Forever and Always Potter

4.2

Harry and I woke up early the next morning and by noon our once messy room was bare. My trunk were completely packed to the brim with clothing, my broomstick, and all my school supplies. It was unusually hot today so I dressed in accordance with the weather. 

The day seemed to be going by slow, 5 o'clock couldn't come any sooner. Lunch was an almost silent meal. Dudley didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Aunt Petunia wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at us."They'll be driving, of course?" Uncle Vernon barked across the table.  I looked at Harry concerned, "Er," said Harry. They could be using a ministry car like they did last year, "I think so," I said. Harry and I spent the rest of the day in our bedroom double checking that we had everything. Finally, at a quarter to five, we went back downstairs and into the living room.

But five o'clock came and then went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly."They're late!" he snarled. Ten past five . . . then a quarter past five . . . I was starting to feel anxious  now. At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room.  "AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!" Vernon screamed. Harry and I  jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Loud hangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys' boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it. Of course, the Wesleys were using floo powder. 

"Ouch! Fred, no — go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake — tell George not to — OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron —""Maybe Amelia can hear us, Dad — maybe her or Harry be able to let us out —"There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire."Harry? Amelia, can you hear us?" Harry approached the fireplace and called through the boards."Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?"The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney piece said, "Shh!""Mr. Weasley, it's Harry . . . the fireplace has been blocked up.You won't be able to get through there.""Damn!" said Mr. Weasley's voice. "What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?""They've got an electric fire," I explained.

"I'm trying to think what to do. . . . Yes . . . only way . . . Stand back" Harry and I retreated behind the sofa. BANG.The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle

 "That's better," panted Mr. Weasley, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. "Ah — you must be Harry and Amelia's aunt and uncle!"  Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind, "you know George I did catch myself missing you at some points this summer." "George could say the same everyday he was-" "Oh shove it Fred," George interrupted, "come on now lets go get Milli and Harry's trunks." I led them upstair to our bedroom, "Blimey Millie what have you got packed in here, all your love letters from Malfoy?" George didn't laugh at that joke, "funny to mention that Fred because I received what, two letters from you?"  Fred touched his heart in an offended way, "I thought Georgie wrote enough for the both of us." 

We walked back down stairs as Mr Wesley was getting the floo powder ready. "Off you go then, Fred," said Mr. Weasley."Coming," said Fred. "Oh no — hang on —"A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred's pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction — big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers. Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying "the Burrow!" Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished. George, and Ron all left leaving it just Harry,Mr Wesley, the Dursleys and I. "Well . . . 'bye then," Harry said to the Dursleys. They didn't say anything at all. Harry moved toward the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement."Harry said good-bye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear him?""It doesn't matter," I said to Mr. Weasley. "Honestly, we don't care." "You aren't going to see your niece and nephew till next summer," he said to Uncle Vernon in mild indignation. "Surely you're going to say good-bye?" Uncle Vernon stared resentfully at Mr. Wesley, , "Good-bye, then." 

Harry went first leaving it just me,"See you,"  I said , I stepped forward into the greenflames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted, and AuntPetunia started to scream. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. One bewildered second later, I realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley's tongue — and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him. 

"Amelia, go! Just go!" Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on UncleVernon. "I'll sort this out!" A few seconds later I appeared in the Burrow's kitchen fire."Did he eat it?" said Fred excitedly, holding out a hand to pull me to my feet."Yeah," I said, straightening up. "What was it?" "Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer. . . ."The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter; I looked around and saw that Ron, George, and Harry were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired people I had never seen before, they must be Bill and Charlie. 

"Nice to meet you Amelia,"  said the nearer of the two, grinning at him and holding out a large hand, which I shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Bill got to his feet, smiling, and also shook my hand. My eyes lingered on Bill's face, he was one of the most attractive boys or should I say man I had ever seen. "Erm nice to meet you," I somehow managed to spit out. 

A few minutes later two girls appeared behind Mrs. Wesley, it was Hermione and Ginny. Hermione, Harry, and Ron disappeared to Ron's room. "What productive things have you done this summer?" I asked the twins. "Well if you call starting our very own joke shop this summer productive, then I could say we've had a very productive last few months," Fred said. Him and George went into great detail about their inventions and how they would make loads of money at Hogwarts. However, Mrs. Weasley was not too happy with this latest endeavor. "I hope you two aren't corrupting young Amelia's mind," Bill said to the twins who laughed at that thought. "Oh please," George said as he put his arm around me, "without good old Millie here we would never have stepped foot into the library." Fred agreed, "It's important to mention that because everyone seems to be quite taken with Miss. Potter here she will be a key salesman for Wesleys Wizards Wheezes." Bill shook his head approvingly and I had to try and hide my blush, "sounds like you are quite the student, hopefully that Malfoy boy doesn't hold you back." I glared at the twins, "well we should go get ready for dinner," i said desperate to change the topic. 

By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and I  were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first,Harry and I  listened rather than talked as we helped ourselves to chicken and ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad. "You know Amelia," Percy who was sitting across from me said, "you would be the perfect candidate to intern at the Ministry next summer." I swallowed the food that was in my mouth, "you know Percy that actually sounds really-" "bloody boring," George interrupted, "If Millie does that she would turn out just like you Percy," he pretended to quiver with fear. "Actually matter of fact, I was gonna say it sounds really interesting." Dinner with the Wesleys was the most enjoyable part of my summer, we talked about the World Cup tomorrow, but I soon noticed my growing exhaustion. 

"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you —you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry and Amelia, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time." I followed Ginny and Hermione up to Ginny's bedroom, I had slept in it before but now there were new posters and it definitely seemed more older. The minute I hit the pillow I went into a deep sleep.