Merry Meet
Disclaimer: I'm running out of interesting ways to say I don't own the characters.
Authors note: As short and simple as this is, it was actually quite annoying tricky to write.
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There was another burst of laughter and the Three Broomsticks rang with song.
The witches and wizards of Hogsmede had gathered together
earlier in their copious town hall to discuss the recent developments from the
ministry of magic.
Being the only solely wizarding community in England, the news of Lord
Voldemort's return had caused a buzz of terror through the people of the lazy
little town. People had started barring doors, sealing them with unbreakable
charms, peering through curtains onto the deserted streets, and gossiping with
neighbours in hushed fearful voices.
But now was a time of celebration. A time to savour small victories.
Today the names and faces of all the captured Death eaters had been announced in the Daily prophet, and after discussing town safety at the community meeting, they had mostly retired to the pub to drink and make merry at the news of their blow to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"Drinks all around!" bellowed a barrel chested wizard, already red in the face from drink, dropping a pouch of galleons onto the bar. There was a rowdy cheer from the pub patrons and a scramble to get their fair share of the freebies.
Madame Rosemerta worked hard; going as far as to recruit five assistants to help her serve, but the extra workload had not dampened her cheer. She passed out drinks as the barrel chested wizard had called; going so far as to call out to wizards and witches she knew hadn't collected their freebie.
"Janie Crimp!" She called out over bobbing heads, holding up
a dripping tankard. An apple cheeked woman wove through the crowd, beaming and
taking the drink.
"Won't you sit, Rose?" The witch asked her, laying a hand on her forearm in a
motherly fashion. "You've been going non-stop since the meeting, and I wouldn't
be surprised if you're on your last legs there, dear."
Rosemerta bit her lip surveying the surging crowd.
"I'm not sure; these young puppies helping aren't all that good." she said anxiously, watching a young witch spill a tankard over an elderly little wizard, who, thankfully, saw the funny side and was brushing aside her hysterical apologies.
"Now dear, I'll send my son to help, Luca. You know him,
he's been helping out on odd nights at the Leaky cauldron, he'll keep the young'
en's in line."
Rosemerta looked around. she COULD do with a little rest, and Janie wasn't the
sort of witch to leave her hanging.
"Oh alright." She said, smiling her dazzling smile, waving young Boris
Ellington, one of the helpers, over. He sloped through the crowd, looking
rather nervous and guilty- evidently thinking he was in trouble.
"Ellington, Janie here's going to introduce you to her son; he'll be taking over from me and giving me a bit of a break. Pass it onto the others please."
"Yes ma'am!" He said, straightening, evidently rather pleased he wasn't in trouble, before following Janie over to her dark haired son who seemed to have been cornered by a group of young witches.
Rosemerta settled at the table Janie had been seated, with old friends and patrons, Linda Fairweather, Maria Green and withered old Isabella Carmichael, who was sipping a fire whisky, draped in a shawl.
"Evening Rose!" They all chorused in various sync. Janie bustled up behind her, sliding into a chair beside the window.
"Don't worry, Rosemerta, Luca's handling them well." She
assured, gesturing to a rather handsome young wizard calling out for Peter
Yardworth, holding up an uncollected drink.
"You're a doll, Janie." Rose sighed happily, her feet aching as she relaxed. "I
didn't realise how tiring that was!" She rolled her shoulders
"Ah but worth it." Linda smiled, patting her hand "Looks
like we'll have precious little to celebrate in the next few years I feel"
"Oh, do leave off Linda!" Little Maria quipped "Let's not talk about doom and
gloom.Isabella dear, grab that paper from the Wentworth's table, looks as if
he's finished with it. let's have a good look at the felons we caught! In all
the bustle, I heard very little in the way of names, or numbers."
Isabella pinched the paper and laid it flat out on the table, faces of the
caught wizards, and their names beneath glaring up at them from the front page.
"Goodness!" Rosemerta said, getting her first real look at the captured wizards "There are some very influential names here! Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, McNair. Goodness! Malfoy!" She said with a startled look
"Could have predicted that." Isabella said, her eyes narrowed with dislike at the cold eyed picture "My husband, as you know, is on the board of governors at Hogwarts- Malfoy used to be on there as well." She sneered with hate "The stories my husband came back with about that man!"
"But he was dreadfully influential in the ministry, wasn't he? Fudge must be feeling a right berk." Janie said, looking over the faces. "Most of the others here were also in the ministry. Look! McNair, formally disposal of dangerous creatures- now there's a man I wouldn't give an axe."
They laughed quietly at that, and flicked through the pages
of the paper, looking at articles.
"Some of these fellows have children at Hogwarts." Maria said, pointing at a
small article about it.
Rose nodded. "I rarely forget a face. Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy often come in
here on their Hogsmede weekends." She said, peering at the article. "Young
Draco is the spitting image of his father at that age. with any luck the
incarceration of his father might discourage him a little."
"It's always the children that suffer." Linda said sagely "I mean now those
poor wee ones will be ridiculed at school.. Not to mention summer's nearly here
and they'll be going home to houses with one parent missing."
"I think they should have some programme for the children." Maria sighed "No
doubt they've grown up on a steady diet of misdirection."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Isabella scorned "Fudge, take
decisive action? Half the wizarding population knew Lucius Malfoy was rotten
through and he STILL managed to become Fudge's right hand! That man is
hopeless! He spent all this year and part of last trying to convince us
Dumbledore and that poor little Harry Potter were mad, and he FINALLY only
comes around when You-know-who appears in the ministry its self!"
"Yes, I was particularly sad for that little Potter boy, I mean, you don't do
that sort of thing to a CHILD just because you can't handle the truth. Even
when the issue was up in the air, and I like so many other fools believed the
lies, I still felt it dreadfully wrong to incriminate the boy." Maria said,
flipping to a page with an interview with Harry.
"Oh dear!" Rose said, her hands to her cheeks "Young Potter got those nasty
Death eaters caught. He and a number of his friends. it's all over the papers."
"Yes?" Linda said, not seeing where this was going
"And they're letting him mix with the children of the captured?" She pressed
There was a dismayed murmur from all around the table.
"Never mind, Rose" Isabella said soothingly, touching her hand calmingly "Dumbledore
can fix it."
Rose nodded, smiling "If anyone can."
There was a startled crash from over near the bar and they heard Janie's son
Luca shouting at someone.
"Oh dear, looks like I better go." Rose said with a sigh.
The others all murmured thanks for joining them as she got up.
She gave one last look at the sullen faces on the paper, and hurried over to
check out the commotion.
