Chapter 7

"Alright, Hermione, Ron, what is going on? I think we've waited enough, where is Harry?" The impatient question was raised for the thousandth time already and it was still met with support by the other occupants of the Shell Cottage's living room. The whole Weasley family was there, as well as a few other remaining Order members like Tonks and Hestia Jones.

Hermione bit her lip nervously and stole a quick glance to the door once again, as if she was waiting for someone to come through it. Ron was sitting next to her. His expression was sheepish and horribly guilty with a hint of defiance. He was unable to look at his parents or sibling in the eyes.

It has been like that for the past hour, as more and more members of the remaining order came into the house, wanting to hear what the two teens had to say, while said teens desperately tried to postpone the start of the meeting.

Ginny was still in Hogwarts but she was expected to stay at home when she returned from the school at the winter holidays.

They were all eager to make sure that the two were alright, as they have not seen them in months. It was since Bill's and Fleur's wedding was ruined by the death eaters, resulting in the escape of the three best friends.

It was heartbreaking for the Weasleys to see their son and brother, as well as his two best friends who were considered as part of the family, running away and disappearing for months. Ginny took it the hardest, finding herself suddenly without knowing what happened to her brother, her protective boyfriend and one of her best female friends. It took a lot of the already broken family's efforts to bring her out of it, and she promised them to keep fighting in the school, despite their horrified protests. Her active participation with the still loyal students' created army, Dumbledore's Army, and her recent rebellious actions made her parents reach the only possible decision they could. They will make her stay home and not return to school for her second term.

Molly and Arthur knew that their only daughter will be more than enraged by their decision, but they decided that it was the best one they could make for the safety of the family and her own. The parents hoped that with Hermione's and Ron's return, she would be less angry. However, they wondered where was Harry, knowing that Ginny would be frantic to know the whereabouts of her crush.

Molly was aware however, that it wasn't a crush anymore. She knew that her daughter and Harry already got into a relationship the last school year. It was more than obvious to her, as a mother of seven, even if Ginny forgot to mention it. She also saw the change at the end of that year, after Professor Dumbledore's unfortunate death. It was as if Harry was trying to hold himself away, while Ginny was secretly determined to make him give in. The red-haired woman wasn't angry at Harry for trying to end it, she could clearly see that it hurt him just as much.

She knew the green-eyed teen quite well, as she has known him for years since she helped him on the platform. She could guess that it was his protective heroic nature coming to play. Molly knew that the former Headmaster gave his student some kind of a very important yet dangerous mission and she resented him for that. It enraged her that the responsibility that Harry got made him give up his education and relationship, making him go on a quest to most likely save the world.

Arthur was drawn to a different thing: his son's strange behaviour. The young man who was sitting in front of him seemed to be only a mere shadow of what he was the last time his father saw him. Arthur did expect him to be rugged and tired, but it was his eyes that caught his attention. It was said that it was possible to see the soul of a person through his or her eyes, but Arthur wondered if it was possible to see more than one soul. It was hard to explain, but it seemed as if two completely different beings raged inside his son; day and night, light and darkness, good and bad.

His blue eyes reflected hate and love, resentment and acceptance, hope and conflict. It greatly disturbed the older red-haired wizard and he vowed to find out what was going on as soon as possible.

"Well Professor Lupin and Kingsley are not here and I wouldn't want to repeat it over and over, I'm sure that-" Hermione's babbling was interrupted by Tonks.

"Like I already told you Hermione, Remus and Kingsley went off to investigate some strange activity last night. I'm not sure when they'll return since I don't know the details but I'm sure I can relay the information, unless you want to wait for Merlin-knows how many hours." Hermione looked as if that offer greatly appealed her but she sighed a moment later, realizing they had no choice.

"Alright. Well, I think we should first tell you about the mission professor Dumbledore gave us, what do you think Ron?" The witch looked at him for a moment, he offered no answer to the confusion of the room and Hermione hurriedly continued.

"Right. Well, you see, Voldemort-" A big flinch from the whole room save to a few people. "-always had been fascinated by the concept of immortality and he was driven to find a way to achieve it. There is a branch in the Dark Arts, one of the darkest ones, that is called a Horcrux. It's a physical vessel that can be a living thing or an object that keeps a part of the caster's soul inside of it."

All of the occupants of the room looked shocked by that, as they were not aware that a thing like that was even possible to do.

"You mean that You-Know-Who made one of these Horcrux-thingies and that he's actually immortal?" Fred asked quietly, not even a trace of his usual mischievous nature evident on his face.

The young woman nodded sadly. "He didn't make only one, Professor Dumbledore suspected he made at least seven, one of them is already destroyed and we found another one at the Ministry."

Mr. Weasley suddenly had a realization. "Ah, so it was you who broke into the Ministry. I have wondered about the strange behaviour and complete chaos that day. It was a few days before we decided to go into hiding after Christmas." He lowered his head in sadness as Mrs. Weasley caressed his arm in support.

Ron raised his head and looked at his father in surprise. "We are going into hiding?" He asked.

His mother answered. "Yes Ron, our association to the order, Dumbledore and Harry has made it too dangerous for us to stay in the open. Your father and I have decided that it would be safer to stay hidden until things will calm down."

An almost unnoticeable surge of anger flashed in Ron's eyes, making his parents frown as they were the only ones who saw it.

"But, what about Harry? Where is he Ron?" Bill asked his younger brother, seeing that there seemed to be something wrong with him.

Ron didn't reply, preferring to look at his brothers and parents mutely, his face set in a conflicted expression. His mouth moved soundlessly for a few moments before he gave up, preferring to look away and ignore the question. Hermione seemed to be in the same state, albeit with much more tears.

"Is he... Is he dead?" asked with fear, not wanting to believe that, only to sigh in relief when they both shook their heads negatively.

"Was he captured?" Shake of the head.

"Injured?" Negative.

"Did you... Did you abandon him?" The whole room was set into a sudden silence as the question slipped through Tonks' lips, as she looked at them strangely.

The silence remained for what felt like forever, the tension building as everyone digested that possibility, still looking at the blank Ron and shaking Hermione. A jerky quick nod from the already sobbing young witch set the room into a complete chaos.

Chairs falling down as everyone suddenly stood up, shouting and yelling, anger and tears.

"You idiots! You've left your best friend to die alone!"

"I saved us from dying with him! You should be all glad!"

"Shut up you idiot boy, 'Arry iz too brave to let that 'appen!"

"Remus was right all along, Merlin I can't believe this!"

"People please! Calm down! I have much more important news." The door burst open as Dedalus Diggle came in breathing heavily, his forehead glittering in sweat and his eyes shining in a wild desperate light.

"What can be more important than Harry being abandoned to face You-Know-Who by himself?!" demanded angrily, tears glittering in her emotional eyes.

"This!" The small wizard yelled as he waved frantically the news paper in his hands. He spread it out on the table. "It is an emergency edition, just came out a few minutes ago, they are giving out free copies to everyone!"

On the main page there were three pictures, the main big one featuring Harry, looking away from the flash of the camera and trying to get away from the shot hurriedly. The second and third ones showed Remus Lupin, taken in Hogwarts when he was still a professor there, and Kingsley Shacklebot, standing behind the muggle Minister.

The headline was magnified in big bold black letters, having an excited and condemning quality:

"HARRY POTTER (UNDESIREBLE NO.1), REMUS LUPIN AND KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOT FOUND DEAD IN GODRIC'S HOLLOW - ANOTHER VICTORY AGAINST THE PEACE-DISRUPTORS."

A shocked silence lasted for many moments, only to be broken by an agonized cry from the pregnant Tonks.

Stick around to find out what happened with that ;) Any reviews or criticism are welcome, thank you.