Ron was miserable. Not only was he going to get teased by his stupid twin
brothers, but he was always opening his mouth when he really didn't need
to. He had got to the garage just fine, without tripping over his own feet
or stepping on any gnomes (those were his next chore) until he got to the
door. He stopped to get his wits about him (he was still quite shaken from
his ordeal in the kitchen), and overheard some conversation inside.
"-But he never does anything. He just looks at me, and I know he knows I know, and I know he knows I know he knows. I'm not sure what I can do next now. He's so difficult and stubborn."
"Well Hermione," Mr. Weasley replied, "I'm sure he'll smarten up. Perhaps this year will be the better leap. After all, you are all at a good age for this kind of thing. And don't worry, he's a smart boy. If he hasn't figured it out by now, he will soon. Molly doesn't raise her sons to be fools. Except," he added thoughtfully, "perhaps Percy. But I'm sure that boy will come to his senses soon. After events last year, I hope so."
Hermione sounded sympathetic. "I'm sure he will. He doesn't seem foolish, but I think he does what he believes in, similar to what you and Mrs. Weasley do. His one hundred percent goes into what he believes in."
Ron had heard enough. Stomping a bit outside the door to make it seem like he had just arrived, he knocked on the door, calling, "Dad? Hermione? Suppertime!" The door opened, showing a bushy haired Hermione with a smudge of dirt on her nose. Arthur was still standing at his work bench, his collection of batteries and plugs and all other simple muggle technology in front of him. He looked at Ron and greeted his son. "Come on in, Ron. It's absolutely fascinating all this stuff Hermione has been telling me. Did you know that they found a way to make letters on boxes with glass on them? And to play games and other important things? Fascinating, just fascinating." He muttered to himself, picking up certain plugs and batteries and putting them down. Hermione grinned at Ron, who immediately turned red again. He smiled back slowly, which, to his surprise, made Hermione blush. They looked away from each other quickly. Ron cleared his throat and turned towards his father who was still muttering and prodding. "Um, Dad? I think Mum meant supper was on the table soon. As in now to go in to wash up." "What? Oh, yes. Of course." Mr. Weasley hurriedly wiped the worst of the dirt and grime from his hands with a rag kept handy nearby, and swept past the teens, muttering under his breath yet again. Hermione stared after him in concern. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told him about the computers. He seems to want to get a hand on one to study, and they are quite expensive and difficult to acquire. You have to go to the stores, and he doesn't know very much about muggle stores and information." Ron nodded. "You should have. Or he'll get one through you and your family." "Yeah." Hermione turned away from the house, and looked towards Ron again. "Er... Should we go to the house then?" Ron had finally recovered and was acting more normal. He grinned as he remembered a certain memory. "You have dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?" Then he turned and walked out the garage door.
Ginny finished helping in the kitchen, and stood around talking with her mother. She missed these 'girl times' they had while she was away at school. Ginny felt she could tell her mother almost anything. Well... Not everything. She couldn't tell her mother about the scribe work she was doing on Harry, or the fact that she was still not over her girlish crush, even though she had had a boyfriend or two since then. Her mother was just finishing a story about her times in Hogwarts while she finished mashing the potatoes.
"Arthur, your father, was continually asking me out on a date to Hogsmeade, but I kept on refusing. I had my eye on a certain other person, one of the popular kids, I forget his name now. Your father wasn't terribly popular, but he was well liked and respected. He was prefect for Gryffindor as well. Finally, I saw the guy I was smitten with doing something shocking I really felt disgusted about. I think he had blown up about something so small and was acting like a toddler who got his candy stolen away. It was absolutely disgusting to watch, and the first person I met after that was Arthur." She looked up from her nearly mashed potatoes dreamily. "That was the first time I accepted him..." Ginny watched her mum with amusement as her eyes got more and more misty with her memories until Molly snapped out of it and continued beating the mashed potatoes to a pulp. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm exactly pleased with your choice of boyfriends. That Dean Thomas is older than you, and that Michael What's-His Name was not the right person. He ran off to some other girl, for goodness sake! What ever happened to Harry? You used to like him."
"MUM! That was ages ago!" Ginny was crimson with embarrassment. She didn't want the world to know about her continuing crush while she even dated one of his roommates. "Besides, Dean is the perfect gentleman with me! At least, he is in the letters he has sent so far. And anyway," ignoring the look her mother was giving her, "Harry is Ron's best friend, for crying out loud! It just wouldn't work." Under her blazing attitude, Ginny sighed inside. She knew she wanted it to work.
Molly still looked sceptical. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I am," Ginny replied in a firm voice.
"There's not much I can say to convince you out of it. I'd rather not be subject to the bat-bogey hex. Now, go and see if Harry and Ron and Hermione and your terrible brothers are ready for dinner."
Harry had just finished his first summer back from Hogwarts when Ron and Hermione came in, arguing as always.
Or were they?
"That was a brilliant quote you used. Of mine. And considering you don't understand the whole buying copyright rights over the internet, I can't peg you for it."
"Computers? Copyright? What are these things? Honestly Hermione, maybe if you spoke English, then I wouldn't be so stupid to you." Ron smirked and noticed Harry, who was holding his hands behind his back, his cheeks turning very red. Ron cocked an eyebrow at his best friend. "Whassa matter, Harry? Your red face could make you a Weasley."
Hermione elbowed him. "Don't tease." She turned towards Harry, studying him closely. "You feeling alright, Harry? You look flushed. Maybe you're coming down with something?"
Harry visibly shook himself, and muttered a general apology/excuse of no consequence. He cleared his throat and managed to say, "I reckon that dinner's almost ready."
As if that was her cue, Ginny walked into the room and saw the three friends standing around. "Dinner's ready, if you are. Ron, Hermione, go wash up. Harry, you can come and sit at the table." She turned around and walked back out. Harry breathed out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Ron and Hermione left to wash up, bickering again about Ron's incompetence, and Harry tried to gather his nerves and settle the papers he was reading back where he had found them.
A/N: Okay. Next chapter... is... some time. Soon. I hope, since summer is started and vacation is here... free days!!!! For writing to my lovely readers. Those of you still tuning in. ( R&R! hard to criticise my own work. Often. (
"-But he never does anything. He just looks at me, and I know he knows I know, and I know he knows I know he knows. I'm not sure what I can do next now. He's so difficult and stubborn."
"Well Hermione," Mr. Weasley replied, "I'm sure he'll smarten up. Perhaps this year will be the better leap. After all, you are all at a good age for this kind of thing. And don't worry, he's a smart boy. If he hasn't figured it out by now, he will soon. Molly doesn't raise her sons to be fools. Except," he added thoughtfully, "perhaps Percy. But I'm sure that boy will come to his senses soon. After events last year, I hope so."
Hermione sounded sympathetic. "I'm sure he will. He doesn't seem foolish, but I think he does what he believes in, similar to what you and Mrs. Weasley do. His one hundred percent goes into what he believes in."
Ron had heard enough. Stomping a bit outside the door to make it seem like he had just arrived, he knocked on the door, calling, "Dad? Hermione? Suppertime!" The door opened, showing a bushy haired Hermione with a smudge of dirt on her nose. Arthur was still standing at his work bench, his collection of batteries and plugs and all other simple muggle technology in front of him. He looked at Ron and greeted his son. "Come on in, Ron. It's absolutely fascinating all this stuff Hermione has been telling me. Did you know that they found a way to make letters on boxes with glass on them? And to play games and other important things? Fascinating, just fascinating." He muttered to himself, picking up certain plugs and batteries and putting them down. Hermione grinned at Ron, who immediately turned red again. He smiled back slowly, which, to his surprise, made Hermione blush. They looked away from each other quickly. Ron cleared his throat and turned towards his father who was still muttering and prodding. "Um, Dad? I think Mum meant supper was on the table soon. As in now to go in to wash up." "What? Oh, yes. Of course." Mr. Weasley hurriedly wiped the worst of the dirt and grime from his hands with a rag kept handy nearby, and swept past the teens, muttering under his breath yet again. Hermione stared after him in concern. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told him about the computers. He seems to want to get a hand on one to study, and they are quite expensive and difficult to acquire. You have to go to the stores, and he doesn't know very much about muggle stores and information." Ron nodded. "You should have. Or he'll get one through you and your family." "Yeah." Hermione turned away from the house, and looked towards Ron again. "Er... Should we go to the house then?" Ron had finally recovered and was acting more normal. He grinned as he remembered a certain memory. "You have dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?" Then he turned and walked out the garage door.
Ginny finished helping in the kitchen, and stood around talking with her mother. She missed these 'girl times' they had while she was away at school. Ginny felt she could tell her mother almost anything. Well... Not everything. She couldn't tell her mother about the scribe work she was doing on Harry, or the fact that she was still not over her girlish crush, even though she had had a boyfriend or two since then. Her mother was just finishing a story about her times in Hogwarts while she finished mashing the potatoes.
"Arthur, your father, was continually asking me out on a date to Hogsmeade, but I kept on refusing. I had my eye on a certain other person, one of the popular kids, I forget his name now. Your father wasn't terribly popular, but he was well liked and respected. He was prefect for Gryffindor as well. Finally, I saw the guy I was smitten with doing something shocking I really felt disgusted about. I think he had blown up about something so small and was acting like a toddler who got his candy stolen away. It was absolutely disgusting to watch, and the first person I met after that was Arthur." She looked up from her nearly mashed potatoes dreamily. "That was the first time I accepted him..." Ginny watched her mum with amusement as her eyes got more and more misty with her memories until Molly snapped out of it and continued beating the mashed potatoes to a pulp. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm exactly pleased with your choice of boyfriends. That Dean Thomas is older than you, and that Michael What's-His Name was not the right person. He ran off to some other girl, for goodness sake! What ever happened to Harry? You used to like him."
"MUM! That was ages ago!" Ginny was crimson with embarrassment. She didn't want the world to know about her continuing crush while she even dated one of his roommates. "Besides, Dean is the perfect gentleman with me! At least, he is in the letters he has sent so far. And anyway," ignoring the look her mother was giving her, "Harry is Ron's best friend, for crying out loud! It just wouldn't work." Under her blazing attitude, Ginny sighed inside. She knew she wanted it to work.
Molly still looked sceptical. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I am," Ginny replied in a firm voice.
"There's not much I can say to convince you out of it. I'd rather not be subject to the bat-bogey hex. Now, go and see if Harry and Ron and Hermione and your terrible brothers are ready for dinner."
Harry had just finished his first summer back from Hogwarts when Ron and Hermione came in, arguing as always.
Or were they?
"That was a brilliant quote you used. Of mine. And considering you don't understand the whole buying copyright rights over the internet, I can't peg you for it."
"Computers? Copyright? What are these things? Honestly Hermione, maybe if you spoke English, then I wouldn't be so stupid to you." Ron smirked and noticed Harry, who was holding his hands behind his back, his cheeks turning very red. Ron cocked an eyebrow at his best friend. "Whassa matter, Harry? Your red face could make you a Weasley."
Hermione elbowed him. "Don't tease." She turned towards Harry, studying him closely. "You feeling alright, Harry? You look flushed. Maybe you're coming down with something?"
Harry visibly shook himself, and muttered a general apology/excuse of no consequence. He cleared his throat and managed to say, "I reckon that dinner's almost ready."
As if that was her cue, Ginny walked into the room and saw the three friends standing around. "Dinner's ready, if you are. Ron, Hermione, go wash up. Harry, you can come and sit at the table." She turned around and walked back out. Harry breathed out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Ron and Hermione left to wash up, bickering again about Ron's incompetence, and Harry tried to gather his nerves and settle the papers he was reading back where he had found them.
A/N: Okay. Next chapter... is... some time. Soon. I hope, since summer is started and vacation is here... free days!!!! For writing to my lovely readers. Those of you still tuning in. ( R&R! hard to criticise my own work. Often. (