The Woes of Martha
Dumbledore's very abrupt departure didn't really surprise Arthur that much, though it did take him by surprise.
He remained where he sat in the chained chair, trying to deal with his shock and pure relief. The whole Wizengamot got to their feet, talking, gathering up their papers and packing them away.
Arthur finally stood, not being noticed by anyone, except for Umbridge on Fudge's right, who now gazed at him.
Wanting to get away her gaze and presence, along with Fudge's, Arthur walked directly to the exit. Upon opening the door, he bumped into Ben, who stood right outside, looking pale and tense.
"Dumbledore didn't say -"
"I'm cleared." Arthur told him, shutting the door behind him. "Dumbledore managed to talk sense into them."
Ben was beaming as he embraced Arthur.
"This is great! Of course, they wouldn't have found you guilty, regardless, because of the evidence."
The courtroom door opened up and the Wizengamot filed out.
"Merlin's beard!" Ben exclaimed, which was odd considering his ancestor is indeed Merlin. "You were tried by the whole court." He said, pulling Arthur aside to let them all pass.
"It would seem so." Arthur said quietly.
One or two of the wizards nodded to Arthur as they passed and a few, which included Amelia Bones, said "Morning, Ben.", to Ben, though most averted their eyes.
Fudge and Umbridge were almost the last to leave the courtroom. Fudge acted as though Ben and Arthur weren't there whereas Umbrdige looked downright appraisingly at Arthur as she passed.
The last to leave was the young man named Clarke, who, like Fudge, ignored them as he marched past with a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air.
"I'll be taking you straight back so you can tell the others the good news." Ben said, beckoning Arthur forwards as Clarke's heels disappeared up the steps to Level Nine.
Arthur was just buzzing with joy as what had happened was sinking in… he was cleared and will be going back to Hogwarts.
They mounted up the stairs and when they reached the ninth level corridor, they saw Fudge standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with long sleek blonde hair and a pointed, pale face with a walking stick that had the head of a serpent.
They immediately knew it was Lucius Malfoy, who turned at the sound of their footsteps, breaking off in mid conversation with his cold grey eyes narrowing and fixing upon Arthur's glaring face.
"Well, well, well… Patronus Pendergast." Lucius said coolly.
Arthur felt like he was being held in place by invisible hands as he remembered seeing those cold grey eyes through the slits of a Death Eater's hood, last hearing his voice jeering in a dark graveyard as Voldemort tortured him. He couldn't believe that Lucius would dare to look him in the face and that he's here in the Ministry of Magic, further corrupting Fudge, who refused to believe Arthur's words that Lucius is a Death Eater.
"The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Pendergast." Lucius drawled. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes… snakelike, in fact."
Ben gripped Arthur's shoulder in warning.
"I just had cold, hard facts to prove I did nothing wrong." Arthur gritted through his teeth.
Lucius then raised his eyes to Ben's face.
"And Benjamin Merlon too?" What are you doing here, Benjamin?"
"I work here." Ben spat.
"Not here, surely?" Lucius said, raising his eyebrows and glazing to the door over Ben's shoulder. "I thought you were up on the second floor."
"Why would you even be here, since you don't work?" Arthur then asked.
"I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours, Pendergast." Lucius said, smoothing the front of his robes. Arthur heard the distinct sound of gentle clinking of what had to be a pocket full of gold. "Really, just because you are Dumbledore's favourite boy, you must not expect the same indulgence from the rest of us, shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"
"Certainly." Fudge said, turning his back on Arthur and Ben. "This way, Lucius."
The two strode off together, talking in low voices. Ben didn't let go of Arthur's shoulder until they disappeared into the lift.
"If that slimy git wanted to talk with Fudge, why didn't he just wait outside his office?" Arthur spat out questions. "Why would he be down here?"
"I'd say he was trying to sneak into the courtroom." Ben said, looking very agitated and glanced over his shoulder, making Arthur think he was looking at the door at the end of the corridor. "Trying to see if you were expelled or not. I'll leave Dumbledore a note when I drop you off, he should know that Lucius was talking to Fudge again."
"What kind of private business do you think they're talking about?" Arthur asked.
"Gold." Ben said angrily. "Lucius has been doing what seemed like generous donations for years… getting him in with the right people… so that he can ask for favours… delaying laws he doesn't want passed… that snake is very well connected."
The lift arrived for them; all that was in it was a flock of memos that flapped around Ben's head as he pressed the button for the Atrium and the doors clanged shut. He waved them away irritably.
"You don't think that Fudge is under the Imperius Curse if he's meeting Death Eaters by himself?" Arthur asked something that he considered.
"I've considered that idea, but Dumbledore believes that Fudge is acting on his own accord right now. Which isn't all that comforting. Let's just not talk about it now, Arthur."
The doors slid open and they stepped out into the almost deserted Atrium. Eric the security wizard was hidden behind his copy of the Daily Prophet once more.
Arthur grabbed his money bag from his pocket and stopped at the fountain, after telling Ben he had to do something.
He looked up at the wizard's face, seeing that he looked more weak and foolish, instead of handsome. The witch was wearing a vapid smile like she was some beauty contestant, and with what Arthur knew of centaurs and goblins, they were very unlikely to stare so soppily at humans. Only the house elf's attitude of creepy servility looked convincing.
Arthur decided to just pour out the entire contents of the bag into the pool instead of just ten Galleons.
"I KNEW IT!" David yelled, punching the air repeatedly.
"They had no choice but to clear you." Chrys said, looking like she was about to faint from joyous shock when Arthur entered the kitchen. "There was just no case against you."
"You did the right thing and made Fudge look like a right twat." Mike said, patting Arthur's back before wrapping his arm around his neck, making Arthur have goosebumps rise up his back from the close contact.
"You lot seem so relieved since you all knew I'd get off." Arthur grinned.
Martha wiped her face with her apron as the twins and Mary all cheered and danced in celebration.
"Sirius, listen, Lucius was at the Ministry -" Ben began.
"What?" Sirius said sharply.
"We saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine before they went to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore needs to know about this." Ben explained.
"You're right. We'll tell him as soon as possible." Sirius nodded.
"Anyway, I need to get back to work." Ben then said. "And Martha, I'll be late since I'm covering for Tonks, Kingsley might drop in for dinner." He then left the kitchen.
"Arthur, here's some lunch, you hardly had breakfast." Martha said.
David, Chrys and Mike all sat around him, looking the happiest they've been since Arthur arrived at Grimmauld Place, who himself felt some giddy relief, despite the encounter with Lucius.
The gloomy house now seemed warmer and more welcoming suddenly, even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snout-like nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.
"Once Dumbledore showed up, they had no chance." David said with a grin as he dished great masses of mashed potato onto everyone's plates.
"Yet, he didn't even look at or talk to me." Arthur pointed out, and as he thought of this, his scar burned so bad that he hissed in pain and clapped his hand to it.
"What's wrong?" Mike asked, concerned and alarmed.
"It's my scar…." Arthur mumbled. "I just hope it means nothing, it's been happening more often now…."
For the next few days, Arthur was able to enjoy spending time with Sirius now that he was able to continue going to Hogwarts.
Of course, they still continued cleaning the house, doing things like scrubbing out a mouldy cupboard on the third floor.
"Still not finished?" Martha said, having entered the bedroom behind them and poking her head into the cupboard.
"That's to be expected when there's nothing but mould in there." David said bitterly. "I'm starting to feel like a house elf."
Arthur was now daydreaming about Hogwarts as the end of the holidays approached. He couldn't wait to play Quidditch once more, to sleep in the dormitory up in Gryffindor Tower, seeing Hagrid, heck, even strolling across the vegetable patches to the Herbology greenhouses, knowing that he'd be able to finally leave this dusty, musty house, where half the cupboards were still bolted shut and Kreacher shooting insults out of the shadows as he'd pass through wherever.
Living in the Headquarters of the group that are focused on fighting against Voldemort turned out to be not as interesting or as exciting as Arthur would've expected. Even though members of the Order of the Phoenix would come and go regularly, sometimes staying for meals, other times for a few minutes of whispered conversation, with Martha making sure Arthur and the others were kept out of earshot (whether it was Extendable Ears or normal) and no one, even Sirius, thought that Arthur needed to know more than he already heard when he first arrived, which very much irked him.
During this time, Arthur was coming to the conclusion that the Order was protecting something beyond that door in Level Nine, which he was sure led into the Department of Mysteries. Considering that he kept seeing it in his dreams and that both Ben and Lucius looked at it after the hearing, it made sense. This left only one question: what was in there that Voldemort is after and that the Order was protecting, based on these shifts that are implied in some conversations.
On the very last day of the holidays before going to Hogwarts, Arthur sweeped up Athena's owl droppings from the top of the wardrobe when David and Mike entered their bedroom carrying three envelopes.
"Our book lists have arrived." David said, throwing one of the envelopes to Arthur, who stood on a chair. "And about time, too."
"Yeah, you'd think they had forgotten us, considering they normally arrive earlier than this." Mike agreed with him.
Arthur continued to sweep the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag before throwing it over David's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly, making Arthur laugh, finding it funny.
He then opened up his letter, containing two pieces of parchment, one containing the usual reminder that term will start on the first of September, the other containing a list of books needed for the upcoming school year.
"It's only two new books this year." Arthur said, reading the list. "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory, by WIlbert Slinkhard."
He frowned with the second book, why would they only need a book on theory that would clearly be for Defence Against the Dark Arts?
Crack
Both Jack and Kevin Apparated right beside Arthur, who was used to them doing this at this point that he didn't freak out and fall off the chair.
"We were thinking about that Slinkhard book." Jack said conversationally.
"It must mean we have a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Kevin said. "About time, too."
"What do you mean?" Mike asked as Arthur jumped down beside them.
"We overheard mum and dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks ago." Jack replied. "From what they were saying, Dumbledore was having the most trouble this year to find someone to do the job."
"Not that surprising, considering what happened to the previous four." Arthur pointed out.
"Yeah, one dead, one's memories were removed, one's sacked, and the most recent was locked in a trunk for nine months." Mike listed off the fates of their previous teachers.
"David, are you alright?" Jack suddenly said. Everyone looked and saw that David was standing very still, looking shocked at his letter from Hogwarts.
"David?" Jack said, sounding a bit worried until he moved around to read the letter over his shoulder. His jaw dropped.
"You're the new Prefect?" He said, seizing the envelope from David's other hand, turning it upside down and a scarlet and gold badge fell out into David's hand.
"No way." Kevin said, just as shocked.
"No offence, but David, of all people, is chosen as the male Gryffindor Prefect?" Mike questioned, wondering how that choice makes sense.
"Yeah, we would've thought you'd be Prefect." Jack said, looking at Arthur.
"Clearly Dumbledore has some vendetta against me, avoiding me, not talking to me and now making someone else become Prefect, not that I care, since I didn't really want to be Prefect." Arthur replied bitterly as he sat down on his bed.
"Now that you say it, it makes sense, but I would've thought Mike would be better suited to be Prefect." Kevin said.
David was still silent as he looked down at the badge in his hand, now handing it to Arthur, silently asking for confirmation that it's genuine. Arthur took it and saw a large 'P' being superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He saw Sam wearing the exact same badge on his very first day to Hogwarts.
The door then banged open and Chrys came in with an envelope in her hand. She then spotted Arthur with the badge in his hand, letting out a shriek.
"I knew it!" She said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too!"
"Actually, it's David." Arthur said, handing the badge to David.
"What?" Chrys said, a bit confused.
"David is Prefect, not me." Arthur replied
"Really?" She said, jaw dropping and looking at David. "I'd have thought that…." She stopped herself before she'd say something she'd regret.
The door behind her opened a bit wider and Martha entered with a pile of freshly laundered robes.
"Mary's just told me the book lists have finally come." She said, glancing at all the envelopes and making her way to one of the beds, sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me, I'll go to Diagon Alley later in the afternoon and get your books whilst you're packing. I'm gonna have to get you more pyjamas, David. I swear you've grown too tall for your own good… what colour would you like?"
"Probably red and gold to match his badge." Kevin remarked.
"His what?" Martha said, confused as she rolled up a pair of socks, placing them on David's pile.
"His Prefect badge." Jack clarified.
Martha froze as she processed what she was just told before she looked over at her youngest son.
"David?" She said, making him hold up his badge.
She then gasped and covered her mouth and nose with both hands.
"You're the fourth to become a Prefect in the family!" She shrieked through her hands before wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"Just wait until your father hears about this! I'm so proud of you!" She continued before kissing him on the cheek and holding him in front of her at arm's length.
The twins were a bit put off by this, though they did feel a bit proud for their younger brother.
"So, what would you like? Sam got an owl." She asked David.
"Uh… A Nimbus Two Thousand and One?" David asked, deciding to upgrade from his old broomstick.
"That shouldn't be a problem. Well, I'll see you all later. Don't forget to pack up your trunks." Martha said before she headed out of the room.
The twins simply Disapparated elsewhere with a loud crack.
Chrys left the room with David as well, leaving Arthur and Mike. Mike looked over at Arthur, who still sat on his bed, looking a bit dispirited.
"Are you jealous that David became Prefect and not you?" He asked tentatively.
"I'm not, you heard me. I didn't really want to become Prefect. I'm just more mad that Dumbledore is deliberately avoiding me and making me feel glossed over."
Mike sighed as he sat next to Arthur and placed a caring hand by his knee.
"Clearly Dumbledore is being a fool for doing all of this. You need all the support you can get and he's not giving it to you. He just doesn't realise how his actions are affecting you." He said.
"What will it take for him to realise that? Me coming close to death? Losing someone important to me?" Arthur asked, getting heated at the thought of Dumbledore again.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Mike said, anxious at the thought of any of those happening. "But I think Dumbledore made David and Chrys Prefects to keep you safe."
"Great, another instance where he doesn't trust me." Arthur spat.
"Well I trust you without question. So do David and Chrys." Mike pointed out, which did make Arthur feel a bit better. He even held Mike's hand, squeezing it before he let go, not wanting to come off as too forward, still scared how he and others would react if they learned he was gay.
Eventually, David came back and the three boys all went ahead to start packing, which took them most of the afternoon to do since their possessions had been scattered all over the place.
Martha returned from Diagon Alley at around six o'clock, laden with books and with a long package wrapped in thick brown paper which David took with some form of reverence.
"You can unwrap it later, people are arriving for dinner and I want you all downstairs." Martha said, though David just unwrapped it regardless when she was out of sight. He took this chance to closely examine it, Mike telling him that his own was just the same, so why would he bother examining it?
Down in the basement, Martha had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read:
CONGRATULATIONS
DAVID AND CHRYS
NEW PREFECTS
She looked like she was in a better mood compared to the rest of the holiday since coming to Grimmauld Place.
"Might as well have a little party instead of a sit down dinner." She said to Arthur, David, Chrys, Mike, Mary and the twins as they all entered. "Your dad, Rob and Sam are on their way, David. I've sent them owls and they're proud to say the least."
Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley were already there with Moody stumping in shortly after Arthur got himself a Butterbeer.
"Nice to finally see you here, Alastor." Martha said as Moody shrugged off his travelling cloak. "We've been wanting you here for ages. We need you to look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it. We haven't opened it in case it was something nasty."
"No problem, Martha…."
His electric blue eye swivelled upwards, staring fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.
"Drawing room…." He growled as the pupil contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it… yeah, it's a Boggart… want me to go up and get rid of it, Martha?"
"I'll do it later." Martha replied. "You just have a drink. We're actually celebrating." She pointed up at the banner. "David's the fourth Prefect in the family."
"Prefect, eh?" Moody growled with his normal eye on David and his magical eye swivelling around to gaze into the side of his head. Arthur suspected it was looking at him before moving towards Sirius and Lupin.
"Well, congratulations…" Moody said, still glaring at David with his normal eye. "...authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you…."
Davi was a bit thrown off by what he said but was saved by the arrival of his father and older elder brothers to not respond. Martha was in such a good mood that she didn't even complain that Mundungus was with them, who wore a long overcoat that seemed lumpy in unlikely places, declining the offer to remove it, putting it with Moody's travelling cloak.
"A toast is in order." Ben said when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To David and Chrys, the new Gryffindor Prefects!"
The two beamed as everyone drank to them before applauding.
"I was never a Prefect myself." Tonks said brightly from behind Arthur as everyone moved towards the table to themselves to some food. Her hair was now tomato red and waist length today, looking like she would be Mary's older sister, if she were to have silver hair. "My Head of house said I lacked certain necessary qualities."
"Such as?" Mary asked as she chose a baked potato.
"Like the ability to behave myself." Tonks replied.
This made Mary laugh, while Chrys looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"What about you, Sirius?" Mary then asked, Sirius being right beside Arthur. He made his usual bark-like laugh.
"No. I wasn't Prefect material. Lupin was more of the good boy out of all of us. So he got the badge."
"I was pretty good at it." Lupin said. "Though I haven't exactly exercised control on Sirius and John."
The party was at full swing at this point, everyone splintered off into different groups.
Chrys talked with Lupin about elves and their place in wizarding society in comparison to werewolves, example.
Elsewhere, Martha and Rob had their usual argument about Rob's hair.
"It's getting out of hand, I think you'd look better if it was cut shorter."
"He looks perfectly fine with long hair, Martha, just let it go." Arthur expressed his opinion before he slid in the direction of the twins, who were huddled in a corner with Mundungus.
Mundungus stopped talking when he saw Arthur glaring at him.
"Arthur happens to be our financial backer, it's fine." Jack said as he beckoned Arthur over.
"We got these from Fungus." Kevin said, holding out in his hand what looked like shrivelled black pods. They also emitted faint rattling noises, despite being stationary.
"They're Venomous Tentacula seeds." Kevin said. "We need them for the Skiving Snackboxes, but they're a Class C Non Tradeable Substance so we had no choice."
"Ten Galleons for them, Dung?" Jack asked.
"Wiv all the trouble I went to get 'em?" Mundungus said, his saggy bloodshot eyes stretching wider. "I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty."
"Should we remind you that Moody is here and could have his eye on you?" Arthur said, nodding over to Moody, making Mundungus look over his shoulder nervously. There's no way this cheapskate will rob them of their money, not after what Ludo Bagman did to them.
"Good point, that." Mundungus grunted. "Alright, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick."
"Thanks, Arthur!" Jack said gratefully as Mundungus emptied his pockets into the twins' outstretched hands before scuttling off to get food. "Let's get these upstairs…."
Arthur watched them go before he heard his name being said by Kingsley's deep voice, which was audible among the surrounding chatter.
"...why Dumbledore didn't make Pendergast a Prefect?"
"He'll have had his reasons." Lupin replied.
"But it would've shown confidence in him. It's what I'd've done." Kingsley persisted. "'Specially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days…."
Arthur didn't turn, not wanting them to know that he heard them.
Not exactly hungry, he went back towards the table, his fun at the party now gone. He now wished that he could go up to bed.
He watched Moody sniffing at a chicken leg with what was left of his nose, trying to see if it was poisoned. Satisfied it wasn't, he tore a strip off it with his teeth.
Martha then yawned widely.
"I'll go sort out that Boggart before I turn in… Ben, make sure they all don't stay up late. Night, Arthur."
She then left the kitchen and Arthur set down his plate, pondering if he should follow her without attracting attention.
"Are you alright, Arthur?" Sirius asked, sitting next to him.
"Not exactly." Arthur replied.
"There's something I want to show you. You might be interested in it." Sirius said, reaching in a pocket in his robes, pulling out a tattered old wizarding photograph.
"The original Order of the Phoenix." Sirius said. "Moody handed it to me after he tried to find his spare Invisibility Cloak, having lent Sturgis Podmore his best one, still having not returned it."
Arthur took the photograph and saw a small crowd of people, all standing together.
"There's your parents." Sirius pointed and Arthur looked to see them in the middle of the group, alongside Lupin, Sirius and Wormtail. It was something Arthur still hadn't gotten used to, seeing his parents, whatever way he did. Dumbledore stood near them as well.
"There's Marlene McKinnon." Sirius pointed at a witch in the far right of the group. "She was only killed two weeks after this was taken. Voldemort wiped out her entire family."
Arthur looked on, realising that some of these people have died at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
He looked through the photo, seeing some familiar faces like Hagrid and Moody.
"Those two there…" Sirius pointed at the two men at the far left of the photo at the end of the group. "They're Brian and Kian Prewett. It took five Death Eaters to kill them… they fought like heroes if you ask me. And what's sad is that they're Martha's older brothers."
Arthur's eyes widened in sadness. He never thought that she'd suffer such a loss.
"And these two…" Sirius then pointed at a man and woman standing in front of Moody. "...they're Frank and Alice Longbottom."
Arthur's heart clenched and his eyes were watering upon seeing Neville's parents. He was struck by how much Neville clearly took from his mother, Alice, who had a round, friendly face.
"They suffered a fate worse than death, you ask me." Sirius said sadly. "It's been fourteen years. Still a day doesn't go by I'd miss your dad." He said, looking at Arthur's father in the photo.
Arthur sat in silence, looking at the photo, thinking about how things would've been different if Voldemort wasn't around. How Martha would still have her brothers… how Neville's parents would be sane and raise their son… how Arthur would have his parents raising him if they were still alive.
"I gotta go check my trunk." Arthur then said, wanting to leave, no longer finding any joy of being there anymore. He just stormed off upstairs into the hall and past the glass containers full of elf heads.
As he was approaching the first landing, Arthur heard something. It was someone sobbing in the drawing room.
"Martha." He whispered, realising that something's wrong.
He went up the remaining stairs two at a time and ran across the landing before opening the drawing room door.
He saw Martha cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand and her whole body shaking with sobs.
Sprawled out on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight was David's corpse.
Arthur stared in horror as he was seeing what had to be the Boggart making her face her worst fear.
"Martha?" He said, hoping to snap her out of it.
"R - r - riddikulus!" She sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at David's body.
Crack
It now turned into Rob's body, spread eagled on his back, eyes wide open and empty. Martha continued sobbing, now harder than ever.
"R - riddikulus!" She sobbed once more.
Now Ben's body appeared, his body covered in gash marks as though he was fighting before he died. One very nasty gash was on his face, caking his face in blood.
"No!" Martha moaned in agony. "Riddikulus… Riddikulus… RIDDIKULUS!"
Crack. The twins. Crack. Sam. Crack. Now Arthur.
"Martha, get out of there!" Arthur now shouted as he stared at his own dead body on the floor. "Let someone else -"
"What's going on?"
Lupin came running in, closely followed by Sirius and Moody, who stumped along behind them. Lupin looked from Martha to the dead Arthur on the floor, understanding instantly. He pulled his wand out and said, very firmly and clearly "Riddikulus!"
Arthur's corpse vanished and a silvery orb hung in the air over where it had lain. Lupin then waved his wand once more, making the orb vanish in a puff of smoke.
Martha now broke into a storm of crying with her face in her hands.
"Martha." Lupin said bleakly, walking to her. "Martha, don't…."
Now she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.
"Martha, it was just a Boggart." He said soothingly, patting her head. "Just a stupid Boggart…."
"I see them d - d - dead all the time!" Martha moaned into his shoulder. "All the time! In m - my nightmares!"
Sirius stared at the patch of carpet where the Boggart pretended to be Arthur's corpse. Moody then looked at Arthur, who avoided his gaze.
"Please don't tell Ben!" Martha gulped, getting control of herself. "I don't want him to worry about me."
Lupin gave her a handkerchief and she wiped her tears and blew her nose.
"Arthur, I'm so sorry." She said shakily. "What must you think… that I can't get rid of a Boggart."
"It's alright." Arthur said, patting her arm.
"I'm just so worried about everything." She said as new tears formed. "Half the family's in the Order… I'm just scared something will happen. And what if Ben and I get killed… who will look after David and Mary?"
"Martha, that's enough." Lupin said firmly. "This isn't like the last time. The Order is better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to. I may not promise that no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one…."
This made Arthur think of the photograph again, of all those faces of the people who eventually died, including his parents. He felt Sirius looking at him along with Moody.
"About who will look after David and Mary if you and Ben died…" Lupin said, smiling slightly. "...what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"
This made Martha smile gratefully.
Ten minutes later, Arthur closed his bedroom door behind him, feeling so bad for Martha. The image of the Boggart posing as the corpse of each member of her family and himself kept flashing in his mind, hoping none of them will die by the time this is all over.
Without warning, the scar on his forehead seared with pain again and his stomach churned horribly.
He remembered what Dumbledore said about it hurting whenever Voldemort felt a strong surge of hatred. Maybe it can include strong surges of anger and joy. And if that's the case, what happened to make him feel whatever he felt at this moment?
Ultimately, as he rubbed the scar as the pain receded, he changed into his pyjamas and just laid in his bed until he felt like he could sleep.
I feel so bad for Martha, it must be rough to be wife and mother considering the current circumstances.
Next chapter, we'll be introduced to a fan favourite Ravenclaw.