Mr. Weasley woke up Hermione and Ginny after only a few hours sleep. He packed up the tents with magic and the group marched down the field, passing Mr Robert who waved them off with a vague, "Merry Christmas"
"He'll be all right," said Mr. Weasley quietly "Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes him a bit disorientated for a while... and that was a big thing they had to make him forget"
Despite the sun not even fully risen, there was a large group crowded around Basil the Portkey keeper. Mr Weasley had a quick word with Basil and soon they were able to take an old rubber tire back to Stoatshead Hill
The now completely exhausted group had just reached the bottom of the hill when they heard a shout from the front door of the Burrow
"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"
Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to have been waiting for them, ran over to them and hugged Mr Weasley hard
"Arthur - I've been so worried - so worried-"
She had been holding a rolled up copy of Daily Prophet, which she now dropped face up on the ground. The heading exclaimed SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP, and underneath there was a large black and white picture of the Dark Mark
"You're all right" Mrs. Weasley whispered, the pure relief evident on her face "you're alive... Oh boys..."
And to everybody's surprise, she hugged Fred and George so tight their heads banged together
"Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us-"
"I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs. Weasley cried "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.L.s? Oh Fred... George..."
"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay" said Mr. Weasley soothingly, taking her back inside "Bill," he muttered under his breath "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says..."
Back inside the Burrow's kitchen, Hermione made Mrs Weasley a very strong cup of tea, which Mr Weasley put in a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey.
Bill gave Mr Weasley the newspaper, and Percy read it over his father's shoulder
"I knew it" Mr. Weasley sighed "Ministry blunders... culprits not apprehended... lax security... Dark wizards running unchecked... national disgrace... Who wrote this? Ah... of course... Rita Skeeter"
"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic!" said Percy, pouting like a small child "Last week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans-"
"Do us a favor, Perce" mumbled Bill, yawning hugely "and shut up"
"I'm mentioned" said Mr. Weasley
"Where?" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, sloping tea down her front "If I'd seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"
"Not 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 some time after the appear- ance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refus- ing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed 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 woods... well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that"
He sighed and got up
"Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over"
"I'll come with you, Father" said Percy pompously "Mr. Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person"
He ran out of the kitchen
"Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday!" said Mrs Weasley "This hasn't got anything to do with your office; surely they can handle this without you?"
"I've got to go, Molly" sighed Mr. Weasley "I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off..."
YOU ARE READING
Hermione Granger and the Goblet Of Fire (Completed)
Fanfiction(Book 4) (completed) Hermione Granger never expected to have a normal year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So far, she had set a teacher's robes on fire, been attacked by a giant snake and nearly had her soul sucked out by what are es...
