CHAPTER 10: The Owl of Betrayal

I caught up with Hermione and we locked hands. As we were making it across the lawn to disapparate, I heard shrieking from inside the house. We exchanged puzzled glances.

Mother ran blindly at me with rabid eyes.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! You broke your little brother's heart, and now you endangered his life!"

"Endangered his life? What in the name of Merlin's balls are you saying!" I shoved past her to see what happened to Ron.

He was sprawled on the floor, eyes open but lifeless and mouth agape. What's really disturbing is that his left forearm started to smoke and sizzle. Ignoring this, I turned to see an eagle owl soar from the window, a letter tucked in its beak. Who in their right mind would send a letter in this crazed situation? Hermione's screams interrupted my thoughts.

I dashed around the house, hurrying to come to her aid, only to find her in a fierce headlock with Ginny.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" I roared at my sister.

"Now don't go defending her now! First, she nicks Harry away from me. However, she's not contented with just the Boy Who Lived, but also went to cause mayhem between you and Ron! And thanks to her, our family's came to a worse disarray than it is!" Ginny snapped back, apoplectic with rage.

I'm shocked at Ginny's words. All along, I saw her as someone who idolized Hermione. They excellently went along, and they were calling each other terms of endearment. I don't know where this came from.

"I – I thought you were my friend… I didn't know—I didn't want—"Hermione stuttered.

"You didn't know? From all the books and the intelligence, and now you don't KNOW!"

As if woken from a trance, my father stepped between the three of us. He calmly spoke.

"Well now, let's set all hostility aside. If we all want to regain Ron, let's act as one. I'm surprised that no one's even thought of going to St. Mungo's to have him healed. You were all busy on picking at each other."

Dad's timing can never be better. With the last sharp glances at Hermione and me, the rest of my family disapparates with Ron to St. Mungo's. Only Harry, Hermione, George and I were left at the Burrow.

Once again, out of the blue, Harry spoke:

"I think I saw Malfoy's owl at the window."

This stirs a lot of suspicion in all of us.