|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Third Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 5 Words: 38,332
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Bold Face Type indicates a direct quote from Chapter Twenty-six, The Second Task, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
The birthday dinner was a great success. Arthur was completely surprised but said he could not think of anyone he’d rather spend his forty-fifth birthday with than his friends. Kate brought pictures of her new granddaughter that she had just been to see in Boston. Molly secretly thought that she was too bald and wrinkled looking. Arnie came with his wife Charlotte, who just happened to be in town before going to Paris to do her Celestine Warbeck Valentine Special — ‘Amour’. ‘Paris is so romantic,’ she said. ‘I am very excited about my new single — Let’s Side-along Apparate to the Altar of Love. Mark my words, it will go platinum.’ Mr Perkins gave Arthur a Muggle camp stove and said that he’d enchanted it to cook without Muggle fuel. ‘Those little cans of it are very hard to keep track of,’ he said with a serious look on his face. ‘I mistook one for a thermos once, myself.’ Both the Diggorys and Nic and Kate brought Arthur power tools. ‘This is a sander,’ said Amos proudly. ‘I haven’t got it to make much sand, though. You have to keep putting these papers with the sand stuck to them on it. I’m not sure what the Muggle do with the sand they make.’ Nic brought Arthur an electric screwdriver and drill and told him they’d practice making holes and screwing and un-screwing screws after dinner. He said he also knew another use for the power sander. When the men went to play with Arthur’s new tools, the four women sat around the table drinking an extra cup of tea and visiting. Kate said, ‘I’m happy that Valentine’s Day is being celebrated more in the UK. Everyone in America sends cards with hearts on them to schoolmates and the like. My granddaughter Samantha was already making them for her friends at the Wee Witches Child Care at the Salem Institute. That’s where my daughter teaches Spell Casting.’ ‘I like the old ways where men presented a heart shaped box of chocolates and flowers to those they love,’ said Charlotte, with a sigh. ‘The Parisians really know how to do things properly. Chocolates, champagne and roses!’ ‘We’ve worked too hard on getting back in shape to want fattening food,’ said Molly to Corrine. All the women laughed. When the men returned from trying out Arthur’s new tools, the company left. Molly shooed Arthur back out to his shed and said she’d do all the clean up by herself so he would have his new presents to himself. She suggested that they should turn in early and have a good cuddle. Arthur readily agreed. When Arthur arrived home from the Ministry the next evening, Molly brought out all the presents from the children. They had all sent various Muggle items to Arthur for his birthday. He had liked the compass that Bill had given him so much that this birthday he sent him a map of the district around Ottery St Catchpole. Charlie gave him something called a cigarette lighter but wrote that he could start fires with it almost as well as ‘Incendio’. Percy gave him a Muggle umbrella and said that it had to be held by the handle to keep rain off. All of the children at Hogwarts sent him an assortment of batteries. This delighted Arthur and he lined them up in order of size. Molly’s present to him was a big tool chest to keep all of his new tools in. Arthur was almost speechless. ‘I’ve always wanted a box for tools,’ he said, kissing her with tears in his eyes. ‘I’ll have to get you something very special for Valentines Day.’ He spent his lunch hour the next day looking through the catalogue from Sabrina’s Secret. He knew that Molly didn’t approve of the very attractive witches who posed in it but he thought she’d look fetching in something pink if he could find something she’d wear. It took some time but he finally found a nightgown with pink roses embroidered all around the neckline. It was more covered up than the rest of them and came somewhere between the knees and ankles of the witch twirling around in it. He sent off an owl order for it that afternoon. Molly was surprised when Arthur came downstairs the morning of Valentines Day with a pink box with a very fancy bow. He sometimes bought her a plant or something for the garden but this was a very fancy box. ‘For my first and only Valentine!’ he said with a bow. Molly was flustered. ‘I was going to make you a recipe that I got that uses that cherry pie filling today,’ she said looking at the very pink package. ‘I wanted you to have a chance to try it on before tonight,’ said Arthur. ‘You know, to see if it fits and all…’ He smiled expectantly. Molly tried to slip the very big bow off but finally took out her wand and untied it magically. She took the lid off and saw something pink nestled in pink tissue paper. ‘Oh Arthur!’ she said. ‘You shouldn’t have.’ She held the soft cotton nightgown up against herself and whirled around. ‘It’s just what I wished I had when we got married.’ She began to cry. Arthur took her in his arms and said, ‘I’ll think of you in it all day. And I’m sure I’ll hurry home tonight.’ ‘We’ll have an early dinner and listen to Celestina’s special and go to bed early.’ ***** Percy spent very little time at home for the next two weeks. He said that Mr Crouch was still ill but sent owls daily directing him to do a multitude of tasks connected with the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. There was not much information from any of the Weasleys at Hogwarts until the weekend before the big event. A big brown school owl arrived on Sunday morning just as Arthur and Molly were starting a late breakfast. Molly gave the owl some bacon and pointed him to Errol’s water dish. ‘It’s from Ginny,’ said Molly and opened the letter and read it aloud. Dear Mum and Dad, The Second Task is this Wednesday. Hermione says that Harry has to breathe underwater for an hour but they still are not sure how he is going to do that. Harry says he is going to try to hold his breath. He is the bravest person I know but I don’t think his plan will work. I am so worried that he will get hurt or drown. Percy is at Hogwarts all the time but he doesn’t have much time for me. He’s really busy with the Second Task. Fred and George are worried about something but I don’t know what it is and they tell me not to worry but I do worry about them when they’re looking so worried. Ron is best mates with Harry again and the two of them and Hermione are always in the library. Did you have a nice Valentine Day? A boy from Ravenclaw that I met at the Yule Ball sent me a flower. He is very nice looking with dark hair and light eyes. Hermione got a heart shaped box of candy from Victor Krum. She gave me three pieces. It was very good chocolate. Love, Ginny Arthur looked at the expression on Molly’s face as she finished the letter. ‘What’s wrong, Molly? Do you think Ginny is too young to be getting a flower from a boy?’ Molly shook her head. ‘A boy would have to be very foolish to do anything to Ginny that our boys would not like. I was just wondering how Harry feels about Victor Krum giving Hermione candy.’ The morning of the Second Task, Corrine came over to the Burrow as soon as Amos left for the Ministry. ‘I’m so nervous about what’s happening at Hogwarts today. Ceddie wouldn’t tell me any of the particulars so I am sure it is very dangerous,’ she said wringing her hands. ‘Their task is to get something from the Lake within an hour. Ceddie said he had to learn some very advanced magic to be able to do it. He says he gave Harry some information to pay him back for telling him about the dragons.’ ‘I don’t know if Harry can even swim, much less hold his breath for an hour. If it is advanced magic, Harry won’t do well at all. He’s only fourteen. Ceddie is already seventeen. Oh, I have a very bad feeling about this!’ Molly was afraid she’d start to cry so suggested that they just do some light exercises and then make treats for the victory parties for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. They climbed up and down the stairs in the Burrow and lifted weights for a while. Finally, they stopped for a cup of tea and some ginger biscuits. Molly snapped on the radio to listen to Days of Destiny and was surprised to hear Ludo Bagman’s voice instead. ‘Regularly scheduled programs will not be heard today as WWN brings you a special event program. This is Ludo Bagman from the Department of Magical Games and Sports, your announcer for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, reporting to you live from the Lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We will have a short musical interlude while we wait for the last of the four contestants to arrive.’ Music began to play softly in the background but Molly recognized the next voice. “Where have you been?’ said a bossy disapproving voice. ‘The task is about to begin.’ … ‘Not now, Percy!’ said Ludo Bagman… Let him catch his breath.’ The music became louder but Molly and Corrine could still hear faint voices in the background. Eventually they heard Ludo Bagman’s voice again magically amplified by Sonorous. ‘Well, all of the champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!’ Molly and Corrine heard a shrill whistle and then the soft music began again in the background. Nic Meath’s voice said, ‘Days of Destiny has been pre-empted for today by a Special Report from the Triwizard Tournament. Stay tuned for its exciting conclusion in about an hour.’ The soft music began again. ‘I wonder what has been taken from the champions?’ mused Molly. The two friends drank tea and talked about what they could make to send to Hogwarts for the victory celebration. They decided on biscuits and tarts since they had heard no complaints from their children about the treats after the First Task. The women set to work mixing and baking. They were just pulling the last batch of biscuits out of Molly’s huge oven when the music on the radio stopped and Ludo Bagman’s voice boomed out. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcas has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows… ‘Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points.’ Molly and Corrine could clearly hear the applause and a French accented voice say, ‘I deserve zero.’ Corrine asked Molly, ‘I wonder why they kept referring to what was taken away from them as hostages? Surely, they didn’t leave people on the bottom of the lake.’ Ludo Bagman continued speaking in his magically enhanced voice. ‘Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was the first to return with the hostage, although he returned one minute outside the time limit of one hour… We therefore award him forty-seven points.’ Molly and Corrine ‘high-fived’ each other. Molly said. ‘Forty-seven out of fifty is nearly perfect. I knew he’d do well.’ Corrine beamed. Ludo Bagman continued, ‘Victor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective and was second to return with the hostage. We award him forty points.’ Molly and Corrine heard more clapping and then Ludo began to speak again. “Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect… He returned last, and well outside the time limit of one hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own.’… ‘Most of the judges (pause), feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However… Mr Potter’s score is forty-five points.’ There was a loud cheer. Molly and Corrine danced around the kitchen, only stopping when they heard Ron’s voice shouting, ’There you go, Harry… You weren’t being thick after all — you were showing moral fiber.’ ‘The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June,’ continued Bagman. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you for your support of the champions. And now back to your regularly scheduled programs.’ Molly snapped off the radio and said, ‘both our boys did well. Ceddie got forty-seven points and Harry got forty-five.’ ‘Amos and I are going to the Third Task,’ announced Corrine. ‘Whether they want us or not. Maybe Arthur could ask Professor Dumbledore about inviting the parents.’ ‘That is an excellent idea. Bill said he was coming back from Egypt just for it. I think he has something to do with the final task.’ Molly suddenly felt better. ‘I don’t fancy listening to it on the radio again.’ Arthur was the one who gently told Molly that the hostages rescued from the bottom of the Lake were, indeed, other children. He said that Fleur’s sister and Cedric’s girlfriend were perfectly safe, as were Hermione and Ron. ‘Hermione and Ron?’ said Molly. ‘Why were Hermione and Ron at the bottom of the lake?’ ‘They were what Victor Krum and Harry would miss most,’ said Arthur. ‘They are both safe now.’ Molly sent the treats for the victory party in with Arthur the next day but decided to wait until Monday to send Ron’s presents and birthday cake. Molly and Arthur were glad to see Pig flutter in on Saturday with a note tied to his leg. ‘It’s from Ron,’ Molly said as she untied it. She began to read. Dear Mum and Dad, Harry was brilliant! He rescued the Veela’s little sister. I helped, of course, so Fleur kissed me, too. I don’t think Harry would have got back safely if I hadn’t been there as his back-up. I wish that Dumbledore had told Hermione that she couldn’t be what Victor Krum would miss the most. He should have rescued one of the blokes from Durmstrang instead of her. Fred and George are sure mad at Ludo Bagman. He is a little scared of them, I think, because he tries to avoid them. He gets very nervous around Goblins, too Anyway, don’t forget I have a birthday next week. Love, Ron ‘So the Veela from Beauxbaton kissed Harry and Ron. And Hermione is what is most dear to Victor Krum. Humph! I wonder what the story is with Ludo Bagman and the twins?’ Molly muttered as she handed Arthur the letter. He did not answer her. He had been married to Molly long enough to know when she didn’t want answers to some of the questions she was muttering.
|