Chapter 80: The Burrow
While they were fooling around, a yellow-brown blur suddenly flew in from the distance, shooting straight toward Wednesday on her broom.
Russell's expression changed. He drew his wand and was about to rush forward—only to see Wednesday calmly reach out and catch it midair.
She brought the broom to a halt and descended to the ground. Russell and Cedric hurried over as well.
The three of them looked at what she was holding, their expressions turning rather strange.
The creature was about a foot tall, brown all over, with a disproportionately large head that made it look like a potato with legs.
Its eyes were tightly shut, as if it had already passed out.
"A gnome?" Cedric took it from her and said with certainty.
"A gnome? They can fly?" Russell frowned as he poked its stubby legs. "It nearly smashed into Wednesday."
"I think I know who did this," Cedric said, his expression odd. "They're probably coming over any second now."
"Hey, Cedric! Did you see the gnome I just threw?"
A figure flew in from afar, George landing in front of them with a mischievous grin.
"Russell? Didn't expect to see you here," Fred followed close behind, briefly stunned when he spotted Russell.
"You threw that gnome?" Russell pulled Wednesday forward. "It almost hit her."
"Sorry, sorry—we really didn't mean it," the Weasley twins exchanged a look and sincerely apologized to Wednesday.
Whether it was because their mother, Molly Weasley, was waiting for them at home—or because it truly was an accident—the apology was genuine. To make up for it, Fred even gave Wednesday a tin frog that sang as a gift.
Wednesday found it fascinating. She was already thinking about changing its tune into a funeral march.
"Wednesday is…?" George asked, having never seen her before, glancing at Russell and Cedric.
"Wednesday Addams," Russell replied, handing the twins two bottles of cola. "First-year, starting this year. You live nearby?"
"Of course," Fred said after chugging half a bottle and belching contentedly. "Our place isn't far from Cedric's—though honestly, I wish it were farther."
"Fine, fine," Cedric said darkly. "Just don't borrow my room to test magical gadgets next time."
"Sorry, Cedric—that's not what I meant," George quickly said, trying to smooth things over.
"It's just that Mr. Diggory keeps dropping by our house, going on and on about how amazing you are."
Fred went on, "Once Mr. Diggory leaves, it's our turn to suffer."
It was obvious how much resentment they were carrying.
"But your grades are pretty good, aren't they?" Cedric thought about it and felt something was off.
Despite fooling around every day, the Weasley twins actually had surprisingly strong academic records. They might not rank first, but they were always near the top.
"Who's talking about grades?" George rolled his eyes. "It's always, You're obedient, you follow school rules, you're a model student who never causes trouble. And then it turns into, Why did we get another notice from the school about you two messing up again?"
That part was true. The twins broke school rules every now and then, and everyone had long since gotten used to it.
"Oh, by the way, Russell, want to come over to our place for a bit? My mum's cooking is amazing. Cedric, you should come too."
They extended the invitation.
Russell didn't mind either way. Wednesday followed his lead, and the two of them waited for Cedric's response.
"Perfect timing," Cedric said. "My parents are out today anyway."
The Weasley house looked about four stories tall, built crookedly and leaning at odd angles. Russell knew it was magically constructed, but he still couldn't shake the worry that it might collapse at any moment.
Before they even reached it, a booming shout rang out.
"George Weasley! What did I tell you about clearing out the gnomes? Where did you two run off to?"
A short, plump woman stood there with bright red hair, gripping a frying pan and glaring murderously in their direction.
But when she noticed the others behind them, her expression instantly softened into a warm smile.
"Welcome, Cedric—and these two young guests. May I ask who you are?"
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Russell said with a polite smile. "My name is Russell Fythorne, Cedric's friend. I'm a first-year at Hogwarts—going into second year after the summer."
"Wednesday Addams," she added, lifting her chin. "Your hair is very beautiful. Red, like blood."
"Addams…" A strange glint flickered through Mrs. Weasley's eyes before she recovered. "Thank you for the compliment, dear."
She warmly ushered them inside.
Just as George and Fred tried to follow, she turned and chased them back out.
"I want every gnome in that garden gone within half an hour. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Mum," the twins replied in unison, exchanging helpless looks as they trudged toward the garden.
"I heard from George that you ranked first in your year," Mrs. Weasley said as she poured tea and brought out two plates of small pastries. They looked like sweet biscuits.
"Your baking is wonderful," Russell said after taking a bite.
"Oh, you flatter me. It's just ordinary," she replied modestly—though her pleased smile told a different story.
"These are just a few gifts from the Muggle world," Russell said, once again pulling snacks from his pocket and stacking them into a small mountain on the table.
"Oh my goodness, dear, that's far too much," Mrs. Weasley said, momentarily at a loss. She had never seen anything like this.
"We showed up unannounced, so I felt a bit awkward," Russell said smoothly. "They're just small tokens. The three of us picked them out together."
Now that's emotional intelligence—take notes.
"Such good children, all of you," Mrs. Weasley said, glowing. "Just wait till you taste my cooking later."
Then she raised her voice toward the stairs.
"Ron, come down and help Mum entertain our guests!"
She called Ron because only three people were home at the moment—Ginny was too young, Percy was busy studying, so Ron was the only option.
"All right, Mum," Ron replied reluctantly as he came downstairs at a slow pace, the steps creaking under his feet.
"Hi, Ron," Cedric said, waving at him and pointing to the bottles on the table.
"Come grab some snacks."