The group got a couple hours of sleep before they had to wake up to catch their Portkey back to the Burrow. Percy and Mr. Weasley spent the next several days working overtime at the Ministry of Magic trying to smooth over the PR disaster that resulted after the Ministry botched security at the Quidditch World Cup.
Harry asked Mrs. Weasley if Hedwig had arrived yet, but she hadn't. Harry explained to Ron and Hermione that he had sent a letter to Sirius about the dream he had over the summer and that he was afraid that Voldemort was planning something big.
Mrs. Weasley made the usual trip to Diagon Alley to pick up everybody's school supplies for the coming term. In addition to their normal supplies, Mrs. Weasley returned with a nice set of green dress robes for Harry and a set of long, maroon velvet dress robes with a moldy-looking lace collar and matching lace cuffs for Ron that were purchased secondhand. Ron was furious when he saw them:
"Why is everything I own rubbish? They look like my Great Aunt Tessie! They smell like my Great Aunt Tessie.."
The night before they were to leave for school, Mr. Weasley was called back into the Ministry. Someone named Mad-Eye had gotten into trouble with his neighbors for disturbing the peace. Mad-Eye claimed that an intruder tried to break into his house but his booby-trapped trashcans exploded and scared him off. Amos Diggory begged Arthur to go visit Mad-Eye and try and smooth everything over with the police since Mad-Eye was supposed to be "starting his new job the next day".
The Weasley family started talking about Mad-Eye Moody and George mentioned that he thought he was a "nutter". Mrs. Weasley interrupted their conversation to remind them all that Mr. Weasley thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody. She went on to explain that Moody was a retired Auror (dark wizard catcher). "After catching so many evil wizards he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. He doesn't trust many people anymore."
The next morning the whole family except for Arthur and Percy piled into several taxis to go to the train station. Mrs. Weasley and her two eldest sons, Bill and Charlie, wished them all a good term and said goodbye. Bill and Charlie told them all that it should be an "interesting year" but they refused to explain why when Ron briefly tried to press them on it.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione boarded the train and found an empty compartment. They could hear Malfoy through the cracked compartment door talking to someone in the corridor: "Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts." Hermione explained to Harry that there were two other wizarding schools in Europe -- Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Durmstrang had a reputation for emphasizing the dark arts. Both of the schools had hidden locations so that nobody could steal their secrets.
As the train thundered through the countryside, Ron started telling several of their fellow Gryffindors about the Quidditch World Cup. Malfoy walked by the ajar compartment door and started jeering at him. His attention was drawn to Ron's trunk and the maroon dress robes that were hanging out of it.
"Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean – they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety.." Malfoy laughed.
Ron growled at him angrily. Malfoy was perhaps just as delighted to find out that Ron doesn't know what was going to happen at Hogwarts this year either.
"I know of course because father told me about it ages ago. Heard it from Cornelius Fudge himself."
Ron's face turned a darker shade of red as he became more embarrassed and angry. To his relief the Hogwarts Express finally thundered into the Hogsmeade Station.
Mad-Eye Moody (Finster Baby) a 2-Shot Auror (Cop) had a run in with the muggle police on day 2.
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Finster Baby (4): Kitkat16, Rhizoctonia, Yehom, Canik
It is now night 2. Please PM any night actions to me in your personal role PM by 1:00pm CST on Saturday, February 4th.