large, shiny burn on it.

Hailey said, "I'm doing good." She released Charlie's hand right as Mandy, Michael, and Eva went to introduce themselves to Charlie. Hailey turned to see Bill, who stood up.

To be honest, Hailey was actually expecting Bill to be a sort of older version of Percy. She pictured him being fussy about rule-breaking and, as she was told about Percy, fond of bossing everyone around. She knew that she thought that because Ron told her that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts and he also worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts as a Curse Breaker. However, Hailey was caught off guard, because she wasn't expecting Bill to turn out to be cool, for lack of a better term.

Bill was tall, with long hair that reached his shoulders, he was also wearing an earring that looked like a fang. He was wearing clothes that didn't look out of place at a rock concert, however, his boots looked like they were made out of dragon hide instead of leather. Hailey couldn't help but notice that he was extremely good-looking.

She tried hard not to blush as she shook his hand, and muttered, "I'm Hailey." She realized how stupid she sounded. Of course Bill knew that she was Hailey, he probably heard a lot about her from Ron. She moved to the side so the others could introduce themselves. She glanced at Michael, who seemed slightly confused about something, but eyed Bill, as if he was sizing him up for some reason.

Fred and George came in, soon followed by Ron, Mr and Mrs Weasley, it was very cramped inside.

Hailey was sure that either Fred or George offered Eva, who was looking highly overwhelmed some toffee, but Mr Weasley had gotten mad at that, saying something like, "Don't give her anything that came from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes—"

Which confused the new arrivals.

Two other girls appeared in the doorway; a brunette with very bushy hair and large front teeth, who was Hermione Granger, and a red-haired girl who was Ron's sister, Ginny.

"Hey, why don't we show where the Ravenclaws will be sleeping?" Hermione suggested.

Ron looked confused and said, "Hailey, Mandy, and Eva will be sleeping in Ginny's room. Michael will—"

"We can all go," Hermione said giving Ron a pointed look. Hailey felt like she was missing something.

"Oh," Ron said, looking like he finally caught on to whatever Hermione was hinting at.

"Yeah, we'll come too," said George.

"You stay where you are!" Mrs Weasley snarled.

The newcomers slowly backed out of the kitchen, following after Hermione, Ron, and Ginny as they set off to the staircase.

"What exactly are Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? It sounds terrible and contagious," Mandy said.

Ron and Ginny started laughing, while Hermione didn't.

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," Ron explained quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant. I never knew they'd been inventing all that…"

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just liked the noise."

"Only most of the stuff—well, all of it, really—was a bit dangerous, and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms…She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected," explained Ron.

"What are O.W.L.s?" Eva asked confused.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels, exams that students take at the age of fifteen," Michael explained to Eva.

"And then there was this big row, because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop," Ginny continued to explain.

A door on the second landing open, and Percy looked out. He wore horn-rimmed glasses and he was looking very annoyed for some reason. Percy was Ron's other older brother, who started to work for the Ministry.

"Hi, Percy," Hailey greeted, trying to be polite.

"Oh, hello, Hailey," said Percy. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know—I've got a report to finish for the office—and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."

"We're not thundering," snapped Ron, sounding irritated. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic."

"So, what is it that you're working on?" Mandy asked, trying to avoid having an argument break out.

"A report for the Department of Institutional Magical Cooperation," said Percy sounding very smug. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin—leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three per cent a year—"

"That'll change the world, that report will." said Ron, obviously egging Percy on. "Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks."

Percy went slightly pink. "You might sneer, Ron," he sounded heated, "but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow-bottomed products that seriously endanger—"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," said Ron, starting to head upstairs again. Percy slammed his bedroom door shut, while the others followed after Ron, up three more flights of stairs. Shouts from the kitchen below were echoing up, sounding as though Mrs Weasley was angry about the Weasley twins offering Eva some toffee.

The room at the top of the house was where Ron slept. Ron's room looked the same from the last time Hailey had last seen it, two years ago. There was the same poster of the Chudley Cannons which was whirling and waving on the walls and sloping ceiling. The fish tank now contained one extremely large frog, which had once previously held frog spawn. The only difference was that Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, wasn't there anymore and in Scabbers's place, was the tiny grey owl, which was now twittering madly while hopping up and down in a small cage. There were now four beds instead of one.

"Shut up, Pig," said Ron, while he edged his way between two beds. He looked at Michael, "Fred and George are in here with us because Bill and Charlie are in their room. Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."

"Is there any reason why you named your owl, Pig?" Eva asked.

"Because he's being stupid," Ginny said. "Its proper name is Pigwidgeon."

"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all," Ron said sarcastically. "Ginny named him," he told the three Ravenclaws and Eva.

"Couldn't you have named him something cooler?" Eva asked Ginny, "Like Nikki Sixx?"

Michael looked at Eva surprised, "Your parents let you listen to them?"

"No," Eva said way to quickly. She sounded resigned when she said, "Don't tell them once Mum and Dad come get me." She did a double-take and looked at Michael, suspiciously. "How do you know who he is?"

"Ginny reckons that it's sweet." Ron said, trying to bring the subject back to how Pig got his name. "And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."

Hailey watched Pig zoom around in his cage, hooting happily, but she knew how much Scabbers meant to Ron, despite his claims that Scabbers was old and boring. When he thought that Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, appeared to have eaten Scabbers; Ron was very upset about it.

"Hey, where's Crookshanks at, anyway?" Mandy asked Hermione.

"Out in the garden, I expect," Hermione said. "He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen them before."

"I've seen pictures of gnomes, but I haven't seen one in person." Eva said, walking over to the nearest window and looking out.

"I once got bitten by a gnome two years ago." Hailey said, remembering that day very well. She sat down to look at a poster of the Chudley Cannons, watching them zoom in and out of the posters on the ceiling.

"So, I'm guessing Percy loves his job, then?" Mandy asked, looking at a poster.

"Loving it?" Ron replied, "I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed. Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr Crouch…as I was saying to Mr Crouch…Mr Crouch is of the opinion…Mr Crouch was telling me...They'll be announcing their engagement any day now."

"Hey, there's no need to make fun of them," Eva said.

"Have you had a great summer, Hailey?" Hermione asked. "Did you get our food parcels and everything?"

"Bastards," Mandy muttered.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Hailey said. "They saved my life, those cakes."

"Bloody bastards," Michael muttered, as well.

"And have you heard from—?" Ron started, but was cut off with a glare from Hermione.

Hailey knew that Ron was about ready to ask about Sirius. Ron, Hermione, Michael, and Mandy helped Sirius escape from the Ministry of Magic. Hailey knew that they were concerned about Sirius as much as Hailey was. Discussing Sirius in front of Ginny and Eva would be a bad idea, because nobody but Professor Dumbledore and Sirius knew how Sirius escaped, or believed in Sirius's innocence.

Eva would probably tell Michael's parents about how he helped a murderer escape, since she was supposed to make sure Michael didn't get into anymore trouble. His parents would probably show up and yank him back home on that.

"Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?" Hermione asked, trying to fill the awkward silence.

Ginny was looking curiously from Ron to Hailey, while Eva was giving Michael a 'what-did-you-do' look.

"Yeah, all right," said Ron and they left Ron's room to go back downstairs. They found Mrs Weasley alone in the kitchen looking extremely bad-tempered.

"We're eating out in the garden," Mrs Weasley said. "There's just no room for fourteen people in here. Could take the plates outside, girls? Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables. Knives and forks, please, you two." she said to Ron and Michael, pointing her wand a little more harder than she probably had intended at a pile of potatoes in the sink. The potatoes shot out of their skins so fast that they ricocheted off the walls and ceiling.

Eva squeaked and jumped to avoid getting hit by a potato and she grabbed two plates. She ducked and went through a door, probably hoping to avoid getting hit by a potato, if one came her way.

Hailey, Hermione, Mandy, and Ginny grabbed some plates, before heading outside. They headed to the other side of the house, towards the garden where two, battered old looking tables were at. Bill and Charlie were talking, but it seemed like they had come to some sort of agreement, before they pointed their wands at the tables. The tables flew high into the air and crashed into each other.

Mandy jumped and started to smile. They stepped over to the hedge to avoid any table parts that might fall down from hitting each other.

Fred and George were whooping as the tables crashed into each other. Ginny was beginning to laugh and Eva, who had been looking anxious every since she got there, even started to slowly smile at the sight of the tables ramming into each other. Hermione was looking torn between amusement and anxiousness.

"I think Bill might knock Charlie's table out of the air," Hailey told Mandy.

Mandy smiled and shouted, "Come on, Charlie!"

The tables rammed into each other once again with a loud crash. Hailey couldn't help but smile and laugh at the sight. She shook her head and noticed that Ron and Michael had finally showed up.

Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked a leg off of it. Hailey busted out laughing

There was a clatter and suddenly, "Will you keep it down?" Percy bellowed.

"Sorry, Perce," said Bill grinning. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?"

Hailey couldn't help but snort at that and noticed that it seemed like Michael suddenly looked… annoyed? She was sure that he seemed amused about a minute ago.

"Very badly," said Percy annoyed and he slammed the window shut. Chuckling, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then, with a flick of his wand, Bill reattached the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowhere.

By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs Weasley's excellent cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Hailey, Hermione, Michael, Mandy, and Eva were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. To somebody, who had been mostly living on meals of increasingly stale cakes for most of the summer, then two weeks worth of actual home-cooked meals, this was paradise, and at first, Hailey listened rather than talked as she helped herself to chicken and ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad.

"I've told Mr Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, it's extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman—"

"I like Ludo," Mr Weasley said mildly. "He was the one who got us suck good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favour: His brother, Otto, got in a spot of trouble—a lawnmower with unnatural powers—I smoothed the whole thing over."

"Oh, Bagman's likeable enough, of course," said Percy in a dismissive manner. "But How he ever got to the be Head of Department…when I compare him to Mr Crouch! I can't see Mr Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"

"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr Weasley frowning. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now—though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried."

"Oh, Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth…but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked it our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr Crouch was quite fond of her—but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania."

Percy heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of elderflower wine. "However, we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup." He cleared his throat significantly and looked down toward the end of the table where Hailey, Ron, Hermione, Mandy, and Michael were sitting. "You know the one I'm talking about, Father." His raised his voice slightly, "the top-secret one."

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to the others, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."

"…with a horrible great fang on it." Mrs Weasley was saying to Bill. "Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"

"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," said Bill patiently.

"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mrs Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly, "I wish you'd let me give it a trim…"

"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's…"

Next to Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Charlie, and Eva. The boys were talking spiritedly about the World Cup.

"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."

"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," Fred countered.

"Krum's one decent player, Ireland's got seven," Charlie stated shortly. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."

"What happened?" asked Hailey eagerly. She was regretting more than ever her isolation from the wizarding world when she was stuck on Privet Drive.

"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Charlie gloomily, "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered Luxembourg."

Hailey had been on the Ravenclaw House Quidditch team ever since her first year at Hogwarts, playing as a Seeker. She owned one of the best racing brooms in the world, a Firebolt. Flying came more naturally to her than anything else in the magical world.

Mr Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle.

Hailey was feeling extremely well fed and at peace with the world as she watched several gnomes sprinting through the rosebushes, laughing madly and being closely pursued by Crookshanks.

Ron looked carefully up the table to check that the rest of his family and Eva were busy talking, then he said very quietly to Hailey, "So—have you heard from Sirius lately?"

Hermione looked around, listening closely.

"Yeah, twice. He sounds okay. I wrote to him yesterday. He might write back while I'm here," said Hailey softly.

She suddenly remembered the reason why she had written to Sirius, and for a moment, she wanted to tell Hermione and Ron about her scar hurting again, and about the dream that had awoken her…but on the other hand, she didn't want them to worry just now, not when she was feeling happy and peaceful.

"Look at the time," Mrs Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you—you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Hailey, Mandy, Michael, and Eva, if you leave your school lists out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup; the match went on for five days last time."

"Michael and I already got our things." Eva said, "thanks for offering."

"I did, too," Mandy said. "Although, I wouldn't mind if the World Cup lasted for five days."

"Well, I certainly don't," said Percy in a superior tone. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."

"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Percy?" said Fred.

"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" snapped Percy, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"

"It was," Fred whispered to Hailey as they got up from the table. "We sent it."

Hailey couldn't help but think that it was actually kind of rude and was a digusting joke that they pulled, even if Percy was pompous.