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"can we go to The Burrow?" marian jumped up & down. "i [heart] mrs. weasely!"
"sure!" hermione grinned. "mrs. w loves having company."
"yay!"
marian and taylor stood on either side of hermione as she disapparated them out of the Pub and into the kitchen of The Burrow, home of the red-headed weasley family.
"hermione!" mrs. weasley ran forward to give her a hug, her floured hands leaving white prints on the back of her shirt.
"mrs. weasley, these are my friends marian and taylor," hermione motioned to them when she was finally released.
"welcome, welcome!" mrs. weasley, er, welcomed them with a, you know, welcoming smile.
marian held out her notebook. "may i have your autograph? i'm your #1 fan!"
"a fan of mine? i've never heard of anything so silly," she said, though obviously pleased as she sent a quill flying over to scribble into her notebook.
mrs. weasley put her hands on her hips and inspected them. "you look a little pale, dears. first time apparating, yes?"
they nodded, and taylor added, "plus, i'm a vampire, so i'm naturally pale."
"a vampire? but it's broad daylight!" she narrowed her eyes. "are you sure you're a real vampire?"
"well, i'm more of a special kind of vampire," taylor admitted with a blush. "don't worry, i'm quite benign."
"he's special all right," marian confirmed, earning a giggle from hermione.
"i see. well, why don't you go out back, taylor, and see if your special powers can help neville and tonks remove the garden gnomes. they've become an awful nuisance!"
"yes, ma'am," taylor grinned and ran out back. they soon heard a THUD! and an "OUCH!"
"oh, dear," mrs. weasley sounded mildly worried. "i hope he'll be okay. neville and tonks are both rather, well, clumsy."
hermione and marian giggled. "they'll get on famously, mrs. weasley."
she smiled and waved her wand, sending a platter with a teapot, cups, and plates of scones floating into the other room. "why don't you go join ron and harry and have some tea while i finish up in here?"
"yes, mrs. weasley."
they followed the tea and scones and found ron & harry hunkered over a chessboard, watching a white knight ride over to plunge his lance into the black queen.
"that's totally barbaric!" marian & hermione exclaimed at the same time.
ron looked up and grinned. "that's wizard chess." he reached out to grab a scone and took a big bite, then held his hand out to marian. "i'm ron, ron weasley."
CRASH!
marian dodged a couple of crumbs, then took his hand. "i'm marian elfman. nice to meet you."
harry stood and greeted her. "yeah, nice to meet you. i'm harry--"
"potter, i know!" marian said a little breathlessly. "can i see your scar? and get your autograph?"
"um, okay," harry muttered, shoving his bangs aside for marian's inspection as he sent a quill over to write in her notebook.
"wicked!" marian looked in awe at the scar. "it really looks like a lightening bolt!"
"do you want my autograph, too?" ron asked.
"um, okay," marian muttered.
"OUCH!"
"is it true?" mr. weasley burst in, looking excitedly at marian. "i understand we have a muggle in the house!"
marian beamed. "yes, mr. weasley! it's a pleasure to meet you!" she handed him her notebook and Sharpie®. "may i get your autograph?"
he held up the Sharpie® and pulled off the cap with a look bordering on rapture. "genius!" he wrote in her notebook with a flourish, then examined the wire spiraling along the edge to hold the pages together. "what extraordinary craftsmanship these muggles possess!"
he reached into a bag and pulled out a rectangular box. "perhaps you can help me with this? we can't determine if it has been tampered with."
"dad works for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office," ron explained.
marian read the box and clapped her hands. "it's the settlers of catan!"
"what's that?"
"only the best board game ever," marian & hermione said at the same time.
"UNGH! BLOODY HELL!"
"a game? so they aren't real settlers that have been enchanted?"
marian shook her head. "no, sir. players vie for resources such as wood, ore, and lumber in order to build an economic empire."
"what, there aren't any battles?" ron asked.
"no, ronald," hermione rolled her eyes. "not all games are about bloodshed & violence."
"OUCH!"
marian looked toward the back garden and made a face. "gardening seems to be, though."
hermione sighed. "we'd better go rescue them."
they walked outside and found taylor limping, neville bleeding, tonks with her hand stuck in a knot in a tree, and a dozen garden gnomes snickering at them.
marian grabbed the wand out of hermione's pocket. "evictus varmints!"
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