"Blimey, Hermione!" Harry winced.
"Straight in here, if you please." Moody held out the flask, un-stoppered now. The potion inside began to spit forth smoke. He handed it to George. "For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning. It tastes like goblin piss."
Fred smiled. "Have a lot of experience with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" Moody's eye rotated menacingly onto Fred. "Just trying to defuse the tension."
Fred took the flask from George, followed by Ron, Hermione, Fleur, Caleb and a less than overjoyed Mundungus. He scowled as the potion trickled past his lips and seconds later, his features like those of the others – began to bubble like hot wax. As the transformation completed, eight Harry Potters stood in the tiny kitchen.
Fred and George turned to each other and said together, "Wow – we're identical!"
"Not yet you aren't." Moody pulled the ties on the sacks and pulled out eight identical outfits. "So, shut it and strip."
"Don't have something a bit more sporty, do you?" George asked.
"Yes, don't fancy this colour at all." Fred added.
"Bah," said Fleur, checking herself in the microwave door, "Bill, don't look at me– I'm 'ideous."
Mad Eye turned to Harry. "You'll need to change too, Potter."
Harry, a bit self-consciously, began to strip down. I blushed as I looked away. The others, meanwhile, appeared unconcerned to be exposing Harry's body.
"I knew Belle was lying about that tattoo," said Ron, looking down at his bare chest as I tried to disguise my laugh.
"Harry, your eyesight really is awful," said Hermione, as she put on glasses.
Once dressed, the fake Harrys took rucksacks and owl cages, each containing a stuffed snowy owl, from the second sack.
"Good," said Moody, as at last eight dressed, bespectacled, and luggage-laden Harrys faced him. "The pairs will be as follows: Mundungus will be traveling with me, by broom –"
"Why'm I with you?" grunted the Harry nearest the back door.
"Because you're the one that needs watching," growled Moody, and sure enough, his magical eye did not waver from Mundungus as he continued, "Arthur and Fred –"
"I'm George," said the twin at whom Moody was pointing. "Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?"
"Sorry, George –"
"I'm only yanking your wand, I'm Fred really –"
"Enough messing around!" snarled Moody. "The other one – George or Fred or whoever you are – you're with Remus. Miss Delacour –"
"I'm taking Fleur on a thestral," said Bill. "She's not that fond of brooms."
Fleur walked over to stand beside him, giving him a soppy, slavish look that on Harry's face made me laugh.
"Miss Granger with Kingsley, again by thestral –"
Hermione looked reassured as she answered Kingsley's smile; I knew that Hermione too lacked confidence on a broomstick.
"Miss Danvers with Mr Danvers by broom-"
"Which leaves you and me, Ron!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a mug tree as she waved at him.
Ron did not look quite as pleased as Hermione.
"An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious.
"We'll be on the bike, brooms an' thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."
"That's great," Harry said, although his face said differently.
"We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," said Moody, who seemed to guess how Harry was feeling. "Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potters who looks at home on a broomstick. All right then," he went on, tying up the sack with the fake Potters' clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, "I'll make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking. Come on …"
I followed the group to the dark back garden. On every side broomsticks were leaping into hands; Hermione had already been helped up onto a great black thestral by Kingsley, Fleur onto the other by Bill. Hagrid was standing ready beside the motorbike, goggles on.
"Good luck, everyone," shouted Moody. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One … two .. THREE."
We began to rise through the air fast, my eyes watering slightly, hair whipped back off my face. Around me brooms were soaring upward too; the long black tail of a thestral flicked past.
I clung tightly to my brother as we soared on the broom. However soon we were surrounded by Death Eaters. They must have known what we were doing. I threw spells as them and saw a few fall off their brooms. "Keep going!" I yelled at my brother as Killing Curses flew past my head. I raised my wand and flames came out of it. The Death Eaters screamed their robes afire as they fell of their brooms. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my side that caused me to scream in pain.
My brother turned to look at me worried before something knocked us out of the sky. I landed painfully on my shoulder. I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. I felt myself being lifted as my brother carried me to a house, the burrow. We must have not landed too far.