Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Updated 1/19/2021

Chapter Five

State of Alert

It was sometime after their … exhausting night that Ron and Hermione were found sleeping in her bed. Well, actually they weren't sleeping, they had woken up a while ago, but both enjoyed just lying in the other's arms that they didn't want to get up (they didn't even know that the other was awake).

She shifted, trying to get a better view of her 'sleeping' lover and notice that he was staring at her. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied with his lopsided grin. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on her forehead and said, "That was amazing, I wish I'd open my eyes sooner."

"Or never close them," she joked.

He laughed, "Yeah, that too."

She lean up against his chest and kissed him like she would never get the chance to kiss him again, like she thought that this was her last day. After what seem like hours he pulled away, breathing heavily, "Not that I didn't enjoy your enthusiasm, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm not stupid enough to let you leave again."

"I know," she smiled. "Maybe I just need a few days to get use to that. Or maybe I'm just trying to make up for the lost years."

"That I can handle," he grinned and flipped both of them. She laughed and bit her lips putting her hand in his hair. "There's a lot of time to make up for." He said then lean down capturing her lips with his own.

CRASH

They jumped apart, an explosion, a terrible crashing sound from the lower levels of the flat, had destroyed their perfect moment. They stared at each other for a second, one second to let the fear run over them, and then they were in movement. They had to act fast, there was no time for fear; they got up and found their cloths and got ready as fast as they could.

"Go," she said, he had finish dressing and she wanted him to go and check what made the noise. She afraid that it was some kind of Death Eater that had broken through her (considerable) protection she had on her home.

He looked at her like she was crazy, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

She wanted to argue, but he did have a point, she didn't want to be caught unawares. She finished a minute later and they headed out of her bedroom, both clutching their wands.

They came down the stairs pointing their wands at the living room, which was a complete mess. The table by the fireplace was broken and there was a man (with his wand pointing at them) on the floor (he was leaning against the couch and looked like he was in pain).

"Say you name," Hermione yelled when she realized the man 'looked' like Harry.

"Harry James Potter," he said still pointing his wand at them, fear was present in his eyes but so was his determination.

"Hermione Jean Granger," she said and lowered her wand and started to walk over to him. He just moved his wand and pointed it Ron.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron shouted still pointing his wand at Harry. "He could be a Death Eater in disguise; you can't just lower your wand because he said his name."

"Say your name," Harry repeated.

"What?" Ron answered.

For one terrifying second she thought that perhaps Ron was in fact a Death Eater, then she remembered last night and realized that wasn't possible.

"Say your name," Harry commanded.

"Wha …" Ron started again.

"Just say your name, Ron," Hermione said exasperated.

"Fine! Ronald Bilius Weasley," he said reluctantly. "I don't see what that proves …" he stopped speaking when Harry lowered his wand and let out his breath in relief. "Why did …?"

"I put a charm in here," Hermione said not looking at Ron, but at Harry who seemed to be in great pain. "You're not able to lie about your name in here. Harry, what's happening?"

"I was just ambushed again," he said looking at her. "I barely got away. They came at me when I was alone, about five of them. I was able to hold off for a while, but one of them got me pretty good. I was able to get to the safe place and came here immediately."

"De …Dee … Ronald Bil …ius … Wea …sley," Ron was saying in the corner of the room, as Harry and Hermione talked. "Wow, that's pretty nifty charm work, I can't even stop myself …"

"Ronald, will you shut up!" Hermione said angrily. "What did they hit you with, Harry?"

"That's not important right now," Harry said, and noticed that she was about to interrupt him, so he continued before she had a chance. "They're going to go after the people I love. After the Ministry episode they will have realized that nothing is for certain, so they'll have a backup plan." He paused then looked at Ron, "I need you to get Ginny, they're sure to go after her first."

Ron nodded, "Of course, where is she?"

"She at the Burrow," Harry said holding out his invisibility cloak for Ron to take. "At least that's where she said she was going to first. Oh, Ron, tell your parents to get to safety also; they will be targets too."

"Right," he said. "Where should I take them?"

"Shell Cottage," Harry said at once. "I just realized that its defenses were never lowered after the war (thank Merlin). Tell your parents to go there, but bring Ginny back here."

"Okay," he said and was about to Apparate when Hermione grabbed onto him.

"Wait," she said.

"Mione, I've got to go," he said thinking that she was worried about him, and didn't what him to leave.

"I know that," she said harshly. "I wasn't being sentimental." She paused and gathered her calm. "If you just Apparate out of here you can't get back in, there's too many spells to prevent that, I've put up all the wards since the Ministry incident. Besides, you don't even know where we're at, how did you expect to get back."

"I know that," he said exasperated. "I figured that Gin could get in."

"Normally she would be able to," Harry said. "But not with the wards up, and I just used the only safe key …" He trailed off; it seemed to him that it wouldn't be likely to get them back here.

"Don't worry Harry," Hermione said, obviously trying to think of a way around this.

"Could you make another portkey," Harry asked.

"Not without leaving," she answered.

"No," he said simply, if his plan was going to work he needed Hermione to help him.

They sat there for a moment, Hermione was starting to get panicked, so she looked at Ron. He always had a way of making her relaxed and that's when it hit her, she knew what might work, if only he had it.

"This is taking too long, Ron just …" Harry started to say but was interrupted.

"Ron, do you have your Deluminator?" she asked.

"What?" he looked confused.

"Your Deluminator," she said sharply. "Do you have it with you?"

"Yeah," he said pulling it out of his pocket, still looking rather confused.

She held out her hand and he gave it to her. She took it and started muttering at it and tapped it with her wand, which caused a bluish glow to come out of the tip of her wand. She then clicked the Deluminator and the light was sucked into it. "Here, when you get Gin click this and it will bring you here."

"Really Mione?" he asked shocked, surprised and proud (of her). "That's incredible, how did you learn …"

"RON!" Harry yelled as his face turn red with his panic (which caused him to became a little light headed). "We don't have time for this. Just go. We'll likely go to Shell Cottage too, so if it takes a while go there, okay."

"Yeah," Ron said and Apparated.

After Ron left Hermione walked over to Harry and got a really good view of his wound. There were so many worries going through her mind, she was trying to push them all (especially one in particular) to the back of her mind so she could concentrating on her wounded friend.

However, Harry could tell that something was bothering her that she was worrying about something and it wasn't just the gaping hole in his chest. "What it is Mi … Hermione?"

"It's noth …" she started but notice his look. "Fine. I just hope he get back here."

"What?" he exclaimed. "He might not come back. But, Hermione, I need him to come back. Is it the spell …?"

"It's not the spell," she said. "It will bring him to the person he loves most."

She looked at Harry trying to gauge his reaction and what she saw didn't please her very much. He looked pensive and said, "Person?"

"Well," she said trying not to show her heartache, "woman really."

"Oh," he said and then smiled. "Okay, it's fine then. I think there would be a slight chance that he would have appeared by Ari, but if it's a woman then it could only be you. Don't look at me like that, he really loves Ari, his life was practically spent thinking about that kid, well and you too of course, though he didn't talked about that part (that often)."

She smile, Harry really thought that Arthur might be the most important part of Ron's life. Though she really wanted to be the most important, it was really good to know that Ari was that important to him. It made her feel better somehow.

"Wait Mi … Hermione," he said.

"You can call be Mione … it okay now," she said still smiling trying to take care of his wound but he wasn't letting her for some reason.

"Good, your name to damn long," he joked but became really serious immediately. "Mione, before you heal me you need to do something."

"Harry, this is a serious injury," she said upset, he always seemed to care more about others then he did about himself. "You have already lost a lot of blood and the curse is hampering your movements …"

"You need to get a hold of the kids first. Mine are already at Bill and Fleur's but I think that we should make sure the rest are okay."

"Harry, they're at Hogwarts," she said, trying to sound reassuring but the color seemed to be draining from her face. "No one can get at them there."

"That's what we thought in our sixth year," he said simply. "And the defenses that are up now aren't nearly as strong as they were then."

"How am I …?"

"Use the DA coin," he said glad she got the seriousness of the situation; he knew that he was probably overreacting, but he had to make sure. If he was the reason for one of his nieces or nephews, or Merlin forbid Teddy's, death and/or capture he would never forgive himself. "Say, 'Death Eaters attack, let me know when kids are safe.' But make sure it only goes to Neville's coin okay, I don't want everyone knowing."

She smiled; Harry was really a quick thinker, which was good, since that was not one of the many talents that she had. "Okay, I could do that … do you have your coin?"

"Yeah, it's in my top pocket," he said as she reached in to pull it out. "You don't have yours." She tapped the coin and it seemed to glow then she did something else that Harry had never seen before and knew that he was right in making sure Hermione was the one to stay behind. Not only could she be counted on to perform these complicated charms, but she could also heal him better then Ron could. I'm just lucky that Ron was here like I thought he would be, he thought. If he wasn't, or if they went to Ron's place, I don't think I would have made it, looks like I'm leaning on them again.

"It's in my purse," she said still concentrating. "Now can I heal you? You really should go to a healer for these wounds …"

"Ouch …" Harry said as she cast a spell. "I can't Mione, I … there's too much heat on my head … I can't go out in public."

"I'm not going to like this am I?"

"No …" he said. "We're going to have to fight again …"

"Harry …" she said stressed, she knew what he was going to say and she didn't like it, but she also knew there was no other choice.

"So," Harry said, as she was finishing closing his wound and working on reversing some of the dark curse, she would probably have to make some kind of potion to heal him better. "It appears that Ron and yours date went well last night, hope I didn't mess anything up."

"Harry …" she said in a shocked exasperated voice, how can he bring that up in a time like this, with all the danger that was surrounding them? He smiled, a smile that he had to force on his face, through the pain and worry he was feeling, and she understood. He needed to take his mind off matters, he needed something normal and good to cling to while he waited to see if his wife and other family members were okay.

"It went rather well," she started.

"I expect the draught you two have had has been lifted," he said wagging his eyebrow and smiling more freely (but not completely).

"Harry?!" she said blushing crazily and hitting him.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Am I supposed to believe that you brought him back here just to talk?"

"We did talk," she said keeping her face straight. "We told each other about the other people that we dated … it was a rather long discussion."

"Oh …" he said the smile faltering, honesty not sure if his previous statement was in fact true (were moments ago he was convince it was).

"Yes it was rather intense," she said and paused watching him contemplates the situation, then she smile contently and evilly (a smile that Harry has not seen on her face in seventeen years). "But yes, it did rain rather heavily last night … I would even say it was a storm … no wait … a hurricane …"

"Eww …" he said half jokingly half seriously. "I don't want to hear that." He was smiling again, and though he was feeling so miserable at the moment he could not help but to feel better knowing his best friends were happy again (finally).

"It was even starting to drizzle when someone so rudely interrupted us."

"I'm soooo sorry," he said sarcastically, and they both laughed.

O

Meanwhile, Ron had just Apparated to the Burrow, actually he Apparated about half a mile from the Burrow so that no one at the residence would here his arrival. He put on the invisibility cloak that Harry had given him and headed for his childhood home. When he got closer he noticed something was not right there, the house didn't seem to give off that homely feel that he was use to. Starting to think that Harry's presumptions weren't just an overreaction, he tentatively walked into the house.

That's when he saw a sight that nearly gave him a heart attack. He saw his mother in his father's arms, both wandless and all color drained from their face, his father sporting a bloody lip. Ginny was also there slightly separated from her parents, grabbing her stomach (like she had just been punched) and bleeding from her nose. There were two men in the room leering at their hostages. It took all of Ron's patient not to attack them then and there, but he knew he couldn't guarantee all of their safety so he waited for an opening.

"Hmm," said one of the men that Ron now recognized as Rodolphus Lestrange. "It appears that Potter has escaped once again," he said looking at something in his hand that seemed to have given him the message.

"That slimly bastard," said someone Ron had never met (but now committed the face to his memory for future reference) he was much younger, probably in his late twenties and obviously a new recruit.

"Yeah, he always was," Lestrange said smirking evilly at his hostages. "One hard bugger to kill … but the people he cares about … that's a different story." He raised his wand and was pointing it a Ginny then moved it to Molly. "Which one of you should I kill? Should it be Potter's wife, the filthy blood traitor slag that bared his filthy brats? Or should I kill Mommy Dearest … Potter's closes thing to a mommy. I do seem to own you something for killing my wife." At this his face contorted with anger and pain, it looked like he was ready to curse her right then and there.

Ron edged closer, knowing that the attack was only seconds away and that he would have to act fast to save whoever was about to be cursed.

"He told you to go for the wife …" the other Death Eater started but was cut off by Lestrange.

"I know …!" he yelled, a manic look in his eyes. "Maybe this is better anyways … it will be harder on you to live through your daughter's death. You killed her for this piece of scum anyways."

At these words Molly and Arthur both made attempts to get to their daughter, but the other Death Eater raised his wand and prevented them from moving. "Not uh um … none of that … you'll have to watch her die."

Lestrange raised his wand, smiled and looked straight at Molly's face, watching the horror and pain written all over it, and said, "Avada Kedavra."

The green light shot at Ginny, but before it could reach her Ron jumped at her and pulled them both away. At the same time he shot a spell that missed Lestrange but hit the other Death Eater's wand out of his hand. Ron ripped the cloak off himself and threw it onto Ginny and yelled, "Stay!"

When he got up ready to fight Lestrange, he saw that his Dad and the younger Death Eater were now in a fistfight, both trying to get the fallen wand. A spell just missed Ron and he ducked behind one of the cabinets as he shot one of his own spells. The fight with Lestrange was taking too long, Ron was well aware that his Dad wasn't as young as he once was and could not handle a prolong fistfight, especially with a younger man. With his distracted mind, Ron wasn't doing as well as he normal would.

"Stupefy!" he heard Ginny scream from the corner where the fallen wand had landed (though he couldn't see her, she was under the cloak).

He saw Lestrange turn to the corner and took the opening and stunned him too. Ron stood up and looked at the two stunned Death Eaters then waved his wand and bound them together and made sure that couldn't Apparated. "Is every one okay?"

"Yeah," Arthur said now sporting a black eye, broken nose and probably more damage that Ron couldn't see. He moved to Lestrange and removed three wands from his pocket, handing one each to Arthur, Molly and Ginny.

"Ron, not that I'm not happy you're here, and showed up when you did … really thanks for saving my life … but why the hell are you here?" Ginny stammered.

Ron rubbed his head, should he tell the truth, what if these Death Eaters are awake and would hear more than he wanted them to? "What, I can't visit my parents? I'm just glad I came when I did." He gave Ginny a significant look, trying to tell her what he really met. She seemed to get it and didn't ask any more questions.

"What should we do now?" Arthur asked his son, also seeming to pick up that there was more to this and that they needed to act fast; his family was being threatened once again.

"You," Ron said looking into his father's eyes trying to convey what he needed him to know. "Should go to the place I go when I'm in trouble and need a place to go." It was a really roundabout way of saying it and he hoped his father understood that to mean Shell Cottage, seeing as he always did go running to Bill when he needed help. "I'm taking Ginny …" He gave his father another significant look. His father nodded his head and seemed to understand and grabbed his mother's hand and then Disapparated.

Ron turned to Ginny and motion for her to come to him, he was about to pull out the Deluminator but thought that he shouldn't do that here. He raised his wand and set a patronus to the Auror department so that someone would come down to pick these Death Eaters up. Then he grasped Ginny's arm and Disapparated.

They landed in an alleyway hundreds of miles away for the Burrow. Ginny raised her eyebrow and said, "I thought we were going to Bill's."

"No that's where I wanted Mum and Dad to go … we're going to Mione's to meet Harry."

"Why are we here?" She asked; this alley was nowhere near Hermione's flat. "Wait, how are we going to get there? It's practically impossible to get in, well accept for the …"

"Harry used that," he said shortly then looked around making sure no one followed them. Just to make sure, he Apparated once more, the events at the Burrow really seemed to have unhinge him. After that he pulled out the Deluminator and clicked it, Ginny stared at the strange object until she realized what it was and let out a gasp. A second later they were covered in a blue light.

O

Back at Hermione's flat Harry was kind of out of it from the lack of blood and the horrible potion that Hermione had force him to take, saying it would help him. However, he was starting to get back some of his sense (and worry). "Mione," he said raising his head, she was in the kitchen working on something.

"Yeah," she called and came to the doorway. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I guess," he said confused. "Did you get word back from Nev?"

"Yeah, everyone's okay."

"Good," he was struggling to remember what he needed to say. "Mione, you need to contact the others, like George and the rest … And Hannah (who was Neville's wife) … she might be in trouble too … I would say Luna … but who the hell knows where she is … I guess it would still be good to give her a heads up. Charlie and Percy too but …"

"Harry calm down," Hermione said, and felt his forehead and smiled. "It seems that your fever broke and maybe this time you'll remember what I say …"

"What do …" he tried to ask.

"I've been sending messages to everyone since I finish healing you, I got word back from most of them and all seems fine. Don't worry Harry everyone's aware of the danger."

He grinned at her but it didn't last long, he was unable to dismiss the worried look that Hermione had and realized something was not right here. "Ron didn't come back yet?"

"No, it's been a few hours," she was trying to keep strong but the hours of complete worry was ebbing away at her resilience, and tears were forming in her eye. "Do you really think they were there?"

"Um …" he hesitated to answer. "Yes … that's one of the explanation for why he would take this long. The other is she wasn't at the Burrow and he had to find her."

"Harry …" she started.

"Don't worry, he's strong … we can trust him …"

"I know," she said got up and went back into the kitchen.

He tried to get up, his shoulder hurt like hell and he was still woozy because of the lost of blood but he need to stand. Things where bad now, he could feel it and he needed to be strong. It appeared that Hermione's potions were working well; they seem to have given him a lot of his strength back. He headed towards the kitchen; he needed to start now.

"Harry!" she exclaimed. "You really shouldn't be on your feet, you know." She gave him her warning automatically but knew it wouldn't stop him from doing what he thought was needed to be done.

"You know I can't do that," he said with effort. "Tell me how I can help, I need to do something."

"Fine," she said, sitting him down and setting him to work. After some time there was a dinging noise that made Hermione leave her seat and go to the boiling pot on the stove.

"Here," she said two minutes later handing Harry a flask. "It's a potion that will counter act the dark curse you were hit with. The blood replenishing potion worked well, but you should take some more of it soon, you've lost a lot, and your wound didn't heal properly so it's still bleeding a little but the new potion should fix that."

"Thanks," he said after she finished. He had taken both the first flask she handed him and the blood-replenishing potion and drain them while she talked.

"Harry …" she said but before she could say anymore there was a soft popping noise and a blue light.

"Oh my … what happen here," they could hear a woman's voice say, a woman's voice that was very familiar to both of them. They both grinned at each other.

"Harry had a rough landing when he came in," a man voice said, it was Ron. "Damn where is he?"

"There's so much blood," Ginny said in a weak voice.

Harry walked out of the kitchen and said, "Gin, I'm okay."

She turned around, white face, and looked at him, and then she ran to hug him. She nearly knocked him over and he winched in pain, but the relief that she was okay was far more powerful than the pain. "Ginevra Molly Potter, reporting for service," she whispered into his ear as he held her.

"About time," he pulled her closer.

Hermione didn't give Harry and Ginny a spare glance; she ran right over to Ron's open arms and kissed him. "You're okay."

"Yeah," he said smiling at her, man he loved the feel of her in his arms. "I'm fine." He lean down and kissed her again. He would likely have stayed there kissing her, hell it probably was going to progress far beyond that soon, but Harry had cleared his throat and they broke apart.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry said grinning, obviously not sorry for the interruption at all. Ginny, standing behind him was giggling in his back.

"It looks like Ronninkins is getting some, at last," Ginny laughed.

Both Ron and Hermione turned as red as tomatoes. Ron seemed to recover first and said, "I don't think you should mock me … not after what I did today."

"Yeah I guess," she said getting quiet and shifting uncomfortably. At that both Harry and Hermione looked at her nervously, afraid of what happened.

"Gin?" Harry asked nervously.

"It was bad Harry," Ginny said. "When Ron … they were going to kill me …"

Harry looked between angry and scared. He pulled her into his arms and smoothed her. "Gin, it's okay … your okay. You don't have to say more …"

"No, I do …" she said clenching to his shirt tightly. "I need to tell you, you need to know."

"Okay Gin," he said smiling kindly at her.

"It all started about ten minutes after I got to the Burrow," Ginny said calmly but unable to look at any of the others. "Dad was running late … He was supposed to have gone into work by the time I got there but for some reason he was late. We were talking … Mum, Dad, and me; I didn't even notice them … Somehow they got pass the wards."

"I don't get it," Ron said shocked. Harry had a dark look and he was obvious thinking of something but he didn't say anything.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked after seeing the look on Harry's face.

"Not now," he said, "I'll tell you after Gin finishes."

"It was weird," she said. "It's not like they broke through the wards by force … It was like they just got past them. Anyways, they came at us fast … there were two of them. They took our wands before we even realized they were there and stunned me too.

"When I woke up I saw a Death Eater taunting Dad and then punched him to the ground. I got to my feet then and the Death Eater turned to me. 'The filthy blood traitor slag has awakened at last,' he leered at me and I recognized his voice.

"Lestrange?" Ron said almost questioningly; like he was hoping it wouldn't be him.

"No," Ginny said and Ron smiled (all be it darkly). "It was the other guy. His name is Philip; he works at the Prophet, too. He was always really slimy; I never liked him. Anyways I grabbed his mask and ripped it off …"

"Ginny!" Harry said shocked and angry. "Why the hell did you do that? You know they could've killed you for that! It was reckless …"

"That's so typical," Ginny said angrily. "You're one of the most reckless people I know …"

"But …" Harry started but Hermione got between them.

"Stop! This isn't going to help and we really need to act fast, there will be time for this later," she added when she saw Harry trying to argue.

"Fine," he said giving in.

"Okay," Ginny said as she continued her story. "Well, obviously he wasn't too pleased that I de-masked him but they didn't do anything to me yet. They seemed to be waiting for something. After about an hour they seemed to get restless and started arguing with each other. 'Look, I'm telling you, Potter escaped again and that's why they haven't contacted us yet' Philip said, he really is an idiot. Of course after that I was more terrified than before because now my suspicions were conformed; you were in danger too, Harry. Then the other Death Eater told him to shut up. That voice was familiar too but I didn't know who it was."

"'Come on, let's just kill one of these scum, the little slag, and be done with it,' Philip said.

"'No … You know we have to follow our orders,' the other guy said in a cold voice, all the time looking at Mum with a murderous glint in his eyes. 'We will only do that if we get the go ahead. If we go ahead with the plan, one of these scum get to live, you don't want that do you?'

"'No … I suppose not, but still I would really love to kill this little slag … she is going to die anyway, why not kill her now?' Philip said. He really is an arse if I …"

"Gin!" Harry said exasperated.

"Okay, Anyways the other guy said, 'We were told to wait. Besides, the longer they live the more torture they'll be in. Killing is fast and merciful, but torture … that's where all the fun is. I tell you what, in half an hour, if nothing chances, you can torture your little friend.'

"Then Mum spoke, 'No,' she was so scared, I haven't seen her that scared in years, it was horrible. The other Death Eater just leered at her then said, 'Make sure you make her really scream … that way you'll be able to torture everyone here. Sometimes watching is more painful then actually getting hit.' He said that and he was still looking at Mum with a murderous glare. I think at that time we all knew who it was and he realized that. He took off his mask and it was Rodolphus Lestrange.

"You know, that would have been more of a surprise if Ron didn't ruin it," she said after not getting the response she wanted.

"Sorry about that," Ron said.

"Whatever," she said then continued. "Well, they waited, and then Philip roughed me up a bit. Don't look at me like that Harry; it wasn't that bad, he didn't even use Crucio on me. Just a couple of punches, nothing that bad … I've had worst."

"That must have been right about the time I got there, right Gin?" Ron said trying to get Harry's attention away from Ginny (and whatever pain she might have been in).

"I guess," she said. "I wouldn't know, you were invisible so I couldn't see you. All I know is that they got a message on this shinny card thingy and said that you got away. How you managed to get away all the time is beyond me …"

"I'm just a natural born avoider," Harry smiled weakly. "I can get out of any life threatening situation. That skill has prevented us from having any major problems, right Gin?"

"Watch it mister," Ginny said firmly.

"You know I was joking Gin," Harry said. "Don't pout."

"I wasn't," she said softer. "And I know, it's okay."

"See, crisis avoided," he said triumphantly. Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Harry!" Ginny said exasperated, punching him in the arm but laughing too. "You're just one giant head ache."

"Thanks, I love you, too," he said and kissed her.

"Okay, that's enough you two," Ron said as Ginny made a move to deepen the kiss with Harry.

"You're such a prude, Ron," Ginny said. "Why don't you get a life and stay out of mine?"

"I did," Ron said and squeezed Hermione's arm with the one he had wrapped around her. Hermione just rolled her eyes, which caused Harry and Ginny to laugh.

"Stop it all of you," Hermione said. "Gin, why don't you continue?"

"Righty oh," she said giving a salute. "Well, after they got the message then they said that they were going to kill one of us. They were order to kill me but Lestrange wanted to kill Mum, I'm sure we all know why. Anyways, they argued then pointed the wand at me and said the curse. If it wasn't for Ron, I would have been killed."

"Yeah, and you thank me for that my making fun of me," Ron huffed.

"So," Ginny said shrugging her shoulders. "Anyways, after Ron got there we took out the Death Eaters and Ron made Mum and Dad go to Bill's, then he Apparated us to a few alleys before he used his Deluminator and that's it."

"So what were you thinking before?" Hermione asked Harry after a moment of silence. "When Ginny mentioned the wards?"

"They would need someone in the protection department to have been able to get pass the wards on the Burrow that easily," Harry said.

"You think?" Ron said shocked again today for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "The Burrow had strong wards put on it and for it to go down without at fight … they had to have some inside help."

"Do you think we're safe here?" Hermione asked.

"Most of the stuff you put up are experimental and aren't strictly approved by the Ministry," Harry said "I don't think they would know them, right?"

"No," Hermione sighed; she shouldn't have let her panic override her sense of logic. "I haven't told anyone the different wards I use."

"I still think it would be a good idea to get out of here now," Harry said, he was really starting to feel better and his strength had returned enough for him to Apparated. "For one thing, we don't know how long your wards will hold …"

"They're Mione's aren't they," Ron smirked. "They'll hold forever."

"Yeah," Harry smiled back at him. "But the main reason I want to go is because we need to talk to everyone. Hopeful they all made it to Shell Cottage by now …"

"How do they all know where to go?" Ginny asked.

"Mione has been contacting them with the DA coins," Harry smiled. "I really think we should go there, too."

"All right, but Harry after you get there you'll have to sit down and relax for at least an hour," Hermione said worried. "You were seriously injured and Apparating will only make it worse."

"Will do," Harry smirk and he turn on the spot and was gone.

"Git," Hermione muttered before she followed him along with Ron and Ginny.

A/N: So that chapter was a bit more action pack right … Whatever, the next is a little lacks again seeing as they have to start gathering info and all that; but there will be a nice talk between Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were you'll learn more about Ron and Hermione's past (and more importantly breakup).