A/N: Treacle pudding? I never understood their desserts. Let's just say they enjoy pie and apple cobbler ;)
Disclaimer: None of the terms or characters that appear in any literature authored by J.K. Rowling belongs to me. They rightfully belong to J.K. Rowling. Any other allusions mentioned on this page do not belong to me either.
Chapter 20
Ginny made her way into the garden where everyone was seated. To her surprise, she wasn't the last to make it onto the scene where the food was already being served. Again, Fred and George apparated onto the setting a minute after Ginny arrived.
She sat down in between Tonks and Hermione who were sitting across from Lupin and Ron. Ginny looked across from her side of the table to see that she was seated in front of Harry once more.
"Oh, hi," she said stolidly as she gave him a weak grin. Harry didn't say anything but he smiled and raised his glass of iced pumpkin juice instead. She noticed that Ron and Hermione were already engaged in conversation with Tonks and Lupin to add their own few comments on the subject.
"It's clearly impossible for life to exist on other planets," Hermione stated.
"How do you know?" Ron demanded, taking a bite out of a large slice of roast beef in his hand.
"Ron! Use your utensils!" yelled Mrs. Weasley from five seats away. She was seated with Mr. Weasley and across from Mad-Eye Moody who clearly brought his own fork and knife.
Ron put down his piece of roast beef and picked up a fork as he mumbled something grumpily under his breath.
"You can't just believe everything you see at the Cinema," Hermione continued, "If aliens exist then so do, um--"
"Fairies, leprechauns, vampires, pixies, giants, centaurs, witches, wizards?" Tonks chimed in to defend Ron and then she looked at Lupin. "And werewolves?"
"But those are all known in the Wizarding world, Tonks! They are merely fantasies to Muggles."
"I'm going to have to agree with Hermione," Lupin said, "Aliens are just as unreal as Father Christmas is."
"Thank you, Lupin!" Hermione said. Ron's jaw dropped.
"You don't believe in Father Christmas?!" he exclaimed. The argument was interrupted by Fred and George standing up and tapping their glasses with their forks.
"May we have everyone's attention?" Fred asked and everyone sat in silence as they brought their awareness to the two.
"Thank you, everybody! We just wanted to acknowledge a very special person!" George continued.
"Our younger sister Ginny!" they both said in unison.
"Ginny, please, stand-up!" George suggested. Ginny felt silly to get up since everyone knew who she was anyway, but her face was getting hot at the thought of what Fred and George were going to say.
Please don't let this involve Harry! Please don't let this involve Harry, she thought in her mind as she stood up and gave a nervous smile.
"Ginny," Fred started, "You are our younger sister and you have given us so much."
"You deserve so much more, and we would like to present you with what you've very much desired since you came back from Hogwarts," George continued.
Ginny couldn't really pay attention anymore to what they were talking about since she was vastly embarrassed in front of the house guests. She then heard the name "Harry" and flinched. How can they do this to me?
Fred then waved his wand and a Siamese cat appeared with a purple bow tied around its neck. Ginny realized that she mistook "Harry" for the word "hairy". She was very relieved and her face lit up as George took the kitten and put it in her arms.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed. "She's perfect!" Ginny had completely forgotten about the cat they promised to give her two days before.
"That's a beautiful cat!" said Tonks, "What will you name her?"
"I think I'll call her Lola!" Ginny responded.
A few minutes after Fred's and George's presentation, everyone at the table were back to normal conversation. Ron and Hermione continued to a related subject.
"Well, I started using aluminum, but then I switched to tin. That was the best decision I've ever made in my life," Ron explained about his tin foil hats.
Ginny noticed that Harry wasn't including himself in the discussion again. She realized that since the night was going so fortunate, she should start talking to him.
"So what are you planning to do for your birthday?" she asked him. He didn't notice until a few seconds later that she spoke to him.
"Oh," he said stolidly and looked up, "I guess I'll just do whatever comes up that day. It will be like any normal day."
Ginny noticed that he looked kind of down, but she continued to talk to him. "It's not going to be any normal day," she said cheerfully, "It's your birthday and the best part is that you're with us!" Harry smiled just before Ron chimed in.
"Ginny," Ron said loud enough for everyone to hear, "if you want to get him anything, he's always wanted bright pink shoelaces!" Everyone stopped talking after they heard what he said.
"Ron!" Harry snarled.
"What? They'll match your earrings!" Ron said, and then whispered, "I told you I'd get you back!"
"Oh, Ron, I forgot to ask you," Ginny said out loud so everyone could hear, "What happened to the pink socks I lent you yesterday?"
"Ginny, what are you talking about?" said Ron.
"What?" she continued, "You're still wearing them? You want to keep them? They're my favorite socks! You should have taken the white ones! But no! You insisted on the bright pink ones!"
Harry laughed and said, "Good one!"
"Anytime," Ginny merely responded. Lola was sitting on her lap, and she crawled on to the table top.
"Lola, come here!" said Hermione, picking her up and placing her on her own lap. "Oh, you're so little! You and Crookshanks will be the best of friends! I just know it!"
"I'm so glad you left that cat at your house, Hermione!" Ron said.
"No, he's here. He's in Ginny's room. What makes you think I left him at home? Who would take care of him?"
"Your mum and dad?" Ron replied.
"They're in Rome, right now, actually. I wish I could have gone, but I didn't want to give up coming here this summer. The Burrow—my holiday home!" she said with pleasure.
"Really? I'd rather be in Durmstrang then this place," Ron stated before taking a sip of his butterbeer.
"I wish we could apparate and visit your parents, Hermione. I'd love to go to Rome!" Ginny said while Lola crawled back to her lap.
"I'd like to go, also. I think my dad might've been Italian," said Harry.
"Well, I don't know about Rome, but you're all welcome to visit my house later this summer! My parents are fine with the idea as they'll still be on their holiday," Hermione stated and Ginny and Harry's faces lit up. Ron looked somewhat tense.
"You mean, with all those Muggles?" said Ron, tugging the collar of his shirt.
"Uh-huh! Don't worry about them. Most of them are elderly anyway," Hermione replied, "I have some old neighborhood friends as well, but I'll just say you go to my boarding school."
"Except for me, Hermione. Remember I go to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys," Harry joked.
"What about me? For once, I'd like to be the one to intimidate somebody! How about Harry and I both escaped from St. Brutus's and everyone is out to get us?" suggested Ron.
Ginny laughed at the idea. "Can I be the one they hold hostage?"
"Then what will I do?" Hermione asked. Lola squirmed while Hermione took her back from Ginny's lap.
"Police," Ron and Harry shrugged in unison.
After dinner, Mr. Weasley proposed to drive to London to see a film. "Dad got a raise," Ron said. "It's not much, but he got himself a new car."
The ride didn't take very long, since they were soaring in the night air at a high speed. Again, they enchanted the car with a spell to make it bigger in the inside so it could seat about a dozen.
"Hey, Signs is still playing!" Ron exclaimed, but almost everyone pretended not to notice, "Signs, anyone? Anyone?"
"My cousin Jamie already took me to see that," Hermione told him, "It was a good work of fiction, but I'd rather see something else."
"Yeah, right, all you probably cared about was Melanie Gibson!" said Ron.
"I want to see Lord of the Rings," said Harry.
"I do, too!" Hermione agreed, "I've seen it three times already!"
"Three times? And you've only seen Signs once!" said Ron.
"I can remember studying Tolkien's literature in Muggle Studies," said Lupin.
"I do, too," said Mr. Weasley, "Did a lot of great work, that Muggle."
Everyone did end up seeing Lord of the Rings. On the way back to the Burrow, Ginny and Hermione were giggling over their favorite characters in the movie.
"I liked the hobbits, mostly," Ginny said, "Especially Merry!" Fred and George disagreed and felt that Gimli the dwarf needed more recognition. Hermione took a stronger liking for the elves.
"I think spew has a whole new meaning now!" joked Ron.
"It's not spew, it's S.P.E.W., and house-elves are completely different," Hermione said sternly.
"The only difference is that they're handsome," Ginny added, and everyone looked at her as if she said something appalling, "I'm only kidding!"
Hermione and Ginny got back on the subject about Tolkien elves.
"Which one are you talking about?' Tonks asked.
"Legolas," Hermione replied.
"Oh, I liked him!" said Tonks with a wink.
"Really? I thought that was the ugliest Veela I've ever seen In my life!" Ron exclaimed.
The lot arrived at the Burrow late in the night, but no one felt very tired. Hermione and Ginny were still in their room talking.
"I've talked to him a few times since he's been here, but I never asked him about Sirius," Ginny said, "I think none of us feel like it's our place to discuss it."
"It would be good for Harry to tell someone how he feels about it now," Hermione said as she was brushing Crookshanks.
"I don't know how to bring it up, and I have a feeling Ron doesn't know how to either."
"Then maybe the subject will come up accidentally. I don't think he will mind talking about it anyway."
"How can you be so sure? Maybe he wanted to come here just to get his mind off it. Like he wanted to take break or something."
"It might be a bit premature for him to think that way right now. I think we should talk to him tomorrow. If he doesn't seem to like it, then he'll forgive us."
"Okay, I guess it will be good for him," Ginny agreed, "Anyway, have you seen Lola? I left her in here before we went to the Cinema."
"She's under your bed," stated Hermione, "I think she's a little shy around Crookshanks."
"Aww . . ." Ginny said and got off her bed. She pulled Lola out from underneath.
"Crookshanks, you better not be too jealous already!" Hermione told her cat.
"Hermione?" Ginny asked, "What are you getting Harry for his birthday?"
"My parents and I went to Diagon Alley last week and I went to your brothers' store, and Lee Jordan told me to get him a faux Prefect badge," Hermione answered as she took a shiny silver badge out of her knapsack.
"Oh, cool, let me see it!" said Ginny, grabbing the badge from Hermione.
"No, wait, " Hermione said, but it was too late. The badge squirted water on Ginny's face. "I should have warned you."
Ginny merely laughed as she wiped her eyes. "Well, that's different from the normal homework planner."
"Yes, I thought he might like it, knowing he's not a Prefect, but his dad wasn't either and he was more of a prankster."
"I don't know what to get him," said Ginny, crawling under her sheets and clapping her hands as the flame-lit lanterns blew out and the room became pitch dark.
"We'll work on that tomorrow," said Hermione with a yawn.