Disclaimer: All characters are property of J.K. Rowling and are being used
without permission. No attempt has been made to copyright this work. This novel
is purely for the entertainment of the author and readers and is not being used
for profit of any sort.
CHAPTER FOUR
Return to Innocence
Harry found that he was suddenly very tired after his conversation with Ron. He decided he should take a bit of a cat nap to get his head straight.
Ron helped him get his luggage upstairs (they hadn't bothered to do that yet) and into Ron's room where Harry customarily slept during his visits. The decor of the room was still the same: Chudley Cannons team members stared at him from every direction.
"Well, I've got a scheduled appointment with some garden gnomes this afternoon." Ron sighed as he headed back downstairs. "Get some rest, Harry. Once Fred and George get here you're going need it."
Harry didn't really like the sound of that, but he didn't give it too much thought as he took off his glasses and laid down.
Harry found that with the Burrow this quiet he could hear a lot more of the unique sounds of the place. The ghoul upstairs seemed to be giggling for some reason. He could also hear some distant high-pitched laughter that could only be from the gnomes. The slight breeze coming from Ron's open window provided a very relaxing whispering sound, and Harry was soon asleep.
Harry was lying in a field, staring at the clouds. One of them looked remarkably like Dolores Umbridge. Sitting next to him was Sirius, fiddling with a dandelion. "Nice day, eh Harry?" Harry noticed that Sirius was wearing a Weasley jumper with a big "S" on the front. "Yeah, it sure is.", Harry replied.
"It would be a shame for you to waste it sitting here with me." Sirius said with a smile.
"I don't think it would be a waste at all, Sirius."
"Nonsense, I'll be around for awhile. You can see me some other time. Besides, someone is waiting for you."
Harry slowly awoke from his dream, squinting. The sun's angle had changed and there was a beam of light streaming directly into his face. It was the first time that Harry could remember having a pleasant dream about Sirius and not a nightmare.
"About time you got up," came Ron's voice from somewhere in the room, "I was starting to think you had slipped into a coma or something." Harry put on his glasses and saw Ron sitting on his bed. "Come on sleepyhead, Fred and George are here."
Harry checked his watch and saw that his little cat nap had turned into a 2 hour slumber.
"Hello Harry." the twins said simultaneously when he got to the kitchen a few minutes later.
"Hey guys".
"Heard you weren't feeling well." one of the twins continued.
Harry gave an accusing look at Ron, who just shrugged. "It's not all that bad really." Harry responded.
"Hey I know what would be the perfect remedy for young Mr. Potter," said Fred....or George, Harry wasn't sure, "a classic Weasley Water War."
The other twin's face lit up. "Dear brother, that's the best idea you've had all day."
"Thank you, we do our best thinking in the face of boredom."
"Indeed."
"Weasley...Water War?" said Harry skeptically.
"Oh don't worry Harry it's just a water balloon fight." Ron assured him. "It's usually me and Ginny versus the Gruesome Twosome here, but with you on my team I might be able to actually win one this time."
"Don't get your hopes up, Ronnie." one of the twins interjected.
***
"HA! You need to duck quicker than that if you want to stay dry, Harry." Fred yelled. The back of Harry's head was now sopping wet.
The Weasleys had produced two very large bins and filled them with water ballons that were just the right size for chucking. The twins had positioned themselves on one side of the house, Harry and Ron took the other....and the battle had begun. Harry had just turned around to grab a balloon out of the bin when Fred struck him.
"Hey no magic, that's against the rules!" Ron yelled as he was hit on the leg by a balloon that had followed him behind a tree.
"I don't recall anyone making any rules for this game, little brother." George replied with a wicked grin as he ducked around the back of the house.
"That's true." Ron thought as he peered around the tree to make sure the coast was clear. When they had started doing this years ago there hadn't been the need to outlaw magic because none of them were allowed to use it anyway.
"AMMO!!" Ron yelled. Harry was nearest to their balloon bin and quickly tossed several watery parcels to Ron. "Behind you!!" Harry yelled as he saw one of the twins sneaking up to take advantage of the reload.
Ron instinctively ducked, spun around, and pelted his sibling squarely in the face with a balloon.
"Serves you right you cheater!!" Ron yelled as he unloaded the rest of his ammunition into his retreating brother's back.
What had started out as a simple game to blow off some steam quickly became a full-fledged war. Harry and Ron were determined to wipe those silly grins off the twins' faces, while Fred and George had an undefeated record to defend.
While the twins had the benefit of being able to use magic ("Curse that underaged magic law"), Ron and Harry were quicker and used their speed to keep the twins too busy to devise a strategy.
One of the twins attacked with a volley of balloons that came rocketing from the back of the house like a pack of bludgers. Harry just barely had enough time to duck behind a pair of sturdy hedges that took the brunt of the attack.
The battle assumed a frantic pace as both teams realized that soon they'd be out of ammunition. Harry and Ron decided to go all out and go for a pincer maneuver, attacking the twins from both sides at once.
The twins were in the middle of casting a spell that seemed to involve about thirty balloons when Ron and Harry came storming at them. Ron was yelling a war cry at the top of his lungs, diverting the attention of both twins. Harry came around unseen and pelted George point blank in the back of the head. George staggered forward and fell into a wheelbarrow that promptly fell over, pinning him underneath it. Fred was left alone and decided to run for it, tossing balloons blindly behind him as he ran for the front of the house.
Harry took careful aim at his fleeing target and released his balloon...it began a perfect arc upwards...
"What in heaven's name are you boys up to?"
MRS.WEASLEY!!??!
It was too late to warn her. The projectile had already begun it's downward arc. Harry could only watch as Fred ducked around the front of the house.
The water balloon that was meant for him landed with a loud "SPLUSH" on his mother's head.
"Merlin save us." Ron muttured as he watched the horrific scene in front of him.
Molly Weasley was turning a shade of purple that was rarely seen in human skin. She slowly turned to face the poor soul that had done this to her. She hoped that their life had been a pleasant one...
"Er...Sorry...Mrs. Weasley." Harry said, holding up an apologetic hand.
"YOU did this....Harry?!?"
Harry nervously nodded.
"Well...then...ah...I guess...I'll get started on...dinner...then. Please be a little more....careful...next time dear." She turned away and walked briskly back into the house.
Harry wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Ron and Fred were just standing there with their mouths open. George was just emerging from underneath the wheelbarrow. Mr. Weasley appeared at the front of the house with a rather amused look on his face.
"Did I miss something?" George asked.
"Yeah," Ron said, "Harry just escaped death again."
Return to Innocence
Harry found that he was suddenly very tired after his conversation with Ron. He decided he should take a bit of a cat nap to get his head straight.
Ron helped him get his luggage upstairs (they hadn't bothered to do that yet) and into Ron's room where Harry customarily slept during his visits. The decor of the room was still the same: Chudley Cannons team members stared at him from every direction.
"Well, I've got a scheduled appointment with some garden gnomes this afternoon." Ron sighed as he headed back downstairs. "Get some rest, Harry. Once Fred and George get here you're going need it."
Harry didn't really like the sound of that, but he didn't give it too much thought as he took off his glasses and laid down.
Harry found that with the Burrow this quiet he could hear a lot more of the unique sounds of the place. The ghoul upstairs seemed to be giggling for some reason. He could also hear some distant high-pitched laughter that could only be from the gnomes. The slight breeze coming from Ron's open window provided a very relaxing whispering sound, and Harry was soon asleep.
Harry was lying in a field, staring at the clouds. One of them looked remarkably like Dolores Umbridge. Sitting next to him was Sirius, fiddling with a dandelion. "Nice day, eh Harry?" Harry noticed that Sirius was wearing a Weasley jumper with a big "S" on the front. "Yeah, it sure is.", Harry replied.
"It would be a shame for you to waste it sitting here with me." Sirius said with a smile.
"I don't think it would be a waste at all, Sirius."
"Nonsense, I'll be around for awhile. You can see me some other time. Besides, someone is waiting for you."
Harry slowly awoke from his dream, squinting. The sun's angle had changed and there was a beam of light streaming directly into his face. It was the first time that Harry could remember having a pleasant dream about Sirius and not a nightmare.
"About time you got up," came Ron's voice from somewhere in the room, "I was starting to think you had slipped into a coma or something." Harry put on his glasses and saw Ron sitting on his bed. "Come on sleepyhead, Fred and George are here."
Harry checked his watch and saw that his little cat nap had turned into a 2 hour slumber.
"Hello Harry." the twins said simultaneously when he got to the kitchen a few minutes later.
"Hey guys".
"Heard you weren't feeling well." one of the twins continued.
Harry gave an accusing look at Ron, who just shrugged. "It's not all that bad really." Harry responded.
"Hey I know what would be the perfect remedy for young Mr. Potter," said Fred....or George, Harry wasn't sure, "a classic Weasley Water War."
The other twin's face lit up. "Dear brother, that's the best idea you've had all day."
"Thank you, we do our best thinking in the face of boredom."
"Indeed."
"Weasley...Water War?" said Harry skeptically.
"Oh don't worry Harry it's just a water balloon fight." Ron assured him. "It's usually me and Ginny versus the Gruesome Twosome here, but with you on my team I might be able to actually win one this time."
"Don't get your hopes up, Ronnie." one of the twins interjected.
"HA! You need to duck quicker than that if you want to stay dry, Harry." Fred yelled. The back of Harry's head was now sopping wet.
The Weasleys had produced two very large bins and filled them with water ballons that were just the right size for chucking. The twins had positioned themselves on one side of the house, Harry and Ron took the other....and the battle had begun. Harry had just turned around to grab a balloon out of the bin when Fred struck him.
"Hey no magic, that's against the rules!" Ron yelled as he was hit on the leg by a balloon that had followed him behind a tree.
"I don't recall anyone making any rules for this game, little brother." George replied with a wicked grin as he ducked around the back of the house.
"That's true." Ron thought as he peered around the tree to make sure the coast was clear. When they had started doing this years ago there hadn't been the need to outlaw magic because none of them were allowed to use it anyway.
"AMMO!!" Ron yelled. Harry was nearest to their balloon bin and quickly tossed several watery parcels to Ron. "Behind you!!" Harry yelled as he saw one of the twins sneaking up to take advantage of the reload.
Ron instinctively ducked, spun around, and pelted his sibling squarely in the face with a balloon.
"Serves you right you cheater!!" Ron yelled as he unloaded the rest of his ammunition into his retreating brother's back.
What had started out as a simple game to blow off some steam quickly became a full-fledged war. Harry and Ron were determined to wipe those silly grins off the twins' faces, while Fred and George had an undefeated record to defend.
While the twins had the benefit of being able to use magic ("Curse that underaged magic law"), Ron and Harry were quicker and used their speed to keep the twins too busy to devise a strategy.
One of the twins attacked with a volley of balloons that came rocketing from the back of the house like a pack of bludgers. Harry just barely had enough time to duck behind a pair of sturdy hedges that took the brunt of the attack.
The battle assumed a frantic pace as both teams realized that soon they'd be out of ammunition. Harry and Ron decided to go all out and go for a pincer maneuver, attacking the twins from both sides at once.
The twins were in the middle of casting a spell that seemed to involve about thirty balloons when Ron and Harry came storming at them. Ron was yelling a war cry at the top of his lungs, diverting the attention of both twins. Harry came around unseen and pelted George point blank in the back of the head. George staggered forward and fell into a wheelbarrow that promptly fell over, pinning him underneath it. Fred was left alone and decided to run for it, tossing balloons blindly behind him as he ran for the front of the house.
Harry took careful aim at his fleeing target and released his balloon...it began a perfect arc upwards...
"What in heaven's name are you boys up to?"
MRS.WEASLEY!!??!
It was too late to warn her. The projectile had already begun it's downward arc. Harry could only watch as Fred ducked around the front of the house.
The water balloon that was meant for him landed with a loud "SPLUSH" on his mother's head.
"Merlin save us." Ron muttured as he watched the horrific scene in front of him.
Molly Weasley was turning a shade of purple that was rarely seen in human skin. She slowly turned to face the poor soul that had done this to her. She hoped that their life had been a pleasant one...
"Er...Sorry...Mrs. Weasley." Harry said, holding up an apologetic hand.
"YOU did this....Harry?!?"
Harry nervously nodded.
"Well...then...ah...I guess...I'll get started on...dinner...then. Please be a little more....careful...next time dear." She turned away and walked briskly back into the house.
Harry wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Ron and Fred were just standing there with their mouths open. George was just emerging from underneath the wheelbarrow. Mr. Weasley appeared at the front of the house with a rather amused look on his face.
"Did I miss something?" George asked.
"Yeah," Ron said, "Harry just escaped death again."