"Her Ideas, from the Manner of her Life, and the Objects around her, had taken a romantic Turn; and, supposing Romances were real Pictures of Life, from them she drew all her Notions and Expectations."
From The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
Chapter 20: The Prisoner and The Rat
Charlie, Bill, and Madeline were gathered on the floor in Madeline's room at the Burrow. Wizarding newspapers lay scattered about like a flock roosting gulls. There also lay open, a pink photo album with articles and pictures which had been torn out raggedly from the papers. Madeline pulled a fresh newspaper out of her bag. Bill gasped.
"That's today's!"
"So?" she smirked.
"So. This morning before dad left, I heard him telling mum it didn't come yet."
She gave a wry smile. "Well, it did."
"She's gonna give it back," Charlie interjected, then looked hopefully at Madeline. "Aren't you?" He turned back to Bill. "It's not like it's a first edition Beedle the Bard."
"Of course I'm going to put it back!" she said in exaggerated innocence, then added, "When I'm through with it."
She opened it out on the floor in front of her and both boys scooted beside her to read it. Their eyes fell upon the mug-shot of a savage looking dark-haired wizard.
"Who's that?" asked Charlie with revulsion.
"It's Sirius Black," read Madeline. "I know who he is. He's in the Order."
"What's it say about him?" Bill tried to pull the paper closer to himself.
"Stop it. I'm trying to read," said Madeline as she yanked it back.
"Don't rip it, or-" began Charlie, but Madeline cut him off.
"They arrested him for the murder of Peter Pettigrew, the Potters and a dozen Muggles." She turned to Charlie, "Peter Pettigrew is, uh, was, in the Order too. That doesn't make sense."
"Does your brother know about this?" asked Charlie.
"I dunno. Probably. This can't be," she said, touching the edge of the photo with her fingers thoughtfully. All the members of the Order of The Phoenix had been her heros for years, though she knew little about them. She imagined they all had stories of valor as spectacular as the ones of her brother.
Charlie nudged Madeline's hand aside so he could read the rest of the article.
"When asked about Black's trial, Mr. Bartemius Crouch explained, 'That won't be necessary,'" read Charlie.
Madeline frowned at the offending paper.
"What does that mean?" asked Charlie.
"It means that he did it," said Bill.
"No, it doesn't," said Madeline pertly.
"He looks crazy," observed Charlie.
"You would too, if Dementors were torturing you. He doesn't even get a trial. It's so unfair."
"Unfair?" Bill laughed. "There were a bunch of witnesses. You don't even know the bloke. For all you know, he's killed hundreds of people."
"Bill, he's in the Order. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" said Madeline.
Bill tried very hard not to laugh in her face. "Calm down." He stood up. "You're just too obsessed with the Order. It's always, "When I grow up I'll be in The Order!" He imitated her voice and her mannerisms. "My brother's in The Order, so that makes me so special!"
"I don't sound like that!" protested Madeline incredulously and yet somewhat amused. Charlie began to laugh at Bill's joke, so she shoved him away, or attempted to. He merely leaned away from her. "Don't encourage him!" she said.
Charlie gave her a playful look, stuck her top hat on his own head, and said in an exaggerated high voice, "I'm going to catch evil wizards armed only with a teaspoon and a bath towel."
She started to crack a smile and soon couldn't stop her own laughter; his voice sounded so funny, but her laugh came out as a snort which caused all three to fall into a fresh wave of laughter.
There was a knock on the bedroom door and they all stopped, wide eyed with guilt.
"Just a minute!" yelled Madeline as she pulled the cover off her bed and threw it over the flock of papers on the floor. They all three sat side by side on the bed with their hands folded neatly in their laps. "Come in!" sang Madeline.
The door opened and they saw Arthur standing there accompanied by Percy.
"Dadda gotta rat!" announced Percy with a big grin on his face.
The three jumped off the bed and trampled over the bedding on the floor to see it. Sure enough, Arthur had, cradled in his hands, a large grey rat.
"He's so cute!" said Madeline as they crowded their hands forward to pet it.
"I went to Eeylops to pick up owl treats and outside the shop this poor little guy was being stalked by a cat. I whistled to him and he scrambled up my leg," said Arthur with a chuckle.
"Poor fellow, he's lost a toe," said Charlie as he gently stroked the little beast between the ears.