FIFTY FOUR

RORY SAT IN HER FATHER'S living room, pacing feverously. Andrew was standing by the door, his wand out, checking his watch every few minutes. Seconds, actually. Remus and George were due to arrive to catch their portkey soon, but each moment that passed caused Rory to worry more about them. It was awful not knowing. Not knowing where or how Fred was, just hoping he was alright and had made it to the Burrow safely. It was the waiting that was killing her the most. The silence in the room, the creak of the floor, the whistle of the summer wind, the tick of the clock... agony.

"Rory, get your wand ready, I think that's them..." said Andrew, calmly.

Rory gripped her wand and stopped pacing, she crept closer to Andrew as he began slowly exiting the house. Her breathing stopped as she heard them fly in and the screen door behind the front door shut. The girl felt a gust of bravery overtake her and she followed Andrew outside, looking through a screen door was not good enough for her.

"Oh my goodness, Rory. Stay here, I've got to..." Andrew began running down the front lawn as the figures of Remus and George (who's Polyjuice Potion was wearing off given his hair was bright red and his figure was taller). However, the bright red was not all due to his ginger locks, but blood. Nausea filled her gut at the sight, but she had to stay calm.

Andrew pointed his wand at Remus, who was now holding George up, trudging across the lawn. She cut her gaze downward as to not keep seeing the sight of his limp, bloody body.

"What drink did I offer you in the Gryffindor common room when we won the house cup your fifth year?" Andrew asked harshly.

"Daisyroot draught," Remus answered. "It's his ear... Snape... hit him with a curse. No time for details, we can't miss the Portkey."

Andrew lowered his wand and began helping him carry George towards the portkey which was sitting on the front porch.

"I've got to go to the Burrow with you, to help George. Rory, you better come too. It isn't safe here alone. C'mon, before we miss it," Andrew said quickly.

The whole thing had happened so fast. She wasn't sure she processed it until she grabbed the Portkey and landed outside the Burrow in a haze. She heard Ginny's voice cry out first as they hit the ground with a soft thud, holding on to an old... science textbook Andrew probably hadn't touched since primary school.

Harry, who was safe and alive, ran up to help bring George inside the house. Rory followed them in, immediately running towards Ginny for comfort.

She tightly hugged the girl who was looking at her brother with worry.

"Cory and Aaron? Where are they?" Rory asked Ginny softly.

"Upstairs," Ginny answered, "Cory started to get sick, probably from the stress or something. She's alright. But we figured Aaron should try and keep her away from the commotion."

Just as George had been set on the couch, Remus grabbed Harry swiftly and pushed him into the kitchen, away from George.

"Oi!" she heard Hagrid shout, "Le' go of him! Le' go of Harry!"

Lupin ignored him. "What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he said loudly, "Answer me!" Rory flinched slightly. She diverted her attention from the shouting in the kitchen and watched as her father and Mrs. Weasley knelt over George on the couch.

"Is there anything I can —" Rory began.

Andrew looked up, "Just... water and a rag, in a bowl. I can't even see anything with all this blood."

Rory nodded and entered the kitchen as Harry, Remus, and Hagrid began retelling Harry's flight across Little Whinning. She was almost in a trance, grabbing the bowl and the rag so quickly. She filled the bowl with water and ran back into the living room, handing them to Andrew. Ginny was beside him too, she began to clean off his forehead as Andrew dug through his small bag in search of any potion or remedy to help.

"Molly... where's Fred? Why has only Harry gotten back? I thought..." Rory trailed on.

Molly looked up with worry, "Arthur and Fred missed their Portkey. So did Ron and Tonks. I'm sure they're fine..."

"D'you have anything to hold the bleeding? I don't have nearly enough wrappings for a whole ear," Andrew said, pulling white fabric out of his bag. Molly nodded and got up to begin looking through drawers.

"Is there anything you can do, Andy?" Ginny asked, "Grow it back... or... or find a counter curse or a potion or something?"

He shook his head softly, "Curses are tricky... all we can do right now is stop the bleeding and get him to wake up."

"How is he?" Harry asked, entering the sitting room.

Molly looked around and said, "We can't make it grow back, not when it's been removed by Dark Magic. But it could have been so much worse... He's alive."

"Yeah," said Harry. "Thank God."

"Did I hear someone else in the yard?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione and Kingsley."

"Thank goodness," Ginny whispered. Rory let out a soft sigh of relief. Her heart still burned with worry for everyone else, Fred, Arthur, Ron, Tonks, and even everyone who's Portkeys weren't due yet. Harry looked around at them all, Rory watched as his green eyes darted from each person, but landed on Ginny for a long moment.

Then, from a kitchen, arose such a clatter that Rory nearly jumped.

"I'll prove who I am, Kingsley, after I've seen my son, now back off if you know what's good for you!" Arthur's voice rang through the Burrow, louder and more aggressive than she had ever thought it could be. However it did not scare her, but send waves of relief down her body. She whipped around and saw Arthur and Fred enter the room, looking pale, but unharmed.

"Rory," Fred whispered, tightly hugging his girlfriend. The hug did not last long, as he quickly broke off to get a better look at George with worried eyes. He was still holding Rory, his arm rested gently on her waist. Her hand was on his chest, rubbing soft circles around his cotton shirt for comfort. He seemed to be at a loss for words, unable to say anything else.

"Arthur!" sobbed Molly. "Oh thank goodness!"

"How is he?" Arthur asked, kneeling on the ground beside his son.

It seemed the presence of his twin in the room triggered something in George and he began to stir. Andrew had stepped away and was by the stairs pouring potions into small vials, she wasn't sure what for.

"How do you feel, Georgie?" whispered Molly.

George's fingers weakly brushed the side of his head."Saintlike," he murmured.

"What's wrong with him?" Asked Fred, looking terrified. "Is his mind affected?"

"Saintlike," repeated George, opening his eyes and looking up at his brother. "You see... I'm holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?"

Rory cracked a weak smile as Molly cried harder than ever and color rushed over Fred's pale face."Pathetic," he told George. "Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?"

"Ah well," said George, grinning at his tear-soaked mother. "You'll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, Mum." He looked around."Hi, Harry — you are Harry, right?"

"Yeah, I am," said Harry, moving closer to the sofa.

"Well, at least we got you back okay," said George. "Why aren't Ron and Bill huddled round my sickbed?"

"They're not back yet, George," Molly answered.

Fred pulled Rory along as he fell to George's side, realization hitting him.

"Andrew, Mum... is there anything —" Fred asked softly.

"All I can do is some potions to help with the pain," Andrew said, "It can't be grown back or anything but... I dunno. I can try and research... I've been studying magical remedies to Dark Magic for ages... but it's so difficult."

"S'alright," George mumbled, "It's a bit... cool. Being the guy with one ear. And I got it in a pretty badass way, too."

Albeit George's health brought joy to everyone at the Burrow, there was still tension in the air as they waited for the others. After the arrival of Tonks and Ron, Cordelia and Aaron came down. Mostly for the sake of Cory making sure Tonks was alright. Aaron couldn't look at George. The sight of blood had always made him slightly ill, Rory knew that from times she'd scrape her knees on the pavement as a child and he had to turn away until she had bandaged herself up.

Many of the other adults had gone outside, waiting for the rest. After what sounded like another arrival, the cry of a Thestral — Molly and Arthur came back in the sitting room looking sickly.

"What's wrong?" said Fred, scanning their faces as they entered. He gripped Rory's hand tighter, "What's happened? Who's — ?"

"Mad-Eye," said Arthur. "Dead."

The atmosphere changed after the words left his mouth. It became cold and quiet, something the Burrow never was.

Bill and Fleur were behind them, shaken but safe. The eldest Weasley silently poured small glasses of firewhisky as everyone processed the news. Tonks was crying silently, the two being so close, Rory could have imagined it was a hard loss. Mad-Eye was a good man. A strong Wizard who truly had a good, brave, heart.

"Here," Bill said, waving his wand, sending fourteen full glasses soaring through the room to each of them, "Mad-Eye."

"Mad-Eye," they all said, and drank. Rory felt the warmth of the whisky fill her as it slid down her throat. She hoped maybe it would numb her senses. Her body almost ached for more of the beverage. More of the hearth it brought her.

"So, Mundungus disappeared?" asked Remus, who had drained his own glass in one.

"I know what you're thinking," said Bill, "and I wondered that too, on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they? But Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared, and in case you've forgotten, it was Mundungus who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic."

"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to," sniffed Tonks as Cory rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley..."

"Yes, and zat is all very good," snapped Fleur, "but still it does not explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry tonight, does it? Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan."

Rory looked down at her now empty glass. Would anyone have betrayed them? Even on accident? Rory certainly hadn't, had she? No. She didn't talk to anyone anyways.

"No," Harry said loudly, "I mean... if somebody made a mistake, and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."

As Harry spoke, explaining everything that happened to him, Andrew had taken Fred and Rory's position by George and was now wrapping white bandages on his head to help fully stop the bleeding.

He was going to be okay, that was all that mattered.

Soon, the Burrow which was grief stricken and fearful, would be jubilant and lively again. There was much to celebrate in their dangerous lives. Although it seemed sick and twisted, Rory found it comforting.