Chapter 65
Hermione stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow and sighed in relief.
"You're here again?" came the snotty voice of Ron where he sat with Harry at the table. "Where's dad?"
Before Hermione could answer with more than a glare, there was another whoosh of flame, and Mr. Weasley stepped from the fireplace and pulled her trunk out after him. "I'll just set this right here till you decide what you're doing, all right, Hermione?"
"Oh, yes," Hermione said turning with a smile. "Thank you, and thank you for your help with my parents."
"Don't mention it," Mr. Weasley said with a slight grimace. "Really. Well, if you'd like, you can try and contact the Woods now and see how they are doing, then you can decide what you want to do."
"Okay, thank you," Hermione said.
"Hurry up and go," Ron said angrily. "No one wants you here!"
"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Mr. Weasley snapped. "Outside, now!" He turned to Hermione as Ron got up and stomped out of the room. "Hermione, you're always welcome here. He's the only one to include in no one wanting you here."
Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley."
Mr. Weasley inclined his head in the direction his son went. "I'll go take care of him, don't you worry."
Hermione nodded with a smile and headed over to sit at the table with Harry.
"Oh, thank Merlin," Harry said, and gave an audible sigh of relief.
"What is it?" Hermione asked looking at him curiously.
"Ron might be one of my best friends, but its really hard when you two are fighting," Harry answered. "All he does is complain about everything. Mr. Weasley's right, you know?"
"About what?" Hermione asked, confused.
"That Ron's the only one that doesn't want you here," Harry said. "I know for a fact that Ginny and the twins like it when you visit, and if you weren't welcome, they wouldn't have invited you."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, giving him a grateful smile.
"I mean, he's my friend and all and I hate to see him get in trouble, but sometimes he deserves it," Harry said. He patted her gently on the arm. "I'll let you make your fire call."
Hermione smiled and nodded as Harry left. She was about to raid the Weasley's Floo powder when she realized she didn't know what to say to get the Floo to conntct to Oliver's house. She hurried upstairs to the twins' room and knocked on the door.
"Who?" asked Fred.
"Is it?" George asked.
"Come on guys!" Hermione said to the closed door. "I need your help."
"Okay," Fred called.
"Okay, keep your pants on," George called.
"We're coming," Fred called.
Hermione heard the sound of footsteps followed by a loud crash and then more footsteps before the door opened a crack. She laughed when both brothers peered through the crack in the door, one's head above the other's.
"Yes?" George asked.
"How can we help you?" Fred asked.
"Come on guys!" Hermione said again and stamped her foot. "You can'tseriouslyexpect me to tell you everything in the hallway! Let me in!"
"Nope," Fred said, shaking his head.
"We're in product development," George said.
"Really?" Hermione asked and sighed with they nodded. She groaned and looked skyward before looking at them again. "Then come downstairs," she said and walked away, beckoning them to follow.
"So, what do you need?" George asked as they entered the kitchen behind her.
"Yeah, tell us!" Fred said and Hermione saw their eyes shining with excitement.
"Your folks said I could fire call and check to see if Oliver and his parents are okay," Hermione said.
"Nice," George said.
"Cool," Fred added.
"But I don't know how," she protested.
"Oh, come on, you know how to use the Floo!" they replied in unison.
"That's not what I mean!" she argued.
"Then what?" Fred asked.
"Do you mean?" George added.
"Your house is called 'The Burrow'," Hermione said. "But I don't know how to get their house."
"You don't know how to get to the Woods?" Fred asked, and the brothers gave each other a conspiratorial look.
"What?" Hermione asked, noticing.
"Nothing," Fred said.
"We just find it funny," George said.
"Whyis it so funny?" Hermione asked in frustration.
"Only because you don't know how to get to theWoods," Fred said.
They smiled as they watched Hermione make a confused face.
"Wait," Hermione said. "You're telling me - all I have to do - to get to their house, is say I want to go - to the Woods?" she asked arching her brow in disbelief.
"By, George," Fred said with a grin. "I think we've finally done it."
"Done what?" Hermione asked.
"Nope, not by George," George said with a grin. "By Fred; I had nothing to do with it."
Hermione groaned in frustration. "What?"
"Aw, Georgie," Fred said. "She can't see theWoodsfor the trees..."
"Enough, you two," Mrs. Weasley said coming in. "Where's your father?"
Fred and George shrugged.
"He's outside, talking with Ron," Hermione said.
"Oh good," Mrs Weasley said. "Have you decided to stay dear? Shall I set another place for dinner?"
"I um," Hermione said.
"She hasn't talked with Ollie yet," Fred said.
"And Fred isn't helping," George said.
"Well, from the sounds of it, you're not either," Mrs. Weasley scolded them.
"Wearehelping," Fred protested.
George rolled his eyes. "Yes, Fred has established that Hermione doesn't know how to find the woods."
"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Off with you, two! Shoo!"
"Sorry," George said with a wave.
"Yeah," Fred said and waved as he followed his brother back toward the stairs. "Sorry we can't show you to the Woods."
"Honestly," Mrs. Weasley said. "Those two never stop."
Hermione exhaled and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted from the mental gymnastics of the twins conversation.
"Are you all right, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked in concern.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said. "I'm just tired still... and worried about Oliver. I still don't really know how to reach him."
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "We're the Burrow, their house is the Woods."
Hermione looked at her a moment and then blinked as realization dawned on her. "Oh!" she exclaimed and smiled before chuckling to herself. "Sothat'swhat they were talking about. I thought they were just having a laugh at me."
"Well, they probably were, but they do that with everybody, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'll leave you to it then, dear. Floo powder's on the mantle in the flower pot."
"Thank you," Hermione said and watched the woman head around the corner. Hermione reached up for the flower pot took a pinch of silvery Floo powder, making note of how much there was and a silent promise to replace it. She carefully cupped the pinch of Floo powder she had taken in her palm and shifted the flower pot awkwardly, but was relieved when she didn't drop it, and slid it back onto the mantle. Once the flower pot was safely back where it belonged, she tossed her pinch of the silvery dust into the fireplace. "The Woods," she called and blinked, as the green flames erupted from nothingness as the connection was established.
Stepping forward, she pressed her face into the green flames. "Hello?" she called out. Looking around in her limited view, she saw a replica of the living room where she had talked with Oliver's mother, but it looked deserted. "Hello?" Hermione called a little louder. "Is anyone home?" Stillness was her only answer.
She bit her lip, wondering what she should do. Would it be okay to step through and wait for them if they weren't home? She remembered Oliver saying that they'd had three house-elves. What happened to them? Were they just out running errands for the family? Mrs. Wood had told her they were at home, left behind while the family enjoyed the match - until... Fear crept down Hermione's spine, making her shiver and she stepped back before the connection closed with a pop.
"Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley called. "Are you still here, dear?"
Hermione swallowed, feeling tears well up and blur her vision as she took a shaky breath.
"There you are," Mrs. Weasley began before concern etched her features. "What is it? What's wrong, dear?" she asked as she noticed Hermione's distress.
"They're gone!" Hermione said fighting to speak over a lump forming in her throat. "They're all gone!"
"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley asked in shock, bustling over to the mantle and retrieving some Floo power herself, putting the pot none too gently back on the mantle before flinging the pinch of powder in to the fireplace. "The Woods!" she barked, and pushed her face into the emerald flames as Hermione had done. "Hello? Mr. and Mrs. Wood! Oliver?"
Mrs. Weasley was met with the same silence. The same emptiness.
"Hermione, go get Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said.
"What?" Hermione asked, wondering what was going on.
"Just go get Arthur, and hurry," Mrs. Weasley said. "The connection can't stay open for long."
Hermione turned in panic and ran outside to find where Mr. Weasley and Ron had gone. She paused in the front garden looking left and right before sprinting off to the nearby workshop. "Mr.Weasley!"
"Yes? What is it?" Mr. Weasley called from the back behind her and she spun to see him and a grumpy looking Ron sitting on the bench at the side of the house.
"What areyoustill doing here?" Ron groused as Hermione ran up to them.
"Ronald!" Mr. Weasley snapped, giving his youngest son a meaningful look before turning a more pleasant expression toward Hermione. "What is it?"
"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, ignoring Ron for more pressing matters. "She wanted me to come get you. It's important. Please hurry."
Seeing the urgency and fear in Hermione's expression, he pushed to his feet and hurried back into the house with her. "Molly!" he called out as he entered the house, following Hermione.
"Here, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley called out, her head still in the emerald flames of the fire. "Quick, go through!"
"What?" Mr. Weasley asked, puzzled though he came closer as Mrs. Weasley flailed her arm behind her, looking for him.
"Crouch down, and go through!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Something's not right here."
"Molly," Arthur said, "let the Floo Network Authority and the Floo Network Regulators handle it if something's wrong."
"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said. "You work for the Ministry, you can check it out as well and relay any information to them that they may have missed, now hurry up." Hermione watched as Mrs. Weasley's flailing arm finally found purchase on Mr. Weasley's shirt and she pulled him closer so that he had to crouch down and move in front of her as she flung him through the open Floo connection. Check out the house and then Apparate back, we'll be waiting for you. I'm going to close the connection until we know its safe."
"All right, dear," Hermione heard Mr. Weasley's voice though she could no longer see him.
"Stay safe, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said before she backed out, and the connection closed with a pop.
"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked uneasily.
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley said sadly and then shook herself, and Hermione knew that the woman was steeling herself for her sake. "Come on, I'll make a spot of tea," she said forcing a smile. "I'm sure everything's fine, and Arthur will be back soon." With that, the short, plump witch turned and headed to the kitchen.
Hermione followed Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen and was relieved when the woman put her to work, she really needed the distraction. She set the table for dinner, adding a plate for herself just in case, putting it between where she learned the twins usually sat. Since Bill and Charlie were back at the Burrow, it was rather crowded, so Mrs. Weasley had moved the table outside for dinner, so Hermione was in and out of the house for a while since Ron was now off with Harry in his room, the twins had retreated to their room, and, she assumed, so had Ginny.
The work of setting up the full table for the family dinner, setting the places for everyone, didn't really take all that long, but for Hermione it calmed her nerves, keeping her distracted so that itseemedlike no time at all had passed when Hermione passed Mr. Weasley on her final trip into the house.
"Mr. Weasley," Hermione exclaimed when she almost bumped into him when he appeared in the kitchen. "Is everything all right? Did you find out what happened to the Woods? Are they okay? Nothing bad happened, did it?"
"Calm down, dear girl," Mr. Weasley said, gently putting his hands on her forearms to calm her. "Now, I don't know what's going on, I checked the whole house with the Aurors and there's no sign of attack, the Floo Network Regulators say that the two times we connected to the Woods Floo connection were the only time its been activated since before the World Cup. Right now, the only thing suspicious about this is that the house-elves aren't there either. I promise, we'll find out what happened to them, okay?"
Hermione swallowed, her eyes welling with tears once more and she did the only thing she could; she buried her face in Mr. Weasley's shoulder and cried. Mr. Weasley started slightly, surprised by her action, but then the fatherly instincts in him kicked in and he comforted her while she cried.
Hermione excused herself from dinner early that night, unable to eat due to her nerves and worry over Oliver and his family. Exhausted from the day's events, she retired to Ginny's room, stopping at her trunk, which she left in the living room, to retrieve a pair of pajamas to sleep in, and a change of clothes for in the morning.