Chapter Nine: Getting Ready is a Hassle

A/N I do not own harry potter nor do I get paid to write this also I am adopting this story from Severus Addicted with their permission so the first 12 chapters are from Severus Addicted.

The day of the family reunion came fast, much to Eli's disappointment. It wasn't that he didn't love his family, it was just that his cousins were a pain in the butt.

"Scrambled or dippy egg?" Severus asked the four children seated at the table.

Amanda smiled and stapled her fingers together, "May I have a scrambled egg, Uncle Severus?"

Severus nodded his head and asked, "Does anyone else want a scrambled egg?"

Eli nodded his head, "I'll take one, Dad."

"Alright. Then I suppose Ethan and Harry want a dippy?" Severus asked as he turned to put oil in the frying pan to make the two scrambled eggs for Eli and Amanda.

Harry nodded his head while Ethan yawned and said, "Yup."

The morning continued in slow motion until around twelve when Severus announced, "It's time to start cleaning. Amanda you go run the sweeper and do the dishes. Eli you go clean the bathrooms-"

"I don't want to clean the bathrooms they're gross!" Eli announced loudly with his nose scrunched up in disgust.

Severus sighed, "Eli I don't have time for your tantrums! Just go get them done. Now!"

Harry sighed as he realized Eli was not going to stop anytime soon which meant he would get in trouble, "I'll do it."

Severus shook his head, "No Harry you will not clean the bathrooms, that is Eli's job and he will do it."

Eli huffed and turned from the room, "That is Eli's job and he will do it." Eli mocked as he slowly made his way to the bathroom.

Severus narrowed his eyes at his son's back, "Eli!"

Eli stopped and slowly turned around, "What?"

Severus raised his eyebrows at him and said, "Your attitude will change before everyone gets here, is that understood?! And if you ever mock me again or speak to me in that tone of voice one more time you will be in so much trouble!"

Eli gulped and nodded his head, "Yes sir."

Severus only pointed to the bathroom door. Eli got the point and headed into the bathroom to clean.

Severus left out a sigh then turned to Ethan and Harry, "Now I want you both to go outside and start setting up the tents and tables. Once that is done you will need to come inside and I will help you bring the food out. Behave yourselves while you are out there."

Ethan threw his arm around Harry's shoulder and grinned, "Don't worry about anything, Uncle Severus."

Harry gave Ethan a weird look then lightly pushed his arm off his shoulder, "Uh yeah. As long as he doesn't do that again everything will be perfect." Harry muttered the last sentence as he followed Ethan out the door.

Severus heard the last sentence though, and he smirked then shook his head. With a sigh he turned and started cooking.

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Harry sighed as he watched Ethan flop on the ground and pick the grass. "What are you doing Ethan?"

Ethan sneered up at him, "What the hell do you think I'm doing?"

Harry glared at him, "We're supposed to be putting the tents up! So get up off your butt and help me!"

Ethan sighed and pulled a Daisy, "Uh… I don't think so."

Harry huffed in frustration, "Ethan just do it!"

Ethan smirked at him and replied in a snarled tone, "Oh I don't think I will. You see I for one do not care if the tents are set up, I don't care if the tables are just right. I. Do. Not. Care. Understand?"

Harry continued to glare at him as he said, "Fine. Then I'm going to get Severus."

Ethan smirked, "I never thought of you as a tattletale."

Harry huffed and turned back around to face Ethan, "And I never thought of you as a jerk." Harry then smirked and said in an amused tone, "Oh wait, yeah I did." He then turned and headed toward the house leaving Ethan looking after him with his jaw dropped in shock.

Ethan quickly shook his head and ran off after Harry. He quickly jumped in his way of the door and shook his head, "I was only joking Harry, I swear."

Harry smirked at him and moved around him, "Uh right."

Ethan jumped in his way once again and said desperately, "No! Please don't tell him, let's just go back to putting the tents up and start working on the tables."

Harry sighed and stopped, "One, we didn't even start putting up the tents. Two, we didn't even start working on the tables. Three, you're lazy. Need I continue?" Harry asked him in an all knowing tone of voice he reserved for idiots like Ethan.

Ethan nodded his head and said desperately, "Well yeah but… We can go back and start it."

Harry gave a sigh then slowly turned on his heel, "Fine, but you will help me put the tents up. Or I will go get Severus."

Ethan's jaw dropped for the second time in less then five minutes, "Are you threatening me?"

Harry gave him a sly smile then said, "Yes." With that he turned and went back to the tents and poles.

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Severus sighed and looked out the window of the kitchen. It looked as if Harry was doing most of the work while Ethan 'attempted' to shove the poles in their right places; which he failed miserably at.

He checked the timer once again then washed his hands and went outside to help the two boys. As he neared the two he overheard some of their conversation.

"This is bloody house elf work!" Ethan complained for nearly the hundredth time in ten minutes.

Harry threw him a hard glare and snapped, "Will you stop complaining?! You're worse then my cousin Dudley when he doesn't get his own way. Quit acting like a spoiled brat and grow up. You act as if this is the worst thing that could ever happen to you but trust me Ethan it isn't. Why don't you try being shoved in a cupboard that is two times smaller then you but still having to sleep in it? Huh? How about losing both of your parents in one night then not even remembering them? Just shut your mouth and work!" He had tried really hard to just ignore Ethan's complaints but a boy can only handle so much before he snaps.

Ethan just stared at Harry then said, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Harry threw the pole he was holding on the ground and glared at Ethan, "Wrong side of the bed? I was perfectly fine until I came out here with you and had to hear you complain nonstop since we came out. You're driving me insane!"

Ethan smiled triumphantly, "Well at least I did something right."

Harry growled angrily and said between clenched teeth, "Want to do this yourself? Go right ahead!" He then stomped off into the house.

Ethan just stared at the retreating back of his cousin then suddenly it hit him that he would have to put all of this together by himself. "Fuck…"

Severus narrowed his eyes at his nephew then said, "Excuse me? Care to repeat that?"

Ethan's instant reply would have been "Sure why not? Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Better? Or do you need me to say it louder for your older ears?" But his uncle was obviously getting irritated so instead he said, "No sir."

Severus sighed. Harry didn't seem like the kind of person who would lose it because someone was being annoying but Ethan was a surprise all together so you never know what will happen.

"If you cannot repeat what you just said then I advise you not to say it ever again while you are staying in my presence. Is that quite clear?" Severus said sternly to Ethan.

Ethan quickly nodded his head and said, "Yes Uncle Severus, I'm sorry."

Severus' only reply was, "Care to tell me what just happened between yourself and Harry?"

Ethan suddenly turned pale as he looked at his Uncle's face.

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Harry slammed the door shut behind him and left out a loud huff of annoyance.

Amanda poked her head around the corner of the kitchen door and smiled at him, "I knew you wouldn't be able to last much longer out there with that annoying brat."

Harry slowly nodded his head, "I can handle my annoying cousin, Dudley, bawling around and fussing about whatever he didn't get. I can handle my Uncle Vernon screaming about things that are apparently my fault that I do not remember ever doing. I can handle being blamed for burning food I did not even have to cook. But I cannot handle Ethan's complaints. Why is that?" Harry sighed and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs in frustration.

Amanda smiled and put her dusting foo foo on the table then sat down on the seat beside Harry's. "Well his voice tends to get on peoples nerves very easily. It's just because the way he tends to… Well I'm not really quite sure why but his voice just gets annoying when he complains. It's like you just want to get Super Glue and glue his mouth shut so you can finally have some peace and quiet."

Harry chuckled at the image that brought up then said, "I feel bad for you Amanda, how do you survive living with him?"

Amanda smiled slyly then said, "Oh I know many of his secrets and if he begins to bother me I threaten to tell Father or Mother one of them. I'm the eldest; I get what I need done." Here she chuckled softly then stood up to finish her dusting. "Oh and if I were you I'd get back out there and finish your chore before Uncle Severus comes back from where ever he is at the moment and finds you not working on what he told you to do. Trust me it would not be worth the five minute break of annoying Ethan complaints."

Harry flinched at the thought, "Not worth it? Whoa…"

Amanda's laugh floated into the kitchen from the other room.

With a sigh he stood from his seat and went back outside only to find a crying Ethan and a very agitated Severus.

Harry gulped and slowly made his way back over to the poles.

Severus turned to Harry and said, "Good, you're back. Now you two better get this started before the first guest arrived. Oh and Ethan I better not look out the window again and see you hardly doing any of the work while Harry is doing most of it."

Suddenly the fire alarm began beeping furiously throughout the house making Severus quickly make his way into the kitchen where he opened the oven and pulled out a smoking turkey. In frustration he tossed the whole pan in the sink and turned on the water to cool it all down.

Amanda appeared beside him and said gently, "Need help Uncle Sev?"

Severus sighed and shook his head, "No I don't have time to cook another turkey so I will just have to do it the magical way. But if you are done will you please go outback and help Harry and Ethan put up the tents. They must be up before everyone arrives and they don't even have one tent up."

Amanda smirked and muttered, "You actually expected Ethan to do work?" She left out a soft chuckle as she opened the door.

Severus raised his eyebrows at her and said, "What did you say?"

Amanda smiled and said as she slowly shut the door behind her, "Oh nothing Uncle Sev, nothing at all."

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Eli threw the toilet sponge on the floor and smiled happily. "Yes! It's done and I'm still alive! Oh thank Merlin. I thought for sure the germs of this ugly, dirty, ewwie room were going to attack me and suffocate me. But no, nothing, nothing I say will ever kill Eli Snape. No sir, nothing indeed. Not even germ infested rooms such as this awful place." He then stuck his tongue out at the mirror then bowed low to the toilet, "Good day to you Sir. Flusher." Then he picked up the sponge and threw it in the dirty clothes basket and then he gladly left the bathroom.

"Oh thank goodness, Eli, you're done. I need you to go outside and help your cousins and Harry put up the tents and tables." Severus said from the kitchen where he was waving his wand around viciously at all the pots and pans lined up on the counter.

Eli sighed and slowly began to back away back into the bathroom, "Uh… Sorry Dad but I'm not finished yet…"

Eli could hear him sigh then he said, "Fine, but as soon as you are done in there get outside and help them. And hurry up; it doesn't take an hour to clean the bathrooms."

Eli smiled triumphantly then opened the bathroom door and entered. Suddenly his smile turned to a frown as he realized he was now back in the germ infested room… Joy.

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Amanda glared at her brother and said, "Ethan! Knock it off and help us!"

Ethan sniffled then gave his bottom one last rub before he hurried over to help Amanda and Harry put up the last tent.

Once they had the tent tied down they quickly unfolded the table covers and began covering all the tables under the tents.

"Now I am going inside to see if Uncle Severus needs anymore help. Are you coming?" Amanda announced over her shoulder as she began walking towards the house.

Harry quickly caught up with her and together they entered the house.