Hi everyone! Whew, I can't believe we're finally at the last one. Thanks again for your support and patience, and I hope you enjoy!
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That summer was probably the worst summer of my life. Nobody could enjoy the few rays of sunshine that there were. It was abnormally dark, after all, and with good reason. Ever since Dumbledore's murder, nothing could give off very much light anymore. Our beacon of hope was diminished.
We stayed in contact with the Order, though. With the cause's greatest ally gone, Harry was in more danger than ever. Mum and Dad had volunteered to help with getting him to safety. They wouldn't let me join in on the plan, which was one of the most frustrating things I'd ever experienced.
"But Dad—"
"Absolutely not, Lacey. It's too dangerous for you."
"And what of you two? Mum, how will you be able to fly?"
She looked at me, seeming to understand my concerns.
"Your dad'll be right by me, love."
"Well, is…isn't there something I can do?"
"You'll be at the Burrow, remember? You can help keep watch for the rest of us."
"I know." I sighed, ultimately uncrossing my arms. "I just feel useless."
"Oh, sweetheart," said Dad, resting a hand on my shoulder. "We feel the same. But knowing that you're safe with Molly at her place will make it easier for us to concentrate. That's something, right?"
I got his point, but it was still hard to feel optimistic.
"Well then, we'd better go."
Apparently, it was too risky for us to use Apparition or Floo powder to get to the Weasley residence. But we still had our brooms, and Belle further simplified things by flying with her own power. The afternoon sky almost made it seem like it was nighttime already. Then again, it probably helped with keeping us hidden from onlookers below.
Before I knew it, we'd landed in the front lawn and Mrs. Weasley was coming out to greet us.
"Oh, you're here!"
It was wonderful to see her again, even under the sad circumstances. But upon going inside the family's restored home, we were further pleased to see our other friends waiting near the fireplace. Several of the Order members were there, along with Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, and two others I hadn't met before. One of them was Bill, another one of the Weasley siblings. The other was a small fellow called Mundungus. He seemed a bit shifty, so there wasn't much of an urge to get to know him. I was surprised to see Fleur Delacour with Bill, but she certainly wouldn't have been present if she weren't an ally. As great as it was to see everyone, the fact that we were all gathered made me very nervous.
"So what exactly is going on?" I asked when the salutations had quieted a bit.
"We're moving Harry here tonight. We need to—"
"Enough, Remus," Alastor growled. "There's no time to explain. Suffice it to say that the plan is complicated to the point where any delays will damage its chances of success."
"Why? Is it dangerous?"
"Fairly. Death Eaters are all over the place."
My panic increased upon hearing this. As the people began filing out of the house, I ran to Mum and Dad.
"Don't do this. Please!"
"Lacey, it'll be fine."
Despite how confident Dad sounded, I wasn't convinced.
"I want Harry to be safe, but isn't there an easier time?"
"No. They won't even be expecting us to do it tonight. We'll be all right."
"Listen to them, miss."
Alastor glanced over to the door, prompting my parents to exit. I could only peer after them with a helpless feeling in my gut. I don't know how, but the Auror must've read my mind or something.
"Your dad's right, you know. They won't expect Potter to make his move tonight, so it should work out."
"It should?"
"It will. You just sit tight here, and the rest of us will be back soon."
Though my brain was consumed with worry, it didn't stop me from noticing something odd. Alastor gave me a very peculiar look before going outside. There was a sort of dormant tenderness in his good eye. To this day, I'll never know what made the thought pop into my head. But nevertheless, I ran out just as he was getting on his broom.
"Alastor!"
He turned to me, and even while remembering his assurances, a tiny pang of dread prodded me to ask him a significantly personal question. While he didn't answer, I didn't really need confirmation to know it was true. The discovery only made me wish for the group's safe return even more.
"Be careful!" I shouted just before he took off.
With that, they were all gone.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
I could only wait with Molly and Ginny for the next couple of hours, though it felt like days. Despite being able to eat a bit of the food offered to me, my stomach felt too heavy for a full meal. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley took the tray and stood.
"I'll be back," she said, making sure to smile before heading to the kitchen.
While Belle slept on a stray pillow near the stairs, Ginny and I simply sat next to the unlit fireplace for a few awkward moments. We'd never talked a whole lot with each other, but then again, given how things were, there was no better time to make friends than now.
"Have you seen Harry since school?" I asked.
She seemed almost startled, but answered nonetheless.
"No, not really. A note here and there, but that's it. You?"
"No."
That's all I could think of saying at the moment, and I'm fairly sure it was the same for her. We were both worried for our respective families. It was hardly the time for making small talk. Then again, there was no further need of it when we heard a loud noise outside.
"What…?"
I stood, as did Ginny. The rumblings ultimately stopped, but it didn't diminish our concerns in the least. However, upon the three of us going out the door, I was quickly comforted to see two drenched but very familiar figures approaching.
"Harry. Hagrid." Molly sounded relieved as well, if only for a moment. "What happened? Where are the others?"
"Is no one else back?"
A pang of dread swelled within my stomach at the sight of Harry's agitated expression. As much as I didn't want to believe it, I knew something was wrong.
"They were on us right from the start, Molly," Hagrid mumbled, sounding out of breath. "We didn't stand a chance."
"Well, thank goodness you two are all right."
As the giant man went on to mention there being an ambush, I let my eyes skim the tall grass surrounding the house. Part of me expected Mum and Dad to suddenly appear unharmed at any moment, but there was no sign of them. Then, out of nowhere, a flash of light preceded a loud whack within the weeds.
"Here!"
It was Remus. I had to blink twice, as it seemed that Harry was next to him. But after a few seconds, the bloody figure began morphing into someone with red hair.
Wait, is that…? Did they use Polyjuice?
"Quick, into the house."
Not wanting to dawdle, I followed the others inside, where George was laid down onto the sofa. Whatever was wrong with him, it looked pretty bad. But maybe my alarm was due to seeing all that blood. It occurred to me to ask if he was all right, but to my shock, Lupin grabbed Harry and threw him against the wall, wand at the ready. I certainly wasn't the only one taken aback by this, as Hagrid swiftly spoke up.
"Lupin!"
"What're you doing?" Ginny asked, getting nothing but a brief shush in response. After a couple of tense seconds, my former teacher opened his mouth.
"What creature sat in the corner the first time Harry Potter visited my office in Hogwarts?"
"Are you mad?"
"What creature?!"
I went to intervene, only for Molly to put a hand on my shoulder. In any case, poor Harry soon spat out his answer.
"A Grindylow."
With that, Remus released him and turned away.
"We've been betrayed," he said after a moment. "Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter."
Harry nodded just when Mum stepped through the door, much to my relief. However, she and Lupin quickly held out their wands.
"The first thing you ever said to me?" he cautiously asked, getting a quick response.
"Out of my way," Mum said. "Don't protect that greasy little squealer."
She pocketed her wand as Dad entered the house and stepped next to her.
"I'll bet you wish you'd gotten out of her way now, right?"
Remus chuckled slightly, but before he could lower his wand, we all heard a familiar sound from outside. He was out the door before anyone could stop him. Too distracted to focus on any of that, I ran to my parents and pulled them close. I was so happy they hadn't been hurt, and they seemed just as relieved. As everyone filed into the house, our attention soon went back to George. Despite his wound, he was able to maintain his classic sense of humor.
Well, that's not a bad sign.
Just then, Bill stepped forward with a grim look on his face.
"Mad-Eye's dead."
An overwhelming grief ran down my spine upon hearing this, but I tried to contain my composure as he went on.
"Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and Disapparated."
I could barely process that, since my thoughts were still stuck on Alastor. The only thing that registered with me was Mum's functioning arm going around me. It was too unreal.
How…? He's the best we've got! He was…no, it can't be.
But it was. Though it hadn't really hit me yet, I knew it wasn't make-believe. Alastor truly was gone, just like Arabella was.
And they were in love.
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