InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Why a duck?"

weasley_now (weasley_now) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2011-11-01 21:57:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: november 01 2003, character: ginny weasley, character: hermione granger, character: percy weasley

Who: Hermione, Percy, Ginny
What: Family time for grieving
When: November 1, 2003 a bit after 9 am
Where: Burrow
Rating worksafe

After hearing the news from Ron Hermione's immediate concern had been Molly's well being. Not only that, but she needed a mother of her own at a time like this. Once she was able to get herself dressed, they floo'd to the Burrow.

Now Hermione sat in a chair by the window a cold cup of tea held between her hands. She was staring out the window to the spot where she had flung herself into Harry's arms the night they'd moved him from Privet Drive. As soon as the Death Eaters had been on them that night Hermione had worried that Harry was gone. Now he really was. Maybe this was all some horrible mistake. Perhaps a ruse the Ministry was perpetrating as a part of the investigation into the other death. At any moment Harry would come walking through the tall grass that surrounded the Burrow. She wished it even if deep down she knew it wasn't true.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

ginny_gin
2011-11-06 03:37 am UTC (link)

She had no snarky reply regarding the toast and would have felt childish and petulant making one anyway, so she picked up a piece and nibbled on the crust. It tasted like cardboard. It tasted like nothing at all, but she had asked for the toast and Percy had gone to get it for her. The least she could do was try to eat some of it.

"Mum will cook up a storm sooner or later." She had done that after Fred died. It was her way of giving herself something to do, allowing herself the kind of distraction that let her feel useful anyway.

She ate in silence for a long moment. Let someone else take the lead.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngestmformev
2011-11-06 03:53 am UTC (link)

"Yes, she is quite good at that." And Percy had no doubt his mother would indeed cook them up a storm, eventually.

Percy was left standing there, feeling useless once again now that the food and drink were here. If George - or Merlin help him Fred - were there, he'd tell some sort of joke and make the others angry at him to distract from their grief.

"When I was at work the other day," he began tentatively, but growing more confident as he spoke, "I met a man who was looking for a way to transfigure a rat into a politician, and so I told him that it wasn't necessary, there were plenty of rats already in the Ministry."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

weasley_now
2011-11-06 04:05 am UTC (link)

At Percy's attempt at a joke Hermione turned and gave him a contemptuous glare. "I would say that if the given reports are true that the politicians aren't the only rats that have been in the Ministry as of late." The more she processed the his poor attempt the more logical connections her mind made and suddenly grief was over taken by anger.

She placed the tea cup on the window ledge. "A rat, Percy," she turned her body full around and began to walk towards him her finger pointing at him indignantly. "It was a rat that ruined Harry's life in the first place. You're rat to be exact," she was fuming. "You're rat took Harry's parents from him. And some rat inside your precious Ministry took Harry from us."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ginny_gin
2011-11-06 04:13 am UTC (link)

Ginny stared at Hermione in stupid shock for a moment. Percy's attempt at a joke had been stupid, yes, and usually Ginny was more than happy to take him to task for his transgressions, but...

Well, she wasn't usually one to feel sorry for old Big Head Boy, but...

"Who did it?" She sat her teacup down so hard, some of the liquid sloshed over the side and onto the end table. "What do we actually know? Hermione?" She looked at her. "I was half-awake when you gave me the news. What do we know?" She turned her glare on Percy. "What do we really know, right now?"

Who had to pay?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngestmformev
2011-11-06 04:28 am UTC (link)

Percy had thought Fred would have been proud, or at least groaned aloud, at his attempt at a joke. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the reaction it had wrought from Hermione. He visibly shrank at the accusations, logically knowing they were unfair but feeling guilty nonetheless.

Thankfully, Ginny's questions gave him something he could grasp, something he could answer without having to delve into his own feelings on anything.

"According to the Prophet, there was someone found at the scene, and who is presently in custody. The last name was Smith. The first name... Ezekiel? Zanzibar? I believe there was a zed there somewhere..." He paused as he tried to remember, his usually immaculate memory temporarily flawed by the moment.

"Zacharias? I think that was it. Zacharias Smith."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ginny_gin
2011-11-06 04:33 am UTC (link)

"Smith?"

It was a good thing she had put the teacup down or she probably would have dropped it right then. Right on mum's favorite rug.

"Zacharias Smith? Smith? Of all people? Smith?"

She was laughing suddenly, hard laughter, with a strange, almost manic edge to it. She couldn't seem to stop, laughing so hard that her knees buckled and she slid down onto the rug.

"Smith? Zacharias Smith killed Harry Potter? Zacharias 'I can't be arsed to do more than save my own skin' Smith killed the Boy Who Lived? Smith?"

Her stomach hurt. She clutched at it, willed the laughter to stop, but it kept on coming out, barking, hard laughter that sounded not at all natural.

"Smith. Smith did it. Smith killed Harry." Tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't bother wiping them away. "Smith, of all people."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

weasley_now
2011-11-06 04:48 am UTC (link)

The sorrow Hermione understood. Denial she got. Anger made sense. But laughter, that just didn't seem to fit this particular situation. Hermione heard the same words come out of Percy's mouth that Ginny had heard, but she didn't see the humor. People were often capable of different things at different points in time.

"Ginny?" she turned and looked at Percy. For the first time in a long time Hermione Granger didn't know what to do. She knelt down beside her friend and put a hand on the other witch’s back. She didn’t say another word as there was nothing to say. Zacharias Smith obviously had some explaining to do, but to laugh at the situation was something Hermione couldn’t comprehend because it simply was not logical.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngestmformev
2011-11-06 04:55 am UTC (link)

"From what I read, it's not yet certain if he did it," Percy tried to correct, somewhat taken aback by the laughter. "He was found at the scene. Perhaps he was simply the first to find the body?"

He hoped that would help a little, if only to stop the hysterical laughter. He envied Hermione her ability to kneel down and offer physical comfort. It was simply not something Percy was comfortable with, no matter how much he might wish it were otherwise at times like this.

"I trust the Aurors will investigate."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ginny_gin
2011-11-06 11:17 am UTC (link)

"Oh, Merlin. Oh, Merlin." The tears flowed fast and free now. She couldn't begin to imagine how she could try to stop them, so she didn't bother. The laughter continued unbidden, strange and unhinged, bordering on manic, but she couldn't stop.

Who cared anyway?

"Smith couldn't hex his own arse without a chart and an instruction manual, and he killed Harry? He did it? He did it? Him?" She would hyperventilate, she could feel it, but oh Merlin, if she didn't laugh she would scream. She would scream and she would never stop.

But it was true, wasn't it? Smith couldn't charm his way out of paper sack. Which meant...

Which meant...

The laughter stopped abruptly. Her expression darkened. "Whose patsy is he?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

weasley_now
2011-11-06 01:21 pm UTC (link)

Hermione pulled her hand from where it rested on Ginny's back. She had never seen Ginny quite like this but was fairly certain the results would not be good.

"You're right," Hermione agreed, "Smith couldn't have done it." She turned to Percy. "Are there any other details that are known that can be told?"

Suddenly the laughter stopped and Hermione turned to check Ginny's well being. The way her expression darkened was scary. "Ginny," Hermione spoke softly, "I doubt he would do anything for another person." She couldn't think of what someone would be able to offer Smith that would entice him to put his own personal safety on the line.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngestmformev
2011-11-06 10:23 pm UTC (link)

Percy shrugged helplessly. He didn't like to admit his limitations in front of his family, but in this case he was going to make an exception.

"I'm not kept apprised of DMLE business except when it's directly related to the Minister's office, except at the monthly staff meetings. I wish I knew more, but I don't."

He looked at Ginny worriedly. "There is still a lot of information we don't know. The Aurors will look at the evidence and prosecute accordingly. Minist- Kingsley," he said, purposefully speaking the Minister's first name, as the Minister had often told him to do, to remind the others that the head of the Ministry was no longer the untrustworthy type, "has no doubt made this a priority, and will ensure that justice is served."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ginny_gin
2011-11-07 09:42 am UTC (link)

"I am sure he will," Ginny said quietly, after a long moment. "I'm sure that Kingsley Shacklebolt will make this his top priority."

She wasn't being sarcastic. She was sure Shacklebolt would do such a thing, but that didn't change much, did it? It didn't change that Harry was dead and that Smith, the self-serving git, was somehow involved.

Well, then.

"Thanks for the toast and tea, Perce." She stood up. "I think I need to go lie down for a while." And before they could question or detain her further, she strode from the room and headed upstairs.

She had some thinking to do.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

weasley_now
2011-11-07 12:03 pm UTC (link)

There was nothing else to say. The words spoken by both Weasley’s had been all that could be said at the moment. Nothing Hermione had to say would add any substance to the moment. The Ministry would do their best. At least with Kingsley in charge their best now was a bit better than it had been all those years ago.

Hermione also reached for a slice of toast. Regardless of the fact that his joke had been in extremely poor taste, Percy was trying to be helpful. "Yes, thank you Percy." She gave a slight nod then returned to her perch by the window.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -