In The Arms of the Monster

Chapter 3 Murder in the Night

        Third Person Point of View
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        Hermione jumps out of bed and quickly runs out of the room, wondering what in the world the scream had been about. She ran down the stairs until she saw the cause of the scream. Mrs. Weasley was keeled over something - or someone - and sobbing horribly. "What is it?" Hermione asks as she comes into view. She wishes she could stuff the question back into her mouth at the sight of Mr. Weasley's strangled body. He had been murdered that was clear, not dead of old age or anything natural, he hadn't committed suicide, he had died by the hands of a person, someone had killed him. Mr. Weasley was dead. Mrs. Weasley didn't answer she just cried into her husbands lifeless form as her kids got out of bed and came to see their father's corpse. Hermione sobbed with Mrs. Weasley as she held her tight like a daughter would to a mother. Her children came out and sobbed with them. Percy, George, Charlie and Bill had come by that morning because of a note they had gotten from an owl that night. They had burned the notes and left that morning and of course didn't remember what they said, why would they want to? After a while Mrs. Weasley left to write the Minister of Magic about the murder while everyone else arranged a funeral. It was a sad day.

Three days later

Leafs crunched under Hermione's combat boots as she walked towards the graveyard with Ginny, Harry, Ron, George, Percy, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley. She had taken out a black dress, one of Ginny's, that was embroidered at the top with flowers, and copied it. She had on a lace overcoat and black gloves. The only thing that looked out of place was the combat boots but they were the only black shoes she had, and besides no one would be paying attention. Ginny had on an identical dress, as did Fleur and Mrs. Weasley, each of them would keep the dress they could make more copies if they needed, too. The men were all dressed in black suits and gray ties, all copied from Bill's wardrobe, each for the person wearing them to keep. Hermione fell back and Ginny got the message so she did too, "I'll be right beside you until your speech, okay?" Ginny nodded and looked at the ground, blinking back tears. Hermione said nothing else and they walked to catch up with the others. Mrs. Weasley seemed to understand that they didn't want to talk about it. They walked slowly up to the stage and sat in the seats of honor, behind Mr. Weasley's casket. They all put down a flower, a note or something else that would be buried with him. As Ron put down his flower a pained expression passed his face, but everyone ignored it.

The preacher walked up and began the funeral, no one spoke. Hermione's eyes scanned the crowds until she saw one particular person. She almost gasped in shock, why was he here, she wondered to herself. "May I have Ginny Weasley, Arthur's only daughter and youngest child come and make a speech." I smiled at Ginny as she stood, red hair pulled back into a bun. "Hello everyone," Ginny didn't need a microphone everyone held their breath as she spoke and her voice carried well anyway, "It is a tragedy that my father is gone, too soon. It was not natural and I think you all deserve to know that, he was murdered not with the killing curse, no he was strangled. But no one could find fingerprints on his neck or body. I believe that this covers the sad so now to the good. My dad was a hero he fought in the Second Wizarding War and wished for a better world for my family and I to grow up in, for everyone to grow up in. He fought the Ministry of Magic when so called 'blood-traitors' and so called 'mudbloods' were hiding. He helped Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley win the war by not giving up. And today I say good-bye to my father, a man, a husband, a fighter, a tinkerer, and a hero! Join me as we say good-bye and I love you," her voice finally cracked under the weight of her words, her tears and her sadness. But everyone was moved by her speech. No one spoke but if you looked everyone was crying. Hermione patted her friends hand as she scanned the crowd wondering if he was crying. He was! Hermione didn't look to long, but he saw her and pointed to himself then her and then at his watch. She got the message it was quite clear. Meet me later, or, meet me after the funeral. Either way the message was clear he wanted to talk to her. She didn't answer, instead she turned back to the podium where Mrs. Weasley was giving her speech. "My husband was a fighter, he never did like rules. I'll keep this short because he wouldn't have liked me to make too long of a speech. He was a good man, a hero, a husband, father and lawmaker, though he broke those same laws. My kids, their friends and I were lucky to know such a good man. We don't say good-bye we say see you later for we will see him on the other side," Mrs. Weasley choked on a sob as she sat down, only she and Ginny would give speeches. Hermione looked back at him and he raised a thumb. Thumbs-up, thumbs-down. Yes or no? She gave him a thumbs-up and he nodded looking away.

Hermione stood with Ginny and the rest as they walked out into the graveyard to bury Mr. Weasley. She found his eye again. She shrugged then tapped her watch, an intricately designed flower, to ask what time. He raised two fingers, two o'clock thirty minutes after the funeral ended. She nodded she had to wait little more than forty-five minutes and she wasn't anxious to talk to him at all. After the funeral she apparated with the Weasley's to 'the burrow' Hermione changed and called that she was going out. She apparated back to the headstone twenty minutes early. She landed and her combat boots, her favorite shoes for winter, crunched in the snow and her red and gray flannel was thick but she really needed another layer, her jeans were thick but not thick enough, she had a beanie on which did nothing to keep out the chill. She walked towards the burial site, sickened that her best friends dad was dead and not just dead, murdered. She let the word sink into her skin to her mind and she shivered, feeling the dead around her. Then he speaks, "Hello Granger." The world spins and for reasons she can't explain she passes out.

Comment your thoughts, vote and helpful criticism only please. I hope you liked the chapter. And the way I told everything and the picture at the top is only her outfit I couldn't find a good one of her in the outfit, but anyway hope you had a great day and that you liked the book.