Harry's Worst Fear (A Father and Son Fanfic) Book 4

Chapter 4: Back at the Burrow, Mayhem at the Ministry and Back to Hogwarts

After a few hours of sleep, Snape wakes Harry, Bill, Charlie and Percy up, while Mr. Weasley wakes Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Hermione up. They get dressed, pack up their things and leave the tents. Mr. Weasley magically pack up the tents and leaves the campsite with them as quickly as possible. They passed by Mr. Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr. Roberts had a dazed look on his face as he waves them off and said, "Merry Christmas." Mr. Weasley said as Harry looks worriedly at him, "He'll be all right. Sometimes, when a person's memory is modified, it makes him a bit disoriented for awhile. That was a big thing they had to make him forget." They heard urgent voices as they reach the spot where Basil was standing. He was surrounded by witches and wizards wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Mr. Weasley talked to Basil for a few minutes, before getting in line with the others. They manage to take an old rubber tire back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun rose. They walked back through the village of Ottery St. Catchpole and up the lane towards the Burrow as the sun rises towards the sky. They remain quiet, since they were hungry and couldn't wait to have breakfast. As the Burrow came into view, they heard Mrs. Weasley cry out, "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley seemed to have been waiting for them in the front yard. She runs towards them holding a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet in her hand. Her face pale and strained. She was still wearing her slippers as she said, "Arthur! I've been so worried! So worried!" She flings her arms around Mr. Weasley and hugs him, as the Daily Prophet falls from her hand and lands on the ground. Harry could see the headlines on it now. The headlines read: SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP. It was complete with the picture of the dark mark, floating in the sky. Mrs. Weasley said as she lets him go, "You're all right." She stares at everyone with red eyes as if she has been crying. She said, "You're all alive." She looks at the twins and said, "Oh boys!" She hugs the twin, making their head bang together. Fred said, "Ouch! Mum! You're strangling us!" Mrs. Weasley said, "I shouted at you two before you both left! It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you both? And the last thing I ever said to you both was that you didn't get enough O.W.Ls?! Oh Fred.... George....!" She starts to cry as Mr. Weasley said soothingly, "Come on now, Molly. We're all perfectly ok." He gently pulls her off of the twins and leads her back towards their house. Mr. Weasley mutters to Bill, "Bill, pick up that paper, I want to see what it says." Bill nods and picks it up. They walk into the kitchen and set their rucksacks down. They sit down at the kitchen table as Hermione made a strong tea for Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley adds a shot of Ogdens Old Fire Whiskey into her tea, before handing it to her. Hermione pours tea for Snape as Mrs. Weasley takes a sip of her tea and whiskey. Mr. Weasley scans through the newspaper. He mutters, "I knew it...." He said as he reads part of the story in the newspaper, "Ministry blunder.... Culprits not apprehended.... Lax security.... Dark wizards running unchecked.... National disgrace.... Who wrote this?" He looks for the writer of the story and said, "Ah.... Of course, Rita Skeeter." Hermione hands Snape his tea. Snape thanks her as he takes a sip. Percy said, "That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic! Last week she was saying we're wasting time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph 12 of the Guidelines for Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans...." Bill cuts in, yawning, and said, "Do us a favor, Perce.... shut up." Mr. Weasley who was still reading the newspaper said, "I'm mentioned." Mrs. Weasley spits out her tea as she said, "Where?! If I'd have seen that, I'd have known you were alive!" Mr. Weasley said, "Not by name. Listen to this" He starts to read, "If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the woods were expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the dark mark, alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen." Mr. Weasley said sarcastically, as he hands the paper to Percy, "Oh really? Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? 'Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods....' Well, there certainly will be rumors now that she printed that." Mr. Weasley sighs, "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office. This is going to take some smoothing over." Percy said, "I'll come with you, father. Mr. Crouch will need all hands on deck. I can give him my cauldron report in person." Percy leaves the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley looks upset. She said, "Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday! This hasn't got anything to do with your office! Surely, they can handle this without you?" Mr. Weasley said, "I've got to go, Molly. I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off." Harry looks at his 2 friends then at Snape. Snape nods reassuringly at him. Harry gives Ron and Hermione a meaningful look, which they understood. Harry said, "Is it all right if I go and put my stuff in your room, Ron?" Ron said, "Sure, Harry. I think I'll do the same." Hermione said, "Yeah, me too." They grab their rucksacks and head upstairs as Snape watches them go, sipping his tea with a slight smile on his face. Once Hermione put her rucksack in the room Ginny shared with her, she heads to Ron's room where they were waiting for her. Their rucksacks were already on their beds. Hermione shuts the door and sits on one of the twins' bed as Ron said, "What's up, Harry?" Harry said, "There's something I haven't told you guys. On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scar hurting again." Hermione gasps and starts making suggestions, at one point mentioning everyone from Dumbledore to Madam Pomfrey, their Hogwarts nurse. Ron was looking dumbstruck at Harry. Ron said, "But, he wasn't there, was he? You-Know-Who I mean.... Last time your scar kept hurting, he was at Hogwarts, wasn't he?" Harry said, " I'm sure he wasn't anywhere near Spinner's End. Snape has everything warded, knowing him. No, it was after a vision I had." Harry tells them the vision he had, with exception to Voldemort and Yaxley plotting to kill him. Instead he told them Voldemort and Yaxley were plotting to kill someone. He didn't want to worry them anymore than they already were. Ron said, "It could have been a dream, Harry. Just a nightmare." Harry shakes his head, "I don't think it was a dream, Ron. It's weird though isn't it. First my scar hurting, then 3 days later, the death eaters show up at the campsite after the Quidditch World Cup, then the dark mark in the sky.... Voldemort's sign...." Ron said, "Don't say his name!" Harry continues, ignoring Ron's reaction to Voldemort's name, "Remember what Professor Trelawney said? At the end of last year?" Hermione scared face disappears as she snorts, "Oh, Harry, you aren't going to pay attention to anything that old fraud says?" Harry said, "You weren't there, Hermione. You didn't hear her. This time was different. I told you, she went into a real trance. She said the dark lord would rise again, greater and more terrible than ever before.... He managed it because his servant was going back to him. Anything's possible, right?" Ron nods, "You-Know-Who is cunning enough to try and come back... So yeah, it's possible...." They went silent for a few minutes. then Ron said, "Hey Harry, come and have a game of Quidditch in the orchard. Come on, 3 on 3. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George will play. You can try out the Wronski Feint." Hermione said, "Ron, Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch right now. He's worried and he's tired. We all need to go to bed." Harry said, "Yeah, I want to play Quidditch. Hang on, let me get my Firebolt. I'll see if dad can watch us while we play." Hermione shakes her head and mutters, "Boys." As she follows them out of the bedroom.