Bill and Fleur were already handing round cups of tea to Tonks, Neville, Luna and Hagrid (although his was in the water tumbler) by the time they materialised in Shell Cottage's living room. Ginny couldn't bring herself to look at them, settling for staring blankly out of the window at the snowy seascape, wondering if Harry was out there in the cold.
'Evenin' Molly, Arthur' greeted Hagrid with a raised tumbler.
'Remus' smiled Tonks with relief, putting her cup down haphazardly on a pile of books and running over to hug her husband. 'Thank Merlin you're all alright'.
'That's everyone, I think' said Bill. 'Harry's relatives are still in hiding with Diggle and I doubt the Death Eaters would bother going after anyone else from Hogwarts during the holidays'.
'Are you sure they'd care...about me and Luna, I mean?' asked Neville doubtfully. 'He's way closer to Ron and Hermione'.
'Harry says we're his friends' said Luna dreamily as she sipped her tea. 'And Harry never lies, unless it's to be kind'.
'You two were also seen by a dozen Death Eaters at the Ministry and we're not taking any chances' said Remus, looking more than usually run down. 'We've heard You-Know-Who is planning to go on a rampage, although why now is anybody's guess' he explained to Molly and Arthur. 'Hermione, maybe you could fill us in?'
Everyone turned to the middle-aged woman in surprise, but Hermione, while no longer crying, was staring intently at her shoes.
'Ermione, 'eet is you?' gasped Fleur.
'Polyjuice, I expect' said Arthur softly, squeezing his wife's hand.
'Wait, so Harry's alone?' asked Bill worriedly. 'When did that happen?'
'You knew that Ron left him?' accused Ginny, turning around sharply to glare at her older brother. 'Why wouldn't you tell us?'
'He was ashamed, I think' said Bill, looking uncomfortable. 'He was hoping he'd find them again and that' –
Bill's explanation was cut short as the front door flew open. Ron barged in, his jacket covered in snow, with a backpack over his shoulder.
'It brought me to the Burrow!' he spluttered, looking flushed. 'I looked everywhere, but this stupid thing is useless – what is everyone doing here?'
Before anybody could answer him, Hermione - seemingly out of her stupor – rushed over to him, pulled his bag from his arm and started violently whacking his head with it.
'Oof – get off – who the bloody hell is this?!' yelled Ron in surprise.
'You – complete – prat – you left us! I stood there – in the rain – and I begged you – not to –'
As Hermione was shouting at him, she felt herself grow taller and her facial features begin to distort. Ron stood frozen in shock as the polyjuice began to wear off, holding her fists back effortlessly once she had abandoned the bag to the floor.
'I had – to stand there' she gasped, tears now flowing freely down her face and the strength of her punches faltering. 'When he – I couldn't do anything'. Ron pulled her into a bone-breaking hug and she collapsed into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life as she cried.
Ginny turned away in disgust from her brother and continued her appraisal of the garden as the others looked questioningly amongst each other.
'Does this mean that Harry's alone?' Remus asked the rest of the Weasleys, with a wary glance at Hermione. His worry increased when Molly burst into tears and fell into Arthur's embrace in a similar fashion.
'They think he's dead' said Ginny tonelessly. 'They think You-Know-Who killed him'. There were a handful of gasps behind her back and the unmistakeable rumble of Hagrid getting to his feet.
'Ye' can't mean...'
'There has to be some kind of mistake'.
'Has he been captured, is that why You-Know-Who's looking for' –
'Hermione saw it' said Arthur sorrowfully, tears building up in his eyes as Molly shook in his arms.
Ron started in horror and gripped Hermione's arms, looking for confirmation in her eyes of what he knew could not be true. Her lower lip quivered and she fell back onto his shoulder as Ron's world fell apart.
'No' he mumbled, pained, as the hands that had been rubbing Hermione's back went limp. 'No, no, this is all wrong…'
'Ron, I'm so sorry' cried Mrs. Weasley.
'No! I'm telling you, he's not dead!' yelled Ron, screaming at the room at large before settling his eyes stubbornly onto Hermione's face. 'This is Harry we're talking about! He wouldn't just – why are you saying this?!'
'Ron' said George in a hoarse voice, as Hagrid started wailing into his handkerchief.
'It's not true' Ron muttered hysterically, stepping away from Hermione to pace the room. 'We've just missed something, that's all. Maybe whatever was in the snitch, or' –
Tears were streaming down Hermione's face but Ron would not believe it. Not when the last thing he'd said to Harry was some crack about his family.
'You were wearing the locket, Ron, you weren't yourself' –
'It's not about that!' denied Ron furiously, but the catch in his throat betrayed him. 'I'm telling you, Harry always pulls something out of the bag at the last minute, he's going to show up here with – a plan, or – '
Just as Ron had pointed wildly at the front door, there was a thunderous knock and then complete silence as the room's occupants stilled in shock.
'No one else knows we're here' whispered Bill at the others' questioning looks. Without waiting another second, Ron rushed to the door and pulled it open, ignoring the warning voices behind him.
But it was not Harry standing outside. Instead, Ron found himself face to face with his old potion's professor, his pale skin glowing eerily in the light of the living room.
Ron raised his wand furiously to send a stunner at the traitor while Snape watched him with calm disdain. 'Relax, Weasley. I'm not here to murder anyone.'
'Well then why are you here?' growled Ron as his dad and Lupin joined him in the doorway.
'I would have thought that was obvious' said Snape. 'I'm here to see Potter'.
'That's sick' snarled Ron, gripping his wand threateningly.
'Step aside, Ron' said Arthur, trying to push his youngest son out of the way.
'Get tha' traitor out o' here!' bellowed Hagrid from behind them.
'He knows bloody well what happened and he's here to gloat!' snapped Ron, not willing to take his eyes off Snape's calm façade. 'He's wanted Harry dead for years'.
'Whatever foolish impression you are under, Weasley, I assure you that Potter is not dead'.
Ron looked across at Hermione's face and thought he could see the same desperate hope that he was feeling, but for her sake he pushed it down.
'Hermione was there' he said in a scathing voice. 'She saw your Master use the Killing Curse'.
'The Dark Lord is under the same impression' said Snape. 'But as we all know, Potter's arrogance has led him to flaunt the rules of magic more than once before'.
'How can you stand there and insult Harry, Severus?' growled Remus furiously on Ron's right, and for a moment he could see elements of the wolf in his quiet former professor. 'Dumbledore trusted you'.
'That's why I'm here' said Snape, looking uncharacteristically strained. 'How do you think I got through the Fidelius, Lupin?' Remus looked doubtfully back at Bill. 'Dumbledore gave me all of the addresses of the key order members in case I needed to get in contact with you'.
'And why haven't you attacked before now?' asked Mr. Weasley suspiciously.
'Because I'm on your side' answered Snape, looking revolted at the prospect of having to prove himself to them.
'How stupid do you think we are?' laughed Ron humourlessly.
'No more stupid than you proved yourself to be in potions, I hope, or we are doomed already' sneered Snape. 'I have no wand, Lupin, and the fact that a hundred Death Eaters haven't barged in here yet is surely proof enough that I haven't betrayed Dumbledore's trust. So are you going to listen to me or not?'
'That depends on what you've got to say to us, Severus' said Remus, with doubt flickering in his eyes. Looking as if he was going against his better judgement, he made a movement with his wand for Snape to enter. The hated Headmaster moved forward into the room so that he was surrounded on all sides by unfriendly faces.
'I have to speak with Weasley and Granger alone'.
