Stunning; Fred Weasley

EIGHT

We were still chanting.

"Be quiet, you four! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely. We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner-"

And yet, we were still chanting.

"That's enough- Fred- George- Ginny- Elle!" said Molly as Arthur left. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast..."

Ron and Hermione sat down across from Harry.

"'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," Ron told him.

"Yeah, he swung it for me."

We were still chanting, so I didn't hear the rest of the Golden Trio's conversation. We chanted even louder, which caused Molly to scream, "SHUT UP!"

---

I was sitting at my desk, alone for once, when a large tawny owl tapped on my window. I opened the window and it dropped a letter on my desk. It was a Ministry letter, with the Ministry's symbol in wax on the back. I looked up to thank the owl, but I seen that it had already flown away.

I quickly read the letter, immediately worried. Why would the Ministry send me a letter?

Miss Elle Black,

It is my deepest regret to inform you that your mother, Anne Del Potter-Black, was killed this past Monday, August 25 by Death Eaters in her home. It would appear that a funeral service will be held this Friday, August 29. I am very sorry for your loss.

With sympathy,
Kingsley Shacklebolt

No. This cannot be happening. I read the letter once more, not wanting to believe what it was saying. I felt the tears running down my cheeks and my legs carrying me down the hallway and to my father's room. This can't be real!

I walked in without even knocking. Dad saw my tears and rushed over and wrapped his arms around me. I held out the letter and Dad took it. He read it over before clutching me even more tightly. I cried into his chest, leaving tear stains, but I didn't care. My chest felt hollow, yet it ached with such a ferocity that I thought it would really kill me. Mum is gone. What am I going to do? It feels impossible that this ache will ever go away. The only thing that would make it go away is for Mum to be fine, for this all to be a dream. But it's not. Mum isn't coming back.

I don't know how long we stayed like that before I went back to my room and laid down on the bed without changing, not feeling anything but the ache in my chest that was slowly taking over my whole body. What is this world without my mum in it?

I woke up to hear hushed whispers outside my door. The dried tears on my cheeks cracked as I sat up and my body protested, aching.

"Fred, you can't just act like this hasn't happened! How would you feel if that happened to Mum?" That was Ginny.

"How do you think she'll take us being told by Sirius? Don't you think she'll want to tell us herself?" Fred.

"Fred, I'm siding with Ginny on this." George.

"Maybe we should let her be for a bit longer." Harry.

"You boys are so insensitive! She needs comfort. You guys don't need to pull any pranks right now. She's feeling sad and depressed, but also confused and angry." Hermione.