𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, draco malfoy

02. STOADSHEAD HILL

"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Percy replied with a certain smugness; Emily had been right, he was more than pleased to begin talking about his job, and for a moment he calmed down. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin - leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year-"

"That'll change the world, that report will," Ron's voice was dripping with heavy sarcasm. Emily elbowed him, but he only continued. "Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks."

Percy went slightly pink. "You might sneer, Ron," he said heatedly, "but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow-bottomed products that seriously endanger-"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," Ron cut him off, and he started off upstairs again and the others followed him upwards. Percy slammed his bedroom door as they left and the five made their way up a further three flights of stairs. As they reached the landing just outside Ron's attic room, more, louder shouts came from the kitchen below. It appeared as though Mrs Weasley had found out about the toffees, and from what Emily had just heard from Ron and Ginny, the upset wouldn't just end there. With nothing they could do about it but wince and move on, Emily reached for the door handle and pushed it open.

She had been in Ron's room a couple of times before and it had seemingly remained the same; Chudley Cannons and Gryffindor posters on the wall, including an old banner from their first year that Dean had drawn, red duvet covers printed with tiny brooms, a fish tank on the windowsill with one rather large frog within. However, as familiar as it was, Emily had never seen it quite so full. Four mattresses and camping beds had been set up on the floor and covered the entirety of space with little room to edge between them all. And she hadn't seen the tiny grey owl in a cage before, twittering madly and hopping around the cage on top of Ron's bookshelf.

"Shut up, Pig," Ron murmured, still annoyed, as he began to edge between some of the beds to make way to his own. "Fred and George are in here with us as well, because Bill and Charlie are in their room," Ron explained the busyness. "I don't know how on earth Mum figured that you should be in her as well, Em, but Ginny's room is too small to get anyone else in. Somehow, it's been worked out that you get the bed."

"I should hope so." Emily joked, scanning the room and finding a pile of Chudley Cannons merchandise shoved under one of the camping beds, besides which was his chest of drawers and on top of that, her altar. "If I have to deal with all you lot for a night then I deserve the bed."

"I reckon Mum agrees then," Ginny commented.

"There was no arguing about it, I tell you." Ron shook his head, disappointed. "Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."

"Er - why are you calling that owl Pig?" Harry asked him, changing the topic.

"Because he's being stupid," Ginny shook her head. "Its proper name is Pigwidgeon."

"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all," said Ron sarcastically. "Ginny named him," he explained to Harry. "She reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that." Pigwidgeon zoomed happily around his cage, hooting shrilly. Ron was lying; there was a fondness in his eyes similar to that used to be how he looked about Scabbers, who he complained endlessly about.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Harry asked.

"Out in the garden, I expect," Hermione replied.. "He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen any before. My mum doesn't really like him running around our back garden, left a mouse on the doorstep once and she's never forgiven him, poor thing."