It Happened One Hallow's Eve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 23 ~ A Retrieval

Molly Weasley had just finished checking the goose and wiping her hands on her apron when a heavy knock sounded on the kitchen door. She checked the rice, then walked over to the door and pulled it open. She gasped.

Severus Snape stood on the doorstep, dark and dour, his black eyes focused on her and looking grim as the reaper himself.

“Mrs. Weasley, forgive me for intruding on your Christmas holiday, but I have come to retrieve Harry Potter. I need to speak to Arthur as well,” the wizard said silkily.

Molly scowled.

“Retrieve Harry? On Christmas day? That’s preposterous. Albus distinctly told us…” she began, putting her hands on her hips.

“Mrs. Weasley, I assure you if there were any way Mr. Potter’s return to Hogwarts could be delayed, I would be the first to accommodate him. However, I am afraid that it is of the utmost importance that I retrieve the boy. It is a life and death situation. His,” the Professor said.

Molly stared up at the wizard, then sighed. Her mother hen gene folded and she stepped aside.
“Come in, Professor. I will get Arthur and Harry,” she said a bit sullenly. She was so looking forward to Harry having a home-cooked meal.

“Thank you,” Severus said, striding into the cluttered but homey kitchen. It smelled heavenly and the wizard’s nostrils pulsated as the scent of Christmas dinner filled them. He felt a twinge of remorse at the news he needed to share with Arthur. Severus had never had much of a family life due to his mother’s alcoholism and his father’s violent temper. But the Weasleys were a close knit family. This news would most certainly ruin their holiday and cause a rift. But it could not be helped.

As Mrs. Weasley walked off, Severus called to her.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Weasley…is Percival here by chance?” he asked the witch.

Molly turned. “Why yes he is, Professor. Why do you ask?” she asked him, her eyes searching the wizard’s sober face.

“Just wondering,” he replied.

Molly gave him a strange look and went to go and retrieve Harry and Arthur. Arthur was sitting in the living room, reading the Christmas Edition of the Daily Prophet.

“Arthur, “Molly said to him, “Professor Snape is here to take Harry back to Hogwarts.”

Arthur lowered the paper, a perplexed look on his face.

“I thought he was to stay the entire holiday,” the wizard said, putting the paper on a small table next to the chair he was sitting in and rising.

“The Professor said it was a matter of life and death. He also wants to talk to you,” Molly said, her eyes curious.

“Does he now? Well, I’d better go see him then,” Arthur said, running his hand through his thinning red hair and straightening his robes. “Is he in the kitchen?”

Molly nodded.

“You go get Harry packed. I’ll talk to Severus,” Arthur said walking toward the kitchen.

Molly looked after him, then at the stairs. Harry would be very disappointed…as would Ginny. Molly knew the two of them were quite attracted to each other, and heartily approved. If Harry married into the Weasley family, he would never be alone again and have the love he’d missed all his young life.

The plump witch sighed, wiped her hands on her apron again, and began to walk up the stairs calling Harry. She did this to give him and Ginny warning. She had already walked in on them snogging once. Their reaction had been priceless, both turning bright red. Molly pretended she didn't see anything and simply told them supper was read.

In Ginny's bedroom, Harry came up for air, Ginny panting heavily as both heard Molly calling him.

“Mum has the absolute worst timing,” Ginny breathed up at the wizard, her brown eyes full of passion.

Harry gave the witch a smile and released her. They were sitting on Ginny’s bed and had been heavily kissing and petting. The young wizard didn’t seem able to keep his hands off of the witch, and was with her at every opportunity. He sported a black eye under his glasses. Ron had caught him kissing Ginny and the face-off Harry had been dreading happened. There was a lot of shouting, then the blows came, Ginny screaming as the two wizards pummeled each other until Arthur, Charlie and Bill came running and broke them apart.

“I thought you were my bloody friend!” Ron yelled at Harry as Bill restrained him.

“I am your friend!” Harry shouted back.

“So why are you shagging my sister?” Ron had screamed.

Both Harry and Ginny turned red. They had shagged, but Ron was taking a wild stab that they were doing more than snogging. Both of their reactions said all that needed to be said. Bill, Charlie and Arthur looked at each other, then at Ginny.

“We’re going out. We would have told you, Ron, but you’re such a git!” she said to her brother. “I like Harry and he likes me. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

”There is something wrong with that. Harry’s like a brother to me, Ginny,” the wizard said.

“Just because he’s like a brother to you, doesn’t make him a brother to me, Ron,” the witch spat back. “You need to live your own bloody life and leave other people alone! There’s no need to fight about this. You can’t change how we feel about each other. Get over it, Ron!”

Ginny stormed from the room, and the two wizards calmed, Charlie releasing Harry and Bill releasing Ron, who looked after Ginny for a moment, then turned his blue eyes on Harry.

“I trusted you around Ginny, Harry. You were the only one I trusted, then you go and do something like this. That was just dirty, Harry. Plain dirty,” the wizard said in a hurt voice.

“You can trust me around Ginny, Ron. I’d never let anything happen to her,” Harry said to his friend, willing Ron to understand he had nothing but good intentions toward the witch.

“Yeah, until a bunch of Death Eaters pinch her because she’s your bloody girlfriend,” Ron snarled back at him, wiping the blood running from his nose on his robes sleeve.

Ron had stormed out and made himself scarce from that moment on.

Molly knocked on Ginny’s door.

“Ginny, Harry are you in there?” she asked.

“Yes, mum. Come in,” Ginny called back. Molly opened the door and looked at the two sitting on the bed, giving them a soft smile. They looked so cute together. Then her eyes sobered.

“Harry, Professor Snape has come to take you back to Hogwarts,” she said to the wizard, deciding it was best to be straight about the situation.

“What?” Harry and Ginny cried together.

“I don’t know why, but it’s important…so you need to pack. I’m so sorry, Harry,” Molly said, twisting her hands together helplessly as she took in both Harry and Ginny’s disappointment.

“The greasy git…now he’s even ruining my holiday,” Harry seethed, rising from the bed and walking past Molly, heading for his room. He knew if Snape came to get him, it had to be important. The snarky wizard would leave him at the Burrow for the rest of the year if he could.

Harry entered the room, pulled his suitcase out from under the bed and placed it on top of the sheets, opening it. Then he set about packing. Ginny stood in the doorway, watching him silently, her brown eyes drinking him in. It figured this would happen…things were going so good between them. But one had to expect things like this to happen if they were going out with The-Boy-Who-Lived. Whatever was happening, Ginny fervently hoped that it didn’t involve Voldemort.

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Arthur entered the kitchen, his hand extended.

“Happy Christmas, Severus,” he said with a smile, clasping the wizard’s hand firmly.

Arthur appreciated Severus. He was well aware of the wizard’s work for the Order, and thought him a brave, courageous wizard who could be trusted.

“Happy Christmas, Arthur…although once I reveal what I have to tell you, I am sure you will recall happier Christmases than this one,” the dark wizard said soberly.

Arthur’s smile faded and he drew out two chairs from the food covered kitchen table. He motioned for the wizard to take a seat then joined him.

“What is it, Severus?” Arthur asked. "What do you have to tell me?"

Severus told Arthur about the Dark Lord’s attack plan. Arthur paled. Then the Potions Master revealed something most disturbing, something that made Arthur Weasley turn red with rage.

“I don’t believe it,” Arthur declared firmly.

Severus looked at him.

“Arthur, I assure you I would not say it if it were not so. He has to be…” the wizard tried to continue, but Arthur leaped up from the table and stormed outside. Bill, Charlie, Ron and Percy were flying about on brooms playing “Kill the wizard with the Quaffle.”

“Boys! Boys, get down here, now!” Arthur bellowed up at them.

Bill and Percy who had been grappling over the Quaffle flew down, followed closely by Ron and Charlie. They dismounted and walked up to their father.

“What is it, dad?” Charlie asked him. Arthur looked so serious.

“Restrain Percy,” he said darkly.

“What?” Percy said, surprised as were his brothers. But they obeyed their father and grabbed him. Percy looked at Arthur.

“Dad, what’s this about?” he asked his father, who looked at him steadily.

“That’s what we’re about to find out,” Arthur said, walking up to his son and grabbing his left arm. Percy began to struggle.

“Hold still!” Arthur yelled at him. Startled, Percy ceased struggling. Arthur extended the young wizard’s arm, yanked up his robes sleeve and stared at his arm. Charlie, Bill and Ron stared as well.

There, emblazoned on Percy’s pale forearm was the Dark Mark. Percy was a Death Eater.

Arthur looked up into his son’s face, and Percy looked back at him defiantly.

“You joined Voldemort,” his father said quietly. “I didn’t believe it when the Professor told me. What have you told him? What secrets have you given Voldemort, Percival?”

Arthur only called Percy by his full name when he was in deep trouble.

“I haven’t told him anything…yet. I haven’t been presented,” Percival said, “Dad, we’re purebloods. We should be fighting for the pureblood cause.”

”Voldemort is fighting for no cause except his own, Percy. He is a murderous tyrant who would destroy our way of life. I can’t believe you would volunteer to be a part of his dark designs,” Arthur said, his voice breaking slightly.
His son. His own son a Death Eater. And in the house with Harry too. The boy could have been ambushed…killed. And it would have been Percy’s fault.

“He wants to make the world better for purebloods. I’m tired of being looked down on and being called a muggle-lover because of your associations. I want to be somebody, dad,” Percy snarled.

By association, he meant Arthur’s job at the Ministry concerning Muggle artifacts. Arthur often went to muggle London to talk with and hang about muggles. He found them fascinating. Percy found it an embarrassment.

“You’re somebody now, eh Percy? A member of a society that has been murdering innocent muggles and magical folk alike for years. I bet that makes you feel like a big man. Where is your wand?” Arthur asked him.

Percy pressed his lips together tightly. Ron ran his hands over his brother’s robes and found the wand in his pocket. He pulled it out and handed it to his father.

“Here you go, dad,” he said, staring at Percy in disbelief. His own brother, a Death Eater. Had the entire world gone mad?

Arthur put the wand in his own pocket.

“I want you to take Percy to his room and ward it securely so he can’t get out. We have to keep him incarcerated for the time being,” Arthur said.

“Incarcerated?” Percy gasped, beginning to struggle again.

Bill and Charlie looked at their brother with hard eyes, increasing their grip on him until he ceased struggling.

“Come on, Death Eater,” Charlie said through clenched teeth as they dragged him toward the house, Ron following, a dazed look on his face. Molly came outside and saw Percy being forcibly dragged toward her.

“Help mum!” Percy cried to her.

“What’s going on here? Let Percy go Charlie! Bill!” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

“Can’t do that mum. Go talk to dad,” Bill said, forcing Percy through the kitchen door.

Molly watched them enter the house then stalked over to Arthur and Severus, who had been silent the entire time.

“Arthur Weasley, you tell me what’s going on and tell me right…” she began in her best nagging voice. Arthur turned to his wife, his eyes cold.

“Be quiet Molly. I will tell you what’s going on once Harry leaves,” he said in a commanding voice. Arthur was usually very mild-mannered, but it was easy to see he was upset about something.

Molly shut her mouth with a snap, but gave Severus an angry look. Whatever was going on around here was because of him. He was ruining Christmas.

“All right. I’ll just go in and see about Percy,” she said, walking toward the house.

“No! You will wait in the living room for me. After I talk to you, then you can see Percy. Right now you will just interfere. Now go wait for me, Molly. I mean it,” Arthur said, leveling his eyes on his wife.

Molly’s face contorted as if she wanted to say something badly, but she turned and walked quietly into the house.

Harry was on his way down the stairs with his suitcase, when he saw Charlie, Bill and Percy struggling up the stairs. He backed up and watched as they hauled him up the stairwell.

“What’s going on,” he asked Ron.

“Family business,” Ron said to him sullenly, following his brothers down the hall. Harry looked after them as Ginny appeared out of her bedroom. She looked at Harry.

“What’s going on?” she asked him.

Harry shrugged.

“Family business,” he replied a little coldly.

Ginny heard scuffling and ran down the hall.

Harry continued down the stairs. He and Ginny had said their goodbyes and she would see him at Hogwarts in a week or so. Harry passed Molly, who was sitting in the armchair facing the fireplace, staring into the flames.

“Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley. I had a great time,” he called to her.

Molly started.

“Goodbye Harry. I’m sorry you couldn’t have Christmas dinner with us,” she said to him, rising and walking over.

“Maybe next year,” he said, smiling at her. Molly gave him a warm, motherly hug.

“Yes, next year,” Molly said, looking at him fondly and ruffling his already mussed hair.

Harry said goodbye and exited out the kitchen door. Molly’s smile faded as he walked away. She returned to the armchair with a bad feeling in her belly about her family, Harry and everything.

Harry walked out into the yard, scowling reflexively as he saw the Professor, who returned his scowl.

“I’m here,” Harry said sullenly, “Though I don’t know why I have to go back.”

Severus leveled his dark eyes on the young wizard.

“Destiny calls, Mr. Potter,” he said silkily, “Destiny calls.”

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A/N: All right. Seems like some action is coming up. What an awful revelation to receive on Christmas Day…that your son is a Death Eater. Ron and Harry are on the outs, though Molly is all for Ginny and Harry being together. Hm, now why is Harry being called back to Hogwarts? We’ll soon see, I guess. Please review.