Harry came out of the fire place shortly after me.
"Did he eat it?" Fred said excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Harry to his feet whilst George smiled at him waiting for the answer his arm around my shoulder.
"Yeah," Harry said, straightening up. "What was it?"
"Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer" The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter, Ron was sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired people I hadn't noticed. Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers.
"How're you doing, Harry?" Charlie said coming to stand beside me as George went to stand with Fred smirking at each other. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.
"Rude" I mutter under my breath making him smirk.
"Hello Nova. Don't worry I didn't forget you. Bit hard to see you with your hood up" He wraps his arms around me pulling me to him.
"I missed you" I mutter.
"Missed you too now whats with the hood" He questioned as he let go of me.
"Doesn't matter" I glance down at the floor knowing my eyes will give me away. Bill gets to his feet, smiling, and also shook Harry's hand. I'd only met Bill once. Bill was, there was no other word for it except cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, with his dragon hide boots. Before any of them could say anything else, there was a faint popping noise, and Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air at George's shoulder. He was looking angrier than I'd ever seen him.
"That wasn't funny Fred!" he shouted. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"
"I didn't give him anything," Fred said, with another evil grin. "I just dropped it It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to."
"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Mr. Weasley. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet"
"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.
"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" Everyone roared with laughter again. "It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "That sort of behaviour seriously undermines wizard Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons"
"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" said Fred indignantly.
"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git," said George. "Isn't he, Harry?"
"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley, they all are. They've done nothing but bully us especially Rory all summer" said Harry earnestly as I look down avoiding Charlies eyes.
"That's not the point!" raged Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother"
"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them. Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were presently narrowed with suspicion. "Oh hello, Harry, Aurora dears" she said, spotting us and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?" Mr. Weasley hesitated. However angry he was with Fred and George, he hadn't really intended to tell Mrs. Weasley what had happened. There was a silence, while Mr. Weasley eyed his wife nervously. Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs. Weasley. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry's and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Both of them smiled at Harry, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet - she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to the Burrow. "Tell me what, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.
"It's nothing, Molly," mumbled Mr. Weasley, "Fred and George just but I've had words with them"
"What have they done this time?" said Mrs. Weasley. "If it's got anything to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes -"
"Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping, Ron?" said Hermione from the doorway.
"He knows where he's sleeping," said Ron, "in my room, he slept there last"
"We can all go," said Hermione pointedly.
"Oh," said Ron, cottoning on. "Right."
"Yeah, we'll come too," said George.
"You stay where you are!" snarled Mrs. Weasley.
"You're coming with me Nova" Charlie said taking my hand and pulling me outside. We stop at a large tree "What did Harry mean"
"Nothing"
"Do you expect me to believe that" He gives me a knowing look.
"It's nothing important Charlie. It really doesn't matter"
"It is important, you're never this quiet Nova something's wrong. Talk to me. Why won't you take your hood down?"
"Charlie. You don't need all my problems so just forget about it" He glares at me.
"Aurora Nova Potter, will you please just talk to me or I'll go ask Harry" I look at the floor before I finally start talking.
"The hood's to help hide my neck okay"
"Why do you need to hide it" He looks at me with sadness in his eyes and before I can stop myself I start ranting.
"I've been through two months of hell Charlie all because of that stupid scar. I can't sleep, I barely eat all I want to do all the time is cry. And to top it all off Moony won't talk to me and I've been putting up with the Dursleys putting me down and saying stuff about the scar for 2 months" I don't notice the tears running down my cheek until Charlie wipes them away with his thumb before pulling me to him, my face buried in his chest.
"Oh Nova, why didn't you tell me this was going on in any of your letters, I would of been there in an instance. What have they been saying"
"It doesn't matter. I've been dealing with it, I'm fine"
"You've literally just told me you're the furthest thing from fine darling. Now talk to me I want to know what those awful people have been saying to you" Charlie says his arms still wrapped around me and for the first time in months I feel safe.
"Just that it's hideous pretty much"
"What else I know there's more"
"It doesn't matter"
"Yes it does, now tell me"
"My aunt also told me that I used to at least have my looks and now I have nothing so I'll never be loved" I feel more tears fall, Charlies shirt soaked from them. I hadn't even told Harry she'd said this, luckily he was out at this point as well.
"That's not true Nova"
"Oh yeah try telling that to Oliver Bloody Wood. He dumped me because of this stupid scar" I spit out angry at the thought.
"He what. I'll kill him myself" Charlie sounds angry "Why didn't you tell me that. All that crap in your letter about just growing apart was bullshit"
"Charlie it's fine I've moved on"
"It's not fine. You're broken Nova I can see it, Harry can probably see it, the twins definitely see it I can tell from the way they looked at you"
"I'm not something that need's fixing Charlie" I say pulling away from him and heading away from him and back into the Burrows. As I walk in I find Mrs Weasley stood in the kitchen.
"Hello Aurora dear"
"It's just Rory, Mrs Weasley"
"Where's Charlie?
"Oh he's still outside. Where's Fred and George?" I quickly change the subject.
"In their bedroom. Could you tell them dinner wont be long"
"Of course" I smile at her as I walk up the stairs to find the twins. I knock their door.
"Who is it" Fred calls out.
"Get up and look lazy" I call back hearing them laugh.
"Come in Rory"
"Thank you Georgie"
"Still don't know how you tell us apart without even being able to see us" Fred says sitting on his bed whilst George lays on his own.
"I'm just amazing like that I guess" I answer him laying down next to George who'd moved over to make room for me. "You two doing alright" I ask now serious.
"We're fine Ror, not the first time we've been in trouble won't be the last" Fred says as he lays down on his bed. George looks at me moving the hood of my jumper before talking.
"What's with the hood. Stop hiding it Rory"
"Drop it George I've already had to deal with Charlie I don't want it from you two as well. Please"
"Talk to us when you're ready Ror, we'll be here for you" I wrap my arms around George as he smiles and returns the hug before Fred throws himself onto of us to join in.
"Freddie can you please get off. I love you but I also love breathing" I joke as he laughs before climbing off of me. "Oh your mums said it's nearly time for dinner" at this Fred grabs me throwing me over his shoulder before running downstairs with George following behind laughing. Mrs Weasleys stood in the kitchen preparing food.
"Fred put her down this instant and we're eating outside go ask Charlie and Bill to sort the tables please"
"Sure thing mum" Fred answers as he runs out the back door nearly tripping with me still on his shoulder.
"Bloody hell Fred be careful and put her down" Charlie comes over "You could of seriously hurt her if you'd fell'
"Sorry Charlie" he lowers me to the floor "Mum said can you and Bill sort the tables we're eating outside" Charlie nods before walking over to Bill. I stood between Fred and George as Bill and Charlie fight with the two battered old tables they're flying through the air as Harry, Ron and Hermione come outside. Fred and George are cheering the two on as Bill and Charlie continue smashing the tables into each other, each attempting to knock the other's out of the air. Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked one of its legs off. There was a clatter from overhead, and we all look up to see Percy's head poking out of a window on the second floor.
"Will you keep it down?!" he bellowed.
"Sorry, Perce," Bill said grinning, he's definitely not sorry. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?"
"Very badly," Percy said peevishly, and he slammed the window shut. Chuckling, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then, with a flick of his wand, Bill reattached the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowhere. By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, and everyone was settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. I'm sat between Charlie and Fred. At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.
"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, its extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman -"
"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favour: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble - a lawnmower with unnatural powers - I smoothed the whole thing over."
"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course," Percy said dismissively, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department... when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"
"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr. Weasley, frowning. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now - though must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried... "
"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her - but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However" Percy heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of elderflower wine "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup." Percy cleared his throat significantly and looked down toward the end of the table where we were sitting. "You know the one I'm talking about, Father." He raised his voice slightly. "The top-secret one." Ron rolled his eyes and muttered
"He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons." In the middle of the table, Mrs. Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition.
"With a horrible great fang on it. Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"
"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," Bill said patiently.
"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly. "I wish you'd let me give it a trim"
"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's" Fred, George, and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the quidditch world cup
"It's got to be Ireland," Charlie said thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semi finals."
"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," Fred said.
"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," Charlie said shortly. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."
"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," Charlie answered him gloomily. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg." Mr. Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had the homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle. I noticed Charlie glance at me a few times as I push my food around my plate before whispering so only I could hear him.
"You haven't eaten much, you okay" I turn to face him.
"Just drop it Charlie" I mutter back.
"Nova"
"Please Charlie" I plead, he nods letting it go as Mrs Weasley speaks.
"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry and Rory, if you leave your school lists out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."
"Wow - hope it does this time!" Harry said enthusiastically.
"Well, I certainly don't," Percy said sanctimoniously. "I shudder to think what the state of my intray would be if I was away from work for five days."
"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.
"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"
"It was," Fred whispered to me and Harry as they got up from the table. "We sent it."
"You my dear friend are awesome" I smile at him as he starts laughing.