This little interlude contains the basic outline of the plot, but there are still some surprises later on along the way. I know some of you where wondering what was going on back in the real world, so this chapter serves a dual purpose. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked thinking it up.

Molly Weasley slapped her hand against the kitchen table in frustration.

Everyone would be arriving any minute and the tea tray she'd prepared had just careened to the floor.

With a impatient 'Accio,' her wand was in her hand and the tray repaired.

If only Reparoworked on broken hearts.

Straightening her shoulders resolutely as various pops sounded in her living room, Molly swiftly brought in the tea, setting it down on the table.

She then took a moment to look around her, and was both saddened and thankful for the faces she observed.

Remus Lupin, drawn and pale. Tonks, her usually cheery countenance now grim, with her brow furrowed in a frown.

Alastor Moody, pacing a new path into Molly's floor, muttering to himself.

In contrast, Kingsley Shacklebolt stood motionless, leaning against the near wall, arms crossed and eyes closed.

And then, there were her boys. Fred, Bill, George and Charlie. They had been speaking quietly with one another, but stopped as soon as they saw her enter.

Just as Molly was about to address them, two more pops indicated that the last of the arrivals had come.

Arthur and Albus Dumbledore entered the room in tandem. Arthur crossed to his family and wrapped his arm around his wife.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I have found some information that sheds new light on the children's disappearance. It is both heartening and troubling, I'm afraid."

Dumbledore held up Ancient Protection Spells of Power, which was glowing slightly.

"This book could not have been used as a portkey, as it remained behind."

"What is it then," piped Charlie with a frown. "Something new from the Dark Lord?"

"I do not believe so, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore sighed heavily, taking a seat in an old, worn armchair.

"I have spent much time researching this….artifact, and I am confident that this matter has nothing to do with Voldemort at all."

There were sounds of collective relief throughout the room.

Molly visibly relaxed, only to stiffen at Dumbledore's next sentence.

"Not of Voldemort, but still quite dangerous, I'm afraid."

Bill spoke up. "What are we dealing with, then?"

"Ages ago," Dumbledore began, "before the split of magical and non-magical beings, "kingdoms often consolidated, merged, in order to pool their magical strength and maintain health and prosperity for their citizens. In this way, similar to Muggle leaders in Britain, royalty often combined their family lines through marriage.

This book, at first, was to be a chronicle of the historical merging of two of the largest kingdoms of the time, Parona and Valen.

By its completion, it had been transformed into the key for ending the war between the two lands and their enemies."

"What happened, Albus? What caused the war?" It was obvious that Arthur was engrossed in Dumbledore's tale.

"Oh, by the usual means, I suppose. A man who wanted power at any cost. The King of Valen had a brother, who desired both the throne and the neighboring kingdom. If a marriage occurred, the Paronan prince would rule the two lands.

So, he conspired, with others, to simultaneously assassinate his brother and break the impending marriage.

"How?" Tonks spoke up this time.

The rest of the room was hanging on Dumbledore's every word.

" The King of Valen had but two daughters, which meant he would not have a heir to succeed him, leaving the way clear for his younger brother to assume the throne. The betrothal took the crown right from Prince Mornen's grasp. Mornen accused a guard from Parona of …defiling the younger princess.

The Paronans stood by the guard, as Mornen hoped, and the betrothal was ended and war declared, over a loss of virtue that had never occurred.

The Queen of Valen believed her daughter, and was suspicious of the circumstances. She sensed deception, as Mornen just happened to be the one that found them together. She sought a Seer, who told her of Mornen's true nature.

She eventually convinced her husband of his plot, who cast Mornen and his followers out of their lands.

Peace was declared once more and the marriage uniting the kingdoms occurred. Many years later, Mornen returned, more powerful than anyone had ever seen. He was able to drain the magical energy of others at will, adding it to his own.

What he sought most was the King's amulet, which contained the energy of both Parona and Valen. Unfortunately for him, it could not be taken, only freely given by the King himself.

He tried coercion, vowing to kill the Royal family if King Derren did not comply, but nothing born of intimidation would release the amulet.

 Thousands died as he gained more and more strength, and the royal family of Parona-Valen was helpless to stop it. Mornen, in his viciousness, had cast a spell to submerge the land into the sea.

In desperation, they bound the amulet, the remaining energy of themselves and their land, along with two of their bravest, most dedicated guards, and imbued all into this book.

Drawn by the power, Mornen stormed their home to find the family dead, and the book glowing brightly. Driven by greed, he grasped it, and was bound to the book as well.

Where he remains."

"Let me guess," interjected Bill. "Until someone opens it."

Dumbledore smiled. "Until someone worthy, someone in sincere, selfless need, opens it."

"Hermione," breathed Remus.

"Exactly. She needed the book to help Harry fight Voldemort. For whatever reason, it chose to allow her and Ron in, along with Ginny and Harry."

"Dumbledore, if they're actually in the book, what will they see? I mean, where do they think they are?"

"The book is a realistic imitation of Parona-Valen, which had begun to sink after Morden's return. I imagine them to be on an island, surrounded on all sides by the sea."

"They must be terrified." Molly's voice trembled with emotion. "They can't know any of this. They'll think it's ….him."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "And remember, what remains of Morden is there, with them, waiting for an opportunity to take the amulet and control its power. If that were to happen, he would be able to leave that existence, and I fear we could have another Dark Lord on our hands."

"Well, at least they're together," Molly said, with a firm tone that suggested she was trying to convince herself of something. "I'm sure they'll all take care of each other."

Fred and George chuckled in unison.

"Oy, Mum. On a desert island, I'm sure they'll care real good care of each other." Fred added an exaggerated wink to his statement, lest anyone failed to grasp the subtext of his words.

Across, the room, Moody chuckled. He'd been thinking along the same lines.

Arthur shook his head exasperatedly at his son, then patted his wife on her shoulder to ease her worry before that line of thought went running through her head.

"Don't worry, Molly. They're barely in sixth year. Not time for any of that quite yet. The only thing we'll have to worry about is Ron and Hermione shouting each other to death, and neither would give the other that satisfaction."

"Er," Remus Lupin interjected. "That's not entirely accurate, Arthur."

"What do you mean, Remus? Molly's voice rose shrilly.

"Well, I happened to see, that is, right before they disappeared…Ron managed to…ah…let his feelings be known?"

Tonks piped up. "And they were quite obviously reciprocated."

"He…" Arthur eyes widened as a small, prideful smile took over his face. "That's my boy!" He punctuated his sentence with a slap to his knee.

He stilled at the sharp look Molly shot his way.

"So," Fred asked loudly, "Diagon Alley was the official day? Let's see, let's see…" He was flipping through a small book. "Of all the ...Ginny! Ginny won the bloody pool! One hunded galleons she can't even spend." Apparently, he and George found this incredibly hilarious, though the rest of the Weasleys were not as amused.

"So, let's see." Bill began. "We have an evil, scorned prince, most likely older than the dirt this house is built on, a deserted island, and four teenagers, two of which are now a couple, and are known for their inability to maintain control of themselves. That about sum it up?"

"I'm sure they wouldn't dream of doing anything with Harry and Ginny there."

"Mum, are you blind? You had to have noticed Harry was staring at Ginny all summer, and he wasn't always looking at her face."

George grinned. "Maybe they've already made separate treehouses for privacy."

Bill and Charlie stood at once, shouting at the twins to shut it about their sister.

They shouted right back, and a shoving match between the twins, Bill and Charlie quickly escalated.

Too fed up to bother with the lot of them, Molly sent a quick stupefy, calculated to fly between them and settle them down. It worked.

As the proverbial dust settled, Tonks addressed the room at large.

"Isn't there anything we can do to free them? Send them a note, at the very least?"

Dumbledore frowned. "I am afraid not, Tonks. This book is impenetrable. What we must do, for the meantime, is ensure that Voldemort does not learn of this situation. If the book is destroyed, so also, are those inside it."

"The four of them, all alone." Molly muttered, shaking her head repeatedly.

"They'd better behave themselves."

Dumbledore stood, signaling that the meeting was over. As they began to file out, Fred patted his mother comfortingly. He was followed by George, who wasn't as silent.

"Cheer up Mum," said George on his way out of the room. "You'll likely get at least one grandchild out of this!"

He narrowly avoided the hex she shot after him.

Next Up!

Ron contemplates the need for those treehouses, and has a strange dream.

See Harry act like an idiot in love.

Hermione and Ginny bond a bit.