A/N- I almost put this story on hold, because I came across a fic that has rather disturbingly mirrored ideas that I have used in most of my HP fanfic. However, my sister fate Clothos pointed out to me that in this fandom, there are very few original ideas left. So I continue, and hope that the writer who calls herself Cyn will not use any of my original ideas, because then I'll have to cut some threads. For those who aren't sure what I mean- go to www.sphereofsilence.net . There, I am Atropos. There is a story there that I haven't posted anywhere else.
Chapter 2Hermione and Harry arrived back at their flat sometime later, with Bill, Charlie and Ginny in tow. Charlie and Harry needed to tell the others what was up before they left, and they didn't want to do it in front of Molly. Fred and George had stayed at the Burrow with Molly, trusting that the others would fill them in later.
"Harry and I are leaving tonight. We don't know when we'll be back." Charlie said bluntly, not wanting to waste any time.
"Leaving? To go where?" Ginny asked with a deceptive calm much like her mothers.
"Gin, Charlie has a lead on Blaze. She can't get out alone, and he needs backup. I'm going with him." Harry said, attempting to head off the explosion.
"I'm coming with," Ginny said, her voice leaving no room for argument.
Charlie shook his head. "I'm not losing another sibling because she was too stubborn to stay where it's safe." He said it so calmly that it was all Ginny could do not to slap him.
"And I am not losing my boyfriend and another sibling because they were too stupid to take a mediwitch along when going on another mission," she managed to say without screaming.
Hermione walked back into the room. She had been fire talking with her supervisor, and knew that this discussion was NOT going to be fun.
"Ginny, it looks like you're going to have to make a choice," Hermione said quietly.
Ginny, caught in mid-argument, stopped and stared. "What do you mean, a choice?"
"It turns out there are some Runes in Egypt that require my skill. I'm the only one they can spare to translate them, and they think it might be very important. So, you need to pick whether to leave your mother completely alone except for the twins, or to go with Harry and Charlie, not knowing when they are coming back."
Ginny grimaced. She had to choose now, because if she didn't they'd leave her behind.
"I'm going. I'll let mum know, and Harry is coming with me so you can't leave me behind." Harry looked at Charlie, who nodded in defeat.
The two Apparated away, and Bill turned to Hermione.
"Is it wise for you to be travelling in your condition?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm pregnant, Bill, not an invalid. I'll have to Floo there anyway." Bill nodded, and started planning.
"Wait, Hermione, how long will you be there?" Hermione looked at him for a moment, as if just realizing that Bill lived and worked near where she would be going.
"As long as it takes. They have no idea what they've found, and the curse-breaker in charge apparently nearly lost his head when he started attempting a vocal translation. Amateurs!" Hermione said in irritation.
The story was starting to sound very familiar to Bill, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. The project on his end was classified, and if the Goblins thought that bringing in extra help was a good idea, then he would go along with it for now.
"You want someone to show you around?" he asked casually, ignoring the burning that told him his ears were going red.
"That would be lovely." Hermione smiled at him, feeling awkward.
Charlie chuckled, and then started tapping his foot impatiently. "They should be back by now," he said, his annoyance showing. "Probably stopped off to snog."
***
Harry and Ginny thought that they had Apparated to a war zone. Screams could be heard coming from the inside of the blazing structure, and it was already starting to cave in on itself. It took a horrified second to process that the Burrow was indeed on fire, and that there was at least one person trapped inside.
Ginny, in a rush of adrenalin, cast for a rainstorm that quickly doused the flames. The screams continued, and both sprinted for the charred ruins.
They found Molly, badly burned, tied up and facing up the staircase. Ginny started to cast healing and diagnostic charms all over her mother, while Harry gingerly made his way up the stairs. He was using a levitation charm on himself, as he didn't trust anything to hold him.
He heard a creak, and then another groan.
"Ginny! Get Molly out of here! It's coming down!"
***
"Report."
"The re-education appears complete. Neither soldier attempted an escape, and they completed the objective before returning to base. They obtained two prisoners, who are now starting their indoctrination."
"Excellent."
Meanwhile, four faces stared at each other in the dark. Two were full of comprehension and shock, and two were full of nothing at all.
Fred and George looked in amazement at the two faces they thought they would never see again. They couldn't possibly be seeing what they though they were seeing, because the people they were looking at were dead or missing.
"Blaze? Ron?" Fred whispered cautiously.
There was no response from the vacant eyes across the room.
***
Hermione felt it first. Her face went stark white, and she sat down before she fell. Bill was at her side in an instant.
"Ron. I felt Ron," she whispered. "He was so close, like in the other side of my head."
Bill held her close, wishing he knew what to say as she shuddered. Neither noticed that Charlie, too, was disturbed. Blaze was close, and she hadn't come to him.
"I need to leave now. I can't wait for them any longer. Every moment is one more that she might be dead, and I can't take that. Tell Harry to catch up with me. I'll be at the third checkpoint come morning." With that, he left, leaving them nervous and quiet.
An hour passed, and then another, before Ginny came back. She was covered in soot and ashes, her face tear-streaked.
"I need help," she managed before she burst into tears once more.
Hermione, Bill and Ginny arrived back at where the Burrow once stood, the charred remains in a pile in the middle of the yard. Harry held Molly's hand and talked to her about little, unimportant things until he heard Bill arrive.
"She needs you. We haven't found the twins, and the fire appears to have been lit in the hallway outside their room. There are no human remains, though." Bill cringed at the matter-of-fact tone. Harry only used the monotone when things were bad. Charlie was going to regret leaving, but they could deal with that later.
"All right. How's Mum?" Bill asked quietly.
"Not good. She isn't stable enough to move, and Ginny's done all she can, but she has third degree burns on most of her body. I'll be surprised if she makes it through the night." Harry spoke bluntly, knowing that there was no way to soften the blow. Bill merely nodded, and walked over to the spot on the ground where Hermione was tending to his mother. Her face was largely untouched, except for right along her hairline. The soft red-grey hair that she had for most of his life was charred away, leaving a burned and blistered scalp.
He carefully levitated his mother into a sitting position, and conjured some water.
"Here, mum, drink. It'll make you feel better." Hermione saw him slip a small potion into the cup.
He saw her looking, and whispered "Pain potion," and she nodded in understanding. Bill thought it best not to tell her that it was really the Painless Death potion all Curse Breakers received, in case they ended up trapped in a tomb that they could not be rescued from. They were all under orders to wait one month before taking it. Bill had hoped his vial would never be needed.
Molly managed to open her cracked lips, and sighed with relief as the cool liquid ran down her throat. Silent tears ran down Bill's face as he held her.
"Arthur!" Molly said, her voice cracking. Bill looked up, startled. No one was there.
"Thank goddess. I hurt so much," she said a moment later. She turned her eyes up to her eldest, and smiled at him.
"Tell them I love them. And take care of them for me, until we meet again."
"I promise," he whispered, and saw the life light bleed out of his mother's eyes.
"I promise, Mum," he said again, to himself. This time, it was Hermione who gently moved the body, and Hermione who held him- all through the night.
