Granger Love ➵ Fred Weasley

• Chapter 20 •

"Al, wake up! We have to clean the house after breakfast, so we need to hurry!" I got up and went to the bathroom to wash my face. I picked clothes to wear and I went downstairs with Hermione and Ginny.

We had our breakfast and went into the drawing room to get rid of the pixies in there. "Cover your faces and take a spray," said Mrs. Weasley when she saw Harry and Ron enter into the room. She pointed two bottles filled with a black liquid on the table. "It Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation like this before - what that house-elf has been doing for ten years-"

Hermione's face was covered with a towel, however I could see her throw a look at Mrs. Weasley. "Kreacher is too old, probably he couldn't manage to-" she said.

"You'd be surprised if you saw what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione." Sirius said, coming with a bag covered with blood which looked like it was full of dead rats. "I was feeding Buckbeak." he added, as he saw Harry's questioning looks. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's room. Anyway... this writing desk," After he had placed the bag onto the armchair, he bent down to inspect the locked cabinet.

"Well, Molly, I am pretty sure this is a Boggart," Sirius said, trying to see from the key hole. "but maybe before opening, I think we should show it to Mad-Eye - if I know my mother, there can be something much worse in it."

"You're right, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley agreed. " I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" Sirius said angrily as he rushed out of the room.  He went down the stairs, as Mrs. Black's sneers could be heard from downstairs. "Children of filth..."

"Close the door, please, Harry" Mrs. Weasley said, trying to keep her voice polite. Mrs. Weasley was looking at the Doxy page in Gilderoy Lockhart's book. "You need to be careful, Doxies bite and their teeth are poisonous. I have some antidote with me, however it'd rather no one would need it," She straightened up and positioned herself in front of the curtains. "Start spraying immediately when I tell you to," she said. "They will come flying out at us, I except, it says on the sprays one good squirt is enough to paralyze them. When they're immobilized, throw them in this bucket," She carefully held up her spray can.

"Alright... Squirt!"

I aimed at a Doxy and it squeaked, as it froze in the air. I grabbed it and dumped it in the bucket quickly. "Fred, what are you doing?" asked Mrs. Weasley, scoldingly. "Just spray that and throw it away!" I looked over to see Fred holding a fluttering Doxy between his thumb and index finger.

"Okay," Fred said, cheerfully. He sprayed the Doxy quickly, but the moment Mrs. Weasley turned, he shoved it into his pocket winking at me. "Really?" I asked, quietly. "We want to test its poison for the Skiving Snackbox!" he whispered, as I rolled my eyes.

The elf took no notice of us when it entered the room. Acting like it doesn't see any of us, it shuffled slowly towards the far end of the room and muttered things in a low voice. "...smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty, old blood traitor with her brats messing up my mistress' house, oh, my poor mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let into her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh, the shame of it, mudbloods and werewolves and blood traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do..."

"Hello, Kreacher," Fred said loudly as he closed the door. The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing gasp. "Kreacher did not see young master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still looking down at the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is," I felt myself suddenly lung forward as Fred pulled on my arm. "Not worth it." Fred whispered in my ear. "Sorry?" George asked, crossing his arms. "Couldn't catch the last bit."