Pool Party

It was two o'clock at the Burrow, and seventeen-year-old Ron Weasley and his two best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, were relaxing on Ron's large sofa in the living room, staring out the large window in front of them. Rain poured down in heavy sheets toward the ground, the sky black and gloomy. All three sighed when Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only girl sibling in the family, walked in. She sighed, exasperated.

"I can't believe you guys are still sitting there! Why don't you at least try and do something instead of sitting on your bums all day?" Ginny said. Ron tore his eyes away from the scene outside and looked at his sister, eyes narrowed.

"Go away, Ginny. You're such a pest," Ron said. Hermione swung her head around to face her boyfriend.

"Ron! What a mean thing to say to your sister!" she said, mouth agape, her expression looking appalled.

"It's okay, Hermione. You really don't have to stick up for me or for him. Ron's just a great big prat anyway," Ginny said dismissvely.

"All right! Enough with the fighting! I know today is gloomy and even though it's in the middle of July, but that doesn't mean that we can't at least find something entertaining," Hermione said, scooting closer to Ron.

"Well, that rules Ginny and me out because it's obvious what you two want to do," Harry teased. Hermione blushed furiously and Ron glared at Harry, even though the tips of his ears were turning red. But Ron knew Harry was right. Ever since Hermione and Harry arrived at the Burrow the previous week, everyone in the household had been so busy that Ron and Hermione haven't had one single private moment together. What with N.E.W.T.S coming up for the trio it was a wonder they were still alive from the constant studying and nagging from Hermione.

"Wait a minute. How does it rule out you and Ginny? You two had to do just as much work as we did. How did you ever find time together?" Ron asked suspiciously. Even though Ginny had already taken and passed her O.W.L.S with flying colors, that didn't stop Hermione from making her work with the trio. Ginny lowered her head and clasped her hands behind her back while a small blush creeped its way to her cheeks, almost matching her firey red hair.

"That's none of your business, Ron. Besides, you really don't want to know," Harry said, leaning back on the couch. Ginny couldn't keep herself from grinning.

"Harry, Ginny, what did you do? You didn't do anything . . . serious, did you?" Ron asked. Ginny and Harry burst out laughing.

"Oh, Ron! You really think we would do . . . that? That of all things? Of course not. You've gone completely mental," Ginny said, holding her stomach.

"Well, excuse me for being the concerned big brother," Ron said. When Ginny had her fits of laughter under control she walked over to him and kissed him on top of his head. Ron, however, scowled up at her.

"I know. Thanks. Now scoot over," Ginny demanded, wedging herself between Ron and Harry, Harry immediately clasping hands with hers. The four of them sat on the couch and talked nonstop until about three-fifteen when Fred and George showed up.

"Greetings, lovebirds! Having a good afternoon?" George asked cheerfully.

"We were," Ron mumbled. He hated it when Fred and George showed up unexpectedly like this. Didn't they have anything better to do? Of course, the answer was always "To come and bug our little brother, of course!".

"You guys haven't been sitting there all day have you?" Fred asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. We have nothing else to do. By the way, why are you here?" Ginny asked.

"Aww come on, Gin. Can't we come and see our family once in a while?" George said.

"No because you usually want something or know that something's up or are here to play a prank. So, which is it?" Ron said.

"All right you caught us. Mum and Dad are doing something in the backyard and asked us over to help. We just finished our share of the work," George explained.

"I didn't even know they were still here. I thought they went off to the market," Hermione said.

"They did, but now they're back. And guess what they're doing?" Fred asked excitedly. With blank looks on all of their faces, he sighed. "Honestly, can't you guess anything as simple as this? You've solved almost every evil-doing mystery at Hogwarts and you can't figure something as little as this out? You're hopeless,"

"Fred, idiot, just tell them," George said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh all right. Mum and Dad are filling our backyard with water," Fred said, his eyes sparkling.

"What!?" Ginny and Ron shouted together. The two siblings sprang up from the couch and zoomed to the back of the house, the twins, Harry and Hermione chasing after them.

"Mum, Dad! Fred and George said you were filling the backyard with water!" Ginny said, skidding to a halt on the patio. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione didn't realize that the rain had stopped, and now the last of the sun was beaming down on their necks and faces. Mrs. Weasley turned around to her children's cries.

"What's this nonsense now? Filling the backyard with water? Whatever gave you that impression?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"That's what Fred and George said. But I don't see any water," Ron said. Mrs. Weasley laughed lightly.

"Oh no, dear. You've misunderstood. Your Father ordered another Muggle tourist item from his catalog. You know how he gets when he sees anything relating to Muggles. I tried to talk him out of it, I really did, but he wouldn't listen. He said it would benefit you kids. So, I let him go ahead with it." Mrs. Weasley said.

"What did Dad order this time?" Ginny asked. She looked behind her mother and saw three wizards and her father, wands in the air, all standing on four sides of an odd shaped hole, each wand producing water from the ends, filling the hole with the water.

"A swimming pool!" Hermione gasped, excitement written all over her face.

"A what?" Ron, Ginny, Fred and George asked in unison.

"A swimming pool. Honestly, you really need to sign up for Muggle Studies this year. A swimming pool is what Muggles use to cool off. Say if it's a really hot day, the Muggles change into bathing suits and they swim in the pool. They're really fun. I used to have one before we moved from our old home in London," Hermione explained.

"Wow. They do sound really fun. Oh, Mum can we go swimming once its up and running? Please?" Ginny begged as everyone else gave her the same pleading look.

"Well . . . All right. I guess you need to do something while we're gone. We're leaving for Diagon Alley in a few minutes and won't be home until ten or so tonight. Fred, George, Merlin forgive me for doing this. . . but you two are in charge. If your Father and I come home and find the house in ruins, you'll be grounded from now until you're fifty. I mean it. And no parties while we're away, you know the rules," Mrs. Weasley warned firmly. She turned away from them and went to retrieve her husband, who was fascinated with everything about the pool.

"You heard her. Let's go test out the pool," Fred said.

"Wait a minute. Does anyone here actually know how to swim besides me?" Hermione asked.

"I think we do. Don't you two remember when Mum took us to that aquarium when we were younger and George and I freed all the animals?" Fred asked.

"I remember that one. Good times, good times." George said, smiling at the memory.

"I do, unfortunately," Ron muttered.

"What happened?" Harry asked curiously.

"When we were about eight, Ron was five and Ginny was four, Mum and Dad took us all to the local Muggle aquarium in the village. Well, somehow I managed to get a hold of Mum's wand and George got Dad's wand. We knew a little magic, and so we were just playing with the wands, waving them around, when suddenly the glass cracked and all the water that was inside flooded everywhere. We had to literally swim our way to the exit. Man did we get yelled at for that one," Fred explained.

"Yeah, but you have to admit it was fun," George said as him and Fred laughed.

"But didn't you get weird looks from the Muggles because of the wands?" Harry asked.

"Nah, the Muggles didn't look twice at us. They only saw the wands as regular sticks in our hands, like we were just pretending we had wands." George said.

"I didn't know that could also work for wands as well," Harry said.

"'Course, Harry. Virtually everything a Muggle sees that would be wizard materials to us, they only see it as useless junk," George said.

"Incredible. I never knew that either. Fascinating. I must study this once we're back at the library at school," Hermione said. Everyone sighed.

"Kids, we're off to Diagon Alley. Please stay well behaved while we're gone. Remember, no parties!" Mrs. Weasley called from the passenger side of another Ford Angelia.

"Let me know how the pool works out. Goodbye!" Mr. Weasley called from the driver side. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley slid into the car, started the engine, and were rolling down the driveway in no time, the teens waving after them. After the parental units departed, the three wizards from the catalog Disapparated.

"Harry, do you know how to swim?" Hermione asked, turning to him.

"Sort of," Harry frowned. "The Dursley's were never really keen on taking me to the pools. They were too afraid that I would fill it with sharks or something. But I did fall into once when I was seven. Of course the Dursley's never made a move to save me, so I just moved my arms and legs and before I knew it I was out of the water, safe and sound. They resented me for that, but yes I do know how to swim." he confirmed.

"Well, now that everyone here knows how to swim, and since we're all alone . . . let's get started." Fred said, smiling mischievously.

AN- I don't know if Wizards have swimming pools or even know what they are. Let's just SAY that they don't, for the sake of the story.