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Molly and Arthur Weasley could not have predicted what was to come that Wednesday morning. A day like any other, tea and toast at the old wooden table, Arthur purusing the Daily Prophet, mumbling under his breath at something or other. Molly at the stove, cooking the bacon, sausages, and eggs, ensuring her husband started off his day the right way.
Breakfast served Molly would join Arthur at the table, sorting through the mail, while sipping her tea. The pair could never have begun to imagine, let alone comprehend how irreversibly their lives would be changed, when Molly opened a letter with the official Ministry of Magic seal.
“Harry’s dropping by today” the matriarch said fondly, reading the note
“That’s nice dear” Arthur replied, head buried in the paper.
“He’s asked if you could be here when he does” Molly countered, having read further down the page
“What time?” Arthur asked, folding the paper, and setting it beside his plate.
“11am”
“I can pop home then, haven’t anything on of importance around that time”
“Good” Molly answered, refolding the letter “I’ll bake a cake to have with our tea
An hour later as Molly puttered about the kitchen, she absently wondered why Ron hadn’t mentioned anything about a visit from Harry, not that it mattered, Harry often came by without her youngest son. Still, it was curious she mused, waving her wand above the mixing bowl.
“Why are you here?” a voice inquired from the door to Harry’s office
The head Auror looked up and saw Auror Dean Thomas standing on the threshold.
“Needed to gather a few things before I went out” Harry answered, continuing the task of placing evidence into a cardboard box
“You should be at the hospital” Dean countered
“I was til about an hour ago” Harry murmured “They’re sleeping peacefully, Drake and Andy are with them”
“Have you slept?” Dean asked pointedly, pinning Harry with his dark gaze, not missing the dark circles and the red-rimmed eyes
“On and off at the hospital” came the muted reply
“Harry it’s ok if you can’t do this” Dean said softly, moving further into the office “No one will think any differently”
Harry slumped down in his chair, scrubbing a hand across his face, willing his emotions to cooperate for a little bit longer. “It has to be me,” he said dejectedly “I couldn’t bear it if they found out from someone else, they deserve better than that”
“At least take someone with you” Dean suggested, “You don’t have to do this alone, I’ll come along if you like?”
“Thanks” Harry said, giving the man a small smile “Ron offered, well informed me he would be coming”
“I have no doubt” Dean said wanly “The prisoners have been processed and are now in the cells. The arraignment has been scheduled for this afternoon at 2:30”
“Good, make sure everything is signed, dated and witnessed,” Harry said, a hard edge in his voice “I don’t want anything to go wrong with this”
“I will Harry, you can count on that” Dean assured him “Nothing will go wrong, we have more than enough to lay charges, the suspects were more than forthcoming in their statements”
“Price, you pay for hiring thugs to do your dirty work” Harry said wryly “They sing like snidgets when backed into a corner”
He hadn’t been allowed to interview the two suspects, which had been apprehended the previous evening. Kingsley was adamant about that and would not be swayed otherwise. He had, however permitted Harry to stand in the outer room and observe the interrogation that Dean and another member of the DMLE had conducted.
Within minutes of commencing the interview, the suspects had confessed their part along with other pertinent information. Harry wished all suspects would offer up, as much information freely without interference, would certainly make his job easier.
“She promised Ron, she’d stop. When he threatened to tell Molly and Arthur what she’d been doing. Knew that if word got out, she could kiss her Quidditch career goodbye. Guess that’s why she employed thugs to do her bidding. Never thought she would hurt my family. Merlin Dean, they could have been killed”
The dam broke, and the floodgates opened. Harry sobbed uncontrollably, every ounce of hurt, anger and pain, splashed onto his desk. Dean was at his side in an instant, gathering the distraught man into his arms and holding on.
“They’re both safe Harry, and it’s because you and Sev taught Jocelyn to take care of herself and she did”
“No 10-year-old should have to see their parent beaten to a pulp by thugs” Harry cried into Dean’s robes.
“No, they shouldn’t”
When the tears subsided and Harry was able to pull himself together, Dean prepared himself to bring his friends world crashing down around him once more.
“There’s a reason I came to see you this morning, other than to check in on you” Dean began.
“What reason was that?” Harry asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer
Dean handed Harry a file folder and braced himself for the rage that was sure to follow.
The folder contained the report of an authorised search of a magical residence in Lewisham, where contents of said residence were seized and brought back to the Ministry. Included in the seized items was a journal with a detailed description of a very dark ritual that was to be performed on the night of a new moon. Harry swallowed around the bile rising in his throat, he felt physically ill as the ramifications of just how far she’d been prepared to go resonated in his mind.
“She planned to perform this ritual on me,” Harry said as more of a statement than a question
“It appears so” Dean said reservedly “Forensics compared the writing in the journal with one of the letters and cards she’d sent, it was a match”
“She was going to forcibly join our souls?”
“It seems that way” Dean replied
“At the very least she’ll get life, the most she’ll get the KISS and the worst she’ll get the veil” Harry muttered.
“However it goes, she’ll never see the light of day again” Dean answered
“I need you to get a message to Ron for me, get him to meet me in Kingsley’s office” Harry instructed, shifting into Head Auror mode. I want Jed and Alex on standby once I’ve finished there”
“I’m on it” Dean said without question, leaving Harry’s office.
Harry stepped out of the floo and into the kitchen of the Burrow. His heart gave a painful clench as he greeted the people that he’d long considered family. Memories assaulted his mind, when Molly hugged him hard, and Arthur gave him a warm smile and a clap on the shoulder. The floo flared green a moment later and Kingsley Shacklebolt Minister for Magic exited the hearth.
“Molly, Arthur” he greeted, taking a seat at the worn wooden table.
Molly Weasley knew then this was no social call and prepared herself for what was to come.
After Deans visit to his office, Harry had apprised both the Minister and Ron of the new developments in the case against his sister. Ron had shouted and raged, cursed his sibling to the ends of the earth. He assured Harry she would be brought to justice.
Harry’s second in command and best mate argued with the Minister about being permitted to arrest his sister himself. Kingsley remained unwavering in his decision, eventually allowing, as he had Harry to be a silent observer during his sister’s interview after she had been brought to the Ministry. It was no consolation, but the man had little choice but to acquiesce to the man’s instructions. Harry himself had been left with no choice, when Kingsley informed his Head Auror that he would be accompanying him to the Burrow, where Harry would inform them of their daughters impending arrest.
Harry placed the shrunken box on the tabletop and waved his wand, trying to organise his thoughts before explaining to Arthur and Molly the reason for his and the Ministers visit.
“Yesterday afternoon, Severus and Jocelyn were involved in an attack. Two people came into the shop. Sev was in the back and came out when he heard the bell. Before he could react, one of them stunned him, dragged him into the back area and proceeded to beat him, using both muggle force and magic. Jocelyn who’d been with Andromeda at the time, found her father lying unconscious on the floor, managed to get him into the floo and to St Mungo’s, where she asked the Medinurse to call the DMLE”
Arthur’s blood froze in his veins, there’d been an article that morning in the paper, reporting on an unprovoked attack in Diagon Alley, but they hadn’t named any person.
“Are they alright?” Molly asked
“They will be” Harry answered “Severus suffered three fractured ribs, dislocated shoulder, multiple cuts, and bruises, along with a nasty concussion. Jocelyn went into shock shortly after getting her father to the hospital”
“Do they know who did it?” Arthur asked cautiously, knowing deep down what the reply would be
“Yes, two suspects were apprehended last evening and taken in for questioning. They were very forthcoming about their role in the attack on Sev and Jocelyn, as well as divulging who’d paid them a rather large amount of money to attack my family in the first place. It gives me no pleasure to tell you that they named Ginny as being responsible for employing them to attack my husband and daughter”
“H-how can that be?” Molly stuttered, I know she had her sights set on the pair of you being a couple, but surely, she wouldn’t go as far as to hurt someone”
“It’s more than a simple crush Molly” Kingsley interjected, seeing that Harry was beginning to shake. Pulling the box towards him, the Minister began to remove the contents. Arthur’s breath caught in his throat as he saw several photographs of his only daughter naked and in provocative poses being placed on the table. Letters, cards, potion vials followed, concrete proof of just how far his child had taken her obsession.
“I thought she would get bored and stop” Harry said shakily “Ron had a word with her put the fear of God into her, warned her to back off and let the idea of me and her go. For a while she did. Mostly it was just nuisance stuff, a poor attempt at getting my attention. I was prepared to let it run its course and taper off. All that changed when she orchestrated an attack on my family. Today a search was carried out on the suspects’ residence, items were found and taken from that residence and returned to the Ministry. Among the items seized was a journal and in it a detailed outlining of a dark ritual that she intended to perform on me on the eve of a new moon. Kingsley wordlessly handed the leather-bound book to them.
“Merlin” Molly breathed, tears welling in her eyes “She really intended to perform this?”
“Yes”
Before Harry could say anymore, the floo flared again and Ron Weasley appeared in the kitchen. His expression was unreadable, but he was pale, and his hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his robes.
“I take it Harry has told you both?” Ron asked, looking at his parents
Molly and Arthur nodded in response.
“She’s been arrested and interviewed” Ron explained, sitting in a chair across from his father.
“Did she admit to anything?” Harry asked carefully
“Copped to everything” Ron answered, “Was quite proud of her efforts”
“What does that mean?” Molly asked sharply
“It means” Ron said tersely “That she doesn’t feel one ounce of remorse for her actions, is in fact quite pleased with herself, thought the dark ritual was a stroke of genius”
Harry’s stomach roiled dangerously, and the room began to spin, his vision greying at the sides. The voices in the room became jumbled as he collapsed on the floor.
Harry sat out on the back deck of their home with his husband, that day’s edition of the Daily Prophet on the table. The detailed reporting of Ginny Weasley’s arrest, subsequent hearing and sentencing to Azkaban had been front page news for the last 2 weeks. With a bit of finagling, Kingsley had thus far managed to keep the reporters from hounding Harry and his family day and night, the reprieve wouldn’t last long Harry knew. On the day that Ginevra received the Dementors KISS, several reporters, members of the Ministry and DMLE attended the Wizarding Prison. This included her parents Molly and Arthur Weasley, her brother newly appointed Head Auror Ron Weasley. When asked by a member of the press whether she felt any remorse for her crimes, Ginny Weasley smiled and said "Only that I gor caught"
Harry, Severus, and Jocelyn were in the Scottish Highlands, discussing their contracts for the following year. Minerva found herself in need of both a Potions Master and a Charms Professor, the head of Gryffindor house couldn’t think of two people more suited to the roles than Harry and Severus. With their daughter starting Hogwarts next year it was the perfect time for a change.