Chapter 4
Aunt Petunia ushered everyone into the living room. They looked bad. The Weasly's took different spots in the room. Ron sat in the corner looking as if he were dead inside. Ginny sat on the couch, tears quietly streaming down her face. Fred and George sat with their backs against the wall facing into the room. They both looked more serious than anyone had ever seen them. Fred bent his head down, holding it in his hands, knees pulled up to his body. George sat next to his brother, breathing heavily as if he had just run 20 miles.
Hermione stood in the doorway with Harry. She turned her face to him. He could see the devastation in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug and held onto her as she cried. Finally she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. After she regained herself she spoke to him.
"Harry, told us to leave, letter, something bad, sad, Ron, lost, Ginny, Fred, George," she gasped trying to make sense of it all as she told Harry.
"It's o.k. Hermione, I know. I know," Harry did know. He knew more than those sitting in front of him. Tears filled his eyes.
"Harry," Hermione finally pulled herself together. "Something really bad has to be going on. Why would they send us here? Mr. and Mrs. Weasly made us leave. You could tell they were really worried about something. These guys didn't want to leave. Ron, he's so," Hermione cast a sad look over at Ron. "He's really upset Harry. He told me that we were leaving them alone. That we were all alone now and that we had no one. Everything will be o.k. won't it?" her eyes looked for any kind of hope from Harry.
Harry smiled slightly. He couldn't tell them.
"I'm going to stay with Ron o.k.? You'll be fine won't you?" Hermione squeezed his hand.
Harry nodded. He was more worried about everyone else at the moment then himself. To think that not too long ago he was cursing the world and now he was here, facing all this. This was all that was left of his family. This was it. He had to look after them now.
Harry walked over to the couch where Ginny sat and slid down beside her. He could see Aunt Petunia talking in a harsh whisper to Uncle Vernon in the kitchen. What was going on with her? Why was she acting like this? Only yesterday she was yelling at him for one reason or the other and now she was trying to protect him and his friends. This made no sense.
Harry focused his attention back to Ginny. Tears still spilled from her eyes. She looked so different from the vibrant Ginny Harry fought with at the Ministry. Before Harry could say anything Ginny wrapped her arms around him and cried. The silence was gone. She sobbed loudly, shuddering and gasping for breath.
"Gone," he heard her whisper. Harry didn't know what to do. He held her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. As she cried more noise filled the hair. Harry saw Fred's shoulder's heave and knew that he too was crying. George was patting Fred's back. His face was sullen and he looked like he was somewhere else. Somewhere no one wanted to be.
Harry got worried when he looked over at Ron and Hermione. Hermione was sitting beside Ron on the floor her head on his shoulder. She was talking to him in a whisper. Harry couldn't make out what she was saying. She was holding Ron's hand in hers. What worried Harry about this was that Ron hadn't changed. Since the moment he walked in he looked the same. He wasn't there. Not with them. His eyes stared straight ahead, not blinking. His face was grim. He was unresponsive to anything Hermione was saying, which Harry guessed was her begging him to talk to her, to move, to act alive.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew he was fast asleep, still holding Ginny in his arms.
