chapter two : the Burrow

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"Thank Molly for allowing you to stay," Andromeda told Juniper as she handed the black haired girl her jacket. "And have a great year, dear."

"Thanks, Meda, and I will."

"If you send us the dates of your Quidditch matches, we shall go and watch you play, Captain," Ted said, smiling, as he handed her her Captain badge.

"That would be great," June replied, grinning.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Junior," Nymphadora said, ruffling her black hair.

June smiled and dragged her trunk behind her towards the fireplace.

"Don't forget your broom," Ted said, handing her Nimbus Two Thousand to her.

"Thanks."

Juniper took some Floo Powder, gave her family a last smile, before saying, "The Burrow!" and throwing the powder at her feet. Green flames surrounded her and the living room of the Burrow appeared.

When June stepped out of the fireplace, her foot stuck behind her trunk, making her lose her balance. However, before she touched the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her.

June's hazel eyes darted up towards her savior and was surprised to see it was Charlie. In ways, he looked different than she remembered him. Better, she had to admit. His hair had grown, it reached his shoulders now, but June thought it suited him well.

"I thought Tonks was the clumsiest person I know," he said, his blue eyes sparkling in amusement. One thing that hadn't changed.

"I guess it runs in the family," Juniper replied, smiling, trying to stay cool at the fact that her former crush was holding her.

Charlie helped Juniper back onto her feet. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"It's been a while," June agreed, nodding while dusting her pants off.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, before June snapped out of it and reached for her trunk. Looking at Charlie still gave her a racing heart.

"Here, let me help you," Charlie said, taking her trunk. "Mom told me you'd be sharing a room with Ginny and Hermione so I hope you're okay with that?"

"Sure," June said, as they climbed the stairs to the first-floor.

"Gin, June is here," Charlie said, knocking on her door.

Ginny opened the door and gave June a warm smile.

"Come on in, roomie."

Juniper grinned. "Thanks, roomie."

The black haired girl entered the room and placed her bag and broom on the bed closest to the window as Charlie dragged her trunk towards the end of the bed.

"Thanks," June said, smiling at him.

"Anytime," Charlie said, returning the smile.

"June!" Two pairs of voices exclaimed and June turned around to see the twins standing in the doorway.

"We thought we heard your voice," Fred said, as he and George entered the room.

"And we wanted to see it," George added.

Ginny frowned. "See what?"

"This," June said, taking out her Captain badge.

"Bloody hell," Fred said, coming closer to look at it. "How do you feel now, June?"

"Well, in some ways, I'm your boss, so pretty good actually," June said, grinning.

"Oh dear Merlin. You're going to be worse than Oliver, aren't you?" George said.

Juniper grinned broadly while putting the badge back in her pocket.

"She can't be worse than me," Charlie said, grinning.

"Oliver was worse than you," Juniper pointed out. "And we managed just fine. We even won the Quidditch Cup last year."

"So, no pressure, June," Fred said, grinning.

"If you want, I can give you some plays I used when I was a captain," Charlie said, scratching his neck. "I'm sure I've got them somewhere in my room."

"While you look for that, George and I need to show June something," Fred said, taking June's hand and dragging her along with him.

They climbed the stairs and entered the twins bedroom. George closed the door behind them as Fred and June sat down on the beds.

"So what's all this fuss about?" June asked curiously.

Fred and George exchanged an exited glance before the latter took a shoebox from under his bed.

"We have invented all the joke products that are inside this box," George said, before he opened it.

Juniper's mouth fell open at the contents.

"These are Canary Creams," Fred said, taking a couple of what seemed like biscuits out of the box. "When someone eats them, they transfigure the eater into a large canary. However, within a minute, the person will change back to their normal appearance," he added, seeing the look on June's face.

"This is bloody brilliant," June muttered. "And you did all of this by yourself?" She gestured at the shoebox with other joke products.

"Yes," George said proudly.

"That's amazing, guys. I'm proud of you."

They smiled at her as if it was the first time that someone had told them that.

"Fred! George! Juniper! We're ready to get Harry!" Arthur's voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

George closed the shoebox again again and pushed it under the bed.

"Coming, dad!"

The trio ran down the stairs, June binding her hair together in the process, and entered the living room.

Ron and Arthur were already waiting for them.

"Okay kids," Arthur said. "I'll be going first, then June, Fred, George and Ron."

The four of them nodded and Arthur stepped into the fireplace.

"4 Privet Drive!"

He threw the powder at his feet and with a green flame, disappeared. June quickely took some Floo Powder, too, before following his example.

Upon appearing in a dark small place, June knew something had gone wrong.

"Ouch!" Arthur exclaimed, as June landed on him. "June, no — go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake — tell Fred not to — OUCH!" Fred had landed on top of them. "Fred, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell George —"

"Well, if this isn't cosy," Fred whispered to June and she could clearly hear his grin.

"Maybe Harry can hear us, Arthur — maybe he'll be able to let us out —" June suggested, after giving Fred an eye roll.

The three of them knocked loudly on the wall.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?"

"Mr Weasley? Can you hear me?" Harry's voice came. "Mr Weasley, it's Harry . . . the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."

"Damn!" Arthur's voice said. "What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?"

"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.

"Really?" Arthur said excitedly as June's back was pressed against Fred's chest . "Electric, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that . . . let's think . . . ouch, George! Ron!"

Both Ron and George had appeared, making June squeeze even more tightly between Arthur and Fred.

"What are we doing here?" Ron asked. "Has something gone wrong?"

"Oh, no, Ron," Fred said, very sarcastically, as he tried to give June more space. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."

"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," George added.

"Boys, boys . . ." Arthur said vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do . . . yes . . . only way . . . stand back, Harry."

"Wait a moment!" A voice came. "What exactly are you going to —?"

BANG.

In less than a second, the five of them fell out of the electric fire, landing rather clumsily onto the floor. Harry hurried over to June and helped her up before pulling her in a hug.

Juniper smiled fondly down at him. "I missed you, too, cousin."

"That's better!" Arthur panted, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. "Ah — you must be Harry's aunt and uncle!"

He moved towards Harry's uncle, his hand outstretched, but Vernon back away several paces, dragging Petunia. Words utterly failed Vernon. His suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and moustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.

"Er — yes — sorry about that," Arthur said, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. "It's all my fault, it just didn't occur to me that we wouldn't be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see — just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking — but I've got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the boys and girl back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate."

June was ready to bet that the Dursleys hadn't understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Arthur, thunderstruck. Petunia staggered upright again, and hid behind Vernon.

"Hello, Harry!" Arthur said brightly. "Got your trunk ready?"

"It's upstairs," Harry said, grinning back.

"We'll get it," Fred said at once. Winking at Harry, he and George left the room. They knew where Harry's bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of the night. June suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; we all had heard a lot about him and his diet from Harry.

"Well," Arthur said, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very — erm — very nice place you've got here."

As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn't go down too well with the Dursleys. Vernon's face purpled once more and Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything.

Arthur was looking around. He loved everything to do with Muggles. June smiled as she could see him itching to go and examine the television and the videorecorder (Ted had told her all about them).

"They run off eckeltricity, do they?" he said knowledgeably. "Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," he added to Vernon. "And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you are."

Vernon clearly thought Arthur was mad, too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Petunia from view, as though he thought Arthur might suddenly run at them and attack.

Dudley suddenly appeared in the room. Juniper could hear the clunk of Harry's trunk on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Arthur with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Vernon's bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.

"Ah, this is your other cousin, isn't it, Harry?" Arthur said, taking another brave stab at making conversation.

"Yep," Harry said, "that's Dudley."

As June glanced at Harry's other cousin, she raised her eyebrow is dismay. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Arthur, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley's peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, June was quite sure that Arthur thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Arthur felt sympathy rather than fear.

"Having a good holiday, Dudley?" he said kindly.

Dudley whimpered. June saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside.

Fred and George came back into the room, carrying Harry's school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical, evil grins and June immediately knew they were up to something.

"Ah, right," Arthur said. "Better get cracking, then."

He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. June saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one.

"Incendio!" Arthur said, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.

Flames rose as once in the fireplace, cracking merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Arthur took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever.

"Off you go then, Fred," Arthur said.

"Coming," Fred said. "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 walking right into the fire, saying, "The Burrow!"

Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished.

"Right then, George," Arthur said, "you and the trunk."

Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames, and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried, "The Burrow!" and had vanished, too.

"Ron, you next," Arthur said.

"See you," Ron said brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned broadly at Harry and June, then stepped into the fire, shouted, "The Burrow!" and disappeared.

Now, Harry, Arthur and June alone remained. June gestured for Harry that he could go next.

"Well . . . bye then," Harry said to the Dursleys.

They didn't say anything at all. Harry moved towards the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Arthur put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement.

"Harry said goodbye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear him?"

"It doesn't matter," Harry muttered, while June just glared at the Dursleys. "Honestly, I don't care."

Arthur did not remove his hand from Harry's shoulder.

"You aren't going to see your nephew 'til next summer," he said to Vernon in mild indignation. "Surely you're going to say goodbye?"

Vernon's face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his livingroom wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering.

But Arthur's wand was still in his hand, and Vernon's tiny eyes darted to it once, before he said, very resentfully, "Goodbye, then."

"See you," Harry said, putting one foot forward into the green flames. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted and Petunia started to scream.

June's head snapped up. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and spluttering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. Once bewildered second later, June realised that the foot-long thing was Dudley's tongue — and that a brightly colored toffee-wrapper lay on the floor before him.

Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsuprisingly, Dudley yelled and spluttered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Vernon was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Arthur had to shout to make himself heard.

"Not to worry, I can sort him out!" he yelled, advancing at Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Arthur.

"No, really!" Arthur said desperately. "It's a simple process — it was the toffee — my son Fred — real practical joker — but it's only an Engorgement Charm — at least, I think it is — please, I can correct it —"

But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic-stricken; Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley's tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue, and Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard, and threw it very hard at Arthur, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace.

"Now really!" Arthur said, angrily, brandishing his wand. "I'm trying to help!"

Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Vernon snatched up another ornament.

"Harry, June, go! Just go!" Arthur shouted, his wand on Vernon. "I'll sort this out!"

June grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him with me to the fireplace.

"The Burrow!" she cried and the next moment, the two of them began to spin very fast, and the Dursleys' living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald green flames.

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Published 20.10.2020

I hope you enjoyed it & tell me what you think of it!

CHARLIE HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!! I REPEAT, CHARLIE HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!
(It only took my like 18 chapters)