"Let Hedwig out," Ron told Harry, "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings."

Tori took another hairpin out of her pocket, picking the lock the way Fred and George have taught her. Moments later, the snowy owl was flying happily next to them.

"So— what's the story, Harry?" Ron asked his friend impatiently. Tori glanced up to the twins, who were both in the front seat.

Harry proceeded to tell them all about the mysterious house-elf and how it was his spell, not Harry's that the ministry detected. There was a shocked silence in the car as they all tried to take that in.

Tori was the first to break it. "That's pretty unusual for a house-elf."

"Very fishy," Fred said, George agreed. "Definitely dodgy. So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think he could," Harry said, his shoulders slumping. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."

The twins shared a glance with Tori in the rearview mirror. "Do you think he was lying to me?" Harry asked.

Tori shrugged. "House-elves are very loyal creatures. They do as their master says. Always. No questions asked. So if whoever sent Dobby told them not to spill who did it, he could have been punishing himself for giving you an idea." She thought back to her own house-elf Luman. A very kind elf, especially one who never asked questions or disobeyed.

Fred nodded, adding on. "Put it this way. House-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

"Yes." Harry and Ron said together. "Draco Malfoy."

"Not Lucius Malfoy's son?" George turned around from his seat. Tori sighed, great. And Dove was hanging out with this boy?

"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" Harry asked. "Why?"

"I heard Dad talking about him," George replied, glancing out the window. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

"They came over for dinner come times," Tori muttered, causing Ron to look at her in shock. Fred sent her a sympathetic look. "And when You-Know-Who disappeared, he came back saying he'd never meant any of it. A load of dung— Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

Tori bit her lip. Her dad had worked with Lucius Malfoy before. He never told his children how. Was it possible he worked with You-Know-Who?

"I don't know if the Malfoy's own a house elf..." Harry interjected. "We'll whoever owns him will be an old Wizarding family, and they'll be rich."

Fred went in about how Molly wished they had one and how rich people usually have them. Tori felt guilty, knowing that they had the luxury of a house-elf. She decided to keep her mouth shut though.

"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," Ron said, he proceeded to tell Harry about Errol and then Percy spending all his time in his room. He then talked about Mr. Weasley's job, Tori zoned in and out of the conversation.

"That's the main road," George peered down through the windshield. "We'll be there in the minutes... just as well, it's getting light."

A faint orange glow was visible along the horizon.

Fred proceeded to bring the car lower as Tori yawned. The sun began streaming through the trees by the time they landed. "Touchdown!" Fred yelled, making them hit the ground.

The landed outside the burrow, quickly formulating a plan. "We'll go upstairs really quiet, Tori you make sure Ginny's still sleeping, and if she's not, say you went for a jog. We wait for Mum to call us down for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bouncing down saying 'Mum, look who turned up last night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one ever needs to know we flew the car."

The plan was practically foolproof. "Right. Come on Harry, I sleep at the top—" Ron cut himself off, turning a nasty green color.

The four turned to see a very angry Molly. "Where HAVE you been?! Beds empty— no note! You could have died! You could have been seen! — out of my mind with worry— did you care? You wait until your father gets home, we never had this trouble from Bill, Charlie, or Percy—"

"Perfect Percy," Fred muttered bitterly. Tori knew the twins hated being compared to their older brothers. "YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" Molly yelled at him, prodding her finger into Fred's chest.

"And Tori, what were you thinking?! Going along with them!"

"You asked me to keep an eye on them, and I did..."

"I wanted you to keep them out of trouble! Not go along with it!"

Tori put her head down ashamed. She didn't regret what she did, she just hated that Molly was yelling at her. "I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear. Come in and have some breakfast."

Harry glanced around the four of them, who nodded for him to go on in. Molly lead them to the kitchen, where she was already making breakfast.

Tori took a seat next to George, glancing over at the radio, which had just announced that it was "Witching hour, with the popular singing sorceress Celina Warbeck."

Molly was at the stove, muttering while throwing dirty looks at her sons. "I don't know what you were thinking. Of course, I don't blame you Harry dear, Arthur, and I have been worried too. We were just saying last night that we would come and get you by Friday. But really, flying an illegal car halfway across the country! People could have seen you!"

"It was cloudy, Mum!" Fred protested but Molly only frowned. "You keep your mouth closed while your eating!"

"They were starving him, Mum! There were bars on his window!"

"Now you best hope I don't put bars on your window, Ronald Weasley!"

There was a rather large squeal behind them, and Tori turned to see Ginny rushing back up the stairs. Tori knew about Ginny's little crush in Harry. And to have him see her in her nightgown! She must have been mortified!

"That's Ginny," Ron said with a mouthful of food. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry." Fred grinned but caught Molly's eyes and quickly went back to eating.

Nothing more was said until the five of them finished, which didn't take long.

"Blimey, I'm tired," Fred yawned, stretching his arms. "I'll think I'll go to bed and—"

"You will not," Molly snapped. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again—"

"Oh, Mum—"

"And you two. You as well Tori, since you were an accomplice on this. Harry, you can go to bed dear. You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car..."

Harry didn't seem tired though. "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming—"

"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's full work." Molly sighed, taking the plates from the five of them. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject..."

George groaned loudly. "Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden—" But it was too late, Molly had grabbed Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Households Pests. This must have been her five hundredth time taking that book out this summer.

"Oh, he is marvelous," She said, swooning. Tori sighed, staring out the window, sure he was attractive, but he seemed a little obsessed with... himself.

"Mum fancies him," Fred said in a very loud whisper. Molly's cheeks went pink, "Don't be ridiculous, Fred. All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart you can go get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."

So they all got up from the table and going out into the garden. They took turns swinging the nasty little creatures, Tori managed to make her over a couple of treetops.

She was standing with Harry as George and Fred were trying to see who could grab the most when Harry spoke up.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. Tori shrugged. "Same as you, I guess."

"You had a house-elf get you in trouble so your family put bars on your window?"

Tori chuckled. "Well, not the same... My family doesn't want me home, and I don't want to be there."

"Why?" Harry blurted out. Tori could tell he regretted it the second he said it. "Don't feel bad," She told him, crossing her arms. "Do you remember learning about Michael Silvers and Dorothy Purkiss in History of Magic class?"

Harry shrugged, listening intently. "Micheal started what we are supposed to great pride in, a lovely toxic life of Pureblooded Slytherins. Sure, he did some cool stuff but my family's built on the type of blood they have. They don't like that I don't follow their line, or necessarily... the people I spend my time with."

They both turned their gaze on the Weasley brothers, who were hollering loudly. "I don't care." She told Harry, and she meant it. "The Weasleys are my family. And it's all I need."

Harry nodded, understanding. Tori then turned to him, "That cupboard. Where your trunk was in? I noticed... a bed in there. I just couldn't help but wonder, does someone sleep in there?"

Harry hesitated before replying. "I used to. Before the Dursley's moved me upstairs." He met Tori's horrified gaze and shrugged. "I don't care, really."

Tori pursued her lips together tightly. "Well. I do. I think your Aunt and Uncle are lucky we can't do magic outside of school. I have a couple of nice hexes I would like to use on them."

A chuckle escaped from Harry's mouth. "I'd like to see that."

"Are you two going to stand there, or are you going to help?"

wow

that's a lot of words

i also got caught up playing the hogwarts mystery frog choir quest so this took a while haha.

also. as if me posting this chapter,
it's june twenty third!
it's tori's birthday!

happy birthday tori!!