Chapter one: Guilty Expressions
The entirety of the household was quiet and in no shape to argue the facial expression of their mother. Mrs. Weasley cast stern looks about the room to all of the guilt-ridden faces cast around her. To say she was displeased would be a understatement in the simplest of forms. She was livid; furious. And not only was her anger cornered around her sons, she was not the slightest bit pleased with Harry either.
She contemplated the steps she should take to punish these children. Every one of them, down to the freckles scattered on Ron's nose to the scar blazing on Harry's forehead, was one hundred percent guilty and they all knew it.
The whole lot of them had snuck out, at half past midnight, to go to a party filled with untrustworthy hooligans, without a doubt. Not only did they break one of the severe rules of the household, but they had each gotten drunk to boot. True, their alcohol consumption wasn't very noticeable at this point in time. The only sure emotion noticeable on these boys faces was that of complete and utter shock.
They had been caught. Yes, they had indeed. And the longer Mrs. Weasley sat and stared at their guilt ridden faces, the more severe their punishments became in her mind. There stood a ringing silence around them. No one had spoken a word; no one had needed to. When the lot of them came stumbling in at near four in the morning to the maniacal look of pure evil on Mrs. Weasley's face, they all immediately looked at their feet and when Mrs. Weasley pointed a trembling finger to the kitchen table, they all shuffled helplessly over and sat down.
Mrs. Weasley stood, frozen, with her hands on her hips. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what could be said to justify what they had done. She decided to just choose someone out of the four to explain.
"George!" she demanded.
George's head popped up and stared blankly into his mother's eyes.
"George dear," she repeated. "Would you care to explain what the lot of you thought you were doing when you snuck out of the house and came home stumbling in like idiots at four in the morning?"
George looked frightened. "Mum, we just… well, we… I guess we wanted to go have some fun."
"Oh well, that's great dear. I'm glad you guys could find something so very wholesome to do on your Friday nights. Tell me then… did you all have fun?"
The false, sarcastic excitement in her words brought chills to each and every one of their bones.
Fred finally took the upper hand.
"Mum, look, we know what we did was inexcusable." Mrs. Weasley let out a snort at this. "We know what we did was wrong and we're extremely sorry."
"Boys, it's the fact that you would do it all intentionally and deliberately!" She was shouting now and flinched. "It's not O.k. to come home in the state that you are all in and expect me to forgive you without even batting an eyelash."
"Mrs. Weasley", Harry began, nervously, "I…well… I just wanted to say that I'm sure we all thought it wouldn't lead to this."
Mrs. Weasley grunted at Harry. "Wouldn't lead to what Harry? Being caught?"
She did have a point, Harry mused. Though that wasn't exactly what he meant.
"No, I just mean that when we left, we didn't think we'd be coming home at this hour and… well… I didn't expect to drink. We just kind of -"
"That's the biggest load of codswallop I have ever heard as an excuse, Harry. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm pretty sure your intentions for the night wasn't to go for a twenty minute jaunt to go get ice cream. You know very well that you were going to a party and plus, that still doesn't excuse the fact that you left this house at an ungodly hour without my or their father's consent!"
Harry shook his head in understandment. Yes, he knew what his intentions were and he knew Mrs. Weasley was so used to hearing white lies from her many children that she could now read them like a book. Plus, what justice would it do to lie to the single woman who took him in and treated him like one of her own?
Everyone else was quiet and Harry said nothing else after this. Mrs. Weasley broke the silence. "Fred, you will do dishes and degnoming for the entire Summer. George, you will clean and organize the shed and do the weeding. Ron, you will see to the attic and try to find a way to make the ghoul be quiet!"
"But I want Ron's job!" complained George.
"Yeah, and what about Harry?" added Fred.
"Not another word! Now the three of you go to bed right now! Go!"
Harry was confused. Three?
"What? Harry doesn't have to do any chores and he's not getting sent to his room?"
"George, I said enough! Go to bed now. I'm not done with Harry yet."
The three boys gave regretful looks at Harry then turned on their heels and headed straight for their rooms. Harry gulped involuntarily and stayed rooted where he was.
Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Sit down Harry."
Harry sat. His mind was numb and he was regretting horribly the past night's actions. Too uncomfortable to look at Mrs. Weasley, Harry stared blankly at his twiddling thumbs on the table.
"Harry," Mrs. Weasley began, "I can't say I'm very surprised that Fred and George went on a little escapade in the middle of the night but I have to admit I'm a bit surprised that it involved you and Ron." Harry briefly wondered why she wasn't also having this little talk with Ron then. "But then again, you're a sixteen year old boy and I suppose these are the type of things sixteen year old boys do whether I want them to or not. It's one thing Fred and George being out and drinking like army men, being as they are of age, but you and Ron are just sixteen and…" Her voice faltered, obviously wanting Harry to get the point she was trying to make.
Harry couldn't find his voice so he just nodded while continuing to stare at his thumbs. He felt very, very stupid right about now.
"How much did you drink tonight?"
Harry bobbed his head up quickly and stared at her. He wasn't expecting her to ask him that. "Oh… umm, just a few…"
Mrs. Weasley snorted with disbelief. "Harry, I'm only asking so I can break your uncomfortable silence. I am a human being you know. I have had a drink or two in my day."
Harry still felt sick, though his head felt a bit lighter after her air of casual conversation. "I had a couple of drinks… three actually. I didn't get exactly pissed to boot or anything, but I do apologize for my decisions I made tonight. I had no right."
"No, you didn't. That's why I'm expecting to never see it happen again… at least not while you're under this roof. And I'm making you help me with my house chores. Ironing. Preparing supper. And If I feel up to it, I'll make you knit with me also." Harry's eyes grew scared and big and this made Mrs. Weasley laugh lightly. "Now go to bed before I make you start some booties for Bill's new baby."
"Uhh… right." Harry stood and walked out of the kitchen feeling slightly relieved and still slightly ill.
Please R/R! Chapter 2 coming soon.
The entirety of the household was quiet and in no shape to argue the facial expression of their mother. Mrs. Weasley cast stern looks about the room to all of the guilt-ridden faces cast around her. To say she was displeased would be a understatement in the simplest of forms. She was livid; furious. And not only was her anger cornered around her sons, she was not the slightest bit pleased with Harry either.
She contemplated the steps she should take to punish these children. Every one of them, down to the freckles scattered on Ron's nose to the scar blazing on Harry's forehead, was one hundred percent guilty and they all knew it.
The whole lot of them had snuck out, at half past midnight, to go to a party filled with untrustworthy hooligans, without a doubt. Not only did they break one of the severe rules of the household, but they had each gotten drunk to boot. True, their alcohol consumption wasn't very noticeable at this point in time. The only sure emotion noticeable on these boys faces was that of complete and utter shock.
They had been caught. Yes, they had indeed. And the longer Mrs. Weasley sat and stared at their guilt ridden faces, the more severe their punishments became in her mind. There stood a ringing silence around them. No one had spoken a word; no one had needed to. When the lot of them came stumbling in at near four in the morning to the maniacal look of pure evil on Mrs. Weasley's face, they all immediately looked at their feet and when Mrs. Weasley pointed a trembling finger to the kitchen table, they all shuffled helplessly over and sat down.
Mrs. Weasley stood, frozen, with her hands on her hips. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what could be said to justify what they had done. She decided to just choose someone out of the four to explain.
"George!" she demanded.
George's head popped up and stared blankly into his mother's eyes.
"George dear," she repeated. "Would you care to explain what the lot of you thought you were doing when you snuck out of the house and came home stumbling in like idiots at four in the morning?"
George looked frightened. "Mum, we just… well, we… I guess we wanted to go have some fun."
"Oh well, that's great dear. I'm glad you guys could find something so very wholesome to do on your Friday nights. Tell me then… did you all have fun?"
The false, sarcastic excitement in her words brought chills to each and every one of their bones.
Fred finally took the upper hand.
"Mum, look, we know what we did was inexcusable." Mrs. Weasley let out a snort at this. "We know what we did was wrong and we're extremely sorry."
"Boys, it's the fact that you would do it all intentionally and deliberately!" She was shouting now and flinched. "It's not O.k. to come home in the state that you are all in and expect me to forgive you without even batting an eyelash."
"Mrs. Weasley", Harry began, nervously, "I…well… I just wanted to say that I'm sure we all thought it wouldn't lead to this."
Mrs. Weasley grunted at Harry. "Wouldn't lead to what Harry? Being caught?"
She did have a point, Harry mused. Though that wasn't exactly what he meant.
"No, I just mean that when we left, we didn't think we'd be coming home at this hour and… well… I didn't expect to drink. We just kind of -"
"That's the biggest load of codswallop I have ever heard as an excuse, Harry. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm pretty sure your intentions for the night wasn't to go for a twenty minute jaunt to go get ice cream. You know very well that you were going to a party and plus, that still doesn't excuse the fact that you left this house at an ungodly hour without my or their father's consent!"
Harry shook his head in understandment. Yes, he knew what his intentions were and he knew Mrs. Weasley was so used to hearing white lies from her many children that she could now read them like a book. Plus, what justice would it do to lie to the single woman who took him in and treated him like one of her own?
Everyone else was quiet and Harry said nothing else after this. Mrs. Weasley broke the silence. "Fred, you will do dishes and degnoming for the entire Summer. George, you will clean and organize the shed and do the weeding. Ron, you will see to the attic and try to find a way to make the ghoul be quiet!"
"But I want Ron's job!" complained George.
"Yeah, and what about Harry?" added Fred.
"Not another word! Now the three of you go to bed right now! Go!"
Harry was confused. Three?
"What? Harry doesn't have to do any chores and he's not getting sent to his room?"
"George, I said enough! Go to bed now. I'm not done with Harry yet."
The three boys gave regretful looks at Harry then turned on their heels and headed straight for their rooms. Harry gulped involuntarily and stayed rooted where he was.
Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Sit down Harry."
Harry sat. His mind was numb and he was regretting horribly the past night's actions. Too uncomfortable to look at Mrs. Weasley, Harry stared blankly at his twiddling thumbs on the table.
"Harry," Mrs. Weasley began, "I can't say I'm very surprised that Fred and George went on a little escapade in the middle of the night but I have to admit I'm a bit surprised that it involved you and Ron." Harry briefly wondered why she wasn't also having this little talk with Ron then. "But then again, you're a sixteen year old boy and I suppose these are the type of things sixteen year old boys do whether I want them to or not. It's one thing Fred and George being out and drinking like army men, being as they are of age, but you and Ron are just sixteen and…" Her voice faltered, obviously wanting Harry to get the point she was trying to make.
Harry couldn't find his voice so he just nodded while continuing to stare at his thumbs. He felt very, very stupid right about now.
"How much did you drink tonight?"
Harry bobbed his head up quickly and stared at her. He wasn't expecting her to ask him that. "Oh… umm, just a few…"
Mrs. Weasley snorted with disbelief. "Harry, I'm only asking so I can break your uncomfortable silence. I am a human being you know. I have had a drink or two in my day."
Harry still felt sick, though his head felt a bit lighter after her air of casual conversation. "I had a couple of drinks… three actually. I didn't get exactly pissed to boot or anything, but I do apologize for my decisions I made tonight. I had no right."
"No, you didn't. That's why I'm expecting to never see it happen again… at least not while you're under this roof. And I'm making you help me with my house chores. Ironing. Preparing supper. And If I feel up to it, I'll make you knit with me also." Harry's eyes grew scared and big and this made Mrs. Weasley laugh lightly. "Now go to bed before I make you start some booties for Bill's new baby."
"Uhh… right." Harry stood and walked out of the kitchen feeling slightly relieved and still slightly ill.
Please R/R! Chapter 2 coming soon.