{Narrator}

"AHHH!" yelled Harry. He'd never seen anything like this. Sure, it may be the wizarding world, but a bird? Talking? Especially with a voice like that? It utterly shocked him.

"Calm yourself, I can't fit into the car so I'm a bird for now." The talking bird said, with a roll of its eyes (or did it? It was hard to tell.)

"So- What's the story, Harry?" Said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"

"I would like to know too, even if we just met," Axis added.

Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry, and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long shocked silence when he had finished.

"Very fishy," said Fred finally.

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

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

Fred and George looked at each other. "What, do you think he was lying to me?" said Harry.

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

"Yes," said Harry and Ron together, instantly.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."

"Who's he? Must be a real loser if he hates you. You're a better person than anyone else I've seen in a year or two, besides from these three." Axis said, gesturing towards the Weasley brothers.

"It's a long story. I'll explain later if you don't mind." Harry sighed.

"He's Lucius Malfoy's son, isn't he?" George said, turning around. "I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

"Uh, what," Axis said, "who's 'You-Know-Who'?" He asked, making the others in the car stare at him with awkward looks.

"You must be really sheltered, man, to not know about him," Fred said. George nodded, putting a hand on his chin and looking at Axis with newfound interest.

"Just tell me about him when we get back to your house. Along with that Dra-something something person."

"Well anyways, when You-Know-Who disappeared, Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung - Dad reckons he was in You-Know-Who's inner circle." Fred said.

Axis stared out of the car window, tuning out Harry and the Weasley siblings' voices. Whoever that You-Know-Who person was, they must be a really big deal in this world. And probably the one who everyone is against. Turning back to the siblings and Harry, he resumed listening to their conversation.

"...everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad." Fred said.

"...Sorry for this, but, what are Muggles?" Axis said. This was getting annoying for them, wasn't it? This time, it was Harry that spoke.

"Non-magical people. Our friend, Hermione is a Muggle-born, but she has magic." Axis nodded.

"Malfoy and his family don't like Muggles. Or Muggle-borns, either." Ron scoffed.

"More like despise," Harry said, rolling his eyes for the dramatic effect.

"We're almost there guys, prepare for landing!" Whichever twin was driving said, and Axis gestured for Hawk to hold on to a corner of his pant leg.

Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees.

"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."

Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.

"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house, Axis also peeking out with curiosity.

It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic, Axis grimaced, imagining the thing tumbling down. Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, "THE BURROW". Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

"It's not much," said Ron.

"It's wonderful," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.

"Yeah, it actually is impressive. Your whole family lives here?" The blood-red-headed boy asked.

Ron just nodded sheepishly, for a reason Axis didn't know.

They got out of the car.

"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."

"Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, Axis, you too. I sleep at the - at the top--"

Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. The other four wheeled around.

Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.

"Ah, "said Fred.

"Oh, dear," said George.

Axis was just confused, as Hawk reformed back into a man.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.

"So," she said.

"Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to--"

All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.

"Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy -"

"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job--"

It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Go in and have some breakfast." She then turned to Hawk, who visibly paled.

"Um, ma'am, I'm sorry for letting your children do that." The blue-haired man said, sweating bullets at the sight of the woman.

"Well, at least you didn't let them get themselves in trouble," Mrs. Weasley shrugged, looking over to the redhead boy standing beside the violet-eyed man. Your name is Axis, yes?" She asked with a smile. Axis nodded.

"You should come inside too, both of you must be hungry." As soon as she finished, she turned and walked back into the house, and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her, the others trailing behind them.

The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before.

The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."

Axis was in awe of the entire place. It burst with magic and colours and smells, and before he knew it, he started levitating again, Hawk's hand on his shoulder the only thing keeping his head from banging onto the ceiling.

Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it."

"I don't blame you, dears," she assured Harry and Axis who glanced at each other across the table, tipping eight or nine sausages onto each of their plates. "Arthur and I have been worried about Harry, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," (she was now adding three fried eggs to their plates) "flying an illegal car halfway across the country - anyone could have seen you--"

She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.

"It was cloudy, Mum!" said Fred.

"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.

"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry's bread and buttering it for him while Hawk did Axis'.

At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.

"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all six plates were clean (Hawk had sunflower seeds, two sausages and an egg), which took a surprisingly short time.

"Blimey, I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and--"

"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "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," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You both can go up to bed, dears," she added to Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car anyways."

"Axis, why not say something about yourself when I'm done cleaning? I'd love to know more about you, and especially where your home is." Now Axis was the one who paled, snapping his head towards Hawk. His mentor was nervous too, as seen by the man suddenly sprouting pink feathers in his navy blue hair.

Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming--"

"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject--"

And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned.

"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden--"

Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests. There was a big photograph on the front of a very good-looking wizard with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Axis squinted at him, 20/20 vision not supporting his height. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.

"Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book..."

"Mum fancies him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.

Axis snickered.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."

Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it - there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting - but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.

"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron they crossed the lawn.

"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods..."

There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. " This is a gnome," he said grimly.

"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome.

It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.

"This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't hurt them -you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnome holes."

He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.

"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."

Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off - until--

"Wow, Harry - that must've been fifty feet..."

The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.

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"First, mind telling me how you appeared out of thin air? I was sure underage wizards couldn't do magic outside of school." Molly asked the blue-eyed boy sitting across her. To anyone else this would seem like a regular conversation, but to Axis? This was a full-on interrogation.

The boy gulped and opened his mouth to speak.

Nice to see you all again! I have been dead for a few months, but fear not! I am back! Although I don't know if Rin is.

Anyways, next chapter we'll see if Axis will tell the truth about himself~! For you all new readers, beware, some of Axis' stories, might be lies.

Janu out!