not want to think about that. He cast around for another change of subject, but was saved the necessity of finding one by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
‘Uh oh.’
Fred gave the Extendable Ear a hearty tug; there was another loud crack and he and George vanished. Seconds later, Mrs. Weasley appeared in the bedroom doorway.
‘The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?’
‘Crookshanks,’ said Ginny unblushingly. ‘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 the others and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Ron and Hermione. Both of them were watching him apprehensively, as though they feared he would start shouting again now that everyone else had gone. The sight of them looking so nervous made him feel slightly ashamed.
‘Look...’ he muttered, but 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 to persuade Dumbledore—’
‘Yeah, I know,’ said Harry grudgingly.
He cast around for a topic that didn't involve his headmaster, because the very thought of Dumbledore made Harry's insides burn with anger again.
‘Who's Kreacher?’ he asked.
‘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 plaque just like his mother,’ said Ron irritably. ‘Is that 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 on to the landing, but before they could descend the stairs— ‘Hold it!’ Ron breathed, flinging out an arm to stop Harry and Hermione walking any further. ‘They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something—’
The three of them looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards, including all of Harry's guard. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very centre of the group Harry saw the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent nose of his least favourite teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Snape. Harry leant further over the banisters. He was very interested in what Snape was doing for the Order of the Phoenix....
A thin piece of flesh-coloured string descended in front of Harry's eyes. Looking up, he saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear towards the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they all began to move towards the front door and out of sight.
‘Dammit,’ Harry heard Fred whisper, as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up again.
They heard the front door open, then close.
‘Snape never eats here,’ Ron told Harry quietly. ‘Thank God. C'mon.’
‘And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry,’ Hermione whispered.
As they passed the row of house-elf heads on the wall, they saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind those 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—’
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