Updates will be few and far between this year. Belladonna and I have started year twelve and are in different study classes. What little we give you I hope you can enjoy.

Chapter 2

The introductions were short and tense. The red-haired man, Mr Weasley, although he had an amiable face, was slightly unnerving in his chipperness. He gave the Gaang a broad smile that made his freckles scrunch up on his cheeks.

"I'll never remember all your names today but I'm sure I'll get them in time. You'll be staying with me and my family until we can figure out how to get you home."

"We gathered." Zuko muttered sullenly. Katara elbowed him in the ribs and though it had been a few months since he got his scar from Azula, his chest throbbed in protest of the blow. Aang looked at the veil, a sadness in his young, grey eyes. He was missing Appa and Momo, reminders of his peaceful childhood and his best animal friends. The platypus bear was huddled in the corner, warm and quiet, confused, but it was no substitute for his fluffy spirit guide.

"We'll work on it every chance we get, young one. We promise." Bode put a hand on the young avatar's thin shoulder but the thirteen-year-old just shrugged it off.

"Yeah." He said dispassionately, but under his breath added, "You'd better."

"We need to cast a spell on you to sneak you out of the department. People will still see you but they won't notice you at all. We need one of you to lead the... thing." Bode gestured to the platypus-bear as he explained. Zuko and Katara shared a look. Neither one of them were exactly comfortable in the cave, despite its blessed lack of crystals and it was magic that had gotten them into this mess in the first place but they both longed to be out in the open air. They gave tense nods and Aang stepped forward.

"I'll lead the platypus-bear."

"Excellent." Mr Weasley clapped his hands together. "Let's get going." Toph grabbed Iroh's arm and the pair shuffled out first, followed by an arm in arm Sokka and Suki, the tense duo of Zuko and Katara with Aang leading the platypus-bear up the rear. As each pair stepped out into the department of mysteries, Bode and Croaker cast the disillusionment charms. For all intents and purposes, they were invisible.

Toph could feel movement all around her, ten times worse than Ba Sing Se. That they were underground was clear, the rumble of movement above and below them and though there were vibrations everywhere, everything was fuzzy. She couldn't see right and it unnerved her, for the first time since she met the badger-moles, Toph was scared.

Suki could feel it too. She was used to being out in the open, surrounded by trees and water but this... there were so many people, all pressing together as they moved from place to place. It was just like the Boiling Rock and though it didn't frighten her, she never wanted to go back to such a place.

Zuko grew up surrounded by people but Katara had only ever had small numbers around her. Even in the Northern Water Tribe, she really only had her bending class and the royal family. She was isolated even in Ba Sing Se and the press of people sent shudders up her spine. She stuck close to Zuko, her tension reaching out to him like a babe to its mother. Without looking down, without saying a word, the Firelord took her hand. Her mocha fingers tightened around his pale white ones like he was her anchor. As came and solid as he was now, that is what Zuko became.

Aang walked as if in a daze, confused by the bustle and missing his home and his friends. Beside him the platypus-bear was anxious, shifting from foot to foot in a nervous, lumbering gait. Aang looked ahead to his tense friends and noticed the Death grip his girlfriend had on his masters hand, the falsely confident stride of the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, the nervous and truly blind shuffle of his strong earthbending friend. He stiffened his lip and looked straight ahead, determined to be brave for those who were brave for him.

The three wizards led them to a much brighter room than the cave they were in previously. A plump man was sitting at a desk there, a bright blue quill in his hand.

" Evening Basil." Mr Weasley greeted the plump man. "You've got a mode of transport for us I believe."

"I do Arthur." The plump man smiled. "It's in the corner." He gestured with his quill and all eyes, visible and not so alike. What they saw was a ratty old armchair made of faded red velvet. Sokka lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Zuko, the most well-read of the group but the Firelord just shrugged and gave a little shake of his head, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Right. Now everyone lay a hand on the chair." Arthur instructed, drawing Basil's attention to the strange assembly around his three co-workers. Having worked at the ministry long enough, he knew not to ask questions. All the benders managed to lay their right hand on the old chair and the platypus-bear followed suit, just wanting to be part of something with familiar smelling people. Mr Weasley counted to five slowly and then they weren't in Basil's office. There was a rushing, tugging feeling around Katara's navel and the ground was insubstantial and swirling around her feet.

In mere seconds it was over, the ground solid under their feet and their navels left un-tugged. Katara and Toph fell to their knees, both girls spasming with the force of their retching. Suki knelt down to hold Toph's fringe out of the way and Zuko did the same for Katara's mass of brown locks. Sokka and Iroh looked down at their two friends with sympathetic eyes while Aang, unaffected by the journey, tried to calm down the platypus-bear. Mr Weasley chuckled. "You'll be fine in a few minutes." He swept an arm out across the short, scrubby garden they were in. "Welcome to The Burrow."

Molly was waiting for Arthur, her face set in a grim line, foot tapping, arms crossed over her chest. Arthur smiled at her weakly, and she heard Fred and George sniggering darkly behind her. The group of people around Arthur seemed a little uncertain, but she gave them a warm smile and they seemed to relax.

"Welcome to our humble abode," Fred said with a sweeping bow and a manic grin.

"Where you may rest your weary heads and eat as kings!" George added, with a melodramatic bow of his own.

"Hi," Ron said.

"Ignore the twits," Ginny said, coming up to them and holding out her hand for a friendly shake. "They like to think they're funny. Sometimes we humour them, but it only seems to encourage them."

"Oh, do come in and have something to eat! You look famished!" Mrs Weasley clucked like a worried hen and ushered them inside – some needing less ushering than others.

Harry and Hermione peered around the door and smiled friendlily at the strange collection of people. "I'm Hermione." The bushy haired witch smiled with a small wave.

"Harry," the bespectacled boy said with a small grin, "is me," he added as an afterthought, his mouth twisting into a moue of puzzlement at his phrasing.

The table was laden with food – a veritable feast. Mrs Weasley had outdone herself this time. The group looked at it oddly, not recognising many of the foods arrayed. They seated themselves nonetheless, crowded around the magically extended table in the back yard. A few gnomes wandered in and about their ankles.

The mocha-skinned teenage girl started and gripped the arm of the scarred young man. "There is something trying to get up my pants," she hissed at him.

He leant forward slightly and peered under the tablecloth. "It appears to be a potato with legs," he said, eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh, that'll be a gnome – Bill and Charlie were supposed to degnome this morning, but I think they skived off to throw a quaffle around instead," Ginny said casually, reaching under and grabbing the thing firmly. "Maybe I should tell Mum," she said ponderingly, throwing it over the fence. She made a face for a few seconds. "No, I actually like those brothers. You're Katara, aren't you?"

Katara, back as straight as an iron rod, nodded stiffly, teeth clenched. "I am Katara, yes. I also don't like gnomes."

Ginny snorted. "Lot of people don't – Mum for example. You want to let go of his arm? It's turning white. White-er," she amended, looking at Zuko.

On the other side of the table, Sokka, Harry and Ron were talking eagerly. Well, Harry was talking, Sokka and Ron were grunting around food.

Toph, Suki, Fred and George were crowded around a sheet of parchment that no one could quite see, though Hermione could hear snatches of their conversation and Aang was looking increasingly worried at the expression on the two girl's faces.

"- so if we employ Crookshanks here-"

"- throw in a couple of gnomes when this one goes off-"

"- yeah, if we throw one of these through Percy's window-"

Charlie leant over their shoulders and Fred and George covered up the parchment while Toph and Suki smiled innocently. He rolled his eyes and leant over to unroll the parchment and point his finger at a few spots. "You see if you put the gnomes over here, and make sure that Perce isn't actually in his room, then that eliminates the need for an extra lookout here-"

Aang was looking very worried by this point and Hermione decided that it was best not to ask. They were all getting along at least.

A silvery phoenix flew over the gate and up to Mr and Mrs Weasley. I do hope I am not interrupting, but Arthur mentioned something about accommodation issues. I do believe I can help. It said in Dumbledore's voice. The phoenix vanished as Iroh nodded in approval at the efficient method of communication.

Mrs Weasley gave a sigh of relief, and went to meet the headmaster at the gate.

Holy crap I am SO sorry about the wait - most of the blame falls on me for that. Berate me in reviews for withholding from you, if you're still reading. :S Really, really sorry.