=== Part 53. They chose the wrong name for the shop ==========
As always, there were many people in Gringotts. Old Muriel Prewett stepped out of the bank, and for the first time in many years, her face lit up with a happy smile. Today, the ancient family of fire wizards had a new chance. She had returned Molly Weasley's two children to their family. Now the twins Fred and George Prewett would be able to revive their heritage. Of course, even after all the rituals, nothing had awakened in them, because this was not one of Bard Beagle's children's stories. The main thing was that their children would once again receive their ancestral talent. All that remained was to make sure that the boys chose the right wives.
"All Kinds of Magical Prank Items by the Prwett Brothers" — that's what they called their shop at 93 Diagon Alley. Their aunt helped them rent the building for ninety-nine years, and now the brothers were busy furnishing it. The basement housed a laboratory where they planned to create new products, the ground floor was the shop itself, and the first floor contained living quarters and an office. For the first time in their lives, the newly minted Prewetts had enough money for all their ideas, and the restless twins were thinking of opening a branch of the shop in Hogsmeade in a year's time.
Ron, Ginny and Molly also visited Diagon Alley before the shop opened and were delighted that the brothers had managed to realise their ideas. Ron and Ginny were a little envious of their older brothers' financial well-being, but when Fred offered them a summer job in their shop, both Weasleys flatly refused. Ron was simply too lazy, and Ginny had plans to become an assistant coach for the Holywood Harpies. The girl dreamed of becoming a player one day and had already made some useful contacts.
Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom and the rest of the Gryffindors also visited the future shop. The kids spent two hours wandering among the shelves and display cases, looking at items that could be used at school. All kinds of harmful potions, love potions and weak protective artefacts. Harry even snorted with laughter when he saw "Edible Black Marks — makes everyone throw up!" and "Reusable Hangman" on one of the display cases.
***
There were almost no consequences for the raid on the Ministry of Magic. They would probably have tried to punish Potter, but many of his friends had influential relatives. Augusta Longbottom, as a former employee of the Department of Mysteries, helped to slow things down, especially since all the destruction could be blamed on the Death Eaters. Xenophilius Lovegood also published a lengthy article in his magazine saying that dark times were coming and that all hope lay with Harry Potter.
Dolores Umbridge entered the office of the head of the DMF, Madam Bones, without knocking. The woman looked up from her papers in surprise and, recognising her visitor, grimaced in displeasure.
"What do you mean, Amelia?" Umbridge snapped, sitting down in a chair. "Why have you completely blocked the investigation into the attack on Mr Potter and other unidentified individuals on the Department of Mysteries?"
The woman's already unattractive face flushed pink, and she looked demandingly at the unperturbed Bones.
"Madam Umbridge," Amelia rummaged in her desk and pulled out a bundle wrapped in newspaper. "Mr Potter asked me to give this to you. The children found your things in the forest.
Ambrose suspiciously began to unfold the crumpled newspaper and discovered her jewellery inside, which the red-haired wretch had so brazenly stolen from her.
"Found in the forest, you say?!" hissed the enraged woman. "That Weasley, may she fall off her broomstick, stole these trinkets from me! After her greasy hands touched them, I'll never wear them again!"
"That is your right, Miss Umbridge," Bones replied coldly. "Although I, on the contrary, would be grateful to the children for helping you find your lost property.
"Ah, gratitude?" roared Umbridge. "Are you suggesting that I forgive these young criminals for treacherously attacking the headmaster of Hogwarts?"
"And what's more, Mr Potter said he wouldn't take you to the Wizengamot for torturing children with a 'bloody pen' if you would finally shut your mouth!" Amelia glared at Umbridge, who had turned pale with rage. "If I had noticed those scars on my Susan's arm, you would already be sitting at the very top of Azkaban... Or feeding the worms, Dolores!"
The tip of the Dumbledore's wand shot out of the sleeve of her robe like a poisonous snake and stared at Umbridge:
"Now, get out of here, Pink Toad," Bones twisted her thin lips into a contemptuous smile.
Silently jumping out of the office, Dolores clenched her plump fists and, taking measured steps, went to meet the minister. Fudge sat gloomily in his office, staring blankly at the moving portraits, in which he was either shaking hands with representatives of foreign delegations or being photographed at the opening of the new wing of St Mungo's Hospital. There was a knock at the door and his charming secretary peered in, smiling sweetly.
"Minister, Mrs. Ambridge is here to see you."
"Show her in," Fudge nodded listlessly.
Dolores burst into the office like a little pink hurricane. Sitting down in a chair next to the minister's desk, she recounted everything that had happened to her in detail. Fudge nodded sympathetically, agreed, and tried to calm her down, but all his consolations sounded completely insincere.
"Dolores," Cornelius sighed. "My ratings have plummeted. If it turns out that he who must not be named has indeed risen, I won't be able to keep my job. They'll remember everything, even the things I didn't do in this position. I'm a good minister for peacetime, when it's necessary to build," Fudge sighed gloomily. "But now, another war may be coming, and as a wartime minister, I'm useless.
Umbridge looked at Fudge with a hurt expression, but then her face took on a fierce look, and she said in a sickly sweet voice:
"You are right, dear Cornelius, absolutely right. I have just heard from Madam Bones that you and I are to be removed and sent to Azkaban. I believe that she and Scrimgeour are already dividing your office between them.
Fudge immediately fell out of his state of lethargic melancholy.
"What?" hissed the pale man nervously. "Put me in Azkaban?! They should be sent to prison for inaction, for allowing terrorists to attack the Ministry.
"Oh, Cornelius, our defences against intruders are full of holes if even schoolchildren can freely pass through the entire vaunted defences of the DMP and the Dark Arts Defence Department and destroy the Department of Mysteries!" Umbridge shook her head in despair. "And note that, as before, Mr Potter is at the head of these scoundrels."
"Now, Dolores!" hissed the completely transformed minister angrily. "Prepare the evidence and orders. I will call an extraordinary meeting of the Wizengamot and speak with my loyal followers. For allowing this mess to happen, we will remove both Bones and Scrimgeour from their positions. Gawain Robards and Corban Yaxley will sort out what these officials have done.
Ambridge nodded with satisfaction and rose from her chair:
"Certainly, Minister. I will take care of all the preparations immediately, and we will not allow this flagrant violation of the law to happen.
Ambridge triumphantly rushed out of the minister's office, nodded graciously to the secretary, and headed for another location. After knocking, she entered the richly furnished office.
"Hello, Corban," she cooed, extending her hand to the man who rose to meet her.
Yaklsi immediately took the plump little woman's arm and sat her down in an armchair next to a coffee table. Sitting down next to her, he smiled at the woman.
"You look wonderful as always, Dolores. What brings the deputy minister herself to me?"
"A serious conversation, Corban, and completely confidential," Umbridge said with a mysterious smile.
Yakseli became alert, took out his wand and cast a "silencing" spell on the room.
"I'm listening, Dolores," he said, looking seriously at the woman.
Umbridge leaned towards him and whispered:
"I know that as a representative of the oldest and most noble families, you have always supported the traditional values of true English wizards, and that among your acquaintances there are both liberal and radical magicians.
Yaksel nodded intently, encouraging his interlocutor to continue.
"Well, just a moment ago, I heard," Umbridge lowered her voice even more, "that Bones and Scrimgeour have decided to carry out some purges in the Ministry. Seize power, get rid of all the conservative wizards, and introduce a military dictatorship. I'm afraid that with the possible return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, society will allow them to do so," the woman sighed dramatically. "All our ambitious plans will be thrown in the trash.
Yaksley's face immediately darkened.
"Thank you, Dolores," he found the strength to smile good-naturedly. "I'll talk to my friends about it, maybe they'll find a solution.
After chatting a little more about other matters and discussing all the gossip circulating around the ministry about the recent incident, they parted ways, completely satisfied with their conversation.
Rufus Scrimgeour was also sitting in his office, constantly receiving one employee after another, until it was finally time for lunch. Stretching, the wizard locked himself in to have a bite to eat when there was another knock at the door. Frowning, Scrimgeour hid his lunch box in his desk and waved his wand in annoyance, removing the locking spell.
Bones entered the room looking agitated and immediately approached the table.
"Rufus, we're in trouble!" The woman clenched her fists furiously. "That bitch Umbridge has started gathering documents to have you and me dismissed for incompetence. She and Fudge have decided to pin the toothless defence of the Ministry and the terrorist attack and everything else on us.
"It's all Moody's fault," Scrimgeour snapped angrily. "You know, Amelia, most of our guys are his students. "So he made a deal with everyone not to interfere in their fight. There weren't even any duty officers at the ministry that day. That lame freak rented the Vita Bella restaurant in Chelmsford, which seats a hundred people, including girls, and there was no one there to maintain order!"
Amelia whistled in surprise.
"Never mind, never mind," growled Scrimger, "as soon as that one-eyed freak shows up, I'll personally beat him up for setting us up like that. If they had caught some Devourer, as he said, no one would have made a fuss, but a full-scale battle and a pile of corpses, including Dumbledore himself? That's beyond the pale.
Amelia had long since left, and Rufus still hadn't regained his appetite. The wizard understood that if Umbridge had started digging into them and had agreed everything with Fudge, then his resignation was just around the corner, and Scrimgeour was very concerned about the case and didn't want to lose his position, especially now that times were tough.
***
Susan had asked to spend the night at her friend Hannah Abbott's house, and Amelia Bones, stretching her tired legs out in front of the fireplace, was quietly sipping old Ogden's whiskey and planning tomorrow.
Suddenly, the house alarm sounded warningly, then went off. The enchantress grabbed her wand and immediately sent a signal to the ministry, trying to apparate away to a predetermined location, but the apparition did not work. Gritting her teeth, the woman cautiously approached the window and saw a row of dark figures standing around the house. In the moonlight, Amelia noticed silver masks on the faces of the silently standing mages. Rage flooded the woman's mind, and Bones quickly changed into clothes more suitable for battle. Casting a protective spell against energy and physical attacks, Amelia kicked open the door and stepped out onto the lawn in front of the house.
"What, boys, decided to gang up on a defenseless woman?" grinned one of England's strongest fighters. "Who's first to try their strength?"
Two Devourers immediately moved towards her and the first spells whistled through the air, which Amelia casually dodged. With a sharp wave of her wand, she sent a deafening blast at both of them, immediately adding an explosive one non-verbally. The Devourers successfully deflected the first spell and did not notice the second. The Devourers' bodies were torn to pieces, staining the area with a disgusting brown mass.With a malicious chuckle, Amelia sent "Avada" at the nearest mage and rolled away from several counter spells. The wizards backed away, hastily surrounding themselves with protective shields. A masked man who did not manage to escape "Avada" collapsed and fell silently onto the asphalt.
"I haven't even warmed up yet, and you're almost all finished," Amelia peeked out from behind a tree and assessed the situation. Bones tried to transgress again, but the shield still blocked spatial movement. After deflecting several spells, she reached the back door. There were too many Devourers; they could overwhelm her in the open, so after fending off a hail of spells, the woman returned to the house. The signal had definitely gone off, and any minute now the first star of the dark warriors would appear. All she had to do was hold out a little longer. The safest place in the house was the study, and Amelia headed there, trying not to flash near the windows. Unlocking the door, Bones lit the light with relief and suddenly felt her body turn to stone.
"Stupid half-blood," hissed an icy voice behind her, and something inside the woman broke.
"How is an ancient family different from the likes of you, Muggle lovers?" Voldemort seemed in no hurry, calmly examining the petrified woman. "It is different in that even a powerful wizard cannot enter it unnoticed. The ancestral altar will not allow it. The blood magic that you Muggle-lovers have turned away from with such contempt allows us to protect our home. I thought you would have understood that after the death of your family, you stupid half-Muggle. Your brother Edgar at least tried to fight, but you are completely useless and even incapable of continuing your family line," Voldemort looked at the woman with contempt.
Magic boiled inside Amelia, she tried with all her might to break Voldemort's spell, and it even seemed to her that it was slowly beginning to give way. The Dark Lord watched her attempts to free herself with interest, then sighed heavily:
"Well, let's hope your niece is able to preserve the Bones legacy.
"Don't touch Susan," Amelia managed to squeeze out through clenched teeth, but Voldemort was already tired of talking. His forked tongue flashed between his bloodless lips, and the Dark Lord, clearly enjoying his enemy's helplessness, cast the first "Crucio"...
Someone from the Muggle neighbours must have called the police, because when the Aurors arrived, the place was already swarming with police officers. They looked in surprise at the area in front of the house, where pieces of bodies torn apart by the "Bombarda" spell were scattered picturesquely on the branches of the bushes, and inside they found the corpse of a woman who, at first glance, appeared to be intact but completely grey-haired.
"We'll have to call the Obliviators," spat the invisible Gawain Robards, and immediately sent a Patronus to the Ministry.
Upon receiving news of his comrade's death, Rufus did not hesitate. Gathering his closest aides, he set off for Faj with them. Helen Askwit blinked in surprise, staring at the determined wizards.
"Girl, we'll report ourselves," Brustver growled, and following Scrimgeour, the wizards entered the office.
"What do you want?" Fudge glared at the magicians who had entered. "I'm busy," he said, nodding toward a stack of documents.
Rufus slowly approached and said firmly,
"Mr. Fudge, you must resign as Minister. At a time when the head of the DMF is being killed in front of Muggles, you are signing documents about how much to reduce the thickness of cauldrons?" He contemptuously pushed the stack of papers on the table, causing them to fall to the floor.
"How dare you?" Fudge began to rise angrily, but Rufus tapped him lightly on the shoulder with his cane, forcing him to sink back down.
"Cornelius, let's come to an amicable agreement," Scrimgeour began earnestly. "You are not ready to lead magical England in these difficult times. Even the most stubborn wizard understands that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned. Enough of burying your head in the sand like an ostrich. Next time, the Devourers will simply walk into this office to intimidate the population and kill you just as they did to Madam Bones in her own home.
Fudge turned pale and even lost some colour from his face.
"What do you propose, Rufus?" he whispered hoarsely.
"I propose a peaceful transfer of power, Cornelius." Scrimgeour tried to force a friendly smile. "I will become a minister, and you will be my advisor on relations with the Muggle Prime Minister. Robards," Scrimgeour nodded to one of the wizards standing behind him, "will become Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Pei Tickness will become DMF.
"And I will protect the Prime Minister and you, Mr Fudge," said Brustver.
After the carnage at the Ministry, which Kingsley still remembered with some horror, Moody never regained consciousness and died. Brustver reported this to Scrimgeour, and the old Auror was quietly buried in the Ministry cemetery, where fallen Aurors were buried if their families did not claim them.Brustver simply left Alastor Moody's magical eye and leg artefact on a bench in the Atrium, deciding that someone might need them. Experienced Auror Kingsley thought it best to stay out of the looming confrontation for now.
After the deaths of Dumbledore and Moody, the Order stopped meeting, and the powerful force that united the light wizards disappeared. Of course, Harry Potter was still around, but Brustver didn't believe that the young man could lead the Order of the Phoenix, especially since the Gryffindor didn't seem to have any magical powers that set him apart from the other Hogwarts students.
Of course, there was also Cassius Black, who sent a chill down Kingsley's spine, but this wizard, if he were to fight the one who must not be named, would do so only for his own reasons. Therefore, by temporarily taking up the position of the Prime Minister's bodyguard, he removed himself from the sphere of interest of all opposing forces and, to put it simply, became useless to anyone.
***
Lucius patted the young unicorn on the rump, sending it off to graze, and wiped the sweat from his forehead, putting down the brush. Long ago, before the birth of his eldest son, he had obtained permission from the ministry to set up a farm for breeding unicorns. Since then, he had grown fond of caring for these beautiful magical creatures himself. To keep the unicorns healthy, happy and willing to share their milk, they had to be cared for no less than ordinary horses.
Therefore, Lucius himself cleaned the magical horses with a special brush, combed their tangled manes and tails with a wooden comb, and helped trim their hooves. Of course, most of the work was done by the house elves, but whenever he had the opportunity, Malfoy took matters into his own hands. The healing aura of the unicorns gave Lucius vitality, and the milk they willingly gave ensured that his children never had any health problems.
Now there were several dozen magical horses living in Malfoy Manor, and they all allowed the Malfoys to approach them, even Cassius. The ridiculous superstition that unicorns only allow little girls and truly pure wizards to approach them made Lucius smile wryly. He still remembered the time when, not finding the children in the house, he saw them playing happily with the unicorns. What's more, one of the largest males allowed little Draco to ride on his back. And Cassius ran happily after them, trying to catch them. Remembering how his children had grown up, Malfoy immediately came into a good mood.
A house elf appeared next to the cotton, and Lucius handed him the brushes and headed home.
After everyone thought he was dead, Malfoy was in no hurry to show himself in public, let alone maintain old ties. He and Narcissa spent all their time in the manor, fearing no attack from enemies. The only cause for concern was the children, but Draco was under the protection of Hogwarts, and Cassius was already able to stand up for himself.
After taking a shower, Lucius went down to the living room, where his wife and eldest son were discussing the latest robes in Wizengamet. Or rather, Narcissa was enthusiastically trying out different illusions on Cassius, and her son was manfully enduring it, silently obeying all her commands: "Stand sideways, stand here, bow, turn around." Catching his eldest son's pleading glance, Lucius spun around sharply to make a hasty escape, but was immediately stopped by his vigilant wife.
Laughing merrily, Narcissa decided to temporarily interrupt such a wonderful pastime as playing dolls with her already grown-up child and graciously allowed herself to be led to the dinner table.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Cassius sat down away from his mother and began to serve himself some eggs and bacon, which smelled delicious. When he had satisfied his initial hunger, Lucius put down his fork and asked Cassius in a casual tone how things were going in the outside world. The Malfoys usually got their news from the daily Prophet, but there had been no new issues for several days.
As the eldest son spoke, the eyes of both Malfoys grew wider, and when Cassius was nearly killed by a joint attack from the great light and dark wizards, Narcissa even paled noticeably.
"Come on, Mum," Cassius hurried to reassure her. "It all ended well. Voldemort ran away like a coward, and I personally sent the old senile fool to Valhalla.
"You killed Dumbledore?!" Lucius almost choked on his wine. "The very victor over Grindelwald, whom the Dark Lord himself feared to fight?
"Well, I must admit, the old man was pretty worn out in that battle with the half-reptile," Cassius said, almost scratching the back of his head with his fork, but putting it down in time. "I was lucky that he had a very interesting curse of 'flesh rot' on his hand, it greatly weakened the aura of the great light. If Voldemort hadn't tried to defeat Dumbledore by force alone, I think he could have taken advantage of this hole in the great light's defence," the eldest son shrugged.
Skewering a piece of bacon on his fork, Cassius smiled at his parents.
"This battle taught me a lot about strategy, both of the Death Eaters and the Phoenixes. Next time, it will be easier for me to deal with Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Dad," Cassius's eyes turned black for a moment, "how that snake-faced lord tried to kill you and threatened Mum.
Black smiled reassuringly again at his family, who were looking at him anxiously.
"But I won't seek out this meeting myself, don't worry. Only if circumstances force me to or if a convenient opportunity arises. Otherwise, let the Ministry deal with him.
Narcissa put down her fork and looked mysteriously at her men.
"You know, my darlings, I have some interesting news for you," she said, looking at them with a special expression on her face. "You, dear, are going to have another child, and you and Draco are going to have a little sister," she said, flashing Cassius a radiant smile. Seeing the shocked faces of her family, the woman laughed cheerfully and loudly.
"I'll name her Bellatrix, and don't argue," she said sternly to her husband.
***
Uncertainty and fear seemed to hover over Diagon Alley. The incomprehensible events at the Ministry and the rumours spreading among the residents caused people to stock up on long-life food and protective amulets. All kinds of medicinal potions were also in high demand. Therefore, at this hour, there were as many buyers as when children were being gathered at Hogwarts.
Antonin Dolokhov stood in the middle of Diagon Alley, oblivious to the people passing by. All his attention was focused on the sign of a new shop: "All kinds of magical pests from the Pruett brothers," read the colourful inscription.
"Didn't I destroy that whole cursed family last time?" Images flashed before Antonin's eyes, showing him trying again and again to revive his dead wife and son.
Stopping a woman coming out of the shop with her shopping, Dolokhov asked her as politely as possible about the owners. A good-natured old lady immediately shared the story that had spread throughout Diagon Alley about how these wonderful redheads from an extinct magical family had appeared out of nowhere and opened this lovely shop.
She told him how she had bought all kinds of farting pillows for her granddaughters and now her girls would play all evening, passing the artefacts to each other. She went on talking, but Dolokhov was no longer listening. Pushing the disgruntled old lady out of the way, he took his first step towards the shop. From the depths of his mind, shaken by the regular influence of the Dementors, a simple animal rage rose. Cracking his neck, Antonin resolutely opened the door to the shop. Fred stood behind the cash register, while George cheerfully greeted each new visitor at the door and showed them the merchandise.
"We are happy to see you, esteemed customer of the Pruett Brothers store!" George rattled off the memorised phrase, but his voice was immediately cut off by a wheezing sound as the spell, honed by hundreds of repetitions, sliced through his throat, almost severing his head from his neck. Blood spurted out, George's body took a couple of awkward steps and collapsed to the floor, knocking over several display stands.
The female customers, who had been looking at something near the display case with love potions, screamed in alarm, while Antonin was already approaching the cash register.
Fred grabbed his wand, but immediately received a Cruciatus curse and let out a loud scream.
"Is there anyone else besides you two left at the Prewetts'?" Antonin growled, stopping the torture spell.
Fred stared in horror at the thin, unkempt wizard and said nothing.
"Want to play the hero, kid?" Dolohov bared his crooked yellow teeth. "Crucio, you creature, Crucio!"
For thirteen years, the Dementors had relished his memories. For thirteen years, every day, he had relived his most terrifying memory. He would rather have died than look into their dead eyes every day. Looking at that pale, freckled face framed by red hair, Antonin could almost see the smug face of Fabian Prewett, who had killed his family.
The red-haired freak had stopped screaming, having exceeded all possible limits of pain, when Dolokhov, emerging slightly from his nightmares, cancelled the torture and grinned madly:
"Is there anyone else left of the Pruetts besides you two, puppy? Speak, come on...
The sound of apparitions echoed in the street as the Aurors summoned by the fleeing visitors arrived.
"Morgana will marry you," Dolokhov cursed under his breath and, looking hatefully into the redhead's eyes, barked, "Sek," and then kicked the severed head straight at the first Auror who burst through the door, knocking him back. The mage, who had not expected this, was taken aback for a second, and in the next moment, Dolokhov had already apparated out of the building in a black whirlwind, setting the entire trading hall ablaze with his last spell.