Infamous | Fred Weasley x OC |

Chapter Twenty Nine

Travelling via the floo network was unlike anything I had experienced. Simply put, it was horrible. While the green flames were heatless, the journey wasn't without injury. I didn't burn to death but I had no idea how narrow chimneys were, never having been in one before, and scraped not only my elbows but somehow my knees too. I also wished Emmy had warned me to shut my eyes as pieces of ash from the other fireplaces I glimpsed whizzing past stung my eyes.

Thankfully I arrived at Emmy's in one piece. I wasn't sure if it was possible to travel by the floo network and arrive standing as by the time I got there I couldn't feel my legs and shot right out onto the floor, covering a rather fancy looking rug with ash. I didn't feel too guilty once I saw that Emmy, who was also covered in dust from head to toe, was standing on the rug without a care. Emmy's dad, who was standing beside her when I arrived, didn't seem to care either.

With Emmy's help, I hauled myself to my feet. I tried to say hello to her dad but as soon as I opened my mouth it filled with soot that fell out of my hair and all I managed to do was cough and splutter.

"Forget to shut your mouth did you? Common mistake," Emmy's dad chuckled once he'd seen I was okay and had stopped coughing, "I'm Malcolm, pleasure to meet you," He said, shaking my hand and promptly wiping the soot off on his trousers, "Emmy, show your friend up to the bathroom so you can clean up. If your mother sees the state of this carpet..." He said, sighing and rolling his eyes playfully. Emmy grinned at her and showed me upstairs.

Her house was nice. It was much bigger than Sarah's cottage and the fancy rug wasn't the only fancy item they owned. There were ornaments, proper fancy ornaments, not just random vases that Sarah sometimes displayed, but proper ornaments displayed on thin tables along the upstairs the landing. They had framed paintings on the empty spaces on each wall. It was a very nice house. And I was trudging soot all over it.

"I saw what you did to the rug," an ominous voice sounded from a room behind us. I felt guilty about the rug again. Emmy on the other hand just rolled her eyes dramatically and turned around slowly.

"Shove off, Anthony," she grumbled. Her younger brother stood in the doorway to his bedroom and peered out at us, a half frown on his face.

"Mum's going to kill you," he chided and Emmy rolled her eyes again.

"And again, shove off."

"You're so grounded."

"It's a hattrick," Emmy groaned overly loudly, "Shove off."

This time it was Anthony who rolled his eyes. He dramatically swung his bedroom door shut behind him and flaunted off downstairs with his hands thrust into his trouser pockets. Emmy groaned and shook her head.

"Eurgh, brothers," she grumbled and showed me into the bathroom.

*

Emmy's mum was waiting downstairs by the time we had cleaned ourselves up. The carpet was magically cleaned and Emmy's dad winked at us. Emmy's mum didn't seem to notice anything had happened to the carpet in the first place.

"And you must be Allie," Emmy's mum welcomed, throwing her arms wide as I came down the stairs. She rushed up to me and placed both her hands on my cheeks, smiling widely as she peered down at my face. Emmy looked like she was going to die of embarrassment.

"She's a lovely girl, Emmy," her mum said, beaming at her daughter as she released me from her grip. Emmy couldn't meet her mum's eye, "Right then girls, dinner is ready so come on through."

Emmy's mum and dad disappeared off into the dining room leaving me and Emmy to follow on. I fell in step with Emmy and she mumbled "sorry about my mum, she's always this crazy." Emmy only got more embarrassed when we went into the dining room. The entire room looked as if it had been filled with plates of food. Emmy's mum was standing at the head of the table with her hands pressed together under her chin.

"Have I made enough?" She whispered to her husband.

"To feed five armies?" He said, jokingly, "Yes, dear. Stop fretting and sit down and eat, I'd say you've earned it."

"Tell Allie the plan for tomorrow then, dad," Emmy eagerly prompted as we sat down at the table.

"Yes. Right," Malcolm said, clapping his hands together, "The plan is this. First- thank your mother for making all the delicious food we just thoroughly enjoyed. Go on then, I want to tick something off the list."

"Thanks, mum." Emmy and her brother Anthony both chorused.

"Thank you, Mrs Goldstein, it was lovely," I said politely. Emmy's mum beamed at me.

"Thank you, darling. And please, call me Irma."

"Then you all go up to bed and get a good night's sleep," Malcolm continued, "We'll need everyone up and out the door at 5 sharp if we're going to get to that portkey in time."

"A port key?" I asked, "What's a port key?"

"A magically enchanted object that will transport us to the games," Malcolm added, nodding to me, "Leaves at 8 sharp, if we get there late, we won't be going to the cup at all. So, and I'm looking at you Emmy when I say this, get an early night. I don't want to see the light on under your door at 2 am and find you still up and messing around with those zonkos things, you hear me? Good. Now then, who's going to help their mother clean up these plates?"

No one said a word.