The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

64. Weasleys Wizard Wheezes

With the Weasley twins living above their shop in Diagon Alley, and Jamie desperate to see them, Raya knew she would have to take him into town.
But after what had happened to Sirius, Raya didn't feel safe going out anymore.
And she was right to be worried.
Order members and allies were beginning to be picked off one by one, just like in the first wizarding war.
Raya felt almost as if nothing had changed since then.

Emmaline Vance and Raya's old friend Amelia Bones, both fell victim to Voldemort when the summer holidays began.
Since Amelia had tried to defend Raya in court during her trial, Raya decided to attend her funeral, even though she knew she wasn't yet emotionally stable yet.
Another downside to going to the funeral was that it was very busy, and people there kept trying to talk to her.
Now that her's and Sirius's names had been cleared, many people wanted to apologise to her, for how they had behaved in the past. But Raya wasn't in the mood to be forgiving, for she was still grieving for Sirius.

Despite the danger of going outside, Jamie managed to wear his mother down, and convince her to take him to Diagon Alley.
Raya relented, but she refused to go alone, so she made Remus go with them.
Without any magic, Raya wanted someone beside them, who could protect them in case they were ambushed by death eaters. Even though she had her knives with her at all times, she didn't feel like they were enough anymore, to keep her and her family safe.
Remus was more than happy to accompany her into town, since he knew she still wasn't feeling right as Sirius's death still lingered on her mind.

When the three of them arrived in Diagon Alley, they found the place rather empty.
A usually thriving street had become desolate, with numerous shops closed and boarded up.
Raya knew Ollivander and Florean Fortescue had disappeared, but she hadn't expected the town to look so dead and creepy.
Before she could begin making her way to Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, a hooded figure stopped her.
Raya raised her knife threateningly, but lowered her arm when she recognised the woman in front of her.

"Hello Tina" Raya said coldly.
Her old boss had fired her, simply for being married to Sirius, and Raya still held a grudge against her.
"Raya. How are you?" Asked Tina Shift.
"I'm fine" lied Raya.
"I read about you in the paper the other week. I'm so sorry about your husband"
"I'm sure you are. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, but we have places to be".
Raya stepped to the side to get around her, but Tina stopped her.
"I've been meaning to write to you" revealed Tina.
"Oh yeah? What about?" Quizzed Raya.
"Well, the business isn't doing so well at the moment. Which is why I was wondering if you would like your old job back" offered Tina.

Raya couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Really. My husband has just died, and you think now is the time to ask me if I want my job back. You wouldn't have even considered it, if my name hadn't been officially cleared of all charges by Fudge, before he resigned".
"Well, I-" started Tina.
"You fired me, remember! I didn't leave. You fired me, simply because I was married to a person you believed was a criminal. But now that you find out that me and Sirius were both innocent, you immediately track me down and ask me to rejoin the company" interupted Raya.

"You don't understand. I was under a lot of pressure to fire you. I didn't want to, but I had no choice" insisted Tina.
"Don't lie to me. You didn't want your business being associated with someone like me, which is why you fired me" spat Raya.
"I'll increase your pay if you come back" offered Tina.
"I wouldn't come back to work for you, even if I was starving on the streets. Besides, I have the Black fortune at my finger tips now, so I do not have to slave away in a cramped office, for a tiny salary anymore. I was the hardest worker you had, but you didn't care. You gave me up because you were worried about what people would say if you kept me in your employ. If your company fails because of that, then that's on you. Goodbye, and please don't contact me again!".