Chapter 152: The Weasleys!!
Two days later…
At the Burrow, the Weasley family home, Arthur Weasley was seated at the lunch table with his son Ron.
Arthur listened tensely as Ron spoke, his face lined with disbelief.
"Did you say that the rat—the one that's been living in our house for twelve years was actually a human? A follower of You-Know-Who?" Arthur asked, his voice taut.
With his mouth still full of food, Ron nodded vigorously. "Yesh, Dad," he mumbled, crumbs scattering.
Arthur and his wife Molly both stared at him, utterly shocked.
"So that criminal was in our home all along?" Molly exclaimed. "Where is he now? He must not escape again after finally being caught!"
Arthur rubbed his temples, a throbbing headache forming as he tried to process it all.
"I heard from the Ministry that the man responsible for the deaths of the Potters and even for what befell the Blacks has been captured," Arthur said gravely. "But never in my life did I imagine that the criminal was Scabbers, the rat we've housed all these years."
The thought tormented him. To think a dangerous Death Eater had lived under his roof, near his children, for more than a decade. What if Pettigrew had tried to kill them? What if one of his sons or daughter had died? The very idea made Arthur's blood run cold.
Molly's eyes blazed with fury. "That man must remain in prison forever! Especially since he was one of his followers. What if he escapes again?"
Arthur forced his tone into something steadier. "Don't worry, my dear. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that criminal never leaves Azkaban."
At the far end of the table, Fred and George were huddled together, scribbling furiously on scraps of parchment, whispering in conspiratorial tones.
"But George," Fred murmured, "we're still missing this one part to finish the invention. Where on earth are we going to get it?"
George frowned deeply. "That's the problem. If we can't find the funds, we can't buy the last piece. Without it, the product will never be complete."
The twins were working on their grandest idea yet: something akin to a telephone. Unlike the public telephones in shops, which allowed only a brief, expensive conversation, their design would let people contact each other directly and for much longer.
It wasn't free, of course, but it was revolutionary.
They weren't entirely confident yet the invention hadn't been tested but they were certain that, once perfected, it could change everything. They only needed money for the final component.
Suddenly, Fred brightened. "Albert! He's the one who can help us. His family's far wealthier than ours."
George considered it, then nodded slowly. "You're right. But how do we convince him to lend us the money?"
Fred grinned slyly. "Simple. We promise him a share of the profits. Say, twenty-five percent once the invention takes off. What do you think?"
George mulled it over, then smirked. "That's actually brilliant."
They both knew this could be their chance. The whole wizarding world would want their product once it reached the market.
But just as they were plotting, Arthur's voice cut through the room.
"And what are you two whispering about?" he asked sharply.
Fred and George both froze.
"N-nothing, Dad!" Fred stammered. "Just talking about school. Right, George?"
"Y-yeah, exactly! School stuff," George chimed in nervously.
They dared not tell their father. Arthur hated seeing his sons waste money on what he considered frivolous ventures.
So the twins clammed up, keeping their secret to themselves.
Arthur gave them a long look, then sighed. "Very well. Eat up, before your food gets cold."
"Right, Dad," George muttered, diving back into his plate.
After a while, lunch came to an end. George let out a loud burp, while Arthur dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
"I have something important to tell you all," Arthur announced.
The room fell quiet at once. Every pair of eyes turned to him.
"This morning, the Ministry informed me I've been assigned to Romania. I'll be overseeing the transport of several dragons back to Britain. Since Charlie's working there, I thought why not take you all with me during the holiday? What do you think?"
The Burrow erupted in cheers.
No one was more thrilled than Ginny. She had never seen a dragon up close in her life.
She clapped her hands in delight, while Ron grinned though he had already been to Romania seven years earlier with the family to visit Charlie.
Still, the thought of another adventure made even Ron's heart beat faster.
To be continued…