Hidden Wings - Part I

The Burrow

Mr. Ralf, the head of the orphanage, had no qualms about Jessamine leaving three weeks early.

So, on Friday morning, Jessamine stood outside in front of the fence. She was suddenly glad that she had repainted it.

Her trunk was next to her and Esma had taken her usual seat on Jessamine's shoulder.

Fingers fidgeting nervously, Jessamine stared down the road.

How would they arrive?

She hoped they would be discreet since everybody here was a muggle.

The sun climbed higher and at ten o'clock, a blue Ford drove into her street.

Jessamine thought it was just another normal car, until it stopped in front of her and George Weasley waved out from the passenger seat.

"Hey, Jess!", he called and grinned.
"Ready for a ride?"

Jessamine eyed him skeptically.
"Can you drive yet?", she wondered. They could only be fourteen. And what would people say if they saw a teen driving?

George winked at her.
"Don't worry, we got it covered."

Fred bent forward and waved around his brother, and Jessamine had to bite her lip not to laugh.
Fred had a grey beard plastered to his face, and it was already starting to come off.

George got out and helped Jessamine load her trunk, before she got into the back seat.

Starting the car, the motor stuttered for a moment until Fred hit the gas and drove them out of the neighborhood.

"Nice place", George said. "Where are your parents?"

Realizing that neither Ron nor Mrs. Weasley had told them about the orphanage, and there had been no sign in front of the building either, Jessamine was not sure what to say.

"They're not here", she mumbled and looked out of the window.

George noticed her down expression and changed the topic, telling her about Percy being such a stuck up and studying continuously in his room.

They were driving down a deserted road when Fred turned around, his beard falling off, and smirked at her.

"Oh no", said Jessamine, having a bad premonition.

"Hold on tight!", he told her and pulled a lever.

The car rumbled and Jessamine felt her stomach lurch as, weirdly, all houses seemed to sink below them.
"Wha-"

Speechless, she looked out of the window. Her neighborhood was shrinking beneath her as the car drove further into the sky.

"The muggles will see us!", Jessamine exclaimed in a panicked voice and pointed down, but George only laughed.

"The car can turn invisible", he explained. "Dad got it from the ministry."

Jessamine watched fascinated as clouds swirled around them, changing their color throughout their journey. Soon the landscape below them was more and more speckled with trees and less with buildings.

"We live out in the country", Fred said, and seemed a little embarrassed by that.
"I love it!", Jessamine grinned and looked outside again. She rolled down the window and stuck out her hand to touch the clouds.

They were wet.

Fred suddenly banked into the cloud and Jessamine, who had stuck her head out, found herself with wet hair as she flopped back onto her seat.

"Fred!", she said crossly and glared at him, but had to giggle when the twins wouldn't stop laughing.

Their trip ended on a large field with a cozy-looking house on top. Jessamine hopped out and marveled at the trees full of singing birds.
Esma immediately took off and joined some fellow blackbirds.