Hagrid, Hermione, and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing upward in silence. None

Of them looked around when Harry and Ginny joined their silent vigil.

The minutes stretched into what might as well have been years. The slightest

Breath of wind made them all jump and turn toward the whispering bush or tree in the

hope that one of the missing Order members might leap unscathed from its leaves –

And then a broom materialized directly above them and streaked toward the

ground –

"It's them!" screamed Hermione.

Tonks landed in a long skid that sent earth and pebbles everywhere.

"Remus!" Tonks cried as she staggered off the broom into Lupin's arms. His face

was set and white: He seemed unable to speak, Ron tripped dazedly toward Harry and

Hermione.

"You're okay," he mumbled, before Hermione flew at him and hugged him tightly.

"I thought – I thought –"

"'M all right," said Ron, patting her on the back. "'M fine."

"Ron was great," said Tonks warmly, relinquishing her hold on Lupin.

"Wonderful. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you're

aiming at a moving target from a flying broom –"

"You did?" said Hermione, gazing up at Ron with her arms still around his neck.

"Always the tone of surprise," he said a little grumpily, breaking free. "Are we the

last back?"

"No," said Ginny, "we're still waiting for Bill and Fleur and Mad-Eye and

Mundungus. I'm going to tell Mum and Dad you're okay, Ron –"

She ran back inside.

"So what kept you? What happened?" Lupin sounded almost angry at Tonks.

"Bellatrix," said Tonks. "She wants me quite as much as she wants Harry, Remus,

She tried very hard to kill me. I just wish I'd got her, I owe Bellatrix. But we definitely

injured Rodolphus . . . . Then we got to Ron's Auntie Muriel's and we missed our Portkey

and she was fussing over us –"

A muscle was jumping in Lupin's jaw. He nodded, but seemed unable to say

Anything else.

"So what happened to you lot?" Tonks asked, turning to Harry, Hermione, and

Kingsley.

They recounted the stories of their own journeys, but all the time the continued

Absence of Bill, Fleur, Mad-Eye, and Mundungus seemed to lie upon them like a frost, its

Icy bite harder and harder to ignore.

"I'm going to have to get back to Downing Street, I should have been there an

hour ago," said Kingsley finally, after a last sweeping gaze at the sky. "Let me know

when they're back,."

Lupin nodded. With a wave to the others, Kingsley walked away into the darkness

Toward the gate. Harry thought he heard the faintest pop as Kingsley Disapparated just

beyond the Burrow's boundaries.

Mr. And Mrs. Weasley came racing down the back steps, Ginny behind them.

Both parents hugged Ron before turning to Lupin and Tonks.

"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley, "for our sons."

"Don't be silly, Molly," said Tonks at once.

"How's George?" asked Lupin.

"What's wrong with him?" piped up Ron.

"He's lost –"

But the end of Mrs. Weasley's sentence was drowned in a general outcry. A

Thestral had just soared into sight and landed a few feet from them. Bill and Fleur slid

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 626