International Love | Fred Weasley

Chapter 79

I didn't know what to expect from the office, but it ends up being quite big – although I have never been to an office at the Ministry of Magic. The interior gives it a cozy feeling. The dark wallpaper makes the room feel smaller than it actually is and there are several couches placed around a fireplace. The walls are filled with paintings of landscapes, animals, and people. There is a large desk where an older wizard is seated.

The man looks up when I step inside and stands up.

Fleur and Tonks follow me inside and the door is closed. The man has made his way over to us and holds out his hand, "You must be Ms Dubos then, nice to meet you. My name is Felipe."

I shake the man's hand and smile at him, "Nice to meet you."

"I see you brought some company, very well. Nymphadora, good to see you."

Tonks sighs as the man calls her by her full name, but the older wizard doesn't seem to notice. The man gestures to the couches and says: "Take a seat, please. I'll grab the file."

As Fleur, Tonks, and I make our way to the couches, the man returns to his desk where he grabs a file. He gathers a few more papers before joining us. Behind the desk is a window displaying a sunny day and I wonder what charm is used and if the man can choose what type of weather is displayed.

"Well," the man says as he takes a seat in the large armchair opposite the couch I'm seated on, "I am sure you are aware by now that there are charges against Mrs Warrington. Today, I would like you to tell me about what happened to you at Warrington Manor."

The file and papers are placed on the table beside the armchair.

"Before we begin, would you like a cup of tea? Or something else, I can get you almost everything."

"Tea is fine, thank you," I say and the man smiles warmly at me. With a wave of his wand, he has four porcelain cups and a matching teapot floating through the air. The cups land on saucers in front of us and are filled moments later.

"It's good you brought support," the wizard says. He leans back in his chair and folds his hands in his lap. A notepad is laying on the armrest and an enchanted quill is waiting in the air, ready to take notes as I speak.

"If at any moment it becomes too much for you to handle, let me know and we can take a break. If you want to quit, that's fine as well. We can reschedule to finish this another day," the man says and pauses until I nod in understanding. Once I have nodded, the man continues: "Now, let's start at the beginning. According to Kingsley, you and a friend were roaming the woods near Trowbridge in search of Wormwood?"

I have grabbed the cup of tea, inspecting the design, but the words of the man have me look up at him. In search of Wormwood? I frown and look over at Fleur. The woman doesn't seem surprised and when I glance at Tonks, I see the purple-haired witch nod.

"Yes..." I say, my mind racing.

"And you and that friend were attacked there or...?" Felipe asks. The quill beside him shoots across the paper and I try to ignore it as I focus back on the Auror. I tell him about how the men had appeared in the wood and how they chased us.

I tell the man about how they brought me to Warrington Manor for some type of 'pay-out' and how the Warringtons decided I would become their son's wife. I tell Felipe about my failed attempt to escape and how Bellatrix Lestrange punished me for it.

As I talk, I see Fleur and Tonks exchange looks and when I tell the man about the Cruciatus curse, Fleur takes my hand and squeezes it lightly to let me know she's still here.

I continue to the day of the engagement party and remark: "I don't remember much about it. There are large holes in my memory when I think back."

"That's understandable. It's common for victims of the Imperius Curse not to remember much about the time they spend under the influence of the curse," Felipe assures me, "Some memories will come back while others will be hazy and will never return back to you."

I continue telling the man about how we apparently visited the Ministry and how we bumped into the Weasleys. That part of the memory is sharp and I remember looking at Fred.

"She seemed to snap out of it when she saw Fred," Fleur says, "It seemed like seeing 'er boyfriend broke the spell."

Felipe nods and the quill continues writing. I end the story about how the Weasleys managed to get me out, just in time, and how I returned home. When I'm done speaking, the older wizard checks the notepad and nods before closing it.

"My colleagues have interviewed a witness. I don't know if you remember meeting Mr Letterford at the engagement party, but he was willing to testify about what he witnessed."

I try to remember the engagement party and ask: "Was he the photographer?"

The Auror nods, "Yes. Together with your statement, it provides enough evidence against Mrs Warrington."

He grabs a form from the file on the table beside his armchair and holds it out for me. I take the paper and notice it's a form filled in about the charge.

"If you could please check if all the information is correct, that will wrap everything up for now."

My eyes scan over the information and place the form on the table between us, "Everything is correct."

"Very well. We are all done here for now. If I have any more questions, I'll let you know and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me."

The man places a business card on the table and shoves it in my direction.

"Would you like to be present during Mrs Warrington's trial?"

The question throws me off for a moment before I shake my head. I have no intention of ever seeing that woman again.

The man stands up and we follow. He shakes my hand and promises to keep me updated. After bidding him goodbye, we leave the office and once the door is closed, I need a moment to breathe. Fleur squeezes my hand and smiles proudly at me, and Tonks wraps an arm around me and Fleur.

She looks at us with a smile, "What do you think of some ice-cream after all this serious business, my treat!"

Neither of us protests and Tonks leads us back out of the Auror Department and back into the Atrium. We travel to the Leaky Cauldron by Floo and Tonks leads us into Muggle-London instead of Diagon Alley.

Tonks drags us through the busy streets, completely ignoring the looks the Muggles send us until we arrive at a small ice cream parlor. Tonks opens the door and a bell signals the woman behind the counter we have entered the shop.

After ordering, we sit down in one of the booths near the window as we wait for our ice cream. It doesn't take long before the waitress places three sundaes in front of us. Tonks wiggles her eyebrows before digging into the treat.

"This is really good," Fleur mutters in French. Tonks frowns and looks at me for translation.

"She says it's really good."

Tonks perks up and smiles brightly: "I know! Last week, I brought Remus here and he said exactly the same thing."

I send Fleur a look and she lets out a small giggle. Tonks looks up from her sundae with a confused look, but we shake our heads and continue to eat the ice-cream in front of us. When we are finished, Tonks suggests with a smirk on her face: "Another one?"