Infamous | Fred Weasley x OC |

Chapter Twenty Eight

Spending the summer with Sarah and Amy was never going to be as interesting as the rest of the year spent at Hogwarts. I'd enjoyed the first few weeks of summer. Amy had eagerly asked me about everything I'd got up to at 'magic school', as she'd put it. Amy could happily spend hours listening to me talking about magic but I suspected that was because Amy was now 19 and Sarah was constantly asking her what she was going to do with her life since she hadn't gone to university.

Most of the summer went by with Amy avoiding her mother and Sarah asking me where Amy was so she could tell her about a new job offer she'd found for Amy to apply for. Sarah was also growing more interested in my life too. She kept on asking me how my studies were going and if I was prepared enough for my OWLs that I would sit at the end of my next year back at Hogwarts. I was surprised Sarah knew so much about the OWLs. Perhaps she'd received a letter from the school. It made sense they'd inform muggle parents and guardians. But the only owls I'd seen delivering letters to the house were the ones Remus sent.

Since discovering I not only had a father who was alive, I also had a godfather. Remus Lupin had promised as soon as he got his life sorted out after leaving the post of defence against the dark arts professor at Hogwarts, that I would be able to visit him. In the meantime, I sent letters weekly and eagerly awaited his replies.

The owl that arrived that morning wasn't Remus'. It was an owl I'd never seen before. It tapped against the glass, impatiently waiting at the window. I dashed across the living room to the pouch of wizarding currency I'd kept on the mantelpiece so I could easily tip the birds that arrived at the window. The owl dropped the letter in exchange for a coin and waited on the window ledge as I eagerly tore open the envelope upon seeing it was addressed to me in Emmy's scruffy handwriting.

"Hi Allie! Hope you're good. Listen. My mum and dad have got tickets to the quidditch world cup finals this Thursday! How awesome is that? We were supposed to go as a family but my weird uncle cancelled last minute and we have an extra ticket. Please say you'll come before my brother's friend replies, I need you here with me. I can't go alone with my family. I. Will. Die. From Emmy."

I dashed back across the room to the coffee table by the fireplace and snatched up a pen and sheet of paper to write a reply to Emmy. I had started the letter before it occurred to me that I should probably ask Sarah if I was allowed to go to the quidditch world cup before I told Emmy I was going.

"Sarah!" I called out, not bothering to get up and go and find her.

"Yes?" She called back from another room.

"Emmy's invited me to the quidditch world cup! Can I go?" I shouted and listened intently for the reply.

"If it's okay with her parents'," Sarah shouted back. I grinned and immediately resumed writing my reply. The owl ruffled its feathers when I presented it with the letter and, with a few words of encouragement, flew off. I could hardly contain my excitement.

*

I received a reply from Emmy the next morning to excitedly tell me her parents had agreed that I could go with them and that they'd pick me up the Wednesday before the games. By the time that Wednesday rolled around, I was practically jumping up and down. I couldn't stop talking about quidditch, despite neither Amy nor Sarah knowing what quidditch was. I'd tried to explain it on numerous occasions but they still didn't follow all the rules. I suppose you had to see it to understand it. Most of the day came and went and, to keep myself from bouncing off the walls in anticipation, I went upstairs to pack a bag.

Emmy's arrival was announced by Amy.

"Jesus bloody Christ!" I heard her scream from downstairs. I raced down the stairs and into the living room, where her scream had come from, to see Amy recoiled on an armchair. She had her legs tucked her against her chest and was staring in horror at the floor like I did when I saw spiders. I followed her gaze and saw Emmy, sprawled on the carpet and covered in soot.

"Emmy!" I squealed and helped her up. She left a sooty handprint on her forearm, "How did you get here?"

"Floo network of course," She said as if that were obvious as she brushed the soot out of her eyes, "You all packed?" I nodded. "Great! We'll be off then." Emmy grinned.

"Ah, Emmy. You're early," Sarah said, unusually calmly for a muggle who had discovered a soot-covered child had magically appeared in her living room, "I wasn't expecting you until this evening."

"Mum wanted us to all eat together," Emmy shrugged, "She couldn't stop fussing that Allie wouldn't have eaten before we left so it was just easier this way. I didn't have time to send an owl, sorry."

"No harm done, it's one less person I have to cook for," Sarah smiled, "Thank your mother for me, Emmy."

"Will do!" Emmy said and snapped her fingers, "Where are your bags, need a hand with 'em?"

"I'll run up and get them," I said, aware of just how much soot Emmy had already trod into the carpet.

"Am I the only one who's freaking out about this?" Amy asked, still coiled up on the chair and still staring wide-eyed at Emmy, "A girl just shot out of our fireplace! While it was lit!"

I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I ran up the stairs to fetch my bags. Amy had still refused to move from her hunched up position by the time I came back downstairs. Sarah was nonchalantly sitting in the chair opposite Amy, sipping a cup of tea and flicking through the newspaper. It was odd now seeing a newspaper that didn't have moving pictures.

Emmy smiled at me as if to say 'ready to go?' and I nodded. I slung my rucksack over my shoulder as Emmy pulled out a cloth bag from her jacket pocket. There was what looked like more soot seeping out the bottom from a split seam. She tugged at the drawstring and the pouch opened. She stuck her hand inside and pulled out a fistful of dull grey powder.

"After you then," She said, thrusting the pouch at me. I just stared at her, "Take a handful then."

After four years of friendship, I knew better than to argue with Emmy. So I stuck my hand into the pouch and clutched at the powder. Emmy looked at me intently, flicking her eyes from me to the fireplace.

"Oh right, yeah. You live with muggles," She said after a while of awkward, intense stares, "I'll go first then and you can just copy me."

Emmy stood in front of the fire and threw her handful of powder at the flames. They instantly turned green and, without wasting a second, she said loudly "Hill House, Tutshill."

Before I could question it, Emmy stepped directly into the flames. They roared about her and crackled intensely. Some embers were spat out and I shut my eyes. When I opened them, Emmy had disappeared. Amy's mouth hung open and she looked even more terrified than before. Sarah was still calmly flicking through the paper.

I could feel the powder slipping through my fingers and hesitantly threw the remains into the fire before they all fell onto the carpet.

"Hill House, Tutshill," I said to the fire, exactly as Emmy had done and, with a confused and terrified glance back at Amy, I stepped into the fire.