A Summoner in the Wizarding World

Chapter 13: Side Quest

The flames spun faster and faster, and only when I felt my vision partially returning did I stabilized myself and stepped out of the fireplace. A brilliant emerald flash and the loud roar of flames greeted me to the Burrow.

"Oh, Harry dear! Welcome, welcome! Dinner's being prepared, so settle in with Ronald and Hermione, they're upstairs. Oh, Bill and Charlie would be thrilled to see you!" Mrs. Weasley smiled and gave me a quick hug.

The Burrow's cozy living room smelled of peculiar flora, a whiff of Butterbeer, with a faint reminiscent of Floo powder. Floral wallpaper covered the entire of living room while mismatched furniture, seemingly all bought secondhand, littered across with no rhyme or reason. In front of the fireplace, a clock with hands labeling not minutes or hours, but each Weasley members' names, lay pointing to various states such as "time to de-gnome the garden" and "you're late!".

"Mum! Is that Harry?" Ron's voice echoed from upstairs. With a shuffling noise, the staircase creaked as multiple individuals rushed down on it.

Two girls appeared first in the kitchen doorway. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was myself and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Both of them smiled at me, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet - she was obviously been very taken with Harry, courtesy of JK Rowling's awkward romance writing, ever since his first visit to the Burrow.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, a familiar voice sounded in my head as I met Hermione as her fourth-year self:

"Side Quest conditions met.

'Hermione, the First Heroine' activated.

Completion conditions: As a reincarnator, fix another of JK Rowling's awkward and mismatched romance. Prevent Hermione from dating Ronald Weasley by making her your girlfriend.

Bonus reward: Universal Time Turner (able to turn back time in any universe)."

Well, whether this quest is here or not, I would never let that terrible character match happen. Though it is slightly troubling that I had to become Hermione's boyfriend myself - well, hanging out with her for a total of over 3 years in both worlds should be a good base for a relationship, I suppose.

Before I could continue this train of thought, Ron, whose future girlfriend is about to be stolen, came next, his red hair still as tousled as ever. "Harry, mate! Good to have you here! Have you been following the World Cup at the Muggles'? Bulgaria's Seeker Viktor Krum is amazing!"

"I think Ireland has a higher chance at winning the finals, their roster is stacked", I replied, knowing the ultimate victor. 'And you'll stop fanboying soon when Hermione goes to the Ball with him.' Before Ron could launch a full-length Quidditch analysis, the other Weasleys made their way into the crowded living room.

"Good to see you, Harry. How's summer?", greeted Bill, smiling while shaking my hand. He worked as a cursebreaker at Gringotts, and had once been Head Boy at Hogwart. However, unlike Percy, Bill was - there was no other word for it - cool.

He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. Bill Weasley was wearing an earring with what seems like a fang dangling from it. His clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except for his boots which instead of being made from leather, they were dragon hide.

"Doing well, Harry?" greeted another redhead next to Bill, grinning and holding out a large hand, which I shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania - the large, shiny burn on one of his hands is probably a "souvenir" from that job.