Chapter 31 - The Leaky Cauldron

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Betelgeuse had convinced him to let her visit the twins after they had come back from Egypt. September was nearing, and the girl wanted to spend some time with her best friends before school.

Betelgeuse had filled her time at the Borrow talking with Ginny and Arthur. The man had been ecstatic when she had told him she had been venturing in Muggle London during the first month of summer. On the other hand, the news of her uncle's escape had rendered the balding redheaded man even more careful around Betelgeuse. This change in his behaviour had irked the Black.

Molly had tried to use Betelgeuse's academic achievements to convince the twins to study and do their homework. It was a lost cause.

They had filled their time playing Quidditch with Betelgeuse and Ginny and creating new joke products. But it was clear that their favourite occupation was pranking Percy. Betelgeuse found hilarious the rage outbursts of the older Weasley. He was all bark, no bite.

Betelgeuse had even received two presents from the twins. They had gifted her a glass jar full of enchanted Egyptian sand. It was a sweet gift, but Fred had surprised her with another present. A gold pendant with a peculiar shape had glistened before her eyes. It had a cross silhouette but with a teardrop-shaped loop in place of an upper bar. Fred had told her he had found the exquisite trinket in a pyramid they had visited; the pendant was the Ankh symbol, an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic figure representing life itself.

Betelgeuse had stared unblinkingly at the elegant jewellery for a time that Fred had defined eternal, then she had leapt into his arms, surprising the auburn-haired boy.


On her last day with the family, Betelgeuse found herself reading The Daily Prophet after lunch.

[...] Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticised by some members of the International Confederation of Wizards for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. [...]

Betelgeuse coarsely snorted, shaking her head. 

Fudge, old fool. The quality of this newspaper is abating by the day.

Fred looked over his best friends, exchanging an uneasy look with his twin. "So, Bel," he clapped his hand, gaining a raised eyebrow from the girl, "How has been your summer? Any news?"

𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍   |   𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺Where stories live. Discover now