Startling Flare -A Scorose story

Chapter 12: Not So Stealthy

I wake early the next morning to the delectable smell of sausage. I scramble out of bed, and race down the stairs, toward that amazing stench. Grandma Molly is waving her wand at the stove cooking up enough food to feed an army. I'm the first one up, which is unsurprising, being as I've always been an early riser.

"Morning Grandma." I yawn, pulling out a chair.

"Morning Dear." With a flick of her wand, she sends a plate stacked full of all my favorite breakfast foods my way.

"Thanks, Grandma!" I say sweetly, already digging my fork into my food.

She flicks her wand. "It was no trouble dear."

"Why aren't you at the ministry?" I quiz, in between bites of my food. "You've gone there every day this week."

"I missed all my grandbabies. Besides the ministry can withstand a day without me." She shrugs nonchalantly.

If there was ever a time to get more information about the mysterious murders Dad was talking about, it would be now.

"What do you do when you're at the ministry?"

"Nothing much. I just file some old paperwork. The ministry is underemployed at the moment, so I volunteered to help out." She rushes her words out, and her voice has gone squeaky. That's when I know she's lying, but I keep digging, hoping that she would crack.

"What kind of paperwork? Is it important?"

"Just some old paperwork."

"So you being at the ministry has nothing to do with the murders Dad was discussing the other day?"

Grandma whirls around, startled. "I uh don't have any idea what you're talking about dear. Now go on eat your breakfast. You are much to thin." Before I can question her further, she is pushing more food on my already full plate and rushing out of the kitchen probably to finish some housework.

I eat my breakfast alone and am cleaning up my plate just as Louis parades down the stairs.

"Morning Louis," I say over my shoulder, as I dish him up a plate.

"What smells so good?"

"That would be Grandma's cooking," I inform him, setting the plate in front of his face.

Louis rubs his eyes sleepily, making him look like a little boy. Louis was the youngest of the bunch and easily the sweetest. He was always willing to offer a helping hand and never spoke an unkind word to anyone.

"Oh Louis, you're up," Grandma says, walking back into the kitchen.

"And so am I," James announces, swinging over the step railing. "And I am hungry."

"James Sirius Potter!" Grandma scolds, wagging a disapproving finger at his action.

"Sorry, grandma." He apologizes sheepishly, pulling out the chair next to me.

James never let anyone boss him around. He did what he wanted when he wanted. When Aunt Ginny told him to do something, he'd do the opposite. When our professors forbid him from something, he'd do it anyway, but when it came to Grandma he didn't dare to disobey her.

"You have a goodnight with Alice?" I ask.

"Any night with Alice is a goodnight." He says, with an eye roll, as if I had asked him a dumb question.

"I like Alice." Louis pipes in. "She beat James in quidditch." He informs Grandma, who had come to fill him a cup of juice.

"She did now?"