Chapter 10 Mayhem at the Ministry

Mr. Weasley woke them aft(prenominal) only a few hours sleep. He utilise magic to pack up the tents, and they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr. Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr. Roberts had a strange, dazed meet near him, and he waved them off with a vague Merry Christmas.Hell be every extreme(predicate) right, state Mr. Weasley quietly as they marched off onto the moor. Sometimes, when a persons memorys modified, it makes him a bit disorientated for a whileand that was a big thing they had to make him forget.They heard urgent voices as they approached the spot where the Portkeys lay, and when they reached it, they found a great number of witches and wizards gathitherd or so Basil, the keeper of the Portkeys, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible. Mr. Weasley had a hurried discussion with Basil they joined the queue, and were fit to take an old rubber tire back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen. They walk ed back through with(predicate) Ottery St. Catchpole and up the damp lane toward the tunnel in the dawn light, talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their breakfast. As they rounded the corner and the Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the lane.Oh thank goodness, thank goodnessMrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard, came running toward them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a rolled-up counterpart of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hired man.Arthur Ive been so worried so worried -She flung her arms slightly Mr. Weasleys neck, and the Daily Prophet fell pop bulge turn egress of her limp hand onto the ground. Looking garbage down, enkindle saw the headline SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP, complete with a twinkling black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark everywhere the treetops.Youre all right, Mrs. Weasley muttered distractedly, releasing Mr. W easley and staring around at them all with red eyes, youre alive.Oh boysAnd to everybodys surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together.Ouch Mum youre kill us -I shouted at you before you left Mrs. Weasley utter, starting to sob. Its all Ive been thinking about What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the conclusion thing I ever express to you was that you didnt get enough OW.L.s? Oh FredGeorgeCome on, now, Molly, were all perfectly okay, said Mr. Weasley soothingly, prising her off the twins and leading her back toward the house. bank bill, he added in an undertone, pick up that paper, I want to see what it saysWhen they were all crammed into the tiny getupchen, and Hermione had made Mrs. Weasley a cup of very strong tea, into which Mr. Weasley insisted on pouring a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey, Bill handed his aim the newspaper. Mr. Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked everywhere his shoulder.I knew it, said Mr. Weasley heavily. Ministry blundersculprits not apprehendedlax shelterDark wizards running unbridlednational disgrace.Who wrote this? Ahof courseRita Skeeter.That womans got it in for the Ministry of Magic said Percy furiously. Last week she was saying were wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires As if it wasnt specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans -Do us a favor, Perce, said Bill, yawning, and shut up.Im mentioned, said Mr. Weasley, his eyes outfit behind his glasses as he reached the bottom of the Daily Prophet article.Where? spluttered Mrs. Weasley, choking on her tea and whiskey. If Id seen that, Id have accreditn you were aliveNot by name, said Mr. Weasley. Listen to this If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged near time subsequently the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, just refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement volition be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were outside from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen..Oh really, said Mr. Weasley in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woodswell, there certainly will be rumors now shes printed that.He heaved a deep sigh. Molly, Im sledding to have to go into the office this is going to take some smoothing over.Ill line up with you, Father, said Percy importantly. Mr. accede will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person.He bustled out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley looked most upset.Arthur, youre supposed to be on holiday This hasnt got anything to do with your office surely they can handle this without you?Ive g ot to go, Molly, said Mr. Weasley. Ive made things worse. Ill just change into my robes and Ill be off.Mrs. Weasley, said Harry suddenly, unable to contain himself, Hedwig hasnt arrived with a letter for me, has she?Hedwig, dear? said Mrs. Weasley distractedly. Nono, there hasnt been any post at all.Ron and Hermione looked queerly at Harry. With a meaningful look at both of them he said, All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Ron? yeahthink I will in want manner, said Ron at once. Hermione?Yes, she said quickly, and the three of them marched out of the kitchen and up the stairs.Whats up, Harry? said Ron, the moment they had closed the door of the bean plant room behind them.Theres something I havent told you, Harry said. On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scar hurting again.Rons and Hermiones reactions were almost exactly as Harry had imagined them back in his bedroom on Privet Drive. Hermione gasped and started making suggestions at once, mentioning a number of r eference books, and everybody from Albus Dumbledore to Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse. Ron simply looked dumbstruck.But he wasnt there, was he? You-Know-Who? I mean last time your scar kept hurting, he was at Hogwarts, wasnt he?Im sure he wasnt on Privet Drive, said Harry. But I was dreaming about himhim and bastard you know, Wormtail. I cant remember all of it now, but they were plotting to killsomeone.He had teetered for a moment on the verge of saying me, but couldnt bring himself to make Hermione look any more horrified than she already did.It was only a dream, said Ron bracingly. Just a nightmare.Yeah, but was it, though? said Harry, turning to look out of the window at the brightening sky. Its weird, isnt it?My scar hurts, and three days later the Death Eaters are on the march, and Voldemorts signs up in the sky again.Dont say his name Ron hissed through gritted teeth.And remember what Professor Trelawney said? Harry went on, ignoring Ron. At the end of last year?Pro fessor Trelawney was their Divination teacher at Hogwarts. Hermiones terrified look vanished as she let out a derisive snort.Oh Harry, you arent going to pay attention to anything that old fraud says?You werent there, said Harry. You didnt hear her. This time was different. I told you, she went into a becharm a real one. And she said the Dark Lord would rise againgreater and more terrible than ever beforeand hed manage it because his servant was going to go back to himand that night Wormtail escaped.There was a silence in which Ron fidgeted absentmindedly with a hole in his Chudley Cannons bedspread.Why were you asking if Hedwig had come, Harry? Hermione asked. ar you expecting a letter?I told Sirius about my scar, said Harry, shrugging. Im waiting for his answer.Good thinking said Ron, his expression clearing. I bet Siriusll know what to doI hoped hed get back to me quickly, said Harry.But we dont know where Sirius ishe could be in Africa or somewhere, couldnt he? said Hermione reasonably. Hedwigs not going to manage that voyage in a few days.Yeah, I know, said Harry, but there was a leaden feeling in his stomach as he looked out of the window at the Hedwig-free sky.Come and have a game of Quidditch in the orchard, Harry said Ron. Come on three on three, Bill and Charlie and Fred and George will play.You can try out the Wronski Feint.Ron, said Hermione, in an I-dont-think-youre-being-very-sensitive sort of voice, Harry doesnt want to play Quidditch right now.Hes worried, and hes tired.We all need to go to bedYeah, I want to play Quidditch, said Harry suddenly. Hang on, Ill get my Firebolt.Hermione left the room, muttering something that sounded very much equivalent Boys.Neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy was at home much over the following week. Both left the house each morning before the rest of the family got up, and returned well after dinner every night.Its been an absolute uproar, Percy told them importantly the Sunday evening before they were due to re turn to Hogwarts. Ive been putting out fires all week. People keep direct Howlers, and of course, if you dont open a Howler straight away, it explodes. Scorch marks all over my desk and my best quill reduced to cinders.Why are they all send Howlers? asked Ginny, who was mending her copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi with Spellotape on the rug in front of the living room fire.Complaining about security at the World Cup, said Percy. They want compensation for their ruined property. Mundungus Fletchers put in a claim for a twelve-bedroomed tent with en-suite Jacuzzi, but Ive got his number. I know for a fact he was sleeping under a cloak propped on sticks.Mrs. Weasley glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. Harry liked this clock. It was exclusively useless if you wanted to know the time, but otherwise very informative. It had nine golden hands, and each of them was engraved with one of the Weasley familys names. There were no numerals around the face, but descripti ons of where each family member mightiness be. Home, school, and seduce were there, but there was also traveling, lost, hospital, prison, and, in the position where the number twelve would be on a linguistic rule clock, mortal peril.Eight of the hands were currently pointing to the home position, but Mr. Weasleys, which was the longest, was still pointing to work. Mrs. Weasley sighed.Your father hasnt had to go into the office on weekends since the days of You-Know-Who, she said. Theyre working him far too hard. His dinners going to be ruined if he doesnt come home soon.Well, Father feels hes got to make up for his mistake at the match, doesnt 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 -Dont you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote said Mrs. Weasley, flaring up at once.If Dad hadnt 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 youd just let me -No, Mum. rainfall lashed against the living room window. Hermione was immersed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, copies of which Mrs. Weasley had bought for her, Harry, and Ron in Diagon Alley. Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava. Harry was polishing his Firebolt, the broomstick servicing kit Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday open at his feet. Fred and George were sitting in a far corner, quills out, talking in whispers, their heads bent over a typography of parchment.What are you two up to? said Mrs. Weasley sharply, her eyes on the twins.Homework, said Fred vaguely.Dont be ridiculous, youre still on holiday, said Mrs. Weasley.Yeah, weve left it a bit late, said G eorge.Youre not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you? said Mrs. Weasley shrewdly. You wouldnt be thinking of restarting Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, by any chance?Now, Mum, said Fred, flavour up at her, a pained look on his face. If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel to know that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Weasley.Oh your fathers coming she said suddenly, looking up at the clock again.Mr. Weasleys 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 Mrs. Weasley, hurrying out of the room.A few moments later, Mr. Weasley came into the doting living room carrying his dinner on a tray. He looked completely exhausted.Well, the fats really in the fire now, he told Mrs. Weasley as he sat down in an armchair near the hearth and toyed unenthus iastically with his somewhat shriveled cauliflower. Rita Skeeters been ferreting around all week, looking for more Ministry mess-ups to report. And now shes found out about hapless old Bertha going missing, so thatll 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 comfortable Rita hasnt found out about Winky, said Mr. Weasley irritably. Thered be a weeks worth of headlines in his house-elf being caught safekeeping 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 Hermion e, her voice rising passionately, because he didnt pay Winky, did he?I think youd all better go upstairs and check that youve packed properly said Mrs. Weasley, breaking up the argument. Come on now, all of you.Harry repacked his broomstick servicing kit, put his Firebolt over his shoulder, and went back upstairs with Ron. The rain sounded even louder at the top of the house, accompanied by loud whistlings and moans from the wind, not to mention sporadic howls from the ghoul who lived in the attic. Pigwidgeon began twittering and zooming around his cage when they entered. The sight of the half-packed trunks seemed to have sent him into a frenzy of excitement.Bung him some Owl Treats, said Ron, throwing a packet across to Harry. It might shut him up.Harry poked a few Owl Treats through the bars of Pigwidgeons cage, then turned to his trunk. Hedwigs cage stood next to it, still empty.Its been over a week, Harry said, looking at Hedwigs deserted perch. Ron, you dont reckon Sirius has b een caught, do you?Nah, it wouldve been in the Daily Prophet, said Ron. The Ministry would want to show theyd caught someone, wouldnt they?Yeah, I suppose.Look, heres the stuff Mum got for you in Diagon Alley. And shes got some gold out of your vault for youand shes washed all your socks.He heaved a pile of parcels onto Harrys camp bed and dropped the money bag and a tear of socks next to it. Harry started unwrapping the shopping. Apart from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, by Miranda Goshawk, he had a handful of new quills, a dozen rolls of parchment, and refills for his potion-making kit he had been running low on spine of lionfish and essence of belladonna. He was just piling underwear into his cauldron when Ron made a loud noise of beat back behind him.What is that supposed to be?He was holding up something that looked to Harry like a long, maroon velvet dress. It had a moldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs.There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Weasley entered, carrying an armful of freshly laundered Hogwarts robes.Here you are, she said, sorting them into two piles. Now, mind you pack them properly so they dont crease.Mum, youve given me Ginnys new dress, said Ron, handing it out to her.Of course I havent, said Mrs. Weasley. Thats for you. Dress robes.What? said Ron, looking horror-struck.Dress robes repeated Mrs. Weasley. It says on your school proclivity that youre supposed to have dress robes this yearrobes for formal occasions.Youve got to be kidding, said Ron in disbelief. Im not wearing that, no way.Everyone wears them, Ron said Mrs. Weasley crossly. Theyre all like that Your fathers got some for smart partiesIll go starkers before I put that on, said Ron stubbornly.Dont be so silly, said Mrs. Weasley. Youve got to have dress robes, theyre on your list I got some for Harry tooshow him, Harry.In some trepidation, Harry opened the last parcel on his camp bed. It wasnt as bad as he had expected, however his dress ro bes didnt have any lace on them at all in fact, they were more or less the kindred as his school ones, except that they were bottle green instead of black.I thought theyd bring out the color of your eyes, dear, said Mrs. Weasley fondly.Well, theyre okay said Ron angrily, looking at Harrys robes. Why couldnt I have some like that?Becausewell, I had to get yours secondhand, and there wasnt a lot of choice said Mrs. Weasley, flushing.Harry looked away. He would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasleys, but he knew they would never take it.Im never wearing them, Ron was saying stubbornly. Never.Fine, snapped Mrs. Weasley. Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do with a laugh.She left the room, slamming the door behind her. There was a remaining spluttering noise from behind them. Pigwidgeon was choking on an overlarge Owl Treat.Why is everything I own rubbish? said Ron furiously, striding across the room to unstick Pigwidgeons beak.