Chapter 32: A Day of Conversations
Thanks for all the reviews. This was supposed to be the last chapter, but it got away from me.
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The next day Marvolo went to the office and had someone hunt down Percy Weasley. The skinny redhead came into his office. He was very nervous. "Sit," Tom said, indicating the chairs in front of the desk. He let out a tiny amount of his aura. Not enough to set off alarms in people, but enough to make the young man sweat.
Percy sat; he perched on the front of the chair like a rabbit ready to bolt. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked with a quaver in his tone. He knew that his reputation with Fudge might not work in his favor with the new minister. He was known as a brownnoser, and he knew it. He didn't want that reputation anymore. He wanted to earn his position by sweat and hard work.
"I hear you are good at organization," Tom said, pointing to the piles of folders lying about the office. "I am in desperate need of someone to help me clean up after that fool Fudge," he added, watching the young man's face when he said it. How young Mr. Weasley would react would determine whether he hired him on or not.
"I see," Percy said, his face blank. He knew that Fudge had been wrong in all he said and did. And that he, Percy, had been a fool to follow him. He had alienated his whole family because of that man and his lies.
"My young friend, Harry Potter, recommended you," Tom said, still watching the face before him.
This time there was a reaction, and it was shock. "Harry did?" Percy asked, completely flabbergasted. "I mean, that was very nice of him," he added quickly, trying not to show how surprised he was.
"Yes, I, on the other hand, have some qualms with your family," Tom said, folding his hands on the desk and leaning forward a bit. "Your mother and two youngest siblings tried to potion Harry. What say you to these accusations?" he asked, wondering what the man would say.
"I honestly would not put it past them," Percy said, his voice laced with disgust. "My mother's favorite story is how she potioned my father into loving her," he added, remembering hearing it often as he grew. She really liked telling it to Ginny. "Ron has always hated that we are poor, and he would do anything to be better off than we are," he added, not sure what to say about Ginny.
"Then you don't condone what they did?" Tom asked just to clarify.
"No, sir. I do not," Percy said primly. "I think it is reprehensible." His face twisted in to one of disgust. "My father will have something to say about it as well," he predicted.
"He already has," Tom said, looking at Percy queerly. "Did you not know that?" he asked, wondering when the last time he talked to his parents was.
"I have not spoken to my parents in some time," the young man confessed. "I will speak to my father forthwith," he added, knowing that he was wrong about his dad, and he needed to make repairs.
"At lunch, until then you need to help me organize this mess. You are now one of my junior undersecretaries," Marvolo stated, knowing that that was what the boy had been shooting for under Fudge. "Do well, and I might move you up. Do me, or Harry, wrong and you will be out before you could say Quidditch," he warned.
"I understand," Percy said, though he really didn't understand what Harry Potter had to do with the new minister. The last one wanted him dead, or at least in prison. This one seemed to be going the opposite way. He would have to watch what he said. He might not bow to the alter of Harry Potter, but the boy was not what Fudge had made him out to be. He would wait and see what the teen was like and make up his own mind.
"Good," Tom said, looking into Percy's mind for a moment. He could see there was some confusion but decided to let the young man make up his own mind. "Let's get started."
With that they tackled the large piles of folders that were scattered around the office. It only took Percy an hour to unlock Fudge's filing system. He then had an idea of what was what and then he started a new system. Tom was impressed. It was going to be easier than he thought.
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Amelia was on her way to question Arthur. Not that he was in trouble, but his wife was. It was close to lunch time, and she was tired of all the people she had been questioning.
"Arthur, did you know that your wife was caught in a raid yesterday?" she asked him as she entered his office.
"I thought as much," he sighed. "She was grounded to the house. She must have snuck out while I was at work. I couldn't leave it up to the children to discipline her," he stated, knowing that that would not have worked out well. While the twins were of age, they were still living at home, making them under his care. It would undermine Molly's position in the house if the twins were responsible for her. He could not have that.
"Did you know about them going to Azkaban?" she asked, writing the question down in her ever-ready notepad.
"No, not really. I knew they were planning something, but I quit the Order and Albus is persona no grata in my house," the redhead said, fiddling with a gadget on his desk.
"Oh, can you tell me why?" she asked, wanting to hear it from him.
"Harry wanted to keep it in house. He didn't want the whole family to suffer for the mistakes of a few," Arthur said as he continued fiddling with the gadget. It was a perpetual motion machine. It didn't work of course. There wasn't one that did, but it was fun to watch.
"Arthur, I need to know," Bones said, her pen poised.
"Molly knew and approved of the headmaster potioning Harry to being loyal to himself and my two youngest," the tired man sighed. "I did not and do not," he added venomously.
"Do you know if she brewed any potions?" Amelia asked, wanting to make sure she covered all the bases.
"Not to my knowledge," Arthur said, not volunteering any more information. He was telling the truth after all.
"Thank you, Arthur. She will have her trial soon. She will probably be in lockup for a few months. Miss Granger was talking about loaning you her house elf for meals," she said, hoping the man took the girl up on that. That poor elf was probably bored to tears.
"I will go and see Sirius after work," he said, his tone was wobbling between anger and pity. Like he couldn't make up his mind how to feel about his wife's predicament.
"Why don't you take the rest of the day off. With all the Death Eaters dead or in jail, you would have a slow day anyway. Your juniors can handle it for the day," she suggested.
"I'll do that," he said, putting the gadget down and gathering up some paperwork to take home. He'd stop by Sirius' first. He'd call first though.
"I have much to do. I'll see you later, Arthur," Amelia said, turning and leaving. She heard his call of goodbye and continued down the hall. She made her way back to her office, where she looked at who she had to talk to next. She had questioned Albus last night and Molly this morning. Now she was working her way through the Order members. Joy.
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Harry Potter was bored. He never thought he'd admit it, but he missed Ron. Even if the bloke was potioned into being his friend, he always had something to do. Neville was doing something with his gran, and Luna was off with her father. Hermione was talking with Winky about the Weasleys and how she might be cooking for them. Susan was at Hannah's. He didn't know anyone else's floo address.
Maybe the Weasley twins would be up to doing something? He'd check with Sirius to see if he could floo them over. So, he took himself to the study, where Sirius was working on some house business. "Sirius, I'm bored," he said, flopping down in a chair.
"Read a book," the man said as he wrote something in a ledger.
"I'm tired of reading. I miss the telly," Harry said, picking at some fuzz on his jeans. There was a rip in the knee, and it was fraying. "Can I call the Burrow and have the twins come over?" he asked, hoping the man said yes.
"You could always sit with me and learn how to run your house," Sirius suggested, putting his quill to the side for a moment.
"That's boring too. Besides, you gave me a book on that that I finished ages ago," the teen said, pouting like a ten-year-old. "Come on, let me call the twins. I promise we won't burn down the house," he pleaded.
"Since the war is officially over, then yes. You can call whomever you want, bar Ron or Ginny," Sirius said, picking up the quill again. "Just run it by me first. I might not want people in the house for some reason or another," he added, not wanting his house overrun by teenagers.
"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, bolting out of the chair and running for the floo. He called the Burrow and hoped the twins answered. They didn't. It was Ron. "Hey, Ron. Can I talk to the twins? It doesn't matter which one," he said as pleasantly as he could.
"I'm not good enough for you anymore?" the bitter redhead stated, folding his arms over his chest, and sneering at his quasi-exfriend. Can you really call them a friend if you had to potion them into being one?
"Fred! George!" Harry called out into the house, knowing they would hear him. "There, see that wasn't so hard," he said to Ron. "Even someone of your limited intelligence could have done it."
"Are you saying I'm not smart? I get the same grades as you," Ron pointed out, poking his finger at the face in the fire.
"Yeah, but you make Hermione do most of your homework," Harry stated, not bothered by the other teen in the least. He could hear the twins coming down the stairs.
"Ronnikins, what are you doing? You aren't allowed to talk to anyone," Fred said, taking Ron and shoving him out of the room.
"Bugger off! You're not the boss of me," Ron said, turning around to go back into the room, only for Fred to shove him out of it again.
"You're grounded. Remember? You can't talk to anyone," Fred said again, this time shoving him far into the kitchen, then shutting the door. He then cast a locking charm on it so Ron couldn't open it. If he wanted to come out, he'd have to walk outside and come in through the front door.
"So, Harry, what's up?" George asked, now that his twin was done taking care of Ron.
"I was wondering if you two wanted to come over and… I don't know, talk, cause mischief, whatever we can think of," Harry said, then he looked at their confused faces. "I'm bored. Help," he said, being dramatic about it.
"We can bring over some of our new products," Fred said, looking to his brother. "He is our partner," he added, looking to Harry. Harry had cornered them before the train ride and given them his prize money. He said that it was too weird having it, what with Cedric dying and all.
"I agree," George said, then he got a thoughtful look. "Who's going to watch Ron and Ginny?" he said, slumping his shoulders. "We can't come right now, but maybe later tonight?" he added to Harry.
"Are they really that much trouble?" Harry asked, looking to where Ron was staring at them from the window in the kitchen door.
"They're both grounded from everything. We're supposed to make sure they don't do anything," Fred explained, glaring at Ron like it was his fault.
"Can't you lock them in their room?" Harry said, then he got an appalled look on his face. "Never mind, I didn't say that," he quickly said, remembering all the times he'd been locked in his room. They were not fond memories.
"We didn't hear a thing," George said, thinking that he knew what Harry was reliving. They had pulled him from a locked room before the boy's second year. He didn't look well when they had either.
"I'd better get off the floo. I'll see you guys later tonight," Harry said, giving them a shaky grin. He waved to Ron, who glared back at him. He took his head out of the fire and then shook it. He got off the floor and decided to make lunch. He wanted to see if he could make Toad in the Hole as well as Dobby.
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A little while later there was a face in the floo. It was Arthur Weasley. "Hello in the house," the man called out.
Harry wiped his hands on his apron and went to answer. "Hello, Mr. Weasley. What can I do for you today?" he asked the man.
"Is Sirius about?" Arthur asked, looking at the disheveled Harry.
"I was about to call him for lunch. Will you join us?" he asked, making the invitation open.
"I will," Arthur said, his head leaving the fire and then his whole body stepped through. "I have to get home soon though," he said, dusting off the ash that he had collected from the trip.
"I talked to Ron and the twins today," Harry said, going back to his preparations for lunch. He was almost done. "Dobby," he called out. The little guy popped in.
"Yous bes calling Dobby?" the elf asked, jumping up and down. He was excited to be doing something, since Harry was making lunch, which was his job.
"Can you get Hermione, Sirius and Remus, please?" the teen asked, pulling lunch from the oven. "Then set the table for five?"
"Dobby do," the elf said, and then snapped his fingers and popped away.
"Mr. Weasley, if you would grab the pitcher of pumpkin juice," Harry said as he started to carry the hot pan to the table. Dobby popped back in and snapped his fingers, and the table was set for five.
"Ron is supposed to be grounded," Mr. Weasley said as he put the juice on the table.
"I know. He just happened to be there when I flooed," Harry said, putting the pan down.
"Oh, okay. I'll let it go this once then," Arthur said with a conspiratorial wink.
"Good, I'd hate for him to get into trouble for something out of his control," the teen said with a returning grin.
"I want to thank you for recommending Percy to the new minister," Arthur said, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. His son had come to him right when he was about to leave, which is why he was late in leaving.
"It's alright," Harry said with a shrug. "I know he'll do a good job." He took his seat and nodded to where Mr. Weasley should sit.
"Ah, Arthur," Sirius said when he saw the man. "What brings you here?" he asked as he shook the man's hand.
"Madam Bones said that Miss Granger might loan me the use of her house elf," the redhead said, taking a seat next to Remus, who was on Sirius' left. Harry was on the right, with Hermione next to him.
"I would be happy to lend her to you. The poor dear has nothing to do here," the bushy-haired girl stated, having spoken with the elf all morning. It had been a trying conversation. She had to convince the elf that she was not getting rid of her, just loaning her out for meals. "She will cook your meals here, and deliver them to the Burrow every morning, noon, and evening. All you have to do is give her the money for the ingredients."
"That sounds like a good plan," Arthur said, a bit in wonder. He never heard of anyone letting another use their house elf. "Is this okay with you, Sirius?" he asked the other man since it was his kitchen.
"It is fine with me, Arthur. Thanks for asking," Black said, giving Hermione a pointed look.
She had the good grace to blush. She really should have asked first. "Sorry," she muttered.
Harry just smiled and patted her arm. She was still getting there, but she was improving. "It's right nice of you to think of this, Hermione," he said to her, making her blush for a different reason. This time with pride.
"Arthur, is it okay for the twins to come over during the day? They seem to be under the impression that they are their siblings' jailors," Sirius said, looking to Harry. He had talked to Harry a bit earlier, when there wasn't any noise, he expected from the twins being here.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin. Those boys. Yes, they can come and go as they please. They are just taking their responsibility a bit too seriously," the older man said, taking a bite of his Toad in the Hole. "This is good, Harry."
"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. I like cooking," Harry said, beaming with pride. It might not be as good as Dobby's, but it was good.
The rest of the table gave their compliments, and talks fell to random things. Soon they were joined by Tonks, who was tightlipped as to what was going on at the ministry. The only person she would talk about was Dumbledore.
"It's funny as hell," she said, after serving herself up. "He keeps calling for Fawkes and gets upset when the bird flames in and then flames out again. I don't know why the bird shows up, but it's getting the old man riled," she finished, and took a bite and groaned in appreciation, making Harry blush.
"I might have to talk to him again," Sirius said, looking to Harry to call the bird.
"Why don't you try calling him?" Harry suggested. He didn't know why the adults thought it was just him that could call Fawkes.
"Okay. Fawkes!" Sirius called out and was surprised when the bird flamed in.
"Hi, Fawkes," Harry said with a great deal of cheek.
"Brat," Sirius said, then he turned to the bird. "Why do you keep coming when Albus calls? It is just making him mad. Is that your intentions?" he asked, hoping the bird understood enough to answer yes and no questions.
Fawkes nodded his head 'yes', that was his intention.
"You are trying to make him angry?" Tonks asked to clarify.
The bird nodded 'yes' again.
"Is it because you are mad at him?"
This time the phoenix shook his head 'no'.
"You're trying to teach him a lesson?" she tried, thinking that was what she'd do if she were a bird of light.
Fawkes nodded 'yes'.
"Well, I hope he learns it," chimed in Harry.
Fawkes looked at Harry with a look that said, 'me too'. Then he flamed out.
"Well, that happened," Harry said, not sure what else to say about it. Everyone looked at one another and shrugged.
"You know, Arthur, we have three house elves in this house and not enough work for all of them. If you want, they can check on your two youngest periodically throughout the day," Sirius said, changing the subject back to the original one, and knowing the elves would welcome something to do.
"That would free up the twins," the redhead said, finishing off his meal. It was delicious. Not as good as Molly's but for a kid, it was pretty good.
"Kreacher," Sirius called, nodding to the two teens to call their elves.
"Dobby," Harry called.
"Winky," Hermione said, she never raised her voice. She knew that Winky was right behind her.
The three elves popped in and Sirius took control of the conversation. "This man is Arthur Weasley. You've all seen him around here. Well, maybe not Winky. Winky, this is the man whose family you'll be cooking for," he stated, nodding to Arthur.
"Hello, Winky," Arthur said to the little female elf. He dug into his pocket and took out his money pouch. He handed her two galleons. "Here is the money for groceries," he said, knowing that two galleons could buy a lot, if she were frugal. "It is all I have, so you must be thrifty. There is a garden at the Burrow that you can use as well. Chicken for eggs and meat. Do you know how?" he asked the little elf.
"Yes, Mr. Whezzy, sir," Winky said, knowing what he was talking about.
"Good, good, I'll call you when I get home, so you know where the garden is," he said, putting his pouch away.
"The three of you will be doing us a favor, which means you don't have to if you don't want to. Mr. Weasley has grounded his two youngest for being mean to Harry," Sirius took up the conversation again. He put it in terms they would understand. "That means they are not allowed to do anything fun. If you would check in on them from time to time and make sure they are not having fun, that would be great," he finished, with a shit-eating grin.
"I wills be enjoying that," Dobby said, rubbing his hands together. He already knew the two that they were talking about.
"Kreacher likes to disrupt fun," the grumpy old elf said, his grin sinister.
"Winky is not sure what to do," the only female elf said, looking to her mistress.
"You only need to make sure they are not enjoying themselves. You know, like playing, reading or things of that nature," Hermione said, putting her hand on the elf's shoulder.
"Oh, like young master Barty," the elf said.
"I guess, only they will not be under a spell," Hermione explained.
"Maybe theys should be," the elf said, like it was part of treatment of wayward children.
"I don't think that it is needed this time," Mr. Weasley said, remembering whose elf this used to be. No wonder she was confused.
"I wills be doing it," Winky said, looking at her mistress for approval.
"When you have time," Hermione said, patting her on the back. "Thank you, Winky," she added, looking to Harry and Sirius like they were forgetting something important.
"Yes, thanks Dobby," Harry said, right away.
"You can go back to what you were doing, Kreacher," Sirius said, waving the elf away.
"Thank you, all of you," Arthur said, before Kreacher popped away.
"Now that that's settled, let's finish lunch," Remus said, getting a second helping of the meal.
"I'd better get home and let the twins know they can come over," Arthur said, getting up and putting his napkin on his plate. He then went to the floo and went home. A few minutes later the twins flooed in.
"Oh, lunch," they said together, rubbing their hands together like they were about to make something devious.
"Oh, look the twins are here," Tonks said dryly. "Well, I'm off," she said with a great deal of cheer.
"Ah, drat," Hermione said, knowing she was not to escape the twins. Not that she had a problem with them, per se, it was they were a bit much at times, and they looked like they had been bottling it up for weeks.
"Hermione," they both said with wicked grins.
"Oh, bother," she said back.
