Seventh Horcrux

Harry Potter vs. Alastor Moody (Pt. 1)

I paced my room at the Dursleys, wand spinning between my fingers. Dumbledore had warned me to stay inside for fear of Sirius Black, and I had reluctantly abided by his request. But the Muggle world was exhausting, and – worse yet – incredibly boring.

The Weasley's old owl thudded against my window, scratching the glass weakly. I scrambled toward it in a horribly undignified manner and swung open the window, causing the owl to fall into my room. He was probably dead.

I shrugged and grabbed the message from his twitching claws.

Hi Harry,

Has Hermione been on you about doing homework? She's completely mental. We've got a whole month left!

Did you hear that the Cannons won their last game? It's the third time this season. The twins say it's a fluke, but I think they've really got a chance at the Cup.

I skimmed the rest of the letter. Apparently, Ron's rat was eaten by a grim or something. See, this is why I miss the wizarding world. When I leave, even Ron has adventures without me. I scowled, returning to the letter.

Mum's been asking when you're going to visit. If you want, you could probably come for the rest of the summer…

I didn't read the end of the letter. I was too busy packing.

"Harry!" That was my only warning as I stepped from Mr. Weasley's car and was viciously attacked. I stood still and waited for Hermione to stop hugging me.

"Hello, Hermione," I said. "Ron."

Ginevra also peeked at us from the doorway. But, since she was attempting to be discreet, I pretended not to see her.

"Hey, mate," Ron said.

His mother bustled over, beaming. I think she wanted to hug me as well, but I'd already gotten my wand out. She kept her hands clasped atop her chest. Smart of her – which made sense since she was only a Weasley by marriage. "Harry! Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you. I've been telling Ron to have you over for years."

"I didn't want to impose," I said.

She smiled sweetly. "No imposition at all."

A loud ding echoed across the yard. With a harried look, the Weasley matriarch said, "Now, lunch will be ready in a few minutes, so don't stay out here too long."

As she left, Ron turned to me. "You didn't want to impose?"

"Well, no, it seemed rude."

"Mate, that doesn't sound like you at all. When have you ever cared about being rude?"

I shrugged, tucking my wand back in my pocket since the danger of Weasley affection had passed. "I was under the impression you lived in a shoebox."

His Weasley mouth dropped open and stayed that way for some time. "What?!"

"That's what Malfoy said," I said peevishly.

"He was just being an insulting git like he always is," Hermione said.

I frowned and observed Ron with unshielded confusion. "But, if he was lying, why did you get so upset?"

Ron went on sputtering for a while, waving his hands around as if to illustrate some incomprehensible point. I turned my attention to a thoughtful Hermione, which could only lead to trouble. She stared at the place where Mr. Weasley's car was parked. "Why didn't you mention that your family were Muggles?"

"Oh, I prefer not to talk about them. They're really quite insufferable," I said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, finally recovered.