A/N Huge thanks to reviewers. It really does encourage me to keep on updating as fast as I can! And Dr Huff Puff: Re your question: "And that last death eater who didn't say anything was Snape, right? Now what the bloody hell was he doing there?" That is exactly what Ron Weasley wants to know!

Hermione wished she could think of a book which might help her now. The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was in absolute uproar.

Earlier that evening, she had been delivered to 12, Grimmauld Place. As she was Muggle-born, and widely known to be close to Harry Potter, Dumbledore had apparently become worried she would be in danger. She wondered what had happened for him to come to this conclusion so suddenly. Lupin's appearance on her doorstep had been entirely unexpected.

Hermione had been sorry that she would miss Christmas with her family. Such minor woes were very far from her mind now, however.

Fred, George and Mrs Weasley had been pacing the house for some time. Then, Bill and Ron had at long last arrived. The two had waited, and waited, at the Muggle monument selected as their meeting point. Eventually, Bill had decided he must get Ron at least back to safety somewhere. They had taken a risk, and Floo'ed from a wizarding friend's house in Long Hampton.

Ron and Bill were white and shaken. Their skin was smeared with soot and ash, and their freckles stood out darkly even through the grime.

"Ginny and Harry," Mrs Weasley moaned. She could not stop crying. She kept trying to pull herself together, but tears welled down her cheeks from some inexhaustible source. "No, oh no. Ginny and Harry, Ginny and Harry…"

"Molly." Lupin shook her, very gently, by the shoulder. "Molly, please. .."

"Mum, I'm so sorry," Bill said, yet again, in anguished tones. "When the house blew up…it scattered us…They were Disillusioned, and it was dark, and there was so much smoke…"

"Bill. It isn't your fault," his mother said quietly, gulping down her sobs. "Of course it isn't your fault."

"Look," Lupin said. "We mustn't despair. The most likely thing is they simply got lost. We can hope they are still together. They're not stupid, they'll know we are looking for them."

"Yes," Mrs Weasley said in hopeless tones. "I'm sure they are fine…Oh! Who's that…"

It was Dumbledore. Somehow Hermione felt comforted by his very presence. He came into the kitchen and sat down, looking grave.

"Albus," Lupin asked urgently. "How could this happen?"

Dumbledore ran a hand through his beard.

"I fear," he said heavily, "that we have been betrayed. On two counts, no less. Nobody should have known that Harry was with the Weasleys.. and nobody should have known how to penetrate the magical defences set about The Burrow without even tripping the alarms."

"So, Professor," Hermione said in a small voice. "Does that mean it was Harry they were after?"

Dumbledore's hand stilled. "We don't know for sure. The Weasley family would always be a prime target, if Voldemort wished to start making examples…"

The expression on Mrs Weasley's face prompted him to change the subject.

Snape's arrival startled nearly everyone. Hermione examined him thoughtfully. He too was covered in soot and grime. He glowered at the younger Weasleys and Hermione, and quite obviously wished Dumbledore would evict them from the room. Dumbledore, however, indicated that they should remain.

"Well?" Snape asked, harshly. His eyes darted around the kitchen, and took in those both present and absent.

"Severus," Lupin said. "We got your warning just in time. It was by sheer chance, you know. Kingsley's rota had been changed, didn't you remember? Luckily, he went back to fetch something…He got your message, and managed to alert Mrs Weasley. Everyone got out of the house, but Harry and Ginny haven't made it back yet. Have you heard …..?"

Ron had been watching this conversation from the sidelines. Hermione kept glancing at him. She had a feeling he was about to boil over with some emotion. She was not wrong.

"You bastard!" Ron burst out suddenly. He had been staring at the soot and grime on Snape's sallow features. "You were there, weren't you? You helped set our house on fire… You were there! One of them, prancing around in masks…"

"Yes," said Snape after a shocked pause. His voice was without expression. "I was there."

"It is true," Dumbledore put in quickly. "Professor Snape was there. It is also thanks to him that you were not…It was he who managed to get a warning to us."

"Yeah," Ron continued angrily. "A warning given to someone who wasn't even supposed to be on duty – a fact which Snape conveniently forgot. Real helpful. Great ploy. Went wrong though, didn't it, because we did get the warning after all…"

Snape was rigid with anger. Dumbledore shook his head at him.

"Ron, you are upset. Please believe that Professor Snape did everything he could to ensure the events of this evening would not have any truly tragic consequences. And Severus, have you heard anything?"

Snape shook his head. "I can tell you that Potter and Miss Weasley were not found at the house. To the…disappointment…of my colleagues, nobody was there at all."

Some of the tension in the room dissipated. Dumbledore, however, was still reading Snape's face.

"What else, Severus?" he asked quietly.

"The Dark Lord," Snape continued flatly. "knows that Potter is most vulnerable when not at Hogwarts. He knows he is no longer with his relatives. He has released the trackers."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She did not know exactly what Snape was referring to, but clearly Voldemort was trying to find Harry. And equally clearly, from the horrified expressions on the faces of Order members around her, the method he was using to do so was a cause for alarm.

"And it would have to be now, of all times," Dumbledore breathed, "when Harry and Ginny are lost on their own, somewhere in the night…We must find them!"


It was so dark. Harry had forgotten just how very black nights were once away from Muggle lighting. His arms ached, and he was both wet and freezing cold. It had at least stopped raining.

He could hear no sounds of pursuit.

"Ginny," he whispered. "I'm going to try and set us down somewhere."

He could feel her nod against his chest. If only he could see! He managed to bring the broom down through the trees without too much damage, although both he and Ginny would have many cuts and bruises from twigs and branches whipping against them during their descent.

They huddled underneath a tree, miserable. It was odd not to be able see each other. He supposed their present circumstances were sufficiently severe that the Decree Against Underage Magic could be flouted, but he had no idea how to remove a Disillusionment charm.

Still -

"Ginny," he said urgently. "I have an idea. If we use magic, they'll find us. They always do, if you're underage..they send owls straight away…"

He could sense that Ginny, next to him, had shaken her head.

"That's a good idea, Harry," she said slowly, "except for one thing. Kingsley said there was a traitor. How do we know the traitor isn't at the Ministry? If the wrong people find us – "

The thought sent shudders through both of them. The idea of a traitor to the Order of the Phoenix was also deeply disturbing. Inevitably, Harry's mind flicked to Snape. He had never trusted him.

"What else, then?" Harry asked helplessly. "This broom is a useless pile of firewood waiting to happen – sorry, Ginny."

"I'll have you know," Ginny responded, "that you hold in your hand nearly the sum total of Weasley worldly wealth."

Harry's chest clenched. He knew how poor the Weasleys were. And now they had lost their house as well.

"There's the Knight Bus," he said doubtfully.

"Hmm." Ginny was equally doubtful. "Do you have any money on you? I don't. And it might be a bit hard to catch, since we're more or less invisible."

"All right then," Harry snapped in exasperation. "what do you suggest?"

Ginny sighed. "Well, we could try to find someone with a Floo. If we knew where we were, or could see where we were going. Or…Harry, did you hear something?"

Harry turned his head. He could hear nothing.

"Just some night animal," he suggested. "Or the breeze through the trees."

"Mmm…"

Harry began to speak and suddenly found that Ginny had clapped her hand over his mouth. His entire skin tried to listen. Ginny was right. He too could hear small sounds.

Purposeful sounds. As if something was heading stealthily in their direction.

The hair on the back of his neck and arms stood up. He swallowed. Ginny was tense beside him, and her breathing was once more shallow and fast.

A tiny noise escaped her and she prodded Harry violently. He turned.

Eyes. Eyes in the darkness. There were a number of them, at about the height of Harry's waist. They were all red. They glowed, feral and menacing.

The eyes had another thing in common. They were all fastened on Harry and Ginny.

And they were moving, slowly and steadily, towards them.