"𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃! 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄! 𝐈'𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍 𝐌𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃!"
Raya coughed as she exited the Weasley fireplace. She'd been back at Newbrooke Manor for a little less than a week, and had been harassed non stop by the Weasleys to bring over the blueberry muffins that her house elf, Rosie, made.
She carried two trays of them, dusting herself off as she left the fireplace. Rosie was so pleased the Weasleys liked her muffins, she promised to make them for the Weasleys whenever they asked.
They asked if they could have Raya's house elf.
Raya said no.
"Where are those little idiots?" she grumbled to herself, trying to get the soot off of her jeans. It probably wasn't a good idea to wear light jeans when she was planning on travelling through Floo.
"Raya, you're here!" Ginny grinned, rushing down the stairs to pull her into a hug.
"Hi, Raya!" Hermione came over as well, pulling her into a hug. She hesitated, "You didn't bring Loki... did you?"
"Nah, he doesn't like Floo," Raya told her. "Why?"
"Crookshanks gets jealous when I sit with other cats," she answered, hugging her tighter.
"That's fair," Raya muttered, making her way to the kitchen. "Ginny, where the hell are your idiot brothers? If they made me travel here to deliver the muffins, and they're not even here, I won't be giving any to them."
"You're gonna have to be a little more specific," Ginny said drily.
"Which of your idiot brothers could I be referring to?" Raya rolled her eyes as she set the muffins down on the table.
"Certainly not us, I hope," a red haired boy who was sitting at the table said, looking mildly amused. He had long hair which was tied back into a ponytail. A fang shaped earring glittered in his ear. Objectively speaking, he was kind of hot.
The boy next to him laughed at that statement. Shorter and stockier than the other boy, he was quite tanned and covered in freckles. He had short red hair, which was lighter showing off how much time he spent in the sun.
Raya froze for a second — wondering who the hell had infested the Weasley household — before recognizing the boys from family pictures.
"Oh crap, I thought someone had broken in for a second," Raya muttered, letting out a shaky laugh. She pointed at freckles, "Charlie?"
"Correct," he grinned, giving her a fist bump.
"And you're Bill?" Raya turned to ponytail. "Obviously you're Bill. Unless there's another Weasley you're all hiding from me?"
"I promise there's no more," Bill laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You must be the wonderful Raya our twins can't stop talking about."
"Or Ginny," Charlie added.
"Or Ginny," Bill agreed.
"I've never felt more loved," Raya muttered a hand to her heart. "Speaking of the twins, do any of you guys know where they are? I've got muffins for them, but I need to leave tonight to make sure everything is right and if they don't show up for the muffins, I'm just gonna take them back."
"No, I want them," Ginny went forward to take one.
Before she could grab one, a faint noise sounded, announcing that someone was coming in from the Floo.
"I smell Rosie's muffins!" Fred said, arriving in the kitchen. "Raya! Move, you're blocking the muffins."
"I'd be offended, but I've tasted Rosie's muffins and that's fair," she muttered, getting out of the way.
George appeared a second later — nice enough to give her a hug — and rushed to the muffins.
"I want!" Ginny reached under them to grab one.
"Share with everyone!" Raya scolded the Weasleys.
They stood back, each with a muffin in their mouth and another in their hands. "Sorry."
Raya set both trays side by side, allowing everyone to get one, before she gave the rest of them to the Weasleys.
"Hi, Harry," she waved at the boy. "Blueberry muffin?"
"Uh, sure," he took it, smiling. "You staying at the Burrow too?"
"Nah, I'm just here to drop off these muffins," she said. "I got to go and get everything set up so that when you guys come tomorrow, it's all nice and pretty."
"Liar," Fred said through a mouthful of muffin.
"What?" Raya laughed a little.
"You never share Rosie's muffins," George noted. "Especially not with us because we eat them all and leave none for you. There's something else behind the muffins."
"Spill the beans," Fred nudged her slightly.
"It's nothing important. It's just, you know how we got our Hogwarts letters yesterday, with all the new books. I just, maybe, happened to get another later stating, that, you know—"
"Just tell us already!" Fred groaned, reaching for another muffin.
"I got a letter saying I'm Quidditch Captain and Prefect!" she announced, speaking quickly.
It took Fred half a second to decipher her words, and the moment he did, he rushed towards her, jumping up and down.
"Oh Merlin! Let's go! Raya! Raya! Raya!"
George joined in on the hugging and jumping and chanting, equally as excited for her. Ginny began jumping too, congratulating Raya as she pulled her into a funny hug while they jumped. Ron shrugged, joining the four of them, before Harry and Hermione entered the huddle, jumping along.
Raya laughed loudly as Charlie and Bill joined the rest of them, cheering and jumping up and down in the kitchen.
"Quiet down!" Percy appeared, looking distressed. "I need to finish the research paper on cauldron bottoms. You're all making too much noise."
"Later, Percy!" George waved him off. "We're celebrating Raya being a genius."
Fred wiped a fake tear, "Quidditch Captain and Prefect. I've never been more proud."
"Celebrate quieter," he scowled. He looked at Raya, "Congratulations, though. Being Quidditch Captain in only your fifth year is quite an achievement. Especially for Ravenclaw. And I'm always available if you'd need some tips on being a good Prefect."
"Thanks Percy!" she smiled, waving as he headed back up the stairs.
"Oh, this is so exciting," Ginny was grinning. "You're gonna be Quidditch Captain!"
"In a few years, you're gonna see me in the Quidditch World Cup," Raya grinned. "Just wait."
"Dressed in the green and white of the Irish?" George asked, putting on an Irish accent.
Raya tugged her collar, "Well, it's not my first choice. But I think I'd take it."
"Don't tell me your first choice is England," Bill muttered. "All the English teams played horribly this year."
"They choked, for real," Raya nodded in agreement. She missed the looks the others passed, not understanding her slang. "But no, my first choice would be Canada."
"Canada?" Fred made a face.
"Get over it," Raya waved him off. "It's my home team. Do you know how cool it would be to play with the maple leaf on your chest? I can't make it on the national hockey team, but making it to the national Quidditch team would still be something to brag about. They've got decent players, just need some experience. And they have a pretty legendary history."
"I'd choose Ireland," Ron said. "They've actually got chances of winning, next tournament as well."
"Ireland's got loads of players," Raya told him. "They've got a sick Seeker too. They don't need another one. Being on the Irish team will likely only get me as far as a reserve."
"I think you're underestimating yourself," Charlie said. "England was ready to add you as a Seeker this year. If you hadn't broken your wrist a week before physicals for Qualifying, you would've gotten an invite to join the English team."
Raya froze. "You're joking."
"It's true," he nodded. "I've got friends on the team—"
"—Could've been on the team," Fred muttered.
Charlie ignored him, "—and they told me the Coach was keeping an eye on you. The only problem is, they were about to send you an invite, and they got news your wrist bone is gone. Getting injuries during the tournament is fine, you can play on. But getting them before isn't allowed. One of the rules states—"
"—The player must not have any regrown bones in the last three lunar months," Raya muttered.
Charlie nodded, "And there hadn't been enough time between the physical exam and your injury. Otherwise, you might've been playing out there."
"I would've crushed Transylvania," she muttered, still upset about the loss.
"At least you know England will be looking at you for the next World Cup," Hermione smiled. "That's a good thing, isn't it? You can play for them, right?"
"I can play for three teams," Raya told her, finally out of the shock that she might've been playing in the biggest tournament of the Wizarding world. "Canada, which is my home team and country of citizenship, would be my first option. Ireland, my dad's national team and where my grandmother was born, would be my second option. And there's England, where my dad is born, which would probably be my last option."
"Well, it looks like you've got your life set," Mrs. Weasley said, entering the kitchen. "If only you could pass some of that on my boys, we'd be set."
Fred and George grinned cheekily.
"I'll be sure to try," she promised. "I've got to head back now. We're heading to the field tonight. Can I go back through the fireplace, or are we still waiting on someone?"
"Dad's not back yet," Ron said, shoving a muffin in his mouth. "He'll be back soon, though."
A crash sounded from somewhere else in the house, and everyone froze, exchanging worried glances.
"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley said, running away to try and figure out if something expensive was broken.
There was a faint popping noise, and Raya waved at Mr. Weasley who Apparated into the house.
He smiled and waved back, "Raya, dear. It's so nice to see you. How are you?"
"I'm good, thanks," she smiled. "How've you been?"
"I'd be better if the twins stopped giving me heart attacks," he shook his head. He turned on them suddenly, sounding quite angry, "That wasn't funny, Fred! What did you give that Muggle boy?"
"And that's my cue," Raya muttered, waving and hugging everyone goodbye. She stood in the fireplace, wincing slightly as Mr. Weasley got mad at the twins.
She threw the Floo powder, "Newbrooke Manor."
The tent was huge.
Many Wizards and Witches from all over the world came to see the game. Raya had already met Austen — the former Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain — who had congratulated her on her new position. After graduating, he signed with the Montrose Magpies, becoming one of the best Chasers they'd ever seen.
From the outside, all the tents looked like a regular camping tents, but one step inside revealed they were far from that. There were two floors of space where more than eighty people could lounge comfortably. Raya was glad she'd called all her friends, but even they wouldn't be able to fill the space.
"This is huge," Amora muttered, walking into the tent.
She'd graduated Hogwarts last year, working a few odd jobs recently as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
"I know," Raya nodded. "It's definitely big enough. Rosie's gone to check the box, but considering the size of this place, it'll be just fine. Let's go pick out our rooms."
Raya and Amora rushed up the stairs, opening and closing doors as they searched for one they would like. Raya settled on one that was on the left of the stairs, while Amora chose one near the back.
"When is everyone else getting here?" Amora asked as the two lounged in Raya's room.
"Well, the Weasleys and Cedric should be getting here tomorrow morning," Raya said. "I think Cierra, Cho, Meredith, Elias, and Nathaniel will be getting here late tonight. Thomas should be here tomorrow. The game's gonna start later."
Amora stretched out, yawning, "I'm gonna head to bed. Wake me when they all arrive."
"Got it," Raya waved goodbye as Amora went over to sleep in her own room.
For the first time in a long time, Raya had a dreamless sleep. She only awoke once she heard a scratchy voice near her ear.
"If Miss doesn't wake up soon, Mumpty will wake her with the pillow," it said.
Raya's sleep addled brain was too tired to realize what the hell was going on. She'd covered both her ears with the pillow as the sun rose, her dad blasting music in a frequency only his kids could hear. It had to be after sunrise now.
"Mumpty warned Miss," the voice said.
Raya's head jerked as the pillow was snatched from around her head. She curled up in a ball, trying to avoid the pillow as it was repeatedly being smacked at her.
"No, Mumpty must not hit Miss," Rosie sounded terrified.
"Oh crap," Raya muttered. "I'm up. I'm up. Mumpty stop abusing me, I'm awake!"
Mumpty hit her with the pillow once more for good measure, before standing back.
Raya took the pillow, throwing it on the bed behind her.
"Would Miss like breakfast?" Mumpty asked. "Rosie has made Miss some chocolate bread and French toast and coffee. Miss must hurry if she doesn't want Mumpty to eat it all."
"I missed you too, Mump," Raya muttered, getting out of bed and stretching.
Mumpty was an old little house elf, Rosie's mother. The Newbrooke's generally only kept one house elf at a time, all coming from the same line. One served the family for about three to five generations, before passing the mantle on to their child.
Mumpty had served the Newbrooke family until Raya was seven, when Rosie took over. Raya's dad was technically the last generation Mumpty had raised.
Having been in the family longer than Raya, Mumpty had grown out of pleasantries and being nice. If Raya wasn't awake when she wanted her to be, Mumpty would hit her with the pillow.
"What are you doing here?" Raya asked as she followed the two house elves down the stairs.
Now retired, Mumpty spent her time travelling. She showed Raya's father a place that looked nice, and the next day, her tickets were booked.
"Rosie has never taken care of so many people," Mumpty muttered. "Mumpty has to come help and teach her how to do this. Nothing gets done without Mumpty."
Raya hid her smile.
Her dad was the last child she'd raised, and even though Mumpty never admitted it, she had a soft spot for Alphanso Newbrooke. She was here to see him play in the Quidditch World Cup, even if she barely understood the sport.
"Have you stopped by to see my dad yet?" Raya asked, barely able to hide the teasing in her voice.
Rosie laughed, coughing quickly to cover it up.
Mumpty scowled at them.
Raya entered the kitchen, freezing at the sight of someone in the fridge.
"What the fuck?!"
"Language," her dad stuck her head out of the fridge.
"Holy, you scared me," she muttered. "What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for media coverage and stuff?"
"Uhh..." Alphanso paused with two donuts in his hand.
"You've got to be kidding me," Raya muttered, hands on her hips. "Put those back. Stop eating so much sugar on the day of the match. You're gonna—"
"Don't yell at Master Newbrooke," Mumpty walked by, swatting Raya's hand.
"Ow!"
"Master Newbrooke needs all the energy he can get," she continued, patting Alphanso's back. "Eat all the sugar you need."
"Aren't you supposed to be in India?" Raya scowled, narrowing her eyes at the elf.
"Leave her alone," Alphanso hugged Mumpty, grabbing another two donuts.
"Those aren't for you!" Raya called.
"Too bad," he laughed, kissing the top of Raya's head. "I don't know if I'll have time to stop by before the game. Wish me luck."
Raya did her ritualistic handshake with her dad, laughing as it ended, "Good luck."
He ran out of the tent, ducking his head to avoid any fans that might spot him.
"Breakfast, Miss," Rosie set out food for Raya.
"Thanks, Rosie," Raya smiled, eating her breakfast.
Halfway through, Amora trudged downstairs, grabbing a cup of coffee, and downing it in one go. She sighed in relief.
"I needed that," she nodded towards the coffee.
Raya laughed a little, "I could tell. There's some donuts in the fridge for you guys. Make sure you guys leave enough for everyone. Dad already came and stole a few."
"He needs them!" Mumpty waved her spatula at Raya.
"I know, I know," Raya raised her hands quickly.
As she continued eating her breakfast, her friends began to wake up and make their way downstairs. Raya wasn't exactly sure when Cierra, Cho, Meredith, Nathaniel, Elias, and their families arrived, but it was quite late.
They all made small conversation, Raya waving to her mom as she entered the kitchen.
"Eat," Mumpty said to them. "Less talking. Food's getting cold."
"Yeah guys," Raya nodded. "Your food's getting cold."
"Mumpty is not going to repeat—"
Raya heard voices from the front of the tent, getting up quickly, "I'm gonna go check who it is."
She ran away from Mumpty before she could accidently hit her with her spatula.
"Yeah, but her name's spelt Newbrooke," Fred was saying from somewhere. "Not Noobrooke."
"There's probably a small mix up," Mr. Weasley responded.
Raya jogged over, throwing the tent flaps open dramatically.
"Hello, my lovely friends, parents of said friends," she waved at them. She waved a hand dismissively over the sign 'Noobrooke' which was hammered into the ground in front of their tent. "The Ministry thought it'd be better if they slightly modify everyone's last name. I think it's stupid, but whatever. Come in, come in. There's enough room for all of us."
Raya directed them all inside, laughing at the hesitant look on Harry's face.
"Don't worry," she assured him. "We've still got magic."
Harry head inside, jaw dropping at the sight of what was pretty much a Manor inside of a tent.
"First thing's first," Raya announced. "Everyone pick out your rooms. We've got a bunch upstairs, and a few on the first floor, past the kitchen. Gin, Hermione, we've got the room that's directly on the left of the stairs. You guys can begin unpacking. Also, there's donuts and breakfast in the kitchen. Chop chop. Otherwise I'll set Mumpty after you guys."
"Mumpty," Cedric's eyes widened, having met her once before. "She's here? I thought she was on vacation. The Bahamas or something?"
"She wanted to see my dad's game," Raya answered.
"What's a Mumpty?" Hermione asked.
"The retired Newbrooke house elf," Raya answered. "She tends to hit you with wooden utensils if you don't do what she says."
"Breakfast is getting cold!" a screechy voice sounded at that time.
"That's her," Raya smiled mischievously. "Better hurry."
At the sight of Cedric running up the stairs so fast, he almost tripped, the rest of them hurried to pick out their rooms. Even Mr. Weasley was looking stressed.
Raya laughed to herself as she reentered the kitchen. She watched as her friends all rushed into the kitchen, flinching as Mumpty shook her head in disappointment. Raya tutted, shaking her head at them.
"Off the table," Mumpty scowled.
"Yes ma'am," Raya hopped off the table. She took the donuts out of the fridge, setting them on the table.
A series of faint pops sounded before Bill, Charlie, and Percy entered the kitchen.
"Wonderful," Mumpty scowled, waving her spatula threateningly. "More mouths to feed. Sit down and eat. If the food gets cold, I'm forcing it down your throat anyways."
The three of them sat down quickly, eating their food.
"If you guys want donuts," Raya opened the box, grabbing a sprinkled one before anyone else could.
The rest of them attacked the box, picking out their favorites.
"Aren't more of your friends coming?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"It's just Thomas and his family," Raya told him. "I've got more."
"Alright," he said, poking a donut suspiciously.
Once everyone was fed, they began to disperse, exploring the tent and trying to see exactly how big it was. Raya was showing Ginny and Hermione the sixth washroom when she heard someone enter the tent.
"That must be Thomas!" she got up. "You two enjoy the rest of the tour. I've got to make sure Mumpty doesn't poison him."
She ran out of the washroom — dodging the Weasleys who were trying to cover each other in shades of green paint — stopping in front of the tent entrance.
"Welcome!" she smiled, spreading her arms out.
Thomas stood with his older brother, sister, and parents, wincing at the sight behind Raya.
Thomas' parents were a bit proper, and based on the looks on their faces, they didn't approve the cussing, screaming, and eating that was going on behind Raya.
Thomas' siblings however, seemed pretty okay with it.
"I'm Raya," she shook all of their hands. She looked at their bags, "You guys probably want to pick out your rooms. The kids have practically taken over the upper floor, so I think you guys will prefer the ground floor rooms. If you want to bunk upstairs, that's fine, though." She turned to Lisabeth and Joseph — Thomas' siblings, "Most of us are sharing rooms with someone. If you guys want to share, we've got two Weasleys and a Phillips who might need a roommate."
Thomas' parents were wearing forced smiled. Raya could tell.
"We appreciate... all that you've done," his dad said. "I think we'll make our way to our rooms now."
"Alright," Raya nodded. "Mumpty and Rosie — the house elves — are getting lunch ready. Maybe in an hour or so."
His parents nodded politely, heading away.
"Sorry about them," Lisabeth, Thomas' older sister said. She was a tall girl, with pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair like Thomas'. "They never had to deal with this many people. It's a bit of a learning curve for them." She shared a look with Joseph, "I'm down to share a room with someone. What do you wanna do?"
"I'll share one too, I guess."
Raya grinned, "Great! Amora — she's a bit younger than you, Lisabeth — hasn't got a roommate. And Bill and Charlie are around your age, Joseph. They'll happily room with you. Thomas, I'm guessing you'll be with Nathaniel, and Elias."
"Obviously," he muttered. "It's not like I'll be sharing with Moaning Myrtle."
"If you want to, I'll arrange it."
"Moaning Myrtle?" Joseph made a face. "What the hell is that?"
"This is why you should've went Hogwarts and not Durmstrang," Lisabeth smacked the back of Joseph's head. "Moaning Myrtle was this ghost who inhabited one of the washrooms. That chick was freaky."
"Still is," Raya corrected, suppressing a shiver.
They entered the kitchen, pausing at the sight of Amora and Charlie standing on the table, fighting each other over the last chocolate donut, while Rosie was trying to get them to stop before Mumpty returned.
"Oh dear," Rosie muttered in a high pitched voice. "Oh Miss, please don't be upset. Rosie should've been better. Rosie should—"
"Rosie was perfect," Raya assured her. She glared at Amora and Charlie, "See what you're doing to my poor house elf? She's practically shivering in fear. Now get down before Mumpty comes in here, and whoops you guys."
Charlie clambered down, scowling at Amora, "Tell her to give the chocolate donut. I deserve it."
"Because of what?" Amora scoffed. "You give it to me."
"No you give it to me."
"No—"
"Who has the donut?" Raya interrupted.
The two of them froze, "Well obviously not me."
They shared glances, arguing again.
Raya sighed, looking to Thomas for help, only to see him finishing off the chocolate donut Amora and Charlie were arguing about.
"Merlin, help me," she muttered.
REY WRITES!
thanks for reading!!
cute little chapter where raya's happy!
i'm doing everything i can to avoid
doing my calc work loll
thoughts?
comments?
theories?
questions?
headcanons?