Haley Potter and The Goblet Of Fire

Entrance With A Bang

Haley walks down to the breakfast table. Uncle Vernon has received a letter from Molly Weasley about the Quidditch World Cup. This letter, of course, has made Uncle Vernon furious. First, it's covered with stamps, and Uncle Vernon hates anything that looks at all out-of-the-ordinary or unusual. Second, Uncle Vernon hates bothering about Haley. Uncle Vernon asks Haley what Quidditch is. 

Haley replies: "It's a sport [...] played on broom –" (Maybe Haley should have fudged the truth about that one.) "'All right, all right!' says Uncle Vernon loudly". To stop Haley talking about wizarding culture, Uncle Vernon quickly tells Haley she definitely can't go to the Quidditch World Cup. But Haley threatens to write to her godfather, Sirius Black to say that Uncle Vernon won't let Haley go. Uncle Vernon quickly changes his tune. Haley is allowed to go to the Quidditch World Cup and spend the rest of the summer with the Weasleys. 

Haley runs up to her room. She finds two owls. One is her owl, Hedwig, and the other is a tiny owl, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework. This tiny owl, "Pig," belongs to Ron. He is carrying a letter from Ron saying that the Weasleys are going to arrive at 5:00 the next day. Hermione, Ron and Haley's other best friend, is already staying with the Weasleys.

Haley writes a quick reply: "Ron, it's all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you at five o'clock tomorrow". Haley sends Pig back to Ron with her answer. Haley also attaches her letter to Sirius to Hedwig's leg, and she flies off. Haley is feeling pretty great: all seems right with the world. (For now.)

The next day, things at Privet Drive are tense. The Dursleys are waiting anxiously and angrily for the Weasley family to arrive. When 5:00 comes around, the Weasleys are still not there. Uncle Vernon uses this as an excuse to tee off on wizards: "I daresay their kind don't set much store by punctuality". Suddenly, "loud bangings and scrapings" come from the Dursleys' fireplace, which is boarded up. Confused voices from Ron, Mr. Weasley, and Ron's twin brothers, Cassandra and Fred, emerge from the fireplace. 

The Weasleys have tried to travel by Floo network – which is a network of fireplaces that wizards use to get around – but they can't get through the Dursleys' blocked up hearth. So Mr. Weasley uses magic to blast his way through the boards. He and his children come through the grate to find that the Dursleys' living room is covered in soot. The Dursleys themselves look absolutely terrified, especially young Dudley. 

Fred and Cass bring Haley's trunk through the repaired fireplace. As Fred is hauling things, he drops a bunch of toffees on the floor. Ron goes through the Floo network, so it's just Haley and Mr. Weasley standing with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon is barely willing to say good-bye to Haley, even though he won't see his niece again for months. 

Aunt Petunia starts to scream. Dudley is hunched down, "gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth". This thing is Dudley's tongue! Dudley's tongue has been hit by an Engorgement Charm, which makes things grow bigger. The Dursleys start to panic and throw things at Mr. Weasley, who's trying to help. Mr. Weasley tells Haley to get out – he'll sort the mess out. Haley travels via fireplace to the Weasley home, which is called the Burrow.

When Haley arrives at the Burrow, Fred and Cass quickly ask her if Dudley ate "it"? "It" is a "Ton-Tongue Toffee" – a sweet that makes your tongue grow huge. When Mr. Weasley comes through the fireplace, he's pretty furious with the twins. He points out: "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations!". Mrs. Weasley steps in too, and things get tense in the Weasley living room. Luckily for Haley, Hermione and Ron's little sister Ginny come in the room. Ron, Haley, Hermione, and Ginny all go up to Ron's room while the twins argue with their irate mother downstairs. Ron and Ginny tell Haley about the twins' new business: they're making magical practical jokes ("Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes") that they plan to sell once they get to school. 

But Mrs. Weasley is annoyed that the twins want to open a joke shop rather than work for the Ministry of Magic like Mr. Weasley. Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother and recent Hogwarts graduate, is working for the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Percy's a jerk – totally full of himself. Haley also gets to meet Ron's tiny owl, Pig (full name Pigwidgeon) formally. They all go down to dinner. 

Mrs. Weasley is slamming dishes and pots around and generally seems annoyed. She's worried that Fred and Cassandra are going to get in trouble with their tricks. (There's a Ministry office called the Improper Use of Magic Office, and it deals with cases of wizards who have done magic in front of Muggles, something that is strictly forbidden by wizard law.) Meanwhile, Percy Weasley is going on about his boss at work, Mr. Crouch, whom he admires. Percy mentions a missing witch, Bertha Jorkins, who never came back from her holiday in Albania a month before. Apparently, the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman, hasn't looked into the case yet. 

Around the dinner table, everyone is talking about the Quidditch World Cup. The final match is going to be between Ireland and Bulgaria. After dinner, Ron quietly asks Haley if she's heard from Sirius. Haley mentions sending Sirius a letter, but she's feeling too content at the moment to talk about her painful scar. Mrs. Weasley sends them all off to bed – they have to get up early.