YAY! Starting book seven! :D

Harry couldn't believe how the Dursleys had departed. Not only had Dudley told him he wasn't a waste of space, which was basically like him saying "I love you" to Harry, but Petunia had broken down, crying, and hugged him as apologies for all the years of treating him terrible came falling from her lips. Then, as if realizing this was the worst kind of thing to be doing to Harry Potter of all people, she composed herself, gave a terse final nod and walked with whatever remaining dignity she had to the car. Vernon had, expectedly, been angry about leaving their house and going into hiding and then, once convinced by both his son and his wife, demanded to have Kingsley as he believed this man to be the best to protect their family, who was apparently more important than the Muggle Prime Minister. Then they had departed.

Not long later a whole troupe of people arrived to escort him with a daredevil idea of using Polyjuice Potion since all other options were not availabe. Sirius, who had married Tonks about a week before because (according to Lupin) he didn't want to have to make excuses for why Harry couldn't attend, seemed to agree that it was reckless, but they didn't have many other choices. Harry was suddenly very glad that Theodore had been unable to attend his escape. After Ron, Hermione, Fleur, Mundungus, Fred, and George had transformed into Harry and changed into suitable clothes, they all exited the house to waiting brooms and Thestrals and Hagrid's flying motorbike, which apparently Sirius hadn't asked for return of. Harry would be with Hagrid.

The flight from the Dursley's went bad right off the bat. Death Eaters were on them in moments and then Hedwig...he couldn't believe it...and finally, the worse of it.

One of the Death Eaters he had been trying to Stun lost his hood and Harry saw the white face of Theodore, black hair whipping in the air around his face. Hesitation took over and Harry spun to Stun a different Death Eater before pointing his wand at Theodore.

"Expelliarmus!"

It had been a mistake. Only minute later the Dark Lord had arrived and Harry's wand, acting of its own accord, spun and cast a spell at the Dark Lord, destroying the wand he was using. They had crash landed at the Tonks and Harry had woken to Nymphadora and her father peering over him. After an awkward moment where Harry had mistaken Andromeda for Bellatrix, the three (Nymphadora, Hagrid, and Harry) used a portkey to reach the Burrow.

"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley greeted them. "You are the real Harry? What happened? Where are the others?"

"What'd you mean?" Harry peered around him, partially for those who had assisted in his escape, but mostly for... "Isn't anyone else back?"

"No!" Molly began to cry suddenly. "And your friend...that Nott boy...he was here...before everyone was scheduled to leave your house...and then he vanished! I haven't been able to find him anywhere!"

Harry gulped down emotions, recalling the serious look upon Theo's face when he had turned to Harry, mask off, and dressed in Death Eater robes. As Hagrid made no comment, Harry assumed, gratefully, that the half-giant hadn't seen.

"What happened?" Mrs. Weasley asked worriedly.

"The Death Eaters were waiting for us." Harry told her, trying to keep his emotion from his face.

When Harry didn't continue, Hagrid asked for Brandy and Molly bustled off to get it.

Ginny began to answer Harry's questions, explaining that Lupin and George should be coming next. Mrs. Weasley arrived back outside just as Lupin and George appeared and everyone instantly knew something was wrong. Rushing forward, Harry helped George carry Lupin inside and set him on the couch where Molly began to tend to the long gashes across his face.

George explained that it had been Snape, who had also accidentally included a Death Eater in the spell.

Then Kingsley had returned with Hermione and he nearly attacked George and Harry, demanding them questions like what the first thing George said to Kingsley when they met and what was the last thing Dumbledore said before he knocked Kingsley, Dawlish, Scrimgeour, and Umbridge out in fifth year in his escape from the Ministry's grasp. Harry, under pressure and barely remembering this fact to begin with, nearly couldn't answer.

"Somebody betrayed us." Kingsley pocketed his wand. "They knew, they knew it was tonight!"

Harry's thoughts churned towards the only one in the entire Order who would have known the plan and been able to tell about it, but he shoved this thought from his mind.

They discussed what had happened and Harry, unable to admit who had made him cast the disarming spell, acted dumb to why Voldemort had suddenly changed directions to follow Harry.

Mr. Weasley and Fred arrived finally and everyone went inside to check on Lupin. His wounds were closed now, but there was no doubt that these scars would outshine the rest of those on his face.

It took a long time for Ron and Sirius to finally arrive and when they did they were both met by girls wrapping themselves around them. Hermione was all over Ronald, crying and embracing him. Tonks was similarily wrapped around Sirius, but the man had already brought his wand up to point at Harry.

"I already checked him!" Kingley glowered.

"That's not why I'm pointing my wand at him." Sirius snarled. "I saw him. I did. That brat Nott. He was with them Death Eaters."

Harry kept his face devoid of emotion, but his heart was panicking.

"He's one of them!" Sirius shouted angrily. "He's a Death Eater!"

"I know." Harry replied, his voice as calm as he could get it. Several sets of eyes turned to him, stunned.

"He's the traitor then!" Hermione gasped.

"No." Harry shook his head.

"He is!" Sirius bellowed. "If he is on their side..."

"He'd be dead." Harry began to lie. "He made an Unbreakable Vow right before school ended to not reveal any secrets of the Order, so if he had betrayed us you wouldn't have seen him flying after us."

This wasn't entirely a falsehood. Theodore had made an Unbreakable Vow to not share the information Harry was telling him with anyone else, but that was as far as it had gone.

Sirius appeared livid. "He's a Death Eater then."

"He has the Mark, if that's what you're wondering." Harry stated. "But he is on our side. I didn't tell you because of the thing with Snape being so fresh...I figured none of you would understand."

Kingsley sighed, accepted this answer, and excused himself, asking Sirius to update him about the others still to come.

"Why was he with them then?" Sirius asked in a growl.

"Well, I imagine it was because he was summoned there." Harry replied coolly. "I doubt he'd want to unnecessarily invoke the Dark Lord's wrath."

Sirius, not having a reply for this, stormed past Harry to make the announcement about Theodore to the rest of the Order waiting inside. With a heavy sigh, Harry followed him to correct the raging man's outburst with his own version of the story. Lupin was the first to accept this and Harry's judgment, but he swore that if it turned out that Theodore was a traitor, Lupin himself would kill the Slytherin.

"Why isn't he back yet?" George asked, looking at Harry. "He should have come back after it all, right?"

"He is probably getting new orders." Sirius spat.

"Or punished for not acquiring me." It was difficult to keep the worry from his voice.

Bill and Fleur arrived, but they had bad news: Mundungus had fled and Moody was dead.

A suggestion went round that Mundungus had betrayed, but this idea was shot since it had been Mundungus idea to escort Harry using Polyjuice Potion, which was a key part of the plan that the Death Eaters had clearly not expected. Fleur believed that someone had let the information slip.

"No." Harry shook his head after a long moment. "I mean...if somebody made a mistake and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."

Everyone stared at him surprised and then Fred said unexpectedly, "Well said, Harry."

"Agreed." George grinned.

Lupin gave Harry an odd expression and Harry demanded, "You think I'm a fool?"

"No, I think you're like James." Lupin said and Sirius jerked, giving the man a glare. "Who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends."

A mixture of emotions erupted in Harry. Part of him hated the comment because he had spent the last six years, most especially the last, trying to be as different from James Potter as he could, but he had done this for...the one man he knew he could never trust again because he had trusted him so strongly only to be let down so swiftly and brutally that Harry couldn't ever bring himself to forgive him. To top it off, his mind swivelled to rescuing Pettigrew to trusting Theodore, a clear Death Eater, and the Slytherins of his years standing up for him and how he had, though he hated admitting it, wanted to be close friends with Draco this last year...

"Doesn't like being like James..." Sirius was muttering and Harry scowled at him. "What?"

"Enough, Sirius." Lupin gave the man a reprimanding glance. "Come on. We have business to do."

"Business?" Tonks sat up suddenly.

"We have to collect Moody's body." Sirius told her with a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry, love."

The two men left and Harry, nervousness driving him, stood and left the house to pace around the front yard. Theodore still hadn't returned. Then out of nowhere, his scar began to burn fiercely and he listened to a strange conversation between the Dark Lord and Ollivander. The conversation died and Harry, head throbbing, opened his eyes again. Feeling sick, he wandered back inside to take up a glass of firewhiskey and hopefully ease his mind.

Hours passed and morning came. Everyone was settling down, but Harry, stomach full of firewhiskey, couldn't rest. He paced the front yard again, anxious and, admittedly, scared. Where was Theodore? As a lowly member of the Inner Circle, it wasn't necessary for Theodore to linger at the Dark Lord's side for so long...maybe he'd been given a mission? Maybe he was working for the Dark Lord right now in trying to figure out where Harry could have gone and how to get past the wards and protection of wherever he was staying? Or maybe...maybe he had turned in the plan and was reluctant to return for fear of the wrath he'd face upon arrival?

Harry shoved this last thought from his mind and collapsed upon the couch.

Sirius and Lupin were back, but they hadn't recovered Moody's body. Lupin had tried to console Harry over Theo's tardiness, but Harry had shouted at him, saying that Lupin didn't understand. The man had given up and left the Burrow to get some much needed rest. Sirius had stayed and was currently in the kitchen helping Tonks and Molly cook breakfast for the large crowd of people staying at the Burrow. He could here them chatting away, joking and laughing, and Tonks and Sirius being cutsy and newlywed. It sickened him and he thought about getting up and telling them to knock it off, but he was really tired now. His head felt so heavy that he was sure he wouldn't be able to pick it up off the cushion and his body was like jello. Closing his eyes, he told himself he was just resting his eyelids, but that he wasn't going to fall asleep.

He lied.

:D