The missing boys ✔

Part 7: The missing boys

The next morning Harry and Ron woke up to find Renette standing over them, waving a newspaper.

"Get up you little demons!" she hissed. "Get up!"

In an instant Harry was on his feet and halfway across the room, moving away from their host with a frightened look on his face. Ron, who had been slowly waking up, bolted to his feet the second he saw his friend dart by him and stood protectively between the angry woman and Harry.

"What?" Ron snapped.

The woman held out the paper.

HARRY POTTER GONE MISSING! The headline read and there was a picture of Harry's face on the front.

Harry went pale and Ron smiled out of pure nervousness.

"Alright, James, Hemlock," she snarled. "You two have five minutes to explain yourselves before I dump your scrawny little behinds out onto the street!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mr. Weasley wrenched himself through the fireplace, not even stopping to shake the ash of him as he stormed into the burrow. Charlie was the first to intercept him.

"What is it, Dad?" asked Charlie.

Arthur just shoved a newspaper at his second oldest and Charlie seized it. He looked at the cover and his eyes widened, then narrowed as he turned a page in the paper. Then another, then another. He had flipped all the way to the back before he threw it aside.

"No!" he yelled angrily. "Merlin's bloody boot, how could they do this to him?!"

Bill and Mrs. Weasley had heard the shouts and the pair came running.

"What?!" asked Mrs. Weasley, running into the kitchen.

She saw the newspaper along with the distraught looks of her son and husband's faces and dove for it. She only gave the front page a brief glance before throwing it aside and leafing through the rest of the paper. Bill picked up the discarded page and his brow furrowed for a second before he looked at Charlie to share a look of frustration and disbelief.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband in confusion.

"There's nothing about Ron in here," she said.

"Exactly, Molly, Harry Potter's gone missing," said Arthur.

"Is that what all the fuss was about when you came in?" asked Molly. "You gave me a heart attack! Why did you even come here if all you have is news on Harry bloody Potter?" asked Molly, still not making the connection.

"Molly," said Arthur impatiently, "Harry Potter is missing."

"Well I'm sorry for Harry Potter," said Mrs. Weasley sarcastically, "what does that have to do with my son?"

"Mum, think," growled Bill. "Harry Potter has gone missing. With his disappearance causing a commotion the ministry will pull: Every. Available. Auror. to find him. And the public will be searching too."

Molly went pale.

"You mean…?"

Arthur nodded. "Ron's case has just been put on hold."