Author's Note: Ack! I know I said I'd finish this before HBP but I got a new job and I failed my degree an so on. Anyway, I'm almost finished the whole thing now, the rest will be up ASAP. For those of you that care, I'm also working on a NT/RL/SB fic series entitled 'Gooseberries', and an as yet untitled SS/NT/RL uber-fic, which I shall post once this is complete.

For everyone who's finished HBP: page 582 (uk) rawks beyond belief! We were right! dances

Mirror, Mirror

Chapter Eighteen: Death and Desperation

The order, minus Dumbledore, reassembled quickly and sombrely in the living room. Kingsley had taken the floor in Dumbledore's absence. Arthur passed him the parchment and sat down beside Molly. Kingsley proceeded to read the letter aloud for the benefit of those who had not read it in the kitchen.

"Dear Members of the Order of the Phoenix

I trust you are all well. I feel I should inform you all that your headquarters are currently surrounded. The entire floo network is currently disabled. The skies are being patrolled. We have taken the muggles of Grimmauld Place hostage, all forty seven of them. They happen to be mostly women and children.

What we propose is the exchange of these muggles for your humble selves. We shall release them only when the entirety of the order of the phoenix is out of the building. This is not negotiable. Do not attempt to leave until instructed. You are intelligent enough to realise the consequences of disobeying.

Yours truly,"

The letter had been signed with a dark mark. Tonks elation quickly deflated. Hostages; that was a new one, were they that desperate? That didn't matter right now. The muggles were all that mattered.

"No wonder it was quiet earlier," Remus mumbled half to himself. Tonks nodded.

"Can we still send word to the ministry?" Arthur asked.

"Probably, but it'll be tricky," said Kingsley. "The floo network is down, we could send a disillusioned owl, it wouldn't be spotted in this weather."

Moody nodded. "I'll see to that," he said, shuffling out of the room. Remus bowed his head, taking Tonks' hands in his. Molly looked close to tears, Arthur and the elder Weasley boys were startlingly pale. Kingsley kept pulling at his earring. Mundungus was examining the contents of his pockets over and over again. The room was silent save for the distant thud of Moody's leg on the stone of the kitchen floor. It stopped for a moment, an owl chirped. Then the uneven thudding resumed. Moody re-entered the room carrying another piece of parchment.

"I've sent for back-up, and , er," he said, then nodded at the new letter. He cleared his throat and read.

"Dear members of the order of the phoenix,

You have now had sufficient time to consider your situation. We shall expect you to be outside within the next ten minutes. Have your wands where we can see them.

You may wish to look out of the window. If you do not comply, expect more of the same."

The second Moody had finished reading, everyone headed for the window looking out onto the street. They walked calmly, not really wishing to know what lay outside. Their apprehension was well founded. On the ground barely five meters away from the house, lay the mangled bloody remains of several muggle women. The actual number of casualties was indistinguishable. Had Remus eaten anything that day, he would have thrown up. Tonks had to steady herself on Kingsley to stop herself collapsing. So much death in one day, and they knew there would be more to come.

"So what happens now?" asked a timid Percy.

"What the hell do you think?" Tonks exploded. "We go out there, save those muggles and probably die in the process."

With that she headed for the front door, pulling her wand from her jeans.

The others followed suit behind her as she threw the door open and stepped into the street, their wands raised above their heads. They were hit by the stench of congealing blood before they had all left the building. Tonks followed the line of the street with her eyes until they came upon a crowd of dark hooded figures. The order were vastly outnumbered, they would have to pray that help came in time. Once they were all in the open, a death eater nodded to someone out of sight. Another death eater emerged from an alley-way, dragging a long line of muggles, all bound by glowing blue cords. Arthur and Kingsley stepped forward, took the end of the magical restraints and began leading the muggles down the road to safety.

"Ah, I see you managed to escape my dear Ymp," came the voice of Rodulphus Lestrange. Tonks saw red.