It was a nice evening; the sun was setting, and the sun's rays covered the earth in bright orange light. Harry always loved the evening, as the orange of the afternoon appeared in the sky, giving all the trees, bushes, and landscape a nice auburn look.
Harry was slowly walking down the stairs, quenched with thirst after a long boring game of exploding snap with Ron. It was getting to the point where he just wanted to escape Ron because he just kept asking if he was all right every now and then. His embarrassment kept increasing as he remembered that night very clearly when Ron found him having a nightmare. He then hesitated as he was called from the kitchen by a familiar soft motherly voice.
"Harry dear?" asked Mrs Weasley who was doing the dishes in the kitchen.
Harry slowly walked in the kitchen from around the corner. Strangely enough, Mrs Weasley was washing the dishes the muggle way. "Yes, Mrs Weasley?"
"Please, call me Molly, Harry," Mrs Weasley requested with a hand full of bubbles and a few plates.
"Okay, Molly," Harry said slowly and feeling a bit weird for calling an adult by their first name but he dismissed the feeling. He walked around to the kitchen cabinets and grabbed a glass cup from the middle shelf. He was about to fill the glass up with water but as soon as he looked back into the glass, it had water already in it. "Thanks." He gave Molly a fake smile and hoped she'd buy it. The Weasleys were all so nice and all he does is waste their space and time. He is a waste of space here. Just another burden...
Mrs Weasley put her wand back in her apron pocket, smiling at him. "You know, you are allowed to use magic at the Burrow," she said, pointing to a bowl on the table.
"But I'm underage," Harry said with the glass of water halfway to his mouth. "Won't I get expelled from Hogwarts?" He took a sip from the glass, walked over to the table, and grabbed the bowl Mrs Weasley wanted him to bring to her.
Mrs Weasley raised her hands and shook them, signalling Harry to put the bowl back on the table. "No, no. Not at all, dearie. The Burrow is surrounded by wards, these wards protect us from muggles seeing us as well as the ministry. You won't get expelled unless you get caught, which you won't. Levitate the bowl over here, please."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows but then knew what she meant. He reached for his wand out of his pocket, aimed it at the bowl and cast a "Wingardium Leviosa." He concentrated on levitating it up and across the room, trying not to drop the bowl as it levitated over to the sink to where Mrs Weasley stood.
"Thank you, dear," Mrs Weasley said, grabbing the bowl from mid-air and started scrubbing it with a sponge over the kitchen sink.
"You're welcome, Molly," Harry replied blankly. He thought back to the second year and always wondered how Ron got better at casting those spells, he probably practised over the holidays with small things, like quills and books.
"Woohoo!" yelled a voice that came from outside.
"Oh, Fred and George," Mrs Weasley said with a tired sigh, looking out her kitchen window with a smile. "They're always playing Quidditch this late in the afternoon. Why don't you go play with them? I'm sure you haven't had a chance to ride your Firebolt in ages."
Harry thought about it for a minute, but what will happen if my scars show in the wind? Harry looked down at his long-sleeved shirt. Nah, I'll be fine. They won't get a quick enough glimpse of my scars because of my Firebolt. Harry nodded at the suggestion, excitement flaring in his eyes. "Yeah, I might as well go and practice. Maybe Fred and George could even teach me a few tricks."
"Very well, dear," Mrs Weasley says. Then her expression turned a little serious, confusing Harry a little bit until she said, "Just be careful, won't you?"
