Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the situations they find themselves in. Thanks to pheonixvampire727 for being my beta :c)
The Burrow was for once a silent place. There would be very little noise tonight. Molly Weasley had insisted that everybody would spend the final night with family. Everybody. Earlier that day the final preparations had been arranged in the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts. Now everybody was supposed to be at the Weasley's eating their last supper together. However, a number of simultaneous Death Eater attacks near to where Harry was staying had required the Order to split up and try to rectify the situation thus having to help Harry if he, Ron and Hermione were still nearby. The Death Eaters had steadily become more and more vicious, and every time members of the Order went to fight they knew there was a decent chance they wouldn't come back.
It was due to these instances that two women were sat in the living room of the Burrow in silence. Some times looking at the family clock, all of the hands pointing to Mortal Peril, or gazing out of the window. Sometimes a weary and worried sigh would escape from one of their lips, but both were thinking the same thing. Both silently praying that all their loved ones would return that night, and return in one piece. They knew that a large number of attacks had occurred; the Death Eaters trying one last time to capture Harry, to try to postpone tomorrow's final battle. The two women sat in silence. Both understood the others feelings and there was an unspoken agreement between them not to talk. It only made the nightmare seem even more real than it already was. Twelve months ago neither women would have believed they would have been able to sit this close together, feeling the same way, not be at each others throats.
Fleur was sat on the settee nearest the window staring at a street lamp, but too immersed in her thoughts to really see it. She was, in that moment, imagining the worst that could be happening, then giving herself a mental shake and tried to concentrate on happier memories, only to be dragged back, kicking and screaming to reality. Her thoughts going round and round as if riding on a carousel. She was absentmindedly twisting a strand of her silver hair around her finger and biting her bottom lip as her thoughts twirled around in her head.
The terrified look that had etched itself on her face was reflected on Mrs Weasley's. She had lost a considerable amount of weight since the beginning of the war; the blood had drained from her face with the news of the latest attack and didn't look like returning any time soon. She had always looked fairly young for her age but, like most, the war was allowing her looks to catch up, enhanced by the streaks of grey now appearing in her bright red hair. She was gazing and fiddling with her wedding ring. She had already lost members of her family in the first war. Now nearly all of her family, both real and extended, were out fighting in this one. Her greatest fear had not taken place yet, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to and she trembled at the thought if it did.
News of the attacks had arrived just as the sun had begun to set. Both women sat without moving until the darkness had completely overcome them, silhouetted in the moon's light. Molly rose and with a flick of her wand she lit the candles in the room. Once she had risen, Molly knew she wouldn't be able to sit back down again. Instead she took to pacing the room quietly. Occasionally stopping to look at a picture of happier times on the mantle piece; the boys playing Quidditch; Arthur playing with his collection of spark plugs; the twins teaching Ginny how to use a muggle catapult and shoot apples at the garden gnomes; Harry, Ron and Hermione all wearing Christmas hats; Remus and Tonks laughing at last years New Years Party; Bill and Fleur at their wedding complete with Auntie Muriel's tiara. Sometimes she would stop and gaze out of the window, the chilling mist from the previous summer had returned. Sometimes she would wander through to the kitchen and make two cups of tea that neither of them would drink.No noise was made by the women, the only sound came from the ticking of a clock - the hourly chimes of the distant church bells and the wind howling and crying, outwardly expressing the two women's repressed emotions.
It was some hours later that a quiet knock at the front door made them both jump up. Before Molly could ask who was there a pair of silver monkey's came running through it, signalling the arrival of the twins from London. This had become the order's new scheme to detect impostors (mad-eyes idea of course, as anybody could be under the impervious curse and would know the right answer, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!). Hearing about the attacks, and knowing that there mother was probably frantic with worry, they had apparated over from work immediately. Molly immediately ran to the door and ushered them both in quietly. Once they were through the door Molly immediately burst in to tears, an all to common thing these days, and fell on George's shoulder. Once she was a bit more composed she pulled both of them into a tight embrace. Fleur tried to smile but it came out as a grimace and she immediately returned to her seat next to the window and started to nervously play with her hair again, thoughts turning to her husband and the state he might be in.
George steered his mother into the kitchen where Fred set about making more tea, except he added a large quantity of Og'woldens Fire Whiskey into it before making sure she drank it this time. The twins tried for sometime to distract their mother with funny stories from work, but once it became apparent that it wasn't working they returned to silence.
The church bells were chiming eleven when the next person arrived home. Charlie didn't bother to knock, but sent his partronus through immediately. Mrs Weasley raced to the door and promptly burst into tears again. Charlie was prepared for this as Mrs Weasley had greeted him this way after every Order mission he had attended for the last month. He steered Mrs Weasley into the kitchen and reassured her he was fine, and he was sure the others would be to.
After making sure his mother was alright and he had reassured her that she was neither stupid nor over-reacting Charlie went through to the living-room to wait for the arrival of the others. Mrs Weasley joined them soon after and resumed her pacing of the room.
Charlie soon found himself drawn to the pictures on the mantelpiece, just as his mother had. He picked one up, the same one he always looked at when he was most unhappy. It was taken during the last summer, just before Bill and Fleur's wedding. It was one of the rare occasions all the Weasley's (excluding Percy who was still refusing to talk to his family despite numerous attempts by Mrs Weasley) had time off. Charlie was over from Romania, Bill and Fleur were off from work and Remus and Tonks were both overdue due a day's holiday from their respective Order and Auror work. The twins had left their shop in the hands of Verity for the day, Ginny was on holiday from school and Harry, Ron and Hermione had agreed to postpone their Horocrux hunt until after the wedding.
Mrs Weasley had packed a large picnic with enough food to feed several hungry armies and they had spent the day in the large field next to the Burrow. The younger members of the group, and some of the older (but still young at heart) members were playing Quidditch, Fleur was discussing wedding details yet again with Mrs Weasley leaving Mr Weasley to laugh at some of the more dramatic stunts attempted by the Quidditch players. Hermione had tried to discuss elf and werewolf rights with Remus again ("Perhaps Dobby would become agree to become a spokeself for S.P.E.W and he can help persuade all those other poor imprisoned elves how much they need their freedom"), until she was forcibly dragged off and charmed onto one of the twins old broomsticks by Ron and Ginny, allowing Remus to laugh and chat with Mr Weasley.
It was at this moment Charlie had, unnoticed by any of the other members of his family, got out his old and battered Merlin Original Wizard Camera – Suitable for all occasions. The best shot he had taken just managed to show all of this. In the air Tonks was flying with a Quaffle, being closely chased by the twins and Harry, before lobbing the ball over all their heads to Bill; below them Hermione was trying to put up a fight as Ginny and Ron dragged her to the pitch; Remus and Mr Weasley were eating some of Mrs Weasley's home made apple pie and politely clapping a goal scored by one of the twins before Remus was asked by a very unenthusiastic Tonks "Who's bloody side are you on anyway?" The Fleur in the picture had started blowing kisses to Bill while Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes next to her. This picture always made Charlie smile as it was one of the last happy times before the wedding, when all the family were in one place.
All of the people he cared about were in this picture, and less than half were in the house on the one night of the year it was most important they spent it together.