Chapter Four - Is That The Same As Yes?
Gabrielle woke to the sound of Fleur calling her name. She had gotten out of bed earlier than normal, and must have fallen asleep while examining her future prospects. That, she felt, was pretty telling. Based on Fleur's feet, Gabrielle could tell that Fleur was sitting on the sofa. She did not answer Fleur.
"(Ah, good. You are awake. You snore - did you know that? Anyway, you always hide under the tables behind the furniture,)" said Fleur. "(You may as well come out for a proper conversation.)"
She is bluffing, thought Gabrielle, and I do not snore. She waited for Fleur to leave.
"(I know you are back there Gabrielle. But I will not force you out just yet if you find it easier to stay out of trouble that way.)"
Gabrielle ignored this taunt too. She will go away.
"(I understand the tea made you sick. I add the liquor to William's tea on the morning after a full moon. Do not tell this to anyone. Those nights leave his nerves jangling.)"
And you bruised, thought Gabrielle meanly.
"(He certainly was quite taken with the coffee you made, and it worked as well as the tea for his nerves. William is very interested in getting more. You will tell him where you got it from,)" announced Fleur. When Gabrielle remained silent, Fleur continued, "(You can stay hidden until lunch; I assured Molly you would be there. Do not be obstinate.)"
v - v - v - v - v
Gabrielle spent the next hour moping over how unfair life was, how mean Fleur was, and how her Maman did not understand her. It was beginning to be boring. She thought, I should have taken one of Fleur's old textbooks for something to do. It might be as close to Beauxbatons as she would get.
Commotion in the hall made Gabrielle look at the reflecting face of the clock. She could see Hermione yanking on Ron's arm, pulling him away from the door to the kitchen. That appeared to be something he was not happy with, but Gabrielle could see that, except for a couple of tugs that nearly pulled Hermione off her feet, he allowed her to drag him to the sitting room. Very quietly Gabrielle scooted further into the shadows.
"Come on, Hermione. It's almost lunch," complained Ron.
"I promise you won't miss it. Anyway, have you been in the kitchen proper? I've never seen so many waffles in one place before. There will be plenty to eat," said Hermione. "I wanted to, er, talk."
"Why can't we talk at the table then?" asked Ron.
"Harry and Ginny are in there. I thought we should give them a little privacy. And I wanted to talk in private too."
"I don't see leaving those two alone as a good thing. They had a bloody great row yesterday. This is the first time I've seen Ginny since then."
"If we hear any smashing of plates then we'll step in," said Hermione in a dismissive tone. "I wanted to, um, talk about...
"First, I really did want to stay in Little Whinging this summer, but when my parents surprised me with the trip to Majorica, well, I just couldn't turn them down. They don't know what is going on in the wizarding world, and I couldn't spring it on them then."
"'S all right. That didn't work out at all. Harry's uncle had a culinary when he heard our plan."
"A culinary?"
"Yeah. Had to go to hospital and everything."
"A coronary, perhaps?"
"Whatever. It wasn't pleasant after that. I ended up staying at Mrs. Figg's place, going over to Privet Drive to bring him food or unlock him from wherever they trapped him. A sodding nightmare."
"Ron, language," Hermione complained. "I can not believe those people!"
"And do you know what? They only stopped when Harry told me to threaten the shrubbery instead of them. Harry told them the Ministry would have no trouble with me cursing the bushes and turning flowers into weeds," said Ron shaking his head. "I can not see how he could manage to live there."
"Harry won't have to go back there anymore, at least."
"Yeah. Mind you, Harry never told them that. Just said 'See you next summer' like, well, like he meant it."
They lapsed into silence. Gabrielle, by looking under the sofa, could see Hermione's foot jiggling restlessly.
"So, did you miss me?" Hermione asked. "Only I sent those postcards and didn't get anything from you. Either of you."
"'Course we missed you. But I couldn't exactly send you an owl, not with you vacationing around all those muggles."
"Not an owl, no. You could have used the muggle post though. Surely Harry would know how to do that."
"He did, but, er, that takes muggle money, don't it? And Harry gave Mrs. Figg all of it because we were eating up her food."
Hermione sighed. Gabrielle wished she could see her face. "Did you at least want to send me a letter?" whined Hermione.
"Of course. Look, what's this about?"
Gabrielle heard Hermione sigh again, and she could tell that the older girl was now pacing. It dawned on Gabrielle that if it was close to lunch then Fleur would be coming back. Her sister would have no qualms about dragging her out from behind the sofa in front of people. Fleur would just add it to the 'List'. Gabrielle knew she would have to find another hiding spot, if it even mattered now. Two quick flashes caught her attention; Gabrielle wished she could see more.
"Umm, am I in trouble here?" cringed Ron.
"What? No, those were just a diversion ward and a privacy charm," replied Hermione, who resumed pacing.
"A diversion ward? When was that covered?"
"It wasn't. It is possible to read ahead, you know. Nothing stops you from turning the next page."
"But that's like reading the end of the story first!" declared Ron. There was silence for a moment.
"No, Ron, it isn't," concluded Hermione. "Look, I went to Majorica with a cousin of mine. She is muggle, so we really couldn't talk much about school without me sounding a bit like a spy or something. That left only one thing that she wanted to talk about: boys.
At first I thought she was being shallow, but she seemed to really have studied them, with categories, hypotheses, and statistics. I suppose that was only natural as she is studying anthropology."
"Er, yeah. Natural," yawned Ron.
"The point is, she showed me how it was the female that controlled the 'approach phase' as she called it. She showed me how different levels of ritualistic cultural display and physical transactions worked on different types of boys. And she had me do, um... practicals."
"I don't think I want to hear anymore," said Ron sharply. Gabrielle could see that he had gotten to his feet.
"Sit down," Hermione said with equal sharpness. "I'm not finished yet." The groan of the sofa meant Ron had obeyed.
"I had always thought that the boys would be doing the, er, selecting. My cousin said that in her experience most boys wait for a sign. Some need a billboard."
"So what does this mean?"
"What it means is that I understand the Lavender Brown thing now, and... " There was another groan from the sofa and an 'oof' from Ron. Gabrielle could hear the sounds of kissing, and Ron's startled response. This, Gabrielle thought, would be the most embarrassing time to be revealed. She was actually surprised to not see Fleur reflected in the clock face.
"Blimey, Hermione," breathed Ron.
"I want to be your girlfriend. We don't have to say anything to the others yet - just spend some time together," suggested Hermione.
"Blimey, Hermione."
Hermione sighed, "You're such an idiot." They went back to kissing.
A movement reflected in the clock face made Gabrielle's heart pound, but it wasn't Fleur. It was just a cat. The cat mewed noisily.
"Yes, all right. We'll be there shortly," said Hermione.
"Be where? What?" asked Ron in confusion.
"Lunch is almost ready." The cat, which was parading back and forth at the end of the sofa, yowled quietly.
"Oh really?" asked Hermione.
"Who are you talking to? Crookshanks?"
"He's very intelligent you know. I never took the time before to notice how different and specific his vocalizations were."
"You're talking to a cat now?"
"What's wrong with Crookshanks? He's very helpful."
"It's like Filch and Mrs. Norris."
"It's not like that at all. Compunctio!" Gabrielle felt a sharp pain, like a bee sting, on her leg and she yelped. Gabrielle looked and saw a wand jammed down between the table edge and the sofa.
"Whoever is back there, come out now," commanded Hermione. "Compunctio!"
Another stinging sensation got Gabrielle moving. She crawled past the clock and got to her feet, holding her bundle of waffles and rubbing her leg. She gave the cat a sour look, and said to the teens, "Eh, sorry."
Ron laughed loudly, "Hermione, this is the Blond Bludger. Bludger, this is Hermione." Gabrielle glared at Ron, and wished he was a kitchen gadget.
"That isn't nice, Ron," scolded Hermione with a light slap to Ron's head. "You must be Fleur's little sister."
"I am Gabrielle Delacour," stated Gabrielle. Why, Gabrielle wondered, do people say little when younger will do? She would have tried a haughty look like Fleur could do, but that was hard to do while holding waffles after being caught hiding behind furniture.
"Yes, that's right. We met at the second task," recalled Hermione. "Why were you behind the sofa?"
"She was probably hiding from Fred and George," said Ron. "They've been pranking her lately."
"No. Not George and..." started Gabrielle.
"Just Fred then - I think she's sweet on George," interrupted Ron with a smirk. Gabrielle's face flamed red and she gave Ron a look of pure loathing, as well as a sharp kick in the shin. Hermione added a punch to the arm for a sudden expletive from Ron, but she did block another kick from Gabrielle.
"You are such a prat sometimes!" stated Hermione angrily. "Go on into the kitchen, but," she said more calmly, leaning into him, "save me a seat next to you." Ron limped off shaking his head while mumbling how mental girls were.
"So," Hermione began, turning her attention back to Gabrielle. "Why were you back there?"
"I was, eh, resting," replied Gabrielle. She had fallen asleep, so it was not a lie.
"Wouldn't a bed have been more comfortable?"
"I... I did not want to bozzer Ginny." Which was true if one were to rearrange the order a bit. Gabrielle began to fidget.
"Why do you have so many waffles?"
Gabrielle had shifted the bundle behind her back unconsciously, and now brought it forward again. "I did not want to be hungry."
"So you are resting in a concealed spot with enough food to last you the day, but not hiding," mused Hermione. "You should take some water, too, when you are 'resting' like that."
Gabrielle could tell the older witch was teasing her when a she saw a smile play across Hermione's lips. I am amusement for everyone, thought Gabrielle grumpily. She is right about the water, though.
"You said you were not hiding from the twins," continued Hermione. "Who are you hiding from?"
"Bon jour, 'Ermione," called Fleur as she stepped into the room. "Zat eez a nice ward, if not very strong."
All traces of the sudden, annoyed expression on Hermione's face were gone by the time she faced Fleur, "Hello, Fleur. It's nice to see you again."
"Yes. I see you 'ave dragged Gabrielle from 'iding. Good, I was afraid I would need to 'ex 'er."
"Oh, um, not necessary. She was through resting." Hermione cancelled her ward and charm and tucked away her wand.
"Resting?" Fleur laughed, a melodious laugh almost like music that made everyone in the room feel inferior. "All right zen, resting it is. Molly wants to fuss over you, Gabrielle. Come."
"We'll be along in a moment, Fleur. I just want to finish our - private - conversation," said Hermione.
"Yes. You may also want to do somezing wiz your 'air. It eez mussed," mentioned Fleur as she left.
Hermione, slightly pink in the face, turned back to Gabrielle, "Please don't tell anyone what you heard, yet."
"I zought you were dating zat Krump." blurted Gabrielle.
"No, not Viktor Krum, not really, despite what gets written up in the papers. Come on, then." Hermione turned to go to the kitchen, but a series of yowls stopped her. "Yes, that's an excellent idea, Crookshanks." She grinned mischievously at Gabrielle.
"Eh, can you really talk to your cat?" asked Gabrielle as she trailed Hermione.
"Not quite, there's not a lot of shared experience. It's more I listen to him and he listens to me."
"Does zat mean the same as yes?"
"No. It isn't a real conversation because our perspectives are so different; even how we perceive the world is different."
As Hermione continued to lecture on the matter, Gabrielle regretted asking. Hermione used a lot of long words which sounded similar to words Gabrielle knew in her native tongue, but they surely meant something else in English as it still sounded like she talked to her cat. Gabrielle could not see how Hermione could want to date Ron, as all Gabrielle really saw Ron do was eat and hang around with Harry. He never went on like this and he didn't even have a cat.
When they entered the eating area, only Ginny and Harry were seated at the table. Harry was staring at the table, and looked like he was about to explode. Ginny was sitting next to him, bent forward so she could still stare into his face. Hermione stopped just inside the door.
"Perhaps this is not the best time," whispered Hermione, stopping Gabrielle with an outstretched arm. Unfortunately Gabrielle was still working out how you could speak to something, listen to that same thing, and yet still not talk to it. She did not see Hermione's arm blocking the door in time, and was knocked to the ground. Harry and Ginny looked up.
"Hermione!" exulted Harry with a expression of great relief on his face. He made to get up, "Here, let me give you a hand with her."
Ginny yanked him back down. "Oh no you don't, Potter. Do we have a deal or not?" she hissed.
"Er, um. Look... can't we talk about this in private?" mumbled Harry, trying to pull his arm away.
"No. You're stalling." Ginny let go of him and pulled out her wand. "You know, you're not the only one who got a letter from the Ministry..." She aimed her wand just below his mid-section.
"I.. I need time to think. You know, er, pros and cons."
"You've been thinking enough. Yes, no, or reducto?"
Harry looked at her wand, then at Ginny. Then it seemed like he looked at Ginny again, without moving his eyes first. "You will regret it, and I know you are lying. Yes." He stood abruptly and left the table.
"Neville got a letter from the Ministry. I never said I did," called Ginny in a chipper voice. Harry didn't answer as he stomped past Hermione and the once more upright Gabrielle.
"What was that about?" asked Hermione, looking around.
"I wanted him to decide something, and you know how Harry gets when he's made to do something. Even if it's what he wants he still gets his hackles..." Ginny trailed off.
Harry was back at the door, looking sheepish. "Uh. I forgot my wand..."
"You didn't forget, Harry. I took it," offered Ginny. "That was reason number three Mad-Eye doesn't want you to keep it there."
"And just how do you know that?" asked Harry sharply.
Ginny's cool demeanor was betrayed by the tips of her ears, "Oh, he's always, uh, reminded us about that."
Hermione spoke up, "Where does he want you to keep your wand?"
"If you think I'm going to ask Mad-Eye where to stick my wand, you're barmy," answered Harry. "Now give it over, Ginny."
"No. But I'll trade it for a kiss." Ginny dangled the holly wand just out of his reach.
Or, rather, what she thought was his reach. A sudden movement of his arm resulted in Harry holding the wand before Ginny could pull her hand away. Harry turned to leave.
"What about Ginny's kiss?" reminded Gabrielle.
"What? She doesn't deserve a kiss for the way she's been acting," complained Harry.
"But all ze Weasleys like ze kissing," blurted Gabrielle. Too late, she covered her mouth with her hand. Hermione quietly groaned, and covered her face. Ginny used this diversion to slip ahead of Harry and circle his waist with her arms.
"Yeah Harry, and I haven't had any today. Just a quick one will do for now. Please?" wheedled Ginny. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
Harry, eying his audience uncomfortably, reddened as he bent forward to give Ginny a light kiss. He pulled back only slightly before giving her another. Ginny opened her eyes and tightened her grip as they continued. This, Gabrielle suddenly realized, is like living in that WWN show Aunt Laurel is always talking about. Harry was like that healer with the tragic past, and Ginny was the young aide who saw past his flaws and rough manner.
The two teens broke apart when they remembered that they were being watched, although Hermione had moved to the table. Gabrielle had stayed put, though, and was watching with interest.
"Uh, I... need to see, er, Mad-Eye," muttered Harry as he pulled out of the embrace, head down.
"What about lunch?" asked Ginny. "It'll go better if you're not hungry."
"I'll grab something later," called Harry as he slipped out to the hall.
"Zat was very cute." chirped Gabrielle, feeling very pleased.
"I wonder which Weasley you think would like 'ze kissing'?" asked Ginny teasingly.
Gabrielle's smile fell. "Zat is not funny. I was, eh..."
"Pickled, I know. I'm sorry I said that - it isn't funny to you," apologized Ginny. She put her arm around Gabrielle's shoulders and guided her to the table.
"Where's Ron?" asked Hermione. "Where's Fleur, too? I thought it was time for lunch."
Gabrielle wondered if she should point out that the older witch had gotten the information from a cat. Perhaps it had seen a mouse and made the assumption that it was time to eat.
"Oh, Mum will be popping in soon," Ginny whispered. "I know she listens at the door, but she waits a bit for appearances."
"Ginny! That's an awful thing to say," said Hermione. Gabrielle said nothing to this, because she did that too and now had to wonder if Fleur and Maman secretly knew.
"Why is Harry meeting with Professor Moody?" asked Hermione. "Advanced lessons, I suppose."
"I don't know if being thrashed by that nut-case for hours can be considered lessons," replied Ginny. "Harry's learned a few tricks, like disillusionment, but mostly it seems to be lessons in how to get knocked on your arse."
"Ginny! Watch your language. What are the chances the boys took notes?"
"About the same as skrewts needing to hibernate," said Ron as he dropped into the seat next to Hermione. He looked at the table, "Bloody hell! I haven't missed it have I?"
Gabrielle almost laughed at the look on Hermione's face. Ron's new status had inspired him to clean up a bit more. His hair looked freshly washed and combed and he had changed into cleaner clothes with no Chudley Cannon logos.
Hermione closed her mouth, then said, "No Ron, you're just in time."
Mrs. Weasley did poke her head into the eating area at that point, "All right, get started on this. After lunch you lot can help on the wedding mementos." A chorus of groans welled up. She plunked down two trays of sandwiches and beckoned Gabrielle, "Give me a hand in the kitchen, dear."
Once in the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley fiddled with a pitcher of pumpkin juice while Gabrielle dried glasses from the sink by hand. "So what happened this morning then?"
"Nozzing. I was, eh, tired."
"Halfway through breakfast you are carted off by Fred and George, and then disappear until lunch. I want to know what they did to you - I told them to stop treating you poorly."
"Zey just brought me to Ginny. I was not hurt." Gabrielle tried to dry the glasses faster, but suspected the sink was magically refilling.
"Ginny came down complaining that Fred was feeding you those blasted candies of theirs."
"It did not bozzer me. I zink he is still mad about ze fork."
"And what of the firewhiskey?"
"Zat was not zeir doing. I know zis." Her stomach rumbled, and she was not embarrassed this time. "Eh, I am very hungry. I did not eat at breakfast..." She tried to look at the door with longing in her eyes.
Mrs. Weasley ignored this. "How do you know? Perhaps it was not intended for you, as I only saw you drinking Bill's tea."
"I can not say. Can I go?"
"You could have been very ill. We might have needed to call Madame Pomfrey again, and your mother. If the twins are behind this you should be protecting yourself, not them."
"George gave me a potion zat helped, and Fred was to give me a potion for my head but he got mad when I, eh, was sick on him. Zey were kind to me."
That declaration derailed the Weasley matriarch. "I... kind, did you say? The twins have been called many things, but I don't believe the term kind as ever been used."
"Zey took good care of me. George did, more zan Fred. May I go, please?" Gabrielle stopped drying glasses - the ones she had stacked up were making their way back into the sink. Gabrielle wondered if she could make her stomach rumble on purpose. She needed to leave the cooking area before Mrs. Weasley remembered the liquor in the tea again.
"Yes dear, get yourself something to eat. I made some soup for you as well," sighed Mrs. Weasley. "I just worry that Fred and George will go too far in their pranks."
Mrs. Weasley turned to get the soup, and Gabrielle moved swiftly back to the table. She did not run - her own experience with Maman backed up Philippe's assertion that running was always suspicious. Move with confidence was Philippe's advice, perhaps as if you are late if need be.
Gabrielle arrived at the table to find Hermione nearly in tears from laughing as Ginny and Ron finished telling her of last night's debacle. Gabrielle's first impulse was to run off again, but she remembered what Ginny had said. So she sat down and took one of the two remaining sandwiches, and tried to look cheerful even as she felt the beginnings of a blush.
Hermione took a deep breath and tried to speak. The effort failed when she broke into giggles at the first attempted syllable. A second effort was more successful, "Oh Gabrielle, I can't believe you stabbed the twins! That's just brilliant!"
Ron carefully swallowed his bite of sandwich, and added, "She mightn't have thought that when they set her on fire."
"Fred set me on fire," piped Gabrielle. Ginny and Hermione smiled at each other - Ron snorted. "George told me zat," continued Gabrielle. She reconsidered running off when the teens burst out laughing again.
Mrs. Weasley entered at that point, carrying the promised bowl of soup. She took one look at the sniggering teens and the glum-faced Gabrielle eating silently and became protective, "That's enough of that now. I remind you that Gabrielle is our guest, and she's had a bad morning already." Mrs. Weasley slid the bowl over to Gabrielle. "Any more teasing and that person accompanies me to Fleur's final fitting," she added with a glare.
Gabrielle looked down at the soup to stop herself from laughing out loud at the look of terror on Ron's face. It became less amusing when she wondered if she was expected to go as well. The soup smelled delicious. It was an onion soup, complete with cheese-covered bread island. Gabrielle began eating it with gusto after a demure first taste. She was halfway through the bowl when she felt eyes upon her. "Zee soup is, eh, fantastique," she mumbled by way of excuse.
"You're very sweet dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "But I'm sure your mother would prefer you not to slurp so."
The giggles from the others wilted under Mrs. Weasley's stern expression. Gabrielle responded automatically, "Yes Ma... Mrs. Weasley," and returned to consuming the soup with barely a clink from the spoon as the only sound. Silence descended until Mrs. Weasley left the table through the hall door.
Hermione, casting about for something to say, asked, "Where is this morning's Prophet? I haven't seen it all summer."
Ron answered, "Tonks brings one by most mornings. Must not have gotten to hers yet."
"I thought your family had its own subscription."
"Well, the house is more or less under a Fidelius charm now."
"More or less?" puzzled Hermione.
"Yeah. It's under it, but it wasn't Dumbledore who cast it. And a lot of people know the Burrow's secret already," explained Ginny. "Bill and Mad-Eye don't think it will stop - Him - for long, but they believe we're safe from most others."
"I see," said Hermione, worrying her lip in thought.
"There isn't much in the Prophet anyway," reported Ginny. "They don't talk about muggle deaths anymore, and the murders have almost stopped."
"Is this a Ministry cover-up? Or have the attacks actually stopped?" wondered Hermione.
"Of course they don't tell us much," noted Ron, "but Remus said that the attacks on muggles are still happening, only they're smaller. The Prophet doesn't report them by order of Scrimgeour, according to Dad."
"The murders have stopped, mostly, though," said Ginny. "Even the info from the, um, you know, says that's true. When the Death Eaters attack now, they mostly beat people, or torture them. They haven't been killing anyone."
"And they are leaving muggle-borns alone too," added Ron.
"Oh no! That isn't good at all!" exclaimed Hermione. Ignoring the startled looks, she continued, "It isn't good because it means - He - feels safe and in control. It means He's got enough backing that He doesn't need to destroy His opponents right off - that He can take the time to force them to His side by wearing them down."
"The Minister has been claiming his efforts have weakened the Death Eaters," said Ginny.
"And how likely is that?" demanded Hermione.
"This is an appetite killer," moaned Ron. He set down the last of the sandwiches, which he had been eating.
"Eh... Can I have zat, if you are finished?" asked Gabrielle. She had finished the soup.
"No." Ron picked the sandwich back up and managed to put most of it in his mouth. Hermione cringed. Gabrielle made a face at him, sighed, and pulled out a waffle.
v - v - v - v - v
After lunch Mrs. Weasley brought forth bags of ribbon, tiny pearl-like beads, and piles of boxes. The boxes held picture frames. The ribbons, beads, and frames would be combined physically and magically to create a custom frame, suitable for the wedding photo, that had Fleur's favorite romantic quotes circulating on the glass. Bill's favorite quotes had been deemed vulgar and had been discarded. Gabrielle thought this would upset Mrs. Weasley, but she seemed to think it was for the better as well. "You would think with three millennia of civilization the Egyptians would have something to say without mentioning certain parts of the body," complained Mrs. Weasley.
Ginny and Gabrielle were assigned to the task of attaching the beads and ribbons to the frames, since Ginny was not allowed to use magic and Gabrielle didn't have a wand. They were using small tubes of a muggle glue Mr. Weasley had supplied. Ron and Hermione were learning the series of enchantments to transfer the quotations since they were of age. Hermione was adept at it; Ron was not.
"Oh Ron," groaned Mrs. Weasley. "I said brush your wand along the glass - not stab it straight through." She waved her wand to clear away the shards of the plain glass pane he had been practicing on. "Watch Hermione again, she has it."
"He needs to watch her wand, not just her," whispered Ginny to Gabrielle as they worked. Ginny was attaching the ribbons while Gabrielle glued beads on. There was a crack like apparition as the new practice glass split.
"You are not concentrating," admonished Mrs. Weasley.
"Maybe he's thinking about what Mad-Eye will do to him for being late," called Ginny. Ron looked at her with such an expression of gratitude on his face that Gabrielle laughed. "Hermione will have it done in no time," Ginny added.
Mrs. Weasley sighed, "Well, if Hermione doesn't mind..."
"You owe me one then," Hermione said to Ron.
"Anything," breathed Ron. For a moment Gabrielle thought they would embrace, but then Ron jumped and made for the door. What, Gabrielle wondered, did she see in him?
Once the first few frames were done, Ginny asked, "So, Mum, do you need any help running errands?"
"Ginny, you know I'm not going to take you out. Alastor would have kneazles. I do need to get to the butcher's after we're done here, though, if there is time."
"Oh, you can leave this to us so you won't have to rush later," suggested Ginny.
"Well, lack of deliveries is the worst part of this Fidelius business," sighed Mrs. Weasley. "It would be more convenient to go early..." She looked at Ginny with suspicion though.
Ginny smiled sweetly, "Go on then. Maybe get an extra bit of bacon - you know Harry loves it."
This idea seemed to please Mrs. Weasley, although Gabrielle wondered how much more food she really needed to make in the mornings. Then it occurred to Gabrielle that all the Weasleys ate substantial breakfasts, even Ginny. Ron ate substantially all the time, of course. And they all seemed to be very strong magically - even Ron, based on the amount of damage he could do with simple-looking spells. Gabrielle resolved to try eating a plateful of eggs and bacon instead of just toast in the morning. After a couple of days of this new regime, she could test herself with the kettle.
Once Mrs. Weasley checked that the supplies of beads and ribbons were sufficient, she left the three girls alone.
"So, Hermione, now that we're alone, I wanted to pick your brain a bit," started Ginny.
"Oh?" asked Hermione. She seemed nervous to Gabrielle.
"And it isn't about Ron, so you don't need to worry."
Hermione slumped in her chair. "How did you find out?"
"He sat here and flailed away with a wand and you didn't correct him, and he risked missing lunch to wash," explained Ginny. "I didn't know until you admitted it, but I had a hunch."
"I think you're spending too much time with the twins. Don't think I didn't notice how you sent off your Mum and Ron," countered Hermione.
"Nothing they didn't want to do. I wanted to ask what you know about Veelas, though."
Hermione looked over at Gabrielle, who couldn't decide whether she was going to be insulted by this. Gabrielle decided to become invisible so that they would talk. She feigned intense concentration on the perfect placement of beads.
"I, uh, did do some reading back during the Tri-Wizard tournament," admitted Hermione.
"Do they do a lot of fighting?" asked Ginny.
"You mean the females? No, not much. The Veela male would fight for his territory, though, and to attract mates," answered Hermione. "Veela female would select the strongest male they could, who would have the largest territory. While the full-blooded Veela females could transform, it is believed that this is used mostly to defend themselves from rivals and to protect their young.
"Actually," continued Hermione, warming to the topic, "the instinct to choose the most powerful male for a mate has effectively reduced the number of full-blooded Veela. The male Veela are described as fierce fighters, but they are solitary. The rise of the feudal systems meant that it was the gentry, who could command an army of men, that were powerful and attractive potential mates. Cities began to grow larger then too, and rich was synonymous with powerful. Most full-blooded Veela today come from very remote parts of eastern Europe, near magical reserves."
"Interesting. Full-blooded Veela are magical, right? Fleur has a hair from her grandmother in her wand. Do Veela have their own sort of magic?" wondered Ginny. Suddenly, Gabrielle had a bad feeling about where this was going. Ginny, Gabrielle thought, is going to tell her about the book. This impending disaster is all Fleur's fault; her and her stupid tea.
"It's possible, though there was no mention of it in the reading I did. The children of Veela and wizards can have magic, obviously," noted Hermione with a gesture to Gabrielle.
"Did they mention whether the husbands of Veela were stronger after they were married than before?"
"That's a peculiar question, but no, it didn't say. Certainly a number of notable warlords were married to Veela. You would have to research the particular family history to work that out."
"We're getting ahead of you now, Hermione," said Ginny. The older witch looked at Ginny closely, but then nodded and went back to enchanting the glass.
They worked in silence after that. Ginny appeared lost in thought, Hermione was busy with her wand, and Gabrielle was dreading what she felt was the inevitable revelation that she had the book. Since Ginny's mind seemed to be elsewhere, Gabrielle got ahead in her part of the repetitive task, enough so she had time to wonder what they were doing. There were clearly many more frames that the estimated number of guests. Unless, of course, Fleur had changed plans again. That wouldn't be a surprise to Gabrielle. Changing plans suddenly was a way of showing who was in charge.
Before Gabrielle could frame a question for Ginny, a scurrying movement caught her attention and left her speechless. A trio of garden gnomes were making their way across the open floor from the shadows beneath the sideboard, carrying two gift-wrapped packages. The gnomes, wearing filthy brown clothing but red caps, ducked under the table across from her. I wish I could come to the Weasleys' every summer, thought Gabrielle. This kind of thing never happened at Delacour manor. She bent her head under the table, pretending to pick up a stray bead.
The gnomes were huddled together, and looked like they were all trying to hide behind the same chair leg. The packages next to them were almost half as tall as they were, and were covered in shiny orange and green paper. It looked to Gabrielle like they were trying to work something out, or two of them expected the third to do so.
"Wot ya ken? Is de bigjob or no?" asked one of the gnomes.
"Da hair's yella, thas rit. But Gred, he sez dere be two wi' da yella. We need da small'un." answered the gnome facing his two compatriots.
"Is de small'un den?" asked the first.
"Dunno - I can see on'y dis'un," replied the second.
"I canna say da hair is yella. It'd be more like feverfew wot been dried," noted the third.
"It ain't red, it ain't brown. Tha' leaves yella, ya grit-eating cobber. Now shut ya gob," said the second gnome irritably.
"Joost give de bigjob da stuff. It'd be de small'st yella one 'ere, rit?" suggested the first gnome.
"Now dat be a way, rit? On'y ya be da one to see Forge if'n ya wrong," said the second.
"Can I help you?" asked Gabrielle softly.
As soon as she spoke, the two gnomes that were facing the other scrambled off in a panic knocking the last of their company to the ground and leaving the packages. The remaining gnome jumped back up. "Ya dumb rocks-wid-guts, get back 'ere!" He turned to see not only Gabrielle's face, but Ginny's and Hermione's as well. They had heard the commotion. "Aw crap."
Gabrielle spoke before the others, "I am ze small one, as you say."
"Yeah, all rit. Den dis be yer stuff, rit? Got da paper 'ere too," he reached under his shirt and pulled out a folded and crumpled parchment. Gabrielle made to reach for it, but the gnome tossed it on the ground toward her and jumped back, "Eas' now! Inna cor', see?" He pointed to his cap.
Gabrielle picked up the note and unfolded it. Her name was on it. "Zank you," she said automatically. The parchment was a bit damp and smelled of old socks. She put it in her lap.
"Rit. Job dun, rit? Forge sez I get a bit o' grub fer da trip back, rit," said the remaining gnome, although it was looking at its horrible feet while speaking.
"Eh, what?" Gabrielle had no idea what that meant, and looked blankly at the nervous creature.
"He wants some food," clarified Ginny.
"Inna paper, sez it inna paper," added the gnome.
"Oh." Gabrielle straightened up and took another waffle from her supply. The gnome watched her carefully when she held it out, but didn't approach. Gabrielle slid it over to him.
"Thas de stuff, rit. On'y, I got littl'uns, ya ken."
Gabrielle giggled at this and got another waffle. She was about to slide it over when Hermione said, "Wait."
The gnome picked up the first waffle and looked at Hermione warily, "Dun da job, rit? Far trade, rit."
"I want to ask what the red cap means," said Hermione gently. "No one is going to hurt you."
"'Cept Mum if she gets back too soon," muttered Ginny.
"Mean I'm inna cor' rit. Do jobs fer Gred and Forge. Gard da house, rit?" answered the gnome with a glance at the waffle Gabrielle still held.
"You, er, guard... the house?" asked Hermione.
"I'm a gardin' gnome, ain't I?" Ginny burst out laughing at this, and the gnome jumped again.
"Why are you doing jobs for, er, Gred and Forge?" queried Hermione after shushing Ginny.
"Far trade. Dey worked it out wi' Gutter, rit. Last Long Nigh', rit?" The gnome looked at Gabrielle. "Ya got yer stuff. I'm goin', rit. But no full bellies tonigh'," sighed the gnome.
Gabrielle smiled and slid him the other waffle. The little creature headed off with surprising speed as it managed the waffles under its arms.
"Only the twins could turn an entire species into a bad pun," laughed Ginny. "Guarding gnomes, hah!" Hermione seemed to disapprove of this. Gabrielle picked up the packages and opened the note.
The first part was from George. He wrote that he hoped she felt better, and that he was sorry that he had to leave but there was the shop to run. No mention was made of her clinging to him, and that was okay with Gabrielle. If he wanted to pretend it didn't happen, thought Gabrielle, then I will too. George also wrote that his package contained a, well, something. She did not recognize the word used, but it was supposed to make you belch fire. He wanted to Gabrielle to try it, and record how many belches it caused - he had had three. George suggested patting her stomach after each saying, "Oy that food was spicy!"
The second part of the note was from Fred. He was, he wrote, not sorry about anything, but that she was his favorite Delacour. He had also sent something. It had lasted three hours on him, would she report how long it lasted on her? Gabrielle noticed that Fred didn't say what would happen though. There really was a postscript about giving some food to the brave members of the 2nd Corps of Guarding Gnomes.
She pulled over one of the packages, the one with the 'G' scrawled on it, and opened it. There was a small bottle with red liquid in it.
"What is it?" asked Ginny. She could not see the note from where she was sitting, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, craning her neck and leaning.
"It is from George," replied Gabrielle as levelly as she could. She was very happy to know that the twins weren't totally avoiding her. Gabrielle uncorked the bottle and swallowed the liquid. It burned her throat a little and she almost panicked thinking it might be more firewhiskey, but the flavor was very strong cinnamon.
Ginny's eyes bulged, "And you drank it? Oh Merlin, Gabrielle, that could be anything!"
"It is a pro... to... ,eh, tip," read Gabrielle. This did not seem to help, as the older girls each changed seats to be further away. "I am well," Gabrielle said to reassure them; they were making her nervous. Gabrielle's stomach growled, but she went back to the beading. Ginny and Hermione shook their heads and tried to concentrate on their tasks.
Shortly thereafter, Gabrielle belched. Gabrielle had not really considered the words 'belch fire' in every way and only thought of a brief ball of flame. So it surprised her because it was loud and long, and also accompanied by a three foot whoosh of flame. Ginny startled in surprise, Hermione shrieked, and two of the boxes the frames came in caught fire.
Hermione recovered quickly and doused the flames with a wave of her wand and a muttered incantation. Ginny was wiping up the glue that had splashed on the table with her hand, glaring at Gabrielle. Gabrielle covered her mouth in shock.
"Why the bloody hell did you drink it?" asked Ginny angrily.
"Eh... oy, zat food was spicy?" Gabrielle tried with a smile.
Hermione rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand, as if fighting a headache. "Really Gabrielle, you need to have more sense with respect to Fred and George. They aren't always careful about things."
Gabrielle felt another belch coming on, and released it safely toward the ceiling. Hermione sighed and shook her head again. Gabrielle suddenly realized that perhaps she was not coming across as a mature young woman. She was going to explain that the twins had really helped her this morning and that she owed them something, but was distracted by Ginny's distress.
"Bloody sodding damn!" vented Ginny.
"Ginny, please!" exclaimed Hermione. "What's wrong?"
"My hand is glued to the table, that's what's wrong!"
"Stop yanking your arm. You'll only hurt yourself," warned Hermione. "What kind of glue are you using?" She picked up the small, mangled metal tube and started to read. "Er, I don't suppose your Mum has a bottle of acetone?"
"Acetone? I've never heard of that. Mum keeps all of the potion ingredients in a closet in the root cellar, though."
"It's a solvent used in the muggle world. It's a long shot, but I'll take a look." Hermione stood.
"Can't you just use your wand?" pleaded Ginny.
"If I could look up what spell to use, sure. But this stuff soaks into your pores. What if I accidently took your skin off? Besides, it won't take long to look and I'll still have my wand when I get back," reassured Hermione as she left.
"This is all your fault," Ginny said menacingly to Gabrielle.
"I am sorry," apologized Gabrielle reflexively. She didn't really think she was to blame, but she should probably stay on Ginny's good side. She also felt Ginny was over-reacting. She should try having her hand trapped in a waffle-maker, thought Gabrielle.
Ginny looked like she was about to launch into a Fleur-like tirade when Ron and Harry came in. Ginny immediately composed herself and tried to pose her arm nonchalantly, "Hi guys. Done for the day?"
"Just need a break," said Ron. He slouched into a chair and looked grim. Harry sat next to Ginny and looked irritated.
"Moody being a pillock?" asked Ginny.
"No. Mad-Eye is about the same. It's us, Gin," explained Harry. "We're rubbish at this. I can barely get a shield up for the first spell before the second arrives, and Ron can't hold onto his wand."
"Come on, Harry. Moody's been at this for decades. This is only your second session with him. You've held your own in fights before, too." She smoothed the fabric of his sleeve.
"I haven't," said Ron in a disgusted tone.
"That's the thing," Harry began, mirroring Ron's tone. "Decades. I don't want to be doing this for decades. I want it over before that. I want to live my life. I want to go outside and fly. I want to take you out on a date, I..." He stopped himself.
"Well, I accept," smiled Ginny. "You guys just need some cheering up. Keep an eye on Gabrielle - should be good for a laugh."
"Why? Is she going to turn into a flamingo? Or a fruit bat?" Harry and Ron turned to face Gabrielle and watched expectantly.
Gabrielle felt a bit self-conscious from the attention, but smiled and waved a greeting. She wondered if she should tell the boys about the gnomes. It was uncomfortable to have people staring at you in silence. Happily, it didn't take too long before she leaned forward a bit and tilted her head up to belch. "Oy, zat food was spicy," she added after the jet of flame cleared. Harry and Ron looked at her with their mouths open in surprise, then they exploded with laughter.
"That would put even Seamus to shame," gasped Harry.
"Ye... hah, yeah," was all Ron could manage.
Ginny seemed pleased by the results. Gabrielle couldn't imagine it was funny enough for the theatrics from Harry and Ron, and guessed that it had more to do with their earlier frustrations. That was apparently forgotten as she answered their questions about the source, and they started handicapping their schoolmates for some future belching tournament.
Hermione returned, carrying two bottles. She set them on the table, and listened disapprovingly to Harry and Ron laugh over plans to make Gabrielle belch again. "It's hard to imagine they would be seventh years, isn't it?"
"They're just blowing off a bit of steam," said Ginny. "Mad-Eye must be running them ragged. Er, you didn't find a bottle of that icy-tone, did you?" She asked the last part very quietly.
"No, but I did find a bottle of Mother Botts' Every-Spot Remover, and a bottle with 'unsticking' on the label - though I couldn't read most of it because of the smudging. Oddly, I couldn't get the stopper out, which really doesn't bode well for..." explained Hermione.
"Later," Ginny interrupted. "Later, Hermione, please," she added in almost a whisper. Hermione smirked at her friend, but set the bottles aside.
Gabrielle was wondering how long Ginny would be able to hide the fact she had glued her hand to the table. It did not look exactly natural to have one arm frozen in place. Was she, thought Gabrielle, hiding it from Harry or Ron? She glued a few more beads while contemplating this. Gabrielle felt that if she had a boyfriend she would expect him to help, or make her feel better.
But perhaps this was optimistic, thought Gabrielle. Harry and Ron had moved to the seats on either side of her, completely ignoring their girlfriends. If she had been Fleur she would not have been surprised, but she was not Fleur.
"Can you do it again?" asked Harry. "I want to see if you can melt a knut."
"Eh, I zink zere will be only zeree," answered Gabrielle. Of the imagined conversations with Harry Potter she had had, this topic had never come up. Maman would be very disappointed.
"I'll bet we can get one more out of you," asserted Ron, with a nod at Harry.
"No. George wrote zat zere... aah!" Gabrielle squealed out the last bit as both boys shook her back and forth. It wasn't violent, but it was enough that the beads she was holding and the glue went flying. Gabrielle barely kept the frame from falling to the floor.
"STOP IT! There'll be no more of that!" shouted Hermione in her prefect voice. Harry and Ron released Gabrielle instantly, and began muttering hurried apologies. Gabrielle didn't pay much attention to them. First, it had worked, and she released another spout of flame. Second, in saving the frame from hitting the floor she had ending up gluing her fingers and the frame together. She stared at the frame dangling from her fingers.
"I didn't have the knut ready," lamented Harry, drawing a snort from Ron.
"I am stuck also!" exclaimed Gabrielle.
"It can't have dried already," suggested Ron, and he pulled at the frame roughly, which pulled Gabrielle yelling after it.
"Don't, Ron! It's a special muggle glue. It does dry instantly," informed Hermione. "You'll pull her skin off." Ron released the frame and Gabrielle once more wished she could take a chip out of him, like the toaster.
"So how does it unstick? A well aimed severing hex?" asked Ron. He pulled out his wand; Gabrielle hurried over to Hermione.
"No! It normally uses a muggle solvent, but I found these in your Mum's potions store. I was going to try them for, um, clean-up," lied Hermione. "Let's give the Every-Spot Remover a try first."
The laundry product did work, although it was very slow going and tarnished the frame where Hermione's cloth touched it. Gabrielle was just happy to see that her skin stayed on. Fleur would be upset over the frame, but the tarnished areas were small and if they could be polished up she might not notice.
Ron was holding the little tube of glue Gabrielle had been using, "Crazy stuff. Hey Harry!"
"What?" Harry had been trying to buff up the damaged frame with his sleeve.
Ron dripped some glue onto his wand, then grabbed it, "Try and disarm me now."
"Okay... Expelliarmus!" barked Harry. Ron's arm jerked out and he yelped, but he still held his wand.
"Ron!" scolded Hermione, "You don't know what might have happened - it could have taken your hand off."
"Zee healers can fix zat," blurted Gabrielle. When everyone turned to look at her, she added, "I, eh, have, eh, heard zat."
"Let's head back upstairs and kick Moody's arse this time. He always disarms me and then hits you twice. I'll catch him off his guard with a blasting curse and then you flatten him," plotted Ron.
"Yeah, all right. Wait for me in the hall," agreed Harry. As Ron left he discovered a drawback to his plan - he almost snapped his wand reaching for the door knob.
Harry came over to Ginny and pecked her cheek, "Wish me luck?"
"Sure Harry. Don't hurt him too much," replied Ginny. As she spoke Harry reached around her and covered her stuck hand with his, and pulled gently.
"Knew it." He beat a hasty retreat when Ginny aimed a slap at him.
"Cheeky bastard," Ginny called after him as he left.