Chapter 3

Half the Weasley family sat huddled together around the kitchen table. Ginny, the youngest, was crying quietly where she sat. Mrs. Weasley was standing behind her daughter, gently stroking her hair, in that comforting way mothers do. Just her presence made Ginny feel slightly better. But slightly better wasn't nearly enough. The shock of seeing Ron fall face first out of the fireplace and then just lie on the floor as if he were dead, followed by Fred and George's news that Hermione had been taken by You-Know-Who's followers, was horrible enough. But it was the look in Ron's eyes when his mother revived him that haunted her the most. She'd seen Ron cry when they were both younger. She'd seen him hurt. She'd seen him angry. She'd seen him afraid. She'd even seen him grieve, but she had never seen all those things at the same time. Ginny had never seen that much anguish locked away inside one person before. The fact it was her brother, broke her heart.

Ginny sniffed loudly, wiping the fresh tears off her cheeks as she did. Fred, who had been watching her, leaned across the table and handed her a napkin.

"Thanks," Ginny muttered and then used it to blow her nose.

George was still looking out the window with a blank expression on his face. His eye was now a luminous shade of purple, tinged with yellow around the edges. Mrs. Weasley had offered to heal the bruises, but George refused. Every so often, Ginny noted he would reach up and finger the marks. It was almost as if he was trying to use the physical pain to mask the emotional pain he was feeling inside.

He's not having any more luck then I am, though, Ginny thought to herself. Her musing was interrupted by a terrible crash, followed almost instantly by what was unmistakably glass breaking. Ginny jumped, and then felt her mother's reassuring hand pat her shoulder. She looked over and saw that her mother was looking up at the ceiling, her face strained.

"He's been at it for hours," George said quietly to his twin brother. "I wouldn't think there would be anything left to break in that room."

"Maybe he's moved on to our room," Fred tried to joke.

"I wish we knew what is going on," Ginny said softly.

"You're father will let us know when there is any new information," Mrs. Weasley assured her daughter.

"What do you think they're going to do to Krum?" Ginny asked her brothers.

"Guess it depends on whether or not they believe his story," George stated.

"Dad seems to believe him," Ginny replied. "He said Krum is really upset about what happened."

"Is he upset about what happened or is he just upset that he got caught?" Fred asked quietly. "It isn't like it's the first time he's used the Imperius Curse as an excuse."

"It worked for him once, why not use it again?" George agreed.

"That's not fair," Ginny interjected. "He was telling the truth the first time. I heard Harry tell Ron that Crouch admitted that he used the Imperius Curse to control Krum during the last task of the tournament. You don't really think he'd try and hurt Hermione on purpose, do you?"

Fred shrugged his shoulders.

"I doubt it," George finally admitted. "But I wouldn't put it past those idiots at the Ministry to accuse him of it, just to so they can send someone to Azkaban and make it look like they're dealing with You-Know-Who."

"Ron has gone quiet again," Fred said, looking up at the ceiling momentarily before the streak of white that came zooming in the open kitchen window caught his attention.

"Hedwig!" Ginny cried, as the bird landed with a thump on the table in front of her. She immediately reached out to stroke the owl's soft feathers while she removed the letter attached to her leg. "It's for Ron," Ginny said as she looked up at her mother. "Why did she deliver it to us?"

"I guess we know what set him off again," George thought out loud.

"You don't think...," Mrs. Weasley began.

"That he tried to chuck her out the window?" Fred answered. "I think he'd chuck Ginny out the window if she went into that room."

Ginny continued to stroke Hedwig's feathers, finding it oddly comforting. "Try not to hold it against him," she whispered to the bird as her eyes brimmed with fresh tears. "He's having a hard time of it."

"Should we open it?" George asked his mother, looking at the letter.

"It's addressed to Ron," Mrs. Weasley replied, as if that settled the matter.

"What if it's important?" Fred chimed in.

"What if he's seen something?" George added.

"What if he...left the house and is trying to get Ron to help him go after her?" Ginny asked.

Mrs. Weasley grabbed the letter out of Ginny's hands and tore it open. Her eyes scanned it quickly and then she let the parchment drop to the table as her own tears began to fall.

Fred grabbed the letter immediately and George quickly leaned in to read it with him. Closing his eyes with a painful expression, Fred set the letter face down on the table. Ginny immediately reached for it.

"No, Gin," George said, covering the letter with his hand. "Don't."

Ginny looked right into his eyes as she pushed his hand away and then grasped the piece of parchment. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and then flipped it over to read:

They're torturing her. She knows I'm watching. She looked right at
me and said, "DON'T YOU DARE SET ONE FOOT OUTSIDE THAT

HOUSE, HARRY!!!!!" He didn't want her talking to me. I've lost the

connection. As long as I stay here, he'll keep her alive. Tell the others

to hurry. He's getting angry. I don't know how much more she can take.

Ginny let the letter fall with a sob and then dropped to the table, burying her head in her arms.

"We can't tell Ron," Fred said quietly.

"No we can't," his mother agreed, knowing full well he'd leave the safety of their house and become a target himself. She looked up at the ceiling as if trying to decide if Ron was still in his room and realized it was more comforting when he was smashing the place to bits and she knew exactly what he was doing.

Crossing the kitchen in just a few steps, Mrs. Weasley opened the door and glanced at the grandfather clock in the living room. Her eyes quickly sought out the hand with her youngest son's name engraved upon it. A sigh of relief passed her lips as she noted it was still pointing at 'Home' and hadn't jumped to 'Mortal Peril'. It's too quiet up there, she thought, as she closed the door and walked back over to the table to stand by the twins.

"Should...should I write back?" Ginny asked her mother in a quivering voice. "Hedwig is still here. She must be waiting for a reply."

"Yes dear, perhaps you should," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Accio," she said, pointing her wand at a drawer next to the sink. The drawer opened and a bottle of ink and a quill shot across the room and landed on the table in front of Ginny.

Ginny flipped Harry's letter over and was about to scribble a message on the backside when a bundle of brown feathers landed with a loud thud beside it. Hedwig jumped back with an indignant hoot, then spread her wings and hopped up to perch on the back of Ginny's chair.

Mrs. Weasley reached down and removed the letter from the owl's leg. Once its burden had been removed, it hopped to the edge of the table and flew out the window.

"Is it from Dad?" Fred asked hopefully.

No, it's from... The Department of Magical Transportation," Mrs. Weasley replied, somewhat baffled. Then to her children's surprise, she gasped and unexpectedly disapparated from the room.

Ginny dove for the unopened letter as it floated to the floor.

"WHAT!" Fred and George yelled together, while Ginny snatched it up and stared down at it with her mouth open.

"It's...it's addressed to Hermione," Ginny whispered, handing the letter to them.