Chapter 6: The Ghost in Bedclothes

Harry: Look, I get why you don't want me to leave and all, but I already know how to beat Voldemort *thundercrack*, and the sooner I leave…

Molly: Nope.

Harry: Come on, it's gonna take me long enough as is to do…

Molly: Nope.

Harry: Listen, the sooner I get started, the sooner this will all be over.

Molly: Nope. I'm keeping you here until you're safely back at Hogwarts.

Harry: You really think I'm going back to Hogwarts?

Molly: I don't see why you wouldn't. It's probably the safest place for you.

Harry: Mrs. Weasley, I don't know why Voldemort *thundercrack* feared Dumbledore so much, but now that the latter is dead, I'm pretty sure the former is going to make sure that NOWHERE is safe for me.

Molly: Look, if you think I'm gonna let the three of you drop out of school…

Harry: They're choosing to come with me. I made it very clear this would be a dangerous mission.

Molly: Dangerous, eh? Just another reason to make sure you're not going anywhere.

Harry: Look, the longer you delay this…

Molly: Harry, how far do you think you'll get with The Trace on you?

Harry: …that's not…

Molly: Do you even know what you're doing?

Harry: Of course I…

Molly: As in, you know exactly where you're going, what you'll do when you get there, you've got all the tools you'll need…

Harry: Well, not yet, but…

Molly: Exactly, so you're staying here. Now, we're hosting a wedding in a little over a week, so we need this place spotless. If you could go clean the chicken coop…

Harry: You had Ron doing that as well, right? I suppose I need to speak to him about the mission anyway…

Molly: …on second thought, could you help with washing the linen?

Harry: Ah, Hermione's job. You're right, she's probably the better one to talk to.

Molly: Better idea: clean out the shed.

Harry: …God damn it.

*later*

Harry: So, your mum is trying to keep us apart.

Ron: I know, right? How dare she separate us from our love?

Harry: Missing the point as always. The bigger problem is we can't plan the hunt if we're always separated.

Hermione: There's always late at night when she thinks we're asleep.

Molly: *bursting in* I HEARD THAT!

Harry: You can't delay our leaving forever.

Molly: I can try. Now get back to work.

Harry: What work? We've done it all.

Molly: *waves her wand, causing several loud crashes throughout the house* Have you?

Hermione: But…you made that stuff happen.

Molly: *giving Hermione a look* Did I?

Hermione: Well, yeah, we just saw you.

Molly: *stepping closer to her* Okay, but did you?

Hermione: Yes, so we…

Molly: *right in Hermione's face* Did? You?

Hermione: …I guess we can help clean it up.

*later*

Harry: Okay, now that we've got some time to ourselves, I just want to say, you know, since I'm the one who has to kill Voldemort *thundercrack* anyway, maybe I should be…

Hermione: We already told you Harry, we're coming with you.

Ron: Till death do us part.

Harry: Please don't word it like that. Anyway, I was thinking that…

Hermione: Harry, do you know what I had to do before I came here?

Harry: How would I know? We've hardly had a chance to speak since we got here.

Hermione: I had to Obliviate my parents into thinking they didn't have a daughter, and that they wanted to move to Australia.

Harry: That…seems illegal. Also, since you refuse to believe in magic, how do you explain being able to do that?

Hermione: Hypnosis, duh. Also, what's more illegal: suppressing someone's memories, or the genocide of a type of person?

Harry: Just because what Voldemort's *thundercrack* doing is more illegal doesn't make what you're doing any better.

Ron: And I've done stuff to prepare to leave too.

Harry: Fantasising about us alone in a tent is not preparations.

Ron: No, better, come look.

Harry: No, I'd rather… *gets dragged out the door by Ron* …okay then, apparently this is happening now.

Ron: *shoving open the door to the attic* BEHOLD!

Harry: …what the hell am I looking at?

Ron: It's the family ghoul.

Harry: How long have you had that?

Ron: Silly Harry, we've had it the whole time.

Harry: I feel like we would have noticed that. And why is he wearing a wig and pyjamas?

Ron: So we can tell everyone I have spattergroit and no-one will be any wiser.

Harry: And your parents are okay with this?

Ron: Silly Harry, you know my mum isn't.

Harry: Right…I'm going to get out of here, because the stench is overwhelming.

Ron: Don't worry, that's just the ghoul shitting itself again.

Harry: Definitely getting out of here then.

*back in Ron's room*

Hermione: So you can see Harry, we've done a lot of prep work to go on this quest.

Harry: Yeah, but there's one thing you haven't prepped for.

Hermione: And what's that?

Harry: How the hell do you destroy a horcrux?

Hermione: Actually…

Harry: You've gotta be kidding me.

Hermione: I borrowed these from Dumbledore's office.

Harry: You robbed Dumbledore?!

Hermione: Borrowed from, yes.

Harry: Borrowed with no intent of giving back. Got it.

Hermione: *sigh* Anyway, according to these books, the only way to destroy a horcrux is to put it beyond magical repair. Like, say, stabbing it with a basilisk's fang.

Harry: Yes, and we certainly know where to get more of them.

Ron: Are we going to Greece to find more of them?

Harry: I thought we just needed to hatch a chicken egg under a toad to make one?

Hermione: How does a chicken egg and a toad make a snake?

Ron: What about this R. A. B. guy? He destroyed a horcrux, right? Maybe he has some spare basilisk fangs we can borrow.

Hermione: R. A. B. could be a woman, you know.

Harry: It doesn't matter what gender s/he is, just whether the horcrux is destroyed.

Hermione: How the hell did you pronounce those pronouns?

Harry: So, we need to decide where to start this journey. I was thinking Godric's Hollow…

Ron: Silly Harry, Death Eaters are probably watching that place.

Harry: Yeah, but I haven't got any…

Molly: *bursting in* YOU THREE! You need to help with getting the house clean before the Delacours arrive.

Harry: What the hell else is there to do?

Molly: I'm pretty sure there are still some rats around…

Ron: Scabbers came back?

Harry: Hopefully, so I can step on the bastard. But anyway, I'm sure Crookshanks can…wait, where is Crookshanks?

Hermione: Oh, I released him into the forest behind my house.

Harry: Are you sure that was a wise idea?

Hermione: Eh, I see stray cats in there all the time. I'm sure it's fine.

Harry: A bunch of cats running around a forest, eh? I wonder if Kieran's planning…

Molly: HEY! Work to be done.

Harry: You seem a lot more irritable than normal.

Molly: Because all this work is the only thing stopping me from remember that we couldn't recover Moody's body. Now, GET BACK TO WORK so the Delacours don't think we're poor.

*the next day*

Fred: *pointing at the approaching portkey* Here they come.

Mrs. Delacour: *looking around as they landed* Zis place lookz nize and tidy. Molly, you shouldn't have gone to zo much effort.

Molly: Oh, it was no trouble at…

Mr. Delacour: No, really, you didn't. We know you're poor.

Molly: God fucking damn it, they're rude.

Harry: What did you expect? They're French.