Eva Black. Year 2.

Chapter 4

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. TheDursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with thestrange and unexpected. Theghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were gettingtoo quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were consideredperfectly normal. What Eva found most unusual about life at Ron's, however,wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybodythere seemed to like her.

Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force her to eatfourth helpings at every meal. Mr. Weasley liked her to sit next to him at thedinner 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. 

„Fascinating!" he would say as Eva talked him through using a telephone.„Ingenious, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along withoutmagic."

Eva heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after she hadarrived at the Burrow. She, Harry and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs.Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she sawHarry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loudclatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entereda room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her faceglowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat downand took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him.

„Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Eva, Harry and Ron identicalenvelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. „Dumbledore alreadyknows you two are here, doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them,too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.

For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Eva's toldher to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station onSeptember first. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the comingyear.

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 Eva's.

„You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. „The new DefenseAgainst 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 themarmalade.

„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'llbe able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand." 

„Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.

She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in thebutter dish. Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron'selder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badgepinned to his sweater vest.