0p0 Chapter 228 Premonition
Chapter 228 Premonition
Lamia and the others had only slept for a few hours before Mr. Weasley woke them up.
He used magic to pack the tent into his backpack, and they left the camp as quickly as possible, seeing Mr. Roberts standing at the door of his little stone hut on the way.
Mr. Roberts looked strange and dazed. He waved goodbye to them and mumbled "Merry Christmas."
Lamia noticed his abnormality. He seemed a little dazed and seemed to be slow to react to everything.
"He'll be all right," said Mr. Weasley as they strode towards the moor. "Sometimes when a person's memory is altered it can be a bit confusing for a while - and it's such a big thing they're trying to make him forget."
As they approached the Portkey-keeper they heard a great deal of anxious clamoring, and as they moved a little closer they found that Basil, the Portkey-keeper, had been surrounded by a large group of wizards and witches, all clamoring to leave the camp as quickly as possible.
Mr. Weasley and Basil discussed it in a few words, and everyone stood in the queue. Finally, before the sun rose, they got an old tire, which they could rely on to return to Stoat Mountain.
In the early light of dawn they passed through the village of Ottery St. Catchpole and walked along the wet lane towards the Burrow, speaking little as they went, for they were all very tired and anxious to get their breakfast in. As they turned the corner the Burrow loomed in sight, and a shout came from the lane.
Lamia immediately recognized the voice as Mrs. Weasley's. She sounded panicked and tired.
"Oh, thank God, thank God!"
Mrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard, came running towards them, still wearing her bedroom slippers.
Her face was pale and tense, and she was clutching a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Arthur—I'm so worried—so worried—"
She threw her arms around Mr. Weasley's neck, and the Daily Prophet slipped from her weak hands and landed at Lamia's feet. She looked down and saw the headline: "Horror Scenes at Quidditch World Cup" with a gleaming black and white photo of the Dark Mark hanging from a tree.
"You're all right," Mrs. Weasley muttered in a panic, releasing Mr. Weasley and looking at them all with her red eyes. "You're all alive... Oh, Lamia."
Mrs. Weasley picked up Lamia, who was still reading the newspaper, and said, "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you, poor child."
"All right, all right, Molly, we're all safe," Mr. Weasley consoled her, and led her towards the house. "Lamia," he said in a low voice, "give me that newspaper. I want to know what it says..."
They all squeezed into the tiny kitchen, and Mr. Weasley made Mrs. Weasley a very strong cup of tea, which he insisted on adding a dash of Ogden's Old Strong Whisky.
Mr. Weasley then glanced briefly at the Daily Prophet Lamia had handed him, frowning at the front page as Percy also looked over his shoulder.
"I knew it would be like this," said Mr. Weasley gravely. "The Ministry is in a panic, criminals are not caught, law and order is lax, Dark wizards are at large, bringing shame to the country. Who wrote this? Ah - she, of course, Rita Skeeter."
"That woman is working against the Ministry!" said Percy angrily. "She said last week that we were wasting our time quibbling over the thickness of the cauldron! Doesn't paragraph 12 of the 'Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Half-Humans' specifically state that -"
"Come on, Percy," Bill said, yawning, "and stop talking."
"I'm mentioned." Mr. Weasley's eyes suddenly widened behind his glasses as he read the end of the article in the Daily Prophet.
"Where?" Mrs. Weasley took a sip of her whiskey tea and asked, coughing and gasping, "If I had seen you just now, I would have known you were still alive!"
"Without naming names," said Mr. Weasley, "listen to this:
The wizards were panicked and held their breath at the edge of the woods, waiting for news, hoping to get comfort from the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, they were greatly disappointed.
Shortly after the Dark Mark appeared, a Ministry official appeared and stated that no one was harmed, but refused to divulge further details.
Whether his words will be enough to quell rumors that several bodies will be carried out of the woods within an hour remains to be seen."
"Oh, dear," said Mr. Weasley angrily, handing Percy the paper. "Nobody's been hurt. What should I say? Rumors of bodies being carried out of the woods... well, now that she's written something like that, it's bound to spread."
He sighed deeply. "Molly, I have to go to the office. This matter needs to be clarified."
"I'll go with you, Father," said Percy proudly. "Mr. Crouch will certainly need everyone in their places, and besides, I can give him my Crucible report in person."
He stormed out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley looked very upset. "Arthur, you're supposed to be on vacation! This has nothing to do with your office. They can handle it without you, right?"
"I have to go, Molly," said Mr. Weasley. "I've made things worse. I'll just put on my robes and go..."
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry said suddenly, now worried about Sirius, "did Hedwig bring me any news?"
"Hedwig?" said Mrs. Weasley dreamily. "No, dear... no, not a single letter."
Lamia patted Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and replaced her cup of weak tea. Her hands were shaking and she was so absent-minded that she didn't even notice that the tea had been changed.
Harry kept winking at Lamia and Hermione, and said meaningfully, "Ron, can I go to your room and clean up my things?"
"Okay... I'll go too." Ron answered without hesitation, "Lamia, Hermione, you should come too. Harry has a lot of stuff."
"Okay," Hermione and Lamia said immediately, looking at each other, and the four of them filed out of the kitchen and headed upstairs.
"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked as soon as they had closed the door to the attic room.
"I'm worried about Sirius."
Harry said, sitting on the bed and pressing the scar on his forehead, "Like I said before, things are very wrong right now."