We were in the homestretch. Only three days until September first and Fred, George and I were beginning to feel restless. The excitement was getting to us and we couldn't wait to board the Hogwarts express.
The last few days had been filled with quidditch many games of exploding snap and a gobbstones tournament that Mr. Weasley had won. Now Fred, George and I were so bored we were sprawled upsidedown on the living room couch.
"I'm so bored I'm this close to asking if I can weed your garden." I said holding up my fingers to show the them how bored I was.
"That reminds me," Fred started.
"Let's go chuck gnomes over the fence. Mum won't be upset since she's been nagging us to do it for ages." George finished.
The three of us crawled off the couch and went outside to the garden. Fred and George showed me how to chuck the gnomes over the fence and we began to make bets.
"Two sickles says I make it further than both of you." I said as I began swinging a gnome.
"Your on!" They both shouted from a distance.
I picked up speed and was about to launch it over the fence when someone interrupted our fun. Percy had mumbled something when the gnome I was about to fling went straight towards his face taking him out.
"I'd pay a fat stack of coins to see that again!" Fred shouted as he nearly jumped on my back with excitement.
"Two sickles each, please." George said holding out his hand.
I handed each of them the money then we went to peel the gnome off of percy's face. The gnome was griping onto his hair angrily as Percy tried to fend for himself. George kicked the gnome off of his face and Percy clambered to his feet fuming at the twins.
"I'm telling mother. She'll be fuming!" He tried to scare us but we all began laughing at percy's stupid looking angry face.
"You go do that Perce." Fred taunted as he picked off another gnome tossing it in the air. George almost instantaneously picked up a garden hoe and swung it like a bat flinging the gnome hundreds of yards into the air.
***
The next day Mrs. Weasley made sure to give us all plenty to do after the Percy fiasco. Every time we saw him we couldn't help but laugh at the swollen spot on his forehead where the gnome hit him.
He would usually scoff, make an angry face, then stomp away causing Mrs Weasley to reprimand us. Fred and George taught me how to stop caring so I had less of a reaction now when I got reprimanded.
We were currently picking vegetables from the garden which we de-gnomed yesterday while we were in deep conversation about Hogwarts.
"So what house do you want to be in then?" George asked me after we talked about how his whole family had been Gryffindors.
"I hope I get Gryffindor but judging by my family history I probably won't." I answered timidly.
"We can still be friends even if your in a different house." George assured.
"Unless your a Slytherin." Fred added making me even more nervous though I tried to hide it. This was the one time i wished i would be like my father and become a Gryffindor. I had never desired to carry on the Slytherin legacy in my family.
"I can't be too sure but I'll try not to be." I said trying hard to sound light-hearted.
"I'm mostly excited about getting out of mum's clutches." Fred said.
"We've still got ickle Percy to keep an eye for." George reminded him.
"There are ways to get around him you know." I said with a smirk appearing on my face.
"Do tell." Fred and George waited impatiently for me to reveal my tricks.
"Oh you had to have thought of this before. It's as simple as leaving right in front of him." I explained.
"But the catch is that's impossible." George argued.
"Percy's not a prefect he's only going into his third year. If we just tell him we got detention and leave before curfew not only will that be entirely believable but also a lie to allow us passage." I said excitedly.
"Brilliant." Fred said as he simultaneously yanked out a particularly crooked carrot.
"I nicked my mother's old schoolbooks and in Hogwarts a history it said there's a way into the kitchens if you tickle a pear or something like that." I said hoping they'd catch on to what I was saying.
"So what you mean to tell us is you get hungry in the middle of the night?" George questioned.
"What I'm saying is we can smuggle sweets for house parties." I got straight to the point as they were both being a bit thick headed.
The back door clambered open and Mrs Weasley came out with a sullen look on her face and a basket in hand. She began picking up the uprooted vegetables when I decided to interrupt her.
"What's got you vexing?" I questioned.
"Your mother stopped by earlier. She came with your Hogwarts trunk and asked us to keep you till we drop the lot of you off at the platform." She explained.
"Well what's she got stuck up her-"
"She was drunk and crying. Fred, George, go on inside." She paused to wait for them to leave then resumed. "Said something bout you looking so much like your father she couldn't take it any longer. She thanked me you know," Mrs Weasley was beginning to tear up which meant that wasn't the only thing my mother said.
"What else?" Now I was getting vexed.
"She loves you, darling, it's just hard for her."
"If she loved me she would have said something." I was fuming now and my voice was beginning to raise to a shout. "My whole life I spent seeking her love only to realize she couldn't bring herself to even tell me she cared. At least you love me." Tears were brimming now.
"Oh of course I love you dear." She said pulling me into the most comforting hug I had ever gotten in my life.
"Thanks." I wanted to say more but I couldn't think of anything.
"We have a bed set up in Ginny's room for you." She said guiding me inside where the family was setting the table. "Add an extra place! Chloe's staying for dinner!" She called.
Fred's and George's faces lit up as soon as Mrs Weasley said that and I got a warm feeling as a smile appeared on my face.
"Bed time is at nine-thirty. The bathroom is across the hall from Ginny's room but it's so crowded the twins just use the garden hose." She explained.
"I'll use the garden hose too then." I said while laughing.
After dinner Mr and Mrs Weasley used magic to do all the dishes and clear off the table while everyone went upstairs to get ready for bed. I realized quickly that when Mrs Weasley said bedtime was at nine-thirty she ment lights were out at nine-thirty. It was eight right now and Percy was hogging the bathroom to get a shower before the water went cold. Fred and George, like Mrs Weasley told me, went outside to use the garden hose but I didn't follow as soon as I realized they were actually showering with it.
Ron was running around the house looking for a specific pair of socks I remember Fred hiding in percy's room.
Ginny was sitting in her room reading so I went up and sat in Fred and George's room waiting for them. My trunk was by the door but my mother had brought me an overnight bag with a few days worth of clothes and some pajamas as well as my toiletries.
I changed into a pair of Hogwarts pajama pants. The crest was embroidered on the hip with subtle crest patterns across the fabric. The pajama shirt I had been packed consisted of a very old baggy weird sisters t-shirt. This was my favorite t-shirt that i had purchased so many sizes to big that it would probably fit me all the way into my seventh year.
Fred and George returned a little while later and flopped on their beds. They noticed me sitting there but didn't say anything which was unusual.
"How much time till curfew?"
"Thirty minutes." George answered.
"That enough time for a game of exploding snap?" Fred asked.
"As long as you play a speed round. I've got to go get ready for bed though. Percy's been stuck up in the bathroom for the last forever." I said as I reached the door frame.
"Blokes got something stuck up him I swear." Fred said as he pulled out a deck of exploding snap cards.
"No one takes Forty-five minutes in a bathroom just to scrub off." George added.
"Maybe he's got someone to impress." I suggested.
"Who? Mum. Percy's second only to ginny." Fred argued.
"We should ask him if he's got a special lady friend." George played along.
"We should ask him if he wants us to give him a haircut." Fred continued.
"We can shave his mummy's name on the back so everyone knows he's a suck-up." I added.
"Would you three be quiet and quit talking about Percy like that!" Mr Weasley shouted at us from the stairs.
"Sorry!" I shouted back apologizing for all three of us.
"Not a bad idea though, Chloe." Fred said in a whisper voice as we high fived.
"I'll go get ready for bed then come back to wish you a goodnight." I said as I walked out.
Once I washed my face and brushed my teeth I put my long black hair into a messy bun and packed all my stuff into my bag again.
"I'm not kissing you goodnight like your mummy." I said with a silly grin on my face as I waved at the twins and shut the light out in the middle of their game.
I heard their protesting shouts in my wake before me Weasley told them to be quiet again. Once I entered Ginny's room she already had the lights out and was in bed so I set my stuff down gently and got into bed quietly. I awaited the day where I would board the Hogwarts express and arrive at the most magical place on earth.