Weasley Twins - A Fate You Can't Escape

Chapter 140 - Auror Assumptions

Tw: depictions of an abusive relationship, self blame

Two witches stand at the foot of my bed, arms crossed.  They look pretty cool, I won't lie.  But they haven't said anything.  Weird.

"Hi?"  I greet them reluctantly.  This seems to get them moving.  One stands next to the door and the other sits at the foot of the bed.  Very "good cop, bad cop" of them.

"Miss Taylor.  I'm sorry to put you through this," the witch on my bed gives me a sympathetic smile.  "but we do need to you tell us about the events leading up to and during your kidnaping."

"Kidnapping?"  I scowl, angry that they're accusing my dead husband of such vicious crimes.  "I wasn't kidnapped.  We were in love."

The woman at the door scoffs, and I glare at her.

"Honey, I'm sure it probably felt that way, but you were under the effect of a love potion."  She tells me, but I roll my eyes.

"I wasn't kidnapped."  I argue, crossing my arms like a disgruntled toddler. 

"Okay, let's move on.  When did you first... reunite with Carrow?"  She asks gently, unfazed by my anger. 

"Valentine's day in Diagon Alley."  I remember that part well enough.

"And he found both you and your son there?"

"No.  He found me first, and then told me to go get Teddy.  That way we could be a family."

"And where was Teddy when you went to get him?"

"Andromeda Tonks's house.  That's his grandmother."  I say and the lady by the door writes this down.

"Now, this may be hard to talk about.  And these questions are in no way attempting to invalidate your feelings for Carrow.  These are standard questions which I need you to answer honestly.  Okay?"  She raises her eyebrows.

"Fine."  I grumble.

"Good.  While staying with Mr. Carrow, he hurt you at any point?"

"No!"  I protest loudly.  "It was never anything I didn't deserve."

"That's not what I asked, Miss Taylor."  She promts.

"It's Mrs. Carrow actually."  I sniff, annoyed that she can't even get that right.

"You got married?"  She frowns, glancing down at her notes.

"Yes."  I smile happily at the memory.  "It was wonderful.  Too bad none of my friends could come.  It would have been so nice to share it with them."

"Well, in order for a marriage to be, well, legal, it has to be submitted to the ministry by an officiant." 

"We had an officiant."

"Clemons, can you order a file check on that?"  She asks the woman by the door.  Her partner silently nods and steps out of the room for a moment.

"When did you get married?"

"March tenth.  It's engraved on my ring."  I hold up my hand and show her the golden band.

"Oh!  That's... nice."  She grimaces, wincing as she does.  "Anyway, back to the question.  Did he harm you?  Regardless of whether you believe you deserved it."

"I-"  I swallow hard, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Please Hazel.  We need to get a clear picture of everything that happened."  She pleads and I relent.

"Sometimes.  If I didn't get the chores done to his satisfaction, or if he didn't like what I cooked.  But nothing permanent.  The bruises always healed fairly quickly."  I tell her, feeling ashamed for admitting my failures as a wife.

"It's never your fault.  Okay?  There is no reason that a husband should hit his wife.  If there are issues, couples should talk about them.  You did not deserve to be harmed."  The auror tells me, but I shake my head in denial.  I know better than that.  She wasn't there to see all the ways I managed to disappoint my dear Amycus.  Tears well in my eyes as I wish I could have done better when I'd had the chance.

We fall into an uncomfortable silence as we wait for Clemons to return.  After a few minutes she slips back inside the room, giving the other auror a nod of affirmation.

"Alright, Mrs. Carrow.  We have a few more questions."  She begins once more, and I feel oddly detached as I tell her everything she wants to know. 

***

I lay in the hospital bed staring at the ceiling long after the aurors left.  I'm still waiting for the test results.  I feel like I'm trapped by time, imprisoned by each slow moving second.  

At long last, a knock on the door pulls me from my vacant staring.  

"Mrs. Carrow?"  The healer pokes her head in, a clipboard clutched in her hands.  I sit up, struggling to swallow around the nervous lump in my throat.

"Yeah?"

"So I have the results of the blood testing.  First off, you are not pregnant.  The mostly likely cause of your delayed mensuration is stress and malnourishment.  After you recover, it should return."

"Oh."  I whisper, my stomach lurching with the disappointment.  I wasn't even able to do this for him.

"Unfortunately, it appears that you have contracted an infection.  According to your records from your school, this isn't the first time you've had this?"

"Yeah."  I frown, remembering how I got it originally.  I had forgotten about that.  I struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that that man and my husband were somehow the same person.  The monster that had nearly driven me to suicide and my doting husband were the same.  My head starts to pound, distracting me from that line of thought.

"It's a pretty straight forward line of treatment."

"Of course."  I nod, reaching for the vial she hands to me.  I drink it quickly, returning the empty.

"We're going to keep you for one more night, just to make sure everything is okay.  But you should be able to go home tomorrow."  She tells me, giving me a sad smile before departing.

***

The next morning as I prepare to leave, I get an unexpected visitor. 

"Minister."  I squeak, nearly dropping my cup of water.

"Hello, Miss Taylor."  He greets me with a polite nod.

"It's Mrs. Carrow."  I correct and he winces. 

"Of course."  He clears his throat before continuing.  "In light of recent events, it has been determined, on a purely temporary basis, that Edward Lupin should be placed back with his grandmother until you've recovered."

"What?"  I demand, anger flowing through me like a tidal wave.  "You're going to take my son from me?"

"You will be required to make regular visits to a mind healer.  When that person determines you are recovered enough, we will revisit Lupin's placement with you."  He continues, ignoring my outburst.  "You will be allowed visitation as Andromeda sees fit."

"I can't believe this."  I scoff, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry, Hazel."  He gives me the same stupid sad smile the doctor gave me.

"Get out."  I growl, fists clenching.  He nods once more and does as I request.  The door clicks shut behind him, and I throw my cup at the wood, screaming as the contents burst against the surface.

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