All the air seemed to vanish from my lungs; I felt as though I were falling through the floor; my brain turned icy cold — Ron dead, no, it couldn't be — But wait a moment, it couldn't be — Ron was downstairs —

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry croaked.

"R-r-riddikulus!'' Mum sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body. Crack. Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mum sobbed harder than ever.

"R-riddikulus!" she sobbed again. Crack. Dad's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.

"No!" Mum moaned. "No . . . riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!" Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry . .

Why the fuck has Harry's body shown up before mine, when she's my mother? I thought. That was certainly worrying, did she care more for Harry than she did me? And Percy too! He'd just disowned himself from us! Why was she more scared of him dying than I? Where was Charlie too!

"Oh Mum come on this is silly!" I said. I strode forward, yelled "Riddikulus!" and Tom Riddle appeared. I waved my wand again and the boggart vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What's going on?" Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius, with Moody stumping along behind them.

"It was the boggart" I said. "Mum couldn't deal with it so I had to"

"Oh — oh — oh!" gulped Mum and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.

"Molly," said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her, "Molly, don't . . ."

Next second she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.

"Molly, it was just a boggart," he said soothingly, patting her on the head. "Just a stupid boggart . . ."

"I see them d-d-dead all the time!" Mum moaned into his shoulder. "All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it . . ."

"You dream about Harry dying over me?" I said "The boggart kept shifting between all of us and Harry's body showed up before mine!"

Lupin looked around at me angrily

"That is not a helpful comment whatsoever Ginny!"

Moody was looking at Harry, who avoided his gaze.

"Yours-yours showed up first Ginny" said Mum "B-before Ron's... D-d-don't tell Arthur," Mum was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. "I d-d-don't want him to know. . . . Being silly . . ." Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose. "Harry, I'm so sorry, what must you think of me?" she said shakily. "Not even able to get rid of a boggart . . ."

"Don't be stupid," said Harry, trying to smile.

"I'm just s-s-so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. "Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this. . . . and P-P-Percy's not talking to us. . . . What if something d-d-dreadful happens and we had never m-m-made up? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?"

"We can look after ourselves!" I said

"Molly, that's enough," said Lupin firmly. "This isn't like last time. The Order is better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to —" Mum gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name. "Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing it — look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time, you weren't in the Order then, you don't understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one. . . ."

"Even Ginny, the youngest person in this house, says the name now" said Harry

"Don't worry about Percy," said Sirius abruptly. "He'll come round. It's a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.

"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," said Lupin, smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"

Mum smiled tremulously. "Being silly," she muttered again, mopping her eyes.

I had to agree, it was definitely worrying that Mum needed me, her 14 year old daughter, to get rid of a boggart for her! What was she doing in the Order if she couldn't do it herself? This being of age rule was looking even more idiotic now!

The next morning was September the first, and it did not get off to a good start at all! I was walking downstairs, having already packed and left my trunk near the front door before dinner last night, when I was suddenly hit from behind and fell down two flights of stairs into the hall!

As I gingerly got up, moaning in agony, I noticed Fred and George's trunks sail over me and land next to mine, and Ms Black's portrait started screaming expletives again. Mum came rushing out to see what was happening, saw me crumpled on the ground, and Fred and George walking awkwardly down the stairs, then started shouting herself, meaning the entire house was treated to several minutes of extremely loud ranting. Mum patched me up and eventually we set out for Kings Cross. We had to do so on foot, because the Ministry wouldn't lend us cars, so several Order members accompanied us as a guard. We had to go in separate groups, so Fred, George and I were with Lupin. Moody carried the luggage with him in a cart. We arrived just as Moody's cart had almost finished unloading. Demelza and Amy were in the very first group to leave, so they saved a compartment.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Lupin.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you — careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and I. "We'll see you soon, I expect"

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.