Prologue part III
SIRUS BLACK ARRESTED!
At 8 am this morning, Peter Pettigrew, 21 years old recently hired by the department of magical transportation of the ministry of magic, bravely confronted Sirius Black, who, to the general surprise, has revealed himself to be an undercover follower of the one-who-must-not-be-named. According to Cornelius fudge, junior minister of the department of magical accidents and catastrophes, Peter Pettigrew was the first to find Black after a search and arrest warrant was issued against him. Unfortunately, no survivors of the event could relate precisely to the event, but the version that Sir. Cornelius fudge has provided to the press with, can be summarized in the following statement:
" Good morning to everyone …. Concerning the events of this morning, Mr Pettigrew, probably overcome with grief and rage after two of his closest friend's death, tracked Sirius Black down. He was the first to find Black, who is assumed that after his master's downfall, he was about to commit a mass attack against muggles as an act of vengeance, so he confronted him. He tried to hold Black until the ministry HIIT wizards squad arrived…Unfortunately, in an act of pure evil, Black cast a mighty blasting curse that reduced in ashes not only Pettigrew but also killed twelve muggles and devastated the street… However, it saddens me very deeply to say that we arrived too late to stop this blood bath from happening, but we managed to capture Sirius Black, who is now already in a cell in Azkaban."
Asked about the rumours about running for the office of the ministry of magic at the next elections:
"I can assure you that the only goal I aim at, every single day since the moment I wake up every morning, is to serve my own…my family known as "the magical community of Great Britain." Before leaving and denying any further comment. This news was brought to us by our special reporter Rita skeeter (page 25) detailing the torture and murder of a muggle named "Steven Blakeley" the same night the-one-who-must-not-be-named disappeared.
Sirius Black is the son of Orion and Walburga Black. The last male of the black family after the disappearance and presumed death of his younger brother Regulus Arcturus Black at only sixteen years old, a case that should be reopened after the testimony of a former classmate of Regulus Black that wished to remain anonymous:
" Regulus was terrified and continuously bullied by his older brother and friends who called themselves the Mar …
The man sitting in his armchair reading his newspaper, his baby daughter peacefully sleeping wrapped in his arms, got snatched back by his sons' sudden voices irrupting in the living room. Three days ago, any sound would have made his blood go cold, but not today.
"Yes, he exists! I read it on the daily prophet!" claimed the youngest.
The older rolled his eyes before answering, " Of course you did… That's what they want you to believe; it's a story made up to tuck in babies your age at night… It was Dumbledore! And you are 5; you can't even read the paper!"
"YES, I CAN! Mumy is teaching me! We read the paper together every day!"
"Yeahhh oooof couuuurse…." the other said with a smirk
These scenes were widespread in the house; his sons always had something to argue about; he knew better than anyone this had to stop before a more prominent player joined the game, even if he doubted that anything could ruin his wife's good mood…
"Boys, keep it quiet, please; your sister is napping…."
"Sorry, dad, I was just making sure that this one" -pointing at his brother- "is at least a little bit smarter than a troll, that's all," he said with a smile before turning to his brother-" You know, Percy, if you believe everything you are told, you will not be considered smart enough to get a letter from Hogwarts, like our cousin Walter" He finished with a sad tone.
The little one face paled, turned to his father with a terrified look on his face, "Is it true, dad?"
"No, it's not, you don't even have a cousin named Walter… he is just kidding, and please keep your voices down!" said his father- "Would you care to explain what are you arguing over this time? Please?"
"Yes, that's a good idea!" Said the older kid-" Listen, Percy, we are going to ask dad… if you are right, you can ask me for something…Absolutely anything you want!" he said, opening his arms wide" But, if I'm right, you will owe me a favour, deal?"
Percy looked at his father, unsure of himself, before speaking with a small voice," deal." and shook his brother's hand.
"Wicked!" he said before shaking his brother's hand and turning to his father, who was looking suspiciously at his sons–" Ok, dad, Percy is saying since yesterday that you-know-who is dead…He said that a baby, Happy Pooper…."
"HARRY POTTER," Percy shouted.
"Er… Right… Harry Potter killed you know who."
"So... Is it true, Dad?" Percy asked, hopefully, his eyes wide behind his glasses.
Their father let a sight, softly kissed his baby on the front before speaking kindly to his sons:
"Yes, it's right; it's precisely what happened… You-know-who tried to kill Harry Potter, but he couldn't, he got destroyed instead, nobody knows why or how, but it's not a lie… That's why I am not at work; they gave my department the day off to celebrate the end of the war…Everyone is celebrating in the country anyway." He said, smiling at them.
A moment of silence followed before Percy raised his fists in the air celebrating his victory over his brother; he had to admit that was a first; Percy was too innocent compared to his brothers.
"Now I want my prize! We made a deal; you can't back off; dad saw everything! Right, dad?" Said Percy.
"Yes I did…" he said, looking at the older kid, who was looking at his feet with what he suspected was a faked disappointed face.
"Ok, Percy… You win, you got me this time… What do you want?... Please go easy on me," he said.
Percy grinned at him and ordered his brother, "I want you to give me Scrabbers!"
"What?! But…Percy…You know how much he means to me, he is my oldest friend, and now he is my only friend since Bill left for Hogwart!"
"You just found him this morning…" said his father, trying not to laugh.
The kid gave his father a defeated look, let a long sigh before saying to his brother:
"Ok, Percy, Scrabbers is yours now, but please let me play with him sometimes…"
" No!" said Percy before rushing to hug his mom, who just entered the living room holding in her hands a redhead toddler-"Mommy, guess what! Harry Potter does exist, dad told us! And I won Scrabbers! I won against Charly! Me!"
The father observed with interest his young kid who was smirking, before telling him with a quiet voice:
"So that was your plan, you didn't even spend a day with that rat…Did you do something to that poor rat?"
His son looked at him with a smirk before saying:
"Watch and learn, dad!" he told him with a wink. Then he ran to his mother, who was now in the kitchen, and heard him telling her with an excited voice:
" Mom! Dad said I can have a dragon for Christmas; he said YES because I have been so nice to Percy ALL day!"
His mother looked at him smiling and softly caressed his little cheeks before telling him:
" Sweety… If you want so much to take care of dragons, you have two of them right now in the garden terrorizing the gnomes..." then her eyes darkened" … And if you lie to me again, Charles Weasley, I am sure I'll find a dragon and feed you to him."
Arthur Weasley hugged his daughter softly against his chest, smiling at the kitchen's direction, another evil plot of one of his sons miserably failed. Looking at his little Ginerva purring in her sleep, he couldn't feel sad for the toddler who made a childhood for his kids possible, the same child who now will grow up an orphan. Arthur has never been familiar with James and Lily Potter; he didn't know much about them except that Lily was trying to become a Healer until she and her husband disappeared one year ago. He heard from Alastor Moody that the kid was taken care of by Albus Dumbledore himself, so there was no doubt that, wherever he was, he was going to be loved and treasured as much as the beautiful little Faye that was curling in his arms.
His three older sons will remember the long days their mother spent staring at their old clock, terrified. All the times she rushed them to the fireplace at any suspicious sound coming from the outside or that horrible night when the Aurors came to their home in the middle of the night to announce the death of her brothers and the following days she spent crying, refusing to eat…. But, no…Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny won't have to grow up with that fear and scenes like those. All because of Harry Potter, and he will make sure that his kids know who that kid is and his story. Arthur and Molly Weasley will always be in his debt.
Thanks for reading, and please review!