Disclaimer--If you like it, assume I don't own it. The Potterverse belongs to JKR, Steve Klowes, Scholastic and WB. Fanon belongs to the multitude...I'm simply paying homage with the sincerest form of flattery. Most of this scene is from GoF by JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work. I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Hairy_Hen--Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Ginny, like most girls, doesn't enjoy realizing how much she has in common with her mother. In her case, you do make a good point about this possibly relating to her resemblance to the twins! Speaking of which...I hope you enjoy what they did... ;-)
Raiining--A bouncing ferret...truly an image to go down through the ages. *winks* My interpretation of the next works? You mean what I think might happen in upcoming JKR books? I do hope to eventually do stories for all of them, but if you're really interested in what I think now, email me at boysj@mailcity.com, and I'll give you my underwhelming theories. *grins* I've been giving what you said about the revenge aspect of the chapter needing more work a lot of thought. I think this next chapter might help develop the idea a bit more, but feel free to expand on the suggestion if it doesn't, because you make a good point. :-D
JamieBell--Oddly, there a lot of things about the "bad" Mad-Eye that I find kind of likeable, for whatever motivation he may have done them. I wonder if this is just because he's doing a good job of imitating the real thing, or if there's some other more complex interpretation? I agree, I LOVE Ron's reactions. *winks*
J. Rhaye--Oh, you're right! *grins* What are a few House-Elves next to a Basilisk? Ah, for the in-the-moment blindness of youth...not! *giggles* Ginny is still a bit insecure about her friendship with Hermy, but I do think Hermy already knows they're bonded--even if she doesn't realize it yet, and they are all-but-sisters, which is exactly what they both need sometimes! I really like Luna and Bion, too...in fact, the more they show up, the more I wish I could include them more often. *grins* I'm glad you're enjoying them, too! *hugs*
EEDOE--Thinking of you and then some...this chapter is totally for you, girl. *winks* Hope you're okay! *BIG HUGS*
Bill--That scene was SOO much fun in my head. *giggles* Kind of like the scene where Ginny trips over Hermione in the library. I couldn't stop laughing at my own clever little self...which should kind of worry me. I shouldn't gloat so much. *coughs and tries not to be so amused* I can't imagine...I would never, ever, ever model Ginny's experiences off Harry's! *blinks innocently* So swatting Rita was a slightly bad joke...I couldn't resist. *pouts* After all...cheesy word play is part of the fun of fanfiction. Seer Luna--actually, I hadn't even bothered to consider the theory one way or the other, nor did it even consciously occur to me when I wrote that line. She may be, she may not. I simply think that perceptivity (I don't know if that was a word before now, but I don't really care either *grins*) when least expected is a true Luna trademark, and I love it. And, speaking of surprising moments of perception...have you been reading my notes again? I swear I'd already decided on this when I read your review! *looks bemused and hugs Bill*
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Planning the prank actually required some planning of its own.
"Meeting in the Tower is out," George said immediately, before he even knew Luna and Bion wanted to be involved.
"You can never plan any serious in the Common Room," correlated Lee, something he'd already told Ginny so many times it qualified as an aphorism.
"Too great a chance of being overhead by someone who can finger you as the culprit," concluded a serious Fred.
Eventually they agreed to meet in Greenhouse One, which Lee had happened to notice empty on his way to Herbology. The twins brought a supply of candies that looked particularly toothsome so late in the day—"for inspirational purposes only" they assured Ginny innocently. And, as it turned out, they weren't entirely kidding.
"That's it!" Bion shouted when Fred finally managed to get his tongue shrunk to normal size again.
"What's what?" Luna asked brightly through a mouthful of Turtle Treacle.
"That candy you gave me--"
"Hey," said Fred warily.
"Take it easy," George advised.
"It was just a joke--"
"No—not that…I mean, can it be modified?"
"Modified…how…exactly?" Fred asked, intrigued.
"So that the Engorgement Charm affects everything rather than just the tongue?" Bion said in a rush.
"Isolating the effect is the tricky part," Fred informed him with an air of instruction. "It took months to perfect--"
"But undoing it shouldn't take more than an hour or two," George finished as he and Fred exchanged identical grins. Evil identical grins. Ginny snickered with anticipation.
"Harry Potter said Draco Malfoy smelled like dung, I heard him." Luna announced suddenly. "You should add something to the candy so that he really does. Smell bad." she added as everyone stared in confusion. "Can you do that?" she demanded, looking straight at George.
"It's a great idea, Looney," George said slowly.
"I've always said you were brilliant," added Fred.
"But layering charms can be kind of complicated…"
"And we've never really used any to make things smell…"
"On purpose, that is--"
"What about that charm you used on the twins' shoes?" Lee asked Ginny. "Just talking to myself?" he added hastily as Fred and George eyed him with sharp and simultaneous interest.
"That charm was clever," George said thoughtfully.
"Particularly for you," Fred agreed, still watching him closely.
"But not overly complex…"
"Which helps…but layering simple charms is still pretty delicate…"
"And Charms isn't exactly our best subject--"
"I'll do it," Ginny interrupted before Lee could say anything else. "Professor Flitwick says I have a knack," she explained for the twins' benefit. "Hermione showed me," she added innocently.
In spite of their previous experience from the year before, Ginny was surprised by how seamlessly the twins worked together and how smoothly and efficiently her own contribution was integrated. The modified toffees were declared a success in a gratifyingly short time, and it took an equally short period to determine the twins' method of slipping the toffee to Harry's cousin was still the best approach to use. It was decided just as quickly that Malfoy would never lower himself to eating anything dropped by a Gryffindor—let alone a Weasley—no matter how tempting and delicious. Bion and Luna were ready and waiting to step into the gap and demonstrate that Ravenclaws could be as brave as Gryffindors clever.
Malfoy spent most of the next day blown up like a very porky balloon—reminiscent of Harry's account of what he had accidentally done to his Aunt Marge one summer—and emitting an odor so far beyond foul Ron reported later that even Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts—which were apparently quite unpleasant and off-putting in their own right—refused to go anywhere near him. Everyone pointed and whispered and asked him if he'd had an accident in Potions. Ginny was extremely satisfied, both with self and friends, but other than a quick and quiet exchange of congratulatory looks, it wouldn't do to celebrate, as they'd only give themselves away. Ginny reflected on this downside to being a mastermind in mischief with a sigh, but she couldn't feel too sorry for herself—or the group. There wasn't time.
She had something else to take care of.
She started with a special trip to the kitchen, where she asked the House-elves for a picnic they were only too happy to provide. Convincing them to let her pack the basket herself took a bit more work, but, mindful of Hermione's feelings on the subject—although, thankfully, they hadn't discussed them further—Ginny cajoled them into it.
Ron and Harry seemed a bit confused as to why the two of them and Hermione were meeting Ginny and Neville by the lake, but soon overlooked their confusion in favor of concentrating on the food more fully. In the mellow—if somewhat cool—sunshine near the lake, they ate their way through sandwiches of half a dozen different varieties: cucumber, salmon and cream cheese, egg salad, BLT, ham, and olive, as well as fried fish and chips complete with vinegar, mixed greens and dressing, and a stunning strawberry shortcake finale.
The giant squid made a melody of soft splashing while Hermione opened a stack of parchment and a lovely new quill, courtesy of Neville, a new muggle book she called a novel and a package of sugar-free treats one of the school owls delivered from her parents, the dentists, a more appetizing package of sugary treats from Ron, and—"oh, Harry! After the ominoculars and everything!"—a soft, fluffy pair of new bunny slippers. Ginny handed her the last package with a feeling of apprehension.
Hermione flicked a smile in her direction as she parted the wrapping neatly. And stared at their contents like a Blast-Ended Skrewt curled up in her lap napping.
"You don't like it," Ginny said miserably.
Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder and scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. 'Course she likes it—it's a book!"
"I just thought…" Ginny began uncertainly. "Well…if you want to…help…House-Elves, you ought to know something about them…and that's the best authority available. Both Dad and P—it comes highly recommended. It's supposed to cover their living conditions and psychology and everything--"
Ron groaned, and Harry's eyes were beginning to bulge, but Hermione glowed. "It's perfect!" She sniffed, throwing her arms around Ginny in a wild and bone-crushing hug.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione" Ginny gasped unintelligibly under her arm.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work. I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Hairy_Hen--Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Ginny, like most girls, doesn't enjoy realizing how much she has in common with her mother. In her case, you do make a good point about this possibly relating to her resemblance to the twins! Speaking of which...I hope you enjoy what they did... ;-)
Raiining--A bouncing ferret...truly an image to go down through the ages. *winks* My interpretation of the next works? You mean what I think might happen in upcoming JKR books? I do hope to eventually do stories for all of them, but if you're really interested in what I think now, email me at boysj@mailcity.com, and I'll give you my underwhelming theories. *grins* I've been giving what you said about the revenge aspect of the chapter needing more work a lot of thought. I think this next chapter might help develop the idea a bit more, but feel free to expand on the suggestion if it doesn't, because you make a good point. :-D
JamieBell--Oddly, there a lot of things about the "bad" Mad-Eye that I find kind of likeable, for whatever motivation he may have done them. I wonder if this is just because he's doing a good job of imitating the real thing, or if there's some other more complex interpretation? I agree, I LOVE Ron's reactions. *winks*
J. Rhaye--Oh, you're right! *grins* What are a few House-Elves next to a Basilisk? Ah, for the in-the-moment blindness of youth...not! *giggles* Ginny is still a bit insecure about her friendship with Hermy, but I do think Hermy already knows they're bonded--even if she doesn't realize it yet, and they are all-but-sisters, which is exactly what they both need sometimes! I really like Luna and Bion, too...in fact, the more they show up, the more I wish I could include them more often. *grins* I'm glad you're enjoying them, too! *hugs*
EEDOE--Thinking of you and then some...this chapter is totally for you, girl. *winks* Hope you're okay! *BIG HUGS*
Bill--That scene was SOO much fun in my head. *giggles* Kind of like the scene where Ginny trips over Hermione in the library. I couldn't stop laughing at my own clever little self...which should kind of worry me. I shouldn't gloat so much. *coughs and tries not to be so amused* I can't imagine...I would never, ever, ever model Ginny's experiences off Harry's! *blinks innocently* So swatting Rita was a slightly bad joke...I couldn't resist. *pouts* After all...cheesy word play is part of the fun of fanfiction. Seer Luna--actually, I hadn't even bothered to consider the theory one way or the other, nor did it even consciously occur to me when I wrote that line. She may be, she may not. I simply think that perceptivity (I don't know if that was a word before now, but I don't really care either *grins*) when least expected is a true Luna trademark, and I love it. And, speaking of surprising moments of perception...have you been reading my notes again? I swear I'd already decided on this when I read your review! *looks bemused and hugs Bill*
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Planning the prank actually required some planning of its own.
"Meeting in the Tower is out," George said immediately, before he even knew Luna and Bion wanted to be involved.
"You can never plan any serious in the Common Room," correlated Lee, something he'd already told Ginny so many times it qualified as an aphorism.
"Too great a chance of being overhead by someone who can finger you as the culprit," concluded a serious Fred.
Eventually they agreed to meet in Greenhouse One, which Lee had happened to notice empty on his way to Herbology. The twins brought a supply of candies that looked particularly toothsome so late in the day—"for inspirational purposes only" they assured Ginny innocently. And, as it turned out, they weren't entirely kidding.
"That's it!" Bion shouted when Fred finally managed to get his tongue shrunk to normal size again.
"What's what?" Luna asked brightly through a mouthful of Turtle Treacle.
"That candy you gave me--"
"Hey," said Fred warily.
"Take it easy," George advised.
"It was just a joke--"
"No—not that…I mean, can it be modified?"
"Modified…how…exactly?" Fred asked, intrigued.
"So that the Engorgement Charm affects everything rather than just the tongue?" Bion said in a rush.
"Isolating the effect is the tricky part," Fred informed him with an air of instruction. "It took months to perfect--"
"But undoing it shouldn't take more than an hour or two," George finished as he and Fred exchanged identical grins. Evil identical grins. Ginny snickered with anticipation.
"Harry Potter said Draco Malfoy smelled like dung, I heard him." Luna announced suddenly. "You should add something to the candy so that he really does. Smell bad." she added as everyone stared in confusion. "Can you do that?" she demanded, looking straight at George.
"It's a great idea, Looney," George said slowly.
"I've always said you were brilliant," added Fred.
"But layering charms can be kind of complicated…"
"And we've never really used any to make things smell…"
"On purpose, that is--"
"What about that charm you used on the twins' shoes?" Lee asked Ginny. "Just talking to myself?" he added hastily as Fred and George eyed him with sharp and simultaneous interest.
"That charm was clever," George said thoughtfully.
"Particularly for you," Fred agreed, still watching him closely.
"But not overly complex…"
"Which helps…but layering simple charms is still pretty delicate…"
"And Charms isn't exactly our best subject--"
"I'll do it," Ginny interrupted before Lee could say anything else. "Professor Flitwick says I have a knack," she explained for the twins' benefit. "Hermione showed me," she added innocently.
In spite of their previous experience from the year before, Ginny was surprised by how seamlessly the twins worked together and how smoothly and efficiently her own contribution was integrated. The modified toffees were declared a success in a gratifyingly short time, and it took an equally short period to determine the twins' method of slipping the toffee to Harry's cousin was still the best approach to use. It was decided just as quickly that Malfoy would never lower himself to eating anything dropped by a Gryffindor—let alone a Weasley—no matter how tempting and delicious. Bion and Luna were ready and waiting to step into the gap and demonstrate that Ravenclaws could be as brave as Gryffindors clever.
Malfoy spent most of the next day blown up like a very porky balloon—reminiscent of Harry's account of what he had accidentally done to his Aunt Marge one summer—and emitting an odor so far beyond foul Ron reported later that even Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts—which were apparently quite unpleasant and off-putting in their own right—refused to go anywhere near him. Everyone pointed and whispered and asked him if he'd had an accident in Potions. Ginny was extremely satisfied, both with self and friends, but other than a quick and quiet exchange of congratulatory looks, it wouldn't do to celebrate, as they'd only give themselves away. Ginny reflected on this downside to being a mastermind in mischief with a sigh, but she couldn't feel too sorry for herself—or the group. There wasn't time.
She had something else to take care of.
She started with a special trip to the kitchen, where she asked the House-elves for a picnic they were only too happy to provide. Convincing them to let her pack the basket herself took a bit more work, but, mindful of Hermione's feelings on the subject—although, thankfully, they hadn't discussed them further—Ginny cajoled them into it.
Ron and Harry seemed a bit confused as to why the two of them and Hermione were meeting Ginny and Neville by the lake, but soon overlooked their confusion in favor of concentrating on the food more fully. In the mellow—if somewhat cool—sunshine near the lake, they ate their way through sandwiches of half a dozen different varieties: cucumber, salmon and cream cheese, egg salad, BLT, ham, and olive, as well as fried fish and chips complete with vinegar, mixed greens and dressing, and a stunning strawberry shortcake finale.
The giant squid made a melody of soft splashing while Hermione opened a stack of parchment and a lovely new quill, courtesy of Neville, a new muggle book she called a novel and a package of sugar-free treats one of the school owls delivered from her parents, the dentists, a more appetizing package of sugary treats from Ron, and—"oh, Harry! After the ominoculars and everything!"—a soft, fluffy pair of new bunny slippers. Ginny handed her the last package with a feeling of apprehension.
Hermione flicked a smile in her direction as she parted the wrapping neatly. And stared at their contents like a Blast-Ended Skrewt curled up in her lap napping.
"You don't like it," Ginny said miserably.
Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder and scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. 'Course she likes it—it's a book!"
"I just thought…" Ginny began uncertainly. "Well…if you want to…help…House-Elves, you ought to know something about them…and that's the best authority available. Both Dad and P—it comes highly recommended. It's supposed to cover their living conditions and psychology and everything--"
Ron groaned, and Harry's eyes were beginning to bulge, but Hermione glowed. "It's perfect!" She sniffed, throwing her arms around Ginny in a wild and bone-crushing hug.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione" Ginny gasped unintelligibly under her arm.