𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹, draco malfoy

˗ˋ 47

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN
✧
-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY
BOARD THE TRAIN

. . .

Marlie, for once on her life, was not at all happy to make her way back to Hogwarts come the morning of September 1st. And it seemed, everyone else agreed with her. 

As did the weather, heavy rain was splattering against the window of Ron's room as Marlie hurriedly changed into the far too large jeans and knitted jumper combination. She had just kicked Ron and Harry out so she could change, Fred and George having bombarded their way back into their room - Bill and Charlie still remained at the Burrow right up until the moment they were leaving, and nobody was quite sure when they were planning on returning to their own homes.

But as Marlie, Harry, Ron, Fred and George found out a while after they made their way downstairs, the two oldest brothers of the Weasley clan would be joining them in going to Platform 9¾ to see them off. 

Marlie was first to turn the last corner of the twisting staircase up the house and jumped out of her skin when she saw Mrs Weasley at the bottom, looking strained. "Arthur!" she called up the staircase. "Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!"

Ron's hand shot across Marlie's chest and pulled her back against the wall as Mr Weasley appeared, clattering past with his robes on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. When the group finally passed the bottom of the stairs and made their way into the kitchen, they were greeted by a sight of utter chaos.

Mrs Weasley was rummaging anxiously in the drawers. "I've got a quill here somewhere!" She called as she rumaged, and Mr Weasley was bending over the fire,talking to what looked to be Amos Diggory's head poking out of the fire.

Marlie blinked several times, unable to quite understand whether what she was seeing was actually real or she was actually yet to wake up, and she was just dreaming the feeling of the back-to-school gloom and the awful weather outside of the windows.

But even after pinching herself, Amos Diggory's head was still sitting in the middle of the flames like the large egg that Norberta the dragon had broken out of in their first year. It was talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears. 

"... Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting." Mr Diggory's head was saying. "So they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems - please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -"

"Here!" Mrs Weasley said breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a crumpled quill into Mr Weasley's hands. Fred and George made their way off of the steps, peering around Harry and Ron to be able to see the head in the fire.

"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," Mr Diggory continued. "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur-"

"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" Mr Weasley asked, a look of concern on his face following the mention of Rita Skeeter, and he unscrewed the ink bottle, loading up his quill, and prepared to take notes. 

Mr Diggory's head rolled its eyes. "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house, but was ambushed by his dustbins."