Re: i spy with my little eye...
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2002 7:30 pm
Chapter Five – <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Housework</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Ron received an owl from Hermione a few hours after Ginny received the good news from Harry. She sent word that she’d be turning up at the Burrow two days before Harry’s arrival.<br><br>And on the morning of Hermione’s arrival, Molly Weasley called her children in for a family council. <br><br>“I want no griping concerning what I’m about to tell you all … your father and I have discussed it and we both feel it’s something you need to be familiar with … something that, in the long run, will be for your own good.”<br><br>Fred and George cringed at their mother’s words. Ginny observed Ron’s face turning an odd green shade. She, like her brothers, knew that whatever their Mum was about to tell them probably didn’t mean fun and games for them. They’d heard this sort of preamble before. Only Percy sat looking solemnly at Molly as she continued.<br><br>“Both your father and I feel like the four of you,” she turned to Fred, George, Ron and Ginny, “don’t have enough experience with Muggle practices. Percy’s the only one who’s taken Muggle Studies.” <br><br>Percy beamed proudly. <br><br>“We both would like the four of you to take time this summer to do things the Muggle way. It’ll give you all a deeper understanding and appreciation for Muggles. And I feel the best way to do this is through …” Molly paused for a moment, scurried over to a cupboard in the kitchen, rummaged through it quickly and returned with something behind her back, which she promptly revealed as she said, “… housework!”<br><br>Ginny’s mouth gaped, as did her brothers’. Molly Weasley was holding a broomstick. Not a racing broom – a common, everyday, Muggle-model housekeeping broom.<br><br>“And what do you expect us to do with <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>that</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->?” asked Ron in astonishment.<br><br>“Maybe you ought to ask Mum if she’ll let you have it for Quidditch – it ought to fly faster than yours,” George whispered loudly in Ron’s ear.<br><br>“It’s not even charmed,” said Ron in an irritated tone.<br><br>“So, what’s your point?” said Fred with a smirk.<br><br>“Enough!” said Molly quickly. “Ginny, you’ll be sweeping … Fred and George, I want you two dusting and polishing … and Ron, you do the dishes.”<br><br>“What about Percy?” said Ron, who was now thoroughly annoyed. “Hermione’s coming today and I have … <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>stuff</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to do. You mean to say that Percy doesn’t have to lift a finger since he took Muggle Studies?”<br><br>“Yes, Ronald … that’s what I mean to say,” said Molly sternly. “Besides, your brother has more important things to do.”<br><br>“Speaking of which,” said Percy in a stiff voice, “I need to get to the office.”<br><br>“Good-bye, dear,” said Molly, planting a kiss on his cheek. “See you at dinner.”<br><br>Percy Disapparated with a <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>pop</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.<br><br>“Now, you four,” Molly said turning back to the twins, Ron and Ginny. “Get busy! The sooner you all get to work, the sooner you’ll get finished! Hermione and Harry will be tickled to have such a spick and span house to stay in when they get here.”<br><br>Molly said all this as if it would inspire her children to fly out of their seats and buzz about the house, cleaning like a bevy of worker bees. On the contrary, her words only caused the already gloomy expressions on their faces to become even gloomier.<br><br>“I have to go into town … I want to pick up a few extra provisions, since we’ll be having company.” She winked at Ron and Ginny. “I’ll be back later this afternoon.” Molly wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and grabbed a large handbag and Disapparated before any one of them could utter any protests.<br><br>“Of all the confounded things our parents have come up with, …” said Fred.<br><br>“This has got to take the prize for the most ridiculous,” added George.<br><br>“Well, I’ll be hog-tied if I’m going to dust and polish every knick-knack in this house without magic,” said Fred stubbornly. <br><br>“Mum’s off her rocker if she thinks I’m using that feathery thing instead of my wand,” said George. He motioned to a feather duster Molly had put next to the Muggle broom. “I wonder how many feathers Errol had to give up for that thing!”<br><br>Ron laughed. Fred and George whipped out their wands and charmed the entire living room to be dust-free.<br><br>“What Mum doesn’t know, won’t hurt her,” said Fred with a wink. He and George disappeared up the stairs to their room.<br><br>“Hermione’s going to be here any minute,” said Ron, wringing his hands. “I’ve got to do it, too. I’ve got to charm the dishes … Fred and George are right, what Mum doesn’t know …” <br><br>Within minutes, the pile of dirty dishes that were piled in a wobbly tower in the sink were washed, dried and put into the appropriate cupboard.<br><br>And a moment later, a noise from the fireplace erupted, followed by a flash of green, as Hermione Granger appeared, via the Floo network.<br><br>“Remind me to thank you father for connecting us to the network,” said Hermione as she emerged from the fireplace, dusting the ashes and soot from her robes.<br><br>Ron hurried over to greet her, clapping her into a tight embrace and whispering something to her that Ginny couldn’t hear.<br><br>“Hello, Ginny,” said Hermione warmly as Ron released her from their hug. “How’s your summer been? Have you heard from Harry much?” She grinned as she asked the last question.<br><br>“Oh, yes,” said Ginny, who was turning slightly pink.<br><br>“Only <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>everyday</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->,” added Ron, nudging his sister playfully.<br><br>“Well, what are we up to today?” asked Hermione as she tugged her belongings out of the fireplace, with Ron’s help.<br><br>Before Ron could say anything at all, Ginny exasperatedly recounted her mother and father’s wishes to educate them in the ways of Muggles, beginning with housework. She, much to Ron’s obvious relief, neglected to tell Hermione exactly how Ron’s and the twins’ tasks were completed.<br><br>“So, I guess I’d better get this over and done with,” Ginny said, picking up what she had now come to think of as an instrument of torture. “Why Mum’s got the notion that we should learn to tidy up like Muggles is beyond me,” huffed Ginny as she gripped the Muggle broom tightly.<br><br>Ron shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “But I’m glad <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>you</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> got the sweeping duties. Just imagine the shame of having to use a broomstick for sweeping the floor!” He laughed as Ginny waved the broom threateningly at him.<br><br>“I’d be glad to help,” said Hermione, reaching to take the broom from Ginny. “I’ve swept the floor loads of times with a regular broomstick.”<br><br>“No thanks,” said Ginny gloomily. “If Mum thinks I should learn how to use a broom the Muggle way, maybe it <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>is</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> important.” She sighed. “Am I at least holding it properly?”<br><br>“M-hmm,” said Hermione. “Now, just sweep it across the floor until its picked up all the dirt and dust.”<br><br>Ginny looked longingly at her wand. It would be a snap just to charm the broom into doing the sweeping for her. Or better yet, do a spell to make all the grime on the floor disappear all together. She looked back down at the plain Muggle broom and sighed once more.<br><br>“Here goes nothing,” she said as she began to sweep. <br><br>Ron chuckled under his breath and Hermione called out words of encouragement as Ginny awkwardly made her way across the kitchen floor. <br><br>“How’s that?” she called out as her little pile of dirt grew larger.<br><br>“Not bad,” said Hermione. “Now, you’ve got to use this to collect it.”<br><br>“What’s that?” asked Ginny curiously as Hermione handed her a little tin tray with a handle.<br><br>“It’s a dust pan,” said Hermione. “You sweep the dirt onto it, then toss it in the dust bin.”<br><br>“Do we even <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>have</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> a dust bin?” asked Ron seriously.<br><br>“Hush,” said Hermione to Ron. Hermione handed the dust pan to Ginny, who apprehensively took it from her.<br><br>Ginny nearly toppled over as she tried to sweep all the particles of filth and debris off of the kitchen floor. The broom handle was swaying to and fro as she tried to balance.<br><br>“Stop laughing,” Hermione told Ron, who was holding his stomach from cackling at the sight of his sister trying to use the dust pan. “You should have seen me trying to <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>fly</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> on a broomstick for the first time,” she said to Ginny reassuringly. “You’re doing just fine.” She turned back to Ron, “I’d have given <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>anything</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to see <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>you</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> doing the dishes,” she said with a look of supreme amusement.<br><br>As Ginny shook the dirt from the pan into the bin, she said, with a bit of mischief in her voice, “Me, too!”<br> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/image ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... boo1974</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/shield_05[1].jpg" BORDER=0> at: 12/23/02 5:40:36 pm<br></i>