𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 | f. weasley

forty

CASSIE'S BACKPACK HAD TO be hurtled for the girl inside to wake up. Harry had to take it upon himself to climb down and toss some clothes at the girl to quickly change and get out of the bag so that the family could leave. 

"Couldn't you have just taken the bag with you and woken me up when we got there?" grumbled Cassie, as she looped the straps of her bag after changing into her jeans with Fred's oversized Bulgaria's Quidditch Team sweatshirt tucked in. The rest of the boys were already dressed, waiting patiently for Cassie, before heading downstairs. 

Mrs Weasley was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr Weasley was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. He looked up as the boys entered and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly. He was wearing what appeared to be a golfing sweater and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.

"What d'you think?" he asked anxiously. "We're supposed to go incognito — do I look like a Muggle, Harry?"

"Yeah," said Harry, smiling, "very good."

"Where are Bill and Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?" said George, failing to stifle a huge yawn. 

"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?" said Mrs Weasley, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in." 

Cassie subconsciously gagged on hearing the word 'apparating', the horrid memories of her apparition returning back to her.

"So they're still in bed?" said Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge toward him. "Why can't we Apparate too?"

"Trust me, you don't want to," Cassie mumbled, soft enough for just Harry and Fred to hear. 

"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test," snapped Mrs Weasley. "And where have those girls got to? Cassie, are they dressed?"

Cassie could only assume that Mrs Weasley had no idea that the girl had spent the night in the boy's room and not in Ginny's so she very awkwardly opened her mouth to respond when Fred answered for her. 

"No clue, Cassie woke up earlier. I went to give her the t-shirt," he said, adding the last part hastily to justify why he even knew Cassie had 'woken up earlier' on seeing his mother's arched brow.

Sighing, she bustled out of the kitchen and they heard her climbing the stairs.

"How hard is the test?" asked Harry. 

"Depends on the person,"  said Mr Weasley, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."

Everyone around the table except Harry winced.

"Er — splinched?" said Harry. 

"They left half of themselves behind," said Mr Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind. . . ."  

Harry turned to look at Cassie, wide-eyed and whispered into her ear, "How did you not splinch?" 

"Got lucky, I guess," Cassie shrugged gratefully, scooping some porridge for herself. 

"Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?" Harry asked, inquisitively. 

"Charlie had to take the test twice," said Fred, grinning. "He failed the first time, Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?"