Friendless » Fred Weasley

clxxiii. muggle-borns

The official cover-up version of Scrimgeour's murder is that he resigned; he has been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who was under the Imperius Curse. Thicknesse was practically Voldemort's puppet. He took care of everyday business, leaving Voldemort free to extend his power beyond the Ministry.

There has been such a dramatic change in Ministry policy in the last few days, and many are whispering that Voldemort must be behind it. However, that was the point: They whisper. They daren't confide in each other, not knowing whom to trust; they are scared to speak out, in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Yes, Voldemort was playing a very clever game. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebellion: Remaining masked has created confusion, uncertainty, and fear.

Though, that wasn't the worst thing the Ministry had created.

"'Muggle-born Register!'" Tori read aloud to Fred and George while sitting at the small kitchen table.

"The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called Muggle-born the better to understand how they came to possess magical secrets. Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when Wizards reproduce. Where no proven Wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force.

The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for an interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission."

"Rubbish!" Tori spat, slamming the Prophet down onto the table. She shook her head several times, rereading this.

"Attendance is now compulsory for every young witch and wizard at Hogwarts," Lupin told her the next day. "That was announced this morning. It's a change because it was never obligatory before. Of course, nearly every witch and wizard in Britain has been educated at Hogwarts, but their parents had the right to teach them at home or send them abroad if they preferred. This way, Voldemort will have the whole Wizarding population under his eye from a young age. And it's also another way of weeding out Muggle-borns, because students must be given Blood Status — meaning that they have proven to the Ministry that they are of Wizard descent — before they are allowed to attend."

At this moment, excited eleven-year-olds would be poring over stacks of newly purchased spell-books, unaware that they would never see Hogwarts, perhaps never see their families again either. Tori felt sick just thinking about it.

"He can't be getting away with this..." Tori murmured, taking a cup of tea from Fred. "It's like what you said earlier. You can't do anything. People are too scared to be targeted, and the Aurors are right along with them."

It was true. The Aurors were stuck in the Ministry, now trying to investigate where Harry Potter was.

There was a knock at the door a few moments later and Tori rose to answer it. Tonks stood at the door, her hair now a dark blue that went all the way down to her hips.

"Oh, hi Tonks." Tori greeted her, looking more cheerful than she felt.

"Hi, Tonks!" Fred called from inside the flat. George followed with a hello and Tori gestured for Tonks to enter. She did so, stalling at the door. She looked nervous, fiddling with her fingers.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Tori asked the women, her face falling with concern. "I want to talk to you..." Tonks said in a hushed tone as she glanced around the room. "Alone."

Tori nodded. "Okay," She followed Tonks into her and Fred's room. Fred raised an eyebrow and Tori shrugged, shutting the door. "What's going on?" Tori asked her.

"This might come as a shock, but I'm about to tell you something very special," Tonks said seriously. Tori nodded, crossing her arms. There was a few moments of silence and Tori shifted uncomfortably. "You're making me nervous, Tonks."

"I'm pregnant..."

"What?!" Tori's entire face lit up after taking a moment to process. "No, you're not. No, no, no. No, you're joking!"

Tonks shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. "I promise you I'm not..."

"Oh my! Oh my! Tonks!" Tori squealed, hugging her friend tightly. Tonks let out a laugh of relief. "Congratulations! Oh! I'm so happy for you! I've got to tell the twins—"

"Wait. There's one more thing." Tonks said, containing her laughter. Tori nodded eagerly, unable to wipe the smile and the look of excitement on her face.

"Remus is going to ask Harry to be the baby's Godfather," Tonks said. "So I came here to ask you to be the baby's Godmother."

Tori let out a deep gasp, immediately jumping up and down as she held her hand over her heart. "Tonks! I'd love to, oh I'm so honored. Thank you, thank you so much!" Tori hugged her once more, trying her best not to tear up.

She was filled with such excitement that Remus and Tonks wanted her to play such an important role in their child's life.

Tonks gave her news to the twins, who like Tori, were thrilled to hear about it. They congratulated her as well, promising half off on anything she wanted in the store.

"I'm going to be a Godmother!" Tori cheered once Tonks had left. She wanted to get to her parent's house to tell Remus. "Oh dear," George chuckled, "Doesn't that mean you've got to be responsible?"

"Ah, Harry can be the responsible one." Tori shrugged. George glanced at the clock, getting up and announcing he was heading down to the shop to make sure closing went smoothly.

Tori nodded, glancing over at Fred. He smiled at her, running his fingers through his hair.

"What?" Tori asked, sitting on the couch upside down. Fred only chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing. You know I love you, right?"

"I'm well aware."

this is so late bye