Snape was bloody joking. He had to be. Of all the places to hide out in the world, he picked this one! He was right about one thing….Ron would never look for us here. I sat my purse down as i looked around the small house.
Snape's house.
Upon opening the door, they had stepped into a small sitting room. The walls were covered in books. The room felt dark and neglected. However, Snape only stayed here during holidays and summer so it was to be expected. The books surprisingly weren't all about potions. There was plenty of books on other school subjects. Much to Harry, Ginny, and the twins delight, there were two whole rows about quidditch. My eyes were drawn to a particular row that did not deem fit for Snape. A mixture of Shakespeare and other old muggle novels lined the row. The most interesting part about that row, was there was not a single speck of dust. Almost like an enchantment kept it protected. She looked back to notice Snape watching her closely. She walked away from the shelf.
" Until we figure out why Mr. Weasley has lost his mind, you are all to stay here and not leave for any reason. The kitchen is to your left. The Headmaster has stocked the pantries for you to make your meals. A guest bedroom for Miss Granger and Miss Weasley is upstairs on the right. Connected to that is a bathroom you may use. Downstairs a makeshift dormitory has been made for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley. A bathroom has been added down there for your use." He stated with a grimace when motioning to Fred and George. Couldn't blame him. Both twins had matching grins on their faces.
" If a door is locked, then obviously, you are not permitted to enter. If you borrow a book, i expect it to be put back in its proper place, undamaged. If someone knocks on the door, do not open it. The only people who are allowed in, are myself and Professor Mcgonagall, as such we will only enter by floo. No owls permitted. Your families have been notified that you are to remain out of reach until this matter is resolved." Snape finished. I immediately became horrified about my family learning about this, which prompted one last thing from Snape.
" Miss Granger, your family has been told that you are working in a remote location for a school project and that you are not to be disturbed from your assignment. They have sent word that they understood and wish you luck. Mr. Potter, we did not send a letter to the Dursleys because we knew they would not care. We will notify you of any progress or change to your situation." With that last word he left.
" Well, didn't he seem excited about us being in his old dingy house." George said grinning even harder.
" That he did not Georgie, it's like he expects us to cause trouble." Fred replied grinning back at his brother.
" Never!" The both said in fake shock and then turned to look at Ginny and I both shaking our heads.
If Ron didn't kill us, Snape would after these two left his house.
" Oh this is ridiculous! Hogwarts would have been much safer than this place. Not to mention roomier. We are going to be bumping elbows in here." I looked around in distaste. Yes the books were nice, but this house was way too small for five people. Especially with two very tall male twins.
" I don't know Hermione, i mean Professor Dumbledore had a point. We all know Hogwarts almost inside and out now. Since we got the map from Fred and George, we learned all the secret passages. It wouldn't be hard for any of us to sneak in. I mean, you saw how Sirius was able to come in and out of Hogwarts during third year. What i do find ridiculous is that we are hiding from Ron! I mean how on earth can Ron suddenly become deadly enough to warrant this? I mean no offense, Ginny, Fred, and George, but Ron isn't that talented with magic." Harry ran his hand through his hair frustrated.
" Oh believe us Harry, we're not offended." George said.
" Harry is right though, how did Ron become someone for the Ministry and Dumbledore to fear. It's like they think he is you know who or something." Ginny replied.
Harry went pale. " What if…" He trailed off.
" He isn't a death eater Harry. The Ministry would have seen a mark. Voldemort always leaves a mark.
I watched as Harry sighed in relief, knowing i was right. It was concerning though. How did Ron get this way? I mean jealousy is powerful yes, but not enough to cause something like this.
I glanced up at Fred who was watching me closely. I gave him a small smile then turned to the others.
" I think i am going to go take a bath, then unpack. You all should probably do the same. Who knows how long we will be here. Maybe we can play a game or something afterwards." I said trying for lighthearted.
Everyone nodded in agreement then went to their respected rooms.
I shut the door to the bathroom and looked around. It was actually quite beautiful.
The walls were a gorgeous emerald green and the sink was a shiny gold. A claw foot tub stood in the center of the room. The tub was white but had shiny gold handle knobs to match the sink. A waterfall shower head was directly above the tub. I took it to be enchanted so water did not get everywhere. This room must have been recently done. It did not match the rest of the house. It looked new and shiny, where as the kitchen and sitting room looked dingy and deserted. Aside from the Slytherin color, it was gorgeous.
I dropped my bag to the floor and slipped my clothes off. It felt weird standing in Snape's house naked, but it was a feeling i would have to overcome. I stepped into the tub and decided to test my theory on the shower head. I pointed my wand at it and a waterfall of perfectly hot water rained down on me. I tossed my wand to the side and looked at the floor. No water escaped the confines of the tub. Once the water hit the bottom it just simply vanished. There was however no curtain, so if anyone decided to try and unlock the door they would see me standing there starkers. Since everyone knew i was in here though, i wasn't worried. Unless Fred decided to try another go. I smiled at the thought. I wanted to spend more time thinking about Fred but i knew Ginny would want a shower, so i had to be quick. After rinsing my hair out and washing off, i stepped out and grabbed my wand from the floor. The shower shut off immediately. I charmed a towel around me and went to the sink to brush my teeth. I dried off and slipped a pair of soft cotton shorts and a tank top on, then padded down the hall to the bedroom.
Ginny smiled as she slipped out and headed toward the bath. The bedroom was better than the rest of the house but not near the level of the bathroom. In the center was a queen size bed with an old black blanket on top. Two side tables were set on each side both with a small lamp. The floor was a dark grey wood that had seen some years. A closet sat against one wall and a small bookshelf sat against the other. It was clean but still dark feeling. I unpacked my clothes and put them in the closet beside Ginnys. I wished Crookshanks was here, but Dumbledore said to leave him at the Castle with him. He was also looking after Hedwig for Harry.
Finished unpacking for now, i headed downstairs. Upon reaching the bottom i could hear faint yelling coming from the cellar below. I decided to head down to see what the ruckus was about. Upon reaching the bottom, I burst into laughter.
Fred and George had periwinkle blue hair and freckles. Harry sat over on a small bed nearly dying of laughter.
" Harry, shut your mouth before i curse it shut" George hollered over at a laughing Harry.
" He wouldn't be laughing if you had just left that door alone." Fred yelled at George.
" I wanted to see what old Snapey was hiding!" George yelled back.
" I knew i should've stayed over by Harry!" Fred yelled more to himself.
" Oh please, you wanted to know just as much as i did!" George smacked Fred on the head.
" Yes, but i was smart enough to know Snape would have a jinx on it!" Fred smacked him back.
" Oi! What the bloody hell is all the rack…..Oh My!" Ginny said from behind me. I had been so focused on the twins i never heard her come down.
" From what i have gathered, George decided to try an open a locked door that Snape had jinxed, and Fred here was standing beside him when the jinx was unleashed." I turned to Ginny grinning.
" Bloody idiots." She mumbled as she headed back upstairs. I laughed and followed her as the shouting continued.
We might be trapped in Snape's house for awhile, but it wasn't going to be boring.