Except For You ~ {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 14

Holidays were eventful, but not interesting. Mum said Grandma said some of her friends said I could stay with them over the summer so I wasn't too far away from Hogwarts. But it's not like I had any friends in England. I would have rathered go home, then come back with tons of jet-lag and spend the last few nights of August in the Leaky Cauldron.
I think Mum didn't want me travelling on my own because of this escaped convict, Sirius Black. It was an extraordinary feat, breaking out of Azkaban and getting past the dementors. This was going to be a rather boring summer.

I pick up the Daily Prophet delivered to me by Ésperos and look over the front page, sitting down at the table with Grandma's friends. They were quite nice and let me into their home, and when they did I got an immediate rush of nostalgia because their house was just like Grandma's. I grab some toast and smear marmalade all over it, reading the front page. It takes me way too long to realise I’m reading the back page, so I flip it over. I almost spit out my toast when I do. That boy seems to haunt me. All the Weasleys are on the front page, smiling happily into the camera.
"My dear, are you alright?" Terrance asks.
"Oh yeah, just didn't expect someone to be on here is all."
"You have it lucky. You get the paper delivered to you by your owl, but in our world people have to deliver it to you. I used to be one of those people." I smile faintly. Terrance reminds me of Granddad a lot.
"Paper's a load of rubbish though." I respond.
"Too true!" He agrees.
"Chocolate drink dear?" Eleine calls from the kitchen.
"No thanks!" I call back. These people often didn't think I ate enough though, so I added, "Orange juice is fine too!" She comes bustling in a minute later holding Terrance's tea and my juice.
"What's going on today?" She asks as she sits down.
"Some people I know won some prize so they went to Egypt to visit family." I answer, handing the Daily Prophet to her and grabbing some more toast.
"They seem nice." She remarks smally.
"Some of them are." I grumble. "But I don't know them that well." I add quickly, changing my tone. Mr Trouble still wouldn't leave me alone and he couldn't even contact me.
"Why ever not?" Terrance asks me pointedly.
"Never had a reason to. I'm starting to get to know one of them though. They're… interesting." I answer thoughtfully, taking a bite of my toast, this slice with honey.
"That's good dear. Well, what are you doing today?"
"I don't know. I think I'll do more homework. This year is like if Hogwarts had a year ten."
"Oh yes. Important exams and career choices, everything you need to do to prepare for the next two years."
"Right. I'll be in my room."
Terrance chuckles and whispers under his breath, "As per usual." Unlike my grandparents however, these two aren't assuming and judgy. They tease me in a fun way I don't mind. I finish my orange juice, stand up with my dishes, and go to rinse them off.
"Tell us if you need anything!" Eleine says when I head to my room. I look back at her, smile and nod.
My room's small with a twin sized bed and five different sheets. There are three big windows, and the wall opposite which has the door. The wardrobe is up against the wall next to my bed and my small desk is in front of the window to the right, out of the way of the door. Even though my room is small, it feels quite big because of the giant windows and minimal furniture. I've spent most of my time here, looking forward to the day I can go to Diagon Alley. I've been to a few shops with Eleine, but they've been muggle stores, they're nothing like magical stores. Sometimes Terrance and Eleine will have friends over, so I'll usually come down and talk about school and other things with them, play some trivia and call an early night when in reality I just want to listen to music and do my homework.
I can't listen to music at Hogwarts, so holidays are the time I get as many songs listened to as possible.

“Hey Eleine?”
“Yes?”
“I need to get to Diagon Alley for my school supplies.”
“Ah yes! I missed going to Diagon Alley. My little girl loved the handsome young bartender that works at the Leaky Cauldron.”
“Um, cool. Can we go tomorrow?”
“Do you mind walking?”
“No, that's fine. I just need to get there before September first.”
“Make sure you’re all packed tomorrow when you get back then!” I nod and walk back to my room. I pack everything I have already and flop on my bed. I wish I had some way to talk to Del, but Ésperos can’t fly all the way from England to Australia. I suddenly realise he’s been gone for half a week, when he swoops in from the open window, landing on the bed frame.
“Hey bud! Where’ve you been?” He holds out his leg with two letters attached. I untie them and he flies back to his cage, gulping water. One’s from Del. He did fly all the way to Australia for me. The other’s from- Mr Trouble. I open Del’s letter first.