The Weasley Family

Before Loren and the others even entered the living room after washing their hands, they heard Molly's heartbroken sobbing from the fireplace. "My poor Harry, look... you've become so thin. Your wizard-hating aunt and uncle must be abusing you..."

Harry has arrived.

Loren, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, George, and Fred exchanged glances and rushed over.

Arthur stood in front of the fireplace, cleaning the soot off his clothes. Harry was held tightly in Molly's arms, his thin frame looking like a little chick in Molly embrace. When Harry glanced at the crowd of onlookers standing around, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks burning slightly.

Arthur brushed the coal dust off his clothes with a rag and put it aside. "You don't know, Molly, their dinner consists only of grapefruit, and each person only gets a tiny bit. I heard they've been eating this for over a month of summer vacation!"

Molly felt even more sorry for him upon hearing this. "Oh, my poor little Pudding..."

"No... no, the Dursley house are urging my cousin Dudley lose weight, and I have snacks from Loren and the others..."

Harry awkwardly broke free from Molly's embrace, somewhat hesitant to look at Loren and the others' teasing laughter.

"Oh..." Molly pinched his cheek, as if comforting a child who hadn't gone to school yet, then brushed his bangs aside and placed her palm on his forehead. "Darling... no matter how you were doing at the Dursley house', you are now at the Burrow."

Molly stood up, straightened her apron, and adopted the air of the head of the household. "Alright, kids, you take Harry, Loren, and Hermione to play for a while. I need to prepare some extra dishes for dinner!"

"George, Fred, Errol —never mind, let Pigwidgeon go and urge Bill and Charlie to come home as soon as possible...and have Hermes call Percy back!" Molly strode into the Kitchen, leaving behind a muttered grumble, "How can they be working overtime at the Ministry of Magic every day, not even eating dinner at home..."

Arthur followed Molly and squeezed into the cramped Kitchen to help.

George and Fred sighed and went upstairs to write letters.

Harry walked over to the group and asked in a low voice, "It seems Percy really enjoys his work, doesn't he?"

"Like him?" Ron sighed dejectedly. "He won't come home unless Dad drags him back. He's a workaholic, so you mustn't get him talking about his boss."

He shook his head, lowered his voice, and mimicked Percy's gesture, saying in a strange tone, "Mr. Crouch thinks... this is what I told Mr. Crouch... this is what Mr. Crouch thinks... Mr. Crouch told me... we must pay attention to the international situation!"

Ron shrugged. "You'll see later, you'll hear this kind of talk eight hundred times a day."

Loren and the others couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

This familiar joke made them feel like they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room after being apart for more than a month, and even their anxiety about settling into an unfamiliar environment faded away.

Ginny squeezed past Hermione to stand in front of Harry, chattering away, "Harry, how was your summer? Did your Muggle relatives really only give you grapefruits? Did you receive the treats and other things we sent you?"

"I received it," Harry said with a smile. "I received your congratulatory letter and cake. Thanks to those cakes, otherwise I'd probably have starved myself to death."

Ginny immediately blushed, shrank back, and giggled, leaving Harry somewhat bewildered.

He wanted to ask Loren more about Voldemort, but Arthur poked his head out of the Kitchen: "There's not enough room for twelve people here; we'll have to eat in the garden outside. Ginny, go and call George and Fred down to bring the tables and chairs. Children, can you take these plates and cutlery out?"

Through Arthur, they could see Molly bustling about inside, like an experienced conductor putting on a grand symphony.

A light tap of the cane on the potatoes in the sink makes them spin, their skins peeling off evenly. A touch of the cane and they bounce over to collect the peels... On the cutting board, long kitchen knives are tap-dancing as they cut vegetables, Wooden Spoon in a ceramic bowl automatically whisks eggs, and chops are swaying in a marinade bowl...

Various ingredients and seasonings, like ballet dancers, obeyed her commands and joyfully jumped into the large brass stew pot.

Arthur tapped the doorframe with a spatula and chuckled, "Hey! Kids, let's get moving!"

At six o'clock, Bill and Charlie appeared in Apparition at the door, carrying a sumptuous meal prepared for tomorrow.

This was Harry's first time seeing Bill, who looked like a rock star. He seemed surprised, his eyes constantly drifting to his long braided hair, earrings, and Fire Dragon Boots, while he tried to hide his glaring gaze, which looked somewhat comical.

Charlie, who studies Fire Dragon in Romania, is a rough but gentle man whose appearance combines features of all the Weasley family. He has a square, broad face like a nice guy, covered with freckles like Ron's. He is about the same height as the Twins, even a little shorter Percy, but he is as strong and muscular as Molly, with his arm muscles bulging in his coat and many burn scars on his exposed skin.

"How are you, Harry, Loren, Hermione?" Charlie grinned and greeted them. "You should really visit Norbert in Romania; he's a big kid now."

Charlie shook hands with them briefly and then went about his business.

"So mysterious..." Ron muttered to himself, tilting his head. "He was reluctant to leave those Fire Dragon and wasn't planning to come back to watch the game, but I don't know why he's willing to come back now. Maybe he got scolded by his mother."

Loren immediately thought of the Fire Dragon in the Triwizard Tournament, and he chuckled. Hey, home or business trip?

At 6:30, Percy rushed back from outside with a stack of documents in his hands. He briefly greeted Loren, Hermione, and Harry before running upstairs and locking himself in his room.

At seven o'clock, the two tables creaked under the weight of the delicious dishes that Mrs. Weasley had prepared.

The Weasley family nine, along with Loren, Hermione, and Harry, sat down to eat under the clear, deep blue summer night sky.

The food wasn't particularly amazing, but the portions were generous, giving it a simple yet satisfying feel. Loren, for one, ate with great relish. Harry, who had been eating snacks, cakes, and grapefruits for a month, absolutely adored the chicken, ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad, barely managing to say a word.

Ginny would occasionally add mushroom soup to his bowl to prevent him from choking.

Molly smiled broadly at the sight of the two eating, and even her questions to Bill and the Twins softened considerably.

Bill calmly dealt with his mother's questions and complaints, while Molly had a lot to say about his earrings and long hair.

Percy looked dazed, as if he was still recalling things from his work.

George and Fred seemed to regard Percy as a delicious side dish, glancing at Percy before pulling Charlie aside to whisper a few words and then letting out an unsettling laugh.

Hermione placed the deboned chicken wings onto Loren's plate, wiped her hands with a napkin, and looked up curiously, asking, "Percy, what's it like working at the Ministry of Magic? Is it tiring?"

Percy, who had been in a daze just a moment ago, suddenly perked up. Although he only intended to go to the Minister for Magic to broaden his horizons, Percy still wanted to be promoted to a higher position. He couldn't help but think about how many people would talk about it when a Senior Deputy Minister of Magic returned to the university to help his professors...

He maintained a composed expression and cleared his throat. "Ahem... Whether the work at the Ministry of Magic is tiring depends on the person. Some ambitious and capable people always do a lot more work, which is very helpful for broadening their horizons and getting promoted later."

Loren swallowed a chicken wing, glanced furtively at Percy, then at Mr. Weasley, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Since some people make more, does that mean some people make less?"

Percy nodded in deep agreement, his voice indignant. "That's right. There are also some people who would rather waste their extra time on meaningless things, just thinking about getting the job done. Mr. Crouch said that such people will never get promoted."

Arthur, who was engrossed in eating, paused, slowly raised his head, and squinted at his son.

He suspected that someone was making a personal attack, but he had no evidence.

There's probably something wrong with it...

Hermione gave the man a somewhat speechless look and changed the subject. "Can I ask what the job entails?"

"Oh, recently we've been dealing with issues passed at the International Wizarding Congress, especially the Anti-Werewolf Law. Many people in the ministry are saying that it should be repealed, but Senior Undersecretary Madam Umbridge has been insisting on it."

Ron tilted his head and asked in confusion, "So what does this have to do with you?"

Percy's tone immediately softened. "I have to be responsible for conveying their opinions..."

"Oh, you're just a messenger." Ron stabbed Percy in the heart without any mercy.

"What do you mean I'm just a messenger!" Percy's face flushed slightly. "I have to compile their opinions into a written document for the department to refer to when making decisions in meetings. Besides, Mr. Crouch has entrusted me with a lot of important work; we're preparing to inspect the crucible thickness according to standards..."

Next came a series of things they couldn't understand, such as "taxes on foreign imports," "potential hazards of thin-bottomed crucibles," and "we are protecting the rights of wizards."

After dinner, they chatted and watched the moon in the garden, talking about all sorts of random things, mostly unimportant matters. Bill talked about how the greedy goblin in Egyptian Gringotts, had recklessly entered the tomb complex and contracted a strange dragon sore; Charlie recounted the Fire Dragon's interesting little habits; Percy talked about how important his job was...

Ginny kept pestering Hermione, whispering secrets that only girls would know, while Loren and Harry listened to Ron tell them interesting news and stories about the Quidditch World Cup.

As night deepened, Molly began urging the group to go inside and wash up, seemingly forgetting everything they had been chatting about in the garden.

After washing up, it was time to go inside and sleep. Molly had prepared sheets, blankets, and pillows for them in advance, so there was no need to buy anything else. They could just go up the stairs and go inside to sleep.

The Second Floor is Ginny's room, Hermione will be living with her for a while.

The two rooms on the Third Floor are stacked side by side. The Twins and Percy used to live on this floor, but now Charlie and Bill have taken over the Twins ' room. Molly didn't vacate his room to entertain guests because Percy had to work. There used to be a bedroom for Bill on the Fourth Floor, but it's now cluttered with junk and their suitcases. Arthur and Molly live next door.

Further up is Ron's room, located on the fifth platform at the top of a narrow staircase, just below the Ghoul's attic.

Harry pushed open the door and went in. He stood at the door like a host rather than a guest, nodding frequently, and said in a very professional manner, "It's not much different from when I came last time."

Before he could finish speaking, Ron shoved him inside, causing him to stumble and fall onto the crowded bed in the room.

Loren also got a clear look at the wizarding family's bedroom. The walls and sloping ceiling were covered with orange-yellow posters of the Chudley Cannons, and everywhere was printed with the Chudley Cannons's insignia: two black "C"s and a rapidly flying cannonball. On the small platform by the window was a fish tank containing frog eggs.

The room, which wasn't very spacious, had five beds crammed in. The two on the left were fairly spacious, but the three on the right were packed together like a large dormitory, with no room to move between them. People sleeping on the inside had to step over the beds on the outside.

Ron seemed a little embarrassed, scratching his face as he explained awkwardly, "Bill and Charlie took up George and Fred's room, and Mom asked George and Fred to move to the room on the Fourth Floor, but they didn't want to, so they had to squeeze in with us."

Harry lay down on the bed with a happy expression, clearly not thinking much of it; compared to the storage room he used to sleep in, this was already much better.

Loren patted his shoulder, stretched, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "This is already very good. I used to sleep in Wooden House on the mountain. You would never guess that you would fall into a pile of dried hay when you turned over at night."

"This isn't our fault!" George leaped into the innermost bed and lay down.

"It's all Bill and Charlie's fault!"

Fred stepped over the outermost blanket on the bed and went inside, making Ron sigh. He patted the dent in the blanket and said angrily, "Why is it like this? I want to sleep inside!"

"Sorry, that won't do."

"This is where our secret lies, little Ronnie."

The Twins, one after the other, got so angry that Ron wanted to be promoted from Ginny's sixth brother to her fourth brother. "I'm not sleeping with either of you!"

"That's wonderful!"

"You're so thoughtful, little Ronnie!"

Loren and Harry couldn't help but laugh, which further provoked Ron, who huffed and puffed as he moved his bed, which bore the Chudley Cannons insignia, to the other side, thus distancing himself from the Twins.

Even after the lights were turned off, Ron and the Twins continued bickering until Molly opened the window and yelled at them, which finally quieted them down.

This whole family...

Lying on the slightly faded but ironed bed, with the sweet scent of tree sap lingering around his nose and mouth, Loren guessed that Mrs. Weasley had probably added some insect-repelling and mold-preventing branches when she washed it.

The Burrow is anything but humble.