The Forbidden Four: Year Two

Chapter Four - Books and Boogies

Chapter Four - Books and Boogies

It didn't take long for Harry to realize that the Weasley's were. . . Strange. Not in a bad way, he didn't think. But in a way that was most unusual to him. Mrs. Weasley was always taking every chance she got to stuff him with food until he felt like one of the balloons Dudley would pop on his birthday at ungodly hours in the morning just to annoy him. Mr. Weasley was simply enchanted by everything Muggle, and would light up like the sun whenever Harry entered the room, taking every moment he could to ask Harry dozens of questions about his Muggle relatives.

Ron was always warm and welcoming, endearingly shy about the ghoul in the attic and the gnomes in the garden, which had indeed come back rather quickly after being temporarily exterminated. There was never a silent moment in the house, what with Fred and George pranking everyone left and right; the occasional explosions coming from their room seemed to forcefully yank a giggle out of Harry's mouth each time they were heard.

Percy — despite his dull outwards appearance, was actually quite funny, Harry found. Not intentionally, it seemed, but every time he spoke about Cornelius Fudge ("How do you not know of Minister Fudge!? Oh, he's simply incredible—") he sounded like he was waxing poetry of the man. He really did appear to worship the ground he walked on, and Harry wouldn't have been surprised if, had Fudge ever appeared, Percy would have began kissing the hem of his robes.

Harry was also told countless stories of the two eldest sons, Bill and Charlie, who seemed like people that Harry would have loved to meet, and, despite Ginny Weasley's ever-apparent shyness around him, Harry found her to be enjoyable company, even if the most he had ever gotten out of the girl was a high-pitched, forced, "Hello!" Before she ran away from him.

He figured out quite quickly that Robyn was part of the twins' prankster group, and that she was quite the spitfire. While Fred and George never tried to prank Harry (whether that be because they had found him with bars on his window or because he was the Boy-Who-Lived, he wasn't sure), Robyn never missed any attempt to scare the pants off of him. It was quite refreshing, honestly, even if he did have to peek around corners before continuing on his way.

Time seemed to fly while Harry was at the Burrow and, soon, letters from Hogwarts had arrived for each of them. Dumbledore really was magical, that one, because apparently the Weasley's had not informed him that he was staying with them. The man figured it out all on his own.

Second-Year Students Will Require:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books too!" Fred said, peaking over Harry's shoulder. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it's a witch."

"That lot won't come cheap. . ." George said skeptically, sending a quick look to his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive. . ."

"Well, we'll manage," Mrs. Weasley said, looking worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny and Robyn's things secondhand."

"Oh, are you two starting Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked the youngest pair of twins, they both nodded and thankfully, nobody but he and Robyn noticed that Ginny had become a tomato, as Percy walked through the door.

"Morning, all," he said stiffly, adjusting his prefect badge that sat shiny in his clothes. "Lovely day."

Percy sat down in the last free chair at the table and then almost immediately jerked back to his feet in shock as a messy pile of frizzy feathers followed his polished shoes. "Errol!" Ron exclaimed, picking the owl off the floor and taking the letter from under it's wing. "Finally — he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursley's."