Lucy Potter: Harry's little sister

Chapter 4: Friends from the Start

Ron's POV:

There weren't any words to describe how relieved I was to see my best friend alive and well.

OK, let's just leave the well away, but they were both alive and they were coming with us!

They were both very thin and looked starved and pale and tired. They were also covered in bruises.

"Hello there strangers!" Fred said happily when we were on our way. "Long time no see!"

"Why didn't you answer to any of our letters? Hermione wrote to me and said she hadn't heard from you either." I asked the question that had been on my mind from the first week of summer.

"Long story," Lucy said in an exasperated voice. She looked extremely tired, even worse than Harry.

"Well, it's a long journey," George responded, so Harry started talking.

"We never got any letter and I did send a few in the beginning," he started. "But a couple days ago, some house elf came by our house. Apparantly it had intercepted all mail from and to our house and kept it."

I turned to him, surprised. "Why would a house elf do that?"

"He said he wanted to warn us," Lucy continued. "That we shouldn't go back to Hogwarts this year. Said it was dangerous."

Fred and George shared a confused look and I frowned too. "Why would it be? Besides, we were in danger last year too!"

"He didn't say," Harry said, irritated. "Do you know who has a house elf? His name was Dobby."

I looked at Fred and George. We didn't have one and didn't have many connections with the kind of people who did.

"No, only really rich families have them," George explained. "They're really expensive."

"How does it even work?" Lucy asked.

"Well, a family that has a house elf, has them as a slave. Thry work for the family they serve. They clean, cook, wash dishes tend to the garden and many other chores."

"So why would one come to our house and keep us from going to Hogwarts?" Harry asked. "He also did magic in my house. I got a warning because the Ministry of Magic thought I'd done magic!"

"So it wasn't you then?" I asked. Since I'd heard from Dad about the magic performed in Privet Drive, I'd been extra worried. Then I'd asked Fred and George for help.

"How did you know about it? No it was the elf!"

"Dad told us last morning," Fred said. "George, go more to the east."

George steered to 'the east' as I assumed and the conversation went on. "How did he know?"

"Dad works at the Ministry," I said. I honestly was surprised I hadn't told Harry yet.

When I looked to my left, I saw Lucy was fast asleep.

"By the way Harry, happy birthday!" I knew it was too late, but in my defense, I had tried to send him a letter. Luckily, I had already thought that he wouldn't answer anyways and something was up, so I hadn't sent his present yet.

"Thanks!" The twins congratulated him too.

*~*

Lucy's POV:

I woke up when Harry nudged my shoulder lightly. "We're here Lu..."

I looked out of the window and I was immediately very much awake. There was a very misformed, magical house in the middle of a field. It was a small kind of farm.