Ten mismatched chairs were placed around the table, with four each on the long sides and two on the head seats.
The boys and girls were seated on opposite sides of the table, and Mr. Weasley, still in his pajama, was at the end, with Ginny on his left and Percy on his right.
To Ginny's left was Astoria, then Daphne, and at last, Darcie, making her nearest to Mrs. Weasley.
Molly Weasley, though, hadn't taken a seat.
She flicked her wand and a tray of freshly baked cupcakes, pies, and other dishes livened the table up.
"Ron! Wait!" she barked, standing behind Darice. "Wish her a happy birthday, at least."
"Oh, yeah!" Ron pulled the half-eaten cupcake out of his mouth and gave Daphne a furtive look.
"Happy Birthday!" he said, and then imdiately began devouring, piling the dishes up on his plate.
With stifled laughter, everyone began eating, and after so ti, even Mrs. Weasley joined them at the table.
"So," she said, plating a cupcake on Darcie's plate, "how go your schooling, dear?"
"Whaat?!" Ron blurted, sending crumbs flying everywhere. "You realbyy go te school?! (-Gulp!-) I thought mum was just nagging us..."
Even Fred and George paused, looked at each other, and leaned on the table to hear of it.
"Humph!" Mrs. Weasley snorted. "You are saying it as I talk about her every day."
"Well, you do, mum," Fred cut in.
"Yes, every day," George added.
"Shut up!" Molly Weasley snapped. "If you look at the Daily Prophet, you will know it right away."
Ron sniggered. "Who reads newspaper?!"
Mrs. Weasley visibly went red, fuming.
Seeing her like that, Mr. Weasley had to chi in.
"I read it's a three-year course, Darcie," he said, looking quite astonished, "and the minimum age to enter is 13 years old, right?"
Darcie nodded.
She chewed on a morsel, gulped it down, and then said, "Actually, you can divide it into 12 sub-courses, Mr. Weasley. Even Hogwarts' students from 3rd-year onwards attend a sub-course over their sumrs, and then complete the rest after graduating."
"Over sumr?!" Ron blubbered. "What are they? ntal?!"
Astoria, Ginny, Fred, and George burst out with laughter, finding the idea of spending sumrs in a school quite dumb, to say the least.
"Heh-heh!" Molly Weasley amused Ron with a grin. "ntal, truly? Well, you will be one of them, too, I guess. Your father and I have decided. Ron will join the Euro-glenn school in his 3rd year as well. Now laugh..."
Ron's face had paled, a piece of pie falling out of his hands.
From the amusing look in Mrs. Weasley's eyes, Darcie could tell that she was lying.
She hadn't even got the na of the School right, calling it Euro-glenn instead of Euro-Glyph.
But Darcie thought better than correcting her.
Ron seed to have lost his appetite after that mont and beca sulkier.
Darcie and Daphne kept quiet more often than not, taking a bite now and then. Astoria and Ginny had begun talking about gnos and the birthday party.
It was then Daphne spoke after a long ti, noticing sothing.
"Were you all going sowhere?" she asked, eying Percy's formal attire.
Percy was wearing a red shirt, tucked in brown, baggy pants.
"He's been smarting himself up since the morning," Fred comnted, sneering.
"Hoping to impress the minister of magic's favorite, we bet," George chortled.
Percy gained a fiery blush, his ears going red instantly.
"Don't you two dare mock him!" Mrs. Weasley hissed, pointing her wand at Fred and George. "At least he tries, unlike you lot."
But her words only kindled the fire, making even Mr. Weasley and Ron laugh along with the twins.
Darcie and Daphne shared a glance, knowing not what to say.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley helplessly called out. "Why don't you take the girls up to your room? I will take care of this ss."
The entire table was covered in crumbs.
Sohow, Darcie didn't feel any aversion to Weasley's table manners, though.
Ginny jumped off her chair, her red hair getting stuck with the odd-angled corners of the chair.
Darcie walked leisurely with Daphne on her side.
Noticing the odd clock in the living room, that pointed not at hours but places, and up the winding, creaking stairs, they arrived on the first floor, where Ginny's room was.
It was a small but bright room, Darcie noticed.
Small was an understatent here.
In truth, it was even smaller than her bathroom at the Malfoy Manor.
But months of staying at Brews and Stews and interacting with wizards and witches of Diagon Alley had taught Darcie that not all bathrooms were as big as theirs.
A desk stood facing the open window, which looked out over the orchard garden.
Darcie could even spy a few gnos peeping around.
There was a large poster of the Wizarding band — the Weird Sisters, on one wall.
On the other wall...
"That's Gwenog Jones, right?" Darcie ntioned, pointing at the poster. "Captain of the all-witch Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. Are you a fan of hers, Ginny?"
"You know her, too?!" Ginny asked, astounded.
"I follow her," Darcie said, almost smiling. "She's good. You like Quidditch, then?"
Daphne was pulling Astoria off the window, who was trying to hop out, hoping to have a better look at gnos.
Ginny threw herself on her little bed, and Darcie sat down beside her.
"I love it!" Ginny exclaid, her eyes shimring as she looked at the poster. "Mum doesn't let fly with Ron and others, though. Hehe! They don't know I sneak out to the broom shed and fly on broomsticks secretly."
"Oh!" Astoria's ears seed to have caught the hint of the ongoing conversation.
"I have never seen soone fly as fast as Darcie," she squeaked, snatching her hand from Daphne's grip. "Which broomstick do you all have? Nimbus or Cot?"
Ginny's ears suddenly gained a red touch, her eyes stirring away from others' faces.
Darcie looked at Daphne, who was already frowning at Astoria.
The little Greengrass was truly a wild card.
One never knew what Astoria would do or say in the next mont.
"Daphne, you can't stop now!" Astoria suddenly shrieked, pointing at the gnos. "Look at them! They are just running around. I am going..."
And she flew away out of the room like the wind before Daphne could even hold her back.
"Watch out!" Ginny scread, running behind her. "There's a loose step on the stairs!"
Darcie and Daphne too walked out of the room, hearing the bangs, as if soone had just fallen on the stairs.
Unknown to the girls, sothing extrely weird was going on at Greengrass Manor at this ti.
Sothing truly out of expectations.
...
The fireplace in the Grand Hall of the manor, which was only reserved for close relatives and friends, roared with green flas.
Mrs. Rachel Greengrass was just going out of the Hall when she suddenly paused upon noticing the change.
She frowned, for no one was supposed to co so early for the Party.
And then, her face fell, paling with fright... and dread.
Dressed in black, green, and silver, a witch walked out of the fireplace.
Her hair was a darker shade of blond, her eyes blue, her face pale, and when she greeted Mrs. Rachel, there was an iciness in her voice.
"Hello, Rachel," the witch sneered. "Pardon my intrusion. Darcie forgot her purse."
Rachel Greengrass stumbled half a step back. "Narcissa..."
***************
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