Bloody Hands
Chapter One: Unrest at breakfast.
"Complete rubbish, don't know why you bother." Moody growled.
"Actually, I think the Daily Prophet have it right this time." Arthur Weasley said, folding the paper in half to glance over the lower part of the article.
Remus looked up from his book ('Pure blood families through history', a book which Sirius had tried to throw away the previous day only for it to be saved by Remus. He didn't like to see books discarded, especially ones he hadn't read.)
"Could I have that?" He asked quietly.
Arthur looked at him and smiled, handing over the paper just as his wife began to load up his plate with breakfast. When Remus reached out for the paper his hands shook slightly, only Molly Weasley and Sirius noticed. Sirius was frowning at his friend, at his weary appearance. Everyone was keeping their voice down, whether they realised that they did or not. The full moon was dragging Remus into its control.
Remus looked over the paper. "What does it say?" Sirius asked curiously, eyes never moving from Remus.
Beside Moody at the table Kingsley was eating his way steadily through a rather large breakfast that Molly had given him. In between mouthfuls of tomato he smiled at Moody, "You only dislike that paper because they publish weird tales about you."
"Not at all," Moody huffed "If I worried about that sort of thing I'd never have gotten anywhere."
Kingsley poked at his mushrooms still looking at Moody, his eyes passed over the eccentric wizards face, a face that read experience and knowledge. Both the bright blue eye and the dark one were focused on him, he felt the gaze trailing over him. Kingsley was not at all old, he sounded much older than he was because of his work. He held a very important position in the Auror department, and he didn't get there by sounding naïve and young. Kingsley was about Sirius and Remus' age, though he hadn't gone to Hogwarts with them for long. He'd travelled with his family, studying at Durmstrang, Beaubatons and several of the smaller wizarding schools around the globe.
Moody was greatly impressed by Kingsley, by his determination not only as an Auror but also to help in the Order. He knew that Kingsley was immensely valuable to them, it wasn't just that he led the search for Sirius. He had a good mind, and a good heart, he genuinely looked for as many ways as he could to help out.
Kingsley ate more of his breakfast, stroking his black hair back with one hand and stabbing mushrooms with the other. The conversation would seem to have been lost, but between Moody and Kingsley silence never truly existed. "Then you don't mind the image they create of you?" he asked with the brief glance up at the older man.
"Always allow the enemy to underestimate you, there's no use for foolish pride."
Kingsley smiled without much feeling, "perhaps not."
Remus had turned towards Sirius and was reading the article to him.
"Ministry divided," he began, Sirius watching him patiently and listening hard, "although the ministry has often disagreed on many issues we have never known such division of opinion. While this newspaper gives its whole support to the ministry we do wish to remind readers that we aim to be as objective as possible in reporting the-" Moody gave an amused grunt into his flask of pumpkin juice-"events." Remus finished, looking up at Sirius. The long haired wizard looked very thoughtful, his eyes roaming without purpose over the front of the newspaper Remus had put down.
"That's an oddly short article," he commented.
"Perhaps someone accused them of being one sided," Remus volunteered. Moody banged his flask down causing Kingsley to abandon his eating and look at them.
"They wouldn't be wrong," he growled casting dark looks at the paper "objective" he said scornfully.
"They do seem to have adopted firm opinions," Remus acknowledged "but I suspect that it has something to do with the paper's funding."
"Fudge is probably censoring it," Sirius said supported from nods from Moody "only letting them publish his own opinions."
"Or what he has been advised," each of them looked at Kingsley, he looked over at Arthur "barely any of these ideas have been thought up by Fudge. He'll do anything if he thinks it will help him keep support. The truth is that the majority of people can be convinced to believe what he says, after so many years of peace no one wants to acknowledge unrest that doesn't affect them."
Sirius wasn't listening, the conversation was old ground and he didn't need to try and keep up with it. He had picked up the paper and was leafing through its pages; this edition contained a strange tone. Its small articles concerning serious news, undoubtedly a source of worry to some, were overshadowed by large spreads concerning issues of little consequence. It was only as Sirius began reading a rather strange tale of a baby born on a broomstick over the Channel that he noticed the small section at the bottom of the page. He smoothed out the paper and cut through Moody giving the table his wisdom on previous ministers of magic.
"The ministry confirmed yesterday that there is an investigation taking place concerning action which may be taken against dangerous beings. While there have been no statements released concerning which creatures are being investigates the Daily Prophet would speculate that species of giants, werewolves, vampires, and other beings of this kind are being investigated. While they are accepted under current laws it is widely acknowledged that they live on the fringes of the magical community and have always posed a threat." Sirius finished speaking but still everyone was silent.
They knew giants for example, who had joined Voldemort's ranks last time, would need to be persuaded over or dealt with in some way. But vampires? Werewolves? These solitary creatures had never joined anyone, they were truly solitary. No werewolves had packed together for hundreds of years, and everyone knew it. Remus was frowning slightly, watching Sirius. He knew the implications for him. Not all werewolves, or vampires, were known to the ministry of their countries but those who had been through a system, as Remus, had been registered. The hospital he was taken to when bitten passed along the information. As Sirius looked at him Remus began to tremble with barely repressed anger.
