SERPENT'S SONG | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [2]

𝘃 | 𝗺𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

Mrs Weasley was clattering around in the kitchen when Gwen joined Harry at the dining table. Ron, Fred and George followed a good few paces behind her into the house, and sat down at the table across from Gwen and Harry. Mrs Weasley sent her sons dirty looks every now and then, threw sausages into the pan and muttered things like 'never would've believed' and 'don't know what you were thinking of'.

She reassured Harry that she didn't blame him, and as she cut Gwen's bread, she only sent her a small, sad smile.

'We were only saying last night that if you hadn't replied by Friday, we'd've gone and got you ourselves,' Mrs Weasley told Harry. He didn't seem to know how to react. 'But really, flying an illegal car in the middle of the night...'

'It was cloudy!' Fred said.

'They were starving him, Mum,' George added.

Ron nodded. 'There were bars on his window.'

Mrs Weasley rounded on her sons. 'You best hope I don't put bars on your window, Ronald Weasley. Keep your mouths closed while eating, all of you.'

Her sons bent their heads over their breakfasts and stayed quiet.

Gwen caught George's eye and shrugged. He grinned in response, eyeing his mother to check she hadn't noticed.

At that moment, Ginny appeared in the kitchen doorway, calling for her mother, but almost as quickly as she'd entered, she ran away again.

'Ginny,' Ron murmured across the table to Harry. 'My sister. She's been talking about you all summer. Kind of annoying really.'

Gwen had to hold her breath to stop from laughing.

'Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry,' Fred grinned, then caught his mother's eye and went silent again. Breakfast was finished with no more conversation; Mrs Weasley flicked her wand casually and the dishes began washing themselves up.

Eventually, Fred yawned loudly, leaning back in his chair. 'Right, well, I'm shattered. I think I'll go to bed and--'

'You will not,' Mrs Weasley snapped. 'It's your own fault you've been up all night. The garden needs de-gnoming, you can go and do that.'

'But Mum--'

'And you two!' she glared at George and Ron. 'Gwen, you can help me round the house today. Harry, dear, you can go up to bed. You didn't ask them to drive that wretched car--'

'I've never seen a de-gnoming before,' Harry said quickly. 'I'd like to help.'

Mrs Weasley sighed. 'That's very sweet of you, but it's dull work...' she reached over the sink to the windowsill where there was a selection of heavy books. 'Now let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject...'

Fred and George shared an exasperated look opposite Gwen. She'd heard of Gilderoy Lockhart, but from what she knew, he seemed too good to be true.

Mrs Weasley was looking at a large book with the famous blonde wizard plastered over the cover; he kept winking cheekily at them. Mrs Weasley beamed down at the photo.