the fireplace
"So, let me get this straight... we're going to break into Harry's house through the fireplace?" you ask, eyebrows raised as you sit cross-legged on the floor of the Weasleys' cluttered living room. The thought alone is ridiculous enough to make you let out a snort.
"Not break in," George corrects, grinning. "Just... make a grand entrance."
"Same thing," you mutter under your breath, earning a laugh from Ginny beside you.
Mr. Weasley is fussing with the fireplace, checking the Floo Powder supply for the third time while Mrs. Weasley scolds Fred and George about their latest prank.
"If I see so much as a spark from one of your joke products, you two will be degnoming the garden for a month!" Mrs. Weasley warns, pointing a finger at the twins.
Fred grins. "No sparks, got it."
George, standing next to you, leans over and whispers.
"Technically, toffees don't spark."
You bite your lip to keep from laughing. "You're insufferable."
"And yet, you adore me," he shoots back with a wink.
Your first encounter with George Weasley wasn't exactly graceful. You had been friends with his sister, Ginny, since first year, but had only heard stories of her mischief-causing twin brothers. You remembered your first encounter clear as day. It was your second year at Hogwarts, and you had accidentally set your bag on fire during Charms class. Panicking, you'd tried to extinguish it with your cloak, only making things worse. George, already a notorious prankster even in his second year, had stepped in with a cheeky grin, calmly using a charm to put out the flames. "Bit early to be making fireworks, isn't it?" he'd joked, and from that moment on, you became fast friends with George Weasley, bonding over silly pranks and shared mischief.
At first, you couldn't tell Fred and George apart to save your life. The twins took full advantage of this, constantly switching places just to confuse you. They both introduced themselves as George when you first met, leaving you wondering if there even was a Fred. But after countless pranks and shared jokes, you started to notice the little things—George's slightly more crooked nose than that of his brothers', and the way his smile always had a hint more softness when directed at you. That's when you knew. Over time, harmless pranks turned into late-night chats in the Gryffindor common room, and before you knew it, the twins had become two of your closest friends.
Before you can reply, Mr. Weasley calls everyone over. "Right, let's go! Ginny, you're staying behind with your mum. The rest of you, hold on tight."
You step into the fireplace beside George, squeezing into the small space. He smirks down at you.
"If you wanted to be this close, love, you could've just asked," he teases.
George's personality was always playful and slightly flirty with you, but in a platonic way—teasing you endlessly, giving you exaggerated winks, and jokingly calling you ridiculous pet names.
"Shut up, George," you reply snidely, though your face warms at his words.
With a toss of the powder and a loud declaration of "The Dursleys' house!", you feel yourself spinning through the Floo Network, George's hand grabbing your wrist to keep you steady.
The next moment, you come tumbling to the ground, coughing on soot and what smells like old ash and wood. George lands beside you, laughing as you both struggle to stand in the weirdly confined space. Your laughter comes to a halt as you realize the predicament you all are in suddenly. Everything is very, very dark and cramped.
You feel someone attempt to sneak behind you, which is met with the loud sound of something banging and crashing to the floor.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
You all hear a loud screech outside of where you all are confined, followed by shuffling noises and hushed voices. Whoever was trying to move behind you, which sounded like multiple people at this point, began to crash and scrape at what now seemed to be wood, boarding up whatever exit you all had in order to escape.
"Ouch, George, that was my foot!" You hiss, lightly shoving the boy standing right behind you. Suddenly, Mr. Weasley pipes up.
"Ouch, Fred! No, go back, go back, there's got to be some sort of mistake! Tell George not to- ouch! George, no, there's no more room, go back quickly and tell Ron-" George attempts to move, and once again, steps on someone else's foot, this time it being Mr. Weasley's.
"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad, maybe he'll let us out-"
With that, George begins to hammer his fists on the wood boarding up what you now know to be the fireplace.
"Harry, can you hear us?"
You hear a very angry male voice on the opposite end, yelling at someone, before you hear Harry's voice now, beginning to hold in his laugh.
You hear Harry explain to Mr. Dursley the predicament that you are all in, and how you tried to come to get him by Floo, but did not account for the fact that they had previously boarded up the fireplace, one that had been now replaced with an electric one.
You hear footsteps approach the fireplace.
"Mr. Weasley? It's Harry, the fireplace has been blocked up, you won't be able to get through here at all."
"Damn!" You hear the voice of Mr. Weasley, right beside where you are crouched.
"What on earth did they block up the fireplace for?"
"They've got an electric fire," you hear Harry explain.
"Really?" Mr. Weasley says quite excitedly. "Ecklectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that ... let's think ... ouch, Ron!" Ron steps on his foot again, trying to get to the front of the mass of people huddled in the dark.
"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?" Ron asks.
You hear the twins snicker to themselves, as Fred replies sarcastically.
"Oh, no, Ron, no, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."
"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here!" George now explains. You now realize he's standing right behind you, chin resting on the top of your head. You quickly shake it off.
Mr. Weasley then instructs everyone to stay back. There is a loud POP! sound, followed by the sound of boards crackling in a great puff of smoke. You see Aunt Petunia fall backwards onto her bottom, Uncle Vernon attempting to catch her as you all tumble to the carpeted floor.
Mr. Weasley brushes some dust from his robes, adjusting his glasses as he straightens up. "Ah, you must be Harry's aunt and uncle!"
Uncle Vernon looks completely taken aback. He shuffles back a few steps, pulling Aunt Petunia with him. His suit is covered in white dust, making him look disheveled and older than usual. It's almost comical.
"Sorry about that," Mr. Weasley says, a little sheepish, as he lowers his hand. "It's my fault. Didn't think it through, honestly. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network just for a quick stop, you see. It's all a bit technical, but I've got a contact at the Floo Regulation Panel. No big deal, really. I can fix it in a jiffy."
The Dursleys are still frozen in confusion, and you can tell that they don't understand a single word. Aunt Petunia is backing away slowly, hiding behind her husband.
Mr. Weasley turns to Harry with a smile. "Harry, you've got your trunk ready?"
"It's upstairs," Harry answers, grinning, already looking forward to leaving.
"We'll get it," Fred says, heading for the stairs with George right behind him. The two of them know exactly where Harry's room is, and it's clear they're both eager to get moving.
You glance at George for a moment, not missing the way he moves with that easy confidence. It's hard not to notice him. He's always got that natural charm, and even though you're here for a serious reason, part of you can't ignore how it feels to be around him after an entire summer. He pauses on the stairs for a moment to watch how the scene unfolds.
"Right, well," Mr. Weasley says, making an attempt to fill the silence. "You've got a very... uh... unique place here."
The Dursleys are standing there, flustered and clearly not impressed with Mr. Weasley's comment. The living room is a disaster, covered in bits of brick and dust. They look like they might burst into a rant, but instead, they just stand there, tense.
Mr. Weasley looks around, his curiosity evident. "You run your television off... uh, eckeltricity, I assume?" He points to a plug by the wall. "I collect plugs myself, you know. And batteries. It's a bit of a hobby."
You catch a glimpse of George again, stifling a laugh. He's watching his dad with an amused look, but his eyes flick to yours for just a second, before turning and running back up the stairs to Harry's room.
"Ah! Yes!" Mr. Weasley exclaims, as if suddenly remembering something important. "This is my daughter's friend—" He turns to you, beaming. "—a fellow enthusiast for all things Muggle! She's been kind enough to come along and help out."
You give the Dursleys a polite smile and nod. "You must be Harry's aunt and uncle?"
Uncle Vernon barely acknowledges you, but you don't expect much. His eyes are still locked on Mr. Weasley, like he's not sure whether the man might suddenly start attacking them.
"Erm, yes," you continue, trying to make the moment less awkward. "Nice to meet you."
"Right," says Mr. Weasley, glad to have a distraction from the tension. "She's quite knowledgeable about Muggle devices! She knows all about these plugs and things. She's brilliant!"
You glance over at Harry, trying to keep the mood light. "You okay?" you ask him, giving him a small grin. "Sorry about the mess."
Harry chuckles, shaking his head. "It's fine."
Mr. Weasley is still trying to make conversation, but Uncle Vernon's expression is growing more and more furious. You know it's probably pointless, but you can't help feeling a little bad for the guy. His living room is ruined, and he's completely out of his depth.
Fred and George return with Harry's trunk, and you can't help but notice how Fred hands off the trunk to George. You stay back a bit, but George catches your eye with a small, quick grin. It makes you feel strangely warm inside.
"Right," Mr. Weasley says, turning back to the Dursleys. "I think it's time to get going. We can't leave Harry in this place any longer."
He pulls out his wand and with a flick, flames burst to life in the fireplace, crackling warmly.
Fred steps forward, tossing a pinch of Floo powder into the fire. The flames turn emerald green. "Off you go, then."
Fred steps into the fire with a grin, disappearing in an instant. You can't help but admire his ease. He always seems so confident.
"Okay, George," Mr. Weasley says, giving him a nod.
You move forward with George, feeling the heat of the fire already rising. You help him position Harry's trunk so it won't tip over in the flames, but as you do, George gives you a small, almost teasing glance as he gently rolls something shiny out of his pocket onto the floor, resembling a small toffee. You know exactly what it is, and shoot George a very clear "are you kidding me?" glare. George, however, pretends not to notice your exclamation of disbelief.
"Ready?" he asks, his tone humorous.
You nod, clearing your throat from whatever anxious laugh that was bubbling up. "Ready."
With another flick of his wand, the trunk is swallowed by the green flames. George steps into the fire, turning back to you with a slight grin. "The Burrow!" he calls, and in the blink of an eye, he's gone.
Ron steps in next, saying goodbye to the Dursleys with a grin, before stepping into the flames. You take a deep breath, knowing it's your turn next. You step up to the hearth, glancing back one last time at the Dursleys. Harry's already moving toward the fire, but Mr. Weasley gives him one last look.
"Didn't you say goodbye?" Mr. Weasley asks, his tone slightly incredulous.
"It doesn't matter," Harry mutters, but Mr. Weasley just shakes his head, still holding Harry back with a hand on his shoulder.
"Not going to see your nephew until next summer. Surely you'll wish him well?"
Uncle Vernon doesn't respond, his face red with frustration. With his wand still out, Mr. Weasley just raises an eyebrow. "Really?"
Finally, Uncle Vernon mutters, "Goodbye, then."
Harry steps into the fire, calling out "The Burrow!" as he disappears. You step up next, heart racing as you stand at the edge of the fire.
"Ready?" Mr. Weasley asks.
"Yeah," you say, more firmly this time, taking one last look at the Dursleys before you step in.
Just as you're about to step into the green flames, a loud and horrifying gagging sound fills the room. You spin around to see Dudley, clutching his oversized stomach and gagging violently on something that appears to be... his own tongue? A shiny wrapper is sitting next to him, ripped open on the ground.
Aunt Petunia is sobbing, trying to pry George's prank out of Dudley's mouth. Mr. Weasley's eyes widen in panic, but his voice remains calm as he tries to explain.
"Not to worry, it's just a simple Engorgement Charm. Fred, a real joker. But I can fix it, honestly!"
But the Dursleys are having none of it. Aunt Petunia's screeches become higher-pitched as Dudley flails about like a wild animal, his tongue swishing around like a giant purple snake.
"Right, Harry," Mr. Weasley says, looking at the two of you with a resigned expression, "time to go. I'll sort this out."
You exchanged one last look with Harry before Mr. Weasley shooed you toward the fire. You stepped into it with a breath of warm air, ready to leave the chaos behind. With a whoosh, you both vanish into the emerald flames, leaving the Dursleys' shrieks behind as you shoot through the Floo network towards the Burrow.
🧨 Author's note:
YAY! First chapter is officially done :) I know it isn't much so far, but things should pick up soon! The next chapter will be the World Cup, and it'll probably be a little longer than this one! I still can't believe they didn't include this scene in the movie, it's one of my favourites honestly lolll