"Good Morning Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley said as he entered the kitchen door. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Fine thanks, can I help?"
Mrs. Weasley was making breakfast. She had bacon on the stove and was peeling potatoes and making toast at the same time.
"Thank you Harry, yes. Can you watch the bacon for me so it doesn't burn?"
Harry grinned at the irony of this and nodded. The differences between the Dursleys and the Weasleys were like night and day.
"Those men in this family are late risers, and I'm not used to having any company this early except for Ginny, who is up sometimes before me."
"Yes, I saw her swimming this morning."
"Well, speak of the devil." Mrs. Weasley said as Ginny came strolling into the kitchen in shorts and a tank top with her long hair wrapped up in a towel on her head.
Harry turned his eyes away from Ginny in her summer outfit. She looked really good in those shorts. 'Too good,' he thought.
"Morning Mum." Ginny said as she leaned to give Mrs. Weasley a peck on the cheek.
"Harry was just saying that he saw you swimming this morning dear. Honestly, I don't know how you handle the cold water this early in the morning. I can't bear it unless it is like a bathtub."
"Must be because I have Weasley blood in me Mum. Can I help?"
"Oh sure, you don't want to help out last night because you are a female, and now you want to help out because you feel like it? Just go have a seat Miss Weasley, Harry's helping me."
Ginny grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice out of the fridge and sat at the kitchen table.
"So Harry, Mum's got ya slaving over a hot stove. She treats guests the same as everyone else in this family." Ginny was grinning.
"Oh hush you, Harry volunteered."
"Well so did I," Ginny countered.
"Very well then, butter the toast and then set the table."
By the time breakfast was ready, the rest of the household stumbled downstairs one by one.
Mr. Weasley was the next to arrive in the kitchen.
"Good morning Love," as he picked up his plump wife and swung her around the kitchen.
"Put me down Arthur, my eggs are going to burn!" Mrs. Weasley sounded exasperated.
He gave her a big kiss and sat her back on her feet. Mrs. Weasley blushed prettily as she turned back to the stove. Next, a chorus of 'Morning Mum, morning Dad' was heard as the boys came streaming in.
Breakfast at the Weasleys was a busy affair. The arms reaching across the table melded into one as each of them tried to fill their plate before the food was gone. They discussed the day's events and were anxious to hear about Dobby's decorating skills that Mr. Weasley told them about the night before.
"Anyone interested in having a game of Quidditch?" Bill asked.
"But there is not enough players." Ron said.
"Ya, I guess you're right. What about Tag Broomstick then?"
"Sounds like fun, lets go!" Ginny said.
Everyone scattered to retrieve the broomsticks and within about 5 minutes, met outside in the garden. An unmistakable crack was heard as Madeye Moody apparated by the house.
"Good Morning Alaster," Mr. Weasley greeted him.
"Come sit in the shade. They are just beginning a game of Tag Broomstick."
The rest of the Weasleys and Harry were having a ball trying to catch one another in the air. Even usually reserved Percy was having fun although he was usually it. He wasn't as good a flyer as everyone else because he was never part of the Quidditch team at Hogwarts and hadn't practiced enough. They played for the better part of an hour before landing softly in front of Mr. Weasley and Madeye.
"I'll go get some lemonade," Ginny offered.
The sun was fully overhead now and everyone was hot and thirsty from their exertion.
Dobby had reappeared in the Burrow a few minutes later and walked into the kitchen. He put his hands on the wall and closed his eyes. A few words silently left his lips and when he opened his eyes again, the kitchen had increased in size. It was now more roomy and functional. The floor space had doubled. The walls were freshly painted. Extra cupboards and a center island had been added. The eating area sported a new larger table with extra chairs around it. You could now walk all the way around the table without having to crawl over anyone to get to your seat. It was a country kitchen though, through and through.
"Dob… Er Dobby, that is just brilliant." Said Mrs. Weasley who had just come in to see what Dobby was doing to her kitchen. The rest of the house, who had followed her in, was voicing their delight as well. They turned to look at Dobby, who at the very moment was sliding down the kitchen wall, spent from magical exhaustion.
Bill and Charlie quickly ran over to him, picked him up and brought him to the couch. Madeye made his way through the Weasleys to have a look.
"Well, I think you have burned yourself out for today. I would suggest that you don't try that again for the next 24 hours. You'd be better lie here quietly for a few hours as well. Using that much energy at one sitting when you are not used to it, is not wise."
Dobby weakly smiled and closed his eyes.
"Oh and starting on a less complicated room would also help." Madeye added.
The Weasleys, Harry and Madeye went back outside and left Dobby to doze and Mrs. Weasley to explore her new kitchen.
Each day since the first attempt at decorating and renovating, Dobby had redone a new room in the Burrow. It still had the same homey feeling, but now had become roomier, more private and more functional. The next room that Dobby had tackled when he recovered from his last attempt was Ron's room. He seemed to feel that Harry needed a bit more space than that room allowed.
Ron's bedroom was now extended to a suite of 3 bedrooms and a bathroom off a common sitting area. Each of the bedrooms was 5 times the size of the bedroom that Ron had before. Each of the rooms had a King-sized bed in it with a chest of drawers and a wardrobe to match, and a comfortable brown leather recliner sat in the corner by the window. The room was decorated in Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannon, colors. Posters and banners hung on burnt umber painted walls. The Chocolate Frogs cards that Ron had been collecting ever since he could remember were framed and hung in large pictures on the larger walls. The beds curtains and bedspread were a light brown to match the color of the walls.
Ron was beside himself with glee that Dobby had injected so many of his passions into the room and told him so.
"I love the king-sized bed. That single bed became way too small 2 years ago."
"Dobby is happy that you are pleased Harry Potters Weasy. Dobby wanted it to show his appreciation of the Weasy's family kindness to me."
Harry's room was decorated similarly with the same type of furniture but the colors were different. The walls were painted a soft brown. The bedspread and curtains an olive green. On the wall hung a picture of Harry with his parents and a picture of Harry with the Weasley Family taken the first week that he had stayed there. On Harry's dresser, was a picture of Ron, Hermione and himself taken at Hogwarts by Colin Creevy. Harry to was very pleased with his room and felt that it was truly his.
"Dobby, you should do this for a living. You could make a bundle from it."
"Thanks Harry Potter sir, but Dobby only does it for people who Dobby cares about."
"Well at least I don't have to listen you snore anymore." Said Harry
"I do not snore!"
Harry and Dobby laughed.
The last room in the suite was the bathroom. When Harry opened the door, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm. It was a replica of the one Dobby created for him at the Dursleys. Ron just stood there with his jaw hanging open. 'Maybe taking a bath wouldn't be so bad after all,' he thought to himself. At least he wouldn't have to share a bathroom with Ginny who had become somewhat of a bathroom hog. Everyone came in to admire Dobby's handy work congratulated him on such fine work.
The next day, Dobby chose to do Ginny's room. It was made into a suite of 3 bedrooms and a bath as well. Ginny's bedroom was made up of a queen-sized bed, a wardrobe, a dresser, and a chaise lounge, all in a soft eggshell white. The bedspread and curtains were sunshine yellow, the walls a soft green. Portraits of the Weasley family hung on the one wall. Prints of Monet inspired artwork were evenly placed throughout the room.
The room was definitely feminine, but not girly. It allowed Ginny to have a sanctuary away from it all the masculinity that ebbed from the house from a slew of brothers. Ginny squealed with delight when she saw it and gave Dobby a hug to which he blushed.
The other 2 guest bedrooms were similarly decorated all through with not as much detail. The room, which was to be Hermione's when she stayed, had a small bookshelf in the corner housing all her favorite books. It too had pastel colors, but was of a sky blue and a soft pink. The third room had colors of mauve and white. The bathroom was again similar to Ron's with the exception that the room was more femininely decorated with fresh flowers and ladies accessories and toiletries.
Dobby went daily to do a different room in the house. The next room he did was Mr. And Mrs. Weasleys for whom he created a romantic Parisian getaway complete with a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. Then came Bills and Charlie's suite of rooms. For Bill, a biker inspired room with helmets for lampshades and a bed supported by motorbike tires; for Charlie, a forest inspired room, complete with fire breathing dragon lamps. For Percy, a conservatively decorated room with sparse furniture and masculine decoration, which matched his seriousness. And the last of the bedrooms were Fred and George's. For this suite of rooms, he created a funhouse atmosphere for each of their bedrooms complete with magic mirrors and games in the common room. Dobby made a small-soundproofed laboratory for creating their masterpieces in when they were home.
After all the rooms were done, the Weasleys were talking over the kitchen table. They called Dobby in and asked him to sit at the table.
Mr. Weasley spoke. "Dobby, because of all the wonderful space you made for us, we'd like to do something for you. We'd like to make you an honorary Weasley. You are always welcome in our home!"
The outside of the Burrow looked the same as before, but the inside changes were incredible.
Author's Note
Holy Cow! It's been a month since my last update. My apologies, but life kind of got in the way. I came down with that nasty flu (which took me out for 2 weeks) that's been going around my city, I stopped to do a home renovation, and I was busy with a bowling tournament. My life has gotten back to normal now, so I will be updated more frequently.
Gigifanfic – Yes it is my intention to finish this fan fic. I hope to have this story done before the new Harry Potter book comes out in July. But that may be overly optimistic.
To all my other reviewers, thanks for your encouragement, constructive criticism, and thanks for enjoying my writing!