Three: Taking leave

The next day, a pile of suitcases was gathered in front of the Burrow, with her parents standing in front of it. They had both become impossibly small. Dad looked as if he'd shrunk in on himself, a frailty imbuing every gesture and look. Mum, well, it seemed like she hadn't slept at all—she probably hadn't—and was trying very hard to image herself somewhere else. Somewhere better.

They were leaving. They were actually leaving. Ginny struggled to actually believe it.

Bill had spoken with them alone that evening, even as Ginny and Percy stayed outside with Astoria and Fleur, watching the sun set and the stars twinkle. None of them had spoken much. Ginny had spent it remembering the twins. Percy had just stared off into the distance, seemingly thinking of nothing. Perhaps he'd been finally able to empty his head after weeks of dissembling and thinking he was the only one who knew about Horcruxes. Ginny could hardly fathom how crushing it must have been for him, the pressure immense to know he alone carried the burden of the war. Dumbledore's compartmentalisation had made sense—especially for someone whose mind was so exposed to Voldemort as Percy's—but it had also been cruel.

Fleur and Astoria had taken a walk together. Occasionally, Ginny had heard their voices drift towards her in the dark, but always too soft and distant to make anything out. Perhaps they'd commiserated about this private grief they had intruded upon. When they'd finally gotten back, the four of them had returned to the Burrow. Bill had been seated there on the porch, and told them he'd convinced them.

And now they were leaving. They were actually leaving.

Which was good. But there was a small part of Ginny, possibly even a big part, that hated it. Mum and Dad had always been there for her. They'd brought her into this world and taken care of her ever since then. Whenever she fell, they'd picked her up and spelled her knees better. After her horrid first year, they'd spent a whole summer talking through it with her, until she'd found the strength to return to Hogwarts. And last summer, they had mourned together.

And until now, they'd fought together. But tomorrow it would be just her, Bill and Percy.

"Be safe sweetheart," Mum said as she pulled Ginny into the fiercest hugs of all. For a moment, everything felt alright. She breathed in her Mum's smell, the smell of home and safety. For one last time, Ginny allowed herself to feel like a child who didn't have to worry about anything.

Then the hug ended and Mum looked at her with watery eyes. Ginny gave her a nod that was supposed to convey that 'yes, it would be alright'. It didn't matter if anyone actually believed it. But the gesture had to be made.

The hug with Dad was shorter, but no less intense. She loved him to the end of the world and back, but he was a man for kinder times. Times where you could console your daughter after a break-up and spend the summer days fiddling with a broken Muggle car until it could fly. Not times where parents buried their sons.

She wondered what it said about her that she could adapt to a war like this.

It simply means, Tom whispered, that I chose well.

Without further ado, her parents said their goodbyes to the rest and one illegal portkey to France later—courtesy of Percy—they were gone. Ginny just stared at the blank spot where a few moments ago, her parents had been. Most of all, she remembered the hollowness in their eyes. The gaping emptiness that the twins had left, had been reflected in it. Britain had become a duller place.

She shook her head to dispel the grief. She would mourn them later, when the war was won. Until then, it wasn't as if they even had bodies to bury. The Lestranges had made off with them, perhaps to avoid any censure by Yaxley for touching those proclaimed untouchable. Or maybe they just wanted to have some more fun.

Before her was the door to the Quidditch shed. She hadn't even noticed her feet had led her there. The same old wooden door partially covered in moss. And still… She pushed the door open and walked in. Her broom was at Hogwarts, but the twins had kept theirs here. Her fingers slid along the two brooms, feeling the echoes of a hundred reverberating bludgers. They had been a terror on a broom and it stung she'd never gotten to play with them on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

She took one in her hand—impossible to say whose. Like the twins, the brooms were identical. As she turned on her heel, she saw Astoria standing in the doorway, studying her with a heartbroken expression.

"I'm sorry Ginny, truly. I don't know what to say," she said.

"You don't have to say anything, Tori. I wouldn't know what to say either."

"I just want to help."

Ginny studied her and then took the second broom from the rack. "Then fly with me."

#

The world whizzed by as the broom cut through the air. Cold wind assaulted her face even as the sun desperately tried to stave off the cold. Ginny didn't care. She performed a barrel roll, made a mad dive for the ground and executed the perfect Wronski feint before barrelling off into the distance. When Astoria caught up, having foregone most of the manoeuvres and still falling behind, she was clearly signalling that Ginny had lost her mind. Ginny just shrugged—she'd been holding back, actually. With an unknown broom, it paid to be careful. Still, being too careful was boring and would have been a bad way to honour the twins' memory.

She made another sharp turn and zigzagged between the trees. Behind her, she could hear Astoria swear, though her expletives were gradually becoming more distant as Ginny sped through the forest. Branches snapped around her as they collided with her. Absentmindedly, she plucked a loose twig from her hair, even as she dove underneath a tree's aerial roots.

With a whoop, she pulled up above the treeline and hovered there, searching the woods below for the black, green and silver of Astoria's robes. After a while, she spotted her rising from the trees. The set of her shoulders was enough to clue Ginny in that she'd run her friend ragged.

"You are a complete and utter maniac," Astoria declared when she pulled level. "How did you not break your neck?"

Ginny shrugged. "Natural skill?" she offered as she flew a bit closer and began plucking leaves and branches from Astoria's hair and clothes. "What happened? You flew into a tree?"

Astoria drew herself up. "I will have you know I flew into two trees." She fixed her with a haughty glare reminiscent of Malfoy and then they both burst out into laughing. "Alright, I almost flew into two trees. I did utterly ruin one unfortunate bush though." She shook with her broom and dislodged an old bird's nest that had somehow gotten stuck in it.

Ginny let out another laugh as she studied the dishevelled mess that her friend was. Perhaps she was laughing a bit too loudly for someone who had just lost two more brothers, but damn it, she was entitled to it. She gave Astoria a fist bump and then angled her broom back towards the Burrow. From up here, it was easy to pretend nothing had changed. Percy, Bill and Fleur had all turned in to work, or had gone off to do something clandestine, but smoke still rose from the chimney like it always had, as if Mum was still cooking something in the kitchen.

An idyllic sight, if it hadn't been for two black-robed figures who were walking towards their front door. Black-robed figures with shining white masks.

Death Eaters.

The realisation hit like a punch to the gut. They'd sent Death Eaters to their home, rather than bother with the thin veneer of Aurors. Guess that meant they'd found out about Rookwood and would make an example out of her.

The sensible thing would be to fly away now. They hadn't seen her or Astoria. And what could she gain by confronting them? Losing two Death Eaters wouldn't make Voldemort any less immortal, nor would it hurt his cause. Unlike their people, his were expendable.

But they'd killed Fred and George and so many more. And Merlin, she wanted them to pay. Astoria was peering at them too, a determined look on her face. "They won't see us coming," Astoria said. "We can just strike."

Ginny nodded and drew her wand. "No more playing games. On the count of three."

At three, they both sped away. Ginny lay flat on her broom, one hand clutching her wand as she accelerated. She took care not to go too fast, so Astoria could keep up. Quickly, the black shapes got bigger and bigger, even as they cluelessly walked up the porch and one raised his hand to knock. How secure they felt. She'd make them pay. And she knew quite a few spells for that.

Five seconds away. She raised her wand and began forming a bludgeoning curse. Three seconds away. The shorter of the two Death Eaters turned around. One second.

The spell left her wand and she saw a dark-red curse leave Astoria's. The Death Eater that had spotted them rolled to the side. The other turned around just in time to see the spell connect. Even as Astoria and she pulled up to avoid the house, the Death Eater was struck by both their spells and hurled into the door. It shattered with a horrible noise.

The remaining Death Eater rose and hurled a gust of wind at them. Both she and Astoria were caught. Her broom bucked and rattled. She jumped off before she could be hurled off it. She landed in a crouch and raised her wand. A shimmering shield sprang in front of her and Astoria, who had landed less gracefully.

The Death Eater rose, wand pointed at them as he tugged at his askew mask until it came loose. He hurled it to the side and Ginny breathed in sharply as the Azkaban-ravaged face of Travers stared at her. He had a broad nose and a thick beard and his eyes carried the same aloof coldness as they had in the Department of Mysteries.

"Ah, Weasley. I told them you'd run home."

Travers hurls a sickly grey curse at her. It crackles as it whizzes past and explodes in a shower of grey fire when it hits the pillar. She can feel the heat. For a second, she is frozen. Terrified. A second curse is already on his lips, but Hermione's stunner hits him in the chest first.

Behind her, she could feel Astoria stiffen. They both had a score to settle with this monster. "Did you now?" she said as she rose from her crouch.

"I'm glad I found you, really. I do need to know how you managed to kill Rookwood. The Dark Lord was… displeased."

"Such a shame," Ginny egged him on.

"You have no idea." A flick of his wand sent sickly grey curse at her. It crackled until it met her shield, splashing against it without much result. Travers nodded as if confirming an earlier suspicion. "You have improved."

"You have no idea," Ginny said. Compared to the trials Snape had put her through in class, he was nothing.

"Well, let's find out what you and the Greengrass traitor can do." Travers levitated a chunk of ground. The next second, a blue spell sped towards it and it exploded in a shower of dirt and grass.

Astoria tossed her hair back, twirling her wand and looking grim. "You killed Luna."

Travers quickly dispelled the mess. "Aye, I did. Not my proudest moment, but there was too much at stake."

He made it sound so rational. So necessary. Wonderful Luna, with her head in the clouds and her heart full with love for fantastical creatures. She'd never find any of them, all because of this bastard who deemed it an unfortunate necessity that she'd die. He was a monster.

And what do we do to monsters? Tom wondered, even as she dropped her shield.

The figure eight wand movement was the only answer Ginny could give. "Pleaga!" A shimmering wave raced towards Travers who quickly levitated another chunk of ground to absorb the impact. He at least didn't know Rookwood's countercurse.

And like that, the duel began. Ginny and Astoria hurled an assortment of hexes and curses towards Travers, who ducked, disapparated and shielded like a madman. It was clear he'd deserved his stay in Azkaban. Even amidst their furious assault, he snuck in a few retaliatory spells. A barrage of small stones that sent Ginny diving for cover. As she scrambled back up, the stones returned for another go at her, just like a boomerang, but Astoria hurled a counterspell.

By then, Travers had drawn a triangle in the air with his wand. "Vohn Kyr," he chanted rather than incantated. A shimmering horn half made of bone half made of magic itself hovered in the air and brought forth a low, haunting sound that slowly rose to a horrendous howl. Ginny reached for her ears and screamed in pain, though the horn drowned out her cries. Astoria sunk down next to her, equally in pain.

Travers stood there, unaffected, and made a flick with his wand. A thin, piercing ray of light sped towards Astoria. One she wouldn't dodge.

Time seemed to come to a stop.

His name is Travers. Ginny has heard the others call him that. She tries to keep an eye on him as he duels with Luna, but she's rather busy fending off Mulciber herself. Curses and hexes fly everywhere. This is what they trained for. Not to defy Umbridge, but to fight. To survive. Only, she's beginning to realise it might not be enough.

Somehow, Luna's soft gasp rises above the spellfire. She's just standing there, as if frozen in place, arm still raised but wand already slipping from her fingers. A small red stain is forming on her chest. Then she folds in upon herself.

Ginny wanted to scream. Her friend was still staggered by whatever that sonic spell had been that Travers had used. She raised her wand, a hundred different options flashing through her mind, crowding her, trapping her in indecision.

Oh come on. Fine, I'll do it, Tom said.

Perhaps it was Tom. Perhaps it was instinct. But Ginny knew what to do, a hundred options reduced to one.

"Fulmen atenor!" Her beloved lightning bolt sped from her wand, racing towards Astoria and after Travers' spell. Directly in front of Astoria, it caught up and the world went white as spells found another and exploded.

Ginny was blinking away tears, spots dancing in front of her. Right in front of where Astoria had stood, was now a crater. Travers was swearing and rubbing his own eyes. Astoria had been hurled back at least five meters, but was already pushing herself back up. Her hair was frizzled as if it had come into contact with the grandmother of all static electricity. Her face was covered in dirt and scorch marks. But when she caught Ginny's eye, she gave her a thumbs up. She was alive.

Now don't say I never do anything nice for you, Tom chuckled. She could see him standing behind Astoria, twirling his wand between his fingers and a laugh on his face. Unconsciously, Ginny mirrored it.

She was still smiling when she turned back to Travers, who was looking rather bemused. "Alright, I concede the point. You have improved a lot. I can see how, if surprised, you could have gotten Rookwood." She could see the gears turning inside his mind. His eyes flickered to the destroyed front door of the Burrow and the two still feet still laying there from the other Death Eater. Then, he nodded. "Alright. This round's for you. Motus nulli" He rammed his wand into the ground. Ginny already had her shield up, though no spell came towards her. One brief second, she wondered if Travers had gotten the spell wrong.

The ground exploded beneath her feet, like a volcano erupting. She was hurled off her feet even as earth and rocks rained down around her. She scrambled back to her feet, just in time to see Travers leaping up onto a newly formed cliff. She hurled another lightning bolt, but it was caught by the downpour of earth around her.

"We'll meet again, Miss Weasley, but I'll leave you a parting gift." He turned to the Burrow. "Fiend—"

A medium-sized chunk of rock flew straight through the debris. It crashed into Travers' head, cutting off the awfully familiar incantation. Without another word, he slumped to the ground, wand slipping from his fingers.

Astoria stood on the far end, wand still raised and a fire behind her eyes. "That was for Luna, you foul monster," she said, voice laced with venom.

Around them, the earthen storm subsided, leaving together with its creator. The last rocks and pieces of ground clattered to the ground, even as the cliff itself on which Travers had stood collapsed with a terrible shudder. Their surroundings looked like an earthquake and a hurricane had both struck the land at the same time. But the Burrow was still standing. As were they.

Ginny walked towards Astoria, breaking into a sprint when her friend began to sway on her feet. Ginny caught her just before she keeled over, even as her wand slipped from her grasp. "Are you okay, Tori? Are you hurt?" she asked, tapping her friend down for any injuries.

"No, no I'm fine," Astoria said as Ginny lowered her. "It's just, I almost died and then…" she swallowed and burst out in hysterical laughter. "then I killed a man. I think at least." She held up her hands, staring at them in shock.

As much as Ginny wanted to reassure her friend, she was probably right. The crack the rock had made when it connected with Travers had been audible even above the torrent of destruction. So instead she just pulled her friend in for a hug. "You had no choice. He killed Luna and would have killed us if he could have. And he wanted to destroy my home too. You did well."

They just sat there amidst the destruction and debris, Astoria holding onto Ginny for dear life as she alternated between giggling and crying. Travers did not get up. Nor did the other Death Eater.