Chapter 51 The Weasleys
Late at night, a crescent moon quietly disappeared among the clouds. Harry and Della stood in the yard of Vernon's house, who had gone out on vacation. They had both changed into light and appropriate clothes, and Harry was wearing the light-colored casual clothes that Della had bought for him last time.
"Harry, I have to say that your uncle is a little more extreme than I thought." Della looked at Harry who was pushing the luggage and teasing Hedwig, and raised her hand to tuck her black hair that was blown by the evening breeze behind her ears. "I should have let Mr. Mason give him this business later."
"It's okay, Della, they weren't going to take me with them on vacation anyway, and Ron and the others have invited us to their house, which is much better than staying at my other relatives' homes." Harry packed his luggage nonchalantly.
"Well, I'm also looking forward to their family life in the next half month. I feel it will be very interesting." Della glanced at the wooden suitcase at her feet, bent down to pick up the birdcage where Angel was placed, and started teasing it.
After a while, the sound of a car engine could be heard faintly from overhead. The swaying dark blue sedan was tinged with light in the moonlight and soon appeared in front of them. Before the car landed, Ron in the back seat impatiently rolled down the window and waved at them.
Before the car came to a complete stop, the Weasleys opened the door and got out. Amid the car's hospitable hum, the twins' usual teasing voices could be heard:
"Hey, it looks like you guys are having a good time. This outfit looks very smart, Harry."
"Just this one suitcase of luggage? Storage magic, you are really an excellent student, Della."
Fred and George took the luggage from Della and Harry respectively, while Ron eagerly carried a birdcage in each hand and happily teased the beautiful Hedwig and Angel.
"Thank you so much for inviting me. I have always wanted to feel the atmosphere of your big family."
Under the moonlight, Della smiled widely. Maggie, who was wrapped around her neck, also raised her head and swayed slightly. Della passed Maggie to George knowingly and watched him climb up George's shoulders deftly. "Look, Maggie is very grateful to you too."
"He's just as likable as always, haha."
George tilted his head and rubbed Maggie's smooth snake head. He was tall among his peers and easily put Della's luggage in the trunk. "We welcome you to our family. The Muggle toys you brought are very interesting. My father is also very interested."
"And Ginny—"
Fred came over and added with a wink, and George also laughed, and his smiling eyes intermittently glanced at Harry who was talking excitedly to Ron, making him scratch his head in confusion.
Della also looked at the twins with wide eyes in confusion. George patted her shoulder with his usual smirk on his face, "You'll know when you get there. Ginny likes those too. You'll be living together from now on. I think you'll become very good friends."
"Alright, alright, hurry up and get in the car. We have plenty of time to chat on the way. Although there are hidden devices in the car, this broken car is not so trustworthy. Let's leave quickly at night."
Fred nodded at them, and the courtyard in front of the villa quieted down a little. After the Weasley family's car rose into the air, they exclaimed and became noisy again.
Della, who was sitting by the car window leaning against Ron, responded to her friends while looking through the window at the Vernon family's villa gradually getting smaller, until the light became tiny. Then Della looked up at the starry night sky.
"Do you like looking at the sky from high up?" George, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked Della.
"Yes, it's a very novel experience. It's my first time." Della also turned her head, glanced at Maggie who was lying on Fred's shoulder, and then looked at George. She smiled slightly.
"I heard that Gryffindor's dormitory is on the tower. That's great. We can see such a beautiful starry sky every night. Well, the view of the lake bottom in Slytherin is also very good."
"If it weren't for the House Cup incident, I would have thought that the Sorting Hat made a mistake. It's so cunning, little snake." Fred said and laughed.
Della smiled without saying anything, only exhaled softly, curled the corners of her lips and turned to look at the night sky again.
The Weasleys' house was farther away than expected. It was not until dawn that Ron pointed out the tall "small building". However, it was indeed a stretch to compare this modified car with other means of transportation such as airplanes.
Moreover, it was even more difficult to let two 14-year-old children drive.
Ah, I must find a chance to ask them about their birthdays.
The car began to descend smoothly. George, who switched to the driving seat, steered the wheel carefully, trying to land the car lightly. As the car landed with a tremor, he also yawned loudly.
Compared to the tiredness of the two people who took turns driving, the three children in the back seat were much more excited. Ron was obviously very excited to pick up his friends. He wanted to pull Harry out of the car before it stopped, and he didn't look tired at all.
What surprised Della was that Ron actually opened the car door and jumped out with Harry. This was not safe at all.
Della looked at the opened car door, then turned to look at the door handle beside her. Fred and George were joking around at Ron and Harry in front of them, and they only opened the door and got out of the car after the car was completely shut down.
"They were so anxious that they went in right away. They really had counted on us two coolies."
"Harry is a guest. If Mom sees him carrying luggage, we'll definitely give him a lesson."
George said as he looked at Della who was preparing to carry her own luggage, "And our Miss Riddle, you can't take it either, come in quickly, and from the smell you can tell that mom has baked some cookies to welcome you."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Della smiled as always, but she was a little shy and timid unconsciously. She was still a little uneasy about being invited to a friend's house for the first time.
Perhaps sensing her shyness, George put down his luggage and patted her shoulder encouragingly. A rare solemnity emerged on his face, which was always playful. Della raised her eyes and looked at him, blinked as if to cheer herself up, and quickly walked towards the door of the burrow.
The closer she got to the wooden door, the stronger the aroma of the cookies became, and the clearer the lively conversation became. However, an inexplicable sense of distance arose in Della's heart. The half-closed wooden door in front of her seemed to overlap infinitely with the original town, but it also disappeared before her eyes.
In panic, Dela stretched out her hand to grab what she wanted, but the door was pushed open with a creak. All the previous illusions disappeared with this creak, and a warm wooden room filled with white steam suddenly appeared before her.
"You are so slow, Della. Come and sit down. Mom has gone to get us new cookies."
Before Della could take a good look at this exceptionally warm room, Ron's urging voice reached her ears. He held a cookie in each hand and quickly stuffed them into his mouth.
Harry was sitting beside him, a little shy, eating a cookie. Della thought that the empty plate in front of them must be Ron's masterpiece.
After walking a few steps, a plump lady came rushing over with two large plates of steaming cookies. She probably glanced at the conspicuous empty plate on the table first, and immediately started scolding with an unhappy look on her face.
"Ronald! Look at you! You don't know how to behave yourself when there are guests around! I should have taped your mouth shut first!"
Mrs. Weasley scolded as she placed the cookie steadily on the table. Ron was so frightened by her voice and gaze that he dropped half of the cookie in his hand. From Della's perspective, he was still shaking slightly.
Mrs. Weasley, who looked fierce, immediately smiled kindly after turning around and seeing Della with wide eyes, and welcomed her warmly. The change in attitude was so great that Della even doubted for a moment whether she had used the ability of her eyes unconsciously.
She fell into Mrs. Weasley's broad and soft arms while she was dazed. The welcome and intimacy she felt were beyond the reach of any other ability. The voice in her ears became distant again, but this time it was filled with an intoxicating sweet fragrance.
Wrapped up in the warmth, she sat down next to the still somewhat restrained Harry. Watching Harry still eating the cookie in small bites, Della suddenly understood his restraint and fear.
"It's great to meet you. I always heard from Fred and the others what a smart and polite girl you are. The gifts you sent are also very interesting. Things from the Muggle world are really interesting. They are simply another kind of magic."
Molly talked nonstop. She glared at Ron who was tentatively reaching out for the cookies, then pushed the plate of cookies on the table closer to her and Harry. "Try this, dear. And you - Harry, you're welcome. I'm so glad you're here."
Such high intensity of enthusiasm shattered all of Della's expressions. She was unusually at a loss, and the smile that she used to be so familiar with became unfamiliar. She smiled awkwardly like Harry and reached out to take a cookie.
Under Molly's gaze, she took the first bite, then shyly nodded at the lady who was looking at her with her eyes wide open. After swallowing the small piece of cookie in her mouth, she whispered, "Madam, this cookie is delicious. Thank you for your hospitality."
Molly's smile grew even bigger. She looked at the two children with red cheeks tenderly and lovingly. "You will get used to it after staying here for a few more days. I still want to say it again. You are welcome to come and visit us."
As she spoke, she left with a loving smile, and the generous and warm heat gradually dissipated with her departure, making people feel a sense of loss while taking a breath.
Della and Harry turned to look at each other at this time, and turned away again after seeing each other's red cheeks. They said nothing more, and ignored Ron's complaints. They just savored the cookies in front of them, savoring the warmth they longed for.