The next day, at precisely two-fifteen in the afternoon, the Hogwarts Express arrived at King's Cross. The letter hadn't said who would be meeting them there, so Hermione decided that their pack would simply get off the train and wait around for someone to tell them what to do. This was unlike her, but she'd been crazy ever since reading the letter so no one really noticed.
"Wait, where are you going?" called a voice. Ginny, behind her brothers and friends on the way off the train, turned her head and saw Luna Lovegood racing towards her.
"Off the train, can't you tell?" Ginny replied. "We don't know who's fetching us this time, so we're just going to wait and see who turns up."
"I know who's fetching you," Luna said in a tone that implied she knew even more than that. "It's going to be a young woman with odd hair."
Ginny wasn't quite sure who Luna was talking about, but it was worth listening to. "How do you know?"
"Because I'm supposed to stick with your family, that's why. So is Neville. The letter I got must have explained more than yours."
Hermione, directly in front of Ginny, heard all this and rolled her eyes. On top of everything else, their group was going to include the craziest girl and the most accident-prone boy she'd ever met, and for an indefinite period of time! It was going to be odd, that was for sure.
---
At last, all eight of the new pack were off the train. Ginny's initial idea turned out to be right - Tonks was waiting for them, and she was alone. "Hullo," she said in greeting. "Got all your things?"
"Yes," Hermione said, speaking for the others. "Everything's accounted for. By the way, if I might ask, why do you seem so depressed?"
"It's a long story," Tonks said, avoiding an explanation. "Here, let me take that." She had reached out her hand and taken Trevor's cage from Neville, who was having trouble carrying it and his trunk at the same time.
"How are we getting... back?" This time Ginny was the curious one - never a good sign, as the twins and Ron knew all too well.
"Multiple methods. A friend of mine has a flat not too far from here, so first we're headed there. We'll use the Floo to get to my parents' house and to get all the junk where it needs to go, then we'll use a Portkey to get where we need to be. That alright with you lot?"
No one commented. They merely followed Tonks straight out of the train station.
---
Half an hour, everyone was in the kitchen at the Burrow. Aside from Pigwidgeon, who was now missing a few feathers, all their belongings had made it as well. "Molly," Tonks called, "I've got them."
Molly Weasley came scurrying into the kitchen, which was rather cramped with nine people and eight trunks. "Thank heavens you all made it," she said, taking in the fact that no one was hurt - in her mind, the animals didn't count. "All right, things are going to be tight, so I'm going to clear you on sleeping arrangements. Girls, you'll be in the attic - don't worry, I've cleaned it out a bit. Fred, George, you have your bedroom, and you three will take Ron's room. Did I miss anyone?" No one commented. "Good. We don't know how long this arrangement is going to have to last, so please make yourselves at home and get used to the place." With that, she dashed out of the room as quickly as she'd come.
"Great welcoming," Ginny muttered. "I wonder who else we've got to put up with. More than twenty people living here and we'll all go mad, but Mum's never valued sanity..."
"Look on the bright side," Fred commented. "Lots of people means lots of potential pranks for George and I - what's not to love?"
"Let me make one thing clear," Tonks said as she began to send trunks flying. "Molly's got a lot of tolerance, but only so long as nothing gets set on fire. If or when that happens, I'd really hate to be the person responsible - got it?"
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I know you're in the Order, but I'm surprised you have to live with this circus."
"Personal choice, really," Tonks explained. "My parents aren't at risk this way, which is good for them, and someone's got to make sure you lot don't go TOO stir-crazy - hence the fact that I'm supposed to clear you on the rules and stuff like that. Look, it honestly can't be that bad - you're not at school, so I don't think anyone's going to try to stop you unless you nearly blow this place up." She sent warning glances at the twins. "And in any case, I'll probably be as sick of being cooped up as you are by this time next month."
"You don't sound happy about any of that," Luna said in a way that only she could.
"Blast it, the others should have known at least one of you would see through all of that rubbish! The truth is, I'm here for my own good, and that's all I know."
"But why would getting cooped up here help you?" Luna asked. "Wouldn't you be more useful outside of here?"
"I would be, but no one seems to be listening on that front. No, it's all 'let's make sure her crazy aunt has one less target' instead of 'why not use one of the less attached people where we need her most'. I am so damn sick of the way in which the specter of my mother's crazy older sister seems to be controlling my life, but no one else listens, let alone cares!"
"So they think your aunt might get loose at some point?" This was Hermione, who knew exactly what was going on. Out of sheer boredom and a desire to avoid one of Mrs. Weasley's cleaning projects the previous summer, she had practically memorized who was related to whom. If nothing else, this had killed time, but apparently it had done more as well.
"They don't 'think' anything! From what little they tell me, which I can assure you is almost nothing, they almost expect her to break out. It's never a good sign when the Order expects something that bad, especially when Moody has nothing to do with it."
"So this isn't going to end well, uh?" Fred asked, and all the others (with the exceptions of George and Luna) shuddered collectively. As a general rule, one of their deepest shared fears was the level of damage Fred and George could do if they thought the world was going to end.
"So they tell me, though it's not like I know anything. Really, the fact that I'm 22 and female seems to keep them from trusting me, although I can't see why."
"Look on the bright side," George commented, and this time Luna shuddered too. "If it's all going to end, the way it sounds, we'll at least have some fun beforehand."
"Not if you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Ginny snapped. She had inherited her mother's temper, and all the others took a few steps back. "Killing time with your little games is one thing, but if you try anything major, Mum's seriously going to kill you."
"So begins life without sanity," Hermione whispered to Luna. "The damage this lot is capable of... Sufficient to say, you'd probably be better off at school."
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A/N: Please review! Updates should be frequent for the next few weeks - beyond that I have no idea how often I'll be able to post stuff.