Gnomes

They sat around the kitchen table at the Burrow, quietly finishing up breakfast. It had been two weeks since the final battle ended, and the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, had been cleaning up Hogwarts endlessly.

They were also in mourning for Fred, Tonks and Remus. George walked around aimlessly for hours on end, looking like a ghost. They all wore a single article of black clothing, for all black would have been murderous in the heat.

Mrs. Weasley looked around at everyone sitting at the table.

"Alright, you lot. You can't be sitting here doing nothing all day," she started. "The house needs a bit of cleaning up, and as far as I can see, no one seems to be particularly busy." She paused for a moment, trying to glare at the people around her. Instead, she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Arthur – can you and George un-charm the ghoul in the attic? He's certainly getting to me." Mr. Weasley and George looked at each other, then wordlessly got up and left. "Ron – "

"I'll de-gnome the garden, Mum," Ron spoke up. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Hermione –"

"I'll help him. I've never been de-gnoming before, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione replied, interested. Harry, who was taking a sip of his tea when she said that, started choking. Ginny hit him on the back once to clear his throat, while Hermione glared at him.

"All right, my dear then," Mrs. Weasley continued after a moment. Hermione and Ron got up and headed out the back door.

"I was being serious," Hermione muttered as she stepped outside. The air was warm and a small breeze wafted through the garden. Ron stopped at a bush and started to search for a gnome.

"How do you de-gnome anyway?" Hermione asked Ron. Ron picked up an angry little gnome.

"Like this, 'Mione," he replied. He started swinging him around and then suddenly let him go. The gnome went flying over a tree.

"I'm a bit out of practice, really. I could do much better than that," he said. Hermione picked up a gnome herself and tried it. She swung it around slowly, but as it dug its nails into her, she jerked it off and it too went flying over the tree. Ron looked, pleased.

"Nice one, Hermione," he said. Soon the air was thick with flying gnomes. A few minutes later, she turned to Ron, an evil grin on her face.

"Watch this one," she said. He stopped for a moment. She flung the gnome past the tree once more, then immediately turned around kissed Ron on the mouth. He was so surprised he fell down abruptly. Hermione giggled.

"That's two gnomes in one, I'd say," she said. Ron blushed and stood up.

"Oy, you two!" they heard Ginny call from her window. "Don't you have some de-gnoming to do?" Ron grinned.

"We are!" he called back, and began kissing Hermione back.