The Dark Corners of the Earth
Chapter 10 – Love Struck
30th of September 2003 – St. Petersburg, Russia – Buyan island, Hermione's private quarters
Hermione closed her eyes and enjoyed the hot water pouring down on her. Though her luxurious bathroom did, in fact, have a bath, she much preferred showers. It was much quicker to just hop into the shower than to run a bath, after all. Baths were reserved for lazy days and she didn't really have many of those anymore.
While the water poured down, Hermione realized that she actually hadn't seen Bellatrix for a while. In fact, nobody had; the dark witch had withdrawn herself to her private wing and hadn't left it for a week. The word around the palace was that she had canceled all small council meetings, all visits from dignitaries and even the usual guard patrols had been shunned.
It worried Hermione somewhat; this apparently wasn't usual for Bellatrix. It made her wonder what mood she'd be in once she'd finally emerge from her private quarters. Probably not a happy one.
No time to dwell on Bellatrix, however. Today she'd have more courses for her trainees to teach and had a playdate with her little sister afterwards. She stepped out of the shower, dried herself and wrapped a towel around her hair.
As she went to fetch her clothes and prepared to head out to the cafeteria for breakfast, she almost overlooked the tiny little thing in the room which was different from before she'd stepped into the shower. As such, Hermione was surprised to find a small box sitting on the pillow of her bed. It was a red-colored flat and square-shaped box with a yellow ribbon tied around it.
Her curiosity piqued, Hermione walked over to the box and examined it. There was no card and when she opened the box, she found a tray of chocolates inside. Expensive ones; magically twisted taste experiences of white, milk and dark chocolate with creamy filling. Apparently, someone had left these for her while she was in the shower.
The rather creepy idea of someone being in her room while she was showering was quickly negated by the idea that someone had shown a romantic interest in her. That was something which just didn't happen to her. A lot of people were afraid to approach her because she was one of the people who had taken down Voldemort. Others thought that she was in love with her work so much that there was no room for someone else.
Regardless, Hermione walked out into the corridor with a big smile on her face. It was a good feeling to be noticed for once.
By the time she arrived at the cafeteria, Hermione thought she had figured out whom had left it for her. Yes, it had to be Alexei. The handsome young man enjoyed spending time with her and they often had lunch together. Their conversations hadn't exactly been romantic in nature, but that didn't mean anything. In fact, she saw him sitting at the table near the window right now.
"Ah, good morning, Hermione," Alexei greeted cheerfully.
"Ah, uhm, good morning," Hermione felt a flush creep to her cheeks as she sat down opposite to him.
"Is something wrong?" asked Alexei. "You seem a bit flustered."
"Oh, no, no," Hermione smiled. "Uh, did you, uhm, perhaps, uhm, well, leave something in my room just now?"
The young witch could kick herself right now. 'Smooth, Hermione. You're the paragon of seduction'.
Alexei, for his part, frowned. "No," he said. "I would never enter your room without your permission. Is... has someone been trespassing? Should I investigate?"
"No, no, no," Hermione said quickly. "Just... forget it, okay?"
The rest of the breakfast conversation was decidedly awkward.
30th of September 2003 – St. Petersburg, Russia – Buyan island, Luna's office
Luna's office was more akin to being a broom closet in size when compared to the rest of the grandeur of the palace, but she insisted that she liked it that way. There were filing cabinets piling out with papers while Luna sat behind a cluttered desk which barely seemed to fit the room. From the ceiling hung several corks from bits of wire, apparently serving as Nargle-repellants. It appeared some things never changed.
Hermione watched as Luna roved her wand over the box and studied it intently. "Well," said Luna after her spell was done. "They're chocolates."
"You don't say," Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"No secret payload of any kind, just chocolates," said Luna.
"Regular chocolates?" Hermione asked.
Luna shook her head. "I wouldn't call 25 galleon a piece worth of confectionary regular by any means. Someone spent a lot of money on your gift. You have really have no idea who left it for you?"
"I thought I had," said Hermione.
"Alexei?" Luna smiled briefly.
"Yeah, but he wasn't it," said Hermione. "I talk to a lot of people at the palace, but... I honestly have no idea who it could have been."
"It appears you have a secret admirer," Luna replied.
"Oh, god, why?!" Hermione sighed heavily. "Now I'm going to spend every waking moment trying to figure out who could have left it for me. I won't get any work done!"
"Well, if you feel so strongly about it, I could always throw out some feelers," said Luna. "Maybe put an agent or two on the task."
Hermione shook her head. "No, no, the resources of the Walpurgis Union are better spent elsewhere. It's my own problem, and I'll deal with it."
Luna nodded. "Suit yourself. The offer stands."
Hermione remained silent for a bit. "This is nice," she said. "I mean, us two, talking. Like friends. No mysteries, no war. Like it used to be."
Luna smiled warmly. "Honestly, I always got the impression you didn't like me. But then I realized it was just the Nargles burrowing in your brain making you think that."
Hermione gave her friend an incredulous look.
"That was a joke," said Luna.
"Ah," frowned Hermione. "I won't lie, I always disagreed with your worldview, but you were my friend and I trusted you."
Luna seemed thoughtful and, for a moment, went really quiet. "Did my defection hurt you?" she asked carefully.
Hermione closed her eyes and nodded slightly. "Yes," she replied. "Yes, it did."
"I'm sorry," Luna replied with utmost sincerity. "That was never my intention. But I am where..."
"... you need to be," Hermione finished for her. "Whatever that means."
"Are you sure you don't want me to find out who your secret admirer is?" Luna asked while Hermione rose from her seat and got ready to leave. She took the box of chocolates from Luna's desk.
"Nah," said Hermione. "I'm sure he will make himself known at some point."
After saying her goodbyes, Hermione found herself in the hallway with the box of chocolates in hand. Once again, Hermione had more questions than answers after a conversation with Luna and it occurred to her that she hadn't even tasted on the chocolates yet. Well, Luna had told them that they were safe and she had never had such expensive chocolates before. So why not?
She opened the box and picked a particularly delicious looking bonbon made from milk chocolate with white streaks and a particularly enticing hazelnut propped up on top. The moment the chocolate touched her tongue, a shudder went through her body. These were obviously prepared with magic as her tongue tingled after a taste-explosion went off in her mouth. Hermione had to prop herself up against the wall as she felt herself going weak in the knees.
'Right', Hermione panted while recovering from the effects of this chocolate manna from heaven. 'Let's eat these in the privacy of my own bedroom.'
30th of September 2003 – St. Petersburg, Russia – Buyan island, Hermione's private quarters
After consuming two more chocolates, of which the cumulative effect almost had her writhing on the bed from a chocolate orgasm, Hermione was rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. Hermione was about to tell any person as the door to bugger off as she much preferred to spend some time being a complete chocolate junkie, when she heard the voice of her little sister from beyond the door.
"Hermione! Hermione!" she yelled. "Are you in?!"
She opened the door and was happy to see little Ophelia... and at the same time startled when she saw a bored-looking Bellatrix yawning in the hallway. Again, Hermione felt the urge to be a living shield for her little sister if need be. The dark witch seemed to notice this and looked upon her with slight disappointment. "Really?" Bellatrix emphasized her disdain with an angry snort. "Again, I'm not going to eat her."
"What are you doing here?" asked Hermione. "And before you say 'it's my palace', be aware that there's loads of people who've been waiting for you to leave your private quarters."
"First of all, I don't see how that's any business of yours," said a haughty Bellatrix. "Second of all, they'll have to wait for me to be available. Today, I'll be taking this tiny mudblood out into the forest."
"A dragon, Hermione!" Ophelia raved. "I'm going to see a dragon!"
Hermione blinked before narrowing her eyes. "Not going to happen! Out of the question!"
"Awww," Ophelia pouted, giving her the saddest eyes since the death of Bambi's mum. "But Bella said I could!"
Bellatrix snorted again, this time also rolling her eyes. "About a week ago, I promised the tiny mudblood here that I would show her a dragon. I always keep my promises, as you well know. She is going."
Hermione wasn't about to roll over and let this happen. She picked up her little sister, who was more than a little upset and squirmed in protest. "Do mum and dad even know about this?"
"Daaaaawww," Bellatrix mock-pouted while a dangerous light shone in her eyes. "It's so cute that you actually think that you and your parents can stop me from taking the girl to see the dragon. Don't worry. It's perfectly safe. The rusalki won't give her as much as a second glance since, well, she's not the Granger sister who's attracted to women."
That comment made her huff. "I am not attracted to women!" he hissed. A moment later, she pursed her lips. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"Uh-huh," Bellatrix winked. "Well, tag along then. I certainly understand the need to protect one's little sister. And don't worry about that trainee-class of yours. I've already ordered it canceled for today. No need to thank me."
'Thank you?!' Hermione bristled. As her calendar was now cleared and because she definitely did not trust Bellatrix alone with Ophelia, there were no reasons not to go. The dark witch apparated the three of them to the middle of forest on Buyan island. It was a sunny day, and rays of light broke through the thick canopy above them. Hermione became immediately aware that she was being watched from the underbrush. The eyes of the rusalki were once again upon her, and she immediately stepped closer to Bellatrix. For her part, the dark witch shot her a smirk and a wink.
'I am NOT attracted to women!' Hermione once again told herself while the three of them made their way to the clearing where the dragon roosted. Bellatrix stopped at the edge of the forest and peered into the distance.
"He's coming over," whispered Bellatrix as she turned to Ophelia. "Now remember, hm? No sudden movements when he lands. No loud noises. You need to stand still and keep quiet. Can you do that?"
The nervous girl nodded slowly, often looking at the sky to see if she could spot the dragon. Hermione wasn't happy about this at all, however. She'd seen how big this dragon was and Ophelia was just the right size to be a quick snack between meals.
Her little sister gasped and Hermione froze when the flapping of leathery wings sounded nearby. A few moments later, the dragon landed on a large rock near the roost. Hermione died a thousand deaths when Ophelia let out a giggle which was just loud enough to make her cringe. Thankfully, the dragon itself was unimpressed as its maw was folded around the corpse of what looked to be an unfortunate holstein. The carcass was torn and bloody as teeth the size of daggers had ripped into it. The dragon craned its neck and dropped the carcass on the ground, before folding his wings and digging its snout into warm bloody flesh, tearing the meat.
"So coooooollllll," Ophelia gasped.
"Don't move," Hermione whispered softly when she saw her sister was about to rush forward.
Bellatrix, for her part, simply maintained a respectful distance from the dragon.
"Bellatrix," Hermione hissed. "We shouldn't be near a dragon when it's eating. It might turn hostile if we get too close."
The dark witch offered her a disdainful glance, eyes shining with arrogance. It spoke of someone who was self-assured enough to know what she was doing. The dragon, for its part, seemed to acknowledge them for the first time. It regarded the trio for a moment with its intelligent eyes before it craned its neck down to the side of the carcass, slightly pushing his snout against it to shift it towards them. The earth shook at he took a step back and looked at them expectantly.
"What's it doing?" whispered Hermione.
"He's offering us food," replied Bellatrix.
Hermione shot a nauseated look at the bloodied, shredded and saliva-covered carcass. The flies had discovered it and internal organs had become decidedly external. "You can't be serious."
"Be honored," hissed Bellatrix. "You WILL accept."
The young witch watched when Bellatrix produced a dagger from her belt and slowly walked to the carcass. She knelt by it, placed her hand on the carcass and used the dagger to slice off three thankfully clean pieces of flesh. Using her now bloodied hands to levitate the three pieces, the dark witch willed a jet of magical flame to spew forth from her wand. In record time, the beef had been cooked and was, according to Bellatrix at least, ready to eat. Both Hermione and her sister were handed a slice.
"Uhm," Hermione bit her lip.
"Thank you, mister dragon!" Ophelia waved cheerfully while Bellatrix ate her slice. Feeling like there was no avoiding it, Hermione took a few bites from the meat she had been given, fighting the urge to vomit.
The dragon, satisfied that his guests were well-fed, once again buried its snout into the carcass to eat the remainder of his catch.
The next half hour was spent watching the dragon flying around the coast and making sure Ophelia never got too close to the edge of the cliff. Hermione eventually settled for holding her little sister by the shoulders while she squirmed to break free and get a better look from the cliffside.
"Bellatrix?" asked the little girl. "What's his name?"
Bellatrix didn't lower her gaze to answer Ophelia. Instead, she kept looking up, eyes following the flying dragon as it made another pass overhead. "He doesn't have a name," whispered Bellatrix while offering the beast a look of admiration and envy. "He's as free as the wind."
Meanwhile, now that Ophelia was safe and occupied with watching the dragon, Hermione's mind started working on solving the mystery of the chocolates once again. If not Alexei than who had left them for her? Oh, this was so awkward. By now, she knew most of the people who worked and lived at the palace and had a fair idea whom the interested parties might be. Some single younger men she had had conversations with recently, perhaps? In her mind, she listed off the most likely candidates. Lasse? He had invited her to dinner. Roger, maybe? He'd been stealing glances at her during her classes when he thought she wasn't looking. Or maybe Leonid, whom had once given her a fragrant flower at the start of class. Ah, this was maddening. It could be anybody!
Bellatrix nodded and seemed satisfied. "Well, I think I have kept my promise, little witchling. Shall we return to the palace?"
"Wait!" Ophelia suddenly spoke up.
"Hm?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.
"Bella," asked Ophelia as she stood in front of her. "We'll have a new house soon, but mum and dad say that Hermione can't come home with us."
"Ophelia," Hermione started to say.
Bellatrix, for her part, nodded briefly in acknowledgment. "That is correct. Your sister is a big girl. And she has to stay at the palace because she is a big girl."
For once, Hermione was grateful that Bellatrix hadn't chosen a spiteful answer to hurt Ophelia's feelings. She was certain that if Bellatrix had blurted out that she was a prisoner, Ophelia would have gotten very upset. "Come on, Ophelia," said Hermione, not wanting to tempt fate. "Time to head back."
But her little sister would have none of it. With chin raised and a stern look on her face, she continued to admonish Bellatrix. "You like Hermione. Why did you hurt her? Why did you write on her arm?"
By now, Hermione had reached Ophelia and quickly picked her up. She had no way of knowing how being confronted by the actions of her past would make the dark witch react. Hermione was ready to protect her if need be. But the expected fit of rage never came.
Bellatrix looked somewhat contemplative when she pursed her lips and shook her head. She placed her hands on her hips, smearing a large portion of the bovine blood on her hands onto her finery. There was no sarcastic come-back this time, nor even an angry one. For once, the dark witch seemed unsure of what to say. She looked down at her bloody hand and, with a neutral expression, folded it into a fist before looking away.
This surprised Hermione, but at the same time she was used to Bellatrix's devious trickery. For now, she was just content with the fact that the dark witch hadn't exploded into a fit of rage. Ophelia settled in her embrace, but quickly turned her head to face Bellatrix once more. "You're sorry you did it. Why don't you just tell Hermione so that the both of you can be friends?"
"Ophelia, hush!" Hermione said with a tone she considered slightly too harsh. A fearful glance at the dark witch revealed not the expected rage but a frozen expression of silence. The dark witch said nothing, but simply waved her hands to apparate the lot of them back to the palace.
When the fun had ended, Bellatrix apparated them both back to the palace. They ended up standing in Hermione's guest room. Ophelia thanked the dark witch profusely before running off to find mum and dad, no doubt to share all about the adventure she had had. In the meantime, Bellatrix walked into Hermione's bathroom to wash the blood off her hands. And, of course, she didn't ask first. Why should she?
There was an awkward silence at first, the only sound in the room being that of the running faucet. Both were happy for a change of subject, it seemed. So, Hermione decided to combat her frustrations by eating another one of these magnificant chocolates. The young witch almost swooned when the wonderful confectionary set her tastebuds aflame.
"You were rather witless today," called Bellatrix from the bathroom while running a faucet. "A poor woman might think you'd find her company a bore."
"My mind... was occupied," Hermione replied.
"Oh?" said Bellatrix. "Do tell."
Hermione crossed her arms as she spun around. "Keeping my little sister safe from a dragon and from potentially falling off a cliff isn't reason enough to be occupied?"
"Please," Bellatrix snorted. "It's more than that."
"Not that it is any business of yours," said Hermione, crossing her arms while adopting a rather huffy tone of voice. "But this morning I found a box of chocolates on my pillow. I've been trying to figure out who could have left them there."
The faucet was turned off and Bellatrix promptly stepped into the room. "Oh?" said Bellatrix with a rather self-satisfied expression on her face. "Did you like them?"
That was an odd question. Or rather, the way she asked the question was a bit off. If Hermione didn't know any better, she'd say that Bellatrix was a bit excited.
The dark witch approached her, stopping in front of her and standing rather... close. "You liked them, didn't you?" she chuckled.
"Bu... what... How..." Hermione's eyes grew wide as she realized just what Bellatrix was saying. Her body grew numb, her head started to feel light. 'This... this isn't happening!'
"Y-you?" she stammered, backing off a bit until her back hit the wall.
Hermione froze when Bellatrix grabbed her by the shoulders, her hands still cold from the water. "Yes," Bellatrix raised her chin imperiously. "Me."
There was no smile when Bellatrix slowly, very slowly, leaned towards her. The young witch frantically looked back and forth for a way to escape, but the dark witch had her effectively pinned against the wall. When she turned her head back to face Bellatrix, she was startled to see her face mere inches away from hers. As a last-ditch effort, Hermione flexed backwards until the back of her head slammed against the wall. She could feel Bellatrix's breath on her skin. Her heart pounded in her chest like a hammer while her breath quickened. There was no avoiding it now.
The dark witch extended the torture by pausing just before the strike. Dark eyes bore down into her very soul like a predator in the night. And then, Bellatrix's lips touched hers.
So incredibly soft.
Truth be told, Hermione didn't have much experience with being kissed. There'd been Viktor, and Ron, of course. But this? This was so different. A continuous soft brush of lips, Bellatrix... was being gentle. Against everything she expected, Bellatrix was being gentle with her.
Still, this was Bellatrix. The witch whom had tried to kill her and her friends. The witch whom had tortured her. The witch who was at the heart of a devastating war, who held her prisoner. She should feel revolted! She should be repulsed!
But she wasn't. To her own horrified surprise, she wasn't.
Her eyelids, spread wide open, slowly started to close as Hermione started to give in to the kiss. Some of Bellatrix's dark curls fell out of formation and caressed her cheek. It caused Hermione to whimper briefly, which in turn prompted a brief throaty chuckle from Bellatrix.
God. How could this possibly feel so good? Was this magic? What kind of spell had Bellatrix cast on her? She never wanted this wonderful moment to end and she was eagerly waiting for the moment when the dark witch would part her lips with her tongue to explore her mouth. Unfortunately, that moment never came.
Hermione almost whimpered in protest when Bellatrix broke the kiss. She opened her eyes and saw Bellatrix looking at her with an neutral expression on her face. Bellatrix looked... unsure of herself.
Immediately, Hermione remembered where she was, realized what had happened. Feelings of bliss turned into feelings of utter confusion. Confusion quickly turned into terror. Now no longer pinned to the wall, Hermione trembled as she brought her hands to her mouth. Then, she did the only thing she thought she could do; she bolted.
While trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible, her foot caught underneath a carpet which caused her to fall to the ground. Wasting no time, she scrambled towards the door on all fours, hand eventually outstretched to the knob. After looking over her shoulder, she could see Bellatrix staring after her. A blank, questioning stare.
Hermione burst into the hallway. She ran and ran and ran. Through the corridors, into the garden and into the forest. She ran until she could run no more, eventually collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion when she came to a nearby beach. She lay there panting, wondering what the hell just happened.
God, she liked it. Why did she like it?!
30th of September 2003 – Devon, England – The Burrow
Ron Weasley apparated into existence into the front yard of the Burrow, his dufflebag strapped over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and took in the scents from the fields surrounding his childhood home.
Ah, it was good to be home. When the war with the Wallies started, Ron was one of the first to volunteer. He'd helped to take down Voldemort himself, after all, so how difficult could it be to take down his main lackey? It was supposed to be over quickly.
Well, that didn't work out as planned. Five years long, Ron had seen every horror possible in a war and he'd taken it in stride. Fighting Bellatrix was something which 'had to be done', after all. After all he'd seen and done, it was the kids that were killed in front of his eyes in Denmark which weighed most heavily on his mind. She saw them whenever he closed his eyes. 'I tried to save them', he kept reminding himself.
Thankfully, being a hero of two wars did given him some leeway with the brass. He asked for a discharge, and he was given an indefinite leave of absence 'should he change his mind'. He was sure that he wouldn't. He wanted to be his old self again and doing good things in the homeland might help with that.
The moment he stepped inside the Burrow, he found himself glomped vigorously by his mother. It was a tight hug. It was a vice-like hug. In fact, his ribs were starting to buckle.
"Mum," he groaned. "Air!"
"Oh, let a proud mum hug her brave little soldier," replied Molly Weasley as she literally yanked him into the kitchen. The dufflebag was put on the floor, and Ron was seated behind the table. No less half a minute later, he was surrounded with plates of pancakes dripping in sugar and syrup. Thankfully, Ron was still very good at eating.
"How was Denmark?" asked her mother while she was cooking more pancakes. "The papers say we really kicked out the Wallies something fierce."
"Yeah," said Ron. "Don't believe anything you read in the papers, mum. They made us fight for every inch of soil we took. It wasn't pretty. But, you'll be happy to hear I'll be home for a while. They need aurors on home-soil and I applied."
"Ron?" asked Molly, suddenly a bit worried. Ron guessed maternal instinct at work. "What happened in Denmark?"
"I don't want to talk about it, mum," Ron said while stuffing another pancake down his gob.
He heard the clang of a spoon being thrown angrily down into the sink. "This war is destroying so many of our young men and women!" Molly huffed. "When is it going to stop?! You-Know-Who is gone! People need to start realizing that!"
Ron wasn't about to disagree. His mother had fought in both wizarding wars because she thought it was necessary and just. To hear her condemn this one spoke volumes.
"Sorry, dear," said Molly. "I'm not angry at you. In fact, I'm really happy to have you here. It's been so quiet in the house."
Ron could only agree. It did feel much quieter here without George setting off some sort of exploding charm into the yard or Percy complaining about this and that. All of his siblings had moved out by now, and Ginny told him in her letters that their mother was suffering quite heavily from empty nest syndrome. And then there was Charlie.
"I'm sure Charlie is alright, mum," said Ron. His mother nodded grimly, but said nothing. Four years ago, when Bellatrix had taken Romania, Charlie had not escaped the country. They got a message from him was that he had stayed behind because the dragons in the sanctuary needed him. They had no idea how he was doing until two years ago, when Hermione smuggled out a message from him at great personal risk while she was attending a conference. The message stated that he was perfectly alright and that the Wallies give him all freedom take care of the dragons. Ron guessed that even the Wallies were in the market for an expert dragon wrangler.
As if sensing his thoughts, Molly put down another plate of pancakes before speaking. "It's so sad that you and Hermione broke up. You seemed to perfect for each other."
"Eh, it was just weird," shrugged Ron. "We're better off being friends."
"I hope she's alright, the poor dear," said Molly.
"I miss her, really," said Ron while taking a bite. "Can't blame her for wanting to find her parents. And after what Snape did, I can't blame her for wanting out of the war too."
There was a flash of green from the living room and Ron smiled when his father stepped into the kitchen. After a brief peck on the cheek from his mother, Arthur Weasley moved on and clapped his son on the back. "It's good to see you, Ron. You been giving the Wallies hell in Denmark?"
"Arthur!" Molly admonished. "Let's talk about something else than the war for a change, hm? Ron just got home. There'll be plenty of time for war stories."
War stories. If there was one thing Ron hated, it was war stories. War stories were cool when they happened to someone else, and when he was too young and too stupid to understand the harsh realities of war. If Ron lived to be two hundred, he would never, ever tell any kind of war story ever again.
"Well," said Arthur as he produced a paper from his inner coat pocket. He unfolded it and put it down on the table next to the stack of pancakes. "They finally done the press release. It looks like we will be putting down some extra plates at the table soon."
Both Ron and Molly gave him a quizzical look until both of them saw the headline. They almost slammed their heads together to speed-read the rest of the front page article.
"Arthur," said his mother. "Is this true? This is... they can't do this!"
"They can and they will," Arthur sighed. "The higher-ups say the only response to Bellatrix's continuous breaches of Wizarding Secrecy."
Ron sank back in his chair, shaking his head. The Ministry had just passed a law which would mean that wizards would be taking away Muggle-born children from their parents and have them fostered with wizarding families. Any magical child born in the future and currently under the age of twelve would become wards of the Ministry. Wizarding families would be forced to take in and provide for them, while the original Muggle parents would have the memories of their children's existence removed. All in the name of protecting the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
Arthur grumbled slightly. "They're going to push the other Alliance nations to follow suit."
Ron just shook his head. "The world's gone completely fucking mental," he sighed.
"Ronald Weasley!" Molly admonished. "Language, young man!"
His father sat down next to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We're not going to close our door to little ones in need, but what the Ministry is doing is all kinds of wrong."
"Merlin's arse and Circe's tits," Ron sighed, making sure that his mother was out of earshot. "We're as rotten as the Wallies, aren't we? I haven't fought You-Know-Who or the Wallies just so the Ministry could start taking children away from their families!"
To say that Ron was outraged was an understatement. He seethed while balling his fists and slamming them on the table.
"For what it's worth, Ron. I completely agree," his father nodded solemnly.