Ron's room was a mixture of neon orange chaos and clutter.
And Amisty loved every inch of it.
Poster after poster were plastered all over the walls, all with the same seven people holding broomsticks and waving.
"Your Quidditch team?" Harry asked curiously.
"The Chudley Cannons. Ninth in the league," He replied, gesturing to his orange bedspread, which had two C's and a cannonball marking it.
The team logo, no doubt about it.
She took a few moments to take in the surroundings. It was compact but cozy, and definitely messy.
Her gaze was caught by Scabbers who was sleeping in a patch of sunlight, his grey fur all ruffled. Ron looked at them expectantly, fidgeting his fingers.
"It's a bit small. Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on pipes and groaning..." He looked down at the ground awkwardly.
"Everything is amazing," Amisty replied, smiling.
"This is the best house I've ever been in," Harry continued brightly, grinning from ear to ear.
-=+=-
Every day was bustling and noisy.
And full of magic.
Meals were wonderful, homemade food piling up high as mountains on the crowded kitchen table. The twins constantly had booming making its way through the crack at the bottom of their closed door.
The ghoul in the attic loved pounding pips and yelling whenever he felt the house was quiet. Which it never was, at least to her standards.
Though, Amisty was loving every second in the Burrow.
It was a sunny morning, about a week since she had arrived, when her letter from Hogwarts came.
She had woken when the boys were still sleeping soundly, so to her best attempts she tried to keep quiet as she crept around the room to the door, stretching as she went.
The familiar smell of food wafted up from the kitchen, making her movements faster. That also meant, unfortunately, that they were louder as well.
The boys woke up with blinking eyes and ruffled hair.
"Oh, sorry!" She waved slightly, giving them a small smile.
"What time is it?" Ron yawned, slowly getting up from his bed.
Amisty glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall.
"About eight o'clock," She replied, deciding to wait as they rubbed the sleep from their eyes and got to their feet.
"Alright, let's go downstairs," Ron stretched before leading the way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
As they walked into view, Ginny's porridge bowl fell to the ground with a thump.
She dropped to the ground, picking it up hastily and blushing like no tomorrow. Amisty bit her lip to fight down her smile.
They all took their seats at the table, tucking into the food Mrs. Weasley had prepared.
"Letters from school," Mr Weasley handed them three yellowish envelopes with their names written in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you two are here -- doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," He turned to Fred and George, who had just come down the stairs.
She ripped it open, scanning over the words. It was the same as last year, though the list of books was different.
Second-Year Students Will Require
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by MIranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti Gilderoy Lockhart
"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too! The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan -- bet it's a witch," Fred exclaimed before shutting up at the sight of his mother's glare.
"That lot won't come cheap. Lockhart's books are really expensive," George pointed out, glancing at his parents.
Amisty shifted in her seat.
"Well, we'll manage. I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand," Mrs. Weasley replied quickly.
"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.
She blushed profusely, and once again Amisty fought down her smile.
That is, until the sound of footsteps reached her ears and she spun around. Percy walked into the kitchen, already dressed with his prefect badge pinned to his vest.
"Morning, all. Lovely day," He took a seat before jumping to his feet and pulling out a lump of grey feathers.
"Errol! Finally -- he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going try and rescue you from the Dursleys," Ron exclaimed, taking the owl from Percy and pulling out a letter.
He walked over to a perch and placed Errol on it, only for him to fall right back onto the floor. Ron muttered something under his breath and ripped open the letter.
"Dear Ron, and Harry and Amisty if you're there, I hope everything went alright and that those two are okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get them out, Ron, because that would get them in trouble, too. I've been really worried and if they're alright, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you use a different owl, because I think another delivery might finish your one off. I'm very busy with schoolwork of course' -- How can she be? We're on vacation!" Ron exclaimed --'and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Hermione."
"Well that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," Mrs. Weasley smiled, getting up and clearing the table. "What're you all up to today?"
Amisty got to her feet, helping her by placing her own dishes in the sink.
"Practice Quidditch up at the hill," Fred replied with a shrug. George, Ron, and Harry all nodded in confirmation.
"Be careful!" She called after them, giving a thankful nod over to Amisty.
The boys all marched out of the house.
Amisty finished clearing off the table and placed them on the sink before walking out to the backyard.
She scaled the tallest oaktree at the edge, relishing the feeling of the sunlight against her back.
Though she was grateful to have a roof over her head, the memory of stars above her when she slept was still one she adored.
A few more calculated steps and she was at the very top boughs of the trees. The sky was a brilliant blue, that morning, without a speck of cloud tarnishing its surface. She smiled brightly, her eyes glowing like the sun lying high in the sky.
Lying back against the tree's branches, the rough bark scratching against her clothed back, her body shielded from prying eyes by leaves.
Well, that's what she thought until a massive eagle owl landed beside her. She jolted, barely keeping her hold on the tree.
"Why hello there," She greeted the owl, swinging her leg back up on the tree and hoisting herself up so her feet her dangling off the branch.
The owl hooted apologetically, holding out his wing. A white envelope was tucked away in his brown feathers, of which Amisty withdrew gently.
"Thank you, you can head off over there if you would like," She ran her fingers down the owls head before pointing over to where Echo was perched.
The owl blinked in thankyou and flew off next to the tawny, towering over the small owl.
With slight fingers Amisty pulled open the letter, curious as to why there was nothing on it other than her name written in sharp lettering on the back.
The letter inside gave nothing away of the writer, still in the same penmanship as the addressment.
Dear Amisty,
I hope your summer has been as eventful and interesting as last year at Hogwarts and that my letter reaches you since I haven't the slightest clue of where to send it. Take caution in where you take camp, not everyone can be trusted when you're a witch. Be careful with your ability and to take your potion every morning. We wouldn't want you to lose your hearing over the summer. I hope to see you at Hogwarts soon as September 1st comes closer and closer.
Have a wonderful rest of your break, Me
She read the letter, her curiousity growing and growing as she read on, reaching its brink at the strange sign off.
Dropping down from the tree, letter clutched in her hand, she snuck back into The Burrow.
With quiet feet she crept up to Ron's room, where her quill and parchment were. She unlocked her trunk, pulled out the supplies, and started to write her reply.
Dear Whomever Wrote Me,
Though, I don't know who you are, I do wish you have had a nice summer. Your letter has made it to me, clearly, and I must admit your owl is beautiful. I'm currently staying with some friends of mine, so there's no need to worry over where I am staying. Thank you for your concern of my hearing as I have been taking my potion every morning. My supply is still at a safe amount and I can always send a letter to Madame Pomfrey if I need more. I guess I will see you at Hogwarts soon, even though your identity remains hidden.
Thank you for the letter, Amisty
After rereading her own, curling handwriting before folding it up and tucking it away into an envelope.
With a moment of hesitation, she scribbled 'You' on the outside before making her way down to the perch.
The two owls hooted in greeting as she approached, and she stroked their heads lightly. The eagle owl took notice of the letter in her hand and held out his wing. She smiled slightly, gently tucking it within the brown feathers.
"Give your owner a good peck for leaving me wondering who they are if you could," She whispered as she stepped back, watching as the owl fluttered into the air and soared off into the blue sky.
Echo hooted indignantly, ruffling her wings in annoyance.
"Oh, fly after him if you're that ancy," Amisty rolled her eyes, shooing the tawny off.
She gave the girl a gentle nip on her ear before ascending after the eagle owl.
Apparently they had gotten along well in the time she was gone writing.
"Who're you sending a letter to?" A voice asked curiously.
Amisty turned around, coming face to face with Ginny.
"I don't quite know, actually," She replied, grinning sheepishly.
"You got an owl from someone you don't know and you're going to send one back?" Ginny tilted her head to the side.
"It does sound a little weird now that you've put it that way," She laughed, "But it's too late to change that now."
"I guess... You're an orphan, right?" The redhead changed the topic of conversation, her bluntness catching Amisty off guard.
"Uh... yeah, I am. I've been living on Harry's street since last summer," She replied after a moment of hesitation.
"That sounds interesting, living out under the stars. Is it fun?" Ginny continued, her bright brown eyes glittering with interest.
"Well, it's definitely an adventure everyday. I do miss sleeping outside, though, staying inside can get stuffy," She shrugged, glad there was someone who wasn't scared of hurting her with the topic.
She was proud of what she had accomplished on the streets, it wasn't something for her to be ashamed of.
"You could always ask Mum if you could spend a night in the backyard," She offered, quirking up an eyebrow.
"Oh, it's alright. Better get used to it sooner than later since I'll be at Hogwarts in a little while," Amisty shook her head, smiling.
"Are you sure? It wouldn't be too much trouble," Ginny persisted.
"Mhm!"
-=+=-
It was Tuesday morning when Amisty finally remembered her limited wizarding money supply.
She was rifling through her school trunk when the dreaded memory struck. With that thought in her in her mind she meandered over to the oak she had climbed the past week.
Once she reached the top of the tree, yet again the eagle owl landed with Echo beside him.
"Hello again, you two," She smiled, pulling the expected letter out on his wing carefully, "Thank you. You can fly off now, I'll reply in a moment."
The eagle owl blinked before flying off, this time leaving Echo behind.
Echo hooted softly, rubbing her feathered head against the hand of her owner.
"C'mon, you've got food waiting for you at your perch," Amisty ushered, swinging down from the tree and walking back to the house with the letter concealed in her hand.
When she reached Ron's room, she tucked it away toward the edge of the trunk. She would read it later on in the afternoon.