We were back at Sarah Beth's Aunt's. We hadn't knocked on the door yet. We didn't know if we wanted to...
"Okay, Ashley. Are you ready?" Sarah Beth sounded unsure.
"I've been preparing for this. You ready?" I asked in return.
She sighed in anticipation. "Yep."
I knocked on the door. The little house elf Twinkle opened it.
"Oh! Miss! And Muggle!" Twinkle cried in delight. "Come in, come in. Twinkle will let Miss know that Little Miss and Muggle are here."
She disappeared to inform Umbridge of our arrival. I stared at the cat plates on the wall like I had before. Suddenly, Umbridge and Rufus Fudge entered the sitting room from the hallway. Rufus was carrying what looked like a monstrously heavy box.
"Oh!" Dolores said in surprise. "Sarah Beth, sweetie! I did not expect you.... or you here today..."
She was already prepared to cut me down. Of course.
"Auntie!" Sarah Beth glared.
"Hm? Oh! Oh... er, yes. Hello there, Ashley."
"Hello, Dolores!" I smiled.
"Ms. Umbridge, Ashley."
"Ms... Umbridge."
"Very good. What do you need?"
Sarah Beth smiled and announced "Ashley wanted to help out around the house today!"
Uh...
"What?" Umbridge frowned.
My fiancee took a deep breath. "Well, Ashley and I... we were, er ... Well, let's just say that... AshleyandIknewthatyoustillneededsomehelpsohedecidedallbyhimselfthathewantedtoassistyou... Auntie."
"Nonsense. I am in need of no assistance whatsoever. From anyone."
Rufus grinned. "Does that mean that I can go now?!"
"Wha-oof-well... no, Rufus! You decided to help me a long time ago! I could not possibly lose your help now! These chests have powerful charms on them that repel magical effects, so you can only lift them by hand. I am not strong enough to handle them myself..."
I decided to step in. "Maybe Rufus could take a break and I take his place, so-"
"No."
"But Auntie!"
"I said no!"
Rufus looked beat. "To be honest, Dolores, I could use a rest. And a glass of water. And the loo. Ashley is just as strong as I am, if not a bit stronger. And the both of us helping out can get the job done a lot faster!"
The woman thought. "If it keeps you all happy, the Muggle may work today. BUT if I see him slacking at all or not pulling his weight as much as dear Rufus, I am kicking him out! My house holds no room for freeloaders. Now, Sarah Beth! Sit and have a tea with me while the boys do all the lifting."
---
The attic was dark, and much farther away from everything else in the house. You could not even hear Sarah Beth and Umbridge talking over their tea in the dining room
"Let's take a break here, mate." Rufus coughed a bit, obviously exhausted from all the moving. I was, too. We had only moved a bit less than a quarter of the chests, and sweat was pouring down us. "That charm wore off."
"Is that some kind of cooling spell or something?" I asked the wizard.
He nodded and held his wand out. "Refrescio."
