The Potions Master's Daughter

Degnoming

The two siblings and their friend soon found out that the Weasleys were exceedingly poor. Their meal was simply an apple and a small piece of toast. Sadie, Nadine, and Harry had the piece of toast gone in two bites, but they stuck the apple in their pockets for later. Then Molly sent Ron and the twins out to help the others degnome the garden. Ginny went back up to her room. Sadie, Nadine, and Harry followed.

"I've never degnomed a garden before. Aren't gnomes little fat guys with Santa beards and pointy hats?" Harry asked. Nadine and Sadie exchanged a look, holding in laughter.

"No. They actually resemble potatoes. They're not the brightest bunch. When they hear us coming, instead of hiding in their burrows, they come out to see what the big fuss is," Nadine explained. "We don't have any at Malfoy Manor, but the neighbors always did, and Drake and I would always go help them clear them out. We thought it was fun until Father stopped us a year ago claiming it didn't behoove us to partake in such childish behaviors. Drake is only nine after all. I should think it would be allowed for him to take part in 'such childish behavior.' He is a child, after all. And it's not even childish!"

Sadie snorted. "Childish? Him referring to degnoming gardens as 'childish' is the real childish act going on. That's as if you were saying that casting spells was not considered wizardly. Of course it's not childish. It hard work and it takes experience and practice."

Nadine nodded. "That's what I said, but Mother said it's best not to argue with Father over such unnecessary things. She told me she agreed with me, but Father would not have us doing servants' work. Of course, Drake listened immediately. He's such a follower with adults but if he's just around those two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, he literally uses them like slaves and at the same time, bodyguards."

Harry groaned. "And they're in my year, aren't they? Doesn't that mean I have to deal with them all through Hogwarts?"

Nadine laughed. "Yes. Sorry, Harry, but yes. Think about it this way, though. Usually, Professor Snape would favor them, but because he is soon to become your legal guardian, as is Professor McGonagall, he will not favor them at all."

Sadie put an arm around her brother's shoulders. "You're safe with us."

Soon enough, they were in the field, watching as the Weasley boys tossed gnomes over a hedge in a competition. They would spin the around by their ankles and let them go, flinging them as far as about twenty feet. Sadie and Nadine joined in. At first, Nadine's went as far as the boys' and Sadie's went only a yard less than that. Then, Sadie's started to go father. She finally got one about forty feet right next to a large boulder. Harry's first one barely went outside the hedge. Suddenly, one of the twins scared him, and he released his hold mid spin, making his gnome fly high, landing by a tree stump fifty feet away. All the boys started congratulating him. After a few minutes of congratulating, the air was filled with the potato-shaped nuisances again.

Eventually, there were no more gnomes to through. Everyone fell down in the grass, exhausted. Fred and George sighed.

"This is going to be-"

"A very interesting two weeks," they remarked.

(A/N: So I know everyone hates these, but I completely forgot this story existed so sorry. Been busy with school, quarantine, and my new sister imprint.)