Author's Note: Why is no one reviewing? My story's not that boring, is it?
Now let's on with the show.
Chapter five: To the Weasley's We Go
The rest of the week went without a hitch. Fred was still distant, but he didn't yell anymore. George was the one who showed Jeanette around the shop, telling how much this cost and how much that cost, when to haggle and when to be firm. Fred locked himself in the lab, did experiments, and avoided Jeanette at all costs even if that meant missing a meal. George said that Fred was still upset with the lecture their mum had given them.
The customers liked her well enough, though a few had tried to cheat her. George straightened those out pretty quickly. Looking like she was still in school had its many downsides. From being treated like a silly ninny to being petted. Middle-aged witches were the worst, good thing they were few and far between. They thought it was abominable for a young, good girl like her to be working in such a degrading shop like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Jeanette always wondered out loud that if they considered the place so awful, why did they shop to pull equally juvenile pranks on their husbands, family members, and co-workers.
George told her to nicer to customers. She started sitting on a high stool at the cashier instead of standing, it made her look taller. Eye shadow and big words also made her look older.
It was Friday when a customer finally vexed her. The middle aged witch was looking for something to straighten her louse of a husband. After purchasing some Dinosorpor, she leaned over and stared at Jeanette.
"You're a very pretty girl." The woman complimented her. Jeanette smiled. The woman then began asking questions like machine gun fire.
"Where are your parents? How old are you? Do they know your working here? Do you have a relationship with that suspicious looking boy? Where do you go to school? Are you foreign?…." Jeanette smile twitched. The final question was the real dinger.
"Tell me, are you part Asian?"
"No!" Jeanette said hotly. "I'm one hundred percent Anglo-American."
"Oh, sorry dear, your accent, dearie. I had a Japanese friend once, an American too. Grew up in the States, but she always had a problem pronouncing her "ch" and "g." It's nothing to be ashamed of your heritage."
"I'm of German descent."
"Whatever you say, dearie." The woman left in a huff.
George, who was in the midst of stacking cans, asked what Jeanette was so puffed up about.
"Do I look Asian?" She demanded.
He barely glanced at her. "Well, you have blue eyes and blond hair."
She fingered her nose. It was too short and her eyes were funny too, she thought miserably.
"Okay," he said and went back to stacking cans. She sat on the counter, pouting. Fleur hadn't mentioned the gift at all. Fleur was a beautiful woman and she undoubtedly had a million beautiful friends. Like any lady, she most likely liked the spa and considering how talkative she was, perhaps she would recommend a good one. The plan had been that Jeanette give an entire, specially made spa kit to Fleur, who would tell her friends and those friends would become Jeanette's customers. But perhaps Fleur hadn't liked the present. Perhaps it was a stupid plan of a deranged teenage girl.
At lunch, George said to Jeanette, "Tomorrow we're going to Mum and Dad's and they want you to come too. We'll be staying the night."
"Okay."
"Primp yourself or something."
"Why it's just a family gathering thing, you do every weekend right?"
"No, Prefect Percy going to be there and he's been laughing at us for getting a kid employee. He also thinks our business is a joke."
"So you want to use me to prove him wrong and how you always make the right choices."
"Exactly," Jeanette frowned. "Well. Fred and me will be wearing our dragon hide suits, so you can wear a dress and make yourself presentable looking."
"Oh, alright. It'll take time to make the dress." He smiled.
"Start working on it."
Clothes weren't that hard to make. Using her wand, she caused the cloth to drape itself around her. A hole appeared for her head to poke through and the cloth wrapped itself around her changing and cleaving to her body.
Three hours later it was finally down and she modeled it for George. It was an eyelet sundress and without the satiny under dress it might have been indecent which George pointed out quickly enough. Boys had dirty minds. The color was such a pale blue tinged violet that from far away it would have seemed an offwhite. With azure embroidered spaghetti straps, it hung three inches below the knee and was slightly loose. The cloth had originally been satin, but she had interwoven with cotton. The hem was also embroidered in azure. It was a girlish slip and George liked it immediately.
"Won't look like your competing with Fleur." He told her.
"Why would I be competing with Fleur?"
"Cuz now, you're the second best dressed female in the family. But too cutesy," he pinched her cheek, "to make ol' Fleur turn into a harpy. It happened once when she caught Bill looking at another girl. Ugh. Hideous." He shook himself as if he suddenly caught in a bad memory. "Now make yourself another outfit to wear on Sunday."
"Any suggestions?"
"Wear some of your Muggle clothing. It's very chic in America, right?"
"No, it's all we ever wear except for formal occasions." He smiled in a dismissive manner. His mind had already jumped to something else, some other loophole that Percy could rip open. Typical brotherly competition.
"Do something with your hair tomorrow." She groaned.
Seven thirty the next morning, Jeanette was sitting on the toilet cover her fingers gripping the sides while Fleur was stabbing her skull with pins and nicking her scalp with her long manicured nails. Jeanette's knuckles were white with pain and to make it worse Fleur admonished her every time she frowned. It would give her wrinkles. How Fleur knew she was frowning in the first place was beyond the workings of Jeanette's primitive and pain warped mind.
"You ave very zick h..air." Fleur murmured as she grabbed a few strands of Jeanette's streaky blond hair and twisted them tightly. Jeanette bit back a cry. She was going to be bald. Fleur took out her wand and pointed it to Jeanette's head and began muttering in French. The weirdest tingly feeling happened.
Twenty minutes later, Jeanette's hair half up and half down. Her hair in soft waves and some of it had been braided in tight strands. She clinked when she walked, because Fleur being a fashion freak had braided bits of frosty sea glass into her hair. To make it worse, she had a galleon sized hunk of sea glass around her neck on a sea shell chain. She looked like a cross between a hippie and gypsy, instead of sleek. The jangling sounds were distracting as she packed a change of clothes, toiletries, and other necessities.
The twins were bringing their pets and it was up to her to carry the dessert she had made. Fred and George had been suspiciously close to it and she had sworn that if they meddled with it, there would be dire consequences. They had become rather fond of her cooking. She didn't tell them that she had taught her recipe books to cook by themselves with a pair of gloves to help. She was immensely proud of her dessert and consequently extremely protective. She had put it into a large jar and put several unbreakable and cooling charms on it.
They were going by car, because Jeanette couldn't apparate. Even without Jeanette, they would have had to gone by car, because it was hard to apparate with a niffler, a puffskein, a suitcase, a dessert, and a large sack of Weasley Whizzes (possibly to spring on Percy.) However, Fred chose to ignore that fact and complained loudly until Bill cuffed him.
The black Mercedes raised up slowly into the air. Bill hit the invisibility button and drove high above the clouds. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and ten minutes later they were lost. Throwing Fred a map, Bill decided to get on the highway to see the street signs.
For some reason it was empty, they had been driving for nearly a minute when Jeanette commented, "Why does it say 'only pool car' upside down?"
"Maybe it's a mistake." George mused. They turned and were head on with incoming traffic.
"We're going the wrong way!!!" Shouted George.
"Pull up," Jeanette said.
"PULL UP," Fleur echoed.
"I'm trying," Bill snapped. The Puffskein began to hum in its cage. Even with all the mayhem going around, Fred managed to kick the cage. The car bucked, the cage went flying, and soon they hurtling straight up, the Muggles continued obliviously on their way.
"We stalling," Jeanette squeaked, holding the headrest in front of her. She was going to hurl. Unfortunately, it was too late when Bill tried to get the flat again and the car flipped in the air. The cage wacked George and the Stupid Git was still being stupidly annoying in this predicament.
Eventually, Bill got the car righted but not before everyone developed claustrophobia. Thankfully, Bill had not disengaged the invisibility charm or the Muggles would have seen some show.
It was another half an hour before they reached the Burrow. Everyone complained of their bruises and bumps and Stupid Git fell asleep. The niffler, Diablo, had gone through the whole thing relatively unscathed, he had dug in his claws into the floor.
"Look, we're free," Fleur gasped finally. It was the most ramshackle house Jeanette had ever seen in her life and she felt that the only thing keeping it from tumbling down was the grace of god. As soon as they landed, everyone scrambled out of the disaffected car. It had nearly killed them.
It was almost time for lunch and Jeanette lugged the heavy dessert out of the trunk. She carried it to the front door which was held open. Everyone else had already gone inside. She muttered a thank you before looking up at the person who was holding the door open for her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. In front of her was a tall, grizzly bear of a human, terribly scarred with mismatched eyes. He had a peg leg to boot. (No pun intended.) The strange blue one fixed on her face and a surprised yet amused expression lit his grotesque features.
"Didn't think I'd see you here," he said in a gravelly voice. Jeanette visibly shrank.
"Hello, dear. Come in. I see you've met Mr. Moody." Mrs. Weasley poked her face out the door. Jeanette closed her mouth and put a shaky smile on. She entered the house shivering. She was in trouble.
Chapter five: To the Weasley's We Go
The rest of the week went without a hitch. Fred was still distant, but he didn't yell anymore. George was the one who showed Jeanette around the shop, telling how much this cost and how much that cost, when to haggle and when to be firm. Fred locked himself in the lab, did experiments, and avoided Jeanette at all costs even if that meant missing a meal. George said that Fred was still upset with the lecture their mum had given them.
The customers liked her well enough, though a few had tried to cheat her. George straightened those out pretty quickly. Looking like she was still in school had its many downsides. From being treated like a silly ninny to being petted. Middle-aged witches were the worst, good thing they were few and far between. They thought it was abominable for a young, good girl like her to be working in such a degrading shop like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Jeanette always wondered out loud that if they considered the place so awful, why did they shop to pull equally juvenile pranks on their husbands, family members, and co-workers.
George told her to nicer to customers. She started sitting on a high stool at the cashier instead of standing, it made her look taller. Eye shadow and big words also made her look older.
It was Friday when a customer finally vexed her. The middle aged witch was looking for something to straighten her louse of a husband. After purchasing some Dinosorpor, she leaned over and stared at Jeanette.
"You're a very pretty girl." The woman complimented her. Jeanette smiled. The woman then began asking questions like machine gun fire.
"Where are your parents? How old are you? Do they know your working here? Do you have a relationship with that suspicious looking boy? Where do you go to school? Are you foreign?…." Jeanette smile twitched. The final question was the real dinger.
"Tell me, are you part Asian?"
"No!" Jeanette said hotly. "I'm one hundred percent Anglo-American."
"Oh, sorry dear, your accent, dearie. I had a Japanese friend once, an American too. Grew up in the States, but she always had a problem pronouncing her "ch" and "g." It's nothing to be ashamed of your heritage."
"I'm of German descent."
"Whatever you say, dearie." The woman left in a huff.
George, who was in the midst of stacking cans, asked what Jeanette was so puffed up about.
"Do I look Asian?" She demanded.
He barely glanced at her. "Well, you have blue eyes and blond hair."
She fingered her nose. It was too short and her eyes were funny too, she thought miserably.
"Okay," he said and went back to stacking cans. She sat on the counter, pouting. Fleur hadn't mentioned the gift at all. Fleur was a beautiful woman and she undoubtedly had a million beautiful friends. Like any lady, she most likely liked the spa and considering how talkative she was, perhaps she would recommend a good one. The plan had been that Jeanette give an entire, specially made spa kit to Fleur, who would tell her friends and those friends would become Jeanette's customers. But perhaps Fleur hadn't liked the present. Perhaps it was a stupid plan of a deranged teenage girl.
At lunch, George said to Jeanette, "Tomorrow we're going to Mum and Dad's and they want you to come too. We'll be staying the night."
"Okay."
"Primp yourself or something."
"Why it's just a family gathering thing, you do every weekend right?"
"No, Prefect Percy going to be there and he's been laughing at us for getting a kid employee. He also thinks our business is a joke."
"So you want to use me to prove him wrong and how you always make the right choices."
"Exactly," Jeanette frowned. "Well. Fred and me will be wearing our dragon hide suits, so you can wear a dress and make yourself presentable looking."
"Oh, alright. It'll take time to make the dress." He smiled.
"Start working on it."
Clothes weren't that hard to make. Using her wand, she caused the cloth to drape itself around her. A hole appeared for her head to poke through and the cloth wrapped itself around her changing and cleaving to her body.
Three hours later it was finally down and she modeled it for George. It was an eyelet sundress and without the satiny under dress it might have been indecent which George pointed out quickly enough. Boys had dirty minds. The color was such a pale blue tinged violet that from far away it would have seemed an offwhite. With azure embroidered spaghetti straps, it hung three inches below the knee and was slightly loose. The cloth had originally been satin, but she had interwoven with cotton. The hem was also embroidered in azure. It was a girlish slip and George liked it immediately.
"Won't look like your competing with Fleur." He told her.
"Why would I be competing with Fleur?"
"Cuz now, you're the second best dressed female in the family. But too cutesy," he pinched her cheek, "to make ol' Fleur turn into a harpy. It happened once when she caught Bill looking at another girl. Ugh. Hideous." He shook himself as if he suddenly caught in a bad memory. "Now make yourself another outfit to wear on Sunday."
"Any suggestions?"
"Wear some of your Muggle clothing. It's very chic in America, right?"
"No, it's all we ever wear except for formal occasions." He smiled in a dismissive manner. His mind had already jumped to something else, some other loophole that Percy could rip open. Typical brotherly competition.
"Do something with your hair tomorrow." She groaned.
Seven thirty the next morning, Jeanette was sitting on the toilet cover her fingers gripping the sides while Fleur was stabbing her skull with pins and nicking her scalp with her long manicured nails. Jeanette's knuckles were white with pain and to make it worse Fleur admonished her every time she frowned. It would give her wrinkles. How Fleur knew she was frowning in the first place was beyond the workings of Jeanette's primitive and pain warped mind.
"You ave very zick h..air." Fleur murmured as she grabbed a few strands of Jeanette's streaky blond hair and twisted them tightly. Jeanette bit back a cry. She was going to be bald. Fleur took out her wand and pointed it to Jeanette's head and began muttering in French. The weirdest tingly feeling happened.
Twenty minutes later, Jeanette's hair half up and half down. Her hair in soft waves and some of it had been braided in tight strands. She clinked when she walked, because Fleur being a fashion freak had braided bits of frosty sea glass into her hair. To make it worse, she had a galleon sized hunk of sea glass around her neck on a sea shell chain. She looked like a cross between a hippie and gypsy, instead of sleek. The jangling sounds were distracting as she packed a change of clothes, toiletries, and other necessities.
The twins were bringing their pets and it was up to her to carry the dessert she had made. Fred and George had been suspiciously close to it and she had sworn that if they meddled with it, there would be dire consequences. They had become rather fond of her cooking. She didn't tell them that she had taught her recipe books to cook by themselves with a pair of gloves to help. She was immensely proud of her dessert and consequently extremely protective. She had put it into a large jar and put several unbreakable and cooling charms on it.
They were going by car, because Jeanette couldn't apparate. Even without Jeanette, they would have had to gone by car, because it was hard to apparate with a niffler, a puffskein, a suitcase, a dessert, and a large sack of Weasley Whizzes (possibly to spring on Percy.) However, Fred chose to ignore that fact and complained loudly until Bill cuffed him.
The black Mercedes raised up slowly into the air. Bill hit the invisibility button and drove high above the clouds. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and ten minutes later they were lost. Throwing Fred a map, Bill decided to get on the highway to see the street signs.
For some reason it was empty, they had been driving for nearly a minute when Jeanette commented, "Why does it say 'only pool car' upside down?"
"Maybe it's a mistake." George mused. They turned and were head on with incoming traffic.
"We're going the wrong way!!!" Shouted George.
"Pull up," Jeanette said.
"PULL UP," Fleur echoed.
"I'm trying," Bill snapped. The Puffskein began to hum in its cage. Even with all the mayhem going around, Fred managed to kick the cage. The car bucked, the cage went flying, and soon they hurtling straight up, the Muggles continued obliviously on their way.
"We stalling," Jeanette squeaked, holding the headrest in front of her. She was going to hurl. Unfortunately, it was too late when Bill tried to get the flat again and the car flipped in the air. The cage wacked George and the Stupid Git was still being stupidly annoying in this predicament.
Eventually, Bill got the car righted but not before everyone developed claustrophobia. Thankfully, Bill had not disengaged the invisibility charm or the Muggles would have seen some show.
It was another half an hour before they reached the Burrow. Everyone complained of their bruises and bumps and Stupid Git fell asleep. The niffler, Diablo, had gone through the whole thing relatively unscathed, he had dug in his claws into the floor.
"Look, we're free," Fleur gasped finally. It was the most ramshackle house Jeanette had ever seen in her life and she felt that the only thing keeping it from tumbling down was the grace of god. As soon as they landed, everyone scrambled out of the disaffected car. It had nearly killed them.
It was almost time for lunch and Jeanette lugged the heavy dessert out of the trunk. She carried it to the front door which was held open. Everyone else had already gone inside. She muttered a thank you before looking up at the person who was holding the door open for her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. In front of her was a tall, grizzly bear of a human, terribly scarred with mismatched eyes. He had a peg leg to boot. (No pun intended.) The strange blue one fixed on her face and a surprised yet amused expression lit his grotesque features.
"Didn't think I'd see you here," he said in a gravelly voice. Jeanette visibly shrank.
"Hello, dear. Come in. I see you've met Mr. Moody." Mrs. Weasley poked her face out the door. Jeanette closed her mouth and put a shaky smile on. She entered the house shivering. She was in trouble.