High noon had come and passed, even though the sun was obscured by a thick layer of clouds. I stared out the window, my view blurry through my tears. As the door behind me opened and closed, I wiped my eyes furiously and turned around. The Headmistress of Hogwarts stood before me, her proud, weathered face grieved.
"Miss Weasley, I am sorry to hear what has happened." Minerva McGonagall said, lacing her fingers in front of her torso.
I bit my lip and lowered my head, hiding my face with my red hair. My arms crossed over my chest, as if that would keep my heart from breaking from it's place in my body. Every second that passed make it harder to breathe.
"I need to know what happened from your first hand account." McGonagall said in a soft voice.
I ran my hand through my hair, nervously. "Uncle Harry suddenly became all tense and then him and the other adults told us to run. We did, but some people apparated in and threw curses at us. I looked back and saw my parents and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and Ted dueling. James told us to keep going while he turned to fight. Albus and Lily stopped to help too and I thought Hugo was right behind me, but when I looked again, he was gone. I just kept running and I hid... No one else made it, as far as I know." I pursed my lips, angry tears spilling down my face. "I just ran away like a coward and let them all die."
McGonagall placed her hands on my shoulders and pulled me to her, holding me as I began to sob. Her frail fingers gently stroked my hair as she rocked me like a child.
"Please understand something; as much as it pains you, it is good that you are alive." she whispered.
I stepped back, wiping my face with my sleeve. I didn't believe her, but held my tongue. How could she understand the aching in my chest where my heart was supposed to beat? She gave me an encouraging smile before striding behind her desk and sitting down.
As I went to stand back in my place by the window, the door opened again and I found my Gram's arm holding me tightly. I looked over her shoulder and saw my Grampa, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fluer, Uncle Percy, Uncle George, Professor Longbottom and various other friends and relatives.
My Gram held me, her eyes freely shedding tears. I nibbled at my top lip, determined to not break down again. Victiore, who I had not seen in the crowd, was suddenly in front of me, her eyes wide.
"Where's Ted?" she asked with her slight French accent. Her strawberry blond hair fell over her shoulder as she bounced forward with a little too much enthusiasm.
I shook my head, not making eye contact with any of her. "They're all dead." I whispered.
Victiore burst into tears, her fingers hiding her face. The sound of her sobs sent pain through my numb chest. I went and hugged her, deciding to be a supporter rather than supported. Fluer came up behind her daughter and pulled her out of my embrace and into her own; she had never liked me all that much because of my tomboy rowdiness. I stepped back as my grandparents put their hands on my shoulders.
"What has happened, Minerva?" My gram asked in her stern, urgent voice. Her arm was a solid iron bar around my shoulders. My grandfather's hand was pressed against my upper back in the reserved way he had.
McGonagall stood and walked in front of her desk, glancing at the crowd in her office. "I'm afraid, Molly, from what Rose has told me, Voldemort may be back."
I blinked as almost every adult gasped, stiffened or did both simultaneously. I had heard the name before, way too many times to not recognize it immediately. My parents said he was a Dark Lord before I was born, but he was dead.
Professor Longbottom stepped forward, his eyes burning. His scarred face was twisted in an anger I had never seen him express. "Harry killed him! And all the Horcruxes are gone!" he exclaimed, "There's no way he could have returned again…unless…"
McGonagall gave a solemn nod. "He had another Horcrux no one knew about." She turned to the wall with all the portraits of the previous Headmasters and Mistresses. "Is is possible Albus?"
I jumped a little as she said the name. I glanced around, as if expecting my cousin to be standing there, but she was talking to his namesake. My grampa, feeling the tension suddenly in my body, ran his hand In soothing circles across my shoulder blades.
The portrait of Albus Dumbledore shifted and looked down at his successor. "I believed Tom would choose seven for his belief that it is a magical number. He could have easily chosen eight, unfortunately." The man said, his blue eyes dark with regret and sadness.
My gram stepped forward, managing to keep a hold on me with jerking me with her. "I'm going to bring Rose home with me. I know we need to figure things out, but she's probably gone into shock and needs rest and food. We'll meet with you again in the morning."
The Headmistress stared hard into gram's eyes and then nodded. "You should get her to the Burrow as soon as possible. I'll send an owl in the morning and we can talk then. And I'll send some Order members to watch over your house, in case it is attacked."
The strong arm on my shoulder was suddenly pulling me out the door. I caught glances of faces watching me, some with pity and other with grim determination. My grampa suddenly had a grip on my forearm and pulled me along as my gram flicked her wand out, her eyes smoldering with an anger and fierce passion I'd never seen in her. She'd only ever gotten fearsome when her children misbehaved or someone threatened her family; my guess would definitely be the latter.
They brought me into a secluded room, my guess was a teacher's office, and gently nudged me to the fireplace. I grabbed some of the powder they offered me and ducked under the mantle. "The Burrow!" I said in a voice I didn't recognize as my own. I felt the pressure in my body I associated with this kind of travel and I tucked my elbows close to my waist.
When I reached the Burrow, I landed and stumbled, coughing soot from my lungs. The familiar wooden floor creaked as I stepped back to allow my grandparents room to Floo in. Green fire suddenly sprang from the fireplace as my grampa stepped out, his shabby robes brushing over the worn bricks. Then my gram appeared, her form formidable even covered in ashes.
"Come now, Rose. I'll get you something to eat and then you can have a nice long rest." she said, putting her hand on my upper right arm.
"I'm not hungry," I whispered. "I doubt I could keep anything down if I tried."
My gram smiled in sympathy, rubbing my back. "Well then why don't we go get you all ready for bed and tucked in."
She led me up the stairs and into a room, I realized with mute agony, as my Aunt Ginny's old bedroom. She pulled an oversized tee-shirt out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to me. She wrapped her fingers over mine and gently rubbed the back of my hand with her thumbs. She brushed the hair away from my face and looked straight into my eyes.
"We'll get through this, Rose, I promise. Your grandfather and I will be here beside you through everything. I know you're strong enough to handle this, but just know that you'll have more than one person who will give you a shoulder to lean on."
I nodded silently, realizing with shame that I was going to cry again. Gram, sensing my need to be alone, kissed my forehead and left. As soon as the door shut, tears began to slip down my cheeks. My hand slipped over my face as a sob made my throat tighten. I jammed my eyes shut, trying to stop the onslaught.
I sank onto the bed and then looked around. This is where my Aunt Ginny used to live and not far down the hall, my father slept. As much as my grandparents meant to me, being in this house, where my dad and aunt grew up made my heart ache more.
I slowly rose to my feet and pulled my clothes off. I slid the oversized shirt on, then looked down at it, wondering if it too once belonged to Ginny. I sighed and crawled into bed, pulling the blanket over my head.
Both my parents and my aunt and uncle had a love that I often couldn't stand being around, it was so intense. Me, Hugo and our cousins were products of this affection, and it made me wonder if I could ever look at a man the way my mother looked at my father. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. I had a crush once, on Scorpius Malfoy, but found we were better as friends.
It didn't matter how much Ginny loved Harry or Ron loved Hermione, they were all dead as well as James, Albus, Lily, Hugo and Ted. I was the only one who survived.
I was alone…