Megan and the others hit the ground hard and stumbled to the ground, the kettle tinkering away. Megan got to her feet and pushed her hair from out of her eyes.

"You all right?" she asked the others as Fred helped Ginny up.

"Yeah... can't tell what in Merlin's beard is going on, though, they didn't really explain anything..."

Megan was about to try and explain, when rapid noises from above made her look up. They were growing closer, and she soon recognised them to be footsteps. Sirius then came thundering down the stairs.

"What happened?" he asked, pulling Megan into a hug.

"Ask Megan," Fred said.

"Yeah, we can't make sense of it." George said.

"Well, first things first, let's sit down. It'll be more comfortable to talk. Come on."

Sirius led his goddaughter into the kitchen, followed by the others, and Megan realised she needed the support more than she had realised, though she tried not to let it show. They sat down in silence as Sirius flicked his wand and lit the room up. Soon, he was done and leaned into the wall near the door, so he could see all of them. Slowly, all eyes turned to Megan.

"So, what happened?" Ginny eventually asked in a small voice.

Megan looked hesitantly at them all. They weren't looking at her like a monster... not yet, anyway.

"... Well... I had a sort of... a sort of vision, I guess... I don't really know for sure."

And she told them what she had witnessed, trying to detach herself as much as she was capable from the snake. When she had finished, Megan was hoping that the accusing glint in their eyes was just her imagination. They all sat on the other side of the table. The only one who didn't seem to be against her was Ginny, who sat beside her on the bench against the wall. Megan wanted to squeeze her hand, to comfort her. But wasn't sure how she'd be received and was too worried that Ginny would reject her to dare try.

"Is Mum here?" Fred asked Sirius.

"I don't know if she's heard, yet," he said, scratching his bearded chin "The only reason you know is because you were feet away from the key witness. The most urgent thing was to get you out before Umbridge could interfere. But I'm sure Dumbledore will let her know soon if he hasn't already, don't worry."

"We have to go to St Mungo's..." Ginny said in a trembling voice. "Sirius, d'you have anything we can borrow?"

They were all still in their pyjamas. Sirius simply stared at them, aghast.

"Have you completely lost your minds?"

"How is it unreasonable to want to see our injured father?" George asked.

"It's not, but you can't just go tearing off there!" Sirius said.

"Why not? It's our Dad who got hurt!" Fred said hotly.

Sirius stood still and calm. Megan simply stayed silent, her hands clasped on her knees to keep them from shaking. Was it normally this cold in here?

"I know, but use your heads for a minute, would you? How do you intend to explain that you know what happened before the hospital contact Molly?" he asked.

"Who cares about how we know?" George said angrily. "That hardly matters right now, does it?"

"It does matter, George, because the Healers will be asking that very question. And we don't want to attract attention on Megan about her visions of events occurring miles away!" Sirius retorted firmly, though he never raised his voice. "Don't you realise what that information would be to the Ministry? They'd have even more material to discredit her, or else a reason to throw her in St Mungo's, maybe even Azkaban! They could accuse her of somehow sending the snake to attack Arthur because she's a Parslemouth!"

"Well, if she thinks she attacked him, maybe she should!" George said.

"George!" Ginny gasped tearfully, shocked.

"Yeah, that's bang out of order...!" Ron said.

Megan looked away, her hands clenching reflexively.

"Megan never did any such thing, and you know it!" Sirius snapped, his tone rising ever so slightly.

There was a silence.

"Sorry, Megan... I know you didn't do anything..." George said.

"It's okay, forget it." Megan answered, her voice tiny.

Sirius sat opposite them.

"Listen, I know you're worried. We all are. But your dad was hurt on duty for the Order, and the circumstances are suspicious enough without you making things even more so." he said firmly.

"We don't care about the stinking Order!" George shouted.

"Our dad might die!" yelled Fred.

Ginny began sobbing quietly. Megan hesitated, then wrapped her arm around her.

"Your father knew full well what he was getting into, and he wouldn't thank you for putting the Order in that kind of position!" Sirius shot back, not quite shouting but close. "This is why you're not in the Order. There are things worth dying for."

"Easy for you to say!" Fred snapped. "You're stuck here! I don't see you risking your neck much!"

"Fred!" Megan intervened, horrified.

But Fred ignored her.

"Our father might be dying right now!"

"And you would make that death vain by throwing everything he worked for down the drain!" Sirius retorted, his patience running out at last.

"STOP!" Megan yelled.

Silence fell at once. Her arms were still around Ginny.

"For God's sake, enough! Please! This is no time to argue!" she said. "Now is exactly one of those times to stick together."

She turned to the twins.

"Fred, George, we all want Arthur to be okay, and I get that you're worried sick. I would be if it were my dad. But Sirius has a point. The Order's our only real line of defence against Voldemort, and we must protect it as much as we can."

Sirius looked at her, an odd light in his eyes. Megan wondered if he wast thinking of her mother.

"She's right." he said, calming down. "We're all worried... I know it's hard, but we all have to act as though we know nothing, until your mother's contacted us. All right?"

Ginny let out a sob against Megan's shoulder, but she nodded. Ron nodded too. Megan chanced a glance at Fred and George who still looked like they would have argued, but they sat down, neither saying a word.

"Okay." Sirius said. "Let's have a drink... Accio Butterbeer!"

Half a dozen bottles came zooming from the pantry and stopped neatly in front of them. For a moment after, none of them spoke. Megan drank but barely tasted what went down her throat. She had a horrible knot in her stomach, which was squirming with guilt as she glanced around at the others. They would be sleeping in their beds in Gryffindor Tower if not for her... and even if she knew she had raised the alarm, she had to face the truth. She had been responsible for the attack in the first place...

Don't be stupid, she told herself. You were in the castle, miles away from the Ministry... and he was attacked by a snake, you're not a snake! You hate snakes, you always have!

But then... what had happened in Dumbledore's office? She had distinctly felt that rage in her... and she had been having mood swings lately... maybe that thing that terrified her had truly happened... she'd been afraid that she might hurt someone...

Oh, get a grip, you couldn't have done it! You were in the common room the whole time! A voice in her mind said.

But then why had she seen it all through the snake's eyes? Why not Mr Weasley's, or even from another angle...? Just then, a piece of parchment appeared on the table in a burst of flames.

"Fawkes! He must be sending news!" Sirius said, snatching the letter. "That's not Dumbledore's writing..."

Fred took it and unsealed it.

"It's Mum," he said. "She says..."

But he couldn't go on. Sirius took the letter and read it aloud:

"Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are, I'll contact you when I know more. Mum."

Fred had gone even paler, and Megan jumped to her feet to ease him into his seat.

"Still alive... that makes it sound... like he..." Ginny whispered, tears in her eyes.

Megan took her hand and squeezed it, unable to think of anything better to do.

"Don't think like that. He's still fighting, that's what matters."

But she had understood the undertone as well. It sounded like Mr Weasley was in critical condition...