Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

The Price of Surviving

"Where are we going?"

Harry turned his head around. Neither he nor his aunt had opened their mouth to speak one word for the flight up until that point.

"Diagon Alley. I sent Hedwig there. We're meeting with Fred and George."

"Who?"

"Oh, that's right. You never bothered to find out who they were." Petunia did not answer. "They're my best friend's older twin brothers. You know, the ones who left the candy for Dudley that made his tongue grow?"

"Oh…oh, yes, I remember," Petunia said awkwardly, and Harry urged his Firebolt on.

Harry touched down just in front of the Leaky Cauldron. He muttered the shrinking charm and stuffed his broom in his pocket and Petunai silently folded the Invisibility Cloak.

The Leaky Caudron was padlocked shut. Swearing under his breath, Harry pointed his wand and whispered, "Alohomora!"

A stream of yellow light emitted from his wand and the padlock fell open. He shoved the door open and ran to the back of the pub, Petunia following him through the emergency exit. As Petunia shut the door behind her, Harry tapped the last brick that would allow them entry into Diagon Alley. As the bricks moved away, Harry thought sourly that the sprawling streets lined with shops and bursting with activity was usually a welcome sight. Now, it seemed closed-in and quiet, almost dead.

"Harry!"

Harry reeled around towards the sound.

"Oh, thank God," George said, a rush of relieved air pouring out of him from where he stood on the threshold of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. "You're alive."

"George, what happened?" Harry asked, running toward the quieter twin. Petunia followed him at a small distance.

"Here, get inside and I'll explain everything," George said, holding the door open for Harry and Petunia to rush inside the shop.

All the practical joke paraphernalia was locked up in wooden cabinets, and covering the floor were bodies, some unconscious, some moaning in their sleep, and some wide awake, biting their lips so as not to scream.

"Harry!" a raspy voice whispered, and Harry whipped around to see Ron leaning in the corner of two walls. He was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, sickeningly reminiscent of a mummy.

"Ron!" Harry started for him.

"Don't!"

Fred's hand clasped onto Harry's arm and jerked him back.

"Ron just stopped bleeding; you might start it up again!"

"Fred, what happened? Why is everyone hurt?"

Fred sighed and conjured three chairs with a wave of his wand and a muttered incantation. Harry sat, as did Petunia.

"George and I were over here," Fred said, taking the third and final seat, "waiting for Mum and Dad to fire-call us. We've got a very strict timeline set up; they call the same time every night so we know they're okay. But it was three minutes after and they still hadn't turned up, so we Flooed over to find that Death Eaters had attacked Grimmauld Place and that old hag, Sirius' mum, told them where you and Hermione lived. So I sent a Howler to you and one to Hermione."

"We didn't know if it would make it to you in time," George cut in. "Because with Hermione…it didn't."

"Where is she?" Harry asked, feeling his heartbeat gain speed and his throat stop up.

"There," Fred said, gesturing painfully. Hermione lay on the ground, unconscious, a bandage wrapped around her forehead and right eye.

"What happened there?" Harry demanded, his mouth drying even as he spoke.

"They got…got her mum and dad," Fred said, biting back his words. "I found her there with this huge gaping wound on her head. She had a lamp thrown at her. I don't know…I guess…I guess they left her for dead."

Harry's fists and teeth clenched. His whole frame shook.

"What happened at your end?" George asked.

"Pig showed up with your Howler," Harry said, trying to keep his voice lest he lose control of it. "I sent Hedwig and Pig to you guys, and then I went downstairs to warn my relatives. I don't know where my uncle and cousin are, but my aunt came with me. A Death Eater tried to stop us but sh—he got Petrified." He had almost given his aunt away. "I took the Firebolt to get us here."

"Good," Fred said, standing. "Now, if we can only get owls to the other Order member…thank God they weren't all at Grimmauld Place."

"Why was everyone else there?"

"Well, they had to leave the Burrow. It wasn't safe. Not that it makes a speck of difference now…"

"W-who all was there? Who—who di—" He looked up at Fred with helpless eyes, unable to finish.

"Hermione's parents," Fred said. "And…and Bill."

A wild, tortured, animalistic screech sounded from the back. Molly sat against the far wall, rocking back and forth wildly, her arms held as if she were cradling a baby. "Bill, Billy, William Jacob Weasley, Bill, my big strong Billy, my baby boy…"

"We don't know what to do about her," George said dully. "They seem to want to torture us first. You know, stoke their egos before they kill us. Dad's got some damage, too—broken bones—and Ginny…"

"Why aren't you taking them to St. Mungo's?" Petunia asked,

"Too dangerous," George said, unaware that Petunia shouldn't know about the hospital's existence. "Death Eaters might be watching the Floo Network. They could sabotage us midway."

"I brought my Invisibility Cloak," Harry said, standing up unsteadily. "We can use that."

"Here," Petunia said hurriedly, proffering the cloak. Fred unfolded it with a snap of his wrists and went for Ron; George followed him, and together they managed to get the wincing, half-conscious Ron to stand.

"Come back with the Cloak!" Petunia said, as the three went for the fireplace.

"We're not stupid, Mrs. Dursely," Fred said, and the three disappeared as he spread the Cloak over them. A flash of green flame flared and then died as George yelled "St. Mungo's Hospital!"