Stay - Theodore Nott

Seeing Him Again

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Kirra got a shock the first time she looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it shouted,"brush your hair, scruffy!"

The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal as she and the twins tried different Zonkos products out and even tried making their own jokes.

What Kirra found most unusual about life at Fred and George's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like her and her brother.

Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of her socks and tried to force her to eat fourth helpings at every meal. Mr. Weasley liked Kirra to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard her with questions about life with Muggles, asking her to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked, however, Mrs Weasley liked the idea of her sitting by the twins.

Kirra heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after she and her brother had arrived at the Burrow. She and the twins went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table with Harry and Ron.

The three of them sat down together and Mr Weasley spoke up "Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing them identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink.

"Dumbledore already knows you're here, Kirra and Harry — doesn't miss a trick, that man." For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Kirra's told her to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the coming year.

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 by Gilderoy Lockhart

Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart

Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart

Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Kirra's. "You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it's a witch." At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade.

"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive. . . ."

"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."

"I can help p-" Kirra started but was quickly cut off by Mrs. Weasley

"Nonsense dear," Molly told her with a smile.

Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest. "Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day." He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a molting, gray feather duster — at least, that was what Kirra thought it was, until she saw that it was breathing.