It's been a dark time. Leaving Dumbledore's death aside, Barnaby hasn't stopped hearing news of people dying everywhere due to the actions of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Among the most notable was the news that Tonks's mentor, "Mad-Eye" Moody, had been killed by Voldemort himself while escorting Harry to the safety of the Burrow from his uncle's house.
Why they didn't use a Portkey from the start was something Barnaby would never understand.
And as cynical as it sounds, it was now easy to tell the twins apart, as George had lost one of his ears due to… Snape.
Tonks was not okay after hearing about Moody's death.
Barnaby was not okay upon learning that Snape was the attacker.
It could even be said that the two went through a bit of a depression, leaning on each other in a moment of weakness, while Sanshi, Lily, and Calcifer tried to cheer them up.
The day of Fleur and Bill Weasley's wedding arrived.
They weren't invited.
Barnaby suspected that this wasn't the Weasleys' intention but rather the bride's, Fleur Delacour. They hadn't exactly hit it off.
Still, it turned out that missing that wedding was a blessing in disguise.
"Rufus Scrimgeour has been killed by Voldemort," Tonks read in the newspaper, which had undoubtedly fallen into the hands of the Dark Lord, judging by how the style of news had changed— "I think you should keep Ollivanders closed this year; I'm fairly certain they're going to try to control the flow of wands."
"That was my plan. I've already informed Aunt Minerva to adjust this year's letter, emptied all the wands from the shop's stockroom, and stored them in our warehouse," Barnaby confirmed.
Even though Mr. Ollivander had "forcefully" entrusted him with the shop, he wasn't about to risk his life just to sell a few wands. There were lesser-known wandmakers willing to take the risk, and people would have to turn to them as long as he deemed it unsafe.
Was it fair? Some might think not, but he didn't care.
His life couldn't be weighed against a few coins!
"Are you going to keep working?" Barnaby asked while taking some French toast brought by Lily, nodding in thanks.
"No, they're not paying me enough for it," Tonks dismissed, taking a bite of the toast. "It was more to kill time than anything, and I was getting bored anyway. Besides, my boss also ended up six feet under because of the Death Eaters. He was an idiot, but he didn't deserve that."
So now she had all the time in the world to do as she pleased.
"By the way, my parents are arriving this afternoon," Tonks reminded him.
If Andromeda and Ted hadn't been too worried before, the deaths of the Minister of Magic and Dumbledore were enough to convince them to come live with them.
At least until the whole prophecy situation was over.
"Are their rooms ready, Lily?" Barnaby asked, receiving a smile and nod in response. "Perfect."
"I hope the Weasleys managed to get away in time," Tonks finished her toast and took a sip of her drink. "Having Death Eaters attack the wedding was truly a shame…"
Rumors spread quickly in the magical community, especially about events like this.
"I think we should be more concerned about the fact that the Ministry of Magic has fallen to Voldemort," Barnaby pointed to a large headline in the newspaper. "Look at this: Muggle-Born Registration Commission Established."
Something like that was only meant to discriminate against anyone without close magical relatives; it was complete cruelty.
Tonks glanced at the headline, but her attention was immediately drawn to another article.
"Look, it says attendance at Hogwarts has become mandatory."
"What?!" Barnaby grabbed the newspaper and scanned it more thoroughly. "Aunt Minerva didn't tell me anything about this," he said, looking at his wife in confusion.
Tonks seemed thoughtful.
"Maybe with that man back, McGonagall can't keep her position as headmistress at Hogwarts and doesn't want to get you in trouble?" Sanshi speculated, sharing his thoughts with the table.
Barnaby was taken aback.
Yes, if Voldemort indeed controlled the Ministry of Magic, how would he ever leave Hogwarts alone?
"It seems you and your father were left jobless without realizing it," Tonks remarked, pensive.
Barnaby didn't argue with his wife, still a bit shocked he hadn't seen the castle's true situation sooner.
But the Tonberries hadn't reported any anomalies…
After thinking for a few minutes, Barnaby left the house and entered the Hogwarts grounds, retrieving nearly all the creatures, leaving only the Soot Sprites hidden in cracks and discreet spots to help him monitor the situation inside later on.
After leaving a large sack of special food in a cabinet within a secret room—easily accessible to them by size—more than enough for a whole year, Barnaby moved toward his father's cabin. With some effort, he uprooted it from the site beside the pumpkin patch and moved it to his home, adjusting a nearby empty plot to make it look as if it had always been there.
If Hogwarts would indeed fall to the Death Eaters, he didn't want to leave a (very flammable) cabin within their reach, especially since it was also where he grew up.
"How's my father doing?" he asked Lily upon returning inside.
Lily showed him the pile of tissue boxes she held in her arms, clearly meant to take to his father, who was still frequently breaking down in tears.
"I see, let me know when we're running low," he said.
Lily nodded and headed upstairs.
Barnaby saw Fang sprawled out in front of Calcifer's fireplace, completely asleep in what looked like a terribly uncomfortable position.
"At least someone can be carefree through it all."