FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝘅𝘃𝗶𝗶𝗶 | 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘁

When they reached the entrance hall, it was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a familiar cold voice called out behind them.

  'Weasley! Hey, Weasley!'

  Gwen, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.

  'What?' said Ron sharply.

  'Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!' said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone packed into the entrance hall could hear. 'Listen to this!

'FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.'

Malfoy looked up.

  'Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nobody, isn't it?' he crowed.

  Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Silence had fallen, and Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish, and went on:

'Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.'

'And there's a picture, Weasley!' said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. 'A picture of your parents outside their house, if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?'

  Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.

  Harry swore loudly at Malfoy, something Gwen had never heard him do before. He grabbed Ron's shoulder and tried to turn him from Mafloy, who was now laughing.

  'Oh, yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?' he sneered. 'So, tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?'

  'You know your mother, Malfoy?' said Harry-- he, Gwen, and Hermione had had to grab the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy-- 'that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it because you were with her?'