Weasley Family Fallout

Chapter 32: A Dreadful Monday

"No!" Arthur heard Desmond blurt from the other room. He was certain Gran told his brother about the new living arrangement.

A few minutes late, Gran came back in. Desmond remained in the doorway.

"Arthur," he greeted with a tight smile.

"Relax, Desmond," Arthur said. He picked up Louisa as he stood and set her back down in the chair. "I was just leaving." He grabbed the bag with his lunch and said good-bye to Gran and the girls.

"Oh, Arthur," Gran said as she remembered something, "dinner will be ready at 6:30. Will you be home by then?"

"I don't think so. I thought I would look into something Kingsley mentioned," he answered.

Desmond followed him out of the kitchen. He seized the opportunity when Arthur stopped to summon his traveling cloak and put it on. "Another outburst like last weekend, and you will never see those girls again," Desmond warned in a hiss.

Ian and his youngest, 9-year-old Marie, came in the front door just then. Their expressions softened while they greeted their niece. As soon as she went into the kitchen, their smiles returned to glares.

"Alright, chaps?" Ian asked cautiously as he rested a hand on each of their shoulders. Desmond and Arthur both turned their glares on him, causing him to remove his hands and take a step back.

Arthur looked Desmond in the eye. "I'm sober now," he stated firmly.

Desmond scoffed. "We'll see how long that lasts," he sneered. He left Arthur and Ian at the door to join the others.

Ian frowned and shook his head. The two older brothers stared after the younger.

"Well," Ian said. He patted Arthur's shoulder then hesitated. He gripped his shoulder and studied his older brother. Ian frowned again. "Are you alright?"

Arthur shrugged Ian's hand off his shoulder. "I'm fine."

Ian didn't look convinced. "Well," he began again, "don't take Desmond seriously. It's nothing personal. He's had a problem with all of us at some point since Dad died. It's like if he can't be angry with Dad, he has to find someone else to be angry with."

"He has a legitimate reason this time," Arthur mumbled.

"Give me a few minutes and we can go into work together," Ian said with a smile.

"I'm going in early –"

"I always go in early," Ian said with a wave. "Just let me grab some of that sausage first." Without giving Arthur a chance to respond, he hurried into the kitchen.

Arthur rolled his eyes. For Ian to be such a perfectionist, he could be quite scatterbrained at times. "No, Ian," he called, "we are not going into work together. I'm leaving now."

Ian popped his head out of the kitchen. He cocked it. "Aww, I was kind of excited about that," he said with a hint of disappointment.

The way Ian reminded him of a lost puppy – something Ian perfected when they were kids – gave Arthur a pang of guilt. "How about we plan on tomorrow?" Arthur suggested.

Ian's face lit up. "Okay!" he agreed then he disappeared back into the kitchen.

oOoOo

The Ministry was fairly empty. Arthur only passed a handful of people on his way to the Minister's office. None of them seemed to pay him any attention, thankfully.

As he entered the outer office, he was relieved to see that Percy had yet to arrive. Arthur knocked on the door to the Minister's inner office. Kingsley's deep, booming voice called for him to enter.