From the Shadows
Games Are Afoot Chapter 51
"Again!" Bill ordered as Ron lowered his arm wearily.
"Why? I am never going to bloody figure it out!" Ron yelled back in utter frustration.
Charlie, who was hiding in the tree behind the house, sighed and muttered,"Oh Ron," under his breath.
"Bloody Hell!" Ron yelped dropping the deluminator which had begun to glow a ghostly blue.
Bill ran toward him. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! I mean…nothing." Ron said picking it up cautiously.
"RON?" Charlie called from his hiding place.
The deluminator glowed even more bluishly. Bill and Ron stared at each other. "Can you say that again Char?" Bill called.
"What? Ron?" The blue light shimmered a moment longer then Ron opened his mouth to speak but the blue light flew into it. He choked and coughed and felt an incredible urge to walk toward the tree in the back yard. Bill nodded and Ron took a few feeble steps in that direction. Suddenly, he was nearly running. The pull felt like a hugely powerful magnet. His legs felt energized and he picked up speed all the way to the trunk of the tree. He suddenly stopped unsure of how to proceed. The impulse had completely disappeared. He looked around confused.
"Ron! Ron!" Bill called finally catching up. "When did you learn to run that fast?" He asked panting.
"It was like my legs just ran on their own to here and then stopped…" Ron faded off. "That sounds completely mental! I sound like Harry when he hears things." He whined.
Bill rolled his eyes. "I think, Ron, that you may have just figured out how that thing works." Ron looked at Bill blankly.
"I ran to a tree." Ron said slowly. "So I figured out what?"
Charlie leapt out of the tree landing behind him. Ron jumped. Charlie and Bill laughed.
Ron looked back over his shoulder at Charlie and then forward at Bill. He began to chuckle. "Now I guess I just need to get Hermione or Harry to call my name. Not likely though, is it, with me not there."
Charlie and Bill shared a look. It was true. If Harry and Hermione were as angry at Ron as they imagined, they might have made a pact never to speak his name again."
"Well, we will just have to be prepared for it and hope for the best." Bill said encouragingly. Charlie and Ron just shook their heads at him. They knew Hermione better than Bill did.
"Is that optimistic attitude how you survived being head boy?" Charlie teased.
"Beeeelllll!" Fleur's accented voice rang out from the window. "Beeel! Your father has sent you a message!"
Bill took off for the house quickly followed by his brothers. They reached the doorway and Fleur handed Bill a piece of parchment that looked slightly weather beaten and torn. "Eet came in a portkey made out of zis plug." She said with her nose turned up. The plug was very dirty and they noticed the paper had two holes where it had been attached to the prongs.
"Brilliant!" Said Ron taking the plug from Fleur who was relieved to hand it over. Bill read aloud:
Time to execute plan M
Charlie nodded at Bill but Ron said, "Plan M?"
Bill hesitated before answering. "We are moving Dad and Mum and Ginny to Muriel's. We had to wait until Ginny's holidays from Hogwarts so it will seem like a natural thing to do to go visit family. We have made Muriel's house unplotable."
Ron nodded. His mind was whirring. Abandon the Burrow? Forever? Or just for awhile. Home. But maybe not anymore. He sat down heavily in a chair with the plug still in his hand. Fleur bustled around the kitchen as Ron was lost in his thoughts.
Bill let him ruminate for a time and then cleared his throat. "Uh Ron?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry. What?"
"What will you say when you get back?"
"If I get back you mean?"
"You WILL get back." Charlie said firmly. "You WILL go back and you WILL keep your promise to protect Hermione. The fury in his eyes was a grim reminder to Ron that despite all the help, Charlie was still extremely angry with him.
Ron gulped and nodded.
"Now," Bill said with amusement, "how are you going to suck up when it happens?"
They returned to the yard and Ron practiced finding Charlie and Bill with the deluminator in the evening air until the crack of apparition immediately stopped all activity. Everyone froze wands out, waiting to see who had shown up. Remus Lupin sauntered through the gate and up the path. Ron was standing in plain view and Remus stopped staring as if he was looking at an apparition. "Ron?" "Ron!" Remus rushed to him and grabbed his shoulders.
"Where's Harry?" He asked eagerly.
Bill approached Remus, "Now Remus, wait."
"Where's Harry?" He thundered.
"Harry is fine." Charlie said. "He is with Hermione."
"But? Why? Where?"
Bill pulled Remus the rest of the way in the house and into the parlor to sit down and explain why Ron was there. Remus did not look amused as he eyed Ron. Ron cowered in a chair by the window, his gaze intently focused on the waves outside.
Suddenly Ron blurted out, "I know I screwed up! I don't need the look! We are trying to figure out how to get me back!"
Bill and Charlie sniggered but Remus was taken aback by the outburst. "What look?"
Bill and Charlie tried unsuccessfully not to giggle. "Well Remus, probably the yellow eyed drop dead look you have on your face." Bill said trying to keep a straight serious face.
Remus mumbled an apology. "So. Do your parents know Ron is here?"
The three boys shook their heads.
"I see."
"So what's up Remus? Why the visit?" Charlie finally broke the silence.
"Tonks is craving more of Fleur's bouillabaisse." Remus shrugged.
Fluer chuckled. "Thees baby weel be French soon the way she craves eet." She left to fill a container for Remus.
"So, you went home?" Ron asked Remus tentatively.
"Yes, Ron. I may be thick headed, but I got the point. Tell Harry when you see him, will you?"
"Of course."
Ron yelped. The deluminator was turning its shimmery blue.
"Hermione-"was all he could manage to say before he swallowed the blue light. Charlie was at his side in an instant.
"Just apparate. Ron, you can do it. You won't get splinched again. Just keep thinking 'Hermione's location' and the light will take you there." Ron looked terrified.
"Just like we practiced," encouraged Bill. And then Ron was gone.
Time slowly passing was torturous to Charlie. His shoulder was healing and he almost had full use of it again. He knew he had to return to Romania soon, but he wasn't sure he could go not knowing. His parents had been gradually moving belongings to Muriel's and he was helping with that. It was a slow process. They disillusioned much of the stuff they were taking and then flew it on broomsticks so as not to risk the floo or unauthorized port keys. It was tedious but it kept him busy. Bill had just taken the last load and Charlie was circling the Burrow doing a final check to make sure no one had followed or was snooping around.
His mind flashed back to the time he took Hermione flying. It was such a happy memory that he smiled in spite of himself. He looked out over the hills and noticed the Lovegood's teetering house looming in the distance. The air was still and nearly silent. He would miss the Burrow and hoped that it would be safe enough to return to someday. The silence was broken by a short popping sound and instantly Charlie was on alert.
He scanned the area like he was looking for a snitch and his eye caught movement toward the Lovegood's. He quickly disillusioned himself and his broom and flew closer for a better look. From the height he was flying he could tell there were three people standing near the road. One was looking toward the Burrow's direction.
Charlie nearly fell off his broom when he realized that one of the three had Weasley red hair! He held his breath and little by little flew lower. It was Hermione! She glanced around as if she had heard something and he stopped and hovered as quietly and as motionlessly and he could.
She looked beautiful. Her curly hair was gently swaying in the breeze. Her cheeks were flushed but her eyes were alert, bright, shining. He could see how tired she was and the tension in the way she carried her shoulders. For a moment it seemed like she was looking directly at him as if she knew he was there, but then she turned and they began walking toward the Lovegood house. Why on earth they were headed there he couldn't fathom, but maybe it had something to do with the girl that was about Ginny's age. But then, she should be at school. Charlie watched until they entered the house. He sat on his broom hardly daring to move, hoping he would be able to glimpse her again when she left just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He felt a tingling on his back and heard something moving like the wind, but more manmade than wind. He circled slowly, watching vigilantly. He thought he heard his name whispered quietly and looked toward the direction the sound had emanated from.
He paused. He heard it again. "Bill?" He whispered back. His eyes were scanning until he saw a faint shimmer of movement and flew toward it. "Bill?" He asked again.
"Yeah, it's me. Mum got a little worried when you didn't come and sent me back to look for you. What are you doing all the way over here? I had to do that tracking thing you use on the dragons to find you. You can't just disappear these days!" He hissed.
"Ron, Harry and Hermione are at Lovegood's," Charlie said quietly.
Stunned silence was all he heard in return. "Bill?"
"Are you sure?"
"Very."
"Why—"
"Don't know," interrupted Charlie. They hovered by the tree just south of the house. Neither spoke as time crawled by. Suddenly they heard cracks and pops of apparition and then it seemed as if the house exploded. Death Eaters were swarming what was left of the house and they could hear shouts of "Potter" and "This had better be for real Lovegood."
They didn't dare fly any closer but they felt helpless watching the disaster unfold. Through the hole in the wall, Charlie could see Hermione grab Harry and disapparate. Soon the death eaters followed suit leaving a sobbing, injured Xenophilius Lovegood behind.
Charlie and Bill waited a full five minutes before breaking the disillusionment charms and landing so they could walk up to the house.
"Mr. Lovegood?" Bill asked carefully.
Mr. Lovegood looked at them with hollow, lifeless eyes. "They have my Luna. I didn't have any other choice." He said feebly. Tears coursed down his cheeks. "I didn't have a choice. I thought they might trade for my Luna."
Charlie could tell that the man was suffering, but he had only seen Harry and Hermione leave. "Are you the only one injured?" He asked gently. "Is anyone else here?" He was looking through the rubble for any sign of red hair.
"No. No. It's just me now. Everyone left. They have my Luna. I had to try to get her back." He sniffled. "She's all I have."
Bill used his wand to do the homio revelio charm, but the only life signs were the three of them. Bill tried some other spells and then shook his head. Charlie and Bill moved away from Mr. Lovegood and moved some of the rubble to look underneath it. Nothing.
"He's gone now. You don't suppose he took off again?"
"He wouldn't." Charlie muttered threateningly.
Bill cleaned up some of Mr. Lovegood's injuries and suggested that he leave and go somewhere safe.
"No. I can't leave without my Luna." Was all he kept muttering to himself. They left him sitting on a pile of debris.
They mounted their brooms and headed off toward Muriel's. They were silent for a long time each engulfed in his own thoughts.
"We need to let them know that not everyone is like Mr. Lovegood." Bill said finally.
"What do you mean?"
"Ron said they are trying to finish this job Professor Dumbledore left for them. Mr. Lovegood has been a supporter for Harry for years. They go to him, and he turns them in. Makes me wonder if they think they are totally alone. I think we need to help them understand that there are still people fighting you-know-who and that we all want to help Harry."
Charlie didn't respond right away. He thought about Hermione's face as she had disapparated and knew Bill was right. But how? They flew near Muriel's and as they flew into the barrier, Charlie could feel the warm pause between layers of spells. It was comforting. When they landed, he could hear his mother calling to him and it felt so reassuring to hear that familiar comforting voice.
Later that evening, sitting around the fireplace, Bill was joking with Fred and George. Charlie found himself smiling at the simple pleasure of hearing their laughter. Suddenly, he knew what they could do.
"Bill, didn't you show Ron how to tune into the radio show?"
Fred and George looked at their brothers curiously. They were proud of their show and the special guests they were able to procure.
"Of course."
"Well maybe that is how we could talk to Harry. Let him know we are still here. That we are doing all we can to help him."
"That's brilliant, Char."
"I assume you are referring to our lovely little brainchild." Fred said.
"I think that you should have Remus on the show to talk specifically to Harry. Harry would listen to him." Bill suggested.
"We are scheduled to air tomorrow night," George said, "Something specific you want Remus to say? We usually try to be as directly vague as we can."
"Directly vague?" asked Charlie.
"You know, get as much direct information out as possible without giving away ourselves, our location, things like that."
Charlie nodded at his twin brothers. They were gifted in being dodgy. Fred mentioned that Remus was already scheduled to be on the program and that he would pass the message along. They discussed what types of things to have him say well into the wee hours of the morning. Charlie went to bed feeling more useful than he had in a long time.
At the specified time the next day, Charlie and Bill tuned in the radio. Charlie thought the program was excellent. He loved how Remus talked as if he were speaking directly to Harry. He thought the twins were even more amusing than normal and pictured Hermione in his mind, laughing but trying to look stern. Charlie went to bed earlier than he had for quite some time and fell into a much needed deep sleep.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Charlie woke in a sweat with the scream ringing in his ears. His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking. Was it a banshee? He sat still, wand in hand, listening. The house was completely silent. He lay back on his pillow. His heart hurt. It was like he could feel the scream of pain building inside him again. He sat up again listening intently, but he couldn't hear the scream, it was as if it were coming from inside him. He tried to focus and felt the scream building again. Definitely pain. But he wasn't hurt so…..his stomach clenched painfully.
Hermione was in trouble. He could just feel it.