Chapter 10
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 12:04 pm
<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Chapter Ten</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> - By The Book<br><br>Ginny watched the Auror take his position near the door. He coolly shoved the rusty cauldron that was blocking his place aside with his dragon-hide booted foot and stood like a soldier at attention as she, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the house. <br><br>On the table in the kitchen, a spread of sandwiches and other luncheon food was set out, plus a note from Molly. Ron picked up the letter and read it aloud.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Had to go into the village for a bit. Be sure to eat a good lunch. Fred and George have left for Lee Jordan’s. Please don’t burn the house down or be a nuisance to the Auror while I’m gone. </em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>“As if we’d burn down the house,” chuckled Ron. “That’s more Fred and George’s technique. And as for being a nuisance to the Auror – I think he’s far more annoying to <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>us</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> than we are to him.”<br><br>After they’d eaten their fill of the sandwiches Molly had left for them, Hermione cleared her throat and said to Ron,<br><br>“There’s something you need to help me with … upstairs …” <br><br>Ron looked dully at her. He’d obviously gotten too much sun out by the pond – his nose was pink with burn and his expression was worn-out. “Help with what? Not holiday homework, I hope … Hermione, we have a whole month …”<br><br>“Not homework,” said Hermione, furrowing her brow at him.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Ron’s so thick</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, thought Ginny. Hermione was obviously trying to give both couples some alone time before Molly returned, but if Ron didn’t catch on soon, they’d all be out of luck.<br><br>Hermione glared at him fiercely and Ron finally seemed to get the picture. <br><br>“Ohhh, not homework … but that <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>other</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> thing I was going to help you with.” He winked at Hermione as if he was deceiving both Ginny and Harry – which he clearly was not – they were both trying desperately to keep straight faces.<br><br>Harry shook his head as Ron followed Hermione upstairs. Ginny moved from the chair where she had been sitting over to the settee where Harry was, to be beside him.<br><br>“I’ve missed you,” she said quietly, stroking her hands across his face. She lightly ran a finger over his lips and trembled as he calmly kissed it.<br><br>“I’ve missed you, too,” he said as he lowered her hand from his mouth. <br><br>Ginny felt her pulse quicken as he shifted his body even closer to hers – one more move on her part and she’d be in his lap. She definitely didn’t think that’d be such an unpleasant location to be – she was practically there as it were …<br><br>His hands were cradling her head as he kissed her gently – hers were exploring the gathers in his shirt as she moved them across his back, massaging it as they embraced. The warm, fluidity of his kisses were making her skin all but boil …<br><br>Last spring, Hermione had talked to her about some Muggle author’s works she was reading at her parents’ behest – William Shakespeare. She shared with her a terribly tragic romance – she’d cried her eyes out when Hermione told her the story – but one line was jumping back to her memory as she experienced the pleasure of the moment. Harry definitely kissed by the book.<br><br>Ginny didn’t think anything would reel them out of the hold they had on one another – months of being apart had taken its toll and having been together again for mere days but not really being able to be <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>together</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> had been all but insufferable – but the sound of Molly Weasley’s arm on the clock creakily moving from <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>At The Market</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Home</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> reeled Ginny out quicker than she had thought humanly possible. <br><br>The arm clicked in place almost the same instant as a faint <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Pop!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> sounded and Molly Weasley appeared in the kitchen clutching two armfuls of groceries. Ginny and Harry instinctively slid away from each other and hastily smoothed out their garments. Molly hadn’t noticed either of them and Ginny contemplated whether or not she should nip upstairs to tell Ron and Hermione that Mum was back.<br><br>It was too late. Molly’s eyes had moved from the kitchen to the settee and to Ginny and Harry. She glanced around the rest of the room, no doubt looking for the others.<br><br>“Where’s your brother?” Molly asked Ginny in a mildly suspicious tone. “And Hermione,” she tacked on.<br><br>“Homework,” choked Ginny, hoping against hope her mother didn’t walk any closer to her. She had no idea what state she was in and it was all she needed for her mother to come over and point out anything … embarrassing.<br><br>But Molly seemed too preoccupied to notice. “Do me a favor and get him, would you? I heard from your father while you were out. A colleague of his is joining us for dinner this evening and I could do with a little help…”<br><br>“Someone from the Ministry is coming <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>here</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> for dinner?” asked Ginny, her mouth hanging slack in surprise. “But Dad never has business dinners <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>here</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> …”<br><br>“Well, he’s having one this evening, isn’t he? And you and your brother better make jolly sure you lend me a hand so everything’s in order when Mr. Fury arrives …”<br><br>“Mr. Fury?” said Harry.<br><br>“Sebastian Fury,” replied Molly. “He works for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad at the Ministry – graduated Hogwarts with Charlie, if I recall correctly.” She flipped a couple pots and pans from a cupboard, and then spun to look at Ginny, rather frantically. “Go on … <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>now</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, Ginny! Fetch your brother! I have hardly enough time as it is!” <br><br>*****<br><br>Molly Weasley had gone lax once again in regards to her “no wands” rule. Short notice about her unexpected dinner guest had forced her into allowing her children to use magic to help with preparations.<br><br>“Fred and George aren’t going to be back for dinner, so that leaves five of us – assuming Percy leaves the office in time – plus, Harry and Hermione – and, of course, Mr. Fury. Set eight places, will you, Ron?”<br><br>Ron was busy magically slicing a loaf of bread as his mother beckoned him to set the table.<br><br>“I can't rightly do two things at once, can I, Mum?” he griped.<br><br>“Now you know how <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> feel,” answered Molly huffily.<br><br>“I’ll take care of it, Mrs. Weasley,” said Harry, taking the dishes from the countertop and arranging them at the table.<br><br>“Thank you, dear,” said Molly with a warm smile. As she peeked into a simmering, self-stirring pot, she clapped her hands together and said, “Ahh, I think everything’s in order now – I do so like do see a meal done as it should be – I think Mr. Fury will be impressed.”<br><br>“Why’s he coming, Mum?” asked Ron as he and Hermione placed slices of bread into a small wickerwork breadbasket. <br><br>“To be honest, I don’t know. Your father was sketchy on the details.” She took the breadbasket from Hermione and set it on the table, then got a look of sudden horror on her face. “Ginny! Run out front and shoo the chickens to the back of the house. I don’t want Mr. Fury to see them pecking about when he gets here.”<br><br>Ginny looked dismayed. “Isn’t he just going to Apparate here with Dad? I don’t want to get covered in chicken feathers.” Her face was quite peaked. <br><br>“No, they aren’t Apparating … they’re driving. Seems Mr. Fury is quite fond of automobiles. He and your father should have loads to talk about.” Ginny noticed her mother shake her head as she mentioned automobiles. “At any rate, they’ll be arriving soon and I don’t want Mr. Fury being bombarded by a flock of chickens when he comes up the drive … go shoo them away, please!”<br><br>“C’mon, Ginny,” said Harry. “I’ll go with you.”<br><br>Ginny was grateful to have Harry help her with the chickens – she’d been most uncomfortable around them ever since she came back from Hogwarts after her first year. She was sure their big, red rooster gave her looks of loathing every time he saw her. She didn’t think she’d ever get over the guilt she felt about the things she’d done back then.<br><br>“Go on, now,” said Harry, swatting the last of the hens into the coop in the back of the house. He turned to Ginny. “You okay?” he asked. Her face was still pale and she was staring as the rooster scratched at the red roof of the hens’ enclosure.<br><br>“Yeah,” said Ginny. “Just brings back some bad stuff, seeing them.”<br><br>Harry didn’t say a word. He tugged Ginny in close and squeezed her into a tender hug.<br><br>The sound of tires crunching over gravel and dirt caused Ginny to look up. <br><br>“The Ministry car,” she said. “I think we’d better go in.”<br><br>***<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Author's Note:</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Obviously, the Shakespeare play I'm referring to is Romeo & Juliet. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Also, there's always been some debate on whether Juliet was actually <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>complimenting</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Romeo by saying he kissed "by the book." I had always taken the meaning to be complimentary, so therefore Ginny is complimenting Harry as well. Thought I should share that ... <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br> <br><br> <br><br> <p></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: 1/18/03 12:57:17 pm<br></i>