Another note from the author: Sadly, I don't own any of the characters.
They belong to other important people... mainly J. K. Rowling. Please see
the beginning of the first chapter to read the spiel. And just to warn
you... This chapter isn't finished... but I decided to post it anyway. —
Mad Mary Flint P-)
Chapter Two: Dripping Identical Imps
Harry stood there, behind Ron, watching him stir the candy mixture on the stove. He held the bag of Conjuring Flour in one hand, and the bag of sugar in the other.
"I think it's time to add the flour," said Ron, peering into the bowl, containing the strained mixture of Firewhiskey, pepper, Salamander ash, and Exploding Jamaican Peppers. He pulled the pot off the burner. "Go ahead pour it in."
Harry measured the flour, (which looked like Muggle flour, aside from the fact that it was electric blue,) and poured it into the bowl. It sat on the surface of the liquid in a goopy island before it hissed and sank. A thin wisp of smoke drifted up from its wake, and then disappeared.
"Now we stir it, right?" asked Ron.
"Anti-clockwise," reminded Harry. "Until all the lumps are gone."
Stirring until all the lumps are gone proved to be harder then it seemed. The liquid was strong and it melted two metal spoons, and burnt the bowl off a third wooden one.
"Well, does that look like all the lumps are gone, aside from all the metal spoon bits?" asked Ron, holding out the pot for Harry to see. "I think it's good enough..."
"Careful," said Harry, rubbing his nose. "It makes the inside of my nose burn... It's the all the pepper we added, I think. Anyway, what are we going to do about those spoons?"
"Hide them," said Ron, putting the pot back on the burner, and turning up the heat. "If Mum sees them..." He shook his head.
As Ron stirred the Pepper Imps mixture, it began to smoke a little, increasing each time as they added the chili powder and saltpeter mixture.
"Do you hear that?" asked Harry, adding another spoonful as Ron stirred. "That hissing."
"It's the candy," said Ron, looking at the pile of ruined spoons lying on the counter. "I think it's smoldering... Or eating through the pot... Or both..." he shook his head. "Mum is going to have a fit about these spoons!" Ron took the spoon he was using out of the pot, and held it up for Harry to see. It flopped to one side like it was made of rubber, smelling like burnt sugar. "I need another one," he said.
"I can't find any more big serving spoons... I think we've used them all... Does it matter if you stir it with a fork?" said Harry, reading through the magazine article again.
"As opposed to a spoon?" said Ron. "I don't know... Anyway, I think we're ready for another scoop of that chili power stuff."
"It's the last one." said Harry, pouring it in and watching the smoke billow up, as the thick liquid started to bubble like molten lava. "Is it supposed to smoke like that?"
"I dunno... They are supposed to be Pepper Imps, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but are they supposed to fill the kitchen up with smoke?" said Harry.
Ron shrugged as Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged cat, walked in and rubbed against Harry's leg.
"Crookshanks! Get out of here!" said Ron, trying to shoo him away, as the cat jumped onto the counter.
Crookshanks took one look at the glowing orange contents of the pot Ron was stirring and began to loudly voice his opinion. He did not like what was being cooked on the stove.
"Hey! Shoo!" yelled Ron over the loud boiling of the candy, and Crookshanks yowling. "It's supposed to be like this! No! Now, go away!" He waved the fork in the cat's general direction and Crookshanks backed away, knocking several spoon handles to the floor with a clatter. Three splatters of gooey candy dripped from the fork and landed on the counter with a hiss. "Fred and George will be down here in a minute, wondering what's going on..." he muttered.
"If the noise doesn't draw their attention, the smell will," said Harry, sniffing the air, as Ron handed him the fork, letting him take a turn stirring the candy.
"Something's burning..." said Harry, as Ron scooped up Crookshanks and put him outside. "Oh no, Ron! Look!" Harry pointed to the counter.
There, were the candy had dripped on the counter, were three small smoking holes where the candy liquid had eaten away that counter.
Ron paled. "Mum is going to kill me..." he looked at the bubbling liquid in the pot, and Harry held up the drooping metal fork, its prongs pointing in four different directions. "That's just great..." Ron shook his head.
"Is there anything left to do?" asked Harry, as he resumed stirring with a new fork.
"Only dipping the lighted candle into the candy," said Ron, fingering the candlestick. "But I'm starting to think that this isn't such a great idea after all... What if..." his voice trailed off..
Ron sighed. "I suppose Pepper Imps are supposed to burn through things... Let's just finish them. Mum will be able to fix the counter, it's not like something like this hasn't happed before... Can I have a turn stirring again?"
Harry handed Ron the fork, and gave the recipe another quick read-through. "It looks like we're almost finished!" he said, watching Ron stir the fiery concoction
"Good."
"Ron!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.
Ron jumped, splattering more liquid candy on to the counter. "Harry! Look what you made me do!" he cried. "What is it?"
"You're stirring the wrong way!" Harry shouted.
"Whoops!" said Ron inhaling sharply, as the contents in the pot made a belching noise, emitting a rather large mushroom cloud of smoke.
Coughing, Harry ran across the Weasley kitchen to open a window, trying to let out some of the smoke that was rapidly filling the kitchen.
"Oy, Ron!" called one of the twins from upstairs. "Is the house on fire? What's going on down there?"
"No! We're just... cooking!" Ron shouted back.
There was no reply, but Harry heard the banging and scraping of moving furniture, and what sounded like several water faucets running.
"We're coming!" yelled the twins, as Harry heard them run down the stairs, with several thumps and crashes, followed by a watery sloshing sound. "We don't want a repeat of the last time Ron tried to cook!"
"Gangway!" shouted Fred and George together, as they ran into the kitchen. Each twin had a pail slung over one arm, and a sopping wet towel on the other. Both of them carried a dresser drawer that had been filled with water. Dripping socks hung over the side of one, and a pair of trousers hung out of the other. A long trail of water followed them into the kitchen.
"Stop! Wait! No!" shouted Ron, stepping in front of the twins, leaving the candy to smolder on the stove. "Whoa!" he cried, slipping on the water that had been spilled on the floor. Sliding forward, he crashed into Fred and George, just as they were winding up to toss the water.
Endnote from Author: Whoa! Sorry to end on a sort of cliffhanger! I will post more! (I just wanted to put it up to see what others thought so far...)
Any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, dedications, disclaimers, or smart remarks? Please review! (I'm really trying to figure how I can make this story funnier...) –Mad Mary Flint P-)
Chapter Two: Dripping Identical Imps
Harry stood there, behind Ron, watching him stir the candy mixture on the stove. He held the bag of Conjuring Flour in one hand, and the bag of sugar in the other.
"I think it's time to add the flour," said Ron, peering into the bowl, containing the strained mixture of Firewhiskey, pepper, Salamander ash, and Exploding Jamaican Peppers. He pulled the pot off the burner. "Go ahead pour it in."
Harry measured the flour, (which looked like Muggle flour, aside from the fact that it was electric blue,) and poured it into the bowl. It sat on the surface of the liquid in a goopy island before it hissed and sank. A thin wisp of smoke drifted up from its wake, and then disappeared.
"Now we stir it, right?" asked Ron.
"Anti-clockwise," reminded Harry. "Until all the lumps are gone."
Stirring until all the lumps are gone proved to be harder then it seemed. The liquid was strong and it melted two metal spoons, and burnt the bowl off a third wooden one.
"Well, does that look like all the lumps are gone, aside from all the metal spoon bits?" asked Ron, holding out the pot for Harry to see. "I think it's good enough..."
"Careful," said Harry, rubbing his nose. "It makes the inside of my nose burn... It's the all the pepper we added, I think. Anyway, what are we going to do about those spoons?"
"Hide them," said Ron, putting the pot back on the burner, and turning up the heat. "If Mum sees them..." He shook his head.
As Ron stirred the Pepper Imps mixture, it began to smoke a little, increasing each time as they added the chili powder and saltpeter mixture.
"Do you hear that?" asked Harry, adding another spoonful as Ron stirred. "That hissing."
"It's the candy," said Ron, looking at the pile of ruined spoons lying on the counter. "I think it's smoldering... Or eating through the pot... Or both..." he shook his head. "Mum is going to have a fit about these spoons!" Ron took the spoon he was using out of the pot, and held it up for Harry to see. It flopped to one side like it was made of rubber, smelling like burnt sugar. "I need another one," he said.
"I can't find any more big serving spoons... I think we've used them all... Does it matter if you stir it with a fork?" said Harry, reading through the magazine article again.
"As opposed to a spoon?" said Ron. "I don't know... Anyway, I think we're ready for another scoop of that chili power stuff."
"It's the last one." said Harry, pouring it in and watching the smoke billow up, as the thick liquid started to bubble like molten lava. "Is it supposed to smoke like that?"
"I dunno... They are supposed to be Pepper Imps, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but are they supposed to fill the kitchen up with smoke?" said Harry.
Ron shrugged as Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged cat, walked in and rubbed against Harry's leg.
"Crookshanks! Get out of here!" said Ron, trying to shoo him away, as the cat jumped onto the counter.
Crookshanks took one look at the glowing orange contents of the pot Ron was stirring and began to loudly voice his opinion. He did not like what was being cooked on the stove.
"Hey! Shoo!" yelled Ron over the loud boiling of the candy, and Crookshanks yowling. "It's supposed to be like this! No! Now, go away!" He waved the fork in the cat's general direction and Crookshanks backed away, knocking several spoon handles to the floor with a clatter. Three splatters of gooey candy dripped from the fork and landed on the counter with a hiss. "Fred and George will be down here in a minute, wondering what's going on..." he muttered.
"If the noise doesn't draw their attention, the smell will," said Harry, sniffing the air, as Ron handed him the fork, letting him take a turn stirring the candy.
"Something's burning..." said Harry, as Ron scooped up Crookshanks and put him outside. "Oh no, Ron! Look!" Harry pointed to the counter.
There, were the candy had dripped on the counter, were three small smoking holes where the candy liquid had eaten away that counter.
Ron paled. "Mum is going to kill me..." he looked at the bubbling liquid in the pot, and Harry held up the drooping metal fork, its prongs pointing in four different directions. "That's just great..." Ron shook his head.
"Is there anything left to do?" asked Harry, as he resumed stirring with a new fork.
"Only dipping the lighted candle into the candy," said Ron, fingering the candlestick. "But I'm starting to think that this isn't such a great idea after all... What if..." his voice trailed off..
Ron sighed. "I suppose Pepper Imps are supposed to burn through things... Let's just finish them. Mum will be able to fix the counter, it's not like something like this hasn't happed before... Can I have a turn stirring again?"
Harry handed Ron the fork, and gave the recipe another quick read-through. "It looks like we're almost finished!" he said, watching Ron stir the fiery concoction
"Good."
"Ron!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.
Ron jumped, splattering more liquid candy on to the counter. "Harry! Look what you made me do!" he cried. "What is it?"
"You're stirring the wrong way!" Harry shouted.
"Whoops!" said Ron inhaling sharply, as the contents in the pot made a belching noise, emitting a rather large mushroom cloud of smoke.
Coughing, Harry ran across the Weasley kitchen to open a window, trying to let out some of the smoke that was rapidly filling the kitchen.
"Oy, Ron!" called one of the twins from upstairs. "Is the house on fire? What's going on down there?"
"No! We're just... cooking!" Ron shouted back.
There was no reply, but Harry heard the banging and scraping of moving furniture, and what sounded like several water faucets running.
"We're coming!" yelled the twins, as Harry heard them run down the stairs, with several thumps and crashes, followed by a watery sloshing sound. "We don't want a repeat of the last time Ron tried to cook!"
"Gangway!" shouted Fred and George together, as they ran into the kitchen. Each twin had a pail slung over one arm, and a sopping wet towel on the other. Both of them carried a dresser drawer that had been filled with water. Dripping socks hung over the side of one, and a pair of trousers hung out of the other. A long trail of water followed them into the kitchen.
"Stop! Wait! No!" shouted Ron, stepping in front of the twins, leaving the candy to smolder on the stove. "Whoa!" he cried, slipping on the water that had been spilled on the floor. Sliding forward, he crashed into Fred and George, just as they were winding up to toss the water.
Endnote from Author: Whoa! Sorry to end on a sort of cliffhanger! I will post more! (I just wanted to put it up to see what others thought so far...)
Any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, dedications, disclaimers, or smart remarks? Please review! (I'm really trying to figure how I can make this story funnier...) –Mad Mary Flint P-)