Ministry Mayhem

Arthur Weasley reluctantly bought a Daily Prophet on the way home from work. Lately he had abstained from buying any kind of Ministry propaganda, however, it wasn't everyday Harry Potter (accompanied by his son) broke into the Ministry of Magic. Curiosity overtook him today; he wanted to see how the Ministry would describe this major break-in.

With his newspaper in one hand and his briefcase in the other, Arthur Disapparated from the middle of Diagon Alley to the field surrounding the Burrow and set off at a rushed pace.

He used his usual rhythmic rap to knock the door, alerting Molly that it was he who wished to enter. He only needed to wait a few moments before his wife rushed to the door and greeted him tiredly. Arthur didn't waste time asking a security question – he wanted to jump straight into the details while they were fresh in his mind.

Fleur, his daughter-in-law, and Bill, his oldest son, were sitting around the kitchen table. Molly carefully unclenched the suitcase from Arthur's fist and set it beside the umbrella stand while he hastily chose his normal seat around the table. Arthur's eyes wandered to where Ron usually sat; a seat which had been empty for nearly a month. With a deep breath he readied himself to begin his tale of the day.

"Were you not at work today, son?" he asked Bill.

"No. Less for me to do now, isn't there? Lucky enough it's not affecting my pay. How was the Ministry?"

Molly sat down facing her husband, her brown eyes still showing signs of stress from recent goings-on. This was only going to add to her worry.

"Havoc. The whole place was in havoc. I've never seen it so unorganised," Arthur began. "But before I say anything, I want to check if they've mentioned what happened in the Daily Prophet."

"You're scaring me, Arthur," said Mrs Weasley. "You seem flustered."

Arthur spread the evening edition of the Prophet onto the table. The front page said nothing of any break-in or dysfunction and the second page also held disappointment. A large advertisement filled the third and fourth, but on the fifth was a small article recognising some sort of disruption at the Ministry.

MINISTRY HIJACK

Earlier today, the Ministry of Magic was rumoured to have been hijacked by unknown criminals who caused mayhem within the building. The identification of the three hijackers is still unknown, but the Ministry insists no one was hurt and nothing destroyed. The Ministry is urging anyone with information to come forward, since any act against the Ministry is a serious crime. The hijackers are probably out of control and need to be caught before they cause any more damage to our community. More detail will be revealed within the next coming days.

Arthur sighed with mild disappointment, but it wasn't any different from what he expected. He'd need to watch the headlines over the next few weeks, just in case.

"Disgraceful! Nothing at all. Only a little paragraph urging people with information to come forward," Arthur rubbed his eyes and placed the newspaper to one side. This was where things were going to get complicated. Where could he begin?

"Someone broke into the heart of the Ministry today," he started.

As Molly gasped, Bill asked, "Who was it?"

Arthur paused and turned to his wife, "Three people who the Ministry are claiming as unknown. Personally, I think it's pretty obvious, Molly."

"No!" shouted Molly in disbelief. "They wouldn't be that stupid! Why would they want to break into the Ministry?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling I saw them," he admitted.

"What do you –?"

"What 'appened?" Fleur interrupted Molly.

"They used Polyjuice Potion, obviously," started Arthur. "But I saw Runcorn and Reg Cattermole talking. Apart from being appalled that Reg would ever speak to Runcorn, I found it very unusual they were getting along so well. I entered the lift and found that Reg needed some help and when he left I took Runcorn to one side to have a word about his recent antics. He wasn't responding as he usually did, but interrupted me and said something strange."

"What did he say?" asked Bill.

"Arthur, you know you're being tracked, don't you?" he repeated the words that sent chills down his spine only a few hours ago.

Molly gasped and placed a hand to her heart, "Oh, Arthur!"

"But that wasn't what concerned me – we suspected I was being tracked anyway – it was how concerned Runcorn sounded. I'd never seen him so distressed. Why would he care if I knew? The usual Runcorn wouldn't, but this Runcorn looked shaken."

Arthur let the conversation drop for a moment or two. He wished he knew what they were doing in the Ministry. He could've helped them. If they had given some sort of a clue as to who they really were, they might've escaped unnoticed. It must've been really important, thought Arthur, otherwise they wouldn't dare go near the Ministry at the moment.

"Do you think it was 'Arry and Ronald?" asked Fleur.

"I know it was Harry and Ron," said Arthur.

"How do you know?" asked Molly.

"Runcorn came into work this afternoon and said that Mafalda Hopkirk had offered him a sweet this morning and it made him take a terrible nosebleed. He had to rush to St. Mongo's to fix it. Reg and his family have mysteriously left the country," explained Arthur.

"Mafalda Hopkirk…?" Bill asked, appearing confused.

"She was found unconscious in a closet. She couldn't remember a thing."

"You think Hermione was with them?"

"Yes. The Ministry know it was Harry. I heard from two members of the Goblin Liaison Office (who were on the ground floor at the time) that Harry's disguise had faded as he ran away from the security guards who were following them. They also said that the girl who was with them was just beginning to change back as they escaped," said Arthur. As he explained the events of the day, the worry in his stomach rose to a higher level. They were so close to being caught that the thought was unimaginable to his mind.

"I wish I knew what they were doing," muttered Molly.

"It was rumoured Umbridge was involved," said Arthur, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't see how anything to do with that woman can help them with whatever they're planning."

"They're safe, and that's what matters. They're not stupid and they can definitely look after themselves," said Bill. He had reached for Fleur's hand across the table throughout listening to Arthur's explanations.

"But are they? How can we be sure? They could've been tracked or anything!" worried Molly. Arthur worried that she was on the verge of hysteria.

"I'll talk to Lupin," he told her, trying to calm her down. "He can go visit Grimmauld Place, just to see if their alright. It's what comes out in the newspaper that worries me."

Arthur thought that it was a lucky escape for the three teenagers. He still continued to believe their reckless behaviour was necessary; after all, Ron had talked to him about the Ghoul in the attic. His son had sounded urgent, and ever since that moment he had realised how grown up Ron, Harry and Hermione were. They had to deal with a lot during their time at school and somehow it had made them stronger than he ever imagined.

Arthur probably knew more than Molly of how serious Ron, Harry and Hermione were taking this secret instruction from Dumbledore. She still thought of them as children who needed her nurturing. The past few weeks had not been easy on Molly; all she was doing was worrying about everything. No matter what Arthur said he couldn't calm his wife down.

The chaos of society wasn't going to end anytime soon. Arthur just feared for the safety of his son and his two best friends. No matter what happened, they needed to survive for the sake of Molly.