Summer~ Part XV
Just as Harry had expected, Hermione did have to remind him where to put some of the supplies on the counter, but he could tell she was distracted too.
"Oh, Harry, we might as well give up. I'm not able to keep my mind on what has to be done," said Hermione in a frustrated voice.
"No?" he asked, putting down the spray bottles he was putting away. "Then I guess there's no hope for me. What should we do now?"
" I have an idea! Let's see what we can find in the computer?"
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I'm not following too well. What does Uncle Vernon have to do with the computer?" Harry was thinking, 'what's she going to do now? Is this when I hear from the Ministry again?'
" Hold on, I'll show you." Harry watched as Hermione quickly went through some lists of names and printed a few pages. "There! We now have a way to test how well Mom's Charm worked right away."
"What are those names for, and the letters and numbers?" Harry asked, peering over her shoulder.
" My parents have always kept a special list of people, mostly children, who need to have their teeth worked on. Then they find ways to help them when they can," Hermione said with a grin.
Harry shook his head, "No, Hermione , this won't work. I don't even think Uncle Vernon COULD help any of these kids. He told us money is a problem for him now."
" We won't know till we try it, Harry," Hermione said, with that stubborn look he knew so well. He shrugged his shoulders, and picked up the papers, ,as she continued." Just one kid could make a difference."
Just then Chris came into the room and motioned for them to follow him. As they did, Harry noticed Chris' shoulders were shaking with laughter, and he walked faster. They walked into the room where Ivy and Uncle Vernon were and immediately Harry had to put his hands over his mouth to keep from shouting with laughter.
There was Vernon, and as he had anticipated, he looked as if it was a very uncomfortable fit on the chair. Next he noticed his uncle's bushy mustache was gone! He now looked more like Aunt Marge than ever, except that HE now looked like the more feminine of the two.
"I can see why he's kept that thing all these years," he whispered to Hermione. "Look at that mouth- like a little rosebud in all that mass of face."
Hermione was also shaking with silent laughter, and pointing at the chair, which was beginning to rotate in a circle. Harry's uncle appeared unable to speak or move, but he had a look of confusion and terror on his face. When he had turned so that his head was down and his feet were up, Ivy went to him and tapped each of his feet three times, muttered, "Amiiablius," and snapped her fingers three times. The chair rotated again, bringing Vernon back to an upright position. Expecting to see a look of fury on his uncle's face, Harry was surprised to see the look of terror still there, and his eyes were now darting between Ivy, Chris, Hermione and himself. Ivy was the first to speak and his Uncle Vernon seemed to relax slightly when she said,
"Chris why don't you take Mr. Dursley back to the office. I'll be in to check with you after I've helped Hermione and Harry a bit." Vernon stood up a bit unsteadily and looked at Harry as if he'd never really looked at him before, and then followed Chris out of the room.
" WOW! What happened to him? Besides being upside down, and losing his mustache. Oh, he loved that thing." Harry could hardly speak he was now laughing so hard.
" I performed the Amiable Charm, Harry, " said Ivy." To put it simply, I've exchanged avarice for benevolence, and hostility for tolerance. The only thing is, he's so confused, he may need to be led around for a while. He won't like his new impulses, but if the Charm worked, and I believe it has, Vernon Dursley won't have much say in things."
"What about his mustache, Mum? How did that get involved?" Hermione finally stopped laughing long enough to ask.
" Oh, that was just an impulse. He's always been so fussy about that mustache on his visits here. As if he thought I was planning to shave it off. But, guess what kids! It's not shaved, it's gone for good, it won't grow back, now matter what he does. And did you notice how the hair in his nose and ears suddenly looks so frizzy? Oh he's going to be thrilled when he looks in the mirror!"
She and Hermione and Harry all sat down on the chairs, and laughed until tears rolled down their faces.
Finally Ivy gasped, and said, "I'd better go rescue those two from each other. Chris may have Vernon financing a Dental Clinic in Haiti by now! And Harry you'll be going back with Vernon so you and Hermione make sure you're prepared, just take a few things for tonight. We may have you back tomorrow."
This had the effect of sobering Harry and Hermione immediately. Even though he knew Privet Drive wouldn't be the same, Harry couldn't help dreading leaving the Grangers'. He wasn't sure what was the cause of this, but he was till feeling a little disappointment that he and Hermione hadn't wound up in that dark room for at least a few minutes.
Summer~ Part XVI
"Plans for Dinner?"
The next morning when Harry was dropped off at the Grangers', he found Hermione outside, watering the geraniums in the window boxes. When she saw Harry get out, and Uncle Vernon drive off, she set down the watering can, and ran down the steps to greet him.
Harry grinned to himself as he thought 'she hasn't changed that much, she still doesn't mind showing she's glad to see me!,' while another part of him couldn't help noticing that her short red shorts and white tank top made her tan look.......
"What happened, Harry? How did they act? Was your aunt still that sweet? Did Dudley really share the game?" As ususal, when Hermione was excited, her words came out in out in one big rush. When she stopped for breath, Harry put his hand on her arm and pulled her down to sit on one of the steps beside him.
He leaned back on his elbows and tried to look serious, until he noticed a worried expression cross her face. "Harry it didn't.....?" she began, but he interrupted her with a shout of laughter.
"I can't do it! I was going to tell you none of the Charms worked after they got home, but I can't. Wow, Hermione, your mom must have been at the top of her class at Hogwarts too! You won't believe the way my relatives acted."
"Don't think Mom had any problems passing her N.E.W.T.S.," Hermione replied with a smug look." What did your room look like? Did your aunt really make Dudley clean it?"
" The room was very bare,." said Harry, laughter still in his voice. " I'm s'posed to tell her tonight what color I'd like the room to be painted. She even made Dudley polish the floor, he was still sweating when I got there."
"What about your aunt and uncle?" Hermione asked in a slightly muffled voice, since she now had her head in her hands, laughing at the picture in her mind of Dudley polishing a floor.
"Oh, Uncle Vernon had quite a surprise when he got home and Petunia screamed when she saw him." Harry shook his head, still in disbelief at what had taken place.
"O n the way home, he still had that confused look on his face, and he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to want to accuse me of something, but he couldn't because he didn't know what had happened."
"I'm surprised your aunt and everyone else hasn't always screamed when they saw him. So when you aunt screamed, what did he do?" asked Hermione.
" He ran straight to the bathroom and roared for a while, and Aunt Petunia cried," Harry replied with satisfaction in his voice." But the best thing happened after supper. I was feeling pretty good, they had let me eat all I wanted for a change. Dudley was washing dishes, and I was watching something on TV that I had picked, also another first."
"I'm glad they finally let you eat enough," Hermione said. "Mum will be glad too. And Dudley washing dishes, that must have made you feel good. Did he know how?"
"Not at first. Aunt Petunia had to yell at him a couple of times, and she made him start over once. Then she left the kitchen, and came back with the biggest block of wax I've ever seen. It looked like one of Madam Pomfrey's blocks of chocolate."
TO BE CONTINUED...