A/N As you can see, Summer turned out to be more than 22 parts, but I think Part 26 will finish it up, 27 at the most. Two "sequels " are at war in this tangled web of a mind, so as soon as the duel is over there'll be more H/H.
I hope it's soon, this is giving me a headache! Or maybe it's chlorine withdrawals. Anyway....what you came for!
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Harry and Ron looked at each other wide - eyed for about a second, then tore out the door, heading toward Hermione's room. Instead of some dark scene of destruction, they found Ginny and Hermione standing and staring at a horrible, gooey, foul-smelling mess on the floor. Behind Hermione they could hear Crookshanks hissing and growling in the corner.
" What IS that stuff? " groaned Harry, holding his nose, and feeling his eyes begin to water. Ron was holding his nose too, but he was grinning.
"Part of it I know about. Ginny doesn't know this, but I heard her talking to Fred and George about making something to turn her hair less red- permanently. I can't believe you were going to use that on your hair.Look what it did to the carpet."
Harry could tell Ron was right. The place where one side of the gooey mess was spreading had turned a brilliant peurple with glowing streaks of green."OOOH, I'll kill them!" shrieked Ginny. " And if it hadn't been for Crookshanks-Oh no, Hermione, look!"
They all turned to look at the corner, where Crookshanks continued to growl.Hermione yelped and ran to the corner."Oh, Crookshanks, what have we done to you?" she moaned.
'What indeed? ' thought Harry, looking at Crookshanks, whose once fluffy fur now hung limply down his sides, and its once ginger colour had now turned to a violent mauve, streaked with bright lime green. Hermione moved to pick him up, but just as she bent over they heard Ivy say sharply from the doorway "DON'T!" and Hermione jumped back as if she'd been burned.
Next they heard heavier footsteps in the hall, and Mrs. Weasley appeared in the door. " Ginny!" she roared." I'd have expected this from your brothers, but I thought you had more sense!" Ron was now bent double with laughter, holding his sides , but he managed to gasp, "Spot on, Mum. George and Fred did have a hand in this, but Ginny doesn't have any sense. I'm not so sure about Hermione either. Um, sorry , Dr. Granger," 'Here we go !' thought Harry. Now they'd be fighting for sure, and Ron would probably be expecting him to "pretend" to defend Hermione.
Surprisingly though, Hermione just grinned at Ron, and said teasingly. "I've got more sense than you'll EVER have Ron Weasley!" Behind them, both of the mothers laughed and Ivy picked up a blanket and dropped it over Crookshanks.
As she rolled him tightly, so that his head was the only thing exposed, she said " I think all of you had better go check on Chris, Arthur and the twins, while Molly and I try to figure out how to deal with this mess . We'll find out later who's got sense and who doesn't."
None of them could find any answer to this. It was a silent and somewhat sheepish group that descended the stairs, leaving Mrs. Weasley and Ivy pulling their wands from their pockets, and Mrs. Weasley muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Lockhart".
As they made their way toward the dental office, Ron finally spoke up "Wonder if they've left anything in one piece. Dad has been talking about this since your mom wrote inviting us."
Hermione shook her head and said " There might not be anything, you're right. It would be nice if they'd stick to the chair Dad altered for your Uncle Vernon, Harry, but that's too much to hope for."
" What happened to your family, Harry?" asked Ginny. 'We heard Mum and Dad laughing over something in Dr. Granger's letter, but they wouldn't tell us what." Harry and Hermione filled Ron and Ginny in quickly on Ivy's altering of the Dursley's personalities, and the results. Soon all four of them were laughing so hard, Mr. Weasley came through one of the doors to investigate.
" Are you children having fun? I suppose your mother sent you to check on us?" Even though he did his best to look indignant, Harry could tell Mr. Weasley was feeling slightly guilty about something.
"What's happened, Dad " asked Ginny. "No need to say nothing, I've seen that look on your face since I was a baby."
"Well, if you must know.....come along." He led them back to the large room the Granger's used when they treated several patients at the same time, ususlly children. Hermione gasped when she went in, and Harry had to admit to himself, it was a mess.
Fred and George were spinning in two of the chairs, and various instruments were lying on the counters, out of the neat plastic bags Hermione had prepared. Getting his first good look at George, Harry saw a a huge grin with a set of teeth that rivaled Hermione's before she had Madame Pomfrey change them,after Malfoy's curse. But these teeth, instead of being long, as Hermione's had been, were wide, and colored in various shades.
The chair Ivy had used for Uncle Vernon now had another seat added, and Chris was reclining in this seat, looking amused instead of horrified as Harry would have expected. "Not so bad this magic stuff!" he said to the astounded group of teenagers." Maybe I've been wrong all these years, not encouraging Ivy to go back to her old profession.I suppose it's been mostly because I've known I'd feel left out of her life."
Immediately Fred and George turned to each other and said, in triumphant voices "Kwikspell course!!!" Hermione opened her mouth to speak but before she could get any words out, they saw a blast of blue flame shoot from a smaller room, and a voice that could have only come from Mr. Weasley saying "Aaarrrgggghhh!"
Everyone ran to the door and found Mr. Weasley standing there with what apppeared to have once been a large piece of plastic. Now it was pink and shiny, and was slithering around on the floor as if it were alive.
" I.. I only touched it with this clever little wand, and it turned to liquid. Thought I was turning that way next, but as soon as I dropped it, the flame stopped. You Muggles haven't invented self spelling wands at last have you?"
Harry, Hermione and Chris began to laugh but quickly and fortunately noticed the younger Weasleys weren't laughing. " Funny thing to leave lying about, " Ron said flatly. " Dad, you could have been badly hurt!"
"Oh no, relax, Ron. If I had been, it would have been no one's fault but my own. Chris warned me about this when we first came in. As usual, I couldn't keep from coming back for another look. With You-Know -Who making an appearance, we need to know about all the wands and such things as possible."
They all looked at each other, somewhat disconcerted at Mr. Weasley's open admission of Voldemart's return, but were saved from further conversation by Mrs. Weasley and Ivy appearing in the door.
" Every part of this house disturbed and we've only been here ........." Mrs. Weasley began, but Ivy interrupted, saying, " No problem, Molly. Harry and Hermione have been doing a bit of experimenting since they've been home on holiday. We've become used to having two teeenagers in the house constantly, so I believe we'll survive this."
Everyone laughed in relief, and Hermione said" I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starved. Any possibility of breaking this up, and having tea?" They all trooped out of the room, talking and laughing, but as they did, Ron grabbed Harry's arm.
" Been here constantly, eh? Sounds as if you won't have any problem playing the 'boyfriend' part. Had lots of practice have you?" Harry stared at Ron, not sure whether he was angry or joking, but before he could say anything, Hermione and Ginny appeared beside them, full of talk and laughter about the mess the men had made.
He'd just have to wait and see what happened,thought Harry, but he couldn't help feeling this visit might not be all pleasure.