A Gryffindor Falls For A Slytherin: The Angelic Witch and Draco Malfoy (Book 2)

The Little Reunion

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on the mermaid island. The mermaids, fairies and house elves kept the island clean, beautiful and well maintained; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Heroneka got a shock the first time she looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it whispered, "Hello there, lovely lady!" The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. What Heroneka found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there treated her with so much love as if she was a part of their family.

Mrs Weasley would make sure Heroneka ate properly, plaited her long chocolaty brown hair and complimented them. Mr Weasley hugged her every morning before leaving for work and encouraged her to bind strongly with Ginny. Heroneka was now sharing Ginny's room with her and the two had started a new route to friendship. They getting to know each other better and now Ginny wasn't being awkward around her.

"It's amazing" he would say as Mr Weasley would see Heroneka and Ginny, laughing and playing together. "This just makes me feel like Ginny has a sister now."

Heroneka heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after she had arrived at the Burrow. She and Ginny were already eating breakfast with Mr and Mrs Weasley when Harry and Ron joined them. The moment Ginny saw Harry, she accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Heroneka pretended to have not noticed the accident and continued with her food. She knew Ginny had a crush on Harry.

Just then Mr Weasley gave Ron, Harry, Heroneka, Fred and George their Hogwarts letters. "Dumbledore already knows you both are here, Snitchy, Harry,-- doesn't miss a trick, that man."

For a few minutes, there was silence as they all read their letters. Heroneka's told her to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the coming year. Heroneka blinked several times looking at the long list of books by Gildroy Lockhart.

Fred, who had finished his list, peered over at Heroneka's.

"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch."

At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade.

"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive..."

"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."

"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.

She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Heroneka laughed at this and choked on the toast she was chewing and coughed loudly, which grabbed everyone's attention and Fred helped her with some water.

Heroneka gave Harry a knowing look and he glared at her. Fortunately, no one saw this except the two of them, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest.

"Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."

He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a moulting, grey feather duster - at least, that was what Heroneka thought it was until she saw that it was breathing.