unfamiliarly familiar (f.w)

ch. 8 - the departure

August 18th. Today was the day I left for the Quidditch World Cup. I woke from my rather restless sleep and sprung out of bed. I spent most of the night tossing and turning because the twists of excitement in my stomach wouldn't settle enough for me to fully fall asleep. It was still dark outside with nothing but the sound of chirping crickets and croaking frogs echoing throughout the streets. Waking up well before dawn wasn't an easy task but this morning it was one of the easiest things I've done all summer. I couldn't wait to see the Weasleys. Although I've never met Mr and Mrs Weasley, I was eager to finally meet them after all these years.

As quietly as possible, I got dressed, brushed my teeth and applied a little bit of makeup to hide the fact that I barely slept. My bag has been packed ever since I got Mum's approval to go, all I needed to do was wait for Mum to sneak me out of my room and help me use the Floo Network. I was worried about Father and Draco finding out, especially Father. To be quite frank, I was more worried for Mum if Father found out she's been helping me. She's become quite a frail, sick looking woman. She assures me she's okay but I can see her slowly losing herself and I wish I could do more to help.

A quiet knock on my door alerted me that it was time to go. I opened my door to Mum, still wearing her dressing gown. "Are you all set, Aria?" she spoke in a hushed tone. I nodded back with a large grin forming across my face. We quietly tiptoed our way down the grand staircase, into the living room, trying our best not to make a sound. Once stood in front of the large fireplace, Mum took a step forward and threw some Floo Powder into the fire. A green flame engulfed what was the empty fireplace but soon settled down.

Before I could take a step forward, Mum pulled me into a hug, tightly wrapping her arms around me. I felt her jagged breath against my neck. She was crying. I pulled back enough to meet her eyes asking, "Mum, are you okay?". She nodded her head, but her worried expression told me otherwise. She quickly composed herself and replied, "I just want you to be safe, Aria. Dark things are happening... Things I don't want you to get involved in." A shiver crawled over my skin, creating goosebumps. "I love you, Aria. Please don't forget that" she continued. It felt like she was saying her goodbyes— like I wouldn't see her for a while. "I love you too, Mum" I said, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "I'll see you soon." Mum didn't reply, just gave me a faint smile and handed me a handful of Floo Powder. I stepped into the fireplace and took a deep breath before announcing "The Burrow" as quiet as possible and throwing the powder down towards my feet.

The harmless, green flame erupted around my body. I felt my body twist and turn. I was never a fan of traveling by Floo Network. The ashes always got in my eyes and lungs, making it hard to breathe and see. Before I knew it, I landed with a loud thud. Mrs. Weasley was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast when she saw me struggling to stand up and compose myself. She quickly ran over to me, helping me up and pulling me into a hug.

"You must be Aria. I'm so thrilled to meet you after all these years. Everyone will be so excited to see you." the woman said, cupping my face and giving me a bright smile. "It's so nice to meet you Mrs. Weasley" I cheerly replied, smiling back at her. She quickly replied,"Oh please dear, call me Molly. Breakfast will be ready soon, would you mind waking everyone?" She said as she returned to her cooking. I nodded and headed for the stairs. This was my first time at the Weasleys, or really anywhere besides the manor and Hogwarts. The Burrow was a small but warm and inviting home. Books and trinkets of all sorts filled the shelves giving the home a personal charm that reminded me so much of the Weasley siblings.

The stairs creaked with each ascending foot. Once at the top of the first set of stairs, I saw a single door with "G" etched into the wood. I'm assuming it was Ginny since Fred and George share a room. I didn't want to startle anyone by simply barging in. Well... at least not Ginny, so I gently knocked on the door before quietly cracking the door and peering in. To my surprise, Ginny was already awake along with someone else I quickly recognized as Hermione. The two girls snapped their heads in my direction with huge grins on their face.