Daylight || Harry Potter

Chapter Four

"Who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Crookshanks," Ginny lied easily. I felt the familiar tingle on my back but didn't say anything. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please..."

Ginny grimaced at us and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Ron, Hermione, and I again. I couldn't help watching him apprehensively, worried he might start yelling again now that it was back to just the four of us.

"Look..." he muttered.

Ron shook his head, and Hermione said quietly, "We knew you'd be angry, Harry, we really don't blame you, but you've got to understand, we did try and persuade Dumbledore —"

"Yeah, I know," said Harry grudgingly. He sighed and was quiet for a bit. Then he asked, "Who's Kreacher?"

"The house-elf who lives here," said Ron. "Nutter. Never met one like him."

Hermione frowned at Ron. "He's not a nutter, Ron —"

"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plaque just like his mother," I said. "That's not normal, Hermione."

"Well — well, if he is a bit strange, it's not his fault —"

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry. "Hermione still hasn't given up on spew —"

"It's not 'spew'!" said Hermione heatedly. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and it's not just me, Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher too —"

"Yeah, yeah," said Ron. "C'mon, I'm starving."

He led the way out of the door and onto the landing, but before we could descend the stairs —

"Hold it!" Ron breathed, flinging out an arm to stop Harry, Hermione, and I from walking any farther. "They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something —"

We looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with members of the order. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very center of the group I saw the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent nose of my least favorite teacher at Hogwarts, Snape. I leaned farther over the banisters, but then a thin piece of flesh-colored string descended in front of my eyes. Looking up, I saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear toward the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they began to move toward the front door and out of sight.

"Dammit," I heard Fred whisper, as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up again. I heard the front door open and then close.

"Snape never eats here," Ron told Harry quietly. "Thank God."

"Gods," I corrected.

"Oh, right." Ron grinned sheepishly. "Still getting used to it. C'mon."

"And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry," Hermione whispered.

As we passed the row of house-elf heads on the wall, I saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind the people who had just left.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley whispered, meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here —"

CRASH.

"Tonks!" cried Mrs. Weasley exasperatedly, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over —"