Capítulo 31: Chapter 31
At Grimmauld Place after Harry had apparated with Molly Weasley
After Harry had apparated along with Molly, Dumbledore slowly looked up to see only Moody who was bending down his head in his hands and saw Ginny sobbing. Ron was shaking too, but his eyes were dry and full of fear.
No one had stayed to even shout at them and that was what terrified Ron. Ginny knew there would be no redemption for her and Ron and bitterly rued the day she had accepted money to spy on Harry. Now that money would not bring her anything, happiness, richness, dignity, respect nothing. She was an empty can, a broken empty can of no use to any other.
Ron was flabbergasted. In a space of an hour he had lost his life. He shuddered at the implications of Harry, Hermione, there his face twisted – she was with him; and his parents leaving them alone and without even a word of anger or sadness.
Harry had seen him and Ginny in the Order meeting and his parents and Hermione had sided with him. Harry had looked amazing and a burst of jealousy burst through Ron and twisted his soul. He wondered bitterly if now Harry and Hermione would replace them with his parents and he and Ginny would be thrown aside.
He looked at his sobbing sister but he really felt no remorse for having to spy on a boy who was his best friend. This was a job for which he was being paid by the Headmaster. Harry was so foolhardy and always rushing into everything that he needed someone to tell him to slow down.
Ron also knew Harry had a good percent of his magic bound so that he would not hurt anyone with his short temper. Harry also had a link with Voldemort that made him very dangerous and unstable. Percy was right and Ron always had a spot of sympathy with Percy whom he had written in secret and had met later behind the woods of The Burrow.
Ron had been helping the Headmaster since Harry's third year and was also accepting money from his from that time. Ginny was helping Dumbledore with Ron since her second year but she was to check up on Hermione.
Both the brother and sister did not realize they had betrayed a friend, had accepted money to sell Harry and Hermione out and had gone to the extent of casting an unforgivable at Harry and concealing the knowledge of Harry's bound powers and gifts that Ron had known since fifth year. Had those powers been released, Harry would have done far better in Occlumency and would have even detected a false vision that ultimately led to the death of Sirius.
Now though, their lives looked bleak. Harry had come to know about their betrayal and more importantly, he had removed the binds on his power and had harnessed his gifts. He looked good, Ron thought bitterly and he also had the money and the power and the people. Ron was very bitter.
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Dumbledore though was feeling the worst. All his plans had come to naught. He had carefully planned and executed everything for the past so many years, why years, decades and his life's work had come crumbling down in one hour. All his respect, his power, Dumbledore had no illusions.
McGonagall, Kingsley and everyone who was here had left. The Weasleys did not even dignify their youngest children with a shouting. They had simply left. That more than anything else sounded ominous to Albus Dumbledore.
What would he go out and tell the members whom he hoped had left for their homes by now. He really had no answers. After his high handedness with Harry, how could he tell the other members that he had manipulated the boy to such an extent that Harry if he so wished could very easily land him in Azkaban and for extra punishment land him in the same cell Sirius was in.
The way James Potter had written left no doubts in the minds of anyone that Sirius was innocent and Dumbledore had not used his authority to demand a trial for that man. He sighed in utter despair.
Harry had such grand plans for the Wizarding World and he, Albus Dumbledore would have loved to be in the thick of it all, now though he knew he could not get to even shouting distance of Harry and the others.
From being in supreme control he had gone to being totally controlled. Dumbledore smiled bitterly to himself. Not even Snape who was always respectful and took Albus's lack of respect for him as his fate for becoming a death eater would now give him the time of day.
And he could no longer subtly threaten Snape with the mark, because Voldemort had removed it. He shook his head, trying not to cry. He was sure he would be removed from Hogwarts too and while he had manipulated everyone he had always justified it to himself for it being necessary for the greater good.
Albus Dumbledore had lost everything. He had lost the name, the fame, the respect and the position he held all his in society. All because he decided to manipulate others for his cause which he justified to him as the right cause for the Wizarding World.
Now Dumbledore had the lousiest job available. To troubleshoot for him self.
He had to go out there and campaign for Harry. He knew that. He had to make everyone think – Dumbledore shook his head in desperation when he realized he really did not know what to make anyone think.
He stayed there for the rest of the afternoon in absolute silence with Moody, Ron and Ginny who had long since stopped sobbing and was now looking sightlessly at the wall opposite her.
It was almost evening when Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked at the others. "I have decided to say that Harry was very angry with me because I did not do enough for Sirius and that I left him in his aunt's house where he was not treated well. He is very angry with me at the moment and I will have to accept his anger for the mistakes I have committed. Nothing more. Harry will not contradict me I hope. I will send him an owl seeking a meeting with him and there I will apologize to him and all of you will also, I hope apologize to him."
Moody nodded his head at once and Ron and Ginny flushed. They would have to eat humble pie. And the equation would never be the same. They would no longer be the friends of Harry Potter. They would be the ones with whom Harry would not talk and Ginny shuddered at the questions that would arise at the fallout between Harry, Hermione, Ron and her.
Dumbledore decided to let Harry cool off for the day and send Fawkes to him the next morning.
Moody was feeling ashamed and he had joined Dumbledore only after he had seen the Black aura of Harry and had been paranoid enough to want Harry killed simply because he had a mental bond with Voldemort. From then on he had become Albus's partner, though he had never been greedy for money or anything else from the Potter vaults, he had been practical enough to tell Albus to look out for the money and try and get control of it for the restoration of the Wizarding World.
Dumbledore and Moody got up and without a word apparated to Diagon Alley. They went to The Leaky Cauldron and called for a meeting of the members there. He was careful not to call those who had seen the memories with him; the Weasleys, McGonagall and the rest not that they would come at once, he thought with a bitter smile. He had lost that kind of control in the morning.
All the members were there in about three minutes telling Dumbledore how anxious they were to hear his side.
They were sorely disappointed for there was no his side.
All of them took a whole portion of The Leaky Cauldron and sat down ordering drinks and looking at each other waiting for Dumbledore to speak.
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The Leaky Cauldron was full today for the first time since Voldemort was seen at the Department of Mysteries two years ago. Since then Tom the barkeep had only been cleaning the already clean tables and looking forlornly at everyone who would floo in and then rush to the wall to enter Diagon Alley.
Today all that had changed.
Tom usually allowed Mr. Lovegood to place his copies of the Quibbler here for sale. He would keep about a hundred copies and wait until they were sold off and then print another batch and keep them in The Leaky Cauldron. Contrary to the magazine being fortnightly, Mr. Lovegood did not print new editions of the paper every fifteen days.
He did after about two months and in those two months he would wait for the copies to be sold off, which was very rare. But after two months he could not wait lest he lost the rare regulars and so he would print a new edition and once again hope to sell all of it in the next two months.
He had made a good bit of money when Harry had given his interview to Rita Skeeter two years ago, though he scarcely realized it. He was not money minded and he was truly fascinated in the strange creatures that both he and his daughter insisted they existed.
He also had been in Ravenclaw and both Luna and he had a strong sense of loyalty and a great sense of daring, qualities that could have made them good Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Both of them were also brilliant, the naturally brilliant Ravenclaws and were also highly intuitive. The only House they would not have fitted in was Slytherin, because they had no ambition and were highly lacking in the clever cunning that any self respecting Slytherin would posses.
When Arthur Weasley came requesting his help, he and Luna understood it was more important than that interview Harry gave two years ago. This was on a bigger scale and it would help the Wizarding World against the evil that was threatening to swallow it. He had not hesitated after that and to ask for money when he had it with him was a foreign concept and he had money to print this and distribute it free of cost for the next five months.
So that was what he had done and he came late that morning on Harry's birthday, placed the new set of the Quibbler smiled his thanks as always to old Tom and had flood back.
Tom smiled back and did not even look at the headlines as he continued to polish away his already clean top sighing and thinking as usual of the good old days.
It was about two hours later that the first rush came. All of them flood into The Leaky Cauldron and Tom, by now had stopped looking hopeful every time someone flood in, went on cleaning, now polishing his glasses, when some one said, 'Four Firewhisky please, Tom.'
Tom had looked up incredulously and had hastened to bring the Firewhisky lest the man ran off. When after half an hour all the hundred copies of the Quibbler had been sold out Tom was wondering if he had missed something.
He was now running to supply some hot stew and chilled butter beer when Mr. Lovegood came with another hundred copies, placed then in the rack, took the money out and flood away.
Ten minutes later Tom noticed the Quibbler had not only been replaced but was once again in danger of being sold off, he went there and put the few Knuts in and picked up the copy.
And then dropped it in terror and looked around in fear to see if anyone had caught with a paper that spoke bad things of You-Know-Who. No one was looking at him and he rushed to pick up the copy and stuffed it inside his pockets and went trembling to the counter.
It took him another ten minutes to realize that everyone was here for the Quibbler and all the copies had the same information on it and everyone was reading it. That stopped him sweating and he now paid careful attention to all that was going on.
Everywhere it seemed, people were awed and were discussing initially in hushed whispers but gradually as the day went on they became bold. There was the life debt that was the primary thing and after all the fuss he kicked up about the Wizarding World being fit only for pure bloods, You-Know-Who was a half blood and he was conceived as a result of a love potion of all things. Tom decided that these things kind of made you less afraid of the so called Dark Lord.
Then they actually laughed at You-Know-Who and they discussed the fact that even a muggleborn thought it necessary to make their world secret and there were loud and hilarious discussions on what would happen if the muggles came in?
In the evening a group of people that were totally contrary to the ones who had been there all day walked in solemnly. They waited and then took their seats right at the back of The Leaky Cauldron and were unusually silent and seemed to be waiting for someone to come in.
The Quibbler had been sold out six times in that one day and unnoticed by anyone Mr. Lovegood who seemed to know when the copies were down to the last five came in, silently replaced a hundred more and went off to print again.
Tom had never been busy like this for a long, long time and secretly in his hearts, he blessed the great Harry Potter lad for bringing him such good fortune. He hoped the boy would also kill off You-Know-Who once and for all and keep the Wizarding World as it was today happy, and Tom full of work and The Leaky Cauldron full of people.
It was when Tom was secretly blessing and dreaming as he took orders and rushed to give them all they asked for, Dumbledore flood in and The Leaky Cauldron suddenly was silent.
Dumbledore and Moody who flood behind him flushed as everyone turned to look at them and then the whispers started. Dumbledore now red with shame and embarrassment walked swiftly to the back where the Order members were sitting.
He sat down and Moody sat down along with him. He looked at all of them and then to the silent room where everyone was staring at him, wondering why Harry and his family had attacked him so.
Dumbledore on the spur of the moment decided to speak to everyone here, explain to them about Harry and also tell them that Harry was on the right track and the Wizarding World would do well to listen to Harry and support him in everything. He could try and salvage at least something that way.
He stood up and wiping his sweating brow he smiled at everyone and nodded amicably.
"I presume all of you are curious about why Harry is so angry with me. I have come here only to move around and to tell all of you that Harry is indeed very angry with me because I left him in his aunt's place and did not do enough to get Sirius a trial. I am very sorry about it now and I feel very bad for the young boy who trusted me so much. I have let him down."
Dumbledore was very bitter inside as he spoke very affably on the outside. But this had to be done and he had to somehow make sure Harry would not take his name again in articles he or his father and Sirius would write.
He had to show he was sorry and he was contrite before they would write something that would demand an investigation into his past activities. After all Harry told him he had other memories that would shame him more and Dumbledore shuddered inside as he smiled affably on the outside.
There was silence only for a minute and then Dumbledore was pounced upon by everyone who demanded answers. The Leaky Cauldron became full as the time went past and slowly Dumbledore answered time again and again and almost lost his voice by explaining about his mistakes and Harry's path being correct.
He said he was mistaken about the opening of their world to the muggleborns and tiredly explained everything over and over again, did all of them leave well after two A.M in the morning and that too only because Albus Dumbledore lost his voice finally and everyone realized he would not be able to tell them everything all over again.
Tom almost became a rich man in that one day and Mr. Lovegood came at two ten in the morning to place yet another set of the Quibbler and went back. Dumbledore went to Hogwarts and fell into his chair, not having the energy to go into his bedroom and sleep. He slept placing an alarm to wake him up at seven in the morning.
Promptly at seven on the 1st of august Dumbledore was woken up and he stretched himself feeling very stiff and uncomfortable for having slept in his chair all night. He took out a parchment and wrote Harry.
Dear Harry,
I write to seek an appointment with you simply to apologize. I realize with shame that I have been less than fair to you and yours. I wish to meet and make amends. To that extent I have already started by going over to The Leaky Cauldron yesterday and met with tens of hundreds of people there and told them that I, indeed did make a mistake and Harry and his father are very much in the right to condemn me openly.
Please forgive me and tell me what else I can do to make you understand that I truly repent.
Yours in apology,
Albus
P.S Please tell me where and when, may I meet you to apologize and I will understand if you never want to see my face ever again.
He called softly to Fawkes, "I have well and truly messed up my friend. This time there will be no forgiveness and no coming back." He told his friend softly, his voice still hoarse and his eyes welling up with tears.
"I was so mistaken that Harry would be bad because of the link Fawkes and that one mistake has cost me everything. Now go and give this to Harry and let us hope he will be able to forgive me at least after twenty years from now, if ever."
Fawkes trilled softly soothing a little of the agitation in Albus Dumbledore's breast and then disappeared with a flash of fire.
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At Godric's Hollow
Harry and the others were up to the time Dumbledore was in The Leaky Cauldron, planning and plotting for the downfall of Voldemort's death eaters. It was a little more than two in the morning by the time all of them dispersed and the Weasleys left for Grimmauld Place, Amelia Bones and her deputy for their homes along with Tonks and Shaklebolt and the rest to bunk down in Godric's Hollow.
Harry went to his bed tiredly his head swimming with too many details about everything. It had been a long and a stressful day and Harry slept the second his head touched his pillow.
He was awakened by a soft trill and slowly opened his reluctant eyes and looked blearily at Fawkes who trilled once again and Harry suddenly felt comforted.
"Whassthe matter?" he groaned as he turned and flopped into his pillow.
Fawkes trilled again and patiently waited for a few minutes for Harry to be fully aware and get up.
Harry stretched after five minutes and glared a little at the bird before he smiled resignedly.
"What has he done now?" he murmured as he took the letter and read it. After a few minutes when it looked as if Fawkes was not leaving without a reply, Harry shook his head.
"No Fawkes. I cannot reply now. I need time to even consider it. He hurt me too badly." He told the intelligent bird softly and a second later Fawkes disappeared in a flash of fire.
Harry could not go back to sleep and he got up and washed and went to Snape's room and slowly opened the door. Snape was just stretching himself awake and he smiled when he saw Harry's face.
Harry walked in once he saw Snape was awake and silently handed the letter to him. Snape frowned and took the letter and read it and snorted softly.
"Now wants to ask for forgiveness. Very convenient." He smiled at Harry, "You will act fussy and keep him in his place won't you? Let him sweat a little."
"He wanted a reply. Fawkes wouldn't leave. But I told Fawkes that it was too soon. Yesterday afternoon he flashes his power and demands I take an oath to obey him and today morning I get a letter like this?" Harry asked him, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, but Harry you have very highly incriminating memories. What else can he do? As I said, let him sweat a little, hell, let him sweat a lot. In about three days we are close to closing down the works of Voldemort. If Albus had tried he could have worked wonders and without all of you suffering like this."
"You called him by name." Harry told Snape astonished that Snape had called Voldemort by name instead of the Dark Lord as he usually did.
"I have no more need to pretend, not on a full scale as before and if we are successful, then we can really put all this in the past and get along with our lives." Snape told Harry simply and he hugged Harry briefly and then he got up to wash and get ready for the day.
Harry went down to find Arran, Hermione and the others awake and he handed the letter to Arran who read it aloud.
"Harry don't forgive him." Hermione told him angrily. "What right has he to ask for your forgiveness when until yesterday he wanted you to be under his thumb and die for you? It took the memories that would place him in Azkaban for the rest of his sweet life and the lie that you would feed him with the Philosopher's stone and make him live in Azkaban for eternity that made him come down off his high horse. Don't you dare forgive him Harry."
All of them gaped at Hermione who looked around at the faces that stared at her and flushed, "What? I was just saying,"
"You were just saying the perfect thing." Harry told her stepping closer to her and then suddenly pulling her into a tight hug.
"Wow!" Arran grinned when Harry glared a little but he was blushing also and so it was not very effective. "Hermione, we were kinda shocked that you were able to go on for so long without taking a breath. That's all." Arran told her, grinning at her flushed face.
"And we agree with you wholeheartedly. If Harry dares to forgive the old coot after all that he said yesterday and more importantly after what you said just now, well we will throw a shrinking hex at his knickers." Draco told her laughing when Hermione gasped and then blushed furiously as she thought of the implications of such a hex.
"What?" Harry shouted finally getting a hang of where they were planning to hex, "I will show you right now what that is. Ria, hey! Ria," Harry shouted, "Hold Draco, damn it hold him," he yelled and fired off the shrinking hex at him and then there was a merry chase and hexes simply thrown all around.
Some found their mark and the others hit the wall and it was truly fun time for the next half hour before everyone cooled down and went to have their breakfast in different colors, various things sprouting off their faces, ears, arms and chest.
Snape walked into the dining room filled with giggling and laughing boys and girls who were snickering at each other.
"Finished admiring each other? May I reverse it or would you like to stay the way you are." He asked them dryly.
Harry who had his ears changed into huge flat, round fleshy thing that made him look slightly idiotic grinned.
"Sev, we could go like this tonight and frighten the pants of them. What do you say?" he asked.
Snape moved his wand in a sweeping motion and all of them turned to normal though they were much disheveled. "Brilliant idea. Only they probably look more frightening naturally so it is hard to believe they would be scared of tub ears and long nose hair beard." Referring to Draco's nose hair that had until a second ago flown like Dumbledore's beard.
Arran who had become a dwarf and had been standing on the chair until Snape removed the hex, grinned at Snape as he jumped down. "Loosen up man and don't make them tense."
Snape smiled reluctantly and went to sit down by Harry and Remus walked in.
"James told me I had missed something spectacular. Why did you guys change back?"
All of them pointed their hands silently to Snape.
"Aah! The spoil sport." Remus said pleasantly and sat down amidst a lot of snickering especially when Snape turned an irritated face towards Remus.
"Perhaps I can show you all that the children were sporting?" Snape asked him in an equally pleasant voice.
"No, no, no, Severus, I am truly grateful but now-a-days I bar luxuries of that type." Remus replied evenly and then laughed along with the others and Snape rolled his eyes and asked for the parchment from Albus and handed it over to Remus.
"Now read that in a mature way and don't you dare growl." Snape told him sternly.
Remus read it and turned urgently to Harry, "Harry, you are not going to anything foolish like that are you?"
"He wouldn't dare Moony until he wants a shrinking hex on his panties." Arran told him giggling away like a School kid.
"Panties? I don't wear," Harry spluttered as he looked horrified at Hermione who was blushing and snickering into her hands and not looking at him. Remus blinked for a second before he started laughing and slowly everyone settled down to eat except Harry who was glaring daggers at Arran who was not at all impressed having been with the likes of Voldemort who could glare you to death in about a minute, all this while.
"I will get you with the bloody hex if it kills me, just you wait." Harry muttered in what he hoped was a very frightening voice, but seeing Arran grin back at him and blowing him a kiss of all the bloody things Harry figured he was not very impressive.
Snape looked at all of them with deep happiness in his black eyes. His eyes met Remus's in perfect understanding as he saw the happiness mirrored in his as well.
The kids had been through so much all alone and sometimes in so much despair and he was so thankful that Harry was here for Arran and the others and also for the Slytherins who had given their oaths the other day. A person like Harry was whom Regulus and he did not have and because they had no one to turn to, Reg was dead and he was literally a slave of two horrible masters for so many years.
Yesterday Harry had demanded an oath from Amelia Bones and that Brian Wheeler for two things; one to never betray them and the other to make sure that they would at all costs see that Arran, Draco and all the other Slytherins would be free to lead their lives. No one had known Harry would ask for an oath for their sakes and Snape had seen Arran brush his eyes with his hands and Ria and Pansy openly crying and Draco and Blaise biting their lips until they bled to stop themselves from howling.
Not only Amelia and her deputy but surprisingly, Shaklebolt, Tonks and all the Weasleys swore they would help as well.
The Daily Prophet arrived as they were finishing their meal and Snape opened it to find a photo of Albus Dumbledore standing in The Leaky Cauldron and talking in a very humble manner.
Dumbledore Admits to Mistakes - Says Harry was Right in Attacking Him above Dumbledore's photo and
Dumbledore Also Says All Articles very True – Life Debt to Harry True - the Wizarding World is Saved below his photo
There was a lengthy article about all that Dumbledore had talked about yesterday and about the record sales of the Quibbler that was still going strong and a discussion about the articles that had appeared in the Quibbler the day before.
It seems that Dumbledore has really committed some grave mistakes and he spent the whole evening until today morning trying to kiss and make up with Harry Potter with whom he definitely has fallen out.
The Leaky Cauldron was abuzz the whole of yesterday with the news that had appeared in the Quibbler, a magazine run by the Lovegoods, and The Leaky Cauldron looks to be full of eager wizards discussing the Quibbler and the articles that appeared in them today as well.
Dumbledore was there all of yesterday and admits that the life debt holds well even if the blood was taken forcibly as it was in the case of Harry Potter.
Voldemort cannot kill Harry because of this debt that he owes to this boy, Dumbledore said and he also agreed with Harry's opinion of closing the Wizarding World to the muggleborns by spelling their immediate families. He said he would tackle this problem in the next session of the Wizengamot and try his best to have it passed as law.
Why is Dumbledore so eager to get back with the Boy-who-Lived and what was the fall out in the first place. This journalist would give her left arm to know.
Important points from the conversations below:
By Rita Skeeter
"Well he is really scared isn't he?" Snape commented in surprise and the others were shocked as well.
"That memory really made him piss in his pants. Blackmail is the best." Draco sighed dramatically.
All of them grinned and then they went out to the living room and lounged about talking. It was about lunchtime before the Weasleys and Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler, Shaklebolt, McGonagall and Tonks came.
Once all of them had arrived, Snape called the meeting to order and then Harry and the others put their silliness and jokes away and started going through all the details once again.
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At Grimmauld Place
Molly and the other Weasleys flood into Grimmauld Place after their draining meeting with the others. Molly had seen first hand Harry's loyalty to Arran and the others and the way he had demanded they be left alone. She saw them crying and it had touched her and had made her weep as well.
All this would have been Ron and Ginny's too, had they been good friends. But they weren't. Molly had learnt all that had happened from McGonagall and the portraits and had been horrified about how Harry had been alone and how from Hermione and later Snape and McGonagall he had won over all of them here today.
Half this suffering would not have been there, why half all of Harry's suffering would not have been there if only Ron and Ginny had come to Harry and told him everything. Instead they took money and betrayed their friends.
There was no one there in Grimmauld Place and she went to her room with a heavy heart leaning on Arthur who held her very tightly.
Bill peeped into Ron's and Ginny's rooms and found them sleeping very soundly and all of the retired to their own beds.
Molly had been extremely grateful to Harry and the others for allowing the family to deal with Ron and Ginny instead of insisting on their punishing them. That alone had brought her to tears yet again.
Arthur silently gave her a vial of sleeping potion and she smiled at him a bit weakly though and obediently drank it. In five minutes she was asleep. Arthur took a vial himself and was soon sprawled out beside his wife.
The next morning Molly woke up late and all refreshed. Arthur was already up and he and Bill had called in sick and had obtained leave of absence from the ministry for Arthur and from Gringotts for Bill. The Twins had Lee Jordan to take over for today as well.
Arthur was reading the paper in the kitchen and breakfast was already made. She entered the kitchen and the Twins sat her down and bowing all the time, and placed her breakfast in front of her.
No one was talking and the reason was the presence of Ron and Ginny. They had their plates in front of them and had finished with breakfast but not quite daring to leave the room. The other Weasleys had by a common unspoken consent decided to allow their mother to deal with them and so no one had said anything.
Molly ate and she chatted with Arthur about the Daily Prophet's article about Dumbledore.
Once breakfast was over all of them got up and went to the main hall and sat down. Ron and Ginny followed them there and stood in from to them a little defiantly in Ron's case and frightened in Ginny's.
"Tell us what you are going to do with us. Disown us?" Ron asked defiantly, hiding his fear.
Molly looked at them in surprise. "Why should I disown you Ron and Ginny?"
"Then what are you going to do with us?" Ginny asked her lips trembling. "Tell us so that we may be prepared."
"I don't understand what you are saying Ginny. Why should I forgive you and Ron. Both of you have acted true to the Weasley name after all. We are the blood traitors you know." She said conversationally.
All the Weasleys looked up at that and Ron and Ginny gaped. "What? We are not blood traitors." Ron shouted his face red.
"We are not working with You-Know-Who mum." Ginny cried.
"No and I must thank Merlin for that." Molly agreed. "But what you have been doing is just as bad if not more."
"Mum Harry is a walking disaster. He just runs into all kinds of danger without realizing that you could get killed. Sirius died like that, because Harry did not listen to Hermione and stay in the castle." Ron started saying and stopped when he heard the crack of something breaking and found the glass Arthur was holding in his hand shatter.
Ron gulped and he stopped as he saw the fury in his father's eyes.
"So if he is a walking disaster you take money from Dumbledore and spy on Harry do you Ron, instead of talking to him and telling him where he has gone wrong." Molly asked him in an even tone.
"No mum it was not like that." Ron protested flushing with fear and looking at his father who still had to say a word.
"For how long have you been taking the money and how much each year?" Molly asked him and for the first time since they started talking there was a harsh tone and warning in her voice.
Ron gulped, "Since third year and Ginny since her second, and ten thousand each every year." Molly drew a quick breath and the others gasped.
"And the imperios? You seem to have all the answers for everything so would you tell us about that also?" Molly asked him her eyes flashing now.
Ron was wisely silent and Ginny had not spoken at all.
Bill stretched and Charlie stood up. "Mum I think we are wasting our time with these idiots and wannabe criminals."
"Hey! Mind your words. We are not criminals." Ron shouted.
"What is the punishment in the Wizarding World for casting an imperio Ron?" Arthur asked him icily, speaking for the first time.
"Dad, you get life in Azkaban." Bill answered with a bitter smile.
"That is where you would be if it weren't for Harry's kindness in not prosecuting you. Had he done so, with the evidence he has and he told us under oath and since he is still living, I am assuming the same oath given in the Wizengamot would get you both life in Azkaban. But you know what Ron, you and your sister are too big for the likes of us poor Weasleys.
"We have only things like loyalty, integrity and honesty and an ability to stand by ours no matter what. While I will not disown you because that would be harsh on your brothers who share the same name and have committed no sin, I refuse to have anything to do with either of you. I will clothe you, feed you, if you want my help in that of course but otherwise I refuse to have to do anything with the three of you."
Arthur got up after he had spoken in a cold tone one would not have thought it possible for Arthur to even know how to speak so coldly and went up to his room. The rest of the family left the moment Arthur had stood up. Molly looked to them once very sadly before she turned to follow her husband.
"You had the best family, the best friends and the best opportunity to make your mark in life." she laughed bitterly, "I wonder when you will realize that you have lost all this. That Ron and Ginny, is the day you would have truly began to repent, then and only then is there any kind of hope for both of you."
She Ron and Ginny who stood there in silence only one thought going round and round their heads; they had lost and had lost big.
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