Mischief Managed

Prologue

It was early. Way too early, but she had to get up. Cassie waved her wand and shut off her alarm clock. She let out a heavy sigh and shut her eyes for a few more moments. "You're not supposed to use magic outside of school," a groggy voice said beside her. 

She looked over and saw her best friend and boyfriend of two and a half month, Ben giving her a sleepy smile with his unruly curls sloshed around his head. She playfully rolled her eyes and said, "It was hardly magic. Come on, we should get up."

They each took their times getting up from her bed and stretching to get themselves more awake. "You need to get back downstairs before my dad finds out you were up here," Cassie told him. He stayed the night because they were both going to the Quidditch World Cup with Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry today and wanted to leave together. 

Her mom made Ben a comfortable spot on the couch so he could sleep there, but he snuck up to Cassie's room in the middle of the night. They didn't do anything but sleep, of course. They're only fourteen so they haven't even discussed sex or anything like that. 

Of course, her father thinks they go at it like jackrabbits. 

"I can't believe your dad doesn't trust me after fourteen years," he grumbled. "You and I grew up together; went to the same school, were on the same rugby team, we carpooled to games, we've had hundreds of sleepovers. What's the problem?"

Sighing, she told him, "The problem is that you are a teenage boy and I am a teenage girl and we get shipped off to a magical school way far away. He doesn't know what we do there, besides learn magic." 

Ben shook his head. "It's still ridiculous," he told her. "Anyways, I'll get downstairs before he finds me here. Remember, we have to be at the portkey by no later than five." She nodded and he gave her a sweet kiss. 

"Are we still keeping us under wraps until school starts?" He asked. She shyly shrugged. "I think that would be best," she told him. "We can tell them altogether that way." He didn't want to keep their relationship a secret, but if it was what she wanted, then he couldn't argue.

After hearing footsteps coming from her parents' room, he bolted downstairs and pretended to just be waking up, as her dad came walking downstairs. 

**

"Have fun, you guys!" Cassie's mom, Ella, told the couple as they gathered around the bucket in the backyard. "Promise you'll write to us everyday!" Cassie rolled her eyes. This was a yearly occurrence and it got old when she was going into her second year. 

Ben's parents Wanda and Tim weren't there because they had an emergency at the Ministry of Magic. Wanda worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, while Tim worked in the Department of Mysteries. There was always some emergency going on. 

Ben looked to his watch and said, "We need to go." He put his hand on the bucket, while Cassie gave her parents one last wave. She put her hand on the bucket with Ben's and they were suddenly swirling and hanging on to the bucket for dear life. 

"Let go on the count of three!" Ben shouted. "One...two...three!" They both let go and were suddenly falling until they hit the hard ground. They both groaned into the grass in pain. Cassie looked up from where she was practically eating the dirt and looked right at the Burrow. 

Molly Weasley was rushing out of the house towards them. "Oh my dears!" She shouted. "Are you alright?" Ben helped himself and Cassie get up. "We're fine, Mrs. Weasley," Ben told her. "I guess we should practice our landing a bit more."

Molly brushed the dirt of their clothes, then said, "Well come on, Hermione's just gotten in and Ginny is up. The boys are all still asleep, of course, but Arthur's been ready for hours." They followed her into the Burrow where they happily greeted Hermione and Ginny.