Bill opened his eyes and looked up. Entering the tent then were three people, Yaxley leading the way. Behind him was a taller man with dark hair and an official sort of aura about him, similar to the way Percy tended to carry himself—as if was more important than he actually was. Beside him, a short, larger woman with an unpleasant disposition and an ugly, smug sort of smile strolled into the tent. They seemed downright pleased about how their evenings were going.
"That's the infamous toad creature, Umbridge," Fred whispered.
Having heard at great length from both his parents and his siblings about how horrendous this woman was, that told Bill all he needed to know. His father had mentioned at some point that after leaving Hogwarts, she'd gone straight back into her sycophantic ways; never quite making the headway she wanted with Scrimgeour that she had with Fudge. He seemed to have seen through her arse-kissing for what she truly was and never allowed her too much free reign. If this regime change meant anything, it was that people like her got another chance to climb the ladder in order to promote their heinous agendas.
"Well, well," said this Umbridge woman, stopping in front of the line of them and smiling in a way Bill already hated. "If it isn't the famous Weasley family." She turned to her associate, the third man. "Runcorn, the files."
Runcorn held out a ledger of sorts for her to take, which she did with an overly sincere, "Thank you!" She then flipped it open and randomly started turning pages.
"Yes…very famous these days, aren't we? Nearly all of your names keep popping up in the Ministry's intelligence about the whereabouts of Harry Potter. It seems we can't separate the Weasleys from him."
"Who are you?" Charlie snapped, apparently now also echoing George's 'no fucks to give since we're screwed anyway' mentality.
She stopped and looked at him, clearly not impressed, before letting her gaze then drop to her ledger. She flipped a page or two before stopping. "Charles Weasley. Status: Pureblood. Birthdate, December 12th, 1972, Ottery St. Catchpole. Son of Arthur and Molly Weasley. Last known residence, Romania."
"Well aware who I am, thanks," Charlie said in the same tone as before. "I asked who you were."
She stared at him, again not looking at all impressed. "I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Under Secretary of the Minister of Magic." She smiled. "And, soon-to-be named head of the newly established Muggleborn Registration Committee. A project that I am profoundly invested in and delighted that we are finally able to get off the ground now that we have a Minister with a proper focus."
She then giggled.
Bill glanced over at Fred and George, both of their expressions saying that neither of them were surprised she would be the one behind that fucked up committee.
"Now, let's see who else we have here," Umbridge continued, her eyes immediately darting to Bill's parents. "Arthur Weasley. Status: Pureblood."
She made a tsking sound, as if she didn't like the sound of that.
"Molly Weasley. Maiden Name: Prewett. Status also Pureblood." She stopped to look at her. "How many generations of pureblood does your family go back exactly, Mrs. Weasley."
She blinked and looked nervous to be put on the spot. "Many? I'm not sure off the top of my head—"
"Really?" Umbridge cut in. "You don't know? That seems odd. Usually when I ask that question, people know exactly just how deep their pureblood roots go—as it's a badge of honor." She paused to observe her. "Is it that you don't care, or that there's far more mixing in your family tree than you've allowed people to believe?"
"Even if there was," his father cut it. "We're both currently as pureblooded as one can get. And last I checked, Weasley and Prewett both had a place on that Sacred Twenty-Eight list you all seem to care so much about. Umbridge, however, is not. So if you'd like to talk about mixing—"
Umbridge blinked, seemingly taken aback at the tone being directed at her. "I happen to come from a long line of several pureblood families. Including the Selwyns…"
She suddenly reached up around her neck and absently fiddled with a locket she was wearing before returning to flipping pages in her ledger. "But we're not here to discuss me, we're here checking in on you and the undesirable sorts you choose to associate with. The sorts you choose to harbor and hide." She smiled smugly. "Such as Harry Potter."
"Just as we told him," Bill said, nodding to Yaxley, "We don't know where Potter is. We haven't seen him in ages. No amount of repeating the question will make the answer change."
Umbridge consulted her notes. "William Weasley, is it?"
Bill let his expression say that was correct.
She hummed, glancing over at Runcorn. "We'll need an updated photograph for his file. He looks nothing like this anymore." She looked back at him. "How unfortunate for you."
She then stepped forward toward him. "And that's where you're wrong, Mr. Weasley. Because I certainly have ways of repeating questions—with the aid of certain tools—that will, in fact, make the information come." She smiled at him. "One way or another, I will get my answers."
She turned to Runcorn. "Get a message to the Ministry. Tell them that I will need more Veritaserum than we brought."
Runcorn nodded and turned away, just as she let her gaze suddenly skip over to where Fred and George were sitting beside Bill. Her expression immediately dropped off to something resembling extreme loathing.
"Miss us?" Fred asked.
Umbridge stood up straight, puffing out her chest. "I could have gone the rest of my life not having to see the likes of you two again. However, now that we've been forced into this reunion, do not believe for a moment I will not make the most of it."
"Yay…" George replied unenthusiastically.
"Though," she continued, "if you have relevant information for me on the whereabouts of Potter, then perhaps we can turn things around. I can make it so it only hurts a bit."
Fred shrugged. "Dunno what to tell you, Dolores. I can make something up if you'd like, but someone once told me that I shouldn't tell lies." He smirked at her. "And I take that to heart."
He sat up straighter in his chair. "I don't know where Harry Potter is. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
A shadow moved over her face, an absolute hatred burning in her that made Bill very concerned for his brothers all of the sudden. He watched as she turned and nodded at Yaxley, who made a signal to a nearby Death Eater. Within seconds, that person stepped forward with their wand raised and proceeded to curse Fred.
The scream that came from Fred was barely human sounding. It only lasted ten seconds at most, though it felt like an hour. Everyone had shouted out in horror, though no one was louder than George, who'd gone white in the face and was thrashing at his restraints as if he was willing to detach himself from his arms if necessary.
"That will be quite enough," Umbridge said, a crack of a smug smile on her face as the Death Eater relented. "For now."
Fred hadn't been brought to the brink of passing out, but he did not look good. He'd gone very pale and visible sweat was now beading on his forehead; he was taking very heavy breaths. Both Bill and George were trying to make eye contact to silently ask if he was alright, but he did nothing more than stare at the ground.
Umbridge was back to reading through her ledger; back to reading off names. "Let's see…Percy Weasley. Well, obviously he wouldn't be here. The only one of you with any sense. Ginevra Weasley…" She gave Ginny a rather unimpressed once over. "Yes, I remember you. Part of Potter's little gang of misfits."
She flipped the page, "Ronald Weasley…"
She stopped and looked around, as if only then realizing his absence. "Where is Ronald?"
No one immediately answered, which only caused her to repeat herself louder and more firmly.
"I know for a fact that Ronald Weasley is Harry Potter's best friend. Where Potter is, Weasley follows." She smiled suddenly, as if she'd uncovered some great clue. "If Ronald is not here, and Potter is not here, I would bet everything I had that they are together. Perhaps I'm simply asking the wrong question."
She knelt down to look Bill's mother directly in the eyes. "Where is your son Ronald?"
Before his mother could so much as make a sound, Bill's father cut over his wife. "He's ill. Very ill. Spattergroit."
Molly was looking at her husband uneasily, as if she had no idea where she was going with this. Umbridge, however, seemed to think that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard.
"Spattergroit? He has Spattergroit?"
"Came down with it a week or so ago," he continued. "He's in a very bad way. Awful, really. You're welcome to check. He's in the house under quarantine. Up in the attic. Of course, I'd be careful. Very contagious, you know."
Now Molly looked as if her husband had gone full on mental.
Umbridge thankfully didn't seem to notice. She was glancing in the direction of the Burrow. "Your son is under quarantine from a highly contagious disease, yet you're throwing a party in your garden?"
All his father did was shrug, apparently caring less that they seemed like heartless jerks and more than she believed his story. "I don't know what to tell you, but he's up there. Again, I invite you to personally check. You've met Ron, you know what he looks like—"
"I most certainly will not!" she said, looking back at him as if he'd just suggested she lick a toilet seat. She instead turned to Yaxley, who was immediately shaking his head as if he wasn't about to do it. She barked, "Then get one of them to go! If he's up there, I need confirmation!"
Orders were shouted around after that, and two of the Death Eaters did eventually seem to draw the short straw. They ventured up to the house, both arguing which one was actually going to check. Umbridge, meanwhile, looked absolutely livid that this didn't seem to be going anywhere; that the closest she'd come to a lead about Harry was now up in the Burrow's attic with Spattergroit.
Runcorn had returned during all of this, informing Umbridge that he'd alerted the Ministry and that someone should be here shortly. He, Umbridge, and Yaxley were distracted and conversing in quiet voices near the entrance to the tent, which allowed Bill's mother the chance to whisper in a panic, "What is happening?"
"It's alright," her husband whispered back, though he looked a bit concerned. "We planned for this."
"Planned for what!?" she whispered. "What are they looking for in my house?!"
"Just play along," he said, watching once the Death Eaters returned with their findings. Umbridge, nor any of the others dared to get within ten feet of them.
Their charmed ghoul seemed to have done the trick, as the Death Eater reported that someone with red hair was up there and definitely ill—but that only seemed to infuriate Umbridge more. She let out a loud noise of aggravation, shouting out, "I will need follow up confirmation by official Ministry personnel who know what they're doing!"
She then marched past the line of Weasleys in a bit of an uproar, kicking an unconscious Hagrid as she went and shouting at the other Death Eaters for a follow up as to where their interrogation with the other hostages had got them.
"No one's seen Potter," a male voice said. "Some say they don't even know who he is."
"How do they not know who he is!?" Umbridge said. "Everyone knows who he is!"
"Foreigners," he said. "This lot here only speaks French. That one's from Bulgaria, though he knows who Potter is."
"I have not seen him in years," came Krum's low voice. "Not since the Hogvarts Trivizard Tournament. He vas not here tonight, and I do not understand vhy you keep asking us that."
"You're that Quidditch player," Umbridge said slowly. "The famous one." She suddenly lowered her voice. "You didn't use excessive means on him, did you?"
"Not yet," said the Death Eater.
"Good," she said. "Spare that one. We don't need an international incident. It's best we just have him and all of the foreigners deported back to where they came from as soon as possible. Unless we can prove that they're Muggleborns, in which case new law says we can detain them for using magic unlawfully. I don't know if the paperwork would be worth it when deportation would be much easier…
They all had to listen then as Umbridge made her way around the crowd in the back, seemingly growing ever frustrated with Fleur's family for their "limited" English and the fact that they could not establish their blood status. Words like "pureblood" and "Muggleborn" appeared to mean nothing to them.
Bill couldn't tell if it was something they were purposely doing or genuinely didn't understand. Whichever it was, it was necessary. As a half Veela, Fleur's mother could easily be classified as a half-breed under this new regime and possibly imprisoned or…well, he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think that given the way blood pureness was now being touted a virtue, Fleur may also be very much at risk as they'd always feared.
Umbridge finally gave up after one last rant about deportation. She told someone to keep them restrained; that they were to be held under surveillance at the Ministry until a Portkey could be arranged.
Uncle Ollie got a rough shakedown since he was very drunk and initially claimed Harry Potter was the name of a water buffalo he'd seen on holiday once in India. They seemed to almost be having fun making him scream out in pain, until he somehow managed to trace the Prewett bloodline back eight generations off the top of his head. That earned him a reprieve for the moment.
Lee Jordan was not paid the same kindness, despite being a half-blood. Umbridge was clearly as excited to see him as she was Fred and George, and seemed to relish in promising him that he would receive the exact same treatment they did. That had been followed by screaming.
Things got really bad once the unnamed waiter was questioned. He had nothing to offer on Harry, and it now seemed that he was in the absolute wrong place at the wrong time because it quickly came out that he was a Muggleborn.
"A criminal is what you are," Umbridge snapped.
"But I'm not," said the voice of a scared sounding young man. Bill couldn't see him, but he was likely not much younger than he was. "I didn't steal my wand. I got it when I was a kid. Before I went to Hogwarts—"
"That is impossible!" Umbridge said. "Wands are for wizards who inherit their magical abilities. Magic DOES NOT simply appear at random, which means you are a liar and a thief!"
"But I didn't—!"
"And for what reason?" came Runcorn's voice. "You stole someone's wand so you could…be a waiter? How pathetic."
There was laughter at that, followed by screaming. Far too much screaming.
Once it finally stopped, Bill only hoped the man was unconscious and not dead. Not that the fate of what awaited him when he woke up was much better than death…
"He'll be taken to Azkaban, of course," said Umbridge, her voice growing closer again as if she were approaching. "You can expect many more of them to be uncovered soon enough."
"They're sending Muggleborns to Azkaban?" Molly whispered, her face looking more ashen by the second. "This is madness."
"It's horrible," Ginny whispered, tears in her eyes.
"The half-breed here will need to be sent to Azkaban as well," Umbridge continued. "Given his size we'll need to figure out the best way to transport him. He will need to remain unconscious, since he'll obviously immediately resort to violence once awoken. It's how his kind is."
"We could just exterminate him," said one of the men.
Bill looked at his father. They were talking about killing Hagrid right here, right now.
Umbridge cleared her throat. "As simple a solution as that may seem, the laws as of now still prohibit that. As a ranking Ministry official, I cannot condone a sentence of death without first going through various channels. A trial, for instance. There is a process, and how would it look if protocol was broken?"
"Last I checked, using Unforgivable Curses is a breach of protocol," Bill mumbled under his breath.
"Yeah, but notice she's not the one using them," his father countered. "None of the Ministry one's are. They're keeping their noses clean and leaving the torture up to the Death Eaters." He shook his head. "That woman is vile, but she's not dumb."
"She thinks Muggleborns steal magic," Charlie mumbled. "Seems dumb to me."
His mother harshly shushed him, noticing then that Yaxley was now nearby, as if waiting for the others to join him. In his peripherals, Bill saw Umbridge approaching with Runcorn and a Death Eater in tow.
"Now, that being said," she continued, "if one were to feel threatened by the half-breed's aggression, which is understandable, of course…well, obviously you would need to do what is necessary. No one would fault someone for taking a life in self defense."
They all suddenly stopped right beside Tonks and Remus. Umbridge looked as if she'd just noticed them tied together on the floor.
"Speaking of half-breeds…" she said, her eyes on Remus and filled with disgust.
Something clicked in Bill's brain then—a story his father had told him a year ago. Among many of the awful things Umbridge had done, one was being the driving force behind all of the current anti-werewolf legislation. She was the reason Remus and so many of the other werewolves were considered pariahs; she was why they struggled to find jobs or homes or even just be considered functional members of society.
He suddenly found himself extremely worried about Remus' safety.
Yaxley stepped forward "Half-breed and a treasonous Auror."
"Treason, you say?"
Yaxley was nodding. "She doesn't seem to be a fan of our new changes at the Ministry. She let that be known when she tried to curse me."
"Curse you?" Umbridge said, sounding scandalized. "Was she aware you're the new Head of the very department she works for?"
"Oh, very aware," Yaxley continued. "But we've heard the rumors for ages that she couldn't be trusted. She's been on our list. Her choices alone—"
"I see," said Umbridge, who was now flipping through her ledger once more to apparently seek out Tonks. "Nymphadora Tonks. Status: Half-Blood." She paused. "It says here your parents are Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks?"
"My mother would not appreciate you referring to her as a Black," Tonks said, looking worse for the wear, but still mustering enough energy to try and glare a whole through Umbridge.
Umbridge seemed to find that funny. "She may soon feel differently about that." She shut her ledger. "What a coincidence that your parents were also on the list of locations the Ministry paid a visit to this evening."
The anger dropped off of Tonks face. She immediately looked fearful.
"Yes," Umbridge continued. "We got wind that they've helped Potter in the past, so needless to say a visit was necessary." She smiled at her. "I do hope they were more cooperative than some of your friends here. Especially that Muggleborn father of yours…"
Tonks suddenly started thrashing against Remus and her restraints. "If you touch them—!"
Yaxley suddenly gestured to a Death Eater, who immediately advanced and pointed a wand in her face. It was Yaxley who said, "I'd settle down. Unless you want another taste of what you got earlier. You're already on the shit list for being a traitor; for marrying a half-breed—"
"So sorry," Umbridge interrupted, holding up a hand as if she needed clarification. "Did I hear that correctly?" She turned to Tonks. "You married this…this…thing?"
"He is not a thing!" Tonks yelled, all while Remus attempted to calm her down. He was already repeatedly saying, "Don't let them rile you up. It's what they want. They're looking for a reason to—"
But it was too late. The Death Eater was evidently flick-happy, because in the next moment he performed the Cruciatus Curse on Remus, who immediately screamed out just as all of the others had done. With his writhing and thrashing, and still being bound to Tonks, she too seemed to be feeling much of the physical aspect he was dealing with. She yelled out, begging for them to stop.
"You seem to be volunteering to take this for him," Yaxley said, calling the Death Eater off Remus, though not stopping him when he set his wand again on Tonks. "Traitors mean as much to me as half-breeds, so it makes no difference to me."
He'd been about to strike, when Tonks suddenly screamed out, "Please! I'm pregnant!"
That news dropped like an anvil. Bill felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He glanced at his brothers—Fred finally having composed himself—who looked just as shocked as he did. His parents and other siblings were speechless.
"You lie," Runcorn sneered.
Tonks was crying now, which under such duress was to be expected. But it was also very un-Tonks like in battle and against everything she'd trained for. It was almost as if she was afraid for something…beyond her. Her parents, her husband…
Her unborn child.
"I'm not," she said between sobs. "I swear I'm pregnant."
Umbridge had already moved forward to wave her wand over her; performing a rather routine pregnancy test spell. If Tonks truly was pregnant, the wand would vibrate a particular way.
"She is," Umbridge said without any sort of emotion as she stepped away. "She is with…child."
Bill did not like the way she said the word 'child.'
His mother let out a quiet gasp of a noise. Bill's stomach felt as if dropped into his knees. Tonks was pregnant and she'd already been tortured once tonight. That could not have been good for the baby. The only thing more heinous than performing an Unforgivable Curse on anyone was performing it on a small child or a pregnant woman.
"I am to assume the father is…this?" Umbridge asked, gesturing to Remus. He had managed to stay conscious this time, though currently seemed to be in a great deal of pain.
Tonks didn't reply. She was too busy still crying; one of her hands on her stomach.
"Disgraceful," Umbridge muttered. "To marry it is already…" She shook her head. "But to breed with it? Absolutely disgraceful. You should be ashamed."
Remus muttered something Bill couldn't make out, which caused Yaxley to scream, "You really must love this!" as he pointed his own wand at him; the Death Eater followed suit. As soon as he did, Tonks practically threw herself on him to the best of her abilities, screaming, "NO!"
Umbridge turned to Yaxley. "As far as I'm concerned, she's not pregnant with anything of value. You'd be doing her a favor helping her end it, so if you must curse them both—"
A chorus of "NO!" echoed throughout the tent, including every one of the Weasleys. His mother was screaming, "Have you no humanity!?" while Bill yelled, "What is wrong with you? She has a baby!"
"She does not have a baby!" Umbridge said, turning to face everyone. "She has a monster! A monster that, if allowed to be born, will grow up to be just like its father!"
"It would be a mercy to exterminate it here and now," Yaxley said. "She'll be headed to Azkaban tonight with her half-breed husband, and everyone knows a pregnancy doesn't stand a chance of surviving there."
Tonks sobbed louder.
"You cannot send a pregnant woman to Azkaban!" Arthur called out. "There are laws protecting the unborn! You know this, Umbridge! They're to be kept in a holding cell at the Ministry until they give birth—!"
"Arthur Weasley, don't you lecture me about the laws," Umbridge said coldly. "You and your entire family of misfits and criminals. You're no better than those two, you only have a better pedigree. And for this moment in time, that means something."
She turned back to one of the Death Eaters. "The two of them, the Muggleborn, and the half-breed giant will need to be delivered to Azkaban tonight—"
"On what grounds?" Arthur angrily called out. "What happened to 'protocol?' A trial?"
Umbridge ignored him completely, turning to smile smugly at a still distraught Tonks while still admonishing her for her "awful" choices. "If only you'd chosen a wizard instead of a monster, you wouldn't be in this situation. The law protects witches who are pregnant with a wizard child, not a half-breed…"
"Someone needs to do something," Ginny whispered, pleading. "She can't go to Azkaban!"
She couldn't. Even a few days in that place would zap the life out of her in a way that would not allow for a viable pregnancy. There was a reason the law existed and pregnant witches were to be detained at the Ministry until they gave birth. People didn't survive Azkaban; pregnancies stood no chance. The worst thing they could do was—
"It's mine!" Charlie called out all of the sudden. "The baby…It's mine."
Everyone looked at him, though no one spoke. Outside of Tonks' sobs, it was stunned silence. Bill detected a look on his brother's face—one he'd seen Charlie make so many times in the past. It was his "I can catch the Snitch and end this" expression.
"The baby's mine," he repeated when no one spoke. "Not Remus's."
His entire family was staring at him, though as far as Bill could tell, none of them seemed scandalized. All of them seemed to understand exactly what he was doing and exactly why he was doing it.
Umbridge, Yaxley, and Runcorn had all turned around to look at Charlie. It was Umbridge who said, "I beg your pardon?"
"It's mine," Charlie repeated once again, stammering but sticking to it. "The baby. Tonks and I, we've been friends since school and we decided to…well, you know. No one wants the details. But a few weeks ago, when I was home after my brother got injured, we got drunk and…it just happened."
He glanced over at Bill, who nodded slightly to encourage him to keep it up.
"She told me about it early on—the baby—and about me being the father, but I'm not going to lie, I have no interest in kids or being a dad. And that's what I told her. She was upset. Who could blame her? Unwed mother and all that, but Remus decided to step in and marry her. To make an honest woman out of her or…whatever."
He swallowed. "So, yeah. That's my baby, which makes it entirely magical…or whatever it is your lot deems worthy enough to live, so—"
"That means the law applies," Arthur said, glaring at Umbridge, "and you need to protect her unborn child."
"Protect my grandchild," Molly added, jumping in on it. "One that's obviously descended from multiple pureblood families. The Weasleys, the Prewetts, the Blacks…"
"All on the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Bill said.
It was a last ditch effort—an attempt to speak these arsehole's language and throw as much pureblood bullshit at them as they could think of. If they believed it, it at least bought Tonks and her baby some time. If they could get her to the Ministry instead of Azkaban, they could perhaps work out a plan to help her.
"It's true," came Remus' shaky voice, barely audible. "The baby isn't mine. I married her only for appearances."
Tonks, who hadn't said a word during all of this, whether because she knew better or because she was too distraught, suddenly looked at Remus as if he'd just said something unforgivable. She squeaked out a sob and did nothing more than gape at him.
"In what world is marrying a half-breed for appearances less shameful than being an unwed mother?" Runcorn asked.
Yaxley looked unconvinced. "I don't believe—"
"A paternity test would need to be done as soon as possible," Umbridge was muttering.
"In the meantime, she should be taken to Ministry holding," came a new voice, which Bill immediately recognized at Kingsley's. When he turned, he found him standing there holding a briefcase, flanked by two Death Eaters who'd obviously noticed his arrival, even if the rest of them hadn't.
"You," Yaxley said, glaring at Shacklebolt as if he was the last person he wanted to see. "What are you doing here?"
Kingsley held up his briefcase. "There was a request for Veritaserum to be brought here."
"We're using Aurors as couriers now?" Yaxley asked, sounding skeptical.
Kingsley's face remained unmoved. "Apparently so. I've been told my job duties will be changing significantly now if I'd like to remain at the Ministry. I am merely following orders."
Yaxley continued to stare at him, clearly not convinced or amused by his presence. Not that Bill wasn't thrilled to see Kingsley, but he had to wonder just how much his position at the Ministry had been compromised with Voldemort now in charge. There wasn't much use for dark wizard catchers when dark wizards were the ones with the power. And given Yaxley's expression, he seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"Tonks should be taken to the Ministry holding," Kingsley reiterated. "That is what current law states—"
"Laws are changing," Runcorn said.
"Shacklebolt, you don't make any decisions around here," Yaxley said, observing Kingsley rather derisively. "And as your superior—"
"I understand your position, sir," said Kingsley, that last word heavily pronounced. "My suggestion is merely for efficiency and to allow us to move on to more pressing matters." He held up his briefcase again. "To conclude this interrogation and find Potter as soon as possible. I only assume it's easier to have the woman sent to a Ministry cell until the law can be sorted out or changed. That can be done as early as tomorrow and she can be moved to Azkaban at any time. I will personally escort her."
"Yes, Shacklebolt is right," Umbridge said, agreeing readily with him. "We've already wasted precious time on these useless people. All of that can all be sorted out later." She walked quickly over to Kingsley. "Did you bring the Veritaserum I requested?"
He nodded, handing her the briefcase. "At least twenty vials."
"Wonderful," she said, taking the case from him and grinning wickedly. "We can finally sort out just who is lying among us."
Umbridge demanded some of the Death Eaters come to help her administer the doses to each of them, almost as if she assumed force would be necessary. However, all it took was Kingsley giving the group of them a very impactful sounding, "Drink it if you know what's good for you," for Bill to realize that he had likely already taken care of things on his end.
When he drank the potion, he was convinced he'd just been given water.
"Now, where is Harry Potter?" Umbridge asked, starting with Ginny.
"I don't know," Ginny snapped back. "I haven't seen him since Hogwarts."
"When was the last time you saw him!?" she barked at Fred and George.
"Dumbledore's funeral," they replied in unison, which was just specific enough of an answer to convince Umbridge the potion was working.
"And you!?" she asked, going down the line and hearing the same response from every single one of them. None of them had seen him. He hadn't made contact since then. No one knew where he was or what he was up to. Ron really did have Spattergroit. Charlie really was the father of Tonks' baby.
Every question had the exact answer that they'd been giving them all night.
Umbridge actually screamed at some point, going through the same gauntlet of questions with the others in the room and still receiving the same responses as before and no new answers. Lee Jordan even told a story about how he thought he saw Harry in Diagon Alley one afternoon a week prior, but it turned out it was a man carrying a fern.
"Useless! All of you!" she yelled, having rejoined the rest of the unwanted visitors at the front to continue her tantrum. "Is there any news from any of the other raids?"
Runcorn was shaking his head. "No sightings of Potter according to sources. And no one has offered up useful information. The house of the Muggleborn girl that he associates with was found abandoned, so we can assume she's with him. Otherwise, nothing. It's as if he's a ghost."
Bill found himself glancing over at his parents. Neither would come right out and smile, though it was clear they found comfort in hearing Harry was not found and that Hermione's house was abandoned.
"He is not a ghost!" Umbridge yelled. "We need to stop speaking of him as if he is powerful enough to escape the weight of the Ministry! He is nothing more than a lowlife criminal who will be punished for his crimes!"
All of them were nodding in agreement, though it was Kingsley who seemed to be trying to move things along by asking, "Are we done here tonight?"
"I certainly am," Umbridge said, allowing a scathing look to drift over Bill and his family. "I've spent far too much time here already." She turned to Yaxley. "Transport of prisoners will need to be arranged. The foreigners and pregnant one to the Ministry for holding. The half-breeds and the Muggleborn to Azkaban—"
"I'll escort them," Kingsley offered.
"You'll need assistance," Umbridge said, though Kingsley was shaking his head. He argued he was perfectly capable of transferring everyone on his own.
"Always so helpful, Shacklebolt," Yaxley said, still very obviously unimpressed with anything Kingsley had to say.
"Mr. Yaxley, wrap things up here, will you?" Umbridge said.
He nodded. "Absolutely. I'm not quite done yet."
Shit, what did that mean…?
Umbridge and Runcorn were gone with little fanfare after that, leaving behind Yaxley, Kingsley, and a few Death Eaters. The majority had since been sent away to check on other happenings or report back their findings to…Voldemort? Bill could only hope that the lack of news would set him off and he'd take out his anger on some of these arseholes.
"Where'd you get that Veritaserum, Shacklebolt," Yaxley suddenly asked.
"The Ministry's Potions Storage."
Yaxley hummed, his distrust in Kingsley practically palpable. "Interesting, because I remember when I checked earlier to make sure we were ready for the raids tonight, I'd only counted about fifty vials on hand."
Kingsley's expression didn't budge. "And?"
"Well, I made sure to send plenty with others to the various raids, yet you show up here with twenty. Doesn't add up."
"You must have miscounted," Kingsley said without hesitation. "Happens all of the time. Do you want me to take the prisoners to Azkaban or not...sir?"
Yaxley and Kingsley had a bit of a stare down, each seemingly daring the other to react first. It was Yaxley who finally turned away and muttered, "One at a time. Take the Mudblood first and if that goes well, I'll have you move the others. I'll require proof that you actually made it to Azkaban."
"What sort of proof, sir? The Dementors don't usually offer receipts."
Yaxley snapped his fingers at one of the few remaining Death Eaters. "Go with him! I don't trust him."
Kingsley's face showed the slightest trace of an irritation, but he did as he was told and walked over to seize the Muggleborn waiter. The poor bloke immediately started screaming that he hadn't done anything, he was innocent, and trying to apparently fight Kingsley off. Bill couldn't see what was happening, but whatever happened caused one of the remaining Death Eaters to stun the poor man into a state of unconsciousness.
Kingsley levitated the waiter's floating body past them and out of the tent; a Death Eater on his tail. They disappeared from sight.
"Git," Yaxley muttered to himself, before randomly yelling, "Stupid bloody Mudbloods and traitors!" He looked over at the Weasleys. "You've wasted my time tonight. And I hate having my time wasted."
"We didn't ask you to come," Arthur said plainly.
Yaxley had his wand on his father faster than Bill could blink. They all took the same sharp breath, each having assumed he was going to hurt him. Perhaps Yaxley was finally going to get around to casting that Unforgivable Curse he'd been itching to do all night; the one he couldn't do due to his lack of a mask.
But instead of cursing him, Yaxley turned and beckoned to one of the last remaining Death Eaters. When they approached, Yaxley merely said the words, "We're done here. You—wrangle the ones that are to come to the Ministry." He gestured to the other one. "You—torch the house."
Bill sat up in alarm, as did the rest of his family. Torch the…?
The Death Eater had nodded, already headed in the direction of the Burrow with his wand raised. Everyone from Bill, to his brothers, to his parents were shouting, "NO!" or "You can't!" or "What is wrong with you?!"
"Our brother's in there!" Fred shouted, remembering "Ron" in the attic.
Yaxley smirked. "I'm aware."
He then walked over so that he was standing right in front of them, smiling the most evil smile Bill had ever seen mustered. "You have to realize that I don't care about preserving people like you. Any of you. I'd have you all dead today if it were up to me, but it's not. We have other undesirables to tackle first, but your day will come."
He glanced over to the Burrow, as if waiting for something to happen. "Let's see if the news of Harry Potter's best friend's death brings him out of hiding."