He hasn't slept well. Perhaps it was from birthday cake, he thinks, or perhaps it's because Fleur's significantly bigger now and needs more room in their bed. Perhaps it's because the lights in the courtyard outside did an annoying flicker on and off and on and off until they finally stayed on but buzzing, or perhaps his dreams were simply hazy and not particularly friendly. He knows the sound of wings fluttering against a window only too well, though, and that does jolt him into wakefulness. An owl, wings ragged, breathless, falls inside as he opens that same window. It's clearly come a long way; Bill grabs the parchment from its talons and feeds it immediately. The owl, grateful, takes its fill before tucking its head under one wing and falling into a fast and desperate sleep.
The parchment, apparently scrawled hastily, contains a perplexing message in four words with no signature:
LUXOR RUINED, STAY AWAY
He has no idea what the message means, but he recognises the handwriting: it's from the goblin who hands out curse-breaking assignments at the auxiliary Gringott's office in Luxor's wizarding quarter. Moving the parchment nearer to a candle, he frowns: how can Luxor be ruined? Don't they know that his first impulse is to head back immediately when someone tells him to stay away?
The second owl in as many minutes, though, distracts him from that thought and he marvels that Fleur can sleep through it. Well, she deserves the sleep but this owl's parchment gets an even bigger reaction.
HQ NOW.
Reaching over to wake Fleur, he's interrupted by a third owl.
All right? Your clock hand says Mortal Peril but that hasn't changed in years. Owl back straight away, Mum and Dad
Bill grabs quill and ink, scrawls We're fine, more soon and sends it back with the third owl. He shakes Fleur awake by the shoulder. "I know you're not supposed to Apparate, but we've been summoned. Something's going on. We have to get out of here now. Right now. Hurry."
It takes only moments for the two of them to dress; hand in hand, they Apparate together to Order Headquarters. And not a moment too soon: outside, the streetlamps in a three-block radius go out with a simultaneous pop.
no subject
The parchment, apparently scrawled hastily, contains a perplexing message in four words with no signature:
LUXOR RUINED, STAY AWAY
He has no idea what the message means, but he recognises the handwriting: it's from the goblin who hands out curse-breaking assignments at the auxiliary Gringott's office in Luxor's wizarding quarter. Moving the parchment nearer to a candle, he frowns: how can Luxor be ruined? Don't they know that his first impulse is to head back immediately when someone tells him to stay away?
The second owl in as many minutes, though, distracts him from that thought and he marvels that Fleur can sleep through it. Well, she deserves the sleep but this owl's parchment gets an even bigger reaction.
HQ NOW.
Reaching over to wake Fleur, he's interrupted by a third owl.
All right? Your clock hand says Mortal Peril but that hasn't changed in years. Owl back straight away, Mum and Dad
Bill grabs quill and ink, scrawls We're fine, more soon and sends it back with the third owl. He shakes Fleur awake by the shoulder. "I know you're not supposed to Apparate, but we've been summoned. Something's going on. We have to get out of here now. Right now. Hurry."
It takes only moments for the two of them to dress; hand in hand, they Apparate together to Order Headquarters. And not a moment too soon: outside, the streetlamps in a three-block radius go out with a simultaneous pop.