The Burrow

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, then hurried back to their rooms to pack.

Meanwhile, seeing that the two were almost done packing, the Weasley brothers put their plan into action. They tied a rope to the car and pulled the bars off the window.

They made a bit too much noise, though, and woke Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.

"Quick! Harry!" The two hurriedly threw the luggage into the boot. Harry told Mia to get in first, and George helped her into the car.

Uncle Vernon was quick too. He was already unlocking Harry's door.

They could also hear Dudley and Aunt Petunia urging him on.

"Harry, hurry!" Mia and George both reached out to help Harry.

At the last moment, Harry made it into the car.

As the car flew farther and farther away from the Dursley family home, they couldn't help cheering.

"Yeah!"

"Thank you so much," Mia and Harry told the three of them.

"Oh, but we're friends, aren't we, Miss Little Snake?" Even while driving, Fred didn't forget to tease Mia.

"After all, it was thanks to Miss Little Snake's gift that we were able to get our business off the ground," George chimed in, putting an arm around Mia's shoulders. That was right: the twins had already started making money with their initial capital. They really were clever.

"Oh, and happy birthday, Mia, Harry." Ron had actually remembered their birthday. Mia and Harry smiled at them gratefully.

By the time they reached the Burrow, dawn was breaking.

They tiptoed into the house.

"Come on in, quick. Shh."

As they entered, the twins kept watch to see if their mother had spotted them.

It was Mia and Harry's first time seeing a wizarding home. Pots scrubbed themselves, a clock bore the faces of the twins and Ron, and a scarf knitted itself. Everything felt novel and cozy.

"It's not big, but it's a home," Harry murmured. He had always longed for a home like this.

"Taking this should be all right, shouldn't it?" Ron said, eating as he took off his coat.

"Right. Mum won't know." Fred grabbed a piece of bread and started eating it too.

"I think it's brilliant here." Harry had been smiling ever since he came in. It was exactly how he had imagined a home.

Then Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared and roared at them, "Where on earth have you lot been?"

Mia blinked in confusion, looking at the gentle woman she had met before. She also noticed that Mrs. Weasley's hair looked remarkably like cat ears. It was rather cute.

Ron, Fred, George, and Harry were confused too. Ron and Fred even remembered to hide their bread behind their backs.

Mrs. Weasley immediately changed her expression when she turned to Mia and Harry. She came over, her voice warm and gentle. "Mia, Harry, I'm so happy to see you."

"Empty beds, not a note left behind, and you took the car without permission! You could have died! You could have been seen!" Then she put on a gentle smile again. "Of course, I'm not talking about you, Mia, Harry."

"They were starving Harry and Mia and had put bars on their windows," Ron tried to explain. Harry nodded quietly beside him.

"You'd better hope I don't put bars on your window, Ron Weasley!" Molly had been worried sick.

"Come along, you two should have breakfast, Harry, Mia."

Watching this mother, Mia felt her heart soften. Mrs. Weasley really was gentle.

Ron: Who? Who are you talking about?

Children without mothers always longed for a mother's love. Harry did, and so did Mia.

"Eat up, children. Make yourselves at home." Mrs. Weasley warmly fussed over the two children, unable to help feeling sorry for their thin, frail frames.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Mia said softly.

"Don't be so formal. Just call me Aunt Molly." Mrs. Weasley patted the two poor children, so mature and sensible for their age. She couldn't help feeling sorry for them. If Lily and James were here, how could they stand to see the two children treated so badly? Every child was precious to their parents.

Back in the Order of the Phoenix, they had watched Lily and James get together. They had seen how much the couple loved each other and how eagerly they had awaited the two children. But who could have imagined that, so many years later, the two would have suffered so much?

"Eat up, Harry. Make yourself at home." Worried that Harry might feel awkward, Ron didn't forget his friend even as he ate.

"Wonderful, have some more." Mrs. Weasley was full of pride as she watched the children eat heartily.

"Mum, have you seen my slippers..."

"Dear, they're on the cat."

Hearing the voice, they looked over. It was Ginny, the girl who had gone to the station with Ron and the others. She had evidently just noticed them.

Ginny stared wide-eyed at Harry and Mia.

"Hello?"

Ginny turned and ran. George and Fred exchanged a glance and snickered, leaving Mia and Harry baffled.

"Did we say something wrong?" Mia asked, seeing that George and Fred clearly knew something.

"That's Ginny. She's been talking about you two all summer. It's been really annoying," Ron kindly explained.

"Us?" Mia hadn't expected to be included. After all, at the station, Ginny had gotten excited when she heard Harry's name.

"Yeah. The whole wizarding world knows about your great deeds, Miss Little Snake."

"Ginny really looks up to you."

George and Fred took turns speaking, and Mia's smile froze. The whole wizarding world knew?

"Morning, kids!" A stout, middle-aged man pushed the door open and came in.

"Morning, Dad!" "Morning."

"Exhausting night. Nine raids, nine!" Mr. Weasley took off his coat as he told his family about his work.

"Raids?"

"My dad works at the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He loves Muggles and is mad about their things."

After greeting Mrs. Weasley affectionately, Mr. Weasley sat down. "Breakfast." Then he turned his head and saw two strangers. "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Harry, Harry Potter, and this is my sister, Mia Potter." Harry hurried to introduce himself, and Mia nodded and smiled in greeting.

"My goodness, are you really?" Mr. Weasley's eyes widened. Harry and Mia nodded. They had to admit, the whole family was lovely.

"Hmm, Ron's told me about you. When did they arrive?"

"This morning. Your sons took your charming car out in the middle of the night to fetch him." Mrs. Weasley had something to say about that.

"Really? How did the car perform..." Mr. Weasley asked the twins. Mrs. Weasley gave him an exasperated look and smacked him.

"Brilliantly," the twins chimed in, apparently eager to make matters worse.

Mia's hand paused. Mr. Weasley really was obsessed with Muggle objects. No wonder he had a house full of children with such different personalities.

"I mean, what you did was quite wrong, boys. Absolutely unforgivable."

Harry and Ron exchanged a smile.

"Harry, Mia, you must know all about Muggles. Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

"Er..." The two looked at each other.