Part IV: Revolution
Chapter V: In Which Corrina gets Left Behind
"Harry!" shouted Corinna as she madly looked around. She blocked a hooded figures spells as she ran in the direction that they must have gone. "Ron! Hermione!" She squeezed between a couple of families that were trying to gather together. She could not see any sign of the others, only cloaked figures and terrified guests. "Protego!" she shouted when a Death Eater aimed a stunner at her and it deflected to the ceiling. "Petrificus Totalus," she shouted to send him flying back.
"Corinna!" She tried not to be disappointed that it was Dora who approached her. "Where's Harry?"
"I don't know," she said as she gripped onto Dora as if she were an anchor. "I was holding onto Harry when we found Ron. Hermione was…" Her extremities felt like they were being replaced with ice. "Hermione was about to Apparate when a Death Eater grabbed my plait. He pulled so hard and I was running. It hurt so much. By the time I got free, they were gone."
Dora looked relieved to hear that. "That means that Harry got out. That's what's important. Remember, he wasn't—"
She was cut off when a man amplified his voice using magic. Corinna did not recognize him. "If you all cooperate, this will be all over quickly. We only want one thing and then we can all go back to the festivities."
"That's Pius Thicknesse," Dora whispered to Corinna. "Head of Magical Law Enforcement."
"I've heard of him," she whispered back as he barked orders for everyone who remained to be seated and to await further instructions. "His assistant was a friend of Terry's sister. She went missing a few weeks ago." Now Corinna thought for sure she was dead.
One of the nearest Death Eaters or Ministry workers or whatever, motioned for Dora and Corinna to sit down at the nearest table, and they looked as if they were interested in using their wands for something other than guiding people. They ended up at a table with a terrified Ginny and Dean. Dora talked lowly to reassure them that everything will be okay. Mrs. Weasley no longer seemed as drunk as she was arguing with one of the Death Eaters/Ministry workers to be closer to her family, but Mr. Weasley talked her down.
There weren't many people left at the party as many people had fled even before the invaders arrived. It was all the Weasleys sans Ron, the Delacours, anyone at the Order who was free to come to the wedding, Hagrid, and Dean, who was probably only still here as he didn't want to abandon Ginny.
"Now, we will be interviewing everyone individually," Thicknesse continued as he looked about the room. His eyes locked onto Corinna and she did not move away. "We'll be starting with you, shall we?"
One of the nearest Death Eaters grabbed her arm and she pulled it away from him. "I can stand up on my own just fine, thanks," she said, keeping a tight grip on her wand as she stood.
"Take her to the…you call that a house?" Remus had to pull Mr. Weasley down from rising to the taunt. "No matter. I will be there to interview her in a moment. Alone."
She gave one last look at Dora who mouthed the word Behave before she was dragged from the tent. She hadn't even realized that night had fallen during the night's festivities. It did not feel that long ago she was fussing over Ginny and Gabrielle in the sitting room, doing what she could with their hair and makeup.
"You get special privileges," the man dragging her said. His sweaty face and scraggly beard made her repulsed as he shoved her into the house. She was able to catch herself from falling.
"Fuck you!" she shouted, but the man had slammed the door shut in her face. She kicked the door as a way to release some of her pent up anger. First, she gets left behind because of her stupid hair, and now she gets supposedly special privileges. And why? Because she was dating Harry? Because her mother was Bellatrix Lestrange?
She looked about the empty kitchen, with cupboards haphazardly thrown open and a few chairs overturned. They must have already searched the place, or else they would not have left Corinna hear by herself. She looked through the window and saw the person who dragged her up there standing by the door. She was willing to bet that there were other Death Eaters set up along the other entrances into the Burrow.
So she paced, considering her options. As much as she didn't want to, there were going to be things she would need to say. She would be an idiot not to take the layer of protection that Harry had offered her all those weeks ago at Dumbledore's funeral. But there were a few things of the story she would need to try to keep straight. Even if she was left behind, she was going to do what she could to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione from here.
Thicknesse obviously lied about it only being a moment as the time crept by as the minutes approached a half hour before the brute of a man came in through the doorway. She had a million things she wanted to say to that man, all of which might make her wind up face down in a river somewhere. Remembering Dora's warning, she kept her mouth shut as Thicknesse pointed to the kitchen table.
"Tell me," he said as he leaned against the table so that their eyes were level with each other. Corinna never wavered the stare. "Where is Harry Potter?"
"How am I supposed to know?" she asked, unable to add any tact to her question.
"Well, you're his bitch, aren't you?"
"I'm no one's bitch," she said coolly. She wondered why she still had her wand. It's as if they wanted her to do something so they had a reason to arrest her. She knew she needed to keep a cool head if she was going to get through this. "We broke up," she said. "At Dumbledore's funeral. I hadn't seen him…" She then remembered that Harry had fought Voldemort near her home. "I hadn't seen him since he left my house on the twenty-seventh. I wasn't privy as to where he was going after that."
"Okay, then where are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger?" he continued. "They were here tonight. They were spotted running with another red-headed boy. Some claim his name is Barny Weasley, but we have no record of such a wizard."
"I'm not their keeper," she said. "Honestly, the way those two were acting tonight, they are probably hiding out in the broom shed snogging. And as for that Barny Weasley character. That's what he said his name was. All we did was dance. I didn't ask him if he was who he claimed to be."
That earned her a smack to the face and it took all her self-control not to send the man flying through Mrs. Weasley's kitchen. "Why don't you give me the truth this time."
"I told you," she said, slowly turned her head back to face Thicknesse, her cheek stinging but she refused to reach up for relief. "I don't know where any of them are."
"And I know you are lying," he shouted, leaning forward so he was only inches from Corinna. She could smell his bad breath and it was making her gag. "I have confirmation that someone heard you shouting for Potter. Explain that one."
"One of your lot just pulled my hair while I was running," said Corinna, her jaw clenched from trying not to breathe. "I was confused as to what was going on. So, yeah, I called out for the man I dated for six months and just broke up with a few weeks ago. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that he is the Ministry's number one enemy. We have a warrant out for his arrest and we would like this all tied up tonight if we can. If you tell us the truth, then we won't have to hurt any of you."
"I am telling you the bloody truth," she shouted, getting up in his face now. "It's not my fault it's not what you want to hear."
Thicknesse stepped back and studied Corinna a moment. "Maybe this will loosen your tongue. Crucio!"
Before this, Corinna had only seen people under the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. First, there was her father disguised as Moody who performed it on a spider to show the fourth years the effects of the curse. And then there was her fifth year when she watched her classmate, Neville Longbottom, scream in horror as Bellatrix used it on him, just like she had used it on his parents to the point they lost their minds.
She always knew it was going to be painful—the worst kind of pain, in fact—but she didn't quite know what that meant until that moment. The pain was intense. It was all she could think about. She couldn't remember where she was or even her own name. It was as if white-hot knives were piercing every nerve in her body and her mind felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. She screamed so loudly as the pain wracked through her. She wanted to die. She wanted to die so that the pain would end.
At first, she thought she had. The pain faded and left her with only a memory of it. A terrifying memory, nonetheless. She was breathing heavily and she found herself on the floor, looking up at Thicknesse as he smiled at her.
"Now let's try this again," he said smoothly. "Where is Harry Potter?"
"I don't—" A sob tore through her as the pain returned. It seemed almost worse now that she knew what to expect. Although it was another few seconds of torture, but it felt like hours. It left her breathless and writhing on the floor. "You can torture me into insanity and the answer is going to be the same," she said, her voice hoarse from the crying and screaming. "I—don't—fucking—know!"
Thicknesse leaned down and kept his wand trained between Corinna's eyes. "I'm going to be back in a few minutes," he said softly, and Corinna could barely hear him over the pounding blood in her ears. For a moment, she thought her eardrum had ruptured again. "While I'm gone, I want you to think very, very hard. Anymore wrong answers might be the last things you ever say. Do you understand?" When Corinna said and did nothing, he used the Cruciatus Curse again. "I said, do you fucking understand?"
"Y-yes," she managed to choke out, hoping the smell of urine wasn't coming from her.
Corinna just laid there as the door slammed shut, causing the plates in the cupboard to shift. Her breathing was sporadic as she tried to regain control of herself. It was hard when all she wanted to do was lay on the cold floor and give up. It seemed like the perfect option right then: give up.
Slowly, she stood up, her limbs shaking from the torture her body just endured. She had, indeed, peed herself. Her nose scrunched up as she waved the mess away. Technically, she shouldn't have done a spell near such sensitive areas, but she did not really care at that point.
She pushed herself so her back was to the cupboard and she pulled her knees up to her chest. She buried her face into her dress robes and let the tears silently leak out of her eyes.
It could have been seconds, minutes, days, or even years before the front door opened again. She was almost afraid to lift her head up as she did not want to face Thicknesse, but someone had knelt down next to her and wrapped their arms around her. "It's okay," came Dora's voice and Corinna automatically turned to somehow get closer to the embrace. "They're gone. Everyone had the same story, so they had no reason to stick around. We're still being watched but…Cor, what happened?"
It was as if someone used a tongue-tied curse on her. She could not find her voice nor even force her tongue to cooperate into forming words. What was worse was how pathetic she felt. Neville had gotten right back up and was ready to fight again after being tortured. And what was Corinna doing? Sobbing on the floor being held by her cousin.
"I'll grab her bag from upstairs," came Mrs. Weasley's voice. She sounded like she was knelt next to Corinna. She hadn't even noticed her presence until it was gone again, and Corinna wanted nothing more than the motherly comfort to come back to her. It was something she never really had, and her body seemed to crave it.
"Corinna sweetheart," said Mrs. Weasley, and Corinna hadn't even realized that time had gone by. "I couldn't find your bag in Ginny's room. Would it be somewhere else in the house?"
That's when she remembered. "N-no," she said, carefully sitting up, embarrassment all over her face. "They have it."
"Who has it?" asked Dora. "Do you mean—oh." At least she seemed to understand so Corinna did not have to explain further. "Then I'll just take her home. We'll figure that sort of thing out later." They slowly stood up and Corinna's knees shook violently. "Remus will stay to help you. Tell him to come to my parents place once he's done."
"I'll pass along the message," said Mrs. Weasley. Corinna finally lifted her head as a very concerned Mrs. Weasley swam in her vision. "We shouldn't have let you come out here alone."
"If you had fought it, you would have been in the same boat," said Corinna. She did not wish that sort of torment onto anyone. She wasn't even sure if someone like Bellatrix deserved it.
Corinna was glad no one else was in the house that she could see as she shakily followed Dora out of the Burrow. Although her limbs shook, she felt like she should be able to walk just fine, but she accepted the help anyway. Dora was uncharacteristically quiet. She expected her cousin to spout of nasty things about her boss or about what just happened, but her skin seemed to glow white underneath the dim moonlight.
They walked across the lawn and just passed the fence. "Do you think you can Apparate by yourself? If not, I can help."
Even if it made her felt even more weak, which she didn't think was possible at this point, she accepted the help as Dora side-along Apparated to Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted's place. The wards here must have been broken too as the apparated right next to the front porch. The crack must have alerted them as both Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted rushed out to meet them. They both looked worn and older than they had yesterday morning. It, again, felt so long ago that she had last saw them when it hadn't even been forty-eight hours at that point.
"How could they?" Aunt Andromeda demanded as she looked Corinna over. "Wasn't it bad enough that they tortured Ted and me? They had to do it to a child!"
"They what?" That seemed to break through the thick layer of fog that settled in Corinna's mind. "When did this happen?"
"They just left," Uncle Ted explained. "They wanted information about Harry Potter. Of course, we told them nothing, even after they started throwing that damn curse around."
Guilt rose up within Corinna and Aunt Andromeda dismissed it away. "It would have happened even if you weren't involved with him. They were interrogating anyone who had any connection to Harry. Since we allowed Harry to come to our home, they asked us questions. We didn't give anything away, of course."
That did not do much to quell the burning feeling that rose into her throat. "Let's get her inside, 'Dromeda," suggested Ted as he wrapped an arm around Corinna and drew her in to his side. "There'll be time to talk about this tomorrow. She's been through enough."
Corinna barely remembered going upstairs. The next thing she knew, Aunt Andromeda had given her a warm cloth to wash her face with while she sat on the edge of her bed. Dora scrounged up some pajamas that might fit Corinna and she told them that she could undress herself. She wasn't an invalid, after all, she just felt like one with how pathetic she thought she was handling this.
They did not take offense to that, simply telling Corinna goodnight and that they will see her in the morning. Once Corinna was alone, she wanted nothing more than to ask them to come back. Instead, she tore off her dress robes and shakily slipped on the pajamas. The only thing she did not take off was the necklace from Harry. She did not care if she woke up with the chair tangled up in her hair in the morning. All the more reason to get it all chopped off.
Unfortunately, the necklace didn't get tangled in her hair as she laid completely still all night. She laid on top of the covers, staring up at the ceiling. Every time she closed her eyes, she thought something was moving toward her. Whenever she sat up, her wand trained, nothing was there. She still kept her wand firmly in her fist, desperate for that layer of protection.
Unable to stand it any longer, once the grey light of dawn poured through her window, she sat up and headed downstairs. No one else was up yet, so she went about making tea as she needed to do something. As she was carrying the cup back into the sitting room, she heard retching coming from upstairs. She barely sat her tea down before rushing up into the bathroom.
Aunt Andromeda was already there, kneeling beside her daughter as she was bowing into the porcelain throne. "There, there," said Aunt Andromeda gently as she rubbed Dora's back. "I wish I could tell you this is the worst part, but it isn't."
"What's going on?" asked Corinna as she stood at the threshold, her gaze shifting between Aunt Andromeda and Dora.
Dora responded in kind by throwing up.
"We'll explain," Aunt Andromeda promised, "just go make her some peppermint tea to help settle her stomach."
"Yeah, alright," said Corinna as she went back downstairs and made some more tea. It did not take long as she had already made some hot water. But they still beat her downstairs with Dora looking pale and miserable.
"Sorry about that," she said as she took the teacup and saucer but made no motion to drink it. "This is not how I intended you to find out about this. But…I'm pregnant!"
Corinna sat down on the couch and blinked over at her cousin. "Congratulations!" she said, breaking out into a smile. "That's wonderful! Do you know how far along you are?"
"About a month," said Dora.
Corinna's brows raised in amusement. "Seems you two got that train going very quickly."
"Corinna!" said Aunt Andromeda, but Dora just laughed, nearly tipping the tea in the process.
"Mum, she has a point." Dora set her tea aside and placed a hand on her stomach. "I just wish Remus would get over himself. He feels like he doomed us both."
Aunt Andromeda tensed, but she did not dare say anything. "Many new fathers are terrified the first time. The first couple of weeks we found out, her father freaked out whenever I stood up from the couch. Remus also has a few extra things to work out."
"He knows I don't care about that," said Dora firmly. "And I don't care if our child has it either. They will still be loved, no matter what."
"Yes, I know, sweetheart," said Aunt Andromeda. "But I'm not the one you need to convince."
Corinna looked at her cousin, the initial elation from finding out that she was with child slowly fading as the reality of the situation settled in. They were in the middle of a war. The Ministry has fallen to Voldemort. And Dora was pregnant.
"What are you going to do about your job?" asked Corinna. "Are you going to continue working for the Ministry?"
"I would have if I weren't pregnant," she said. "Once this gets out and who the father is…it's best I take an unofficial leave. I'm sure Kingsley will continue to work to get intel for the Order."
Uncle Ted came down the stairs and mumbled something about making tea. "And what will the Order do now? They don't have the numbers to take on the entire Ministry."
"We'll see what the Ministry plans to do first," said Dora with a shrug. "At least we won't be tasked with having to keep Harry safe."
Guilt rose up within Corinna as Uncle Ted sat down next to her. "If it wasn't for my stupid hair, I would be with them right now."
"What?" asked Uncle Ted. "What does that mean?"
Corinna quickly explained to them what happened when they started to run off once they got word that the Ministry had fallen. "And I know you lot are relieved," she said, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice. She wasn't really angry at them. She was angry with herself.
"Do you know where they went?" asked Dora.
"Don't you think I would have followed them if I knew?" Corinna countered. "And I obviously can't go now even if they gave me their exact location. If I left, the Ministry would know why, and it would come back down on you all."
"They'll be alright," said Dora. "They have handled themselves just fine before, and Dumbledore told Remus and Kingsley to trust in Harry. Which is exactly what you need to do, even if you aren't with him."
Corinna looked up at Dora, and she had a point. There was no point in wallowing, but what could she possibly do?
She just went through the motions through the day. She borrowed some clothes from Dora that she had tucked away from her school days. "We'll go by your old place later to grab your things," she said. "And maybe you could send an owl to Terry. I'm sure he would like to hear from you and you can get Zelda back."
Corinna knew Dora was just trying to help her feel better, but none of it was working. The piece of parchment that was supposed to be Terry's letter sat on her desk, unwritten. What was she supposed to say to him? Sike! Turns out, I'm not going on the run with my boyfriend and friends. Can I have my cat back? She snorted. That might have actually gone over well with him. He responded well to sarcasm, after all.
She thought she wouldn't have to talk about what happened the previous night, but it seemed that Aunt Andromeda had other plans. She called Corinna into the kitchen to help her with supper when she asked the dreaded question, "Did you want to talk about last night?"
"Honestly, no," said Corinna as she was tasked with peeling the parsnips. "I would rather forget that last night even happened."
"But it did happen and, by the sounds of it, it happened for a long time."
"It was only for a few seconds at a time," said Corinna.
"That's long enough," said Aunt Andromeda. There was some shuffling as she turned to face Corinna, but she focused on the task at hand. She needed the practice doing household spells like this, after all. It was more important than talking about what happened last night.
"What do you want me to say?" asked Corinna. "Because you went through it to. You know how much it…it…"
"It is the worst pain imaginable," said Aunt Andromeda softly. "And it wasn't only for a few seconds. Dora said that they could hear your screaming for a couple of minutes at a time."
Dread filled Corinna when she heard that the people back at the tent could hear her. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," Aunt Andromeda continued as if she could read Corinna's thoughts. "It's an unforgivable curse for a reason."
"I pissed myself," she mumbled, the parsnips falling into the sink when she could no longer concentrate on the spell.
Before she realized it, Aunt Andromeda was hugging her from behind and Corinna felt herself tearing up again. "It's always worse when you are alone or don't have anything to do afterward. I just hope you never, ever have to go through that again."
"I wish no one would ever go through it," she admitted as she leaned into Aunt Andromeda.
"Me, too," said Aunt Andromeda. Corinna wasn't sure how long they stood there, but being enveloped in the warmth that only a mother could provide, she realized just how tired she was. Tiredness was always there, threatening her, but now she felt like it was there in full force. "You look dead on your feet," she said, which was definitely true, "you don't have to sit with us for dinner if you don't want. Why don't you go draw a bath or go get some sleep? I'll save you a plate for when you are hungry. Okay?"
Corinna only nodded as she shuffled out of the kitchen. She ignored Uncle Ted and Dora talking at the dining room table as she went upstairs and collapsed onto her bed.
The Daily Prophet the next day had a large picture of Harry on the front. It must have been taken some time during Dumbledore's funeral as he was in dress robes and the Black Lake acted as a backdrop. But the headline over it sent chills down her spine: "WANTED FOR THE QUESTIONING ABOUT THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE"
"That's absurd!" shouted Corinna as they all read the paper over Uncle Ted's shoulder, who sat at the head of the dining table. "Dora and I were there. It was that slimy Snape!"
"Well, we weren't actually in the Tower when it happened," said Dora. "The only ones there were Harry, Dumbledore, and the Death Eaters."
"Which means they can twist the story however they like," said Uncle Ted as he turned to the second page. "Especially since it seems the Death Eaters have taken over the Prophet as well. Hold on, what's this?"
They all looked at the article that he was looking at and the numb feeling completely froze Corinna's body. "MUGGLE-BORN REGISTER" the article stated.
"'The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called "Muggle-borns," the better to understand how they came to possess magical secrets,'" Uncle Ted read aloud.
"What do you mean 'how did it happen?'" Dora demanded. "They're bloody born with it!"
Uncle Ted continued and even Aunt Andromeda didn't say anything about Dora's outburst. "'Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when Wizards reproduce. Where no proven Wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force.
"'The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to do this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission.'"
He couldn't seem to go on as he tossed the Prophet onto the table.
"Ted, you can't register," said Aunt Andromeda, sitting down next to her husband. "They claim it's to better understand where you get your magic, but you know that is just a front."
"I know it is, 'Dromeda," said Uncle Ted. "I'll get in contact with an old friend of mine from school. I'll see what he plans to do. But if it means I have to go into hiding—"
"We'll all go," said Corinna firmly, not moving from her spot beside Uncle Ted.
"No," he said. "I can't ask that of any of you. You all are protected not just because of your blood, but also your name."
"I gave up that name years ago," said Aunt Andromeda coolly. "I am not about to use it now."
Uncle Ted sighed heavily, looking as if he aged since reading that article. "We don't have many options."
"What if we claimed that you're related to my grandmother?" said Corinna. "Tonks could be Polish if you squint."
"A cover like that could easily fall apart, especially since the Zimas are a powerful wizarding family in Poland. They would no more vouch for me as they would you."
"We can't just let you leave, Dad," said Dora, clearly taking it worse as she allowed tears to fall down her cheeks. "Not like this."
"You can and you will," said Uncle Ted firmly. "You have a child to think about, Dora. You can't give them a proper home while on the run. And 'Dromeda, you need to help Dora as it seems that worthless husband of hers isn't going to do anything."
"I told you, he's busy with the Order," said Dora, but even that excuse seemed to be failing her.
"Then I'll just go with you," said Corinna. "You can't run off alone."
"I won't be alone," he said. "I've got an old school friend of mine who's Muggle-born. He won't register solely because he hates the Ministry even before all this happened."
"When will you go?" asked Aunt Andromeda. She seemed to steel herself, just as she had when Corinna told her that she was going to leave. "Where will you go?"
"I've always liked camping and haven't done it in a while," said Uncle Ted. He might have thought he said it like a joke, but it fell flat. "And I should go soon. They might send people of this…Muggle-born Registration Committee bollocks out to homes of those they know are Muggle-born. They will know about me considering your family, 'Dromeda. I'm probably first on the list for all I know."
"Ted," said Aunt Andromeda softly. "Just send an owl to your friend first. Dora, send a message to Remus. Maybe the Order will know something more about this. We have time."
"Probably not enough of it," said Uncle Ted as he stood up from the table. "Witches and wizards have found ways to go back in time, but no way to get more of it." He ran a hand through his sandy hair. "I need to go prepare."
Corinna collapsed into the spot that Uncle Ted just vacated and stared down at the photograph of Harry, caught unawares of getting the picture taken. He was still handsome, of course, with his shaggy hair hiding his lightning scar. The only thing that the photographer couldn't get was his beautiful green eyes. They were so full of sadness so it was hard to tell if it was taken before or after the ceremony, before or after he tried to break up with her, before or after she left.
She then remembered that Uncle Ted wasn't the only Muggle-born in her life. There were Terry's parents who worked for the Ministry. She could only hope that they were smart enough not to register. Under this, would they consider Terry and Grace Muggle-borns as they could only point to their parents as proof that they didn't "steal" their magic? Hermione was already in danger as she was with Harry, so she certainly wasn't going to register. But what about all the Muggle-borns who were going to Hogwarts for their first year? They had no idea the danger they were in. They believe that they have entered a new world of magic, only for it to be stripped away and to never make it to Hogwarts. They may never see their families again.
Corinna felt her chest tighten as she forced herself to look away from Harry's picture. All she could do was hope that Harry, Ron, and Hermione find and destroy the Horcruxes soon as the world was falling apart.
A reply from Uncle Ted's friend came later that day, basically saying that he would be ready whenever Uncle Ted was.
Corinna could only compare it to a funeral. Everyone was quiet and tiptoed around each other as Uncle Ted packed a rucksack full of only what he would need. Aunt Andromeda tried to shove off lots of food onto him, but he only took a few things. "I need room for things I can't get easily," he reminded gently as he then shoved Muggle clothing, some basic first-aid potions they always kept on hand, and a single photograph. It was taken during Corinna's first Christmas with them. It was in front of the newly decorated tree and Uncle Ted was having a hard time keeping the camera steady with magic. It was partially blurry, but no one seemed to mind. The photo was also a milestone for Corinna: it was her first family portrait.
Now Corinna fully understood what Uncle Ted and Aunt Andromeda felt when she told them that she had to leave for the mission. All she could do was help Uncle Ted pack when she wanted nothing more than to put a body-bind curse on him and hide him away. She couldn't tell anyone this without sounding like a hypocrite, so she kept the comments to herself and showed Uncle Ted a way to pack his clothes to optimize space instead.
Dinner was a somber affair where the only major activity going on was Aunt Andromeda loading Uncle Ted's plate with seconds and thirds. She might have gone and given him fourths, but he stood as soon as he had cleared his plate and started cleaning up. He declined anyone's help as he felt he needed to do something for the family before he left.
"You are running away to avoid having to register as a Muggle-born, not going on a stag weekend," Aunt Andromeda reminded, but Uncle Ted was firm in cleaning up alone.
Corinna woke early the next morning and crept out into the hallway. Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted were in the living room talking in low voices. It didn't even look like they had gone to bed as they were still dressed in the same clothes they had on the day before.
With a steadying sigh, she went downstairs to join them. They ceased talking when they noticed her coming down the stairs. "Ted will have to leave soon," said Aunt Andromeda as she stood from where she was curled up against Uncle Ted. "I'm going to wake Dora. She'll want to say goodbye."
Corinna stepped to the side so Aunt Andromeda could head upstairs. She walked over and sat down on the opposite couch. Uncle Ted leaned forward and studied Corinna as if he was trying to memorize her, but she was doing the same thing. She studied his sandy hair, the beard he grew despite Aunt Andromeda's protests as it was greying more than his hair, his protruding belly, and his joyful blue eyes, even as he was about to run off to avoid the Ministry.
"I know this is going to be an odd request coming from me," said Uncle Ted as he watched Corinna, "but I don't want you going back to Hogwarts in September."
"I'm sorry, what?" asked Corinna, taken aback. "You complained I was throwing away my future when I told you I was going on that mission."
"I know," he said with a sigh. He rubbed his palms on the knees of his jeans. "But with You-Know-Who running the Ministry, it means they will have a hold on Hogwarts. And with Dumbledore gone…"
Corinna slowly nodded as she seemed to understand what he was trying to say. She didn't agree with it, but she understood. "I'll consider it," she said.
"I would appreciate it if you did more than that," he said. "There will be time after this war is over to take your NEWTs and become a Healer. You just need to be alive for that to happen."
"But, there is no end in sight," she reminded. "Not until…not until Harry succeeds in his mission, and who knows how long that is going to take."
"All the more reason you should stay home and help 'Dromeda and Dora," he said. "Please? For me?"
Emotions clogged Corinna's throat so that all she could do was nod.
Aunt Andromeda and Dora came down the stairs just a moment later and Uncle Ted stood up from the couch. "I should get going. I promised Dirk I would get to his place before dawn."
They went out onto the porch and Corinna was instantly chilled in her thin dressing gown. They each took turns giving Uncle Ted a hug. He held onto Dora for much longer and gave Aunt Andromeda a passionate kiss. "I will see you all on the other side," he promised. "I love you all."
They all mumbled back their own affirmations, all in agreement that, if something were to happen, at least the last words said to each other would be declarations of love.
Uncle Ted stepped off the porch and looked at his three girls one last time. He gave them a sad smile as tears clouded everyone's vision. With a turn and a crack, he was gone.
To everyone who was looking forward to Corinna joining the hunt, sorry...