"Norberta?" Tom was surprised to hear that name, how did it sound like a female name? Could it be...?
"That's right," Charlie nodded. "That Norwegian Ridgeback is a female. To be honest, it surprised us too when we found out."
Charlie raised his arm, marked with scars. "What were they thinking naming a female dragon Norbert? It completely caught us off guard."
Tom and Hagrid hadn't really noticed that. They were amateurs in dragon breeding, and the most impressive thing was that they had managed to hatch a dragon. They didn't have the ability to distinguish between males and females.
After greeting Charlie, Tom ran into Bill again, the eldest Weasley son. Bill worked at Gringotts Bank and had been stationed in Egypt, searching for treasures left behind by ancient wizards. Last summer, Tom and Hermione had an encounter with Bill during their adventure in Egypt. Bill had provided them with a lot of inspiration, and without his help, Tom would hardly have been able to enter the pyramid of Menes.
Bill still had his punk style, with his hair tied back in a ponytail and dressed in clothes that looked like they were from a rock band.
"Long time no see, adventurer!" Bill lounged in a chair and lazily greeted Tom, waving his hand. "How did it go in Egypt last time?"
"We found a very impressive archaeological site..." Tom's words were interrupted by Mr. Weasley's appearance.
"And Fred and George?" Mr. Weasley glanced at the kitchen, making sure the Grangers had already been taken to their rooms, and then exploded uncontrollably. He had been suppressing his anger the whole time, only he didn't want to show it in front of the Grangers on their first meeting.
"Well, Mum took them," Charlie scratched his head and explained to his father that after he left, both he and Bill were interrogated by their mother and couldn't resist it. They ended up confessing everything Fred and George had done at the Dursleys' house.
Mr. Weasley fell silent. Although he was angry with Fred and George, he had no real intention of telling Mrs. Weasley everything. However, she noticed something strange about her husband and questioned Bill and Charlie directly while he went to fetch the Grangers. The two good brothers confessed everything without reservation, which infuriated Molly.
"I shouldn't have spoken to all of you, a bunch of blabbermouths!" Finally, Mr. Weasley couldn't help venting his frustration and went to the garden to find a way to rescue his sons.
After Mr. Weasley left, Harry approached Tom and said, "It's said that Dudley's tongue has grown to a meter and a half long, and the Dursleys finally allowed Mr. Weasley to cast a spell to treat it."
"No wonder your uncle detests magic," Tom had a strong desire to make a sarcastic comment. The Dursleys had a bad impression of wizards, and in a way, it was understandable, as they seemed to have bad luck every time they crossed paths with them.
Vernon's resentment towards wizards originated from Harry's father, James. Vernon was invited by James to his wedding to Lily, but the wedding was very unpleasant, and Vernon felt that James was mocking him, so they separated and had no further contact.
The next time they heard news of them was when they learned of James and Lily's death, which was terrifying for Vernon. Moreover, what was annoying was that he now had to take care of James' child.
The Dursleys' troubles didn't end there. In Harry's first year, Hagrid made Dudley grow a pig's tail, in the second summer, Harry inflated his aunt, and this year was the case of the elongated tongue due to the Lingua Longuilinguo candies...
With so many unpleasant incidents, it was no wonder the Dursleys had an aversion to wizards.
"Maybe," Harry shrugged, "but it really was a very interesting event, and Dudley's tongue did grow to a meter and a half."
At that moment, Hermione appeared in the kitchen doorway. She had left her luggage in her room and had returned to the first-floor kitchen. Behind her was a small figure, Ginny, Ron's younger sister. Crookshanks, the cat, slinked behind them and sneaked into the garden while no one was looking.
"Tom, first put away your things; dinner will be ready soon."
...
"Dinner will probably be delayed," Bill said, looking out the window at Fred and George, who were being scolded like quails. "Come here, guys, let me take care of the luggage."
"Ron, you, and Harry will be on the sixth floor. It might be a bit noisy at night because the poltergeist in the attic likes to bang on the pipes," Bill explained the room arrangements as they climbed the rickety stairs.
On the outside, the Burrow looked small, but it had several floors. Counting the attic, it had a total of seven floors, with people living from the second to the sixth floor. The second floor was Ginny's bedroom, where she would be sharing with Hermione that night. The third floor was Fred and George's room, and Percy's room was right next to theirs, an arrangement that was hardly believed to be accidental on the Weasleys' part, putting the strictest and most rigid son in charge of the mischievous twins.
The fourth floor was Charlie and Bill's bedroom. To welcome the Grangers, it had been magically converted into a very large room divided in two, where the Grangers would spend the night. Next door was a very reliable and steady Charlie, so there wouldn't be any issues there.
Then there was Arthur and Molly's master bedroom and Ron's small room. If the Weasleys had another child, they'd probably have to clear out the attic.
Although the Burrow wasn't large, it felt cozy, radiating a strong sense of home. Despite many people living together and it being a bit crowded, there weren't major issues since everyone was here for only one night.
"I have no idea how long they'll be grounded this time. I feel like this time won't be less serious than when they set up Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Bill chatted with his brothers as they climbed the stairs.
"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? What's that?" Harry heard a strange term.
Bill moved the luggage aside and laughed heartily.
After a while, he finally composed himself and said, "I've always thought my brothers are geniuses. Honestly, I support them quite a bit, but don't tell Mom."
"While Mom was cleaning Fred and George's room, she found a stack of orders, followed the thread, and discovered that the two had set up a little shop called 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes,' where they sell all kinds of joke inventions they've created, like fake wands, magical sweets, and so on. And it turns out Tom placed a big order..."
Hermione: !!!