Marriage Law Madness

Hermione Granger was tense. Something just felt wrong. All day, she’d felt like someone was watching her, and when she turned around to check there was no one there. ‘No more watching, “A Christmas Carol” right before I go to bed’, she thought. ‘I’m seeing ghosts. It’s the only logical explanation.’ Her self-chastisement for being so silly was interrupted by a scream and the thud of a body hitting the floor.

She reached the kitchen door just as a black-cloaked figure fired a jet of green light at her mother. Jane Granger was dead before she hit the floor. From behind her she heard a curse she could not recognize, followed by an angrily muttered “CRUCIO!” Hermione began to writhe in pain – but so did the man next to her. Her mind shut down, unable to handle the intense pain. This part of his work done, the killer summoned Hermione’s wand from the trunk in her room and snapped it in two over his knee. He then turned his wand on his hired accomplice, uttering a spell that would slowly stop his heart after a few hours. Hopefully the Aurors would spend their time trying to save him and the Granger girl, giving him time for a cleaner getaway.

Hermione’s eyes immediately slid out of focus. Had he tied her somehow to the man across the room? It was the only explanation she could think of why they would react to curses placed on the other person. She knew if help didn’t come soon, she was as good as dead. That didn’t seem so bad – death had to be preferable to the pain she was in. By the time the Aurors arrived, alerted by their contact in the Muggle police force that some one had reported green and purple sparks coming from the Granger’s chimney, she was completely unresponsive.

~ ~ ~

Surveying the mess in the Granger’s kitchen, Shacklebolt reached into his robes for some Floo powder. Thank goodness they had hooked the fireplace up when Hermione had joined the order, in case they needed to contact her in a hurry over a break. He needed to get to Severus. When he Flooed Dumbledore’s office, he was informed that Severus was in Diagon Alley picking up some things for Molly, but that she had gone back to the Manor to get a few things she needed.

He reset the connection, stuck his head in, and as expected got a view of the kitchen. To his horror, he saw Molly fall after someone he couldn’t see cursed her in the back. Lucius appeared in a doorway, looking murderous. He sent a jet of green light at a spot directly behind Molly, which met another jet coming from the wand of Harry Potter. Shacklebolt pulled his head out of the fire, changed the connection once more, and stuck his head into Cornelius Fudge’s office. Quickly relating what he had seen, he asked Fudge to get some of the junior Aurors to take care of it, since the danger was past. Fudge promised to take care of it, and that he would meet them at St. Mungo’s. Fudge hesitated only a second after he left. Instead of calling the Aurors, he grabbed his cloak and headed to Snape Manor.

When Fudge tumbled out of the fireplace, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table looking miserable. “Where’s Lucius?” Fudge demanded.

“He took Molly to St. Mungo’s, but he left you his wand. He figured you’d want it. Here’s mine.” Harry glumly handed him the two wands.

Fudge made a split second decision. Taking his own wand from his pocket, he fired several curses at the body on the floor. Then he pointed it at Harry’s wand. “Incatata Eradere!” He then used Harry’s wand to do the same to Lucius’. Then he used Harry’s to erase the curses from his wand, pocketing it and handing Harry his own.

Harry stared.

“I couldn’t do anything to Lucius with doing it to you. The public would never believe me if I told them you did it, or that Lucius fired in self-defense. Shacklebolt saw the whole thing. Now, we need to get to St. Mungo’s.”

Fudge conjured a stretcher and floated the body onto it, guiding it and Harry through the Floo. He gave the stretcher over to an orderly, and informed him of the cause of death – heart attack by over-hexing. The Welcome Witch informed them that they had taken Molly down to Maternity for tests, and that Lucius had Apparated to Malfoy Manor to get something he thought might save Hermione. Seconds later, Severus came running from the Apparition chamber. He skidded on the stone floor and had to grab Harry for support.

“Where’s Molly?” he panted urgently, terrified of the answer.

“Down having tests. You can see her in about an hour. However, unless Lucius’ plan works, if you want to say goodbye to Miss Granger, I suggest you do so now.”