“Ginny, stay here with Ron, I’m going to go downstairs,” Harry attempted to say assertively, but fear was prevalent in his voice.
“You have no right to””
“Ginny, I’m not going to lose you! I don’t care if you hate me; you are not going to die!”
Ginny nodded, shaken. She knew Harry was doing it because he loved her, but what amazed her was how he couldn’t understand that she would be in danger either way.
Harry leapt up from behind the bed to find no one else except Hermione in the now bright room. He raced down to the lounge. Mr. Weasley, Charlie, Fred, and George called out to him as he rushed past them, but he ignored them. All his mind was occupied with was helping Mrs. Weasley. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw Mrs. Weasley frozen in fear, “Mrs. Weasley?” She didn’t respond. “Mrs. Weasley?!”
“Harry,” she whispered, not taking her eyes off whatever she was staring at, “get out of here, right now.”
“Mrs. Weasley, what happened?”
“HARRY! GET OUT OF HERE NOW! TAKE GINNY AND RON AND GET OUT!” Harry was shocked. It was the first time Molly ever yelled at him. Two growls were heard by the front door, and Harry realized what happened. He dashed downstairs and pushed the frozen Molly out of the way just as Greyback lunged for her. Lupin had also transformed, and Bill seemed to get considerably hairier, but didn’t look harmful. Fleur was screaming; Lupin was coming after her.
Moody, McGonagall, Slughorn and Tonks arrived, breaking down the front door. Lupin and Greyback immediately turned to them. Bill stepped in front of the four at the door and growled. Lupin stopped but Greyback continued onward. Mrs. Weasley tried to get to Bill, but Harry held tight.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Weasley,” he whispered in her ear, “he can take care of it himself.” Mrs. Weasley seemed to understand; she stopped struggling.
Bill continued to growl at Lupin, who now turned to Greyback. Greyback snapped at Lupin, who did the same. The two werewolves lunged for each other and started to fight.
Now that the werewolves were occupied, Harry and Mrs. Weasley dashed upstairs to get the others. The Death Eaters Disapparated, fearing for their lives. Mrs. Weasley followed Harry into his room, “Harry, I can only Apparate one person with me, you take Ginny, okay? I’ll take Ron to St. Mungo’s, you go to the Burrow.”
“Okay,” he replied calmly, but behind his face he was scared for both his and Ginny’s life. Mrs. Weasley grabbed Ron and disappeared. Harry motioned to Hermione, signaling that she could go, and she disappeared as well. “Ginny, grab my hand.” She came over, and as her skin touched his, Harry felt a warmth sweep through his body, from his hand through his arm, across his body, down to his feet, through the crown of his head. He concentrated hard on arriving at the Burrow safely with Ginny, and all of a sudden he was compressed in a tube too small for his body. He panicked, feeling he was going to suffocate, but as soon as it started, it stopped. He and Ginny were at the Burrow.
Harry walked up to Mr. Weasley, noticing not everyone arrived, “Where’s Bill? Is he okay?”
“Don’t worry, Harry. He’s still at the Dursleys’, he’s going to try and control the situation.”
“What about when the Dursleys come home?”
“Don’t worry, Harry,” it was Moody, “I put a Muggle repelling charm on the area before I tried to stun Lupin.”
“Oh,” Harry said, relieved. Even though the Dursleys never treated him well, they kept him alive, which was enough for a family who seemed incapable of loving him.
Mr. Weasley motioned for everyone to get in the house while he stayed outside with Fred and George. Harry went up to Ron’s attic, alone. He fell on Ron’s bed, drifting into a dreamless sleep.
“Harry! Harry! Wake up! We’re going to St. Mungo’s to get Ron then you three are going to take your Apparation tests,” Hermione beckoned.
“Three?” Harry asked groggily, lifting his body to a sitting position.
“Hey, Harry,” Neville piped.
“Hey, Neville,” Harry had almost forgotten that Neville had just turned seventeen as well.
“Shall we go, then?” Hermione asked.
Both Harry and Neville nodded and they went downstairs to the fireplace. Ginny was already waiting there. They grabbed the floo powder, pronounced St. Mungo’s, and flew through the fire into the reception area. “May I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Yeah,” Harry said, “we’re here to visit Ronald Weasley.” The nurse, while looking at Harry’s forehead to see his scar, gave them visitors badges and directed them to the third floor.
Ron was sitting up at the far end of the room, talking to his mom. Charlie, Fleur, and Mr. Weasley were there as well. The four walked over to Ron. “Hey mate,” he said to Harry as he reached the bed.
“Are you alright?” Hermione asked before Harry could even open his mouth.
“I’m fine,” he assured.
Before Harry could so much as give Ron some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Mrs. Weasley pulled him aside, “Harry, I just wanted””
“Mrs. Weasley,” he interrupted, “you don’t have to thank me. What your family has done for me is much more than what I did for you.”
“But””
“No,” he asserted, and she acquiesced reluctantly. He walked back to Ron’s bed and threw him a Chocolate Frog and took out Bertie Bott’s Beans for everyone to enjoy. Their brief time of innocence was abruptly ended when Mr. Weasley realized they were to be late for their Apparition tests.
“Come on boys; Ron, get changed quickly. We’ll be in the main lobby by the fires,” he called out as he ushered Harry and Neville out of the ward. Ron came out shortly afterward, blushing rather noticeably. Harry was about to ask him what happened when Mr. Weasley rushed him into the fireplace, “Say ‘The Department of Magical Transportation.’”
Harry nodded, and shouted it while he dropped the powder. The emerald flames arose and he felt the whooshing sensation of traveling through the network for what would be his last time.
Harry fell out of the fireplace in the Ministry. He saw Ernie MacMillan standing with what seemed to be the instructor and started to walk over before Neville came out of the fire and fell on top of him.
They both scrambled to get up but Ron slid out of the fire on top of them. Ernie was laughing hysterically; Mr. Weasley and the instructor had to calm him to move on. Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley arrived for support when Fleur appeared, pulling Mr. and Mrs. Weasley away, into the departing fires.
“Okay, you four,” the short, plump man said, “You are going to Apparate next to the official across the hall, understand?” Harry squinted to see who the official was. It looked like the female counterpart of the man standing in from of them. “Longbottom, you first,” the instructor ordered. Neville stepped up to the front, muttering, “Destination, Determination, Divination, no, wait…it was Deliberation, ugh! Gran’s gonna kill me.”
Harry saw Neville’s legs shaking violently before”CRACK”he appeared at the other side, seemingly intact. The woman looked as if she wanted to fail him, but passed him with an expression of disgust. Neville walked back to them, beaming. He whispered to them, “I think I lost a toenail or two,” and the three couldn’t help but laugh.
“MacMillan!” the male instructor called. Ernie hurried over next to the instructor and Apparated hastily, but with ease. The woman passed him in an instant. “Good luck,” he called before disappearing.
“Potter!”
Harry looked back at Ron, whose face was green and hands fidgeting. Harry reminded him that he only lost half an eyebrow the previous test. Ron nodded weakly, still looking sick.
“Hurry up!” the instructor demanded. Harry sighed and positioned himself next to the instructor. Destination, he thought. Next to the woman. Determination. I want every part of me to arrive next to her. Deliberation”Harry spun, and everything became black; he was being compressed, his eyeballs being squished into his brain, then he was standing next to Umbridge.
“Any splinched limbs, Potter?”
“Not even a single hair, Umbridge,” he replied coolly. She looked disgusted, but, it seemed with all the will power in her body, did not do anything except mumble, “Pass."
He spun around again and appeared between Ginny and Hermione. Harry looked down the hall and saw Ron step up to the instructor, looking green as ever and spin; one moment at the far end of the hall, and the other next to Umbridge. He saw Umbridge mouth “pass” and Ron leap into the air. Exclaiming, “I did it!” he ran to Hermione, picked her up and kissed her.
“Ronald Bilius Weasley!” Mrs. Weasley shouted, entering the hall with Fleur.
Ron and Hermione blushed as Ron lowered her to the ground.
“Ronald and ‘Ermynee! ‘Ow cute!” Fleur laughed.
“Mum, erm…” Ron tried to explain.
“All I’m going to say is that it took you long enough,” she smiled. Ron gaped in amazement. Ginny looked at Harry as if she were expecting something, but Harry did his best to act like he hadn’t seen her. “Let’s go to Fred and George’s,” Mrs. Weasley suggested. They all agreed and with five CRACKS materialized outside of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Harry hadn’t noticed that Ginny held his hand to travel with him until Fred approached him, “Back together, eh?”
Harry looked down at their joined hands, “No…Side Along…Apparate…I didn’t want…wrong impression….”
Fred laughed, “It’s okay, I was just messing with you, I saw you two arrive.” Harry was relieved he wasn’t going to face a protective older brother and browsed the shop for new products. After the crowd in the shop thinned, Harry realized that everyone was talking in the back corner of the shop. He walked over in time to hear one of the twins say, “Ok, everyone, yes, Neville, that includes you, lets go back to the Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole.” Harry wondered why he didn’t state “home,” but this thought was sidetracked when he saw Ron and Hermione hand in hand, foreheads pressed against each other. He caught up with them.
“Oh, hey mate,” Ron blushed.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Ron,” Hermione laughed, “Harry knew it was coming, didn’t you?”
“I doubted it for a bit when Ron was with Lavender, but yes.” Both Ron and Hermione scowled when Harry reached “Lavender”. Ginny grabbed hold of Harry’s hand again. She must really be determined to get close to me, he thought to himself. Right when Ron and Hermione spun into nothingness hand in hand, Harry and Ginny did as well.
When the four arrived outside the Burrow, he noticed everyone huddled around two tired looking figures. With Ginny still grasping his hand, he ran into the kitchen and saw Bill and Lupin both with nasty cuts and bruises. Tonks, who seemed to be with them the whole time they were there, along with Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley were attending to them. Harry broke the long silence, “What happened?”
“I think…we all should sit down and eat first,” Lupin sighed, “Molly, do you mind cooking?”
“Oh not at all, Remus,” she replied.
“Mrs. Weasley, you don’t have to, I can get Dobby to fix us something,” Harry suggested. Hermione scowled. “Kreacher!” he bellowed.
The elf appeared out of thin air and, sure enough, Dobby did as well.
“Dobby heard Harry Potter call his elf, and Dobby wanted to come to, Dobby would be honored to help Harry Potter!”
“Kreacher does not want to serve his master; Kreacher would rather be home with his mistress…”
“Kreacher, I order you to be quiet.” The elf threw himself on the ground in resentment but didn’t make another sound. Harry turned his attention to Dobby, “Would you mind making us a quick dinner?”
“Dobby would be honored, Harry Potter!” and he slid into the kitchen.
“Okay then,” Lupin started, but was interrupted by twelve plates dropping in front of each person. Neville fell off his chair in shock. Dobby made them roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and crumpets. Harry made note to ask Dobby to be his chef, it would certainly make his life easier. Everyone dug in, and more helpings appeared whenever someone needed it. Once everyone was done, Dobby walked out of the kitchen, “Dobby hopes Mrs. Wheezy doesn’t mind that Dobby brought some house elves from Hogwarts.”
“Not at all, Dobby,” she replied. Dobby smiled and vanished.
Finally Lupin started, “First of all, I want to say I’m sorry. I thought the clouds would cover the moon long enough to get Harry and go, but I was wrong. Please forgive me for putting all of you in mortal danger.” Everyone nodded. “Now, since I cannot remember most of it, I ask Bill to retell the story.”
Bill cleared his throat, “After everyone left, Remus and Greyback destroyed the house fighting. I had to put a charm on everyone in the surrounding area so they wouldn’t hear the noise”” Harry instantly thought Muffliato, and wondered if Bill ever lost his Potions book at Hogwarts. “”and call the please-men. They were fighting for a really long time, pretty evenly, until Greyback had Lupin by the throat against the wall. I panicked. I looked for something silver, because silver is fatal to werewolves, and found a spork in the sink. Greyback had his jaws open, and he was going to . . .” Bill stopped, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Well, you know. Our only chance of getting out was if the spork hit him somewhere important. In an organ or something. So I . . . I growled something terrible at him. He let go of Lupin and went for me instead. Just as he opened his mouth to . . . well, to bite me, and I jammed the spork down his throat. My hand got burned a bit, too, but I’m not a full werewolf, so I’m fine.” Mrs. Weasley started sobbing.
“My…Bill…true…Gryffindor,” she cried almost indecipherably. Mr. Weasley consoled her.
“Needless to say,” Bill finished, “Greyback won’t infect another innocent person again.”
“My Bill, ‘e is so brave!” Fleur pronounced, and everyone else took their turn congratulating Bill.
Once everyone was done, Harry blurted, “Since Greyback is dead, can’t you,” he pointed at Lupin, “turn the werewolves neutral?”
Lupin’s face turned somber, “No, Harry, I’m afraid this makes the werewolves more formidable enemies.”
“But, can’t you step in and be the alpha-wolf or something?”
“No, Harry, Greyback led them into a terrible malevolence, they can’t be turned good. They’ll be searching for me. I always challenged him during my undercover period. They’ll know it was me.”
Before Harry could reply, Mr. Weasley insisted everyone go to sleep, “Its okay,” he said to Neville, who was making his way to the door, “I sent an owl to your grandmother and told her you would be staying here.” Neville smiled, and Harry wondered if Neville had ever stayed at someone’s house overnight before. “I expanded Ron’s room to fit another bed,” he called to the three boys as they made their way up the stairs.
When they got to the attic, Harry noticed that Ron’s room indeed looked a lot larger. They all changed quickly and Neville was snoring before Ron turned out the light. “Night, mate,” Ron yawned, and he too fell asleep.
Harry lay there, looking up at the poster covered ceiling, and fell asleep trying to comprehend everything that happened in the past two days.