Chapter 7: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Ron watched Ginny and Oliver Wood talking in the kitchen. Never had he seen Ginny so pleasant; or blushing! He did not want to say he was getting suspicious of what had been going on lately, but things were just not making any sense.

Harry…was dead. What would happen now? The wizarding world would certainly feel the impact of his death soon enough. It was shocking that the murder was committed by anyone except Lord Voldemort. How could anyone get so close to Harry? And on their own property!

"Ron, is that Ginny flushed over Wood?" Fred asked, peeking into the kitchen to see what was going on. Ron nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"That's what's happening, all right," he replied. George came into the room, and in his hands was a fist full of galleons and a small leather satchel.

"You know, I keep thinking about when Harry gave us his Tri-Wizard tournament money…" He looked up to Ron with a pained smile. "It's shocking to know that he is gone…" He looked from Ron to Fred. "Why are you standing here?" He was about to march into the kitchen until Fred and Ron pulled him back into the room.

"No!" Ron hissed. "Don't go in there." George wore a puzzled expression. Fred let go of him and pointed with his finger toward the room.

"If you didn't see, Ginny and Wood seem to be getting cozy." George blinked a few times in surprise, unable to understand.

"Wood and Ginny!" He peeked into the kitchen and indeed the two were sitting much closer together now. "What are they are talking about so intently?"

"Well," Ron said, ushering the twins from the room and into a more secluded area, "I caught part of the conversation. He is going to be—get this!—a nanny!"

The twins broke out in wild laughter. Ron had to smile, as well. The thought of Wood being anything but a Quidditch player was preposterous! He was sure he was going to be more of a Keeper than a nanny. Well, perhaps he was doing this for the loss of Harry.

When the twins had finished their laughs, they wiped their eyes.

"Good one, mate," George said.

"Wood a nanny! He is the captain of a Quidditch team."

Ron nodded. "That's true…yes." Once again, he began to have odd thoughts. Before he could say anything, Ginny and Oliver walked through the kitchen door. Oliver had grown, it was evident. His features had grown somewhat sharper, more defined. He remembered that in second year, many girls found him rather dreamy. 'Show off,' Ron thought.

"The Weasley twins!" There was a triumphant smile on his face. "You guys weren't spying on us, were you?"

"Indeed not, Wood!" Fred slapped Oliver on the back, then George began talking frantically as if there was no tomorrow (probably to distract him from Ginny).

"Weasley Wizard Wheezes," George said triumphantly. "We have opened up a shop, with the help of Harry, to keep the joking spirit alive. In honor of Harry Potter…" They had led Wood far off into the Burrow, leaving Ginny and Ron alone. Ron turned to Ginny, who had a dreamy expression on her face.

"Blimey!" Ron muttered, which caught Ginny's attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing, just marveling over the fact that Oliver will be staying here." Of course, this was a quick cover up. He was actually quite surprised over Ginny's obvious affection for the Quidditch player. She was not doing a good job of hiding it.

"Oh yes. Amazing, isn't it, Ron?" She stared and sat down in one of the old arm chairs. Ron moved over to the opposite chair and sat down. As he eyes his sister, he was just about to voice his thoughts on the problem when Ginny said hers first.

"I think I have gone mad, Ron." She raked her fingers through her orange locks, pulling at the ends. Puzzled, Ron became.

"Why do you think you are going mad, Ginny?" Ginny shook her head murmuring to herself. "Tell me, Ginny."

"Ron, you'll find this weird, but I can't think Harry's death was an accident." She looked up at Ron, fright reflecting in her eyes. "The weird thing is, I asked Damien—of all people—if he had something to do with this."

"But," Ron began, "Damien is only a little boy."

"I know, Ron," she continued, "that he is young. But sometimes I think about him and his eyes. They can be as innocent as a child's, but sometimes they change. Before Harry left, Damien threatened—no! Harry threatened Damien, and Damien replied to him, and his eyes, Ron! Those pleading eyes both threaten and adore!" She buried her head into her hands, crying.

Ron was not only shocked, he was speechless. This was exactly what he was going to speak to Ginny about: the oddness of Harry's death, and the death of Hermione. Hermione! She was the first to die…Would he be next?

"Ginny," he began quietly," I was hoping to talk to you about Harry's death." Ginny stopped crying and raised her head slightly.

"Yes?"

"Well, I think-" He was cut short at the sound of an owl swooping in through the kitchen window. The owl made its way into the room and dropped a letter into his lap, circles around, then flew out the same open window. There was no return address, and he did not recognize the handwriting. But it was addressed to him, nonetheless. Turning the letter over in his hands, he opened it. Out tumbled a few pictures.

"Are those photographs?" Ginny's head peered into his hands, hoping to get a better look. Ron nodded and stuffed the pictures into the envelope. Fred and George entered the room with a very agitated looking Wood.

"Care to invest, Wood?" George asked, shaking the money bag. "We have been quite successful so far."

"I bet you have, but I will have to think about it." He looked to Ron and smiled. "A letter arrived?" Ron nodded.

"They are pictures, Oliver, but Ron put them away before I could get a look at them," she pouted. Oliver laughed and sat down next to Ginny.

"Come, Ron. Let's see these pictures." Ron hesitated. Even though he would have felt comfortable showing Wood, he just didn't want to.

Ron shook his head. "Nah, I'll let you guys catch up." He got up from the chair and motioned to Fred and George to follow him. When out of the room, he opened the letter. The twins crowded around them.

"Bloody Hell, it's Hermione!" Fred whispered. Indeed it was, but she was alive and happy in this picture. Damien and she had been photographed, and they watched the pictures move before their eyes.

"Why would anyone send you these?" George asked. Ron shook his head.

"I don't know." Then, he saw it! Out of no where, on Hermione's neck, a translucent line appeared around her neck and disappeared up into the picture. "It looks like a rope!" he whispered. But these were pictured during the party, not after! Flipping through each of them, he came across a picture of Harry. Each of them bent closer to examine the small moving picture.

Harry was obviously outside, and his eyes were trained directly at the camera. His lips formed words, but they couldn't be understood. Suddenly, Harry's body turned red, red splotches everywhere. The picture replayed a few times to their horror.

"They don't make any sense," George said finally. "How can these pictures show their deaths before it happens?" Ron flipped over the photo of Harry and there written was:

We need to talk; bring these pictures with you tonight. I'll be waiting at Kings Cross. It's not safe here.

C.C.

"C.C." Ron asked, "Who is that?" The twins shook their heads. Whomever took these pictures knows something and hopefully will put some answers to the unexplained questions."