A Hogwarts Legend: Chaos Begins [4] (SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five - "Harry Potter, quizmaster extraordinaire."

I feel as though I've barely lain down to sleep in Ron's room when I'm being shaken awake by Mrs Weasley.

"Time to go, Emily, dear," she whispers, moving away to wake up Ron.

I feel around for my glasses, put them on and sit up. It's still dark outside. Ron mutters indistinctly as his mother wakes him. At the foot of my mattress I see two large dishevelled shapes emerging from tangles of blankets.

"'S'time already?" says Fred groggily.

I head to the bathroom to change and put my contacts in, meeting the four boys at the top of the stairs, heading downstairs into the kitchen.

Mrs Weasley is stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr Weasley is sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. He looks up as the boys and I enter, and spreads his arms so that we can see his clothes more clearly. He's wearing what appears to be a golfing jumper and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.

"What d'you think?" he asks anxiously. "We're supposed to go incognito - do I look like a Muggle, Harry?"

"Yeah," says Harry, smiling, "very good."

"Where're Bill and Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?" says George, failing to stifle a huge yawn.

"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?" says Mrs Weasley, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in."

"So they're still in bed?" says Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge towards him. "Why can't we Apparate, too?"

"Because you're not of age and you haven't got your test," snaps Mrs Weasley. "And where have those girls got to?"

She bustles out of the kitchen and we hear her climbing the stairs.

"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" Harry asks.

"Oh yes," says Mr Weasley, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "The Department of Magical Transportation had to find a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."

Everyone around the table except Harry winces.

"Er - splinched?" says Harry.

"They left half of themselves behind," says Mr Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind ..."

"Were they OK?" he asks, startled.

"Oh yes," says Mr Weasley matter-of-factly. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms - slower, but safer."

"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?"

He's just full of questions today, isn't he?

"Charlie had to take the test twice," says Fred, grinning. "He failed first time. Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?"

"Yes, well, he passed second time," says Mrs Weasley, marching back into the kitchen amidst hearty sniggers.

"Percy only passed two weeks ago," says George. "He's been Apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can."