Bad Romance

Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Bullet Proof

"At least we got to have one drink before the shit hit the fan," Rabastan said, sighing dramatically.

The letter came from Gellert just as they were finishing that drink. He called an emergency meeting of the Aurors at the Ministry...right away...quite afterhours. He said that he was sending Juda back to theirs so they could go get Arthur, as he was also wanted at the meeting.

"He's going to just love that," Rabastan cackled as Bella read the letter aloud.

"Perhaps he misses us already," Rod said with a grin.

As it happened, Arthur was in baggy red pajama bottoms and nothing else when the three Lestranges arrived with Juda in the middle of his sitting room. He sat in an armchair in front of his television watching something that involved a lot of group laughter from an unseen audience.

"What on earth?" he said, straightening and lowering a bag of something from which he'd been apparently eating.

"What is that in the bag?" Juda wondered aloud.

"Funyuns," Arthur replied. "They're yummy, and crunchy, and shaped like onions when they're sliced into rings. Want one? Also want to tell me what the hell is happening? Because I hope something is happening. Otherwise you people just think it's okay to show up at someone's place...right inside of someone's place without knocking, or writing, or calling in advance...I say calling because I also emailed Millicent my phone number just after you guys left earlier.

"I really hope something is going on, because otherwise it is going to melt my mind if posh British wizards feel it is socially appropriate to just show up, literally, in the middle of my relaxed evening at home completely unannounced."

Rodolphus grinned. "See? Told you he missed us." Then to Arthur he added, "Did you know that you complain as much as our daughter? I'm not sure that we wanted another child. Also we haven't spoken to Millicent, and we have no way of using your phone number."

"Yes, Juda would like to try a Funyun, he supposes," Juda said, extending a small hand.

"And yes, there is a reason we have arrived so suddenly," Bellatrix said. "Grindelwald has called a meeting at the Ministry and he wishes for your presence as well as ours."

"Also we didn't knock because to do so we would have to Apparate outside where someone may see us, and we forgot the invisibility cloaks in our rush," Rabastan added sheepishly.

"In our defense we were also unwinding at home with a drink," Rod added. "We actually talked Harold into having one with us, and it was a lovely moment until Grindelwald decided to call a blasted meeting!"

"What's it about," Arthur asked. "The gun thing? Because I can't imagine another reason he'd want me there. I don't have a gun, by the way. I prefer swords. No one ever accidentally killed anyone else with a sword and accidents happen with guns all the time, real and fake."

"What's a fake accident?" Rabastan wanted to know.

"It's where someone lies and says the gun ACCIDENTALLY went off so they can get away with killing someone on ACCIDENT," Arthur said.

"Amateurs," Rodolphus murmured scathingly.

"Indeed. Only sometimes they actually get away with it," Arthur said.

"Because Muggles are stupid," Bellatrix asked.

Arthur considered for a second before nodding. "Basically, yeah."

"We assume the meeting is about the gun information you passed on to us, yes," Rod said. "Gellert didn't ask if you have one, though."

"Fine," Arthur groaned. He passed the bag of Funyuns to Juda. "Have as many as you want while I go get myself dressed."