"What do you think's gonna happen?" Asked Ron.
"Oh, I think you know that already, Ronald." Countered Luna.
It was always a little like a boxing match with them, but only to begin with. Luna never gave him an answer straight out unless she knew he needed it.
"It'll start, won't it? Reconnaissance. Locked doors, heavy wards. Muggle-borns will have to go into hiding."
"Yes." She said, with a sad look on her face.
"D'you think they'll actually ask anything of us? You know how they are, the adults. We're seventeen, the lot of us, but mum's always got her knickers in a twist over how young we are anyway, not to mention Dumbledore."
"I'm sixteen."
"Yeah, but they'll treat us the same, so it doesn't matter, does it?" Asked Ron, pulling Luna in by her hand, and then her waist. She left her hairbrush on the desk and let herself be pulled. Ron put his arms around her middle and rested his head on her stomach, just beneath her breasts.
"There will always be something which is required of us by the Order, even if they do not say. They are not allowed to say, see?" She said, stroking Ron's hair. "It's not allowed, but you can see it in their eyes. They ask for help, for things only children can do."
"They need us." Said Ron, half a question.
"Yes, they do." Said Luna.
"Are there wrackspurts in my hair, Lu?"
"No."
There were stars out that night. Luna looked at them through the window of their room in Gryffindor tower, wondering what they might have looked like to Van Gogh, had he seen them that night.
"Oh, alright. Good."
She kept on, though, just petting his hair.
OoOoO
"I'll spare you the details." Said Dumbledore, wholly unlike himself, and without any sort of twinkle in his eye.
"Miss Granger's house was not the only one attacked. Mr. Finch-Fletchley's home was as well, his parents victim to an attack by the Death Eaters." He said, gesturing to the boy sat in the corner, with red eyes, shaking hands, and an angry set to his mouth.
Everyone was gathered in Dumbledore's office, ready to hear their orders, ready to begin. Snape was, as always, shrouded in darkness at the back of the room, while Arthur and Molly stood behind a chintz armchair of Dumbledore's conjuring, in which was seated Ginny, with Alex stood at her side. Ron and Luna were stood on the one side of the room with Bill, Fleur and Charlie, while Hermione stood with Neville, strangely close to Snape. Mcgonagall was stood on the other side of the room, not far from Dumbledore, and bracing herself, it appeared, on one of the little tables which held all Dumbledore's strange, spindly, silver instruments. Fred and George had arrived the night before, and stood by themselves against the closet which contained the pensieve. Remus Lupin, who looked positively haggard, was stood beside Mcgonagall, with Harry at his side.
"So what are we going to do?" Asked Ron.
"Severus." Said Dumbledore, indicating Snape.
"We have set up several safehouses along Godric's hollow, Ottery St. Catchpole, and with those Order members who still survive." Said Snape. "We've already begun moving those of us who are muggle-born out of their homes and into the houses. I believe Molly has agreed to oversee the operation." He said, with a nod in her direction.
"Yes," She said. "Bill has done up the wards, we should be set to go. The rest of us are moving them as we speak."
*Ah*, thought Ginny. *That's where everyone is.* She was not the only person to notice that only the Hogwarts contingent appeared to be in attendance.
"Now." Said Dumbledore. "The matter of Miss Granger's parents."
Hermione's head snapped up, and she looked at him with a glint in her eye. A warning.
"We have received intelligence that suggests that they are still alive," Hermione let out an audible sigh- "and are being held captive in a house on the coast of Wales."
"Wales?" Asked Harry.
"We cannot jump to any sort of conclusions based on what little evidence we have, but we suspect that it is because Lucius Malfoy owns a second home there." Said McGonagall, tensing and releasing a muscle in her jaw.
Hermione, for her part, said nothing, but it was quite clear from her silence that the had just become just a tiny bit homicidal.
"Mr. Weasley," Said Dumbledore, turning to Bill, "We will certainly need a curse-breaker if we are to retrieve them."
"Of course, and I'd like to bring Fleur as well. She's vicious with a hex." He said, smirking a little at the corner of his mouth.
"I find that I must agree, as I recall, Mr. Davies was in the hospital wing for a week just following the Yule ball. Madame Pomfrey couldn't seem to set him quite right." The twinkle was back, if only for a moment.
In another lifetime, Ron would have insisted on going with the rescue, but today it was Ginny who volunteered.
"I want to go." She said calmly, but with a certain fire in her eyes. Alex squeezed her hand.
"No." Said Arthur from behind her. "No, absolutely not."
Ginny leapt up from her chair so quickly that Alex startled.
"And why is that?" She demanded of her father. "It it because I'm just a child?" She asked, with a mocking, sarcastic air. "Honestly, it's like you actually believe that's a valid reason to keep me locked up inside." She whirled around and faced Dumbledore with her glare. "Do you honestly believe that a Death Eater would spare me just because I'm underage? Do you really think they conduct themselves according to any sort of moral code? They've taken Hermione's parents, for Merlin's sake! You've got to let go of your shit, we're playing by different rules now."
Ginny flung her hands in the air, and made to leave when Hermione said "Wait!" Ginny turned around to see Hermione standing, with the same kind of stubbornness Ginny'd thought she'd lost over the past couple of days.
Ginny paused with her hand on the door, and Hermione turned to Dumbledore.
"It should be me. I should go." She said, with wide eyes.
Dumbledore said nothing for a moment, only unclasped his hands to lean forward on the desk in front of him.
"Miss Granger, it would be very dangerous. Despite what Miss Weasley says, you are still children. I cannot, in good conscience, send children to fight this war for us."
"But you already have." Said a voice from the corner. Luna.
"Luna?" Said Neville.
She didn't take her bright eyes off Dumbledore for a moment. "But you know that, don't you?"
For a few moments, nobody said anything at all.
"Hermione," said Luna, getting up to take her hand, "I think you should stay, and Gin. We can do more here, can't we? For now, we can do more."
Hermione looked at Dumbledore then, and said "They come back in once piece, and I do the obliviating." With a hard set to her eyes.
Dumbledore only nodded his head.
"Okay. Okay." She said, and sat back down. Ginny followed her.
"There is still the matter of -Fletchley's parents, Bill. I assume you and Fleur are up to the task?"
"Of course, sir, but where are they being kept? Not with the Grangers?"
"That's the thing." Said Arthur. "We've absolutely no idea."
"They're playing a game." Said George. "They're taunting us."
"They'll never get away with it." Said Fred.
"Ah, Messers. Weasley, I had hoped you might say that."
At Fred's quirked eyebrow, Dumbledore said, "We've a job for you."
"And what might that be, exactly?" Asked Ginny, like a challenge. She was still sore, it seemed.
"I remember quite well your penchant for trouble-making, Messers. Weasley." Said McGonagall. "I also remember your particular knack for getting spells to change themselves to suit your needs. At the time, I had thought it was callous, but now, we're going to need someone, or rather, someones who can find a needle on the entire British countryside."
"Wicked." Said the twins in unison, and immediately put their heads together and began to whisper urgently.
"Albus." Said Remus, from his spot near the desk. "What will we do when the children arrive?"
It was, after all, less than two weeks to the start of term. Ginny remembered idly that thad been her birthday only a week before. A lifetime ago, a cupcake with Alex on the floor of the bus.
"We will continue as we have. We have no cause to alarm them, and what they need now is safety, a sense of normalcy. It is our responsibility to give them what little time we have left."
At that, however surprisingly, no one raised a single protest.
OoOoO
After the others had filed out, Harry stayed behind. He and Dumbledore sat facing each other in near-darkness. It was nearing eight 'o clock.
"Harry, you know of the horcruxes, of what must be done." It wasn't a question. Harry shifted in his seat.
"Yes, sir."
"Not yet, but soon there will be many things required of you. Hard things, Harry, very difficult things."
"I know that, sir."
"Yes," Said Dumbledore. "I suppose that you do."
OoOoO
