NOVEL FROG Chapter 70: Return to School
The summer holiday passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, September 1st had arrived.
Early in the morning, even before daylight broke, Mrs. Weasley's loud voice echoed throughout the Burrow, "Wake up!"
Eda was jolted awake by this ear-piercing call. She got out of bed, shook Ginny awake, and then walked out of the room.
As she stepped into the hallway, she noticed that two people were already sitting in the kitchen. Percy was rubbing his eyes, his nightcap still on, and Charlie was slumped in his chair, nodding off.
The three early risers sat in the kitchen in silence, none of them fully awake. Their minds still lingered on the comfort of their soft, warm beds.
"Where's Mr. Weasley?" Eda asked.
"There was an emergency last night. Arthur was called back to the Ministry to work overtime. He won't be able to take you all to the station today," Mrs. Weasley said, standing at the foot of the stairs, waiting.
After a while, when no one else had come down, Mrs. Weasley lost her patience. She grabbed a feather duster and charged upstairs. She kicked open the door to Fred and George's room on the third floor.
The three in the kitchen heard a scream, and moments later, the twins hobbled down the stairs, rubbing their behinds. Behind them was a sleepy-eyed Ginny.
The small dog, Garlon, whimpered in fear in Ginny's arms, frightened by Mrs. Weasley's fierce demeanor.
Mrs. Weasley stormed out of the twins' room and continued upstairs with the same ferocity. In less than two minutes, she appeared, dragging a groggy Ron by his ear for everyone to see.
Breakfast was already prepared, and Mrs. Weasley served everyone a large plate of food, though she didn't eat a single bite herself. She was still busy in the kitchen, packing a huge pile of sandwiches and pies—food for the kids to eat on the train.
Everyone, except for the twins, sat quietly in their seats, eating their portions without making a sound.
No one dared make any noise, especially if they didn't want to face the wrath of Mrs. Weasley.
If anyone doubted her fury, they only needed to look at the twins, who didn't even dare sit down caressing their swollen bums.
After finishing breakfast, Mrs. Weasley used the feather duster to chase everyone back upstairs to finish packing. Luckily, Eda didn't have much to pack, and with Ginny's help, she was the first one back in the kitchen.
The other Weasley siblings gradually returned downstairs, their suitcases beside them. Ron, however, had nothing with him. He was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, having been unjustly smacked by the feather duster.
Mrs. Weasley checked each person's suitcase before heading back upstairs to make sure nothing important was left behind. She wanted to gather everything in one go to spare poor Errol, the family's overworked owl, from more trips.
As expected, there were a few forgotten items in each room. Mrs. Weasley used magic to bring them all downstairs, and everyone stepped forward to claim their belongings and stuff them back into their suitcases.
Even with everything accounted for, Mrs. Weasley was still anxious. She opened every suitcase again to inspect each one thoroughly, even checking Galleon's dog food and toys.
By 10:30, under Mrs. Weasley's lead, the entire family finally made it to King's Cross Station. Eda's suitcase and dog crate were placed on the twins' trolley, but she wasn't idle. She held onto Ron with her left hand and Ginny with her right, following the others closely.
Ron, clearly uncomfortable being dragged along, kept his head down, blushing in silence. Ginny, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She chattered nonstop, reminding Eda to write to her once she got to school—at least one letter a week.
Weaving through the bustling crowds, the group finally arrived at the barrier leading to the platform. Charlie was the first to pass through, followed shortly by Percy, who tried to appear nonchalant as he crossed.
Wizards need to pass through the barrier to reach the platform, and they must be careful not to let Muggles see them disappear.
"W-Woof?"
While the Muggles didn't notice Charlie and Percy vanish, Garlon, trapped in his cage, saw everything. He stared in terror at the barrier as if it were a man-eating monster.
Fred pushed the trolley toward the barrier, and Garlon started barking frantically. The moment they touched the wall, Garlon shut his eyes tight, only to discover he wasn't dead but had arrived in a strange new place.
The barking had drawn the attention of a few Muggles, but since they didn't witness Fred's magical disappearance, they quickly lost interest. Eda, relieved, guided Ginny toward the barrier.
On the other side, Eda saw Fred and George standing nearby, scolding Garlon. Ginny quickly ran over to stop her brothers.
Eda released Garlon from his cage and attached a leash to him. Garlon was eager to chase the cats roaming the platform, but he couldn't break free and whimpered pitifully in place.
After the twins loaded the luggage onto the train, they returned to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, and soon Charlie and Percy joined them.
After giving Charlie and Percy a few final words of advice, Mrs. Weasley turned to the twins. "Do you really think I don't know about the trouble you caused last school year?"
The twins stayed silent. Now wasn't the time to provoke Mrs. Weasley's anger—sometimes it was best to admit defeat and stay quiet.
"If I hear that you've broken school rules again this term, I'll have your father personally come and get you!"
"Don't worry, Mum. We're not eleven anymore," the twins said in unison. They were twelve now, after all.
Mrs. Weasley shot them a stern look and then turned to Eda. "Dear! I'm leaving these two in your care. If they misbehave, don't hesitate to give them a good beating!"
"Mum!" The twins felt utterly wronged. Aside from Eda getting better grades than them, they considered her their equal in every other aspect.
"And you," Mrs. Weasley continued seriously, "no sneaking around the castle at night, and definitely no leaving the grounds. If you dare team up with those two, I'll tan your hide just the same!"
"Sigh~ It's always those two dragging me along. I've always refused, but they're just too persistent…" Eda responded smoothly, shifting all blame from herself. She definitely didn't want to feel the sting of a feather duster!
The twins glared daggers at Eda, but she shot a menacing look at Charlie. He was definitely the one who had ratted them out. Charlie, however, ignored her threat, focused on talking with Ron, reminding him to take care of their mum and Ginny.
A loud whistle sounded, and the guards began urging everyone to board the train.
Mrs. Weasley hugged each of them in turn, saving the hardest pinch for the twins as a final warning.
Just as everything seemed fine, Ginny suddenly burst into tears. They all rushed to comfort her before boarding, and after receiving a slew of promises, Ginny finally calmed down.
Eda didn't escape either, having signed an "unfair treaty" with Ginny. The one-letter-a-week deal turned into a letter every three days!
The train gave another whistle, signaling that it was time to depart. All the students had boarded by then.
Eda waved at Mrs. Weasley from the window. They wouldn't see each other again until Christmas.
Steam billowed from the engine as the train slowly began to move.
After rounding a bend, the platform and the people waving goodbye faded from view.
Eda and the twins made their way down the corridor to the compartment where they had stowed their luggage. They slid the compartment door shut. And with that, the new school year at Hogwarts had officially begun.
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