75 The Burrow

My dear Christy,

I know you're angry at me and I deserve it. I behaved very badly in past, didn't think about you in the future, but in present right now, when I know I'm going to die, I miss you, my girl. I want to see you but I also know, you don't want to see me. That's why I'm sending this letter to you after my death. I heard you're attending Hogwarts? That's a lovely thing, my dear. I'm proud of you. Richard knew you're a Witch, the very moment you set him on fire, without doing anything. That day, I shouldn't have reacted like that, I'm sorry. But when he told me about how are you doing in your school, I became so proud I can't explain. I never told you that, but you're a great girl, a great witch, a great friend, and a great daughter. If you can forgive me then please attend my funeral. I love you.

Love, Melissa (your mom)...

Christina Norton or Christy or Chris, a thirteen years old girl, re-read the letter almost the eighth or ninth time. Chris folded the letter and stuffed it inside her bag and looked around the room. It was a small room but had a big window. The walls were painted pink and were decorated with a poster of Gwenog Jones, the Beater and Captain for the Holyhead Harpies, an all-women Quidditch team; as well as a poster of the Weird Sisters, a popular band in the Wizarding World.

"Chris!" A voice came followed by a flaming-red-haired girl. Chris looked at her and smiled a little.

"Yes, Ginny?" But Chris's smile didn't reach Ginny.

"Mom is calling you for breakfast."

"Oh! Yes, let's go. I was just about to.." Chris got up and went downstairs.

Together they entered the kitchen. A short, plump woman with a very kind face, looked up at them.

"Good morning Chris dear!" She said with a big smile.

"Morning Mrs. Weasley," Chris replied. "Can I help you with something? Sorry, I woke up late today."

"Oh no, dear. You've helped plenty in the last few days." She said. "Come. Sit."

As Chris and Ginny sat, a few same flaming-red-haired boys entered the kitchen. A pair of twins, Fred and George, Ginny's elder brothers, Ron, Ginny's other brother, and two other boys.

"Morning Ginny! Morning Chris!" One of the boys said.

"Morning Charlie," Chris replied.

Charlie was Ginny's second eldest brother, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it. The other boy just smiled, it was Bill, Ginny's eldest brother, He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert. They all are Weasleys.

Chris's best friend Ginny's family. Chris was living with the Weasleys for weeks now. The day she came back from her Wizarding school Hogwarts for summer vacation, she found a man at her doorsteps. Richard Nelson. Chris was six when her mother decided to leave her and her father, and married Mr. Richard Nelson. One and half months ago, Mr. Nelson came to their house with a letter for Chris from her mother and informed them that her mother passed away. Chris attended the funeral of her mother and got to know that Mr. Nelson was also a Wizard. Though Chris pretended that her mother didn't affect her anymore, after her mother's funeral, she felt something. Something like emptiness inside her. Her father Mr. Norton realized it and tried to cheer her up like before but when it didn't work he talked to Mr. Weasley(Ginny's father) and send her to the Burrow(the Weasleys' home) for the rest of the summer.

After breakfast, Chris helped Mrs. Weasley to clean the tables and they prepare for lunch; then Mrs. Weasley asked her to take a break so she went outside. There was a small yard, the house was as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic, actually it was. Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard. Chris turned and went towards the garden. The Burrow's garden is full of weeds, overgrown grass, gnarled trees, various magical and non-magical plants, a big green pond full of frogs, a broom cupboard, and an infestation of garden gnomes that the Weasley's can't get rid of because Mr. Weasley is too soft on them; he finds them funny. She sat near the pond, trying to think about the upcoming Quidditch World cup. Chris liked Quidditch, she was a chaser for Gryffindor, her Hogwarts house.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" A voice asked from her behind. Chris turned around and saw Bill.

"Hey, Bill. I was just thinking about the Quidditch World cup. I'm excited about it."

"Me too." Bill sat down. "I'm also looking forward to this year."

"Of course, your and Charlie's secret adventure for this year." Chris rolled her eyes. "You two are giving hints all over the summer, about something big going to happen this year. Bigger than Quidditch World cup."

"Yeah. Because IT IS bigger than the Quidditch World cup." Bill chuckled.

"But you can't tell me what is it, do you?"

"No. It's top-secret."

"Yeah right." Chris shook her head smiling.

"Fine. But you can't tell anyone. Not even Ginny." Bill said seriously.

Chris raised her eyebrows, "Are you sure you can tell me?"

"Yeah, but you can't tell anyone. Don't even give hints around Percy. Got it?"

"Got it."

"So here is the thing.. something is going to happen this year in Hogwarts. A big...." Bill took a long pause making the suspense bigger, then said, "That's it."

"Urgh... you're the worst," Chris said with an annoyed tone.

Bill laughed loudly.

"Bye." Chris got up and walked towards the house.

In a few days, Bill had become a big brother to Chris, she had to admit, in all of the brothers of Ginny, Bill was the coolest one. He helped a lot to cheer her up. The twins were not behind of course, because of them, Chris found herself laughing very hard. They had invented so many joke things, fake candy, chocolates and so much. They even made a price-lists for it. Chris was the first person they decided to show those things, even before their family members. Chris was very impressed, she realized they were very talented, even more than their studious brother Percy, who just got a job at the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of International Magical Cooper­ation. The twins, Fred and George decided to sell their inventions in school, to earn some money. Chris encouraged them a lot but one day Mrs. Weasley found out about their inventions and got very angry. She wanted them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Mr. Weasley, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop. They even decided the name, 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'. In a few days, Chris felt that she had become an official family member of the Weasley family.

Everyone treated her so well, she had never even imagined it. From the first day, she didn't feel like an outsider there. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were very poor but by heart, they were the richest persons Chris ever met. Chris's father knew this very well that's why he helped Mr. Weasley with money and gifted them a few electric things, which Mr. Weasley loved.

In the afternoon, Mr. Weasley entered the house with a big smile on his face.

"I got the tickets." As soon as he said, a loud roar of applause sounded in the house. Chris felt happy as well.

"Can I write this to Harry? When will we be going to get him?" Ron asked excitedly.

"No need to do that. I had a chat with Sirius. Harry is with him. He picked him up from his Uncle and Aunt's house two days ago." Mr. Weasley said looking happy. "He'll bring him here before we leave for the World cup."

"Harry is with Sirius?" Chris asked surprised. "But Dumbledore..."

"He's got permission from Dumbledore." Mr. Weasley answered.

Harry or Harry Potter is a year older student than Chris, and he was Ginny's brother Ron's best friend. Chris always considered him and Hermione Granger,(Ron's other friend) as her good friends.

"Colin said, he can't go, as his parents asked him not to," Ginny said sadly.

"I'll inform Hermione. She should be here by next week." Ron said and hurriedly left.

As expected Hermione arrived next Thursday evening. Mrs. Weasley made a place in Ginny's room for Hermione. Chris never thought Ginny's small room can manage one bed and two folding beds, but it did. Ginny and Chris, squeezed their things and made space for Hermione.