Remember | June Potter and the Battle of the Ministry | Book Four |

Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Prefects and Mrs Weasley's Woes

　　The only thing June was grateful for was not having to get up at five in the morning. That was the only thing. She had awoken with a start around eight with a pit in her stomach. It ate at her while she let herself lie there, in self-pity. Her brother could be sitting in the hearing being evaluated right that second. Being judged by a jury of biased Ministry officials, who had probably read that morning's Daily Prophet (she was terrified to know what snide comments this morning's paper would entail).

　　Dumbledore deserved every curse she was currently listing in her head. She was currently thinking of the Conjunctivitis Curse, it would just be annoying since Professor Snape would brew him the antidote as soon as he got the chance. She had started her list off pretty tame, while she was currently hating Dumbledore, she doubted anyone would forgive her if she cursed the old man to the one of disfiguration or used any of the Unforgivables, although she doubted she'd be able to do anything but give him a nose bleed. At some point during her plotting, Lumos jumped onto the bed, curling into her side. A small boast of ease managed to break its way through her walls as her hand found his soft fur.

　　Something like an hour or two had passed of her just lying in bed and the usual welcoming committee didn't arrive to bang at her door. Maybe they all were a bit solemn, awaiting the news from the disciplinary hearing, or they were letting her sleep in. It got to a point of basking in her fears that she grew tired of it. June tugged on a pair of joggers over her boyshorts and unbolted the door, padded her way down the stairs into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was dressed in a quilted purple dressing gown surrounded by a fully dressed Remus, Sirius and the others. There were plates of scrambled eggs, toast and bacon served on the table, all barely picked at. She slipped into a chair and Mrs Wealsey jumped to make her a plate.

　　The morning seemed to both move impossibly fast and seemingly drag on longer than it should've. They all ate very little, and the entire time she found herself in the kitchen, June sat eyeing the adults in the room. All of them looked very stressed, Mrs Weasley was periodically pulling at her hair, Sirius was staring angrily into his scrambled eggs as if they had wronged him, and Remus was picking at a splintered nash that the knife had left in the table from when the twins used magic to try and serve dinner a few nights back. Ginny and the twins spoke in hushed voices at the other side of the table, while Ron and Hermione sat in an uncomfortable silence.

　　Mrs Weasley didn't force cleaning on to them that morning, allowing them to spend it however, they desired. June, Ginny and the twins decided to spend it in the drawing room. Only the writing desk remained since Moody still yet to come back to the house, and the Black family tapestry, but the chairs and sofa were comfortable enough for it to be a sound choice in their decisions. Fred and George had brought down their chess set and were setting it up while she let her eyes trail the tapestry.

　　"Have you guys ever been to the Ministry?" she asked, finally finding the words.

　　"Er, no. I haven't," Ginny answered.

　　"We've been once," George answered.

　　"Mum thought it would inspire us to get on the straight and narrow," Fred grinned.

　　June smirked. "Grand job that's done," Fred's grin almost brightened. "What was it like?"

　　"Admittedly, we mostly only saw Dad's cubicle –"

　　"Got a very posh entrance though – gold in the ceiling, gilded fireplaces that had people popping out of them every second, golden statue in the fountain –"

　　"You weren't kidding when you said posh," Ginny laughed.

　　"What was it of?" she asked.

　　"Er... It was a wizard surrounded by ... I think it was a witch –"