Chapter 54 - Arguing at the Weasley's
The weekend before we were due to go back to Hogwarts I finished my last shift at Ollivanders for the summer so Remus finally took Harry and I shopping in Diagon Alley for our Hogwarts stuff with Hermione and her parents. The most interesting thing on the letters was the fact we needed dress robes for some reason this year, so we there was a ball. And Hermione and I wanted to look spectacular so we slipped off from the adults and Harry into Madam Malkins while they got the rest of our Hogwarts stuff for us. We both tried on a few dresses before we found perfect dresses. 'Mione had chosen robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material that just hugged her tiny figure where as I had a floor-length shiny purple dress that was scrunched up on my left hip and pretty low-cut with silver detailing around the edges and on the straps. I looked hot and I couldn't wait for Cedric to hopefully see it whenever the ball would be.
A few days later, on the 31st, Harry, Hermione and I travelled to the Burrow to stay before we would all be going to Kings Cross together, I had a feeling Molly loved having more girls around the house for Ginny and to help her brood get there arses out of bed early for the express, she loved our dress robes too... she demanded pictures for when we wore them but was very secretive about the whole thing, I really wanted answers but they were unlikely to come. Neither Arthur nor Percy were home when Remus dropped us off and after we said our good-bye, Molly filled us up with food. 'Mione, Gin and I helped clear up afterwards in the kitchen while the boys pissed off. The Weasley's may have been skint but they had such a great mum, and dad of course, she was so easy to talk to.
"Oh, you girls make me feel young." Molly chuckled after I had described my date with Cedric.
"You are young." I replied.
"Yeah, it's just the twins that have made you a bit grey." Ginny added cheekily before being swatted at by Molly with a tea towel making us giggle.
"Little Madam." Molly smiled at her little girl.
"That's Ash's bad influence." 'Mione commented. I poked my tongue out at her before winking at Ginny.
"Not at all." Molly replied. "I'd never have believed my two youngest would have such a close knit group of friends. You stick together like nothing I've seen, you keep those boys out of trouble."
"I wouldn't go that far." 'Mione chuckled.
"Stop it Molly, you're making me blush." I grinned at her.
"You're a godsend and don't let anyone say otherwise." Molly replied, she looked up at the clock as someone floo'd in. Percy was home. "Now, off with you, go find those boys." We went into the living room where they all were now, listening to Percy describe the happenings at the Ministry.
"It's been an absolute uproar," Percy told them importantly. "I've been putting out fires all week. People keep sending Howlers, and of course, if you don't open a Howler straight away, it explodes. Scorch marks all over my desk and my best quill reduced to cinders."
"Why are they all sending Howlers?" asked Ginny.
"Complaining about security at the World Cup," said Percy. "They want compensation for their ruined property. Mundungus Fletcher's put in a claim for a twelve-bedroomed tent with en-suite Jacuzzi, but I've got his number. I know for a fact he was sleeping under a cloak propped on sticks."
"Father's told me about him, he sounds hilarious." I grinned at Percy who looked fairly outraged.
"Trying to swindle the Ministry does not make him funny, he's a crook." Percy puffed.
"Have you ever met the guy? How do you know he's a crook?" I questioned him with a raised eyebrow. "It could all be hear-say, he could have borrowed his luxurious tent to family then got stinking drunk and slept with his coat under the stars." Percy blustered while I sent a discreet wink to the twins who were trying to hold onto laughter. "I believe Father went to Hogwarts with him, not very intelligent so he didn't get many N.E.W.T.'s from what I understand, perhaps he has fallen on hard times. He could be jobless... homeless... and you're sentencing him to live on the streets. Poor bloke." I blinked away fake-tears at Percy's shocked face before the twins started belly-laughing. I smirked and ended up joining in. "I'm kidding Percy. You did say I was practically the twin's twin. Or triplet. Not sure." Molly was distracted at this time so she didn't laugh, she was looking at the famed Weasley clock, and all were at home but Arthur. She sighed suddenly.
"Your father hasn't had to go into the office on weekends since the days of You-Know-Who," she said. "They're working him far too hard. His dinner's going to be ruined if he doesn't come home soon."
"Well, Father feels he's got to make up for his mistake at the match, doesn't he?" said Percy. "If truth be told, he was a tad unwise to make a public statement without clearing it with his Head of Department first..."
"Don't you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote!" Molly said, flaring up at once.
"If Dad hadn't said anything, old Rita would just have said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Ministry had commented," said Bill, who was playing chess with Ron. "Rita Skeeter never makes anyone look good. Remember, she interviewed all the Gringotts' Charm Breakers once, and called me 'a long-haired pillock'?"
"Well, it is a bit long, dear," said Mrs. Weasley gently. "If you'd just let me —"
"No, Mum." I chuckled at that, he did have crazy long hair, in a ponytail, but it looked cool.
"Oh your father's coming!" she said suddenly, looking up at the clock again. Arthur's hand had suddenly spun from "work" to "traveling"; a second later it had shuddered to a halt on "home" with the others, and they heard him calling from the kitchen.
"Coming, Arthur!" called Molly, hurrying out of the room. A few moments later, he came into the warm living room carrying his dinner on a tray. He looked completely exhausted.
"No offense sir, but you look awful." I said sympathetically.
"Thank you dear." He chuckled, giving me a warm smile. I decided then to write a letter to Father, he looked ridiculously over-worked. "Well, the fat's really in the fire now," he told us as he sat down in an armchair near the hearth and toyed unenthusiastically with his somewhat shrivelled cauliflower. "Rita Skeeter's been ferreting around all week, looking for more Ministry mess-ups to report. And now she's found out about poor old Bertha Jorkins going missing, so that'll be the headline in the Prophet tomorrow. I told Bagman he should have sent someone to look for her ages ago."
"Mr. Crouch has been saying it for weeks and weeks," said Percy swiftly.
"Crouch is very lucky Rita hasn't found out about Winky," said Arthur irritably. "There'd be a week's worth of headlines in his house-elf being caught holding the wand that conjured the Dark Mark."
"I thought we were all agreed that that elf, while irresponsible, did not conjure the Mark?" said Percy hotly.
"If you ask me, Mr. Crouch is very lucky no one at the Daily Prophet knows how mean he is to elves!" said Hermione angrily.
"Now look here, Hermione!" said Percy. "A high-ranking Ministry official like Mr. Crouch deserves unswerving obedience from his servants..."
"His slave, you mean!" said Hermione, her voice rising passionately, "because he didn't pay Winky, did he?"
"'Mione." I groaned.
"I'm unsure why you are so against house-elves when a family like the Hyde's certainly has them." She rounded on me instantly in shock, I held my hands up while shooting a glare at Percy.
"You, good sir, will be pranked for that remark. And not Weasley Twin pranked, as admirable as that might be..."
"Oi!" The Twins called out at this.
"... But Marauder pranked. And you won't enjoy it."
"I remember the stories of the marauder pranks." Arthur chuckled. "Molly's little brothers were at school with them... they were truly legendary. Well done son." I smirked at Percy then, who looked slightly worried.
"I'll get you when you least expect it." I promised.
"Aurora-Shaw... explain." 'Mione ordered.
"And for your information, Percy, for one, I have no control of the house elves in my home and secondly, they are paid." I replied smugly.
"What?!" Percy said in disbelief and to be fair to him, it was practically unheard. I grinned at Harry.
"My Mother's best friend was a muggle-born just like you Mya and she had the same view-point when it came to house-elves, forced it on mum and their other best mate Alice Burke, Neville Longbottom's mum." I replied.
"My mum?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yup."
"Sorry Ash." 'Mione added.
"No problem, it was Percy who attempted to argue without facts. Perhaps you should go work for the Prophet instead of the Ministry, Percy." I sneered slightly.
"How dare you...?" Percy started before his mother interrupted.
"I think you'd all better go upstairs and check that you've packed properly!" said Molly, breaking up the argument. "Come on now, all of you..."
"Doubly-pranked." I told Percy as I was leaving with a smirk. "Ooh, it'll be painful." We jogged upstairs and sat in Ron's room.
"Bertha Jorkins." Harry mused, staring up at the ceiling from his bed.
"What about her?" Ron asked.
"I think that's her... the witch that Voldemort found and killed." He replied. "What did she do? What could she have known?"
"She worked with Crouch in the Department of International Magical Cooperation as his assistant I think, she could have known anything he knew. Crouch and Fudge are supposed to be fairly decent friends... so who knows what she could have heard." I sighed and collapsed on Harry's bed.
"What can we do?" 'Mione asked.
"Who's going to believe us?" Ron snorted. He had a point.
"No one." I replied dryly. "Accept Sirius and Remus, perhaps they have an idea what we can do." Harry nodded.
"I'll write them." He decided.
"Well I'm off to bed. Coming, 'Mione?" I asked she nodded and saying our good nights, we left for Ginny's room.
-.-
I was up bright and early eating breakfast in the den on September 1st when Ced's dad appeared in the fireplace.
"Hey Amos." I smiled at him.
"You're at the Weasley's?" He asked confirming he'd floo-called the correct house. I nodded at him. "Get Arthur please, it's important!" He looked incredibly serious so I ran out of the room.
"Arthur!" I called up the stairs. "Amos Diggory's at the fireplace for you, he says it's urgent!" I ran back into the room when I heard him coming down the stairs at lightning speed. "He's coming. Cho and Ced ready for Hogwarts?"
"Yes dear... Arthur. Thanks Goodness, its Alastor Moody." Amos said as soon as he saw the elder Weasley. "He's gone mad again! His muggle neighbours heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems — please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there..."
"It's policemen." I added.
"Yeah, them... It's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," Amos said, "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off — if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur —"
"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" Arthur asked. Amos rolled its eyes.
"Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house, but was ambushed by his dustbins."
"What did the dustbins do?" asked Arthur frantically.
"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell," Amos replied. "Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the policemen turned up —" Arthur groaned.
"And what about the intruder?"
"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye," Amos said exasperatedly, "Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shell-shocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it — think of his record — we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department — what are exploding dustbins worth?"
"Might be a caution," Arthur mused with his brow furrowed. "Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?"
"I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window," said Amos, "but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties."
"All right, I'm off," Arthur said as he dashed out, pecking Molly on the lips as she entered the room.
"Sorry about this, Molly," Amos said sadly, "bothering you so early and everything... but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why he had to choose last night...
"Never mind, Amos," Molly sighed.
"I've got someone who wouldn't mind speaking to you Ash." Amos grinned as Amos's face was replaced with Cedric's.
"Dad's gone nuts." Ced smiled at me. "We'll be seeing eachother in a few hours."
"I know." I grinned. "Does that me you don't want to see me now?" I asked in mock-shock.
"Shut up." Ced grinned. "You all packed?"
"Of course." I replied. "Looking forward to getting beaten in the cup."
"You wish. I think being your boyfriend might make you go easy on us Hufflepuff's."
"Never." I smirked. "Well I've got to go finish getting packed. See you soon?"
"Very soon." He blew me a kiss before disappearing from the fire grate.