LATIBULE - F.WEASLEY

1

"Be back at five pm sharp, Margot,"

"Yes grandfather," Maggie nods before disappearing into the crowds of people.

The further she got away from her grandfather, the more she could breathe. She was consciously aware of her father's presence under the invisibility cloak but had been sworn to silence by both men.

Her father scared her, he was arrested when she was three and she was placed in the care of her grandparents but her grandmother disappeared just before her father returned home. She had her suspicions of what had happened but her questions would be ignored.

Maggie walks through the crowds, a soft smile on her lips as she admires the decorated tents. Green and red created a colourful sea as far as Maggie could see.

Shouts of merchants fill the air, trying to sell their own products. Maggie wanders over to a stall selling small musical boxes, soft melodies filling the air.

The melody was familiar, a female's gentle humming filled her ears. Flashes of blonde hair, and blue eyes that mirrored Maggie's own.

"These songs," Maggie breathes, looking at the man behind the stall. "They're beautiful"

"They're only five galleons a piece, enchanted to never run out of music,"

Maggie reaches into her purse and slides the coins over to the merchant. He carefully wraps her music box before handing it to her. The witch smiles gratefully, gently sliding the box into her handbag.

The witch continued her wander through the stalls, her eyes moving everywhere to capture every wonder that was around her. She ducks to avoid a wizard flying overhead who is not fully in control of his broom. An amused smile falls on her face but she is not fazed as she continues on her adventure

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The Ministry Box was stifling, filled with a bunch of high-ranking Ministry officials who were making less than subtle attempts at schmoozing their way up the greasy pole.

"Miss Crouch," Lucius Malfoy Malfoy takes his hand into his own before pressing a gentle kiss to it. "You're looking well"

"Thank you, Mister Malfoy, I've heard about your promotion," Maggie smiles tightly. "I believe congratulations are in order. I know how hard you have worked for that job"

"Your grandfather is a generous man," Lucius smiles, a knowing glint in his eye that made Maggie shudder slightly. "Despite the tragic disappearance of your grandmother and then the death of your father"

"Margot," Draco intervenes, offering the older witch a smile. "Would you like to grab a drink?"

"That would be lovely," Maggie smiles at the blonde wizard.

"Margot, the match is beginning. Take your seat,"

"Maybe later," Maggie murmurs to Draco who nods.

Maggie pulls away from Draco before taking her seat beside her grandfather. She crosses her ankles before placing her hands on her lap. She had to look every bit the upper-class lady she had been raised to be.

Her grandfather was a man obsessed with public image. He had spent the last sixteen years grilling into his granddaughter that she must remain silent about her father's escape from Azkaban.

Maggie's eyes watch as a glittering leprechaun dances above them in the sky, showing gold upon all the people below them.

"Look at them," Her grandfather shakes his head. "Desperate fools, all of them. No humility. Greedy. None of them. Followers, all of them"

"Your son being a follower is what killed my mother," Maggie mutters.

"There are worse things than death Margot,"

"Yeah like this family," The witch mutters.

"Watch your tongue girl," Her grandfather snaps. "You forget your place"

"Yes, subservient and silent,"

"Young women should be seen and not heard. You know this, Margot,"

"You're not very progressive or open-minded, I guess that's why you convicted Sirius Black without even using veritaserum,"

"Enough, Margot, I think it's time you retired to your tent," Her grandfather's lips were set in a firm line and Maggie was smart enough not to push it any further.

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Despite the various charms, the tent felt cold. The tent was lavish but Maggie was not one for luxury or opulence. She could hear the crowds cheering from her tent and resentment bubbles in her stomach.

Her eyes were scanning the pages of her novel but not a single part of her brain was absorbing the information. The witch sighs, tossing her book across the floor angrily.

Suddenly, a chorus of terrified screams pierces the air, snapping Maggie from her frustrated reverie. She hurries to the edge of her tent, looking out to see the source of the noise.

As Maggie's eyes dart frantically through the pandemonium, they lock onto a group of these menacing masked figures, sinister silhouettes against the fiery backdrop.

The twisted delight in their laughter made Maggie's stomach churn. She knew in her gut that her father was most likely in that group or playing some part in the chaos unfolding.

With a sense of dread tightening in her chest, she watches as they methodically set tents ablaze, their chants forming an unholy chorus that sends shivers down her spine.

The once-clear sky was now painted an ominous shade of orange, casting an eerie glow over the scene. Maggie's gaze shifts upward, and her eyes widen in sheer horror as a blazing ball of flames hurtles through the air, heading straight for her tent.