Along Came Trouble | Book 2

Chapter 8: There's Another Adventure Ahead Of Us...

I opened my eyes, only to find myself in the living room of the Burrow. How did I get here?

"Oh, Riley dear, you're awake!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

"Where's Harry? Is he okay?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't in the room.

"Arthur took Ron and Hermione out to look for him."

"What? But, when I passed out, he was literally right under me. If you found me, how could you not find him?" I questioned.

"You two must've been separated. It's very possible. No need to worry now, I'm sure they'll find him."

I could see the worry in her eyes. Mrs. Weasley was like a mother to Harry, and she was to me as well. I knew she was worried sick, but, she was trying to hide it.

I sat up, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the light. Fred and George were standing in the kitchen, trying to scrub the paint off their faces, while Ginny helped prepare dinner. My heart was racing, and so was my mind. Was Harry okay? What if they couldn't find him, and were forced to leave him there for all eternity?

What if he was dead?

I began tearing up, not liking the thought of it at all. That was when the front door opened, revealing the pale face of Mr. Weasley. Behind him, stood Ron and Hermione. Finally, I saw Harry. He had a few bruises, and was filthy, but, he was alive.

I jumped up, and engulfed him into a death hug. "You scared the bloody crap out of me, Harry Potter!" I said into his neck.

"Are you alright, Riley?" He asked me, hugging me back.

"I'm fine now."

He chuckled, and gently pulled away. "I'm okay, don't worry."

I sighed, rolling my eyes at him. "You better be telling the truth, or else you won't be okay."

Mrs. Weasley came up to us, smiling warmly. "Come on, you two, let's get you fixed up."

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We were on the Hogwarts Express, finally on our way back to Hogwarts. I never thought I'd ever take this journey again, but, here I was, sitting beside Harry, gazing out the window.

Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet, while talking to Harry about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. To be completely honest, I don't care what happened. As long as we were safe, it didn't matter to me.

I was snapped out of my daze, when I felt Harry nudge my side. I looked at him.

"Want anything?" He asked. From outside the door, I heard the sweet little lady with the trolley calling out, "Anything from the trolley?"

I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a few Sickles. "Pumpkin Pasty please." I outstretched my hand with the Sickles, but he only pushed it away.

"Don't worry about it."

I frowned. "Harry, take the money, please. I'll feel bad."

He smirked. "I guess you're going to have to live with feeling bad."

Pouting, I watched as he got up, along with Ron, and opened the compartment door. Ron asked for some candy, changed his mind a few times, and finally made a decision. Harry was quiet for a moment, before he asked for a Licorice Wand, and a Pumpkin Pasty.

Once he paid, he plopped back down beside me, grinning like an idiot. I frowned at him, but, he only ignored me. Finally, he snapped back into reality, and handed me my Pasty.

"Thanks. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

I wasn't convinced, but, I knew I wasn't going to get it out of him any time soon. So, I ate quietly, staring out the window. After a few minutes, I dozed off.

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"Riley, wake up, we're here." Harry's voice told me softly.

I opened my eyes, and yawned. That felt like the shortest nap ever.

"Already?" I whined childishly.

"Yes, now come on. We only have a few minutes before the train takes us back to London."

Grudgingly, I got up, and followed him out onto the platform of Hogsmeade. Hagrid was bellowing for the first years to follow him towards the boats.

Finally, we found Ron and Hermione, and we all headed to the Great Hall together. We sat down at the Gryffindor table, chatting quietly, until the first years had to get Sorted.

I didn't really pay attention to that. It got boring to watch terrified little kids sit on a stool and wear a hat after a while. Thank goodness I didn't have to do that.

After all that boring stuff was over, Dumbledore began his boring speech. Well, at least I thought it'd be boring. Actually, I was tuned in the entire time.

According to him, this year, Hogwarts would be hosting two other magical schools. One of which was Beauxbatons, a school I attended for 2 months. The other was Durmstrang, which I believe is an all boys school.

This year, the Triwizard Tournament would be taking place, and our three schools would be competing. One person from each school would be competing in dangerous tasks, and, whoever won got eternal glory.

Unfortunately, for Fred and George at least, only people 17 and up could compete. It sounded interesting to watch for sure.

Then, the other schools arrived. The first to present themselves were the Beaxbatons girls. They wore their usual blue silk robes, with their hair done in ponytails. As they skipped past our table, producing blue birds from their hands somehow, Harry and Ron stared like idiots, drooling, and grinning stupidly.

Hermione slapped Ron's arm, and I gave Harry a good kick in the shin. He winced, and glared at me. "What was that for?"

"For staring! It's rude!" I hissed, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

Next, came the Durmstrang boys. They. Were. Gorgeous. I felt my eyes lock on each of them for a moment, admiring the tricks they did.

Suddenly, I felt something hit my shin. "It's rude to stare!" Harry mocked me playfully.

I rolled my eyes at him, and began clapping for them. Lastly, another few people walked in.

One of them, if I wasn't mistaken, was Viktor Krum!

"Blimey, it's him! Viktor Krum!" Ron whispered excitedly.

I can already tell that we have another adventure ahead of us.