HP: Hogwart's Journey

"As you can see, we're eating on the first floor. Over there is the living room. If you want to play a round of Wizard's Chess, you can join Fred and the others there. Bill's room is on the fourth floor; he just got back from Egypt yesterday and is currently sleeping, so you should keep it quiet. Molly and I have our room on the fifth floor. If you're hungry at night, feel free to knock. Percy and Fred are on the third floor, Ginny is on the second, and Ron sleeps in the room on the top floor. There's also a ghoul in the attic, but don't worry about it." Mr. Weasley was giving a tour of the Burrow. "Robert, you can stay with Fred and them. Go on up and take a look. Molly just hung the quilts out to dry yesterday."

Robert grabbed his luggage and followed the twins up the stairs.

Fred started talking about their room, "Dad wrote us saying our room had gotten bigger. Honestly, even if it hadn't, it'd still be big enough for the three of us."

George raised an eyebrow. "Our room is the biggest!"

Just then, the twins opened the door. On the left side were three beds, each with a desk next to it, while on the right side, there was a row of wardrobes. Under a square window, there was a windowsill, and outside it seemed there was a birdcage. The bedspreads and duvet covers were brown, with a yellow trim around the edges.

"Wow!" Fred's eyes lit up with excitement. "This is the room I've always wanted!"

George excitedly ran into the room, shouting, "Fred! This room is at least twice as big! I mean, now I can flip around without worrying about bumping my head!"

The two of them happily jumped around the room, completely oblivious to the fact that they had left the door open.

"Fred! George! If you don't stop yelling, I'll show you why I bought a new broomstick!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from downstairs. The twins both immediately zipped their mouths shut, and Robert couldn't help but laugh.

"Wanna play some Quidditch?" Fred suggested. "We can drop our stuff off and then play for a while."

Robert shrugged. "Alright, as long as you don't mind that I'm not great at it."

"At least when it comes to speed, Robert, you've got talent," George patted him on the shoulder, offering some comfort. "What you need to practice are the Quidditch moves, dodging and attacking."

Robert grimaced. "Oh please, George. I can't promise I'll hold back in close combat, especially in midair."

That was true. Normally, Robert could hold himself back, but when it came to actual fighting, he could get pretty rough. The Slytherins at the school hospital would definitely agree, probably while shedding a few tears.

And so, Robert began his vacation at the Burrow. Aside from doing homework or playing Quidditch with the twins, he also occasionally helped Mrs. Weasley with the vegetable garden and animals, learning plenty of household magic in the process. The rolling bird—this was the name Robert had given it—was kept in his room. It would occasionally roll around, sometimes hopping to the windowsill to bask in the sunlight. It was a well-behaved little creature. What kind of bird it was, Robert had no idea at first. He thought it might be a Quidditch ball bird, but after a meal-based ultimatum, the little thing learned how to fly. From then on, it would often fly low around the Burrow, making Mr. Weasley laugh heartily.

"What's it called? It looks so round," Mr. Weasley asked during dinner, eyeing the round bird. "If you haven't named it, we could come up with one together."

Robert paused for a moment, snapped his fingers, and called to the little ball, "Opal."

The round little bird flapped its wings and flew into Robert's arms. "Hmm, it seems to like that name."

"What does it eat?" Ginny asked, eyeing the round Opal, looking like she really wanted to pet it.

Robert picked a lettuce leaf, wrapped a slice of bacon in it, and brought it to the little bird's beak. The bird pecked at it, chewing slowly. "Omnivore."

"What?" Ginny asked, puzzled.

"Uh, I mean, it eats a little of everything," Robert explained, pausing for a moment. "It's not that hungry—well, maybe about as much as me."

Ginny started to fixate on Opal again.

"Hold on, let me feed it until it's full," Robert said, feeding it some other vegetables and meat before handing it to Ginny. "It just ate, so don't squeeze it too hard."

Ginny cheered and hugged the Opal, rubbing its soft, light yellow feathers with her face. The little creature looked a bit nervous.

"By the way, kids, about the Quidditch Cup, we might need to head over early," Mr. Weasley suddenly remembered. "I just realized it'll take almost a day and a half to get to Vancouver by plane. After that, we need to pick up the key to the Porkey at the Ministry of Magic before heading to the match."

Mrs. Weasley looked surprised. "Merlin, that means we'll have to leave at least three days earlier…"

"Exactly, Molly," Mr. Weasley said. "We'll need to leave first thing in the morning tomorrow. I've already booked our tickets for noon." 

"Alright, kids, you need to go to bed early tonight. If you sleep in tomorrow, we'll leave without you," Mr. Weasley continued.

Mrs. Weasley seemed concerned. "Merlin, why does the ticket leave at noon if it's so early? King's Cross Station is so close; we'll get there quickly, right?"

Robert nearly spit out his water. "You want to take a plane from King's Cross Station?" Mrs. Weasley, you're truly thinking outside the box. That's a big plane… although, well, maybe a plane could fit there, just no runway to take off from."

"Uh, Molly, I think the plane's not at King's Cross Station. The guy who gave me the tickets said I need to go to London Heathrow Airport to board the plane," Mr. Weasley said, looking confused. "Where exactly is that?"

Considering where the Burrow was located, getting to the airport might actually be quicker than getting to King's Cross, but Robert didn't dare mention it! If they found out how close the airport was to the Burrow, they'd probably start dropping everything in a mad rush to pack.

And sure enough…

"Fred, what did you forget this time!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed through the car.

"Hey, Mom, you can't keep saying that. It was George who came back just now!" Fred's voice sounded from upstairs, filled with complaint.

"Alright, alright. George's Bertie Bott's Beans, Ginny's scarf, Ron's baseball glove, Percy's quill, Bill's earrings. Honestly, dear, you shouldn't bring those!" Mrs. Weasley was getting fed up. "Listen up, all of you! If anyone forgets something again, you'll just have to imagine it on the plane!"

Mr. Weasley chuckled awkwardly. "Well, Molly, I think I forgot my dark red tie." 

(End of Chapter)