New House

[alt_ernie]

We're still packing up ready to move house. I never knew we had so much stuff! We picked out our new house, it's called Hever Castle. It's a bit huge really, and mum wasn't sure about it because we don't really need so much space, but dad reckons it'll be okay. It's just sitting there empty at the moment, so we might as well have it. We're going to get some muggles or something to help keep it all clean and decent.

Dad also has this idea about using one of the wings to run a healer practice. People who are a bit ill but not really, really ill could come and see dad at our house, instead of having to go all the way into London to go to St Mungos. I think he'd still work at St Mungos a couple of days a week, but if he was at home more, he could see the babies more. He was working so much when me and my brothers were little, he wasn't around that much. It'd be nice for the babies if they got to grow up with dad around more. And nice for Laurie, and for me and Pip when we're home in the school hols.

He also said he could see people's muggles and mudbloods when they get ill, so people don't have to go to all the trouble of taking them in to St Mungos. Mum wasn't sure about that at all, but dad reckons it's a good idea. He's owled the healer department at the Ministry to see what they think about it, and whether he'd be allowed. He's been into the camps before to treat the sick muggles in there, so he knows how to talk to muggles and how to explain our treatments so the muggles don't get scared and all that stuff. I think it'd be really good. I mean, muggles and mudbloods still get ill, don't they. It's only right that we should help when we can.

I can't believe we have to go back to school soon. Dad's taking us up to Diagon Alley to pick up our books and stuff. It'll be fun, I think, getting stuff for Pip's first year. I told him that the sorting hat will look into his brain and know all his secrets and if he's not clever enough for Hogwarts, it'll bite his head off, so he's a bit anxious now. Haha!

Comments

[alt_hannah]

How exciting! Where is Hever Castle, exactly? How big is it? What made your parents decide to pick it?

[alt_ernie]

It's in a village called Hever, in Kent. It's not that far from where we lived before, but it's a bit closer to London, and much bigger of course. We've only been there a couple of times so far, because we don't get to move in until after the babies are born, but it's nice. It's got huge gardens and a moat. We picked it because it was the nicest one we saw from the houses the Ministry offered, but there's still lots to do to make it what we want it to be, like changing the furniture and stuff. That's why we need some muggles, to help with all the work.

Maybe I can throw a party after we've moved in, maybe at Christmas, and you can come and see it!

How is your holiday going? Was your YPL week good? Ours was nift.

[alt_hannah]

Ooh, I'd love to come if you do a Christmas party! It would be so exciting to see it.

Mum and Dad have both been very busy with work, but we'll be taking a holiday in the Lake District. It sounds a bit boring to Chessie and me and especially to John, but Mum goes on and on about how beautiful the scenery is there and tells us we'll love it. Dad has promised that we'll see a Quidditch match or two, maybe one of the Puddlemere United matches. I think he said that just to keep John from whinging the entire two weeks.

[alt_ernie]

That does sound a bit boring, except the Quidditch match, but maybe your mum's right and it'll actually be really fun. At least if you're out in the countryside you'll be able to run around and stuff. Maybe you guys can build a treehouse or a den somewhere and sleep there one night and tell stories and have a midnight feast and that. That'd be fun.

I asked my mum about having a party at Christmas and she didn't look mad about the idea, but I reckon she'll say yes eventually. We can start planning it when we get back to school.

[alt_ron]

Whoa! That sounds utterly snitch.

A whole castle just for your family? I bet it's amazing.

Does it have a moat and all? Or towers?

Or what about ghosts? That'd be something. Cause they could tell you all about the people who lived there way back. And I bet some of them at least were wizards. Dad says most of the old Earls and Dukes and whatnots had wizards in the family way back, even if they went all squib eventually. He says that's how they got so much land and such big places built and all. I mean, obviously Muggles couldn't have done all that without any magic way back before they'd even got machines and whatsits--those things Miss Professor Carrow said they used to move big stones and build bridges and wotnot--motors, right? The things that make all the smoke and turned everyone's lungs black?

Anywiz, if you've got a castle that wizards lived in, it's dead likely to have a ghost or two. And you can get the whole story from them. Unless they're the cranky, surly sort.

So.

You really told your brother the Hat would bite his head off? Ha!

We told Ginny they make you do a test and that it hurts quite a lot, but it's over dead quick if you're not up to snuff. The twins told her there's a special song everyone sings if anyone turns out to be a squib, and they have to take their trunks and walk straight back the station as soon as the song's done.

[alt_ernie]

Yeah, it's pretty nift. We don't need it all, but there's got to be somewhere for the muggles to live, and if dad uses some of it for his healer stuff too, that'll be some of the space.

It's got a moat and towers and all that, and gardens with mazes and stuff. Some old American bloke used to live there, but he got kicked out when the Lord Protector took over, so it's been empty for a while. There's loads of cleaning to do and fixing things that got broken.

I didn't see any ghosts when we were there, and I don't think it's mentioned in the parchments we got from the Ministry, but I didn't read them all because there were pages and pages of stuff about room sizes and land boundaries and boring stuff like that. I'll get Laurie to investigate when we've moved in though. Me and Pip will be back at school, but Laurie'll be able to look around the whole place room by room and if there are any ghosts he'll definitely find them.

Pip totally believe me too. He spent the whole day wandering around looking really scared and asking us all about what you needed to be good at to get into the Houses and then practising his wand movements and stuff. It was really funny, until he realised I made it up and punched me in the stomach. It was worth it though.

[alt_ron]

Yeah, that's brothers for you. It's all pretty much a riot until they punch you in the stomach!

Or hex your nose purple.

Sisters, though. Oi!