Disclaimer: Not mine, however strongly I wish it...

A/N: thanks to One Soul, my beta, for spotting any mistake.

Chapter 2

"Where's Hermione ?"

Everyone was sitting in the kitchen, having a rather chatty and loud breakfast. Harry and Ron's eyes were still heavy with sleep and their minds still hazy whereas Ginny was already very alert, having woken up earlier than the boys. Alone.

The twins were there too, happily debating what they should do next to improve their last experiment and were seemingly oblivious of the rest of the family. They had taken the habit of visiting the Burrow since all were present, minus Percy whose name was avoided as much as possible.

Bill and Fleur had disappeared, caught in the frenzy of last minute issues concerning their wedding.

All pairs of eyes turned towards Ginny then to the empty place where the bushy-haired girl usually sat. It was Molly who answered in her not-to-be-questioned tone, thus settling any queries or worries as well as protecting the girl.

"She's off running errands. And I think she mentioned her parents too."

She went back to her tidying, glaring at those of her children who hadn't cleaned up after they had finished.

"Yes Ron?" she asked her mumbling son.

"Nothing" he pouted grumpily, clearly unhappy about the girl's absence and the reasons invoked.

She looked around the table, taking in each and every one of hers as if to indelibly impress the picture in her mind, and she felt a pang of pain and regret when her eyes fell on the formerly usual place of Percy. And now, Hermione was gone too.

She knew the girl was doing something important or something she had deemed worth trying. If she didn't know her better, she would have thought she was putting herself at risk. Surely, she had gone for books, probably dark books in some disreputable place, or working out some theories about Dark Arts in which she wouldn't involve her friends, knowing it was hazardous. It made perfect sense that she would be cautious. She was a sensible witch; she would do what was necessary to be as careful as possible. Still, it would have been better if she had asked an Auror to help her. It would have been safer.

Her magical skills were impressive; how did she manage that much? She knew somehow that the girl was alright. And she was certain the young witch had charmed the parchment, not only so that she would be the only one able to find and read the note, but also to indicate to her she was ok. Well, for the moment, there were other matters that needed attention. Any questions would have to wait until the girl was safe back home.

The others shouldn't be too long now. They had much to discuss. It had been a good idea to move from headquarters to the Burrow, where the family could attend to their worries and duties. But now, they had to move each time they needed some privacy. She sighed. Of course, the boys would want to join the meeting and as they were of age, nobody would forbid or prevent it. Ginny on the other hand… Despite many yells, screams, crying and pleading, as her mother, she would still win the argument and sent Ginny off. But with the three others in, what secret could they hope to keep from her? She watched her girl, her only daughter and love glittered in her eyes.

She had become such a beautiful young woman. Despite her flaring temper, she was a caring person who tried both to have everyone's best interest at heart and to act accordingly. Her wild hair matched perfectly her untamed character.

However much she hoped for the opposite, Ginny would be a formidable asset in this war; as a witch and as a friend of the trio formed by Ron, Harry and Hermione. A trio which was fast becoming a quartet if she knew anything about them. She looked at them and frowned slightly. The tension was palpable and she could almost see their conflicting emotions hover and thunder over their heads. Ginny was clearly unhappy and at odds with Harry who himself seemed lost in his own world. His dark hair did nothing to alleviate his sombre mood and expression. As for Ron, the poor boy kept glancing at Hermione's empty chair as if she would suddenly appear shouting "April's Fool!". Ah teens…

The hearth suddenly flared green and Remus and Tonks were soon brushing soot and ashes from their robes. The youngest seemed animated by a new energy upon their arrival.

"Tonks!" Ginny's voice echoed before it was drowned under the boys' booming "Remus!"

Moody would soon be there with Kingsley and then, they would be able to leave. The Floo network worked a second time and soon, the kitchen was crowded with members of the Order, exchanging news or polite requests, passing mugs of steaming tea or coffee, depending on tastes. When all were settled and the chattering had died down her voice raised again, matron in her house, used to having to lower down and discipline a large number of people crowding the same small space.

"Children, the Order needs privacy; we have to leave you a moment." Harry and Ron looked at her questioningly while Ginny seemed more resigned. Unusual.

"No boys. I assure you, you will be welcomed next time but for now, I'm asking you to stay put. The Burrow isn't safe enough for you to stay here on your own and we must decide of where you'll be waiting."

"But Mum," Ron interrupted, "We've fought off Dementors and Death-Eaters before. Surely, we can stay here for an hour or two."

"Ron, the fact that you have tried your best to get yourself killed since your first year is irrelevant here. You're moving."

"Irrel―" he began, before shooting Harry a dark look and holding his ribcage. Apparently, he had been poked hard.

"Yes Harry, a suggestion?" she proposed, repressing the smile she could see on all the others' faces.

"Well, yes, I thought maybe we could wait for you at Grimmauld place. It's been checked and all, I mean."

Molly looked around her, scanning the adults' faces to get their opinion. Finally, she arrived at Moody who held her gaze a moment.

"Alright," she agreed. "Moody will accompany you there, just to make sure everything is alright. If it's ok, he'll come back at the Burrow. We'll meet you there later."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oi mate! That was brilliant!" Ron sputtered once the three of them were alone in the squalid and sordid house.

"Well, we had to come here anyway, so…"

Harry shifted uneasily from a foot to the other, clearly unhappy to be where he was. Ginny stood apart from them, mute. Apparently, Ron would have to take charge this time. As if he was used to it… he sighed. It was easier when Harry led them; not to mention the fact that ordering Ginny was better left to others. He looked at his little sister and frowned. She wasn't herself since the break-up with Harry. He had thought she handled it rather well, she had seemed ok, but it was worsening with each passing day. She hadn't even complained when their mother had kept them away from the order meeting.

And now, Hermione was gone. He knew they were close and was almost sure Hermione would be the one Ginny would turn to if she wanted to talk. He felt slightly betrayed; she ought to have told them. She always did. There was something amiss but her mother would never tell him. Where was she? What was she doing? Researching, the logical part of his mind provided for him. But he was worried. She was a very good witch, one of the best, and they had survived some skirmishes with Death Eaters before, but still. If anything happened to her… He sighed again. Better not to think about it and to concentrate on the task at hand. It would be like a game of chess. He just had to choose which pawn to move first and in which direction.

Maybe they should work separately. It wasn't a great idea to isolate one of them but it wouldn't work if Harry and she stayed in the same room.

"Ginny, would you mind having a look at the library, see if there's anything that could help or do you prefer staying with us and talk to Kreacher?"

She looked up, pulled out of her musing by the soft voice of her brother. It was deeper than before. She liked it. She smiled oh-so-softly.

"Um, no, the library's ok."

"I'll check on you later, alright?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There were all here. The whole second Order of the Phoenix, crammed into the Headmistress's office. McGonagall glanced at the sleeping portrait of Albus Dumbledore, heaved a sigh, got up and led them into a bigger room. They had much to talk about. All seemed grim and Albus' death had dealt a major blow to the Order. He had been the figure head and his tie with Fawkes had only highlighted that fact. Both had left an enormous void.

The meeting had begun and people exchanged news. Not that there was much or anything of importance. No attack, no disparition, no murder. Nothing. It was as if there were no war, no pain, and no worry. He looked around studying the members, wondering who would still be there the next month, the next year. Some of them seemed not to listen. Minerva had taken the lead but maybe some would want to oppose it. They couldn't afford any challenging of her authority or leadership. He hoped she knew he supported her.

"Minerva," he interrupted, holding her gaze and nodding imperceptibly so that only she would see it. "Maybe, we should call into question and agree about the new dispositions concerning the Order, before we move on onto other matters."

She watched him, understanding showing in her eyes as well as in the small smile she managed.

"As you may or may not know, Hogwarts will not reopen this year. If we decide that the Order is to be maintained, the Castle might be a good candidate for headquarters. Those two issues, however, cannot be solved before we have decided upon a leader. I have taken, until this moment, the interim. Now seems the best moment to discuss the future of the Order. Any suggestions?"

"A vote maybe?" a voice called out.

Every member wrote a name on a piece of parchment, folded it and sealed it. Once they were all done, Fleur collected them as had been previously agreed. She didn't belong to the Order and her membership was a matter amongst others. She Accioed all papers then charmed them to reveal the names written and to organise themselves. Minerva was declared leader, as expected, almost unanimously. No more than 3 or 4 persons voted for someone else. With the matter settled, they introduced Fleur who vowed loyalty and secrecy to the order.

Issues moved from the necessity to find a Headquarters and to ward it anew. It was agreed that Hogwarts would be a meeting point until they found better, and then only as a rallying or emergency one. Diggle and Jones offered to research new wards and Moody announced he would join them when they cast the spells.

He looked at his young fiancée. She was tired and her face was pale. Worry and lack of sleep had drawn dark rims under her usually sparkling eyes. The wedding planning was going well but both were concerned about all that could go amiss. Not the least of all was a growing fear that Death Eaters would turn up. Of course, it was such a joyful occasion; one of the few opportunities to rejoice and to build hopes that they would have during this whole damned war. It was very likely that Voldemort's followers would try to break in and ruin their marriage, thus effectively destroying all lasting hopes and dreams. They had changed the location and kept it secret. The Burrow would be the departing point from where they would use Portkeys. All the rest was agreed, prepared, and thought carefully through. He smiled and squeezed her hand a little, in an effort to reassure her. She was getting upset about it. At least, his family seemed to accept her better since last June battle.

His gaze moved to Remus. He would have to speak to him. Of course, their "dispositions" were different but he still retained some "special abilities" and a major souvenir from Greyback. He seemed worried and Tonks kept casting concerned glances to him. Something was troubling them to the utmost, which was a certainty. Maybe they had learnt something that they couldn't tell to the whole Order.

Let's wait and see…

After what seemed hours, the meeting was finally adjourned and people began to slowly make their way home, one by one until very few were still present, mostly his family. Remus went to Minerva, Tonks in tow, and for a moment, he seemed to look for the right words.

"Minerva, I will need to use the Shrieking Shack again now that, erm, I can't have any Wolfsbane."

"Of course."

His thoughts echoed Minerva's words. Of course. Now that Snape had shown his true colours, there were many Potions they would not have anymore as well as many spells. And of course, all matters concerning Dark Arts would be more difficult to deal with. Not to mention that they'd lost an important source of information. Well, was it such a loss? After all, any information from a spy was suspect. How reliable could it be? Sure, it had saved many lives but still, how many more had been lost?

How could he have? Albus had seemed to have such trust and confidence in him. How could he have been so wrong? He sighed.

"Remus?" he asked the older wizard as he left the room. "Do you think I should come with you next full moon?"

Remus looked at him, seemingly lost in thoughts as he pondered the question.

"No, I don't think so. It might not be superfluous to keep you locked, just in case. We don't know the extent of the consequences for now but I don't think you'll transform. Just make sure your family is safe and able to tell what happens to you during the full moon."

He looked exhausted. New lines from worry had added to the already complex network on the face of the otherwise relatively young wizard.

"You know, Remus, we will find something. You have to keep faith; I'm sure a solution will be found."

The werewolf shook his head, sadly, all the resignation and the weight of his burden obvious in the gesture.

"Severus was the only one I know who would brew it properly, without delay and without charge."

"How could he have Remus?" he asked, sadness and regret clearly ringing in his voice. "You've known him for years. What happened?"

"If I knew Bill, the situation would be different. I never fully trusted him but I never thought he would do that either. But he's a fully trained Occlumens and a powerful wizard. He had apparently managed to fool Albus for 2 decades, why not us?"

"Maybe. Will you be here at the wedding?"