While everyone was staying at 12 Grimmauld Place over the summer, there would be times where everyone was really quiet and moody.
Harry wasn’t smiling much any more. He was still resentful that everyone kept him in the dark about what was going on for the summer. He was angry that the adults were treating him like a child despite everything he had handled the previous year. He was depressed because he was still thinking of Cedric and the Graveyard every day and dreaming of it every night.
Sirius was angry and lashing out about being cooped up in his childhood home which only brought back bad memories. His mother’s portrait in the hall screaming every few minutes was driving him mad, and Kreacher muttering under his breath about the “filth” in the house was almost too much to bear. He felt like he just traded Azkaban for a different prison.
Remus was tired. While he had contact with Snape again, he wasn’t always able to get the wolfsbane potion due to how busy Snape was with his assignments from Dumbledore. When he wasn’t on his own missions to get in contact with the other werewolves, he was trying to pacify Sirius and keep him calm, and because Remus is such a calm person, no one ever really thought to ask if he was okay and how he was doing.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley busied themselves with work, but it was clear they were both worried. They know what the war did to families last time, and felt they had already lost Percy. They were struggling to stay positive for their children, but knew they needed to start being realistic about the danger that would be coming in the near future.
Fred and George were their usual selves. They were goofing off and making their inventions, but sometimes even they seemed like they were forcing it. They felt like their parents didn’t trust them to be involved in the Order, even though they knew deep down that their parents just wanted to keep them safe.
Ron and Hermione felt like they needed to walk on eggshells around Harry. They could never be sure what would send him into a dark mood, or if he would get angry at them. And they understood everything he was going through and didn’t resent him for it, but sometimes they just missed old times and when they could easily laugh together. They knew this was only the beginning of the hardships they were going to face, but wanted the light to last just a little longer before the darkness began to set in.
And Ginny had enough. One morning she wakes up and informs Hermione that it is going to be a good day weather everyone likes it or not. She drags Hermione into the kitchen, both still in their pyjamas, and tells her mother that they are going to cook breakfast today. Mrs. Weasley is surprised but accepts the help, and leaves the kitchen to begin the days work of cleaning the house while she waits for breakfast to be ready.
Ginny makes Hermione turn on the radio while they cook and they put on some upbeat music, played as loud as they can without waking up Mrs. Black’s portrait in the other room, and start to make a breakfast feast the muggle way since they can’t use magic.
And as the music plays, they sing along and dance and laugh for the first time in ages.
Fred and George are the first two to wander in the kitchen and join in the festivities immediately. They joke and dance around with the girls and of course start throwing flour at each other and making a mess. And Hermione wants to scold them for making a mess but is laughing too hard because Fred threw an entire handful of flour at Bill who just walked in the room and he looks like a ghost.
And of course Bill joins in. He was getting tired of the serious atmosphere in the building and wants to have a little fun himself. He draws war paint styled marks in the flour on his face and picks up a handful himself, getting to work
Tonks hears the laughter and enters the room, also immediately joining in on the fun, because of course she would.
Ron drags Harry into the kitchen next, because he smelled breakfast and was starving and he wasn’t going to let Harry mope all day. When they see the mess and everyone throwing flour at each other they stop in their tracks. Then Ginny drags them both in the room and throws a handful of flour at each of them to initiate them into the group.
And then a wizard rock song everyone loves comes on and Tonks cranks the volume way up, and all of them are singing and dancing, and for the first time in days, maybe weeks, Harry is smiling and laughing and temporarily forgets all about his hearing at the ministry of magic, and the dementors, and Voldemort, and Cedric.
At this point, the food is a little burnt and the kitchen is a disaster, but they don’t care.
Sirius and Remus are the next to come in, because Remus hears the music and knows that it would do Sirius some good to have some fun.
When they get in the kitchen and see Harry smiling and laughing they can’t help but smile themselves. Aside from the shock they feel at how in that moment he looks so much like James, they know how down he had been feeling and are so happy that he is feeling happy.
Sirius walks into the fray and Tonks makes sure he gets a nice coating of flour all over his black hair and he is smiling a carefree smile again that Remus hadn’t seen since before Azkaban.
By now, Remus notices the burning food and goes to salvage what he can, but while he’s standing at the stove flipping the pancakes, Tonks and Sirius gang up on him and coat him in flour.
When Mrs. Weasley walks back in the kitchen with Mr. Weasley to check on their progress, she is greeted by the site of Fred and George making “Flour Angels” on the floor, Bill has enchanted the bag of flour to follow Ron around and “snow” on him. Ron is trying his best to jump and grab at it but it just keeps moving out of his way. Harry and Hermione are standing near by watching him struggle and clutching their sides with laughter. Ginny has figured out how to wrap the flour in a napkin just right so that it can be thrown like a snowball at people and release a puff of flour when they make contact and she is pelting Bill with them. Sirius, Remus and Tonks are sitting at the kitchen table laughing at the others and playing pictonary by drawing pictures in the flour that’s landed on the table.
When Mrs. Weasley enters the kitchen everyone freezes, worried that she’s going to be angry, She is very quiet as she walks into the room and surveys the mess that has been made. Then Fred and George get up off the floor and give her a big bear hug, getting her covered in flour and she starts laughing.
Everyone relaxes and decides it’s time to clean up and start eating. The adults use magic to get the flour off the floor, tables, and counters. Everyone sits down to eat, and while it’s either burnt or cold, everyone says it’s the best meal they’ve ever had.
And for the first time in weeks, everyone is having a pleasant conversation, and is laughing together, and the good mood lasts a full day before everyone begins to let dark thoughts come back into their minds.
