The Lewis House 116 страница

Fred was the next to lose his shirt, and then George, who became the O. Angelina painted a great black N right over the front of her Magpies T-shirt, and they all made a line at the front of the box. Sirius tried to join them, but Remus grabbed the back of his robes and told him, in no uncertain terms, that it was out of the question. Hermione climbed into the row behind Ron and took Fred's old seat, and Ginny took George's.

Harry stayed where he was, looking torn.

"We need an S, Harry!" Charlie shouted, and pushed the orange paint at Harry, who didn't take it. Instead he took a long, long swig of his Butterbeer Extra, as though trying to work himself into the fury that the rest of them were in.

"Come on, mate," Ron pleaded. "Be the S, you have to."

But Harry wasn't having any of it. He simply continued to drink. He was such a modest boy, Molly thought, watching him. He really didn't seem to fit in with the rest of them that way. It would probably take a lot more than Butterbeer to get Harry to go half-naked in a public place, and Molly was very glad of it.

"Drink up," Charlie said, shoving a sinister-looking, dark green bottle at Harry. "Go on, have a swig - that's it, Harry! All right!"

Looking half-determined and half-sick, Harry put the bottle to his lips and took a swallow. He winced and ducked his head, then let out a sort of groan.

"I hate this stuff," he said, holding it out to Ron, who took a swallow without so much as making a face, pushed it immediately back into Harry's hands, and leapt into the air with a shout as two of the Cannons Chasers flew towards each other at top speed and nearly crushed one of the Falcons Chasers between them.

Molly felt a soft tap on her shoulder, and she turned. Penelope had reached out with her wand from two rows back. She had Leo cradled to her shoulder, and he was beginning to cry. The two of them had been so quiet that Molly had nearly forgotten that they were there.

"I'm going to go," Penelope said, indicating Leo. "He needs a nap, and I think the noise is getting to him." Penelope looked as though the noise was getting to her, too, and she seemed quite pleased that she had Leo to get her out of the rest of the match.

The match had been going for nearly an hour and a half, and Molly thought she might prefer to go home herself. She had a feeling that she would be shouted at by all the men in her family if she tried to abandon the finals, and she wished she had a fussy baby for an excuse.

"Would you like to put him down for his nap at the Burrow, dear?" Molly asked. "And have a cuppa? It's been so long since we had a nice chat."

"But you're not really going," Arthur pleaded at once. "It's only just started, Molly -"

"Yes, but Arthur, Penny will be leaving for Cortona as soon as she has permission to go, and I'd like to spend some time with her." She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear: "And you know I only ever cared for Quidditch when you played."

Arthur's ears went red. "Oh, go on then," he said gruffly, smiling a bit. "Have your tea. I'll see you at home."

Molly kissed him again and stood up. "You'll bring the boys home for dinner?"

"Of course." He patted her leg and stood to let her past, and she squeezed by him, towards the exit. As she followed Rose to the door, she saw the Quaffle hurtle past Oliver Wood and go straight through the center hoop.

"FALCONS SCORE!"

The howl of misery that erupted from the front row was almost comical. The foul-mouthed insults that followed it, however, were not. Molly couldn't tell who was shouting what, and she couldn't reach all of them to give them the raps on their heads that they deserved. She clenched her fists, propped them on her hips, narrowed her eyes into slits and sucked in a breath.

"BOYS!"

Charlie, Mick, Fred, George, Ron, Angelina and Harry all turned at once. They all looked terrified.

"How can you swear like that?" Molly hissed, glaring at them each in turn, with all the force she had. It was quite a bit. "Isn't it bad enough you're using your father's box to do your stripping and drinking in? Didn't you notice the press? Can't you at least watch your language?" She knew very well that no one could see the spectacle her children were making, and it was very likely that no one could hear them either, but that wasn't the point. They didn't know that they couldn't be seen or heard. "None of you has any respect," she finished icily. "What have you to say for yourselves? How are you going to make it up to your father?"

Hermione and Rose both looked very smug. Ginny and Cho looked entertained, and so did all the younger boys.

"Sorry, Mr. Weasley," Harry said at once, clearly mortified to have been included in the scolding. Molly usually excused him, but she was fairly sure that some of the language had come from him as well, and there was no reason for him to get out of trouble anymore. He wasn't a guest.

"Sorry, Dad." Charlie ducked his head.

"Sorry, Mr. Weasley… Sorry, Rosie."

"I'm really sorry, Arthur."

"Want us to put our shirts back on, Dad?"

"Are we making you look bad? We can stop."

"Dad… I… forgot..." Ron blinked up at his father from behind a mask of messy orange and black stripes, looking honestly ashamed. "Do we… do we need to leave?"

It was the ultimate sacrifice, and it seemed they all knew it. Everyone glanced at Ron in surprise - even Arthur.

"Oh, well." Arthur laughed lightly. "I don't know that we need to take it that far, boys. Now, say goodbye to Penny and your mother - they're going home."

Everyone said goodbye, and Molly left, feeling much better. They really were wonderful children. Just thoughtless, sometimes. She had only had one son who would have tried to talk the others down from their nonsense. Well - perhaps two. But even Bill had never been as conscientious as Percy. Molly paused in mid step, closed her eyes for just an instant, and sent her love to him, wherever he was.

"You're amazing," Penny said, as they wound their way down the stadium stairs and towards the exit. "I hope Leo will listen to me like that, when he's older."

"Oh, he will, dear," Molly said. "If he's anything like his father, you won't even have to shout."

Penny bent suddenly and kissed Leo's face. Molly passed a gentle hand over Penny's hair, and her heart was strangely light as they passed through stadium security and stepped out into the cool summer twilight. Not everything was as it should have been - but it was close. And it was good.

*

The moment Molly Weasley left the top box, Arthur cleared his throat and addressed his guilty children.

"Don't worry about it. Honestly." He pointed into empty space. "I put up a charm, and no one can see you. Go to it."

Everyone looked confused for a moment, and then they gave one loud, grateful, exonerated whoop and turned back to drink and shout and beat their chests and watch the match. Only Ron kept facing his father, his eyes shining.

"You're brilliant, Dad," he rasped. He swiped under his eyes and smeared his face paint. "Brilliant. I thought we'd really ruined it for you - I thought we were going to have to - to leave -"

"Yes, well. Watch the match," Arthur said, and Ron sniffed, nodded and turned away while Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Remus had to work not to laugh. He and Sirius were sitting at the edge of the box, and had so far managed to keep out of the line of fire - though if Sirius had been allowed to do what he wanted, he would have leapt out of the box several minutes ago with no shirt on and a huge S painted on his chest.

"Harry'd better do it," Sirius was muttering. "There's no point in him being shy like that - these are his friends -" He put his fingers on his wand as if he was tempted to pull it and make Harry's shirt disappear.

"Don't," Remus said. "Think of James."

Sirius snorted. "James would have got him drunk and painted him himself. Why do you think he made me godfather?"

"Then think of Lily. Imagine she's standing here, watching you ruin her only son."

Sirius sighed, then pressed his mouth shut and looked very pensive. "Do you ever wonder how many children they would have had if…"

Remus had wondered it. He'd wondered everything; there had been plenty of time. "They were… so in love," he said wistfully, remembering what they had been like together. "I imagine that, unless they had been very careful, they would probably have ended up with a family as big as Arthur's."

Sirius grinned. "James would be gratified to know we gave him that much credit."

Remus wasn't sure he could joke about it. "James would have been an excellent father," he said quietly.

"Remus, may I interrupt?" Arthur's voice was mild. "I have a question."

He moved over into the seat beside Arthur's, shielding his eyes against a sudden blast of bright orange light. Ron had lit a fistful of sparklers and was passing them out. He handed one to Harry, who still had his shirt on, but was taking another swig out of the green bottle and beginning to look rather tipsy.

"GIVE US AN S, HARRY!" Mick roared.

Harry passed the bottle to Angelina and shoved back his fringe with an unsteady hand.

"TWO HOUR MATCH!" Ron shouted to Hermione, who looked nonplussed. "LET'S HOPE FOR FIVE DAYS!"

Hermione nodded kindly, took a sparkler, and waited for Ron to turn around again before she handed the sparkler off to Sirius and went back to nursing her Butterbeer along with Ginny. They leaned together, glancing at Ron and Harry by turns, and whispering and giggling at intervals. Both their faces had grown rather pink, and Remus wondered just how much they'd drunk. He didn't have to wonder what they were talking about.

"Remus," Arthur said, "what are your plans for - oh, that was a corker of a save, wasn't it - did you see that?"

Remus hadn't.

"The Falcons are better than I expected," Arthur went on. "I'd hate to see them win - mostly for Ron's sake, you know. But if they keep blocking shots as good as that one, I'd say it's all going to come down to the Snitch. What do you think?"

"It's likely, I suppose," Remus said noncommittally, wondering what it was that Arthur wanted to know about his plans.

"It's always so much more interesting that way, I think," Arthur said, obviously warming up to the subject. Remus began to see where Ron got his enthusiasm. "For example, the Quidditch World Cup I took the children to in 1995 - Bulgaria caught the Snitch in that one, but Ireland won it. Fascinating when it goes that way, isn't it?"

"Fascinating."

Arthur slanted a look at him. "I take it you're not exactly wild for Quidditch?" he said, smiling.

Remus laughed. "I used to be, a bit. In school. When my friends all played."

"You didn't play?"

Remus looked out over the pitch. The fact was that he really couldn't have played - not even if he'd been as fanatical as James. It simply wouldn't have been fair to go out for the team and then have a full moon recovery get in the way of an important match. Dumbledore probably would have scheduled things around the moon, but Dumbledore had made enough exceptions for him, and Remus hadn't wanted to ask.

"I wasn't really interested," he finally answered.

Arthur nodded. "What does interest you? Aside from teaching, I mean. I know you're a very good teacher - do you plan to return to Hogwarts, in the Autumn?"

Remus had a feeling that Arthur was leading up to something. He wasn't sure whether to be excited or very nervous. He shrugged. "Minerva asked me to come back and teach Care of Magical Creatures," he said slowly.

"And is that what you'll do?"

"No… the young lady who took over for Hagrid - Meg Castellwild - I believe she's taken the post. I did enjoy teaching Defense…"

"But?" Arthur asked.

Remus wasn't sure what made him hesitate. Perhaps it was that he knew Hogwarts was his only option, and he wanted other avenues to be available to him. Perhaps it was that he knew that, even after his service in the war, there would be hundreds of parents who simply would not want him supervising their children. That prejudice, he knew, had not even begun to vanish from their world. He wondered if it ever really would.

"The Ministry's far from fully staffed, you know," Arthur said, almost absently. "I'm just in the middle of appointing Heads of departments. You know about Rose, of course."

"Arthur, I don't think you could have made a better choice," Remus said, and he thought Rose might have heard him in the next row back. She lifted her chin and a smile touched her mouth.

Arthur adjusted his hat. "I rely on her absolutely," he said. "Couldn't have got through this year without her there every step of the way. I really did expect her to be elected Minister, you know - and I would have been pleased if she had."

Now Remus was sure Rose was listening. Her hands were clasped very tightly in her lap, and she glowed out at the Quidditch pitch, though she didn't seem to see the match.

"Diggory's going to stay at the head of the Department of Magical Law," Arthur went on. "Moody just agreed to do one more year with the Aurors - just one, he told me. He swore he'd retire five years ago, and he does deserve a rest. But we need him - there's nothing else for it. And he's unwilling to turn over Aurors' training to someone less qualified."

"Does that put Culparrat under his jurisdiction?"

"It does, and he's appointed a deputy head of staff there - Elizabeth Duzen. Says she's his most promising new recruit."

Remus wasn't sure it was fair to ask the question that weighed on his mind - but he had to. "I know there were some… tentative plans to use…" He didn't know why it still bothered him to say it. "Werewolves. As prison guards. Is that still something that's being considered?"

Arthur shook his head. "It's unnecessary. The elves have arranged an extensive system by which they take care of all the prisoners' needs without having to lift any of the enchanted wards - they're quite powerful, elves. The Apparition borders don't faze them at all. And that makes it a very easy place to guard - unless the Imprisonment Enchantment should come crashing down, which is highly unlikely. There will be Aurors on the shore and at the entrance. That's all that's needed."

Remus felt a stab of disappointment. It wasn't that he had wanted to be a prison guard, exactly. But it would have been another opportunity. It would have made him feel that he had options. And he knew that many people in his predicament would have felt the same way.

"The Department of Mysteries - well." Arthur chuckled. "Can't tell you who's heading that up." He rubbed his hands together. "You know, that's the best part of this job. I always wanted to know what went on there. And I still don't, really, but at least I know…" He waved a hand and shook his head. "Never mind. The Department of Magical Justice -"

"I suppose Sirius will stay as Head of that?"

"Yes."

Remus tried not to be jealous. He really was pleased for Sirius. It was the job he deserved. "And Ron will be his deputy?"

Arthur shushed him immediately. "It's not official yet," he whispered. "Ron has no idea that he's going to have a title." He grinned. "I remember when I was officially promoted from my clerkship. It was thrilling."

Remus could only imagine.

"I only wish we had such capable wizards in every department. The Privy Council has elected a new Secretary, but the Department of Magical Transportation is sadly unsupervised, the Department of Magical Games and Sports - ever since Ludo Bagman ran off…"

Remus frowned out at the pitch. "Who's organizing the league, then? And keeping all this going?"

"Everyone that remains in that department, and they're working themselves to death. I suppose I'll have to promote one of them and let them hire on a few others, but none of them are quite what the Ministry…" Arthur sighed. "Well. You can't have everything. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures isn't in good shape, either."

"Isn't it?" Hermione had whirled in her seat to stare up at them, round-eyed, pink patches shining on her cheeks. "Do you need help, Mr. Weasley?"

"Hermione," said Arthur, laughing, "I would have offered you a job last year if you'd wanted it. Is that a department that interests you?"

Hermione bit her lips together for a moment. "Well, not the way it was run before," she said. "But I have a lot of ideas - is there a staff at all?"

"Almost none." Arthur ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Most of them, I'm sorry to say, are either dead or in Culparrat. It was… a very corrupt department."

"I know," Hermione said, looking furious. But she shook her head and focused herself. "I'd like to read through their files and things, if you'd let me. I still work for the Ministry, don't I? I'll just stay on as a Thinker until you decide where you need me - but can I read everything they left behind, can't I?"

"Everything?" Arthur smiled at her. "There are thousands of files -"

"That'll take her about a day," Ron called out carelessly. Remus wasn't sure how he could keep an ear on the match and Hermione all at once, but it seemed his brain was split in two equal parts. "Maybe a day and a half if she's feeling lazy."

Hermione grinned.

"We'll speak more about it on Monday, Hermione, if that's all right," Arthur said. "But I'd very much like to have your help."

Looking very pleased and proud, Hermione turned back to Ginny.

"Azkaban was such a drain on our time and resources," Arthur said, his eyes following the Bludgers as they were beaten at one player and then another. "It's… a relief to be concentrating on everything else." He smiled over at Remus. "Thank you for what you've done for Ginny," he said, keeping his voice low. Ginny was right in front of them.

"She did most of it herself," Remus began.

"No." Arthur shook his head. "None of us ever identified her abilities. You did that. And you taught her well enough that she earned nine N.E.W.T.s - when she never put a thought into test scores before. She always seemed to think that there was no point in trying for those kinds of achievements. Do you know how many O.W.L.s she..." Arthur laughed. "Well, I suppose it wasn't as bad as Fred and George, but it wasn't fantastic. You've got a gift with education - you seem to understand what they need. And you know the ins and outs of the administration process at Hogwarts - Britain's premiere institution for magical education. And you've kept teaching when most other teachers didn't have an opportunity to do it. You've taught every subject, and some that aren't even on the mandatory list. It's quite incredible, what you've done. And that's just in terms of school, isn't it? I haven't even gone into what I know of your leadership abilities, and your integrity, and your loyalty."

Remus wasn't sure what to do with all the compliments. "I… was a student once," he said haltingly. "I remember what I needed. That's really… all there is to it."

Arthur didn't answer. He followed the Quaffle with his eyes, sucked in a breath, and shook his head when it shot past Oliver again, to the despair of Ron, who dropped into his seat and moaned unhappily.

"The Department of Magical Education is in ruins, Remus," Arthur said, without looking at him. "Ruins. The Hogwarts governors who are still in place are easily influenced by money and power. You know that."

Remus wasn't sure where Arthur's speech was headed, but he felt his heart speeding up. He didn't dare to hope.

"I need a Head of department that I can trust to revise and enforce legitimate standards for magical education. Someone who won't be cowed by that board, or by the other private committees that have always been in place. I need someone who knows what's really necessary for children, and who really has the children in mind. Not himself. Or his paycheck."

Remus could hardly breathe.

"I know it's a lot to ask." Arthur blew out a breath. "But I hope you'll take the post, Remus. I've talked it over with Rose and the Privy Council, and we've had a look at other candidates, and though there are a few others who are interested in the position, none of them are as worthy of it as you."

The Snitch fluttered out. All around Remus, the stands burst into cheers so piercing that he should have been in pain - he should have covered his ears. But he couldn't even move.

"TAKE YOUR TIME DECIDING," Arthur shouted over the chaos. "I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO HAVE AN ANSWER NOW - OH, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT -"

The Falcons Seeker had knocked Maureen Knight from her broom - she dangled by one hand, fifty feet above the pitch, while the fans screamed in terror. It was a minute before she was able to haul herself back onto her broom, and by the time she had, the Snitch had disappeared again. The fans on both sides gave a sigh of disappointment.

Arthur checked his watch. "Half six," he mused. "Molly'll have dinner ready by seven - ah well. Come on, boys. Time to go."

"But it's not over!" Adam protested. "Ron will bring us back - or Charlie!" The other boys murmured their agreement.

"I'll bring you back," said Arthur. "You can listen to the rest on the wireless."

"But -"

"But nothing. This isn't the last Quidditch match of the year, is it? There's still the World Cup Finals, and if you're good about this, I just might be able to manage a few tickets to that." Arthur clapped Remus on the shoulder as he stood. "Think about it," he said. "Come along, boys."

He led Adam and the rest of them out of the box, leaving Remus to sit, stunned, contemplating the opportunity that had just been given him.

Sirius wasted no time in coming to sit beside him. "Well?" he demanded. "What was that all about?"

Remus wasn't sure he could answer without his emotions getting the better of him. He swallowed hard and blinked even harder.

"Remus? Moony, are you all right?"

"You… you know the Department of Magical Education?" Remus asked faintly.

Sirius nodded, frowning.

"Where is its main office? In comparison with yours?"

Sirius gave him a wary look. "It's on the same corridor - why?"

Remus started to laugh. He ran a hand through his hair and watched the sky, where Oliver Wood was trying to fend off a Quaffle and a Bludger at the same time. He managed the Bludger and missed the Quaffle, and Remus tried to feel sorry about it. But he couldn't. He had just been handed a life. A real one, which had nothing to do with the lunar cycle.

"Well then," he said, still laughing as he met Sirius's bemused eyes. "It looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

*

It was eight o'clock. Hermione's neck was in pain. She rubbed it with both hands and tried to keep her eyes on the sky, but she had never had to watch Quidditch for four hours straight, and it was like torture. She just didn't care about it when it wasn't Harry and Ron. She never had. And it was going to be months before Ron recovered if the Cannons lost, which it looked like they were going to do. The score was seven hundred to five hundred, and the Falcons didn't look at all tired, while Oliver Wood was beginning to look fatigued.

Sirius and Remus had left the match at seven, and Rose Brown had gone home half-an-hour ago, when Cho had moved down to stand beside Charlie. Hermione wished that she could leave, but she knew what would happen if she tried it.

"Won't the Snitch come out again?" she complained softly. "Come on…"

"We don't want the bloody Snitch yet," Harry said, turning around so quickly that he nearly threw himself off balance. His eyes were glazed. "You're clever, you can prob'ly subtract, you know the Falcons're two hundred points ahead, so even if the Cannons caught the Snitch it wouldn't help them now!" He wagged a finger at her. "Try to understand," he commanded.

Ginny grabbed his outstretched hand and Harry's focus shifted.

"Hi," he said happily.

Ginny laughed. "Hi," she returned. "Want to come up here and sit by me?"

"NO!" Ron shouted. "HE STILL NEEDS TO BE THE S!"

Harry's eyes widened as though this was something he had entirely meant to do, and then had entirely forgotten. "The S!" he exclaimed. "That's right, that's right - give me th'paint! Who has the paint?"

Mick tossed it to him. Even intoxicated, Harry managed to catch it. He held it out to Ginny.

"Hold this for a minute?" he implored, and when she took it from him, Harry reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it right over his head.

Hermione was shocked. She had never seen Harry so… out of his wits.

"YEAH!" Harry shouted, and flung his T-shirt out of the box and over the crowd. Below them, one of the Cannons fans caught it and looked up, confused, trying to work out where it had come from. "You can't see us!" Harry taunted, laughing. "This is great - where's that paint?" He turned around again and frowned at Hermione. "Where's Ginny?"

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04