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

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen - "Was that an insult or a compliment?"

There's a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when I wake up next morning. Heavy rain is still splattering against the window as I get dressed in skinny jeans and one of George's jumpers.

Harry, Ron, Fred, George and I've just reached the first-floor landing on our way down to breakfast, when Mrs Weasley appears at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed.

"Arthur!" she calls up the staircase, "Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!"

I flatten myself against the wall as Mr Weasley comes clattering past with his robes back-to-front (me tho), and hurtles out of sight. When we enter the kitchen, we see Mrs Weasley rummaging anxiously in the dresser drawers - "I've got a quill here somewhere!" - and Mr Weasley bending over the fire, talking to -

I shut my eyes and open them again to make sure that they're working properly.

Amos Diggory's head is sitting in the middle of the flames like a large bearded egg. It's talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears.

"... Muggle neighbours heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems - please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -"

"Here!" says Mr Weasley breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink and a crumpled quill into Mr Weasley's hands.

"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," says Mr Diggory's head, "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur -"

"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" asks Mr Weasley, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill and preparing to take notes.

Mr Diggory's head rolls its eyes. "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says they were creeping towards the house, but they were ambushed by his dustbins."

"What did the dustbins do?" asks Mr Weasley, scribbling frantically.

"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell," says Mr Diggory. "Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up -"

Mr Weasley groans. "And what about the intruder?"

"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye," says Mr Diggory's head, rolling its eyes again. "Someone creeping into his yard at the dead of night? More likely there's a very shellshocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it - think of his record - we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department - what are exploding dustbins worth?"

"Might be a caution," says Mr Weasley, still writing very fast, his brow furrowed. "Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?"

"I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window," says Mr Diggory, "but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties."

"All right, I'm off," Mr Weasley says, and he stuffs the parchment with his notes on it into his pocket and dashes out of the kitchen again.

Mr Diggory's head looks around at Mrs Weasley.

"Sorry about this, Molly," it says, more calmly, "bothering you so early and everything ... but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why he had to choose last night ..."