THE ANGEL OF WOE | RON WEASLEY [BOOK THREE]

4. MEET GRANDMA

"Right, inside– all of you!" barked Moody as everyone had swiftly begun to follow him back inside the home of Cordelia Fiordalis, where he lead them to the living room, stood before a large ornate fireplace. "You've travelled by Portkey, I take it, Genevieve?" he turned to her suddenly, hearing the mechanical whirr of his eye and she quickly nodded.

He left the room for a few moments, his staff banging across the floorboards before he returned, placing a brass kettle on the table before them.

"Why don't we just go by Floo?" Gene asked.

"No can do, Genevieve. Ministry's watching." Moody growled, causing her eyes to widen. "Ready?" he asked, as all of them went to place a finger against the kettle, "Three... two... one..."

Gene felt the pull behind her navel, followed by a sudden breeze and she felt her feet touch the ground. She stumbled backwards at the force of which she'd landed, eventually bumping into the sofa to everyones horror, as a great plume of dust enveloped them all, sending them into bouts of coughs, gasping for clean air.

"Sorry." she winced, taking her time to glance around at her surroundings.

The room was completely empty, in more ways than one. It looked as  though it had been abandoned for centuries, a thick layer of dust having formed on the greying sofa in the corner, and Gene was afraid that something might have been living amongst the mess.

There wasn't much else to the room, a large bookshelf that touched the ceiling and went from wall to wall, along with gas lamps, dimly lit above the slightly ajar door.

"Is that you, Alastor? Is she here? Are you all back? Have you–"

The door opened fully now, revealing Mrs. Weasley appearing quite dishevelled, though a smile had soon replaced her frown as she pulled Gene into the tightest hug imaginable.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Gene's voice was muffled against her shoulder, before she held her arms length, checking her over with a sad smile.

"Oh, Gene," she said, brushing her cheek with her thumb, "I'm so sorry for your loss." she added, and that explained enough. Gene could only muster a nod as she stepped aside, allowing Mrs. Weasley to envelop Aurelia into a great hug. "I'd better let them all know you're here. Come along," Mrs. Weasley said, gesturing for Gene to follow.

They stood at one end of a long corridor, the walls fashioned with peeling wallpaper and a cobwebbed chandelier, with gas lamps lighting the way. The air was thick with mildewed perfume and memories lost to her.

The door at the other end was slightly ajar, leaving a yellow glow across the hallway, and she could hear voices beyond. Aurelia brushed past Gene, entering past the door which gave her a momentary glimpse, through to the candlelit drawing room.

She still couldn't make out what they were saying exactly, but she could tell from the urgency in their tone that it was important.

Gene did her best to peer further in, catching sight of a familiar head of hair, wondering if it had been a trick of light before Tonks had slipped past Gene toward the room, blocking it from view. She gave Gene a sympathetic smile- before promptly tripping over an troll-foot umbrella stand.

Before Gene could even reach for the door, Aurelia had quickly slipped out, shutting the door behind herself with a heavy sigh as she quickly managed to force a smile, replacing the tense look upon her face just moments ago.

"First door on the left, bug." was all she said to Gene's disappointment, her shoulders slumping as she begrudgingly made her way up the winding staircase.

She reached a landing, finding an elderly house-elf scrubbing almost furiously at a portrait, muttering angrily under his breath. As she passed the final step, the floor creaked and she didn't move, her eyes widening slightly as the house-elf turned in alarm.