(replaces chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

The next day, Ben told his mother about what happened.

"Ah, well, that's interesting. You said the house elf was called Dobby, right?" Mrs. Williams said.

"Yes."

"Well, that explains the problem with your mail. Doesn't really help identify what the problem is. I don't remember anyone I knew having a house elf named Dobby."

Ben and Harry locked eyes with mirrored expressions of confusion for a moment before Ben asked, "Who'd you know that had a house elf?"

She smiled wistfully. "Your father, for one. Kreature was his name, or is, he might still be alive."

Ben stared in shock. "I own a house elf?"

"Yes."

He stood there, open mouthed.

Harry ignored him for a moment to ask a question. "So, what do you think of Dobby's hint about who it is?"

Mrs. Williams pondered it. "Hmm. Well, thinking about it … maybe a part of Voldemort or a different version of him? Maybe not him but a Death Eater? I can't say for sure."

"Death Eater?" Ben asked.

His mother frowned. "A marked follower of Voldemort, what are they telling you these days."

Harry shrugged. He noticed Ben shrugged too.

"So, when did the Weasleys want to have you both over?" Mrs. Williams asked. "I thought it was this Monday."

Ben nodded. "According to Ron, they'd like to have us over starting on Monday."

"Right, we'd better have everything ready before five pm."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"Different time zones. They're five hours ahead of us here."

"Right."

Harry's last week at the Williams house was one of melancholies. Hope was quietly sad that the sibling most like her was going away for another year. Joy was upset that she didn't spend more time with her elder brother, even if it was through her own machinations. Mrs. Williams was constantly reminding them to pack certain things and when Ben inevitably grumbled that he'd remember, all she had to do was look at him with a brow raised before he'd crumble and pack something else that he was taking.

On the day that they were going to Britain, Harry woke up early in the morning without prompting. He noted that he could hear what sounded like both Ben and Mrs. Williams moving around downstairs. Harry gathered the last of his things together before doing his morning routine. As he went downstairs for breakfast with his things, Harry heard the sounds of Mr. Williams starting to get up. Hope and Joy still seemed to be asleep.

As Harry entered the kitchen, he saw Mrs. Williams and Ben eating at the table and food on the stove. Mrs. Williams was first to notice him.

"Help yourself, Harry."

"Thanks," he replied.

"So, excited to go to the Weasleys'?" she asked as he gathered his breakfast.

"Very," Harry responded.

"That's good. Ben's been telling me that he thinks it will be an enjoyable experience."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I said that I think I'll like it there. Must you portray me as being incredibly formal?"

Mrs. Williams smiled, mirth dancing in her eyes.

"Oh, that reminds me," she said. "Molly called earlier and asked that you both be sent over as soon as possible."

Harry frowned at that. He asked "Why?"

"She didn't say, although she had an amused tone as she was explaining it."

Seems like the twins are more related to their mother than they might think, Harry thought. As Harry contemplated this, Mr. Williams entered the kitchen, grumbled good morning to everyone, and gathered some food for himself from the remainder.

"Hope and Joy still need to eat, Charles," Ben stated, not even looking up from his food.

Mr. Williams grumbled something Harry couldn't hear.

-Break-

Harry's last moments in the Williams household was spent making sure that he packed everything that he had taken with him. Ben alternated between periods of rest and activity as he remembered more things that he wanted to bring. Whenever he couldn't find something, he'd go into what he called 'panic mode' which was essentially him collapsing into a panic frenzy trying to figure out where something was as he became increasingly more worried and tearful. Harry thought the title was rather appropriate.

Joy and Hope spent most of their time hanging out with Harry and Ben, often helping Ben find things that he couldn't locate. Mrs. Williams once came in with some last minute things he was looking for, commenting how he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached to his body, which he readily agreed with.

As it neared 9, Harry and Ben had both finished packing. Mr. Williams left for work much earlier, saying a nice goodbye to the pair before he did. The family gathered in the living room to say their farewells.

"Bye, big brother," Joy said, sniffling slightly as she hugged him.

"Bye, Joy."

"Bye, Ben," Hope said. Harry noticed that she was edging out of the room.

"Oh no," Ben said, catching her and wrapping her in a hug, which caused her to squeak slightly. "You don't get to leave until I hug you, sweet sister."

After letting her go, Ben turned to Mrs. Williams. Harry noticed he had tears in his eyes. Mother and son wrapped each other in an enormous hug.

"Bye, mum," Ben's muffled voice said in a tone close to tears.

"Bye, Ben," Mrs. Williams said softly.

Ben stood next to Harry and grabbed hold of the portkey.

"Bye, Harry. I was nice to meet you," Joy said.

"Bye," Hope said quietly.

"Bye, Harry. Remember that you're welcome at our house at any time," said Mrs. Williams.

"Bye, Harry."

"Good-bye."

"Thank you," Harry said. The portkey activated just moments after he finished saying that. The world disappeared in a swirl of multicolored lights. As the world reformed, Harry felt himself land heavily, collapsing to the ground. He noted that Ben, unlike last time, managed to land more firmly, even if he staggered a little.
"Still annoying!" Ben declared. He refocused, looking at the Weasleys' house for the first time. "Wow."

Wow was right. It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

"Well," Ben said, recovering slightly. "It's not the prettiest, but it's definitely very creative."

"Yeah," Harry replied, noticing a figure walking over to meet them. Mrs. Weasley was rushing across the yard, scattering chickens, with a large, kind smile on her face.

"I'm very pleased to see you two," she said. "Come in and have some lunch."

She turned and walked back into the house and Harry and Ben, after exchanging glances, Harry a bit incredulously, Ben in amusement, followed her.

The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a fully wizard household before.

The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts — It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."

Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, preparing lunch, although she seemed a little distracted by something.

"Everything alright, Mrs. Weasley?" Ben asked.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Ben, exasperation on her face. "Ron, Fred, and George were going to try to fly our car across the Atlantic after Harry stopped answering his letters. I heard them planning it this morning. They've been sent out to de-gnome the garden. Honestly, those boys."

Mrs. Weasley started grumbling under her breath. Phrases such as "don't know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it" were thrown around. Ben seemed quite amused by that, though he kept quiet.

As Harry was thinking of something to say, the back door opened. Ron and the twins walked in, grumbling under their breath. They only noticed their guests when they sat down at the table.

"Harry! Ben! I didn't know you were coming today!" Ron said, smiling widely.

"We just got here," Ben stated. "Mum mentioned something about a surprise."

Harry looked at Ben, confused. He didn't remember Mrs. Williams mentioning anything like that. Before Harry could question him, though, the front door opened.

"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"

They all turned as Mr. Weasley walked into the kitchen and slumped in a kitchen chair and took his glasses off then his eyes closed, not really taking in the amount of people at the table. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.

"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned … "

Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.

"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.

"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness … "

"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.

"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it. Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face … But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe -"

"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"

Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.

"C-cars, Molly, dear?"

"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly."

Mr. Weasley blinked.

"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if - er - he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth … There's a loophole in the law, you'll find … As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't -"

"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, your sons were going to go across the Atlantic to get Harry in the car you weren't intending to fly!"

"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"

He looked around, saw Harry and Ben, and jumped.

"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about -"

"Your sons nearly flew that car to Ben's house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it start all right? I - I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed … "

"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom."

Harry tapped on Ben's shoulder, motioning for him to join them once he got his attention.

They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry saw a small, redheaded figure with bright brown eyes stare out the door. She gave a small squeal before she closed it with a snap.

"Ginny," said Ron. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer. You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally -"

Ben snorted. "I think she's got a crush. As unrealistic as those stories are, they make you perfect boyfriend material for young girl's dreams."

Harry and Ron both looked at Ben oddly.

They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM.

Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.

"Your Quidditch team?" said Harry.

"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."

Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.

Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of what appeared to be walking potatoes sneaking one by one back through the Weasleys' hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, noticing Ben had been looking around the room as he passed his field of vision, who was watching him almost nervously, as though waiting for his opinion.

"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like what you probably had with the Muggles or Ben. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning … "

But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

"It is pretty brilliant," Ben responded, also grinning.

Ron's ears went pink.

AN: So, new chapter. I don't have much to say right now, so if you have a comment, please review. Oh, and I still don't own the Harry Potter franchise.

Uploaded Feb. 7th, 2020, Edited Jan 10th, 2025