Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 42 - Selene and Her Many Problems

As soon as Harry was within her reach again, she yanked her to him, wrapping him tightly in a hug.

"I knew you'd get off!" she cried and squeezed him even tighter. "They had no case against you! I knew you could get off!"

"Thanks for being there, Mum," Harry said, although his voice was muffled in her hair.

She pulled back to look him in the face. "Of course, Harry... and I'm glad I was. I can't believe they tried you by the full court."

Harry merely shrugged.

"Harry! Selene!"

The two in question turned their heads to see Arthur running down the hallway towards them.

"Dumbledore didn't say –"

"Cleared," Harry said, "of all charges!"

Arthur beamed. "Harry, that's wonderful! Well, of course, they couldn't have found you guilty, not on the evidence, but even so, I can't pretend I wasn't –"

Arthur was cut off by the door banging open behind them. The members of the Wizengamot trickled out, many of them staring at Harry and Selene as they passed. A few others averted their eyes, and an even smaller number of them nodded politely to Arthur as they left the courtroom.

"Merlin's beard," Arthur said, shocked, "you were tried by the full court?"

"I think so," Harry said, while Selene nodded grimly.

Finally, Fudge and the Umbridge-woman passed by them, both pretending as if their little trio wasn't even there. They were followed by another familiar face – a redhead – and Arthur's face became stony and tense.

Percy didn't look at them either, but it didn't stop Selene from sneering at him nastily as he passed.

"I'm going to escort you both back so that you can tell the others the good news," Arthur said, motioning Harry and Selene to go up the stairs. "I'll drop you off on the way to that toilet in Bethnal Green. Come on..."

"So what will you have to do about the toilet?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Oh, it's a simple enough anti-jinx," Arthur said as they climbed the stairs, "but it's not so much having to repair the damage, it's more the attitude behind the vandalism, Harry. Muggle-baiting might strike some wizards as funny, but it's an expression of something much deeper and nastier, and I for one – "

He broke off suddenly, glaring ahead of him.

Selene followed his line of sight and stopped dead in her tracks. "Speaking of which..." she muttered under her breath.

Ahead of them, on the landing at the top of the stairs, was Selene's brother Lucius, and he was speaking in low tones with Fudge. He turned his head and smirked, noticing them right away.

"Well, well, well... Patronus Potter... and my darling sister," he said coolly.

Selene narrowed her eyes. "Brother."

"The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Potter," Lucius said, smirking. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes... Snakelike, in fact..."

Selene gritted her teeth, imagining her brother being strangled by the very snake he was comparing Harry to.

"Yeah," Harry said, "yeah, I'm good at escaping..."

Lucius turned his eyes upon Arthur.

"And Arthur Weasley too! What are you doing here, Arthur?"

"I work here," Arthur said shortly.