Odd Packages

~*Chapter 4*~

Hey I'm pleading, my soul is bleeding

I don't wanna be left alone, not when I'm right next to you

What are you thinking? It's so misleading

Is it not for me to know?

I think it's just hard for you to show

~Trapt

"Hey, why the long face?" Fred said brightly as Chantel walked into the dungeon. She forced a smile and peered at the twins through the bars on the cell door.

"How are you?" she asked anxiously. "You look like you're starving."

"Naw, we're fine," he replied as George's stomach gave a tremendous rumble.

"Man, I need a drink," he said pensively, giving his stomach a pat. "A Shirley Temple would do me wonders." Chantel and Fred both laughed.

"Hey, what's that on your face?" Fred asked. He got up and walked to the bars to see better.

"Its nothing," Chantel said , turning so he couldn't see.

"The hell it's nothing!" he said. "What happened?"

"I tripped," Chantel lied.

"No, he did this to you, didn't he?" She nodded and tears began to roll down her cheeks. Fred swore.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" he yelled, kicking the bars hard in his frustration. The he swore again and clutched his foot. Chantel cried harder.

"I'm so sorry," said Fred. He reached his hands through the bars and wiped the tears from her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. She moved her head up, bringing their lips together. They kissed, and it was short but sweet. It was nothing like kissing Zane, Chantel thought. Kissing Zane was like getting caught in a hailstorm; it set your every nerve afire. Kissing Fred was like the first snowfall of the year; it was light and soft. Chantel looked up and saw that Fred was smiling. She smiled too.

* * *

When they reached the Burrow, they found the poor house in ruins. Almost everything in the house was charred black, and half of the ceiling had caved in. Mr.Weasly surveyed the place with somber eyes and sighed heavily.

"Well, lets have a look around, then," he said. Lupin nodded and headed into the living room, while Mr.Weasly proceeded up the stairs. The hall upstairs was much like downstairs-burnt. Mr.Weasly had always complained about the old house, but now that it was in the derelict state that it was, he felt like he had lost a friend; like their was a hole in his heart. He turned into Ginny's room, which, for the most part, seemed in good condition. The wooden floor under his feet groaned in dissent as he made his way around the room. He stopped to examine a large vanity table that was cluttered with an assortment of things; a hairbrush, a collection of glittery butterfly hairclips, and a stack of photos. Mr.Weasly them up and saw that the first one was of their trip to Egypt a few years back. The whole family was standing outside a pyramid, smiling and waving happily. Mr.Weasly smiled as he remembered it. The next photo was of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George, at Hogwarts. Mr.Weasly smiled and shook his head at this picture.

Harry and Hermione were watching as Fred and George chased Ron around the picture frame, both dangling spiders over his head. Mr.Weasly flipped to the next photo, but dropped the stack in surprise as a yell permeated the silent air.

"Arthur, you'd better come see this!" It was Lupin. He raced downstairs and into the living room to see him with a grave look on his face. Lupin motioned for Mr.Weasly to follow him, and he led him out the back door and into the garden. It was a bright, sunny day and the sky was a serene, deep blue. The grass was unruly and needed cutting. At first Mr.Weasly was bewildered about what he was supposed to be seeing, but then he saw it. A ghastly image of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth was hovering in the air near a sycamore tree- it was the Dark Mark.

* * *

Harry was starting to sweat and his broom was starting to feel terribly uncomfortable between his legs. They had been flying for hours and the couple pieces of toast he had had at breakfast seem ages ago.

Malfoy!" he called to Draco, who was flying in front of the group. He didn't answer. "Malfoy! Hey MALFOY!"

"What the bloody hell do you want Potter?" Draco yelled, swerving around to face him.

"I was just going to say," Harry said, slowing his broom. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I'm tired, hungry, and have to take a pee."

"Alright, fine," Draco said rolling his eyes. He gazed down below for a hole in the forest canopy, and after finding one, motioned for the group to follow. They flew down below the trees, and found themselves on the shore of a large river.

"Alright," Draco said, glancing around. "We'll set up camp here." He reached into his pocket, and withdrew something that Harry couldn't distinguish, then set it gently on the ground. He took a step back, then muttered "Engorgio!" Where the thing had been, a tent suddenly appeared.

"Well, this is home for the night," he said. "Oh yea, one more thing." H pulled yet another thing out of his pocket and set it next to the tent. After a quick spell, another tent appeared.

"This one's for the ladies," he said.

Ginny and Hermione ducked into the second tent. Like most wizards tents, the inside was much bigger than the outside let on. They both set their things aside and began rolling out their sleeping bags. After Ginny had rolled hers out, she sank down onto it and stared up at the ceiling of the tent.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" she said quietly.

"You just did but go ahead anyway," Hermione said smiling.

"Ok, I have this friend. She kind of likes this boy. But if her family knew, they would probably have a heart attack."

"Well," Hermione said. "I would tell this friend that she should go with her heart and her family will understand. Well-hopefully they will." Ginny rolled over onto her side.

"You're right," she said. "Thanks." The two girls got up and made their way back out of the tent. When they got outside, they found Draco and Ron bickering once again.

"I think you dropped these Weasly," Draco was saying, waving a pair of pink lacey panties in Ron's face.

"Those aren't mine dumbass," Ron retorted.

"Are you sure? I think they would look quite lovely on you. But of course they would look much better on me."

"Let me see those," Harry said laughing. He snatched them from Draco. "They have initials stitched on them. VRW"

"Oh wait, those are mine," Ron said suddenly. Both Harry and Draco were taken aback. He grabbed them from Harry, stuffed them in his pocket, and stalked off. Draco snickered.

"I always knew Weasly was secretly a cross-dresser," he said. Ginny glared at Draco and followed Ron into the woods.

She found him sitting on a boulder off the shore of the river. He was gazing into the crystalline depths of the water, obviously doing some serious thinking.

"Ron?" she said.

"Oh hey Ginny," he said, snapping out of his reverie and smiling vaguely. "Pull up some rock." He patted a boulder next to his. Ginny sat.

"Thanks for covering for me back there, but I don't think they bought it," she said smiling. Ron shrugged and handed her the pink panties.

"Oh and no offense," Ginny said grinning wider. "But I think Malfoy was right. These would look better on him than you." Ron forced a smile and resumed staring off into space.

"Ron, what's wrong?" she asked. Ron sighed and picked up a small pebble off the ground.

"I just cant help feeling," he said, skipping the rock on the surface of the water. "That Malfoy is screwing us all and that I've lost Harry to the dark side." Ginny suppressed a smile.

"Oh Ron, don't be so dramatic," she said. "Of course we haven't lost Harry to the 'dark side'. As for the Malfoy screwing us all part, we'll just have to wait and see. The best thing to do is not rise to his bait. He is really helping us. Just think of Fred and George." Ron said nothing but nodded his head. The two of them sat in silence, admiring the beautiful scenery. The Ginny spoke.

"I do hope Mum and Dad are alright," she said sadly. "I'm afraid of how Mum will react when she sees the Dark Mark hovering over our house."

"The Dark Mark?" Ron said sharply. "Ginny, I thought you said you were attacked by Dementors?"

"I was! At least I think I was."

"But it'd have to have been Death Eaters! They're the only ones besides Voldemort himself that can produce the Dark Mark.

"Well, it could've been," Ginny said. "They kept their hoods up the whole time, so I could have mistaken them for Dementors."

"Hey there you guys are!" Hermione emerged from behind a tree. "We're having lunch, come on!"

Ginny and Ron followed her back to camp where Draco was handing out sandwiches. Ginny took one and sat down next to Harry, who was devouring his ravenously.

"Malfoy this is delicious! What's in it?" he asked through a mouthful of sandwich. Draco smiled innocently.

"Oh just Blast-Ended Skrewt intestines." Harry suddenly stopped chewing and paled.

"Blast-Ended...Blast-Ended..." He clapped a hand to his mouth. I think I'm gonna be sick," he mumbled, jumping up and running towards the river.

* * *

By the time Remus and Arthur had returned home, night had fallen. The house was dark and quiet.

"Nymphadora?" Lupin called, taking off his cloak and hanging it on a stand near the door. Tonks and Mrs.Weasly came down the stairs. Tonks hugged her husband.

"How did it go?" she asked apprehensively. Lupin and Mr.Weasly exchanged glances.

"Honey, I think we should let them talk in privacy," Lupin said, leading Tonks by the hand into the kitchen.

"Remus, what did you find?" she asked when they had entered the kitchen.

"The Dark Mark," Lupin replied, leaning heavily against the counter. He looked weary as ever as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Oh honey, I'm sure Harry's fine," Tonks said wrapping her arms around him. "You know what he's capable of." Lupin opened his eyes and gazed out the window

"I know," he said sadly. "But I just wish Padfoot was here." Tonks' heart wrenched as she thought she saw a flicker of a tear behind her husband's eyes.