Potter | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 63

As the Quidditch World Cup approached, everyone seemed more excited than ever, fighting about whether they supported Australia or Madagascar's national team.

     But that evening, which was the night before they had to leave, arrived and the Potters gathered around in the living room along with Sirius, awaiting their guests who were planning on staying the night there.

     First to show up was Peter, as he walked out of the fireplace's green flames with his mother. She was a short and bushy woman, just like him.

    "Now be a good boy, Pete," said Mrs Pettigrew after thanking the Potters for the ticket they had bought her son.

     She then started kissing Peter several times on the cheek and he went pink on the face as James and Sirius sniggered in the back.

     Shortly after, Alice and Remus arrived at the same time by the door and they all went forward to greet them.

     But a mayhem fell upon the Potter Manor with the arrival of Marlene McKinnon.

     Another hour had passed and the boys went up to James's room. Alice and Jenna stayed in the living room as they waited for Marlene and Lily, discussing the World Cup excitedly that suddenly an uproar from the fire erupted the place.

     "AAARGH!" someone shrieked and they all jumped to their feet as the next moment, a blonde girl fell out of the green flames and dropped harshly on the floor.

     "Marlene!" Alice gasped, running forward to help the poor girl up as Jenna tried her hardest not to burst out laughing. "What happened?"

     "Oh, I tell you what happened!" said Marlene angrily, coughing and scraping the ashes off her. "Nine years ago my parents decided to give me hell, so then my imp of a brother happened!"

     "What did he do this time?" said Jenna with a tone of mock concern. "Chased you around to try and hug you? Oh, what a beast!"

     Marlene glared at her and immediately Jenna's grin disappeared by that look.

     "No," said Marlene grumpily. "He wanted to come too, so my Mum and Dad had to distract him while I was supposed to use the Floo, but he saw me last moment and started running towards me. I panicked and choked in the ashes and said the wrong name!"

      "Oh, no," said Alice anxiously, as Jenna's grin widened again in amusement. "Where did you go?"

      "I don't know!" Marlene huffed. "Let's just say I was lucky that there was Floo Powder right next to the fireplace which I was to and that the room was empty. So I got myself here as fast as possible. It was dreadful — stop laughing, Potter!" Marlene snapped sharply, flicking Jenna on the forehead.

     "Who's arrived?" They all turned around at Mrs. Potter's voice as she entered the living room, her eyes falling on Marlene's dirty clothes and face. "Oh, good gracious! What happened to you?"

     "Don't even ask," Marlene muttered bitterly, shaking her head.

     Mrs. Potter chuckled and took out her wand and so, with a flick of it, the dust and dirt vanished off Marlene.

     "Now how about some fudge, Marlene?" she said kindly. "I just made some in the kitchen. I'm sure it would cheer you up."

      "Ooh! Yay!" Marlene said cheerfully, running towards the kitchen happily as if the last few seconds had never happened.

     "Where's Lily, anyway?" asked Alice as her and Jenna followed Marlene to the kitchen. "How's she getting here?"

     "She didn't say anything," Jenna answered. "But she should've been here hours ago."

     Both Alice and Jenna seemed a bit worried as they waited for Lily, but Marlene seemed careless for anything in the world as she ate Mrs. Potter's homemade fudges delightfully.

     But to their relief, less than and hour later, there the knock on their door, and so the two girls left Marlene and her food alone in the kitchen.

     They ran towards the door and opened it, coming upon a panting Lily, who seemed completely worn out, as if she had been running.

     "Woah, what happened to you, tiger?" said Jenna with a grin.

     "Jenna, please tell me there weren't any Muggle repellent charms on your house," said Lily, trying to catch her breath.

     "Er..." Jenna frowned, thinking. "I mean I guess there are a few, seeing as none of the Muggles in the village nearby has ever wandered near here. Why do you ask?"

     Lily glared at her. "My parents are Muggles, you idiot!"

      "Oh, shoot," Jenna clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Lily! I forgot to tell you. I-I thought you were coming by the Floo Network."

     "Muggles don't have the Floo Network connected to their fireplace!"

      "See, now I didn't know that," Jenna grinned as Lily shook her head, walking in.

     "What happened, anyway?" Alice asked.

     "Well, whenever we neared your house from afar, I pointed at the manor and said that it was there. But my parents kept saying they couldn't see anything," Lily explained. "And each time we neared it, they would suddenly say that they had forgotten something at home and we had to turn back."

     Jenna laughed as they walked in the kitchen and Lily waved at Marlene, who waved back with her mouth full.

     "How did you get here, then?" Jenna asked as the four girls sat around the small table in the kitchen.

     "Well, I kept persuading them to turn around and reminded them that they had to drop me off at your house," she went on. "But after the third time they turned around and drove away, I told them I would walk the rest of the way myself and so I came all the way here on foot."

      "You gotta admit though," said Marlene with a grin. "It was funny."

     Not too longer after Lily had greeted Mr. and Mrs. Potter, they were all called to the dining room by Mickey, who had already set up the dinner table.

Mrs. Potter went upstairs to call the four boys down and when they came, James's hand quickly made its way over his jet-black hair and messed it up even more.

"Hello, Evans," he said gently, but unlike how it usually went, he didn't give her his arrogant grin and instead, smiled genuinely down at her.

But Lily only rolled her eyes and so, ignoring his presence completely, she walked away to join the rest in the dining room.

As he watched her leave, James grinned once again. "She totally wants me."