After the group of wizards led by Barty Crouch Sr. departed, Arthur kept watching them until they were out of sight. Only then did he turn to face Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"We should return to our tents," he said.
Hermione lingered for a moment, still watching Winky, who was sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. She was clearly pained to see her in that condition. Seeing her hesitation, Harry gently placed a hand on her arm.
"Why do they have to go through all this?" she whispered. "Do they not have feelings? She has been their slave all their lives, and then she was abandoned over a minor issue…"
"Just because she was fearful and desperate to save her own life."
"I do not like this system either, Hermione," Arthur remarked quietly. "But such is their fate. Life is really tough for them especially if they serve a family like Crouch."
"Do not worry about her," Harry offered. "I will ask Dobby to take care of her."
"She will live a better life than she had been living so far," Harry added. "In a way whatever has happened, it will do her good."
Arthur raised an eyebrow and he questioned, "Who is Dobby?"
"He was the house elf of the Malfoy family," Harry explained, still looking toward Winky. "I tricked Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby clothes in second year."
"That freed him. He now works at Hogwarts."
Arthur nodded and he was intrigued as he made a mental note to ask this to his son, Ron.
Harry called for Dobby, and the elf appeared with a soft pop. Before Dobby could speak, Harry cut in.
"Dobby," he said firmly, pointing at Winky, "would you please take care of her?"
"Dobby is willing," the elf said with a deep bow. He approached Winky and gently took her hand. Winky did not react and neither did she reject. Probably, words were not required between the two elves. With another pop, the two elves vanished.
Hermione felt a bit of relief. She was happy that Winky's life would take a better turn, though her mind was still troubled by the injustice the house elves faced.
"We should move," Arthur said, and they resumed their walk back toward the tents.
They had covered some distance when Arthur finally voiced the question that had been bothering him.
"Harry," he began, "where were you?"
"When the chaos started, you were not in the tent. I went searching for you after making Ron and Hermione run. Thought that you might be somewhere close to the tent."
Harry did not answer right away, but Ron jumped in.
"Yeah, Harry! After he made us run in this direction, Dad ran off to look for you," he shouted. "Where were you?"
"I could not sleep," Harry said calmly. "Just before the attack, I went out for some fresh air."
"When everything began and the chaos exploded, I got slightly nervous and then I instinctively ran into the woods."
Arthur nodded, though his expression remained tight. He was not sure if Harry was telling the truth or not. But he could not see a reason for Harry to lie.
Harry was not finished.
"But Mr. Weasley," he continued, "why did you send Ron and Hermione into the woods? That too alone? Was that not dangerous?"
Arthur blinked, clearly caught off guard. He had not thought much about it at the moment.
An embarrassed expression flickered across his face.
"I… I did not think it through at that moment. The attackers had come from that direction only and I thought maybe the woods would be safer."
Harry did not respond. He just kept walking in silence.
They soon arrived at the tents. Since it was nearly dawn, none of them bothered trying to sleep.
The campsite buzzed with activity. A strange tension electrified the air. The news had spread quickly. About the massacre. And it was all anyone could talk about.
Despite Arthur's efforts to shield the younger ones from the worst of it, they eventually heard the full story.
Outside the tent, the group sat together, waiting for the day to properly begin.
Bill and Charlie sat solemnly, understanding just how significant the night's events were. The twins, however, looked excited, unable to suppress their curiosity. Ron, meanwhile, was rambling.
"Dad, how powerful do you have to be to kill thirteen wizards?" he asked with awe.
Arthur was just about to scold him when Percy arrived in a hurry.
"Dad," Percy nearly shouted. "Did you hear what happened?"
He did not wait for a response. He could not wait to show off his connection with the ministry and that he was in control of such a situation.
"The entire Ministry is in uproar!" He blabbered. "Can you believe it? A single man! A single man did it all."
"He killed thirteen wizards! And not just any wizards, some were esteemed members of the Wizengamot. Lords of their Houses!"
He puffed out his chest in pride. "I heard it straight from Madam Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE. She said it was not murder. It was a massacre! The bodies, hardly anything is left of them. They were slaughtered like pigs. None of them could even react, even with their combined strength!"
"Madam Bones and her team could not even get past the barrier that the man had erected."
Arthur was about to interrupt, but Percy had already said too much.
"Percy!" Arthur snapped. He was angry. "Do you have any idea what is appropriate to say and where?"
Percy flushed red and probably realized his mistake or not.
"Sorry… Dad! I… I will go," he stammered. "The Ministry might need more hands anyway."
He quickly turned and left, not waiting for another word.
The group sat in an awkward silence, Percy's words hanging heavy in the air. Eventually, Harry spoke.
"Mr. Weasley, Percy mentioned esteemed members of the Wizengamot and Lords of Houses. What did he mean by that?"
Arthur did not answer immediately. There was another pause, as he carefully considered his response. This was what Arthur was livid at. His fool of a son had really made a blunder.
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