An extra-long chapter today. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 39
Lunch, Laughter, and Lessons at the Hungry House Elf
Cassie wasn't sure what to expect from a restaurant called The Hungry House Elf. But as they approached, she saw that it appeared to be decorated appropriate to its name. As the seven of them arrived right at 1:00, Cassie saw a life-sized, painted house elf holding a platter of food and looking at the newcomers with a simpering smile on its ceramic face. Hermione looked at the statue, rolled her eyes in frustration and mumbled something under her breath. Harry looked it over critically. "That reminds me of the stupid Fountain of Magical Brethren in the Ministry of Magic offices. They must have had the same sculptor. I swear that elf has the exact same stupid smile on it's face." Cassie leaned over and whispered to Hermione. "I think the little statue is rather revolting." Hermione smiled her agreement as they all entered the stone and beam building.
The ambience inside the candle-lit entry was rich and traditional. Cassie noted hand-sewn tapestries hanging on the walls and linen-draped tables arranged about the main dining room, which was visible from the front door. She recognized a number of students from Hogwarts amongst the tables. Some were dining together as couples, while others appeared to be with their parents. Cassie and the others smiled and nodded their hellos to some of the diners. She and Ginny grinned at each other when they noticed Colin and Elspeth at a small table over in a corner holding hands across the table and looking intently at each other. She was tempted to go over and say hello as they had certainly not noticed them. But before she could, a gray-haired witch called the group and they followed her down a side hall past two ornate doors. The first door had a silver snake coiled on either side with the snakes body reaching almost shoulder length into the air and the wide mouth of each looking threateningly out as if the snakes were standing guard. Above the door was written Slytherin Room. The next door was guarded by shoulder high silver eagles. That door was partly open and Cassie stole a glance inside. The room appeared to be beautifully decorated with a theme of blue and silver. In the middle of the room was a long table with a large center-piece, surrounded by high-backed chairs.
The third door was guarded by two shoulder-high golden lions and Cassie knew they had arrived at the Gryffindor Room. They all walked in and Cassie stared in awe at the splendid decor of the room. It was wood paneled, with a polished wood floor. In the center of the floor was a red woven Oriental carpet with gold lions scattered all over it. In the center of the room was a round table elegantly set with a Gryffindor crest center piece and fine china and crystal sporting the same house crest. Cassie realized that the table in each room must be magicked to fit the needs of the group using it at any particular time. At one end of the room was a large stone fireplace and along the sides were a couple of antique divans. At the other end was a mini-wet-bar with various bottles of liquor and wine on top of it.
Ron's eyes widened and he made a bee-line toward the bar. "Cool! They've got Fire Whiskey. That sounds good with lunch." Hermione gave Ron an exasperated look. They all walked over to the bar as everyone looked to see what was available.
Fred laughed, patted Ron hard on the back , commenting, "Sorry, little bro. You're still too young too drink that stuff." He then poured a shot of the whiskey in a glass, took a swig and grinned at Ron. As he turned away, he made a face and whispered to Cassie, "It's not really that good, but I have to drink some to mess with his mind."
"I'm not too young. I've been 17 for months -- in fact, I'm almost 18. And I've had it before, you know."
George spoke up as Ron grabbed a tumbler from the stack. "I'm not paying for any of you to get drunk today. Dumbledore would have our hides, not to mention what Mum would do if she found out."
Ron again opened his mouth to say something in protest, but was stopped by Hermione. "No, Ron. You're not going to have whiskey when you're still in school. Besides, I don't like to kiss you after you've had the stuff. Your mouth tastes funny."
Ron smiled and put the tumbler back. But he touched her gently on the side of the face. "You could fix that by drinking some, too."
"I could, but since I think it's foul, I think I'll have to pass."
"Spoil sport."
Cassie looked away from the two of them, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. She looked instead at George, who was teasing Ginny about something. He must have felt her gaze because he turned back to her. "I hope you're going to have butterbeer with your lunch. It's good warm."
She nodded. "I was planning on it. This room looks expensive. I hope this isn't going to cost you too much."
"Nah," George replied. "I'm just going to pay for you. Fred's going to pay for the rest." Cassie gave him a startled look but then laughed when she noticed the twinkle in his eyes.
About that time, a brown-haired waitress came into the room and approached them as they stood by the bar. "Hi, everyone. My name is Zensa Carrick, and I'll be serving your lunch today. So let me know if I can bring you anything. Do you need menus?"
Fred looked around at the rest. "We will need them, but we do know what sort of an appetizer we want. We'll begin with some deep-fried horklumps and that special sauce you make to go with them. And, you may hear this a lot, but you look really familiar."
The waitress laughed. "I should. I was in your year at school. In Hufflepuff."
"Oh, yeah! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you! It's been a long time!"
"Yeah. Too long. It's good to see you two, also. I hear about your products all the time, though, so I knew you were doing okay. You two . . . who'd have guessed that all the trouble you got into at school actually wound up being valuable." She looked at them carefully. "I still remember that swamp in 7th year! That was so hilarious. You know it's still there, right? Made me laugh the entire year."
"We've heard that Flitwick left a portion to serve as a momento. Very flattering, I must admit. I thought you were studying to work with magical creatures when you were in school."
"I did . . . I am. This isn't my usual job." She waved her hand around the room.
"Oh, that's right. Don't your mum and dad own this place?"
Zensa grinned. "Yes, they do. And usually on Hogsmeade visit days I come in to help out because we're so busy. I'll get those appetizers for you right away." She smiled at all of them, although Cassie noticed that she looked at her for a long moment, obviously not recognizing her. "It's good to see you, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny."
"This is our cousin, Pia."
"Oh, I do see the family resemblance. Nice to meet you." Cassie nodded back. She was a nice girl. Zensa gave an extra smile at Fred, handed him the menus and then hurried out.
"Well, that was embarrassing. I think I even dated her once." George laughed at Fred's comment.
"No reason to be embarrassed. You leave girls all over the place. But usually they're the ones who don't remember you." Fred smirked at his twin.
"Funny, funny. It's warm in here, isn't it?" Everyone else nodded in agreement. The fire was warming the room up very nicely and Cassie's heavy winter robes were really starting to feel oppressive. Fred took his robes off. "I'm not wearing these things through lunch. I'll melt." Everyone took their robes off, placing them on the two divans and then as if by mutual agreement, they went to sit down at the table. Cassie studied George as they walked across the room and got situated. His shirt was white linen and now that his robes were off, she could see the initials G. W. embroidered in blue above the left pocket. His jeans were well-worn, hugging his long legs in just the right places and she felt her mouth getting a little dry as she watched him unbutton the cuffs of the shirt and roll them up a turn or two on each arm. Fred's clothes were a lot less conservative. His shirt was a lime green and his pants were a black material. Cassie couldn't really tell what they were made out of. His boots matched George's, though.
Hermione had sat down first and Ron sat on her left. Cassie sat down by Hermione and hoped that George would sit in the empty seat next to her. He did, with Fred on his other side, and then Ginny and Harry. That meant that Ron and Harry were sitting next to each other. Cassie knew from previous experience that this could mean trouble and Hermione obviously had the same thought, because she shot Ron the evil eye as a warning to behave. Ginny tried to shoot the same look at Harry, but he just glared back and the two of them laughed.
Cassie picked up her extremely ornate menu and turned to the first page. This was apparently where the appetizers were listed but she didn't see one thing she recognized. She remembered the word Horklump being discussed but there were several items that featured the little animals and she didn't remember what it was they had ordered. So, she abandoned that page and turned to the list of entrees. Cassie saw that most of what was offered was the usual British fare and she relaxed. It all looked tasty. However, as she continued to study the menu, she noticed a section of the menu titled "For the More Adventurous Palate." This section included dishes Cassie had never heard of and some she sincerely hoped she never tasted.
Filet of Dragon served in a ring of stewed oysters and artichoke hearts
Roasted Diricawl in plum sauce with wild rice
Salamander Soufflé
BBQ rack of Hippogriff, smoky, sweet, or honey mustard.
Fire Crab Soup, served with papaya-mango-passion fruit pudding
Roast of Mooncalf with carrots and new potatoes
Eye of Newt Stew
Smoked Graphorn on a bed of sautéed red peppers and truffles.
Clabbert-kabobs marinated in Ogden's Fire Whiskey and served flaming with carrots, red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, and purple peppers with wild rice.
Cassie stared at the menu in disbelief and let her curiosity get the better of her. "Why would anyone want to eat dragon? That sounds disgusting!"
Hermione turned to her. "It enhances magical ability, kind of like a pep pill or something. Only temporary, of course, but . . ."
"That's not all it enhances." Fred interrupted.
Cassie watched with fascination as both Harry and George turned slightly red and Ginny tried to stifle a little giggle. Ron, on the other hand, grinned and jumped right into the conversation. "I've heard that. Maybe I'll get it today."
Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. "That's just an old wives' tale. And Ron, you definitely do not need it." Harry looked pained but he started to laugh, while both Fred and George chuckled loudly.
Cassie was still puzzled. "What? What are you talking about?"
Ginny looked at Hermione with a wide grin and said, "Um, Hermione, that could be taken two completely different ways. Which way do you mean?" Then it was Hermione's turn to blush and Cassie suddenly realized what the undertone of the conversation was.
"Oh! Oh my!" Cassie suddenly caught on that they were talking about dragon meat being an aphrodisiac. Ron scowled at Ginny.
Hermione just spluttered, "Well, I didn't mean it like that! I wouldn't know if . . . I mean . . ., oh, really!"
"Maybe I should order it, though. I've got a date with Angelina tonight . . That party, remember?" Fred mused aloud.
George just looked at Fred and pursed his lips. "You're dreaming, Fred. And I only mean that one way." Fred just scowled back at his twin. Everyone else at the table laughed; Cassie too. George looked down at her and their eyes met for a second or so. He quickly looked around at the entire table. "No one is going to order dragon. Just find something else to eat, okay?"
They went back to studying the various choices and, before they realized it, Zensa had returned with a large tray heaped with what appeared to be odd-looking deep-fried mushrooms and a greenish-yellow sauce. Although the others eagerly reached out and began dipping the deep-fried horklumps, Cassie refrained. George offered her one, but she shook her head. To her, it looked disgusting and she didn't want to try it. Between mouthfuls, everyone ordered and Cassie listened carefully, hoping to get an idea of what to order for herself.
Hermione ordered first, selecting the Fire Crab soup and then turned expectantly to Ron, whose mouth was full of horklumps. His eyes widened in realization that it was his turn to order. He chewed hurriedly and swallowed with a loud gulp. Hermione shook her head while Ginny and Harry snickered. "Uh, yeah, I think I'll have the fried chicken."
Hermione looked at him with a slightly aggravated expression. "You can eat fried chicken anytime."
"But it's my favorite."
She again rolled her eyes in apparent frustration, but Cassie detected a small, amused smile. "Whatever. It's your lunch."
Ginny ordered the Smoked Graphorn, while Harry ordered shepherd's pie. When Ginny tried to give him a Hermione look, he just grinned. "I like shepherd's pie."
Zensa's attention turned to the twins and Cassie listened as they both discussed their options with her. Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to turn to look at Harry. He had closed his menu and was leaning back in his chair. His eyes were closed and Ginny was patting his arm slowly. Harry reached up to his scar and rubbed it for a moment and then took a deep breath. His eyes opened again and their deep green found Cassie's across the table. She met his gaze and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. Then she looked over to her left where George and Fred seemed to still be in the middle of a discussion over what to order.
"Yes, indeed, Forge, I do think that would be a tasty dish to sample."
"Well then, Gred, say we go ahead and take the plunge."
"Or, in this case, bite the flame," Fred chuckled as he turned to Zensa who was eyeing him expectantly. "I'll have the Clabbert-kabobs and please make sure the flames are big."
She laughed and gave him a small wink. "Anything you want." She then turned to George, who ordered the same dish. As he did so, he gave a sideways glance as if to see how she would react to his ordering something marinated in fire whiskey. Cassie tried to have a casual look on her face because she felt it really was none of her business what Fred or George ordered. Obviously, Fred must like the taste of the Ogden's Fire Whiskey more than he professed, or he wouldn't be ordering that dish. She did wonder fleetingly whether she would be like Hermione and not like the taste of the whiskey when kissing George later. Well, assuming they were able to kiss . . . but she couldn't imagine that he wouldn't try to kiss her again. The day had been going so well, and . . .
Cassie's thoughts were interrupted by the realization that all eyes were on her. She realized she hadn't ordered and hadn't even really thought about what she wanted. She glanced frantically over the menu muttering that she had no idea what to select. George suggested Horklump and wild leek salad, but Cassie was definitely not impressed with horklumps. She had decided against of the exotic food at all and had almost decided just to go with fried chicken or shepherd's pie when Hermione leaned over and suggested roasted diricawl, explaining it tasted like roasted duck. That sounded good and Cassie quickly ordered, asking for an extra helping of the peas and carrots that accompanied the dish.
They all ordered steaming mugs of butterbeer to go with the food. Zensa finished writing the orders, smiled again at Fred and then walked out of the room, shutting the door. Fred watched her very carefully with a satisfied expression. The others were watching Fred watch Zensa. Hermione cleared her throat in an exasperated way. "Don't you have a date with Angelina Johnson tonight?"
It seemed to take a moment for Fred to focus his attention on Hermione. "What? Yeah. We're going to the Ministry party."
"Well then," Hermione said in her head-girl voice, "maybe you shouldn't be staring so intently at our waitress as she walks out of the room."
The others around the table started to laugh and Cassie asked, "Is this the same girlfriend who was angry with you few weeks or so ago?"
Fred turned brick red, a color that contrasted strongly with the color of his hair. "Well, yes. But that's all settled now."
"Not if she finds out you've been ogling the waitress," Cassie said with a mischievous grin. Fred groaned and the others burst out laughing.
Ginny brought the conversation back to the party that evening. "So, are Mum and Dad going to this fancy party at the Ministry?"
"As a matter of fact, they are."
Both Ginny and Ron looked surprised. Ron, with his usual subtle manner, asked the question that Ginny was probably too polite to ask. "Dad hates these things. Mum always says everyone stares at them because she wears the same dress she wore last year and the year before that. Why are they going to this thing?"
"She got a new dress this year. I think she wants to show it off. And Dad was told in no uncertain terms by Nightscall that all department heads had to go. So, what choice did he have?" Cassie started in surprise.
"Is that Saffron's dad?" Ginny nodded.
"He's a pompous git, but it's best not to aggravate one's boss too badly."
"He's hardly Dad's boss. He's just another quill-pushing Fudge flunky. But you're right about his being a pompous git. As if Deputy Minister of Magic is that critical of a job." George looked disgusted. "Sometimes, I just wish we could hex the whole lot out of existence and start over."
"Oy, George," Ron said with a grin on his face, "who are you taking to the party tonight?"
George cleared his throat uncomfortably and Cassie found herself suddenly interested in studying the lion crest on the china. "Well, actually, I'm not taking a date tonight. The girl I wanted to take was not available."
Just then, the door opened and Zensa entered, carrying a large tray of elegantly displayed dishes of very exotic looking food. She was followed by a house elf carrying 12 large shish-kebab skewers. As Zensa placed platters in front in front of the others around the table, the elf arranged the shish-kebabs on large platters and then lit the skewers on fire. There were oohs and aahs from everyone else seated around the table as the elf put the flaming food in front of the two older boys. After a minute or so, the flames died out and Cassie looked down at her own dish. The elf and the waitress then placed a steaming mug in front of each of them and Cassie reached for hers. She was really thirsty. She thought she knew what to expect with the butterbeer as she had had it before. But Ron was right. It tasted totally different when it was warm. Very good. She took another long drink, then put the mug down and decided it was time to eat. Cassie was very impressed with how nice the roasted diricawl looked. It appeared to be about the size of a large Cornish game hen and she poked it experimentally with her fork. The skin was crispy and it's appearance did remind her quite a bit of the roasted duck her family often got at Chinese restaurants. There was silence for several minutes as everyone eagerly began eating.
The first noise that broke the satisfied silence was Hermione exclaiming how hot and spicy the soup was. She would take a sip of her butterbeer and then eagerly sip another spoonful of soup, only to again fan her mouth and reach for her butterbeer again. After a few minutes, she offered a spoonful to Ron, who eyed it dubiously but tried it. His eyes got big and then he grabbed for his butterbeer. "Uh. That's good. Really good. Should have got that." But his attempt to sound unaffected by the spicy soup was ruined as he coughed and yelped at the renewed heat in his mouth. He grabbed his butterbeer again and took a long drink. Cassie was enjoying her food and listened casually to the conversation around her as she cut and chewed her wonderful diricawl. Every so often, Cassie would look over at George to see how he was enjoying his food. Once or twice, she looked, only to see his golden-brown eyes looking intently back at her. She would blush, give a little smile and go back to eating. Part way through the dinner, she felt a gentle tug on her elbow and looked at George. He smiled at her. "Would you like to have a bite of my clabbert-kabob?"
Cassie hesitated for a moment. "Is it good?" He nodded. "Has all of the alcohol burned off?" George grinned and nodded yes. Fred tried to stifle a chuckle. Cassie blushed and tried to explain. "I promised my mum I'd be careful. Mr. Weasley mentioned how the students like to go to the Three Broomsticks and drink butterbeer . . . . My mum was worried about that."
"It's good you listen to your mother. She's just worried about you being so far from home and everything, I'm sure." All six of the others, including Cassie, looked at him in disbelief. She had heard enough George and Fred escapades to know that he was probably one of the least obedient of all his brothers when he was growing up. He obviously noticed the looks of incredulity because he grinned. "Well, some kids have to be obedient to their parents or this whole parent-child thing wouldn't work now, would it? I mean, at least we have Cassie and Hermione to carry on where the Weasley clan has obviously failed miserably . . ." Both Hermione and Cassie flushed while the everyone else broke out laughing at his explanation.
"Now," said George, as he stabbed a piece of meat and some different colored peppers with the prongs of his fork, "how about a taste, Cassie?" She smiled and took a taste. She was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. She could not really differentiate between the flavors of the meat, peppers, spices and Fire Whiskey and wondered if she would find the whiskey as offense as Hermione did if she were to taste it separately.
The lunch continued amidst happy banter for several more minutes until Cassie noticed George bump Fred with his elbow and they gave each other a meaningful look. Fred cleared his throat loudly and the others turned and looked at him. "I think it's time we discussed Draco Malfoy. We're in a private room, so we can speak openly."
George looked at Cassie apologetically. Ginny set her fork down and spoke up. "Pia, I mean, Cassie, I'll be happy to go out for a few minutes with you if you're too uncomfortable to be in here while . . ."
"No." Cassie interrupted, "I'm okay now. I think I can manage." She gave a sideways glance at George and he gently took her hand in his under the table.
"Well," Ginny began, "I think we should start with Cassie's first day at school. The day went pretty well and then that evening Malfoy sauntered over to our table to meet her and it was obvious he was checking her out. He couldn't take his eyes off of her." Cassie felt her cheeks getting warmer and wondered if she had made the right decision to stay in the room. "Anyway," Ginny continued, "the next day, after the Quidditch match, he again came up to Cassie and was obviously trying to flirt with her. Right, Hermione?" The older girl nodded.
"It was a pathetic attempt," Cassie interjected, remembering how he had insulted her and her new friends. "Considering he comes from a supposedly wealthy, powerful family, the guy has no social skills. I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't so repulsive."
Hermione looked thoughtful. "Well, he hasn't had to use social skills when it's come to girls. As far as I know, he's only dated Slytherin girls and they are more than happy to put up with his obnoxious behavior because of who and what he is."
They were interrupted when Zensa came into the room smiling. "I hope the meal was good." They all made murmuring noises in appreciation as she continued. "Will you be having dessert?"
Fred and George looked at each other. "Well," Fred began, "I think the . . ."
"Absolutely," George cut in. "You're mum's desserts are always delicious. I think we'll have your special assorted pastries. And, I think coffee for everyone should round it out nicely. Cassie grimaced. She didn't mind coffee, but she would have preferred cocoa. However, after the earlier discussion about the alcohol, she decided asking for cocoa would make her seem even more childish, so she just decided she would use a lot of sugar and cream. Zensa left the room, returing shortly with a large tray of exotic-looking pastries which Cassie didn't recognize. She was followed by the same house elf carrying a tray on which were balanced a coffee pot, cream, sugar, cups, saucers, and assorted other items. After the other dishes had been cleared and the pastries and coffee served, Zensa left the room. Fred got up, took out his wand and sealed the door.
"Now we can talk without fear of being heard or interrupted."
Ginny continued explaining. "Malfoy kept popping up whenever he thought Cassie was alone. And sometimes when she wasn't. He accosted her on Tuesday after Transfiguration and then again on Wednesday. That day, he actually had the nerve to ask her to go to the Astronomy Tower with him." Cassie felt George's hand tighten at the mention of the Astronomy Tower. "And he wasn't exactly willing to take no for an answer. We were in the library together working on an essay. She got up to retrieve a book and I guess he followed her. When she didn't come back, I went looking for her and there he was pressed right up against her, bold as brass. He had taken her wand and was really making her feel threatened. I chased him off and he gave her wand back, but I, at least, was scared." Cassie nodded. It had been scary.
Cassie heard George curse under his breath and Fred let out a low whistle. Cassie was humiliated, but knew it was going to get worse. George sat red-faced and silent as Fred continued. "This was Wednesday? Things have gotten worse since then? What else could he have done?"
"You wouldn't believe the audacity of ferret-boy. He really is convinced that Cassie is madly in love with him . . . or at least that's what he wants all of Slytherin house to believe. I think it's just a matter of pride, now." Ron made a noise of disgust as he finished this statement. "We all realized just how bad things were when Harry overheard a conversation last night."
Harry cleared his throat. He was already blushing and not looking at Cassie. He recited what he had overheard in the Slytherin common room, trying to get through it as quickly as possible. Cassie stared at the table during the whole thing, amazed at how warm the room had become.
When he was done, George swore. And Cassie could tell he was shaking with anger. "I'll kill him." He started to get up. "I'll hunt him down right now and kill him." Fred pushed George back down into his seat. "You can't do it, George. Mind you, I'd like to help."
"I would, too," Harry agreed, and, for the first time since this discussion had begun, he looked Cassie in the eyes. She could see him asking her for forgiveness in his eyes and she knew he was blaming himself for her even being in this situation.
"Anything anyone else does to him, no matter how well deserved, is not really going to solve the problem. I need to make him frightened to approach me, even when I'm alone."
"Cassie's right." Hermione was looking thoughtful. "What we need to do is make him afraid of her so he won't bother her for the rest of the week she's here at Hogwarts. That's where you two come in. We thought you might have some ideas. After all, if the two biggest pranksters in the entire history of Hogwarts can't figure out some trick to play on Draco Malfoy - well, I think you'd have to close down your shop in disgrace." Fred just grinned.
"I'm sure we can think of something. So, how exactly have you been fooling everyone into thinking you're a witch, Cassie? Because it seems to me that we might use the same techniques to finally get Draco off your back."
"Um, well . . . it wasn't just one thing, really. I guess to sum it up, someone else would do the magic, but I would pretend it was me, and everyone just assumed it was."
"Okay. That makes sense. Could we do that for some sort of hex on Malfoy?"
Hermione piped up. "We could . . ." Cassie just glared across the table at her.
"No."
"But this time, I would purposely be out to hex him."
"No. You got me into more trouble last time than I was in before." George was looking in confusion from one girl to the other.
"Fine." Hermione looked slightly miffed but Ron patted her arm and she looked somewhat mollified. George looked at Cassie with a question in his eyes, but she ignored it. She didn't want to discuss the polyjuice potion right now. They were not doing that again. Ever.
"I think our best bet," Fred said, looking around the group, "is Ginny's little treat. The bat bogey hex." Everyone shuddered. "He's been hit with it before and if the threat isn't enough to scare him off, than a little reminder would not be out of line."
"I am dying to know what exactly this hex is. I mean, I know what a bat is, and I know what a bogey is. But I can't figure out how you have a, um, bat bogey. I didn't even know bats had noses." Cassie thought this was a legitimate question, but it took everyone else about five minutes to stop laughing after she asked it. It was Harry who finally was able to cough out a reply between fits of hysterical laughter.
"It's not bogeys from bats . . . it's bogeys acting like bats." Cassie thought about that for about 30 seconds.
"Oh. So you mean they . . . fly around? That does sound gross."
"They fly around . . . and roost . . . on you."
"Oooh! Is that as disgusting as it sounds?"
"Worse. You don't even know what's on you . . . and you don't want to find out."
"I think we need to do a test run, here. See what Ginny looks like as she casts the hex, see if we can figure out some way for Cassie to imitate it. So we need a victim." Everyone looked at everyone else. No one volunteered. George looked around again, hoping that someone would step forward to help with his plan. Total silence. George looked at Harry. "She's your girlfriend." Harry grimaced.
"Exactly. That was done intentionally. She's less likely to cast one in my direction."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." But Ginny laughed and Harry hugged her. Everyone smiled at their gentle teasing except George.
"Come on, you pansies. It'll only be for a minute." When still no one stepped forward, he groaned. "Fine. Do it on me. But make it quick." He stood and walked away from the table. Harry and Ron applauded. Fred bowed in mock reverence. "And you all better be paying attention. One time only. Watch carefully! I mean it!" Ginny waved her wand with mock threat and Ron beat out a drumroll on the table. Fred saluted now, as if watching George go to his execution. Ginny muttered some complicated word that Cassie could not understand and a second later George was trying very hard not to sound like a girl. "Get them off me, get them off me!" Ginny let them stay for a moment so Cassie could see that they were just as revolting as she was beginning to suspect. Then they were gone, but Cassie wanted to hug George. He had done that for her. "Oh! I need a shower. A very long, very hot shower. Someone, please. Scourgify me!" Fred waved his wand and George relaxed a little bit.
"Okay. What does it look like?" He sat back down, shuddering slightly as he looked around at the group.
"I don't think we can pull it off." Hermione leaned back in her chair. "It's those blasted beams of light. When the spells have them, you can always tell what wand they're coming from. Cassie's doesn't send out any coloured light and someone else's wand from across the room does. It won't work. So even if Ginny was standing right next to her, which we cannot count on, if the wand were in her pocket or anything, it would be obvious it was Ginny casting the spell rather than the dead-looking wand Cassie was holding."
"So there was a beam of light?"
"Yeah. A yellow-greenish thing. Gross, really. Appropriate for the hex." Hermione shrugged. "It can't be faked."
"But what if both girls did it together? Ganged up on him, so to speak?" Ron looked at George in amazement.
"Are you missing the whole point about her being a Muggle? Because she's not going to be able to do the hex. Hasn't living with Dad taught you anything?"
"Well, obviously, Ron, she can't really do the hex . . . but if her wand looked like it was putting out a beam of yellowish light, and Ginny's really was. . . and they both hit him . . . and he got hexed . . .is he really going to analyze it?"
Harry was nodding. "Brilliant, George. I think I see where you're going with this."
Fred took up the narration which surprised Cassie as this was sort of a think-on-your feet situation and they hadn't discussed it yet between the two of them. Maybe it was that twin thing again. "So, what we need is a wand that, on cue, shoots forth a beam of yellow light. I think we can handle that. In fact, it should be fairly easy." Fred and George stood up together. "Let us confer together in privacy for a moment." Everyone rolled their eyes but the twins walked over to one of the divans and stood there talking seriously. Cassie watched George, trying not to be too obvious about it. She nodded and smiled appropriately as the conversation went on around her, but she didn't hear a word of it. About three minutes later, George and Fred came back over to the table.
"We've got an idea that should work. We just need a few materials. I'm going to apparate over to Zonko's and get them, so I'll be back in a minute." He unsealed the door and went outside. George sealed it up again behind him.
"Why didn't he just disapparate from in here?" Cassie asked.
"Most stores and restaurants have anti-disapparition charms in place to cut down on, uh, theft." George grimaced as he answered her. "Sad to say that there are people like that everywhere." Cassie nodded. She hadn't even thought of that. It would be rather difficult to keep people from just picking up merchandise and leaving with it or eating a meal and then leaving without bothering to pay. She felt a little sad to think about it. To have such wonderful abilities and then to use them to trick or hurt others seemed a waste to her. And yes, she knew that George operated a joke shop, but that wasn't the same thing. She hadn't even finished that thought when a knock on the door echoed through the room. George unsealed the door from his seat and Fred slipped inside, holding a small shopping bag and grinning broadly, sealing the door behind him.
"I got everything we'll need. Had to talk them into giving me my own dang wand cheap, though." And he reached into the bag and pulled out a wand. Cassie recognized that it was one of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes trick wands, though it was not quite the same as the one she had used to fool Professor McGonagall. George stood up and joined his brother.
"Great. Why don't we work over there?" They stepped over to the mini-bar and stowed all the bottles and containers underneath it, leaving them a large clear area to work in. The rest of the group finished the pastries and coffee. Cassie felt a little bit guilty as she bit into another delicious dessert. She had eaten way too much of heavy, rich food this week. It was a wonder that her school uniform still fit. After a minute, George approached her again, squatting down by her chair. "I think our fake wands would work for you, Muggle or not, but I want to try something with you to make sure."
"You don't need to do that. They do work, really well. I used one to fool Professor McGonagall in class on Tuesday. It was one of your dragon ones - that's how Ron sold those five wands after class."
"Oh, yeah! I'd forgotten about that. Listen, some time when we have more time I want to sit and hear every detail of this last week. I cannot imagine McGonagall putting up with your using one of our trick wands." She nodded. "It shouldn't take too much longer and then you and Ginny can test it, okay?" She nodded again. There was a series of loud bangs. Ron looked over at what Fred was doing.
"Hey, Fred . . . do you have to make that light stream yellow? What if you make it green and Cassie can just scare the crap out of Malfoy. A little Avada Kedavra . . . he keels over in fright . . . and a lot more than Cassie's problem is solved. Then, when they put her on trial and find out she's a Muggle, there's no way they could convict her of using an Unforgiveable curse." George squeezed Cassie's hand but smiled.
"That is tempting, but I don't think so. We'll stick with yellow." He stood up and joined Fred again. Cassie looked at Ginny across the table.
"Do you think this will work?"
"Sure. Why not? Everyone believes you're a powerful witch. They know I've been doing this curse for three years and it makes sense that I would teach you. And after an entire week of practice, you're getting pretty good at faking it. It'll work. I'm sure of it. And Fred and George will make sure the wand looks authentic." Cassie wished she had Ginny's confidence. But she did trust George and Fred so if they said they could make a wand that looked like it was shooting yellow light, then they could.
What George had said would be a few minutes stretched into 10 and Cassie was starting to wonder if there was a problem. Finally, though, they must have deemed it done right because they both came back over to the table. "We've got it. It will react to the hex incantation. See?" And Fred repeated the words Ginny had said earlier and the wand shot a stream of yellow light across the room. "The light is harmless of course, but when it mixes with Ginny's hex, it'll work great."
Ginny and Cassie both stood up. "Let's practice for a minute." They practiced synchronizing their movements for a few minutes and then they were ready for everyone to watch. "Okay, everyone. Watch and see if this looks realistic." Everyone clapped when they were done.
"That was great!" George grinned. "I can see how you managed at Hogwarts for a week. You two are really good." Both girls bowed again and again as everyone laughed and applauded. Suddenly, everyone had flowers which they tossed at the girls like they had just finished a star performance on the stage. "Bravo! Bravo!"
There was a tentative knock on the door and Hermione immediately vanished all the flowers and everyone else sat down at the table and tried to look relaxed like they had been sitting there the whole time. Fred opened the door to a rather bemused looking Zensa. "Hi. Sorry about the sealing charm." He didn't explain further but he did smile at her in a very flirtatious way, a smile she happily returned.
"Were the pastries good?"
"Delicious as ever, Zensa. Thank you. Our compliments." The waitress held out the bill. "I'll take that." Fred held out his hand, took the bill, and looked at it. He got a very shocked look on his face and clutched his chest. "Oh, Merlin! We can't afford this!" Cassie had a momentary feeling of panic before she realized he was kidding, although when George and he pulled out their money bags to pay the galleons, she realized just how expensive the meal had been. They left the waitress a generous tip, commenting that they had monopolized her room long enough. Cassie also supposed there was an extra fee for the room as she was positive that even if all of them had ordered the most expensive thing on the menu it wouldn't have added up to the amount of money Fred and George handed the waitress.
George accio'd all the robes over from the divan, handing them out to their respective owners. Cassie's was last and he held it out to her but then smiled and indicated that he would help her slip it on. She flushed slightly but lifted her right arm. He slid the heavy winter robe up over her shoulder and then helped her with the other sleeve. She did up the clasps and picked up her bag. She hated to leave this room because she had felt more comfortable, happy, and relaxed here than she had ever since that Wednesday a week ago that seemed to belong to a different lifetime. But before she knew it, they were headed back down the long corridor, past the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin rooms, and past the ugly house-elf statue at the front door and out into the street. It was almost 3:00, and the quality of the light was already diminishing. It would be dark before another two hours had passed, and Cassie realized with a sinking feeling that her day with George was almost over.
