Keep Up!

Part 5

"Hello there," Oliver smirked as he approached you.

"Hi, Oli," You laughed slightly before walking towards the garden shed where the anti-gnome salt powder was. You grabbed a slightly rusted watering can poured in some of the powder and began running around the garden letting the powder pour out the spout and scare off the smaller gnomes. All that was left after that was to grab the larger ones by their hats and toss them over the short stone wall that surrounded the garden. It didn't take much time at all, especially with Oliver's help.

"I think this one is the last of 'em," Oliver yelled over to you from the other side of the garden.

"Ack! It bit me!" He exclaimed more in shock than pain causing you to double over with laughter completely oblivious to the fact the polka dot gnome your father had warned you about was charging right for you. "It's headed your way!"

"What?!" You shouted in fear as you jumped up and ran in the opposite direction of the biting gnome. After a solid minute of Oliver chasing the gnome that was chasing you he eventually caught it and threw the little guy a bit farther than necessary.

"Don't think y'all will be seeing him anytime soon," Oliver said proudly but ended up just looking a bit goofy as there was grass all in his hair.

"My hero," you teased as you picked a piece of grass out of his hair making his face turn red in embarrassment.

"Dinner!" Molly shouted from the kitchen window.

"Thank Godric I am starving!" Oliver said as he shook his head free of grass and waited by the door to open it for you. "Wow, that smells amazing Mrs.Weasley!"

"Oliver? I didn't know you were here," Percy said from his seat.

"Yeah, I kinda got in trouble and had to help Y/n degnome the garden..." Oliver said with a shrug as he sat down next to his best friend.

"Y/n had to as well? What did she do?" Percy asked with a puzzled expression.

"Ehem, I did not spend the last two hours cooking this meal for it to go cold, now hurry up and eat!" Molly said as she passed around a bowl filled to the brim with mouth-watering mashed bee-trout. Immediately the chaos began. Fred and George were levitating food into each other's mouths, and Percy and your boyfriend were discussing their upcoming muggle history class. The only one the two of them had together. Ron was inhaling the shredded goose so quickly you thought for sure he would choke, and Ginny began to actually choke as her blue milk went down the wrong tube. Being the good older sister you were, you lightly tapped her back whilst doing your best not to laugh.

You were all halfway through your meal when a black owl you had never seen before flew into the house through the kitchen window that overlooked the garden. In its beak was a small letter with the golden seal of the Ministry of Magic. Percy shot up at record speed snatching the letter before Fred or George could explode it, or turn it into chocolate cake. Something they had, unfortunately for Percy, been doing to his letters lately.

"What's it say, Percy?" your father asked from beside you as he put his newspaper down. The front page showcasing a screaming moving shot of Sirius Black in his prison robes. Percy quickly read the letter, his eyes going wide before quickly passing it across the table and into his father's hand.

"Good Godric!" He shouted as he jumped up from his seat, causing the newspaper to roll off the table and onto your lap. "Harry has gone missing!"

The table erupted in shock as everyone began questioning him all at once. Ginny looked ready to kill Sirius Black. Ron was ready to cry, or throw up, or both. Even goofy Fred and George were serious for a change, asking their father what in Godric's name happened.

"But he's my best seeker!" you heard Oliver stress over the noise, you kicked him under the table shooting him a pointed look. That was the last thing that should have been on your boyfriend's mind, worry about the kid then quidditch! "Sorry,"

"Everyone hush!" Molly shouted in a shrill voice, she was obviously distressed. Harry was her favorite without a doubt. And all her kids knew it. "Did the letter say anything else?"

"He was last seen boarding the night bus in his hometown," Arthur explained. Percy nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley in the morning then," Molly announced before clapping her hands and sending all the half-eaten dinner plates to the sink, where they washed, dried, and put themselves away in the cupboards. "Harry's a clever boy, he'll go get a room at the Leaky Cauldron till it's time to leave for school,"

"Hey! I wasn't done with that!" Percy complained with a scowl.

"You can't seriously be thinking about food at a time like this, can you?" Ginny said rather crudely, the venom practically dripping from her usually sweet voice. "Not even Ron could stomach that, and I've seen him eat a Dragon-Dropping flavored Botts bean before,"

"Forget it," Percy sassed before excusing himself from the table where everyone was staring at him in disbelief. No doubt to hide in his room till it was time to leave for Hogwarts, which would be sooner than originally planned. Molly, not wanting Harry to stay at the Leaky Cauldron all by himself, signed up Ron to stay with him. Naturally, they couldn't be unsupervised, so you were also assigned by your mother to babysit them. Everyone was caught up in their own thoughts and worries till your father interrupted the silence.

"I think it is bedtime, goodnight kids," Arthur ordered, something he rarely did as he was usually the easygoing parent. Molly and Ginny looked like they were on the verge of tears, Arthur went and guided her towards their room as the boys made their way upstairs bickering about sneaking out to go find Harry.

"Come on Gin, let's go to bed, I'm sure Harry is safe and warm in the Leaky Cauldron, we'll go see him tomorrow. I promise," you comforted your little sister and began walking up the stairs with her. not You looked over your shoulder and shared a small halfhearted smile goodnight with Oliver, who apparated back home once you were out of his view.