WITH THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR ENDING AS IT HAD, THERE WAS A LINGERING UNCERTAINTY AROUND THE ARRIVAL INTO THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
even your parents, muggles as they are, know something is up. even they have been hesitant to send you back, hesitant to even allow you to go to the weasley's for the holidays this year.
with everything's that's happened the past handful of years, they'd only be in their right minds to not send you back, but no matter their worries, you know you can't just not return. even if it means living in fear, you have a second home at hogwarts and with ron, harry, hermione and cedric. you have a responsibility to return, and you won't go back on that out of fear.
at least the welcome of the holiday season was a slight relaxer from everything outside, the bustling environment of the burrow ever-welcoming as you laugh with the twins, giggling over one of their new contraptions for the shop they had been working hard to build.
despite molly's inital dissaproval, the two had been adamant on following their dreams, and with the help of harry's tri-wizard tournament winnings, they had been successful in opening the establishment.
you give a giggle at the balancing figure, only to perk up as a faint shout of "harry?" catches your ear.
"did someone just say harry?" you turn to the two as they arch a brow, the three of you clambering up to poke your heads out of the room.
"harry's here?" you call, meeting eyes with molly and ginny, both of which were already confused, as were ron and hermione from above you.
"harry!" molly calls, everyone beginning to hurry down the stairs in search of the boy.
you spot him at the bottom of the stairs, beaming as your cheeks burn with excitement.
ginny runs over in her dressing gown, hugging the boy.
"harry!" hermione shouts, hugging harry tightly.
"what a lovely surprise!" molly gushes.
"harry!" you beam, enveloping the boy in a hug quickly as he grins bright.
ron hugs him next, molly squeezing him tightly short after.
"why didn't you let us know you were coming?"
"i didn't know. dumbledore" he says, somehow explaining everything with just one name as you giggle.
"oh, that man! but then, what would we do without him?"
