Mrs. Weasley embraced Harry and Hermione with a shriek as they arrived in
the fireplace of The Burrow. Ron's cheeks reddened, embarrassed at his
mother's behavior. But he wasn't brave enough to say anything to his
mother. No one was brave enough to face Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry! Hermione! It's so good to see you both! You must be starving! I've laid out dinner for you three in the kitchen. We've already eaten. Come, come, Harry you can drop your things in Ron's room. Hermione, you'll be saying with Ginny. Hurry up downstairs when you're through. And Ron."
"Yes mum?"
"Make sure to wash your hands. You know you always forget and I will NOT have your grimy fingerprints all over my clean kitchen!" commanded Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes mum," replied Ron, blushing once again.
Out of the corner of her ever-watching eye, Mrs. Weasley spotted two red heads moving stealthily out of the door.
"Fred! George! Didn't you promise to help carry up Harry and Hermione's things earlier?" she demanded menacingly.
"No mum, you told us we had to. Bit different than a promise, innit?" said George, testing his mother's patience daringly.
"Well, I don't care. You're helping them with their trunks and that's it!"
As always, Mrs. Weasley's word was law, and the boys soon found themselves hauling two heavy trunks up the winding staircase of The Burrow.
"Thanks George. Thanks Fred," said Harry as they reached Ron's room.
"Don't mention it. It was our pleasure," replied Fred sarcastically.
Harry was starting to unpack when Ron threw a miniature bludger from Ginny's toy Quidditch set at his head.
"Hey!" yelled Harry.
"What're you doing mate?" asked Ron.
"Um. unpacking?"
"Aren't you starving?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"Well then unpack later! I can spell Mum's bangers and mash from up here and I'm about to faint from hunger!"
"Fine, fine," laughed Harry, "I'll unpack later. Let's go get Hermione."
The two boys walked down the hall towards Ginny's room, from which they heard high-pitched laughter coming from. Ron rolled his eyes and Harry shook his head. Knocking lightly, Ron entered his sister's room and his jaw dropped.
"Don't you ever knock!" yelled an exasperated Ginny and then, seeing Harry, her tone softened, "Oh, sorry Harry. I didn't mean to yell, it's just that." Ginny trailed off as she gestured to the scene around her.
Harry's jaw joined Ron's on the floor as the two looked around in awe at the spectacle: clothes strewn all around, books lying open, their pages getting bent, and, in the midst of it all, Hermione, her wand stuck in her hair, rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.
"Hermione?" ventured Ron tentatively.
Hermione waved her arm and gasped, "Can't. Stop. Laughing."
"What happened," Harry asked, directing his question towards Ginny, seeing as Hermione was clearly incapacitated.
"She started unpacking; all her bags were opened. She asked if she could show me a magical device she'd bought over the summer. something that was supposed to unpack for you. She said all you had to do was push a button and it would levitate each item from her luggage and put it where it should be. So I told her to go ahead and. this happened. Everything seemed to explode from her luggage and Hermione collapsed on the floor. she's been like. that ever since."
In the midst of Ginny's story, Hermione had stopped laughing and was now pulling herself up onto her bed, silent tears rolling down her face.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" asked Ron softly.
Hermione looked at him sadly, "See, I told you everything was wrong. Have you ever known me to buy anything but books? Anything that wouldn't be absolutely useful? Anything that I had the slightest thought might not work"
Harry and Ron shook their heads slowly, looking at the floor instead of at Hermione.
"Look! Look at what I did! I'm sorry Ginny. I'll clean it up, I promise." Hermione choked out.
"Don't worry about it. Really. My room is usually this messy. Mum just made me clean it up for your stay. You can ask Ron," Ginny pleaded, not wanting Hermione to feel any worse than she already was feeling.
"It's true," said Ron quietly.
Hermione gave her three friends a slight smile and wiped her tear-stained face with her robe sleeve.
"Come on. Let's go have dinner," said Harry, lightly touching Hermione's shoulder.
Hermione nodded, and rose from the bed slowly, following Ron and Harry out the door. At the doorway, she gave one last sad look at the room, at what she had done, before turning and heading down the stairs.
Their dinner was cold by the time they reached the table. But Mrs. Weasley fixed that with a flick of her wand and then kissed each one, bidding them good night.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate their dinner quietly. At intervals, they would glance surreptitiously at each other, exchanging weak smiles. Finally, Hermione threw down her fork.
"Guys! I'm okay! Really! So just stop. stop. just stop! Okay?"
Harry and Ron looked down sheepishly. Hermione gave them both stony glares. Ron looked up and grinned at Hermione.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she replied and Harry looked up and grinned too.
Their dinner stopped being silent and was suddenly filled with chatty conversation and laughter. Harry sat back in his chair. Hermione will be fine, he told himself. We'll all be fine.
"Harry! Hermione! It's so good to see you both! You must be starving! I've laid out dinner for you three in the kitchen. We've already eaten. Come, come, Harry you can drop your things in Ron's room. Hermione, you'll be saying with Ginny. Hurry up downstairs when you're through. And Ron."
"Yes mum?"
"Make sure to wash your hands. You know you always forget and I will NOT have your grimy fingerprints all over my clean kitchen!" commanded Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes mum," replied Ron, blushing once again.
Out of the corner of her ever-watching eye, Mrs. Weasley spotted two red heads moving stealthily out of the door.
"Fred! George! Didn't you promise to help carry up Harry and Hermione's things earlier?" she demanded menacingly.
"No mum, you told us we had to. Bit different than a promise, innit?" said George, testing his mother's patience daringly.
"Well, I don't care. You're helping them with their trunks and that's it!"
As always, Mrs. Weasley's word was law, and the boys soon found themselves hauling two heavy trunks up the winding staircase of The Burrow.
"Thanks George. Thanks Fred," said Harry as they reached Ron's room.
"Don't mention it. It was our pleasure," replied Fred sarcastically.
Harry was starting to unpack when Ron threw a miniature bludger from Ginny's toy Quidditch set at his head.
"Hey!" yelled Harry.
"What're you doing mate?" asked Ron.
"Um. unpacking?"
"Aren't you starving?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"Well then unpack later! I can spell Mum's bangers and mash from up here and I'm about to faint from hunger!"
"Fine, fine," laughed Harry, "I'll unpack later. Let's go get Hermione."
The two boys walked down the hall towards Ginny's room, from which they heard high-pitched laughter coming from. Ron rolled his eyes and Harry shook his head. Knocking lightly, Ron entered his sister's room and his jaw dropped.
"Don't you ever knock!" yelled an exasperated Ginny and then, seeing Harry, her tone softened, "Oh, sorry Harry. I didn't mean to yell, it's just that." Ginny trailed off as she gestured to the scene around her.
Harry's jaw joined Ron's on the floor as the two looked around in awe at the spectacle: clothes strewn all around, books lying open, their pages getting bent, and, in the midst of it all, Hermione, her wand stuck in her hair, rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.
"Hermione?" ventured Ron tentatively.
Hermione waved her arm and gasped, "Can't. Stop. Laughing."
"What happened," Harry asked, directing his question towards Ginny, seeing as Hermione was clearly incapacitated.
"She started unpacking; all her bags were opened. She asked if she could show me a magical device she'd bought over the summer. something that was supposed to unpack for you. She said all you had to do was push a button and it would levitate each item from her luggage and put it where it should be. So I told her to go ahead and. this happened. Everything seemed to explode from her luggage and Hermione collapsed on the floor. she's been like. that ever since."
In the midst of Ginny's story, Hermione had stopped laughing and was now pulling herself up onto her bed, silent tears rolling down her face.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" asked Ron softly.
Hermione looked at him sadly, "See, I told you everything was wrong. Have you ever known me to buy anything but books? Anything that wouldn't be absolutely useful? Anything that I had the slightest thought might not work"
Harry and Ron shook their heads slowly, looking at the floor instead of at Hermione.
"Look! Look at what I did! I'm sorry Ginny. I'll clean it up, I promise." Hermione choked out.
"Don't worry about it. Really. My room is usually this messy. Mum just made me clean it up for your stay. You can ask Ron," Ginny pleaded, not wanting Hermione to feel any worse than she already was feeling.
"It's true," said Ron quietly.
Hermione gave her three friends a slight smile and wiped her tear-stained face with her robe sleeve.
"Come on. Let's go have dinner," said Harry, lightly touching Hermione's shoulder.
Hermione nodded, and rose from the bed slowly, following Ron and Harry out the door. At the doorway, she gave one last sad look at the room, at what she had done, before turning and heading down the stairs.
Their dinner was cold by the time they reached the table. But Mrs. Weasley fixed that with a flick of her wand and then kissed each one, bidding them good night.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate their dinner quietly. At intervals, they would glance surreptitiously at each other, exchanging weak smiles. Finally, Hermione threw down her fork.
"Guys! I'm okay! Really! So just stop. stop. just stop! Okay?"
Harry and Ron looked down sheepishly. Hermione gave them both stony glares. Ron looked up and grinned at Hermione.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she replied and Harry looked up and grinned too.
Their dinner stopped being silent and was suddenly filled with chatty conversation and laughter. Harry sat back in his chair. Hermione will be fine, he told himself. We'll all be fine.