Love Burns (Charlie Weasley X Reader)

Chapter 32: The Hearing

Chapter 32: The Hearing

September 2nd, 1997

I walked to the Ministry building apprehensively. It was as bustling as ever, but the crowd seemed different. It was surprisingly quiet despite the number of people around.

"Excuse me," I said as I approached a wizard who was behind the front desk. "I'm here for a hearing with Mafalda Hopkirk."

The man looked at me with a scowl on his face, not responding.

"Sorry, but I need to know how to get there," I said, ignoring the obvious disdain on his face. "My hearing is in fifteen minutes.

"Follow the signs," he said, pointing above me. "And I'll need your wand."

"I was never told where my hearing would be," I insisted, handing him my wand. He pulled his hand away as if I had burnt him when our fingers brushed. He was quick to drop my wand into a bin under his desk.

"Figure it out," he said. "I have better things to be doing with my time."

I scoffed and turned around.

"Excuse me," a woman said. "I couldn't help but to overhear."

I turned to face a woman who was standing beside me.

"I can take you. I have a hearing today too," she said with a small smile. "I'm Mary."

"Thank you. I'm Y/N," I said and let the woman lead me through the building.

"My husband works here," she explained, "so I know where to go. People aren't all that helpful to people like... us."

"Like us?"

"You know, people with... unpure blood. Or suspected unpure blood," she corrected herself quickly. "That's why we're all here."

"Oh, no," I said. "I'm here for the improper use of magic."

"Oh, honey," Mary said and shook her head. "I hope that's true for your sake."

"The letter I got was for using magic in front of a muggle," I told her.

"And mine was for underage magic," she said. "Do I look underage to you?" I looked at the woman's hair, which was greying at the roots. "You see, they sometimes make it seem as though we're here for legitimate reasons." Mary let out a shuddering breath. I felt a sort of dread settle itself in my chest.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you're suspected to have unpure blood, of course. Come on, now," she said and laid a shaking hand on my arm to lead me into a corridor.

"Merlin," I muttered, looking around. Huddled on benches were groups of wizards, all shivering and shaking. Gliding through the air were Dementors. "I can't be here," I said, shaking my head.

"I'm afraid we don't have much choice." Her voice shook.

Mary and I found a seat on a bench outside of the courtroom and sat close to each other. She buried her face in her hands and I could feel her trembling. I looked around the room but didn't recognize any of the other wizards. I watched the Dementors as they crept closer and closer to the groups of wizards.

"Y/N Y/L/N," called a woman's voice as a man was dragged out of the courtroom by Dementors. Mary grabbed my hand and squeezed it for a moment before I stood and made my way into the courtroom.

"Please, sit." I looked around the courtroom before making my way to the chair in the center of the room. I sat down, feeling cold chains wrap around my arms. I winced and tugged slightly, feeling them tighten. Across from me was a small group of people. I recognized Umbridge from when she was at Hogwarts and Yaxley, but the woman at Umbridge's side was unfamiliar. Her face was sheet white and she stared at me with a strange expression on her face.