Ron's mind was spinning. Dung bombs, botched rituals, his brother-in-law and sister sharing minds, his pursuer having a peek at his ordinary life, and still pursuing him. Alice was not bad to look at. She was not as refined as Hermione, but her manner was more open, and she was lavish with her affections. He couldn't deny feeling a semblance of love for her. Oh hell, he would accept her invitation to Transylvania.
Dark clouds surrounded Halder Hall as legions upon legions of vampires stood clustered on the grounds, shivering in the biting cold. Lord Halder stood in the middle, and he kept glancing at his watch from time to time. "It's time," he murmured suddenly, and a crash of lightning made everyone stand straight. A bulbous tree had been struck, and in its place, a magnificent treehouse grew out of the ground. It had 'The Burrow' boldly emblazoned on its entrance, and presently it opened, revealing a set of red headed twins.
They wore resplendent robes of garish pink, and were waving excitedly. They stepped down to reveal a veritable mass of red heads, all with freckles on their faces and smiling happily.
Lord Halder stepped forward. "Greetings, Lord Weasley," he said, shaking the oldest Weasley's hand.
Mr. Weasley grinned and stepped back to reveal Mrs. Weasley. "My wife, Lord Halder," he said.
Lord Halder gave her a bow before ushering them inside the hall. "Please come in, esteemed guests. I hope your journey was comfortable. Do you mind if we dial the heat up a bit? Ah, we vampires are a bit cold-blooded, you see." he said, laughing self consciously.
"No, no, Lord Halder. We're fine. Your house is quite stately, by the way. Here is my son Ron." Mr. Weasley said.
Ron shied away under the penetrating gaze of the ancient vampire, but he soon straightened his back and stepped forward, "Good evening, Lord Halder!"
In the midst of the hubbing cubbing, two devious pranksters slipped away, muttering long phrases under their breath. Within moments, they were deep inside enemy territory.
In an out of the way tower, they came to a stop, and pointed at an ordinary looking stretch of wall, just beside a book almirah. It shimmered and condensed into a stout wooden door. They pushed it open and stepped into a tiny alcove. They waved their wands simultaneously and it expanded to the size of a mini ballroom.
Fred put his hand in his pocket and withdrew a weighty contraption, containing a toad sitting over a chicken egg. He gingerly put it down on the floor and stepped back.
George waved his wand in complex patterns and uttered obscure spells, connecting the powering rune on the Basilisk Hatcher to the Halder Hall's power source.
Thousands of years had passed since the last basilisk had been hatched by Salazar Slytherin. Lord Potter would hatch one again, with the help of Luna Lovegood's Patented Basilisk Hatcher, and Lord Halder's permanently heated and ventilated halls would provide the perfect breeding ground for it.