I’m sorry if this sounds a bit horrible and demented but sometimes I really wish I could strangle my mother. She’s mental I tell you, completely mental. It’s only the second day since we’ve been out of Hogwarts and she thinks I’m wasting my summer. My mum thinks that I should know my 6th year textbooks inside out so I’ll be prepared for September. Last summer, she purchased my 5th year textbooks before the school year had ended and started preparing me 12 months early for my OWLs. Isn’t that insane! Okay maybe if I was a lazy wanker, I’d understand, but I have never gotten a mark below and Exceeds Expectation before. But mum thinks it’s a good idea to do something useful with my free time. I just completed my OWLs and I really want to relax. I’m dreading going down for breakfast but I reluctantly get up anyway and go downstairs.

“Morning, Dad, Mum” I nod at her, hoping that young lady will see how disappointed I am with her behavior.

“Good Morning” dad says without glancing away from his morning paper.

“Had a good sleep, dear?” Mum asks as she takes a sip of her coffee and flips the page of Witch Weekly.

Oh yes, wonderful sleep, I kept dreaming about my charms textbook trying to eat me.

“I guess” I mumble unenthusiastically and take a seat next to dad who’s so absorbed in the Daily Prophet.

“Rose, is your brother up yet?” Mum asks.

“How am I supposed to know”, I reply lazily. I think mum could sense the lack of enthusiasm in my voice, because she just stared at me for a minute as if trying to figure me out. Ha! Like she’ll ever understand me!

“Oh by the way”, she turns to dad, “your mother called, Ron, she invited us to spend the day at the burrow tomorrow. She said everyone’s coming”, mum finished telling us.

“I don’t want to go”, I inform my parents before they get the chance to tell me I have to go.

“Rose!” Mum seems upset but I don’t care. “You don’t have a choice, we’re all going”.

“Except me, I don’t want to go, I’m busy today”, I reply in a cold tone and fold my arms. I really can’t blame myself; she was the one who started it.

“Rose! What could you possibly have to do that’s more important than your own family?” Dad asked. Nice to hear your voice too dad.

“Weren’t you the one who told me I should do something with my summer, weren’t you the one who said I shouldn’t waste my time, mother?” I remind her. Mum screws up her face as she tries to remember.

“Oh that!” Eureka! Einstein has just remembered, “Oh Rose, I wasn’t talking about schoolwork. What did you think? I was talking about schoolwork? Darling do you really think I’m that mean that I’m going to make you study right after you’ve finished your OWLs?”

Um let me see…Yes!

“Than what were you talking about when you said I should—” Dad has put his paper down too and was interested to hear what mum had up her sleeve.

“I was thinking you could do some community service sort of work dear”.

Come again? Community service? If she’s asking me to run a summer camp or something, I’ll probably end up jinxing all those little kids. I have no patience for children who throw water balloons or do any sort of rubbish like that. I’ll probably end up in Azkaban and never get a job at the ministry if I have to volunteer for these things.

“Mum, I don’t think—”

“Rose, I really think it’s a good idea. I‘ve been looking through the paper and I know the perfect place for you—”.

“Mum, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be helping out with kids, I don’t have the patience for that”, I tried to convince her.

“Rose! Stop interrupting your mother! Just here what she has to say”, Dad exclaimed impatiently.

“Okay! I’m sorry!”

“Like I was saying, I have found this help centre for teens your age going through rough patches in their life. I think you can help them, it’ll e good for you because it’ll broaden your mind to different people”.

She wants me to work at a rehab centre?

“I don’t know, Mum, I don’t think I’ll be good with that sort of stuff”, and I’m not lying, I’m not good with slightly deranged people.

“Think about it, Sweetheart, you can possibly make someone’s life better”, Mum tried to convince me but I was even more horrified t hat thought.

What if I don’t change someone’s life for the better? What if I put them in an even worse position? I’m not exactly your best advice columnist or something.

“Mum I don’t think it’s the best idea…” I began to say.

“But it could be really good, opening your mind to different people”, Mum insisted.

“I don’t think so…”

“But, Rose, it’s really advantageous if you want to get a job in the ministry”, Mum really isn’t going to let go of this!

“But Mum—” I began to say but Dad cut me off.

“Why can’t you two argue somewhere else, I’m trying to have a peaceful morning here! Hermione why don’t you give her some time to think about this? And, Rose, even though it is your decision, I agree with your mother that this will be good for you, so please consider this seriously”, I nodded in agreement and with that, dear daddy got up and left to probably yell at Hugo to wake up. Mum got up shortly after him and left to her room.

Usually, dad takes my side when Mum’s making me do something “beneficial for my future”, but this time, he’s betrayed me and he’s taking mother’s side. I cannot lose my daddy to another woman! She probably brainwashed him and told him how this is the best for me.

I’m about to take a bight of my toast when I realize that I couldn’t completely disagree with them. I have always been sort of a narrow minded and judgmental girl, maybe this could be good for me, but I really needed time to think about this, I mean I don’t want to further screw up the life of some kid with an already screwed up life. That wouldn’t be very pleasant now would it?  But I really want to secure a place at the ministry for myself. There’s only two years left till I graduate, and If I don’t get an internship at the ministry, I’ll bring shame to the family, and mum and dad won’t be able to show their face in public and we’ll all have to move to America and I’ll be unemployed and get caught up in drugs and get pregnant and mum and dad will have to disown me and… I really need to think about this community service thing.