Leave Out All The Rest

Consequences and Broken Promises

Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter 26: Of Broken Promises

POV: James and Liam         

Things were too quiet. 

The tension that'd been building up for what seemed like ages now had just been multiplied and stacked on everyone's shoulders since the day of the attack in Muggle London. No one dared to move, to speak, to breathe, or even look at one another. It was as if by doing so that silent vow would be broken and all hell would break loose.

It was maddening.

I looked away from the spot on the ground that I'd been glaring at for the past hour and found my two best friends sunk into separate armchairs. Both were sulking in that same damn silence and their own share of that suffocating pressure it brought. 

Freddie still looked just as unmovable as he did the day of that unspeakable event. Before this, I believed he did not know what indifference was. Freddie was the definition of upbeat, of alive. Now that was gone. The flush of pink that breathed beneath his dark skin had faded, leaving only gloom behind. It took over his gaze, too.

On the other hand, there was Louis. He had been sulking just as much, but his was out of impatience than regret. He was here out of loyalty. He was here because had acted admirably and responsibly that day. He was here because Aunt Fleur had practically shoved a protective enchantment so far up his arse, he thought he should register it as part of him now. 

Yet, no one had it worse than Al. 

Before, I could never get Albie to shut the hell up. He was always banging on about something or the other, driving me up the wall, but for the past two days I had not even heard a breath leave his mouth. I turned to look back at him now, at this shadow of a boy who claimed to be my little brother. 

I knew this would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

The doors to the office opened, startling me back to the moment just as Louis let out a giant groan of relief at the four men that entered. 

"You two, up," said Head Auror Potter to Louis and Freddie, motioning them up from their armchairs. As they did, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini took their places. He did not pause as he took a seat behind his desk, saying, "There will be no sugar-coating the severity of this issue, you understand me? No matter what the Minister and his council has decided upon."

Al lowered his head more, his green eyes completely obscured by his unruly hair. 

For a brief second, Head Auror Potter wasn't his title. He was Dad. He looked at Al with a heartbreaking sympathy that almost led him in his direction, to wrap arms around him like when he was a child and needed his father to make all the monsters go away. But Dad couldn't. Not this time. As such, he was back to being Head Auror in the next second. 

"On account of Fredrick Weasley," said he as his second in command, dearest Uncle Ron, handed him a file, "the Wizengamot has found you guilty of underage sorcery and for casting an Unforgivable. Your wand was confiscated by the Ministry the day of its misuse and has been debated over its disposing."

The only reaction that came from Freddie was his jaw squaring off.

Louis reached over to our cousin, squeezing his shoulder in form of solidarity. A solidarity that did not stay silent. "That's hardly fair," he said to the Head Auror. "You can't strip a wizard from his wand. It's like cutting off his manly-bits, Uncle Harry."