"That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken."

-Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

When Scarlett had gone to warn Justin about Umbridge, she hadn't expected to hear from him again. She didn't even really expect him to take her advice. All she wanted was for him to know so that she could stop worrying. Although, once she had told him the news, Scarlett found herself worrying about other things. She fully realized that her actions could have major consequences and she also realized she had broken her promise to Fred and her mother. What would happen if they found out what she did? She also wondered about what would happen if Umbridge did come after her or her mother. How far would the toad go?

And then she found herself worrying about Dumbledore's death and what that would mean. She felt that the entire wizarding world had just become a lot more vulnerable.

Dumbledore's funeral was almost eerily surreal to witness. It seemed like the entire school was there in addition to Order members and former students. Even centaurs came out of the forest and the merpeople stuck their heads out of the lake.

Scarlett saw Justin sitting on the other side of the crowd and did her best to try not to make eye contact. She prayed that he wouldn't see her or decide to come over and talk to her, spilling the beans about what she had told him in the process. That was all she needed right now. Thankfully, she made it through the funeral without any contact with him. She didn't even know if he had seen her. He must have known she was there, though. But it didn't matter. It was probably for the best that they didn't talk to each other.

By the time the beginning of July had rolled around, Scarlett's worrying had lessoned. She was beginning to think that Fred and her mother would never have to know that she had met up with Justin. However, now she constantly had Dumbledore's death on her mind and the fact that things were definitely getting a lot worse.

She and Fred hadn't discussed their wedding in much detail. They had discussed having a quick wedding somewhere, but there were a few roadblocks. Firstly, there was there was the decision of how exactly to break the news to Mrs. Weasley and secondly, it was going to be hard to find someone to marry them. Usually, certain Ministry officials could marry people, but Scarlett wasn't comfortable with going to or contacting the Ministry while Umbridge was there. She hadn't specified why exactly, but Fred didn't ask. He simply thought Scarlett didn't want Umbridge to find out about the vow. He certainly didn't want her to find out, so they were actually in agreement. "I bet she'd have a field day," he had said with an eye roll.

One day, during the second week of July, Scarlett was spending time with Fred at her flat. She was lying on the floor in the middle of the living room, trying to push Fred off of her as he tickled her sides. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door that caused them both to freeze.

"Don't answer it," Fred said, using one hand to firmly hold Scarlett's wrists above her head.

"I have to. It could be important." Scarlett tilted her head up and gently gave Fred a kiss. "We'll continue this later."

"Sounds good," Fred grinned as another knock came from the door.

After Fred had let her up, Scarlett straightened her shirt and fixed her hair before going to answer the door. Immediately, her heart rate quickened and a wave of panic shot through her. "Justin," she whispered.

Fred appeared behind Scarlett and shot Justin a look of disgust. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but then again, I already know the answer," Justin shot back, meeting Fred's eyes and shooting him a similar look of contempt.

"Do not say it's because Scarlett cheated on you," Fred snapped. "Yeah, I know what you think happened and I also know what you said to Angelina."

"She had to know," Justin replied casually, shrugging and making a face that said it wasn't a big deal.

"About the vow, yes, but as for the cheating idea, that's a lie and deep down, I think you know it. Besides, it's not your place to tell Angelina anything."

"We used to be friends," Justin said. "We live near each other and we were friends before Hogwarts."

"But you aren't friends anymore."

"Fred, just-," Scarlett began, tugging on his sleeve. However, it didn't do much because he didn't move.

"That doesn't mean I stopped caring," Justin snapped. "Isn't that right? Isn't that what you said to me during school?"

Fred simply glared at Justin, seemingly at a loss for words, while Justin smirked and crossed his arms.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Fred growled, taking a step forward and looking down at Justin.

"Make me."

"No, stop, that's enough," Scarlett said, stepping between them and pushing Fred back. "Maybe you should go back inside and let me deal with Justin," she whispered.

"He shouldn't even be here," Fred said, ignoring Scarlett's suggestion and continuing to glare at Justin. "I was under the impression that he wasn't talking to you."

"I'm only here because I wanted to thank Scarlett and let her know where I'm going," Justin replied, keeping his tone formal, stiff and almost emotionless.

"What are you-?" Fred began.

"Where?" Scarlett interrupted, freezing in her attempt to push Fred back inside and turning to look at Justin.

"My aunt and uncle's house," Justin replied, just as formally as before. "My dad's brother and his wife."

"The ones that stayed with you when—"

"Yeah," Justin answered quickly.

Scarlett nodded. "Okay."

"I told Hermione as well. She said to thank you for warning her, and that she's going to stick with Harry and Ron no matter what, even if it includes not going into hiding."

"Sorry, but what is going on?" Fred asked impatiently. He looked at Scarlett. "Do not tell me you did what I think you did."

"You mean she didn't tell you before?" Justin taunted, smirking and raising his eyebrows. He actually looked annoyingly gleeful.

"Justin, don't," Scarlett told him firmly.

"I just find it amusing that he doesn't know what's going on. I thought you two were so close and told each other everything."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Fred said, crossing his arms and looking at Scarlett.

"Wow, look at that, we actually agree on something," Justin said in an overly dramatic, incredulous tone.

"Justin, I think you should go if all you're going to do is taunt Fred," Scarlett said, whipping around to glare at him. She was nervous and stressed about how she was going to deal with Fred and all Justin was doing was making it worse. She needed him to leave so she could think straight without him taunting Fred from the background. Then again, this was her own fault and she now had to face the consequences.

"Fine, I'll leave," Justin replied. "It looks like you two need to talk, anyway. Good luck with that." Smirking, he turned and walked away, never looking back once.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Scarlett shut the door with a little more force than necessary. When she turned around, Fred was staring at her expectantly.

"You went to warn him about Umbridge questioning Muggleborns, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she mumbled, looking down and playing with the hem of her shirt. After a few seconds, she looked up again. "But I told him to warn Hermione, too."

"Why? You know how much trouble you and your mother can get into. You promised you wouldn't go."

"I know, but I had to." Scarlett looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand. He was standing stiffly with his arms crossed and his jaw set, but Scarlett could see from the look in his eyes that he was hurt.

"I can see why you would want to tell Hermione, but the Finch? He's not worth it."

"Look, Fred, I know that's what you think, but I disagree."

"Why? He treated you like dirt."

"No, I treated him like dirt."

"His reaction when you broke up with him—"

"Maybe I deserved it."

"Scar, we discussed this!" Fred exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration and angrily walking to the other side of the room. "You didn't deserve it."

"And Justin didn't deserve to be strung along for eleven months." All Scarlett wanted to do was cross the room and hug Fred and put this whole disagreement behind them, but she also refused to change how she felt. She refused to regret it or apologize for what she had done and Fred needed to understand that.

Fred turned away from her and began examining the pictures Scarlett had arranged on the far wall. "I don't get why you keep defending him," he finally said, lightly dragging his thumb along a picture of an eleven year old Scarlett holding up her Hogwarts letter and peering excitedly at the camera over the top. "I mean, he seems pretty messed up if you ask me."

"Yeah, well maybe I am, too," Scarlett whispered, shrugging one shoulder.

"You're not." Fred quickly turned to look at her without removing his hand from the picture frame. He shook his head. "You're not," he repeated in a whisper.

"Justin's a good person, Fred. He's not perfect, but neither is anyone else."

"Do you still like him?"

"No!" Scarlett threw up her hands in exasperation. "I like you, Fred, but that doesn't mean I don't care about Justin. I'm not going to hate him." She watched as Fred shrugged and looked away. "Fred," she whispered, "Justin and I are really over. You know that right? Vow or no vow, I still want to be with you. I don't want to get back together with him and I know he doesn't want to get back together with me. You don't have to feel insecure about that."

"I'm not insecure," Fred insisted, looking back at her and shaking his head violently. "And that's great that you feel that way, but you still lied."

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you."

"That's not much better! Didn't you get upset with me for not telling you the truth about breaking up with Angelina?" Fred's voice was rising again and while Scarlett understood that he was hurt, she also wished he would stop yelling.

"Yes, but this is different!"

"I'm not so sure. You promised you wouldn't say anything. You made a promise to me and then you turned around and broke it as if it wasn't worth anything. As if you knew you were going to tell the Finch the whole time and only promised in the first place to shut me up! Is that what I'm worth to you, Scarlett?"

"No, of course not! I hated lying to you, but—"

"When did you tell him?"

"The day after my mother gave us the news. There was a Hogsmeade trip the next day."

Fred let out an exasperated groan and turned away again. "I think you need to make a choice, Scar. Me or the Finch."

"I already have, Fred, don't you get it? I chose you! But that doesn't mean I stop caring about everyone else. Have you completely stopped caring for Angelina? If she were in danger, would you warn her?"

"Not if it put my family in danger!"

"Really? Well, you wouldn't at least feel conflicted? You wouldn't feel torn?"

Fred didn't answer. He looked away again and stared at the pictures on the wall.

"Look, I'm sure Umbridge won't notice if two people don't show up for questioning," Scarlett said quietly.

"I think she will. Especially if it's two people you're close to. She'll make the connection."

"How will she even realize we knew beforehand? She can't prove it."

Fred turned back to look at her, his expression almost pained. "She'll figure it out. She knows your mum's a journalist."

Scarlett sighed and chewed on her lip as she stared at her feet. "If she finds out, I'll take the blame. It was me who told people after all. I'll make sure my mum gets off the hook."

"Are you sure that will even work? If Umbridge wants to go after your mother, I'm not sure anything can stop her."

"I can at least try, can't I?"

"I just don't see why you had to deliberately put yourself in danger when you could have simply avoided it and kept quiet. I mean, if Hermione's planning on sticking with Harry anyway, then fine, but the Finch…."

"A lot of people are going to run when the news officially gets out. I really don't think Umbridge will even know I'm the one who told them."

"What if she just wants an excuse to come after you again so she just acts upon an accusation that she thinks she made up but actually happens to be true?"

Scarlett looked up and met Fred's blue eyes from across the room. "You think she'd do that?" she asked, her voice coming out in a whisper. "She hasn't done anything to me in months. Besides, she's not even my teacher anymore."

"That doesn't mean she can't do anything to you. Scar, I—" Fred broke off and took a deep breath before exhaling and looking up at the ceiling.

"You what?" Scarlett asked.

Fred didn't move or speak for a few seconds. "Nothing," he finally said. "Just forget it. I just—I care about you. I don't want anything bad to happen."

Scarlett smiled and slowly crossed the room. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're adorable when you're concerned," she whispered.

"Are you trying to get on my good side by complimenting me?" Fred asked, gently moving a piece of hair off her face.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe…but I'm serious, Scar. I want you to stay safe." He cupped her face in his hands and gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I'll be fine." Scarlett smiled reassuringly, putting a hand on top of one of his. She figured she could at least try to look calm, despite the fact that she knew deep down that Fred had a point and it scared her. But she wasn't going to let him see that.

"You can't know that for sure."

"I thought you didn't worry."

"I try not to, but it doesn't mean I don't care. You know that. Besides, it's not as if this was inevitable. You could have controlled it."

"Yes, but I didn't want to. I wanted to warn Justin. But it doesn't matter now. It's done and there's nothing we can do about it. I made my decision and I'm prepared to live with it."

Fred sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Are you still mad at me?"

Fred looked down at her and studied her face as he thought about his answer. "I guess I'm still a little hurt but…." He trailed off and stared at a random point across the room.

"But what?" Scarlett asked, reaching up and putting a hand on his cheek, causing him to look back at her.

"Deep down, I suppose I realize why you did it. That doesn't mean I like it, though."

"I know you don't, but I appreciate you understanding."

"Do I have permission to hurt Umbridge as severely as possible if she comes after you?"

Scarlett giggled. "As long as you don't get yourself hurt."

"So it's okay for you to put yourself in danger, but I can't?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Scarlett said, nodding as her mouth curled into a small smile.

"Don't worry about me, though," Fred said. "I'm an expert on pranks and sneaking around. I'm the one who never gets caught, remember?"

Scarlett laughed before tilting her head and narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "I just don't understand why you have to deliberately put yourself in danger when it can be avoided."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, of course not."

"I think you are."

"I disagree."

Fred sighed. "Is there any use in arguing with you?"

"Nope," Scarlett grinned.

Fred leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I didn't think so," he whispered.

"You're joking."

"No, I'm actually not." Fred looked seriously up at Scarlett from his position on the couch as she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. They were at his flat one night towards the end of July. George was out getting groceries to restock the nearly empty fridge, leaving Fred and Scarlett alone to talk.

Fred had written to Scarlett asking her to come over after work. He had said he had news for her. This news turned out to be the fact that a group of Order members were going to collect Harry from his aunt and uncle's house the following Monday and bring him to the Burrow, which was going to be heavily charmed. This way, Harry would be safe from You-Know-Who trying to attack his aunt and uncle's house once the charm broke there. Fred had just explained the plan in detail to Scarlett, leaving her in shock.

"Do you think the plan will work?" Scarlett asked.

"Mad-Eye seems to think it will. Supposedly, You-Know-Who doesn't even know that we're moving Harry on Monday. And even if he figured it out, there will be six of us disguised as Harry, plus the real one flying around. You-Know-Who won't know which one's which."

"But what if he injures one of the fake Harrys? What if he does manage to somehow get the real one?"

"That's a chance we're all taking," Fred answered as Scarlett took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Why didn't Mad-Eye ask me to help?"

Fred shrugged and glanced at her. "We only needed a total of seven Harrys. You weren't there to volunteer. You were—"

"Working, I know," Scarlett said bitterly.

"Nothing wrong with that." Fred shrugged a second time. "Besides, Ginny's not going either."

"Yeah, but she can't. She's underage. I'm of age and more than willing to go."

"I know, but don't worry about it, okay? It's better this way, really."

"So basically I'm supposed to sit around at home worrying about whether or not you and a bunch of other people I care about are safe?"

"No, you don't have to do that," Fred said. When Scarlett looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he continued with a small smile. "You'll sit at the Burrow and worry."

Scarlett snorted and looked away. He knew how she felt about losing someone all over again and it irritated her that he was gallivanting off on dangerous rescue missions as if he weren't afraid at all. But then she hated herself for thinking that. It was almost selfish, really. It wasn't Fred's fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. Of course Fred was going to go. It only made sense. Besides, Scarlett wasn't the only person afraid of losing someone. Everyone was. It was just that sometimes she felt as if the prospect worried her a whole lot more than it worried everyone else.

"This is as good as you're going to get," Fred told her. "You can bring Erica. Plus, Ginny and my mother will be there. Sirius, too. You'll have other people around and when I come back safe and sound, you can be the first one to greet me. Sound good?"

Scarlett sighed and leaned back into the couch, lifting her legs and resting her sock-clad feet on the coffee table. "No, not entirely, but I suppose under the circumstances…."

"Exactly," Fred said, smiling and patting her knee. "And besides, after this is all over, we have Harry's birthday dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. You are coming to both, aren't you?"

"Yes, I said I would, didn't I?" Scarlett replied.

"Just making sure," Fred grinned.

Just then, George returned with the groceries in his arms. Scarlett craned her neck and to look at him and waved half-heartedly. "Hi, George."

"Hey," he said, peering over the bags at her. He looked at Fred. "Did you tell her?"

"He did," Scarlett sighed, turning back around and staring blankly at the wall.

"It'll be okay, Scar," George called over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen. Scarlett heard him putting things away.

"You don't know that," she called back.

"I do," George said. He walked back into the living room and sat on the arm of the couch beside Scarlett. "Do you want to know how I know?"

"How?" Scarlett sighed, not even turning to look at him.

"Because it's a good plan and we've gone over it a million times in the past few days. We're prepared."

"You're prepared for every possible thing to go wrong?"

"Look, if You-Know-Who does come after us, we'll fight the best we can," Fred assured her. He put a hand on her knee. "I'll be careful. We all will, I promise, but especially me. I haven't forgotten that if anything happens to me, you're in trouble."

"It's kind of a difficult thing to forget," Scarlett muttered, picking imaginary lint off of her shirt. "Besides, just because you're careful doesn't mean you're guaranteed safety."

"Is that why you're worried?" Fred asked quietly.

"Well, of course, but I also don't want you to get hurt because, it's, well…you." Scarlett glanced at him before looking back at the wall in front of her.

"That's sweet, Scar. I'm touched, really."

"It's good to know who the least favorite twin is," George muttered, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Come on, Georgie," Scarlett said, cracking a smile as she turned to look at him. "You know I worry about you, too."

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," George sighed, looking up at the ceiling sadly.

"I swear, the two of you can be so dramatic," Scarlett huffed.

"You love us," the twins said together as they simultaneously leaned forward and each kissed one of Scarlett's cheeks.

"Gross," Scarlett teased, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Most girls would pass out if both of us kissed them at the same time," George said with a smile.

"Yeah, because you're so disgusting," Scarlett replied, trying to hide her own smile.

"Mm, no, I was thinking the opposite, really," George said.

Scarlett shoved him, causing him to fall off the arm of the couch and topple to the floor.

"Thanks, Scar, you're really too kind," George groaned as Fred laughed.

"I know I am," Scarlett replied, leaning back into the couch and grinning as she picked up Fred's hand and began tracing circles into his palm.

Scarlett arrived at the Burrow at exactly four in the afternoon on July 27th. She had dragged Erica along with her, despite her friend's complaints that it wasn't necessary for them to go over just yet.

"Seriously, Scar, they aren't leaving to get Harry for another three hours," she whined as they walked towards the front door.

"I know, but I couldn't sit around at home anymore. I'm too nervous."

"Of course." Erica offered up nothing more than an eye roll at Scarlett's confession.

"Aren't you?" Scarlett asked, shooting her friend a look and seriously wondering if her best friend had some sort of odd brain mechanism that didn't allow nervousness.

Erica didn't answer right away. "Yeah, actually, I am," she finally whispered.

"I thought so," Scarlett answered, sending a knowing look at her friend. "Besides, if we arrive after Mad-Eye gets here, he'll have already set up the extra security charms and we'd have to Apparate further back and have someone meet us there to walk us to the house. It's a whole lot of inconvenience."

"I suppose you have a point," Erica replied, sighing dramatically. She was quiet for a minute as she looked up at the tall, crooked house. "So, this is the Burrow, huh?" she asked.

"Mm," Scarlett nodded. "I forgot that you've never been here before."

"I like it. It suits the Weasleys, don't you think?"

"I do," Scarlett nodded as she knocked on the Burrow's front door. A few seconds later, it swung open to reveal a slightly frantic looking Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm so glad the two of you are here!" she exclaimed, ushering them inside.

"See, she's glad we're here," Scarlett whispered to Erica.

"Scarlett, you know the way up to Ginny's room," Mrs. Weasley said, gesturing to the stairs. "Everyone else should be arriving in the next hour or two. Then Mad-Eye will put up the extra charms and he'll want to go over the plan once more…and after that, they'll be on their way." She smiled, but it was clearly forced.

"It'll all be okay, Mrs. Weasley," Scarlett said, patting the redheaded woman's shoulder. She tried to manage a comforting smile despite how nervous she was herself.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I'm sure it will be, dear."

"What's this?" Erica asked.

Scarlett and Mrs. Weasley turned to see Erica examining the clock on the mantle.

"Oh, I've had that clock for years," Mrs. Weasley said, waving her hand. "It was a wedding gift from Arthur's parents. It tells where everyone in the family is. Each hand on the clock belongs to a family member as you can see. Originally, it only had two hands on it—one for me and one for Arthur. Once we started having kids, Arthur's father would bring over a new hand, fit it onto the clock and charm it to work."

They stood in silence for a few seconds, staring at the clock. Each and every hand was pointing to "mortal peril."

"That's encouraging," Erica said.

"It's been like that for quite some time now," Mrs. Weasley sighed. After a short pause, she spoke again. "Anyway, head right on up, girls. Ginny's looking forward to seeing you. Hermione's here, too, but I believe she's with Ron."

Both Scarlett and Erica nodded before thundering up the stairs.

"This one's Ginny's room," Scarlett said, stopping outside the correct door and knocking. Almost immediately, it swung open to reveal Ginny.

"Good, you're here," she said, stepping aside and letting the two girls enter the room before shutting the door behind them. "I was hoping you'd be getting here earlier as opposed to later."

"Why, are you nervous and in need of company?" Scarlett asked as the three girls flopped onto Ginny's bed.

"Well, yes, but I'm also angry that I'm not allowed to go. No matter how much I pleaded and begged, no one would let me." Ginny angrily blew a puff of air out of her mouth, causing a piece of hair to shoot up and fall back down exactly where it had been before.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Erica said, rolling onto her side. "Actually, it is a good thing. This is dangerous stuff."

"I know, but I want to go so badly! I care about Harry just as much as everyone else!"

"If not more," Scarlett joked as Erica laughed and Ginny blushed.

"Come on, Gin, it's not a secret that you're actually with Harry now. It was never even a secret that you liked him," Erica said as she continued to laugh.

"Was," Ginny corrected. "I was with Harry. He broke up with me so that I'd 'stay safe'." She rolled her eyes.

"And that's a bad thing?" Scarlett asked.

"No, I mean…I get it. It makes sense, but I wanted more time to just be with him, you know?"

"Mm," Scarlett agreed. Time was funny like that. You always wanted more, but sometimes even then it felt like it was never enough.

"So, how about you and Fred?" Ginny asked, nudging Scarlett with her toe.

"They spend time together nearly every weekend," Erica said.

"And the two of you aren't in love yet?" Ginny asked.

"No," Scarlett answered. "We like each other and we're dating."

"You never got back to Mum about your wedding date. You were supposed to do that, remember?"

"I know," Scarlett said, blushing slightly and fiddling with Ginny's quilt. "I just…forgot." She really didn't want to go into detail. She didn't want to explain that they would need to go to the Ministry, get someone to marry them, and most likely fill out paperwork and do a lot of other things that might bring their situation to Umbridge's attention. And Scarlett really didn't want Umbridge's attention on her right now. It was a shame Mr. Weasley wasn't qualified to marry people or else that would have been perfect. Really, an insider who wouldn't blab to Umbridge was exactly what Scarlett and Fred needed right now.

"You forgot," Ginny repeated, sitting up and looking down at Scarlett with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhm. Things have been crazy."

"How can you forget you have to get married?"

"That's not what I forgot," Scarlett sighed. "I just forgot to get back to your mother with a date."

Ginny was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Actually, I think my mother forgot as well. She's just been increasingly busy with Bill and Fleur's wedding, and then there's the huge rescue going on tonight and she has Harry's party to prepare for. Everything else kind of became a little less important. No offense, of course."

"It's okay, to be honest. It might be better this way." Scarlett shrugged dismissively. "Your mum's really nervous," she added, looking at Ginny after a brief pause. She desperately needed a change of subject.

"Of course she is," Erica jumped in before Ginny could answer. "Her husband and four of her children are going on a dangerous rescue mission to rescue a boy she considers to be another son."

"I'm sure everyone will be fine," Ginny said, but she didn't meet their eyes, choosing to randomly fluff her pillow instead. It was enough to let Scarlett know that the youngest Weasley was just as nervous and unsure as the rest of them.

"Okay, everyone going to Privet Drive, please gather around me," Mad-Eye instructed.

It was later that night after everyone involved in the plan had arrived at the Burrow. Mad-Eye had been the first one there and he had set up the enchantments almost immediately before resorting to pacing about the kitchen. Once the last person had arrived, he had ushered everyone out into the yard.

Scarlett stood next to Erica, Ginny, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley by the Burrow's front door while the others walked forward to stand around Mad-Eye. Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Fleur and Mundungus Fletcher were going to be the fake Harrys while Mr. Weasley, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Bill and Hagrid were going to be the ones paired up and protecting them.

Scarlett anxiously wrapped her arms around herself as Mad-Eye went over the plan one more time. In the middle of his speech, Fred turned around and gave Scarlett a smile and a wink. She shot him a fleeting smile in return before he turned around again.

"Okay, everyone, let's go," Mad-Eye finally said.

"Be careful, all of you," Mrs. Weasley said as everyone climbed onto their thestral, broom, or in Hagrid's case, motorbike.

Fred turned around again and looked back at Scarlett once more. "Try not to look so nervous," he mouthed, shrugging and making a face as if to say that this rescue mission was no big deal.

Scarlett stuck her tongue out and Fred laughed before turning around again. After that, Mad-Eye counted down from three and they all took off at once. Scarlett felt her hair flutter from the breeze of so many flying objects leaving the ground at once. She kept her eyes on the broom Fred was sharing with his father and continued to watch it until it became a speck in the distance. When she could no longer see them, she closed her eyes and took in a shuddering breath.

"Come on, Molly," Sirius whispered gently as Mrs. Weasley sniffled. "Let's get back inside." He led Mrs. Weasley back into the Burrow while Ginny, Scarlett and Erica continued to stand outside.

"They'll be okay, won't they?" Scarlett asked, opening her eyes again and staring out at the star-filled sky.

"Mhm, of course they will," Erica answered, trying to look assuring, but actually looking quite nervous herself.

"Come on, let's go back in and we can play chess or Exploding Snap to get our minds off things," Ginny suggested, turning and pushing the front door open.

Scarlett seriously doubted that playing chess or Exploding Snap would take her mind off of what was happening, but she certainly didn't want to stand around and do nothing, so she silently followed Ginny and Erica back inside. They settled on playing chess in a corner of the living room while Mrs. Weasley and Sirius sat and talked on the couch. It seemed like an eternity until Sirius glanced at his watch and said, "Ron and Tonks should be returning soon with the first Portkey."

"Can we go outside and wait?" Ginny asked.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and the five of them slipped outside and stood in the front yard. After a minute of silence, Ginny gasped and pointed to a glowing object coming into view a few feet away. It was Tonks and Ron's Portkey and they weren't with it.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Weasley gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth.

"Now, Molly," Sirius said, "they could have simply missed the Portkey."

"But what would be the reason for them missing it? If everything went according to plan, they would have made it on time!"

"Fred and Arthur are supposed to come back in a minute," Sirius said. "Hopefully they'll be able to tell us what, if anything, happened."

Scarlett began chewing on her thumbnail. Her stomach actually hurt with anxiety. The fact that Tonks and Ron hadn't returned with their Portkey wasn't a good sign at all. Mrs. Weasley was right. Even if Ron and Tonks were unharmed, something had to have caused them to miss the Portkey. Of course, it could be possible that they had simply been late in reaching the first safe house. Maybe that had been it. It was just as plausible of an option as something bad happening. There was no reason to get all worked up for nothing. That's what Scarlett tried to convince herself at least, but she wasn't sure that it was working all that well.

The next minute seemed to drag on forever. Finally, the second Portkey appeared, but instead of bringing Fred and Mr. Weasley with it, it came by itself.

Scarlett could practically feel everyone's face paling in addition to her own. "No," she whispered, shaking her head as she stared at the object in front of her on the grass.

"How do you explain that, Sirius?" Mrs. Weasley squeaked.

"They could have missed it as well."

"Okay, fine, but what would have caused both Portkeys to be missed? The only thing I can think of is that something went wrong or that they're—they're—"

"No, Molly, I'm sure they're fine. Mad-Eye came up with a well thought out plan. He wouldn't let anything bad happen."

"He can't control everything, no matter how well thought out the plan is!"

"Well, one thing we know for sure," Sirius said, glancing at Scarlett, "is that Fred is definitely alive."

Scarlett realized he was right. If Fred had died, she would be dead as well by now. This was one positive thing about the vow. It let her know he was alive. She didn't know, however, if he was injured or not.

"That's true," Mrs. Weasley said quietly as the realization dawned on her, "but what about the rest of them? And where are they if they aren't dead?"

"I don't know," Sirius whispered.

"Who's supposed to come back next?" Scarlett asked.

"Harry and Hagrid," Sirius replied. "They should be coning in the next minute or two. Should we wait inside?"

"No," Ginny said. "I think we should wait right here. I want to know someone made it back and I want to know what happened.

"Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to go inside and do anything right now," Scarlett added. "I'm way too nervous."

"I agree," Sirius nodded, turning back to look across the yard.

Another agonizing few minutes passed before Harry and Hagrid's Portkey arrived and Scarlett was relieved to see that Harry and Hagrid were with it. Mrs. Weasley let out a cry of joy while Ginny ran to Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Are we the first ones back?" Harry asked in surprise, looking over Ginny's shoulder as he returned the hug.

Sirius nodded solemnly. He pointed to the first Portkey. "That was supposed to be Tonks' and Ron's."

"And that one was supposed to be Fred and Mr. Weasley's," Scarlett said, pointing.

"We think they must have missed the Portkeys for some reason," Ginny added.

"We were ambushed by You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters," Harry explained immediately, seeming to know that they were desperate for information. "They somehow knew I was being moved tonight. I don't know how, but he did. I don't think he knew which one was the real me, though. At least not right away."

"Did you see what happened to Ron and Tonks? And Fred and Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously.

"No, it was impossible to see much of anything," Harry replied guiltily.

"Oh, well, don't worry about it, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, plastering a smile on her face. "I'm sure they're fine."

Just then, the glowing light of another Portkey appeared, bringing two figures along with it. The first thing Scarlett saw was George, one side of his head covered in blood. He was unconscious and being supported by Lupin. Scarlett's stomach immediately tightened unpleasantly. Even in the dark, she could tell that he was bleeding badly. The sight of it upset her, not only because he was her friend, but because he was Fred's twin. If anything happened to George, Fred would be beyond devastated. He would never be the same and there wouldn't be anything Scarlett could do for him, no matter how much she wanted to.