Lestrange's Daughter

Part Twenty: Family Weasley

I stayed over at the Weasleys this vacation and now we sit down for breakfast. Mrs Weasley is outside to get the post of the postbus and the other Weasleys are already grabbing everything in their reach from the dinner table, preparing their breakfast on their plates.

Fred and George tell me about a prank they put on Percy, Bill talks with his father, brother Charlie and brother Percy about their work and Ginny discusses the usefulness of Bat-Bogey hexes at angry ex-boyfriends with Tonks.

Mrs Weasley walks in quite quickly and slams the door behind her, full attention payed to the front page of the Daily Prophet. "You can't believe this Arthur," Mrs Weasley whispers with a defeated-sounded voice and tears begin to form in her eyes. She drops the newspapers on the table and before Mr Weasley could take them, Fred already grabbed it. 

"'HERMIONE GRANGER DISAPPEARED, TAKEN BY DEATH EATERS', what," Fred asks in confusion. "Just.. just read further and out loud, I don't want to hear it over and over again," Mrs Weasley says emotionally.

Fred clears his throat and begins to read: "Last day, Hermione Granger had been kidnapped by fans of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, that is what Mr Warren from the Safety Ward of the Ministry of Magic said. He was the one entrusted with the task to keep Miss Granger safe. Yesterday, a Death Eater infiltrated the Safety Ward and took Miss Granger to the Entrance Hall. Everyone watched him DisApparating with young Miss Granger. Why would a Death Eater need a Muggle-Born? Where is Miss Granger now? Why wás she even at the Safety Ward? Could the Ministry had prevented this from happening? Turn to page 4 and 5 to read more about her disappearing, the problems at the Ministry of Magic and our suspicions why the Death Eaters wanted Miss Granger. Everyone who has information about her place of being has the duty to inform the Ministry. The tipgiver will be rewarded with 2000 Galleons', so they really give something for her."

I look at Ron and Ginny. Ginny didn't look sad, just.. hopeless. Ron looked like he could lose it any moment soon. "What now father? Should we ask them to help them," Bill asks. "I know one thing, and that is that I go as soon as I can to the Ministry and ask why Hermione was at the Safety Ward. Only people who are in real danger are at that ward. Do you remember Mrs Ramsay?"

"That ex-wife of a Death Eater?" "Yes, well, she is at the Safety Ward as well. Nobody was supposed to know, you surely understand why."

Not much time later the whole Weasley family and I leave for the Ministry of Magic. We burst through the door and see a man, sitting in a chair, with around him a lot of Aurors. "Arthur, what are you doing here," the man asks in the chair.

"Hello Rickon, maybe you will be able to give us some information about Miss Granger?" "We know as less about her as you do." "I think father means about why she even was at the Safety Ward," Percy explains timidly.

"I don't have the right to give you information about it," Rickon replies. "Please Rickon, we are good friends and good friends with her. We care about her. I promise you we won't tell anything to the press or something like that!"

The door opens again and a woman walks in, dropping a map with papers on the table. "Some tips from people all around England about Miss Lestrange, Mr Warren." "Miss Lestrange? I thought Hermione had disappeared, not a 'Miss Lestrange'," Bill asks, looking sternly at Rickon. 

Rickon sighs deeply. "Thank you Olivia." "Sorry Mr Warren, I didn't know that they didn't know." Mr Warren waves the woman out and then turns his gaze at us. "I think you should go away with your family, Arthur. There is no business for you here," he says with an angry face.

Arthur grabs my and Ron's shoulder and drags us out. "So, we don't get any wiser out of that," Mr Weasley sighs at us. "Dad, who is Miss Lestrange," Ginny asks. "I don't know, I thought the Lestranges didn't have children, but I guess they do. Who could it be Molly?"

"I don't know Arthur, but I can't think of the horror it will be for a child to live with the Lestranges." "Well, they were in prison so I don't think she lived with them." "But still Arthur, just think of the possibility. It would ruin a child, don't you agree," Mrs Weasley says, her face in her motherly worry-estate.