Arundel Granville and the Cursed Crown

1- Lunch Box of Malevolence

Arthur Weasley stumbled backed with his wand in front of him. His other arm thrust behind to protect his wife who was frantically trying to get around him to attack. "Arthur get out of my way this instant!" She screeched.

"Molly, be quiet!" Arthur hissed at her, "Have some sense!"

Arundel ran her top lip through her teeth and took a step forward. Arthur's wand shot red sparks.

"I mean it when I say it, don't come any closer. I don't care what you have to say for yourself Arundel. I don't want you anywhere near my family."

"But-"

"You heard my husband," Molly screeched at her. "We don't want your kind anywhere near our house."

"My kind-" Arundel howled. "Oh, come on Molly I'm-"

"No." Molly cut across her, jumped out from behind her husband and stormed up to Arundel, pulling her own wand from her pinafore as she went. "You are worse than Mundungus Fletcher, worse than-" she threw her hand up in despair. "When you turn up we all suffer Arun and I have Ginny to think about, she's only little, and Fred and George are a handful. Don't you realise how lucky they are to have parents? No!"

"I'm not asking you to do-"

Molly's wand shot up and pointed between Arundell's eyes. "I'm giving you to the count of three to apparate away from our front door Arun or by Merlin's Beard I will hex you until you forget your own name."

Exasperated, Arundel threw her hands up and took a few steps back. "I didn't come here to threaten you, I came to ask for Arthurs help."

"One-"

"I need to find out where-"

"Two-" Molly's eyes narrowed, a calm came over her face that betrayed her resolve. Arundel knew that look well enough to know that on three the flame-haired Molly Weasley wouldn't hesitate to attack. With a sigh Arundel apparated away.

For five years Arundel had practised disapperating without the customary popping noise that betrayed the magic happening and though she had managed to get it to a faint 'pah' the canny wizard would still be able to use it to attack her. Wind wiped her hair, seagulls screeched and waves crashed below her and made a hollow echo in the caves deep under her feet, so much so that it sounded like a dragon snoring. From her pocket she took out a watch, which told her to stay put and wait, and not one to temp fait she did as she was told.

"Ah."

Arun looked round, Arthur stood in his shabby patched tweed overcoat, his hair blowing back from his scalp and a deep frown across his eyes.

"Ah," he said again. "I thought-" He cleared his throat. "I don't know what to make of you Arun," he told her with a hard set jaw, and she realised he was clutching his wand as he spoke, still uncertain about speaking to her. "The Ministry say you were working for them in the war but the Death Eaters seemed pretty certain you were their ilk, and I've read your mothers books on blood and frankly they sicken me."

"Rest assured, they sicken me too," she told him. "I'm glad you knew to come here."

"Why wouldn't I?" Arthur spat. "Molly won't hold court with anybody who has sympathies with the Dark Lord but I-" his voice faltered. "I hope, hope-" he repeated, "-that the Ministry are right about you and you were simply a greedy little arms dealer trying to remain neutral."

"I got you that clock didn't I?"

"Yes, for all the good it did us. That's the only reason I'm here Arun, we knew Molly's brothers were dead because of it and-" he faltered and breathed heavily through his nose. "But don't ever come to our house again. I profoundly dislike you, and Molly is right, you are dangerous and you need to stay away from us."