Hello!! I'm back!! Sorry. I was kind of unmotivated for a while, but I watched RENT last night, and, for who-knows-what reason, it inspired me to write again. Speaking of RENT and writing ... big news!

My two good author friends (Cicily B and ForbiddenMemory) and I will be working together on a RENT fanfiction starting two days from now. It is called "Broken Chorus" and will be by the penname TheTangoSel. Any RENT fans out there, look it up and take a read!

One hour later, there was music blaring, people laughing, and the mouthwatering scent of my mother's cooking everywhere. I myself was talking with Lupin, who I had missed terribly in the past couple of months. He was telling me about how the Ministry didn't make him work with the werewolves anymore, since it had changed sides, and how they were now permitting him to be unemployed. They thought he was, but he was working hard with the Order, so much so that it was basically a full-time job. My mom and dad had, having been the host and hostess for all Order members because they were the owners of the headquarters, had been very important and maybe even the heads of the Order before we were put under arrest. Now, Lupin and Kingsley were the head honchos around the Order. There was no real headquarters, but they'd been meeting in different places. It all attracted less attention that way, anyway.

As Lupin told me of his and Kinglsey's latest antics, I smiled, not one hundred percent focused, and glanced towards where my mother and Tonks were laughing and talking, taking long drinks from their glasses. I wanted to give Tonks the letter I had written when I thought I might never get to see her again, because I had forgotten every time she'd been over to our house so far, but she looked like she was having a good time right now. After all, hadn't I always been taught that it was rude to interrupt?

"Yeah," I murmured distractedly to Lupin at what seemed the right time. I nodded every once in a while, but allowed my mind and eyes to wander through the party. I could easily spot Mundungus Fletcher, which wasn't exactly pleasant, as he looked fairly ... well ... downright filthy and repulsive, if you want to know the truth. I saw my parents, of course ... there were the twins ... and ... wait ... Hagrid! Bill! Fleur! They were all here!

Lupin noticed that I was distracted and followed my gaze, calling, "Oh, hello, Hagrid! How are you?"

He nodded to my brothers and began talking to Hagrid.

"Yes, I'm fine, Tonks and I are doing well ... no, no, she's not ill, right over there actually ..."

Since Hagrid appeared to be taken for the moment, I hurried to greet Bill and Fleur.

"Hey, Bill!" I cried, hugging him.

"Hey, li'l sis," he answered happily, scooping me into a big bear hug.

"'Allo, Ginny," said Fleur sniffily. She knew I didn't favor her much.

"'A-Er, hi, Fleur," I said, embarassed. I had wanted not to let anything spoil tonight, but I was getting off on the wrong foot with Fleur already, and I hadn't even finished saying hello. Just my luck.

My brother looked at me sternly as Fleur tried to overlook my blunder and told me airily, "You are looking vell."

"And you as well," I replied corteously. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think Lupin's finished saying hullo to Hagrid and I think I'll go see how he is."

"Okay, but be careful. The Ministry could find out about this and come around at any time," said my overcautious and highly paranoid brother.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered audibly as I walked away.

"Hagrid!" I cried as I came near him.

Hagrid finished pouring his glass of firewhisky before he turned around.

"Ginny!" he cried delightedly when he finally did. "So grea' ter see ya, been worried sick, y'know ... Fang misses yer somethin' terrible."

I smiled and answered, "I've been worrying about you guys back at Hogwarts, too. I want to come back to school so bad! But I don't think I can. Not this year, anyway. Maybe by the end of the summer and the start of next term things will've calmed down. I hope so."

"That'd be somethin'," replied Hagrid mildly. "Sometimes it don' seem like this war's ever gon' end, though!"

"I know what you mean," I answered gloomily. "But it's got to ... hasn't it?"

I looked imploringly at him, seeking to be reassured, and he delivered by replying guiltily, "Oh, o' course it's gotta, I didn't mean tha' ..."

"It's all right," I said, smiling. "I'm fine ... I just worry sometimes."

"We all do," replied Hagrid earnestly. "It's a har' job for those three, but if anyone can do it, i's them. I'm sure of it."

"I think you're right," I agreed. I felt a lot better than I had this morning, that was for sure.

"Recen' news is har' to come by. It's har' not knowin'," said Hagrid.

"Yeah-" I began, but I was cut off by a collective murmur from all around me.

I looked towards where everyone has turned to face, and I gasped. Bellatrix Lestrange was coming- no, rushing- towards the Burrow. Everyone drew their wands and aimed them towards her. Some people were whispering and pointing as she got closer. No one bothered to go and intercept her- she would be here within a minute, anyway.

"Nymphadora!" called a voice from the distance. It didn't sound quite like Bellatrix. A little off. Maybe from the distance? But why would she be calling Tonks anyway- and why her full name?

"Nymphadora!" the figure called again, closer now. I blinked. She was running through the yard. A few people were yelling and screaming now. Every single person there had their wand out. She tripped, and everyone relaxed a little.

"Nymphadora! Come here!" scolded ... Bellatrix?

Tonks smiled and stepped forward.

"It's just my mother," she told us, and held out a hand to help the woman up.

There was a collective buzz of question-and-answer as everyone explained to their confused neighbors that Bellatrix and Mrs. Tonks were sisters and had an eerie similarity of appearance (and, from what I had seen, temper, though maybe not what it was directed at).

Tonks and Mrs. Tonks murmured privately together for a little while, Tonks holding both of her mother's hands as she spoke and listened. Tonks looked very serious, which was rare. Her smile seemed as much of a part a permanent body fixture as a leg or an arm to me. I was especially startled when both she and her mother began to cry silently and embrace. Tonks and her parents had never really been the best of friends.

Eventually, Tonks and her mother broke apart. Everyone was standing in a clump several yards away from them, Lupin in the front, looking very concerned. Tonks took his hand, leaving her mother standing to stand in the middle of the yard while sneaking sideways glances at the large group, and led him away from the group, not letting go of his hands while she tearily told him whatever the news was, just as she had kept hold of her mother's when her mother had been telling her this.

Lupin looked stunned when she had finished. He held her close to him, and she cried, not silently anymore, her face buried in his shirt. He looked absentmindedly down at her and stroked her hair with a sigh. He said something to her, and she stopped crying long enough to look up at him. She sniffled, looking like a sad child who would blindly trust anything this person said to her. She listened, then nodded, held him tighter for a moment, her eyes closed, and then broke away from him to go back to her mother.

He walked towards my father and said quietly, "We'll be leaving now ..." before murmuring something I couldn't hear.

"Oh," said my father, blindsided. "Oh, my. I hope they're all right. That ... that's terrible news. Terrible timing, too ..." he added with a glance at Tonks' ever-growing belly. "Yes ... well ... I do hope they get through this ... as smoothly as possible."

"Thank you," said Lupin, even more somber than usual. "It's been a nice evening, Arthur. Thank you for inviting us and thank you for your good wishes."

My father nodded, seeming dazed as he walked over to where my mother and I were now standing together.

"Ted Tonks has been murdered," he told us quietly.