“I can’t believe you left us behind, Mum!” John Potter groused, practically jogging down the corridor towards the hearings.
“I can’t believe I’m late for my first official Wizengamot event!” half-wailed Susan Bones, keeping stride next to the boy-who-lived. “Auntie’s going to blow a cauldron!”
“I can’t believe it took so long to find Minerva to get back into the Headmaster’s office,” Lily muttered under her breath. “Wait, John, where are you going? That’s not the basilisk hearing.”
John paused, looking a little guilty as his hand closed on the doorknob leading to Ginny’s hearing room. “Virgo and Susan can handle themselves, right? They don’t ‘need’ me there.” He caught Susan’s eye who gave him a thumbs up and continued on towards Wizengamot Hearing Room Two at a quick march.
Lily crossed her arms under her chest. “You’re already courting Susan and Virgo. Don’t you think chasing after another witch is a bit much?”
A sullen look came over John’s face. “It’s well within the bounds of societal respectability,” he muttered. “Harry’s got two already—”
“—And besides Ginny likes Harry,” Lilly continued, her words overlapping John’s. She paused. “What’s this about Harry having two witches?”
But John just ignored her, slipping through the door that led to the visitor’s gallery. Lily stared after her son’s retreating form before the door closed behind him, leaving her staring at nothing.
“Tch,” said the painting of an ancient-looking wizard next to her, “Children these days got no respect for their elders.”
— DPaSW: TGS —
As the not-really-boy-who-lived entered the visitor’s gallery and took a seat, looking rather confused at what was going on, down in the hearing room proper, Mister Weasley was furious.
“So, you see, your honour,” Bill Weasley was finishing up, apparently completely unable to feel the red-hot gaze of his father trying to burn a hole in the back of his head. “It could be quite irresponsible for Ginny to dedicate her future career to quidditch when the state of our family’s finances are so dire. Ginny will most likely need a more conventional career to live. One that is appropriate for a worker of Magical Britain, as our family has always been proudly working class. I’m not saying she wouldn’t be able to play quidditch at all, but—"
He'd known Bill was really against Ginny’s involvement in anything that smelled of nobility or the wizarding aristocracy, but he’d never have imagined he’d go this far. The worst of it was that he wasn’t in a particularly good position to refute many of his claims.
The twins’ business was doing well, but that was a partnership with Lord Slytherin.
He ideally wanted to keep his family’s association with the Gray Lord on the low down. At least until the Muggle Protection Act finally got through.
Likewise, Lord Slytherin wanted Ginny betrothed to Harry, which would easily secure his daughter’s financial future. Normally announcing that would be an excellent way to distance the Weasley’s from the Gray, if it weren’t for the fact that everybody now knew that Harry Potter was Lord Slytherin’s protégé.
There was also the slight problem that the betrothal was by no means a done deal. Lord Slytherin had to get Lord Potter’s agreement and he still didn’t know how the Gray Lord was going to pull that off. If only there was something James Potter wanted that Lord Slytherin could give him…
After Bill finished speaking, Madam Bones cleared her throat. “Thank you, Mister William Weasley. Your words have been illuminating.”
Arthur glared again. Above all though, he was absolutely apoplectic that his eldest son would betray the family so blatantly by discussing their private finances in public!
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DPASW BOOK FOUR:The Gray's Secret
FanfictionHarry Potter has been banged up for ten years in the hellhole brig of Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit, and his traitorous brother, the not-really-boy-who-lived, has royally messed things up. After meeting Fate and Death, Harry is given a secon...
