Missing in Action
"Come on, Rachel!" Jeremy hissed. "Come on!"
Rachel was not far behind, a stich in her side as she looked back. No one could be seen coming from the compound, but that didn't mean they weren't on their way. Her feet already hurt and her shoes were wearing through, covered in dust as she looked forward realizing how much desert was in front of them. Jeremy grabbed her hand and pulled her as fast as he could, dragging her along.
They couldn't apparate—not even if they got far enough out. Neither of them had learned and the daunting image of the barren landscape in front of them terrified her. What was behind them terrified her more. Especially as a siren rang loudly, echoing past them.
"Stay with me," Jeremy said. "We can make it."
They did this for an hour. "Look!" she said, pointing to an oasis maybe a hundred yards in front of them.
Jeremy and Rachel stopped, looked at each other, and he smiled wide, the joy of seeing their salvation showing in each laugh line that creased around his eyes. "I told you," he said. "I told you we could do it."
He tugged again and she followed. The oasis came into focus. Fifty yards, forty, twenty. They bolted into a run again when they hit a barrier, stuck to its edge. "Jeremy?" Rachel's terrified voice trembled.
"Push through!" he shouted at her.
Rachel tried. She struggled as some invisible force held her out, stretching her as she screamed, being lifted up. Jeremy, too, grunted and fought. Another wall of green light built up in front of them, made a blinding flash as it pressed against their struggling forms, and Rachel and Jeremy fell into a limp pile in the hot, desert sand. Eyes open, mouths gapping, and only inches from freedom.
James, Albus, and Lily were in the garden on their brooms, tossing about a quaffle as Ginny worked on dinner, placing a loaf of bread into the oven. She was behind schedule, but, unsurprisingly, so was Harry. It was a quarter past five and he was late for the seventh day in a row (two of which were supposed to be his days off). Ginny felt her irritation grow as she replayed their argument from the previous night in her mind.
"How about following through around here?" she had said to him. "You have been talking up a holiday to Peru since Christmas. The kids have saved all their pocket money. Al comes to me every day with some place to visit while we're there."
"You don't think I'd rather go on holiday? I can't leave right now," Harry said. "Besides, we aren't cancelling it, we're just postponing a month. They can save a little extra."
"Oh, but I'm sure Ron's holiday to Ireland hasn't been interrupted. Or anyone else in your office for that matter."
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry said. "It's part of being head of the department.
Ginny had tried to be patient on these grounds. Her own father had, at times, left family events suddenly, or spent long days at work while she was growing up. But Harry had been head of the department for over a decade now, and she'd noticed over the last year that his habitual overtime was getting worse. Part of her wondered if it was out of necessity or if Harry was letting things take him away lately and her patience was running thin.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to be the one to break it to them tomorrow," she snipped, filling her teacup and heading towards the adjacent door that lead to her home office.
"Ginny," Harry's exasperated voice called from the table.
"I have a deadline for this article that I haven't been able to get to because you've been getting home so late," Ginny said. "Just keep the kids from burning the house down, please."
She struggled to concentrate on the article as she shuffled past brochures and advertisements for Peru that littered her desk. A small window between her office and the living room showed Harry, on the floor laying along one side, propping himself up on an elbow while he played exploding snaps with the kids. Ginny took a deep breath, blowing it out as she tried to concentrate on her notes from the last Quidditch tournament that she was supposed to report on and send to her editor by morning.
"Bed, bed! It's time for bed," Harry announced nearly an hour later.
"Ah, Dad," James said. "It's summer. Just one more game?"
Harry stood, grabbed Lily under her arms and lifted her off the ground as she giggled. "You said that three games ago. Time for bed!" he declared. All three children shuffled down the hall to their bedrooms.
Ginny continued concentrating on the page, quill in hand, as Harry came behind her, putting a hand on each of her shoulders. "I'll try and rearrange some things tomorrow. And if I can't, I'll break it to the kids." He kissed the top of her head and left Ginny to her work. By the time she went to bed at two o'clock he was already asleep, and he was gone when she woke up at seven.
And now six o'clock in the evening had come and gone and Harry was still nowhere to be seen. The later he was, the more certain Ginny became that she could have steamed some vegetables by blowing on them, she was fuming so much.
There was a pop from outside and she expected the kids to start shouting for their father. "Uncle Ron!" Albus shouted gleefully instead. Ginny leaned forward to see outside. They surrounded Ron in the grass as they all landed, Albus grabbing Ron's arm and tugging on him. Ginny smiled as Ron tried to lift him. They were all getting so old, edging every day towards their fortieth birthdays: her, Ron, Hermione… Harry. She put a pot of water on to boil and opened the door. James was now hanging off Ron's other side and Lily had wrapped herself around his leg—something that worked much better three or four years ago when she was smaller.
"Oi!" Ginny shouted at them and they all turned their heads. "Let him breathe, you lot."
Ron gave her a half-hearted smile as the boys got off of him. "In fact, go in and wash up for dinner. James! Don't leave your broom out! How many times to I have to tell you?"
James ran back to grab his broom and the other two passed her, taking their own brooms back to their rooms. "Are you staying for dinner, Uncle Ron?" Lily asked.
"I'll be around for a bit," was all he said and the kids ran off.
Ginny took off her apron and grabbed Ron a cup. "Have a seat. I'm assuming Harry isn't far behind?"
Ron didn't move. "Ginny," he said. There was a strain in his voice. "We need to talk."
Ginny stopped dead, turning to him. She hadn't noticed before, but his eyes were rimmed with red. "Is he at Mungo's?" Ginny asked breathlessly. Then before he could answer, "I can take the kids to Mum and be there—"
"No," Ron said. "Ginny," he said her name again, stalling. "Ginny, something happened and we don't know where Harry is."
Ginny felt her heart burst. Her stomach dropped like the glass in her hand, which shattered on the kitchen tile. Ron was by her in an instant, arms around her, holding her up as her legs failed. "No, no," she said quietly, clamping a hand to her mouth, aware of her children being just a room away. "No," she said again.
"Shhh," Ron hushed her. "It will be okay," he said, lowering Ginny into a chair.
"What happened?" she asked, holding his arms, her eyes darting between his.
"There was a portal. It was taking in everything and he—," Ron paused here. "There were a couple civilians, but he pushed them out. Pushed me out. He couldn't get free of it in time."
"And you don't know where it took him?"
"Mum?" James stood in the doorway, looking between Ginny and Ron. "What's wrong?"
Ginny closed her eyes to blink out the developing tears, swallowed, and then stood, walking over to James. He was getting tall. She didn't have to bend down to be at eye level with him. "James," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I need you to go to your room and pack a bag with some clothes. Tell Al to do the same and help your sister, okay?"
James looked over her shoulder at Ron, then back to Ginny and nodded.
Ginny walked over to the stove, turning off the burners, wanting to throw the contents in the pots and pans across the kitchen in frustration. "Can you help us get to the Burrow?" Ginny asked.
"Of course," Ron said.
Molly rocked a sobbing Lily in her lap while Albus quietly wiped at his nose. Ron broke the news to everyone as gently as he could. Arthur stood behind Ginny, rubbing her back as she played with Al's hair. She looked over to James whose expression was distant, stunned. He was only fifteen, yet in the moment he looked older to her.
"But," James said, "he could come back, right?"
Ron looked hesitant to answer this question. "Of course," he still said. "You know I'm going to do everything I can, mate."
"I think what everyone needs right now is a good night sleep," Molly said. "Albus and James, you can have the third floor and Lily, the second."
They all were slow to move and Ginny didn't rush them. She watched each of them head up and away, followed by Molly, feeling a strong urge to change her mind and set up camp right here so they could stay together.
"I did mean it," Ron said to Ginny, pulling her attention back. "I'm going to do everything possible."
"I know," she said. Ginny had been holding back, but now started to freely sob as her brother and dad came around her, wrapping her in their arms and whispering assurances. Molly came back down the stairs after having ushered her grandchildren to bed, shoving the other two out of the way to take their place.
"Harry can handle himself," Molly said. "He'll be back in no time, I'm sure."
Ginny nodded, but couldn't bring herself to tell them. To tell them how horrible she'd been. How impatient and snippy. She'd never felt so sick in her life over anything she'd said, but in that moment, she let her family's hands and words comfort her.
Almost a month had passed at the Burrow. Ginny woke as the light came through the curtain in her old room. She carefully moved, trying to get out of the bed without disturbing her children. It was a nightly ritual by now. They were sent to bed, she'd take an hour to sob downstairs on her own, then sometime in the middle of the night Lily and Albus would sneak into the bed with her.
This morning even James had joined them. Of course he had outgrown crawling into bed with family members ages ago. Instead he laid awkwardly in an oversized chair with his feet kicked out onto the edge of the mattress.
Ginny slowly pulled herself out from the blankets, stretched over Lily, and was free from the bed. She grabbed a spare blanket and draped it over James, who turned as she did this. Carefully, she adjusted his head so he wouldn't have a crick in his neck when he woke up.
Ron and Hermione had come a week ago, helping to make the end of summer somewhat better than the beginning. Hugo and Rose at least were excellent distraction for Lily and Albus. Since Harry went missing, Newman Updike had taken over as interim head of the Auror department at the Ministry. Harry being replaced brought a pang of reality to Ginny, though it was not the worst one she'd experienced since Harry's disappearance.
A week ago Harry was awarded the Order of Merlin, first class, but in his absence, the family was invited to receive it on his behalf. Ginny almost refused outright. She was furious and raged against Ron that this was proof that they'd given up and were allowing her children to grow up without their father. Hermione was the one who calmed her on this count. "Ron would never give up on Harry," she said, holding Ginny's wrists to stop her pacing. "We are going to find out where he is, but the kids need to know that the reason he is gone right now is because he was doing the right thing."
"I'd rather he had done the wrong thing and still be here," James said, holding his broom at the kitchen doorway.
Ginny deflated. "Why aren't you outside with the others?"
"I wanted to get a drink."
Ginny sat with him and they discussed the award and the ceremony. They decided they would put on a brave face together for the others, and James was ultimately the one who accepted the award from Updike on Harry's behalf.
"There's a lad," Updike said to James. "I'm sorry for your loss. Your dad would be so proud of you."
James gave a narrowed glare, obviously irritated with the finality of Updike's condolences.
Molly was already in the kitchen making breakfast as Ginny entered. "Since their lists came yesterday I thought today would be the perfect day for you to go to Diagon Alley," Molly said.
"I know it's his birthday, Mum," Ginny replied.
"Well, there's that too," she said. "It will be a good outing for everyone. Good morning, Hermione!"
"Rose was hoping you might be able to fix her jumper," she said to Molly, bringing over a pink knitted sweater with a fair-sized hole in it. "How are you this morning Ginny?"
"I'm still here," she said.
Hermione grabbed two cups, filling them with hot chocolate and bringing them to the table. While the past month had been the worst in Ginny's life, she was grateful for Hermione who nodded when she was honest on how she felt and would pass Ginny information that Ron kept close to his chest for worry of Ginny's reaction. "Ron left already this morning. Updike is encouraging him to pick up on other cases, so he's been trying to work on Harry's before and after anyone else is there."
"He's what?!" Ginny practically shouted. "Why?"
Hermione looked equally perturbed. "Resources he says. I don't know," Hermione said as Molly brought each of them plates of pancakes. "Updike seems to like his position."
"Harry's position, you mean," Ginny said.
The most frustrating part about all of this was the lack of repercussion. Ginny couldn't question what was happening at the office and she couldn't make accusations, because that's all they were. Ron was doing all he could, but Updike, being older, had claimed seniority. Additionally, he had a few friends higher up in the ministry who Ginny suspected played a role in his appointment. "Apparently he's been going back to some old policies, too."
When Harry was promoted to head of the Auror Department he had made radical changes, with Ron right at his side. They were changing the way law enforcement worked within the wizarding world and not everyone agreed with the changes. Updike was one of them.
"Ron's doing what he can," Hermione reassured Ginny again. Of course three weeks ago she was reassuring Ginny that they would find Harry any day now. As the days and weeks passed, Ginny was losing heart. It wasn't becoming any easier.
Rose and Albus were the first two down for breakfast and seemed in reasonably good spirits when they were told a trip Diagon Alley was on the day's agenda.
"Can I get my own owl this year?" Albus asked.
"I was actually thinking of getting a family owl," Ginny replied, standing to take her plate to the sink.
"But James is going to hog it," Albus complained.
Ginny smiled as Rosie distracted Albus by telling him about a new spell she'd learned.
James came down, surly and rubbing sleep from his eyes, soon followed by Lily and then Hugo. When everyone was up and finished with breakfast, they encouraged all the kids to get dressed so they could get going.
Ginny grabbed the lists from Hogwarts and looked them over. The kids had been shouting out what they needed, but she hadn't seen them for herself. Lily was beginning her second year, Al was going into his fourth (he needed some dress robes), and James would enter his fifth.
"Ginny, can you get me out the good silverware before you go," Molly asked. "I thought we'd have a nice dinner tonight."
Ginny didn't know how she felt about this. There was a part of her that absolutely wanted to keep Harry's birthday in everyone's mind, yet it felt so much like a memorial that she wasn't sure how the kids would handle it. She wondered if they would even notice. Opening the cupboard where the nice china was set, Ginny noticed something tucked away behind a stack of plates. Her mother's old clock.
She pulled it out, peeking over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn't looking her way. It was close to how it had looked before, when it hung on the wall as reference. Her and her mum's pictures were pointed at home. Charlie was traveling. And everyone else was at work. The only odd image was Fred's. It didn't seem to know exactly where to settle, spinning round and round. Molly had never wanted to get the clock fixed—saying it was like erasing a member of the family—yet Ginny could see why she'd hidden it away too. The spinning of Fred's image was not only distracting, but a consistent reminder of his absence.
Ginny looked on the back of the clock, finding the maker's mark. She'd add one more thing to her list to pick up today at Diagon Alley.
