The road to the house, as planned, was still through the Floo Network.
At that moment, as no one had used the Floo Network in a long time, the flames in the fireplace had gone out.
"Fire!" Mr. Weasley pointed his wand at the fireplace, and immediately, flames roared to life in the fireplace, their fiery tongues rising rapidly.
"Using the Floo Network is quite simple, Fred, come here and demonstrate for everyone," Arthur gestured to Fred while pulling a small bag tied with a string from his pocket.
Fred reluctantly approached the fireplace, took a handful of shimmering powder from his father's bag, and threw it into the fireplace fire.
The flames turned bluish-green and grew taller than a person. Fred stepped into the flames and shouted, "The Burrow!"
In the blink of an eye, Fred disappeared.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Granger were mentally prepared, they were still taken aback, their eyes widening in astonishment, inhaling sharply.
"The key is to pronounce the words clearly, not move during the process, and not be choked by the smoke," Mr. Weasley looked at Harry and summarized the key points for using the Floo Network. "Come on, George, now it's your turn."
Mr. Granger, who had been observing from the side the whole time, became excited. Scattering a bit of magical powder, shouting a place's name, and being instantly transported there, was there anything more magical than that?
"Nothing bad will happen, right?" Tom was a bit worried. He remembered the first time Harry used the Floo Network and ended up in the wrong place. He originally wanted to go to Diagon Alley but ended up in Knockturn Alley. If the Grangers also ended up in the wrong place, it would be a big problem.
"No problem," Mr. Weasley said as he stood next to Tom and barely moved his lips. "Don't worry, even if they go to the wrong place, I can find them quickly..."
Tom: !!!
He really wanted to stop Mr. Granger and give him a fortune-telling reading before he entered the fire to see how it would go, but it was already too late. After George disappeared, Mr. Granger couldn't wait and threw a handful of Floo Network powder into his own fireplace. When the flames stabilized, he entered immediately.
It was a wonderful experience he had never encountered before. The flames flowed around him like a hair dryer blowing a hot stream of air, drying his clothes exceptionally well. This comfortable feeling was like throwing a person from a small, musty house into a desert oasis where the air became so dry it could cause nosebleeds.
Mr. Granger resisted the temptation to stay in the fire and pronounced the strange name of the place, "The Burrow." Then, he felt as if he were being sucked into a giant plug, his body spinning rapidly. The deafening roar in his ears reminded him of a plane taking off. He struggled to open his eyes, and a succession of doors and rooms outside the fireplace rushed before his eyes, causing a flutter in his stomach. Mr. Granger closed his eyes again.
After that, he was thrown out of a fireplace door, and if it weren't for someone holding him, he would have fallen to the floor.
Mr. Granger struggled to stand up, straightened his crooked glasses, and saw a small, cluttered kitchen in front of him. The kitchen was crowded with people, and the woman holding him was short and plump with a friendly and cordial expression.
Mr. Granger struggled to stand up, adjusted his glasses, and a small, cluttered kitchen appeared before his eyes. The kitchen was crowded, partly because it was small and filled with cooking utensils, and partly because it was full of people.
As far as Mr. Granger could see, there were redheads everywhere, and a short, plump woman with a kind and amiable face was holding onto him.
"You must be Mr. Granger, welcome to the Burrow!" she said enthusiastically as she helped Mr. Granger shake the soot off his clothes and took the opportunity to catch Fred and George, who were trying to escape from the kitchen.
"Charlie, Bill, take care of our guest, I'll be right back to do something else," she said with a smile, taking the twins one by one and leading them out of the kitchen.
Fred and George looked dejected and cast pleading looks at their older and second older brothers.
In response to their younger brothers' pleas, Charlie and Bill made a decision without thinking: they acted oblivious and allowed their mother to take Fred and George out of the kitchen. Neither of them wanted to clash with their mother's wand at that moment and serve as a shield against spells.
...
Tom stood in the room, watching Mr. Granger disappear into the fireplace. He couldn't do anything but silently pray that he would arrive at the Burrow without any problems.
"Mrs. Granger, please," Arthur handed the bag to Mrs. Granger.
Mrs. Granger was also a little nervous in front of the fire. It was normal, as a fear of fire was imprinted in the genes of animals. But as she remembered how her husband had done it, she began to feel calmer.
It's like skydiving!
She mimicked what the three had done before, stepped into the fire, and disappeared.
Tom: ...
I guess there won't be any problems, right?
After Mrs. Granger also used the Floo Network to leave, only Tom, Hermione, Harry, and Mr. Weasley remained in the room. As the only adult wizard, Mr. Weasley decided to be the last to leave. The reason was simple: in case something went wrong with someone using the Floo Network, he could rescue the person as quickly as possible.
Tom looked at Hermione, indicating for her to leave quickly. Her parents had already left, so it was time for their daughter to leave as well to avoid unnecessary worries for the Grangers.
Soon, only Mr. Weasley remained in the room. He grabbed the last piece of luggage, waved his wand to close doors and windows, and tossed the last handful of Floo Network powder into the fire.
"The Burrow."
The spacious Granger house was left empty, even the flames in the fireplace went out on their own.
When Tom opened his eyes, he found himself at the Burrow. A sturdy man approached him, patted him on the shoulder, and shook his hand.
The sensation in the palm of his hand revealed the person's identity. Only someone like Charlie, who specialized in studying dragons in Romania, would have so many calluses and blister scars on his hand. His red hair and dense freckles were additional proof.
Charlie had a calm appearance weathered by wind and cold, indicating that the environment in the dragon reserve was not so pleasant. As he approached, Tom noticed a scar on his arm.
"That's a mark left by an old acquaintance of yours, remember the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that Hagrid hatched?" Charlie explained proactively when he saw Tom notice the scar on his arm.
It was a scar that had a connection to Tom.
Tom and Hagrid had raised a Norwegian Ridgeback together, and to evade the Ministry of Magic's search, Newt had hidden it. After two years in Newt's care, Norbert was sent to the dragon reserve in Romania, as space in Newt's suitcase was running out.
That scar was the welcome gift he had left for Charlie.
"Norbert?"
"No, it's Norberta."