Harry Potter and the Loss of Innocence

Chapter Thirty-Five: Spring Break

I used to think I was strong
Until the day it all went wrong
I think I need a miracle to it through.
~Simple Plan: Perfect World

The Dreamless Sleep Potion did work better, except it did let one dream through. Harry could put up with just one showing of the death parade as long as that was it. It occurred sometime after Neville woke him at about 2 AM and after that Harry slept blissfully.

The game against Hufflepuff was a pushover. After the first ten minutes the score was already 70-0 and Harry had spotted the snitch twice. The first time Harry saw the snitch, one of the Hufflepuff beaters hit a bludger at him and Harry lost sight of the small gold ball. The second time Harry knew he had it, but Summerby, the Hufflepuff seeker, knew that Harry had it as well. Summerby shot at Harry and caused Harry to swerve to avoid contact. But the third time was the charm. He caught it fifteen minutes after the start of the game. The final score was 250-10.

Harry's date with Ginny was a 'proper' Valentine's date. He had the Room of Requirement decorated in a way that resembled Madame Puddifoot's café almost exactly. There were pink and purple hearts everywhere and pink confetti falling from the ceiling. Romantic music was playing in the background. They had a good time joking about the surroundings (which they hated, because neither liked pink) and about Harry's luck with Valentine dates. Harry kissed her goodnight and went to bed.

It was Harry's luck that the Revelry was that night instead of the normal Friday night. It started soon after he fell asleep. He spent a sleepless night turning and tossing, trying to dispel the pictures from his mind's eye.

He let Thia and Snape know about the potion's failure during his classes with each the next Monday. Snape gave Harry an odd look and told him not to take the Potion again. Thia told him to do as Snape advised.

The next week, though, was the best week Harry had had since Christmas break. There was little homework, so Harry concentrated on bringing his grades up. He worked especially hard in Keene's and Althea's classes. He was glad they were giving him a second chance.

The D.A. members forgave Harry for his outburst and asked for his forgiveness in return. Harry was flabbergasted, but gave them the forgiveness anyway. The members were improving by leaps and bounds. At the least, every member shared a room with someone who had lost a family member to the war. Many had experienced the grief first hand and wanted to fight for revenge.

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"Shhh!" Harry hissed at the giggling Hermione and Ginny. Ginny's face became instantly calm, but Hermione wasn't so good at hiding her amusement. "You'll wake him up," Harry scolded her. Ginny clapped a hand over Hermione's mouth as the giggling got louder. Harry motioned to the other two to put down the huge bucket they were carrying before they spilt the contents. Harry pulled back the bed curtains to Ron's bed and smiled at his sleeping friend.

"On three then," Ginny whispered as they picked the bucket back up. "One, two, three."

"What the bloody--" Ron shouted, sitting bolt upright. The rest of his sentence was lost as Hermione gave him a good morning kiss.

"Happy birthday, Ron," Harry and Ginny chorused together, playfully turning their backs to the kissing couple.

"Is that Ron shouting obscenities?" Neville asked Harry. Harry nodded and explained why. "Happy birthday," Neville called across the room to the boy who was now finished greeting his girlfriend. Ron nodded in acknowledgement. "You're legal now, right?"

"Yeah," Ron answered grumpily. "You'd think they'd let me sleep in on this special birthday. But they didn't. So, I'm soaked, awake at an ungodly hour, and starving."

"Maybe if you stop complaining long enough for me to talk," Hermione rebuked Ron, "you'll find out that Dobby made you a huge breakfast and it's waiting for you in the Room of Requirement. If you're too late, I'll invite the first years to eat it and you'll get none of it."

"You wouldn't," Ron asked, horrified. "Those pip squeaks can tuck in."

"I wouldn't."

"Ron can't get ready until you leave," Harry told Hermione with a huge grin, for Ron's face had lit up with expectation for his feast.

"The way to Ron's heart is through his stomach," Hermione told Ginny in a stage whisper as they walked to the door.

"That it is," Ginny replied. "That it is." The door closed with its normal squeak. Harry turned to Ron.

"Happy birthday, mate," Harry offered him. "You'll be able to use magic the entire summer holiday." A grin spread over Ron's face that reminded Harry of the twins.

"They won't know what hit them," Ron promised Harry. Somehow Harry knew the twins were the 'they' he was talking about.

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The four were back in the common room later that Sunday evening. Ron had eaten surprising amounts of food. At one point, Harry had thought they'd run out of food, but Dobby kept the food coming. After the feast, they went for a walk along the beach and then to the Great Hall for lunch. (Ron had said he was starving and seeing that it was his birthday, they didn't complain.) They spent the afternoon outside. Harry let Ron and Hermione disappear around a bend along the lake. But at the moment, Harry was battling for life in the common room.

"Could you let me win once?" Harry complained for the umpteenth time.

"No," Ron replied, his competitive streak coming out in full force. He had most of Harry's white pieces captured and was closing in for the kill. Harry hadn't been able to capture any of Ron's pieces, so it wasn't going to be all that hard. "Take that!" Ron said as he captured the last non-king piece Harry had.

"What the bloody hell!" Ron shouted as his pieces started to attack him. The queen jumped onto his shoulder and started to prick at him with her sword. Half of the pawns drew both of their swords and started to attack his right hand. The other half started to hack at his left wrist. "Get off, you little buggers," Ron screamed at them as one of the Castles started to shove itself into his ear.

Harry roared with laughter as his and Ginny's prank came to fulfillment. Ginny might have promised her mum not to get back at Ron while she was angry, but Ginny wasn't angry any longer. They still wanted to get back at Ron, and this seemed like the best way to do it. It had taken some planning, but they had spent study time looking for the charm that would make this work.

"Potter, get these things off of me!" Ron screamed at the laughing boy.

"I didn't charm those things," Harry managed to get out. The whole common room was now laughing as the bishop started to shove itself up Ron's nose.

"Get out of there!" Ron shouted, trying to pull it free. "'Mione, will you help!"

"I'm not sure if I can," Hermione told him sweetly. It was only through her help that they had even found the right book. Hermione had been just as angry at Ron for his stubbornness as Ginny and Harry had been. Ron finally caught sight of the only person with a straight face.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! Get them off of me!" Ginny surveyed him with cool indifference. "Ginny! Now!" Ron grabbed a handful of the pawns and tried to throw them into the fire. They went about two feet and then boomeranged right back at Ron. He let out a roar of frustration that only caused the room to laugh harder.

Finally feeling sorry for his friend, Harry ended the charm and then helped Ron pick the stray pieces up. "You got to admit, that was a good one," Harry said to Ron as a peace offering.

"Yeah, it was okay," Ron said grudgingly. The room settled down slowly as people remembered that the next day was Monday and that meant classes. Harry sat with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny just chatting about nothing in particular. It was rather soothing and when they headed to bed, they were the last people in the common room.

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And so March came to be. It was a calm month after that, weather wise, but only in regards to that. For Ginny, the O.W.L.'s were fast approaching. The war was increasing in ferocity and at least once a week a pitch-black owl visited the school. The owl dropped off the hated letter to yet another student. Though the death parade was no longer bothering him much, there were enough Revelries to fill Harry's weeks in with new nightmares.

His trainers were impressed with how much Harry learnt that month. He was focused and willing to work. He didn't complain. Althea let him know that he'd never be a professional healer, but he was doing remarkably well, nonetheless. Keene was teaching him several new spells a week, and Harry was surprised that he remembered them all when they reviewed. As for Bryant...Well, he didn't say much. But Harry could now successfully defend against Bryant's sword attacks. He hadn't come very close to hitting Bryant, but Harry knew that would come with time.

Thia, Tonks, and Remus were fun to learn from. The three had started dueling each other so that Harry could learn new techniques. He was also coming closer to beating Tonks at duels, but he had a long way to go before he would be able to beat Remus or Thia.

There was only one event of note to mention that happened in March. It included Malfoy, so it couldn't possibly be good. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were returning from a detention with Snape. The reason they got it wasn't important, but it included a prank, the Ravenclaws in their potions class, and a lot of whipped cream.

They were talking quietly, Ron complaining about Snape, Hermione telling him off, and Harry laughing at the two. Everyone once in a while Harry added a comment just to set Ron off again. That only got Hermione angrier. Turning the last corner before the stairs, they ran right into Malfoy sweeping down into the dungeons.

"Where were you?" Hermione asked the disgruntled teen. Harry watched him stuff something into his robe's pocket.

"Where I was is none of your business, Granger," Malfoy sneered back at her.

"Actually it is," Hermione replied. "It's past curfew, so unless you're on official Prefect business or have a note from a teacher, you are supposed to be in your common room."

"What about you?" Malfoy asked her insolently.

"We have a note from Professor Snape," Harry replied. "We were serving our detention. Are you out of your common room without permission, Malfoy?"

"So what if I am, Potter?" Malfoy countered.

"I'll be more then willing to take those points from you," Ron informed him. Malfoy looked down his nose at Ron and Harry knew whatever was coming wasn't good.

"Take the points from me if you must, Weasel," Malfoy snapped. "At least I don't have a Mudblood growing out from my side." Harry grabbed the back of Ron's robes while Hermione turned to face the Slytherin.

"Call us names if you must, Malfoy," Hermione told him, adding as much disdain as she could into her voice. "I think it's rather immature of you and an easy way to seem like the huge idiot you are."

"Why you--" Malfoy said, starting forward with his wand raised and pointed directly at Hermione's heart. Harry let go of Ron and took out his own wand and pointed it at the boy. Harry hadn't forgotten for one bit that he was dealing with a Death Eater.

"What do we have here?" Professor Snape's oily voice interrupted the brewing fight. "I believe I told you three to return to your common room a while ago." Harry nodded and turned his back to Malfoy. A curse whizzed past his ear, and Harry remembered another time when the fake Moody had yelled at him for turning his back to Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, hand me that wand this instant," Snape commanded the boy. Harry turned and was surprised to see Malfoy hand it over. "Do you have permission to be out and about, Mr. Malfoy?"

"No, sir," Malfoy muttered.

"Ten points for that then," Snape said. "For the curse you just threw at Potter, you will serve three detentions and you have lost your house 25 points. Potter, Weasley, and Granger, you should be in your common room soon, if not immediately." Harry nodded and led his two friends away. "How dare do you attack another student, Mr. Malfoy! Come with me to my office and we'll discuss your abysmal behavior." Harry kept his friends walking, and they didn't stop until they were in the common room.

"Did I just hear and see that right?" Ron asked them in awe. "Did Snape really take points from Malfoy for attacking Harry?" Harry nodded.

"I glad we didn't get into any trouble," Harry muttered back. "I can think of better uses of my time then spending it with Snape in detention. Speaking of detentions, how did you enjoy your second one, Hermione?"

"It was wonderful," she replied sarcastically. "I can't think of a better way to spend my evening than with Professor Snape in his office."

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked.

"I mean that off the top of my head I can think of a billion other things I would rather do then spend time with him," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "For example, taking my boyfriend out for a date." Harry shook his head and left the couple to their bickering.

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The month finally passed and turned into April, to Harry and Ron's joy. April meant spring break, and spring break meant no school. They were talking about going to the Burrow for the break instead of staying at Hogwarts. Harry had even asked Thia what she thought about the idea. Thia said he should talk to Dumbledore about it. So Harry found his way into Dumbledore's office the evening of April first.

"Well, good afternoon, Harry," Dumbledore said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, I was wondering if it would be possible to go to the Burrow for spring break," Harry finished nervously. Dumbledore's cheery smile had slowly been replaced with a look of seriousness during the question.

"Have Ron and Ginny gotten a letter from their parents?" Dumbledore asked slowly. Harry shook his head. "Why don't you come back tomorrow evening, same time, and we'll talk about it then."

Harry left the office completely confused. He slowly climbed the stairs up to Gryffindor Tower and entered. He walked over to Ron and sat next to Ginny. Ron and Ginny were in the middle of a chess game. Harry could tell that Ginny was winning.

"Have you guys heard from your parents?" Harry asked them. They shook their heads, not looking up from their game.

"Why do you ask, Harry?" Hermione asked from where she sat next to Ron.

He told them about the conversation that he had with Dumbledore. "You should know by now, Harry," Ron said sagely, "that Dumbledore only tells you what he wants you to know." He turned back to the chess game only to watch Ginny checkmate his king.

"Nice job, Gin," Harry said, kissing the top of her head.

"Thanks, want to play me?" she asked sweetly.

"No, I want to play Ron," he replied. "And I want you to sit next to me and give me advice." Ginny laughed and stood up. Harry took her seat and started to set-up his side of the board. Ginny hurried up the stairs and returned carrying a book to study from. "I thought you were going to help me?" Harry appealed to her. She smiled and sat on his lap.

"Only if I can sit here," she whispered in his ear. Harry squirmed, but nodded. "Okay," she said aloud, throwing the book across the room and almost hitting Denis Creevey on the head. "Sorry, Denis!"

Harry proceeded in losing the game in spectacular fashion, though he blamed Ginny for the loss. She kept distracting him and wouldn't give him any advice. "You're evil, Gin," he complained.

"Why, thank you!" she replied brightly. "There's nothing quite like being called evil by one's boyfriend."

Harry stood, spilling Ginny onto the floor. "I'm going to go get ready for the D.A. meeting. Anyone want to help?" All three nodded and followed him out the door and into the hallway. There really wasn't anything to prepare, but Harry liked to arrive early.

The meeting went well, as normal, and Harry was proud of his students. They picked up on the spells he taught them quickly and easily. The dueling practice was getting better, although Harry realized what Thia meant when she said dueling was his thing. He was leaps and bounds ahead of the group, and probably always would be.

After the students left, Harry cornered Thia. "So why would Ron and Ginny hear from their parents lately?" he asked her forcefully.

Thia looked at him guiltily. "Harry, I know you're going to hate this, but I can't tell you. Dumbledore beat you to me. I'm sorry, but he wants to be the one to tell you. He wanted me to inform Ron and Ginny that they should accompany you tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow's a Thursday," Harry said angrily.

"I know, but this is more important," Thia told the angry man. "I'm sorry, Harry, I truly am. But it isn't my place to tell you that." She fled the room.

"She takes promises so seriously," Ron complained.

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow evening," Harry said resigning himself to the wait.

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Harry had a lousy Thursday the next day. He almost had his hand eaten by whatever the creature Hagrid had introduced to them that day. He wasn't sure what it was called and didn't care, though he knew Hermione could tell him all about it if he asked.

He spent his healing class in the hospital wing. Harry was surprised at the number of students that walked through those doors in a single class period. He healed a nearly severed off finger (Potions accident). He relocated a dislocated shoulder (A flying accident, poor first year). He cleaned out a nasty looking burn (The student wouldn't say how he got burnt.).

Then, Ginny never showed up for lunch. So he spent it alone, because Ron and Hermione had conveniently disappeared at the same time. He hated eating meals alone. It reminded him of Muggle school before he got accepted into Hogwarts. He had always eaten alone because everyone else was afraid of being beaten up by Dudley and his gang.

After lunch was a Double Potions class, which wouldn't have been so bad, except that he forgot to do his homework for the day. Snape wasn't all that thrilled and gave Harry a detention for it. Harry swallowed the remark he wanted to say, and took the punishment without comment.

And then came Transfiguration. Somehow Professor McGonagall had found out about Harry's detention. After the grueling class, she called Harry to the front and interrogated him about it. By the time she was done, Harry had a huge headache.

He ran to the common room, up the stairs, dumped his stuff and ran to meet the other three by the fire. He didn't want to be late for this meeting with Dumbledore. He had a feeling that it was important.

"Come in," Dumbledore called to them. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione entered the office to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sitting near the fire. Harry felt his stomach flip when he saw them. They looked like a mess. Mr. Weasley had bags beneath his eyes, and Mrs. Weasley looked as if she had been crying. This couldn't be good.

"So what is the problem with going home for Spring break?" Harry asked bluntly. He didn't feel like beating around the bush today. Not after the day he had thus far.

Mrs. Weasley started crying again. Ginny and Hermione went over to comfort her as Mr. Weasley started pacing. Ron stood stock still as if expecting to be hit. Harry stared at Dumbledore, praying that he hadn't guessed right. All of the Weasley's had to be alive.

Mr. Weasley stopped pacing and faced his son and the boy's best friend. Harry watched as the man pulled himself together. "We were visited late last week," Mr. Weasley started haltingly. Harry felt his stomach fall straight to the ground. Surely he would have seen this. "The house is gone. Fred and George are both at St. Mungo's. They're fighting for life, but it was worse for a bit. Bill, thankfully, was away at a friend's and is safe and sound."

"The twins are alright?" Ginny asked frightened. Molly clung to her only daughter as she sobbed into Ginny's shoulder.

"Yes, they'll be fine, baby girl," Mr. Weasley told her gently. "They were the only ones seriously hurt. Though, Shacklebolt and Podmore spent a bit of time in there too. In fact, Shacklebolt is still there."

"You'll be able to fix the house?" Ron asked nervously. Mrs. Weasley broke into harder sobs. This can't be happening, Harry thought, horrified.

"No," was all Mr. Weasley was able to say before Ginny joined in with her mother's weeping. Mr. Weasley hugged his wife, trying to calm her. Harry rushed over to Ginny and took her into his arms. She sobbed into his robes and Harry held her tightly, trying not to cry with her. The twins were at St. Mungo's fighting for their lives. Shacklebolt was too. There was no Burrow. Could it possibly get worse?

"Why not?" Ron asked stunned. He was staring at his sobbing mother and sister. Hermione walked over to him slowly and took his hand.

"They've contaminated the area with Nundu poison," Dumbledore continued. Hermione let out a small 'Oh!' before Dumbledore started once more. "It is a rather dangerous beast, if not the most dangerous, and the creature breathes out an extremely deadly gas. It will take years of natural decontamination before the area will be fit for habitation." It had gotten a whole lot worse.

"Did anyone get poisoned?" Hermione asked quietly.

"No," was Dumbledore's simple answer. Harry felt Ginny stop crying. She was getting angry, and Harry hoped she didn't say anything she'd regret later.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she yelled as she pushed away from Harry. Turning to her parents, she continued with her rant. "You were visited late last week! So why didn't you send a letter saying, 'Hello dears, just thought to say hi! The house is gone, replaced by a Nundu contaminated wasteland. Your twin brothers are dying in St. Mungo's, but don't worry they'll be fine. Shacklebolt's there too, keeping them company. Love, Mum and Dad!'" Mrs. Weasley broke down once more, and Mr. Weasley stared at his little girl guiltily. "Don't you think we des-- Harry, stop it!" He had been pulling on her arm.

"Gin, be quiet," he told her softly.

"No!" she yelled, rounding on him. "I want to know why I wasn't told! My childhood home is gone! My twin brothers are fighting for life! Shacklebolt got hurt protecting my family and home! And I want to know why we weren't told!" She turned back to her parents. "Why? Don't you think that would be worthwhile information for us to know? I understand when you want to keep things from us like when Harry's going to get away from his relatives! But this! This is our family, too! Harry, stop it!"

"Ginny, come with me, please," Harry whispered in her ear. He forcefully led her out of the office and down the stairs. "Gin, you're a great person and all, but I can't let you yell at your parents like that."

"They should have told us!" Ginny spat at him.

"Yes, they should have," Harry agreed. "But adults forget that us kids have thoughts and feelings too, and try to shield us from the horrors of life. You just have to learn to forgive them."

"They should have told us," Ginny said again, breaking into tears and beating on Harry's chest in frustration. He grabbed her wrists with one of his hands and her chin with the other.

"I know that, Gin," he said softly. "And they know it. But it's too late now, and you're only making the situation worse." She tried to get out of his grip, but he was too strong. "Trust me. I went through this last summer. Just forgive and forget, and start worrying about your brothers. Don't make your parents feel any worse about the situation." She slumped against him, all of her energy leaking out of her.

"I can't believe they're in the hospital," she said quietly. "I never pictured them there. Ron, Bill, Charlie, even Percy, but never the twins. If they were there, it was only to cheer everyone else up. They're so unstoppable."

"They'll be fine, Gin," he whispered into her hair, letting go of her wrists. "They have too much life in them to die now. They'll die at a ripe old age." They stood like that for a bit, and then Ginny led the way up the stairs. They entered the office slowly, and found it much the same as when they left. Mrs. Weasley was still sobbing into Mr. Weasley's shoulder. Ron was now clinging to Hermione. Dumbledore was observing the scene unfold before him, no twinkle evident in his eyes.

Harry nodded at the Headmaster, who nodded back. Ginny walked over to her parents hesitantly. She whispered, "Sorry." She flung herself into her father's arms and cried.

"It's okay, baby girl," Mr. Weasley said, comforting her. Mrs. Weasley joined the hug and her parents' arms now encircled Ginny. Ron walked over and Mr. Weasley made room for the boy. Harry and Hermione stood awkwardly, watching the worried family. Mrs. Weasley entangled herself and motioned for them to join. They hesitated, not sure if they should.

"Come over here," she said, as tears streamed down her face. "You're both family." Harry and Hermione walked over and they stood, gathering strength from one another. Harry just couldn't believe the Burrow was gone forever. He knew the twins would recover, but the Burrow was gone. But what if the twins didn't. They will, Harry said, stopping the previous thought. They must!

After some time, Dumbledore cleared his throat. The group broke apart. Harry held onto Ginny, letting her lean into him. She seemed so vulnerable at the moment. He didn't want her to be crying. He wanted her to smile.

"I believe that you will want to visit your brothers over the break next week?" Dumbledore asked politely. Ginny and Ron nodded. "Very well, all four of you may go to Grimmauld for the break. Harry, need I remind you about being careful?"

"What does it matter?" Harry asked with a slight smile. "Trouble almost always finds me, even when I'm running in the opposite direction." Ron laughed and Hermione and Ginny smiled. The adults, however, exchanged worried looks. "Give me a break!" Harry exclaimed to them.

"Very well," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Keep your plans to yourselves. The fewer who know about this, the better. You four had better head to your common room. Curfew starts soon." Harry nodded and led his friends from the room. However, he did not lead them to the common room, but to the Room of Requirement.

They spent many hours talking about what they had found out. Ginny was very outspoken about the events, but Ron was unusually quiet. Harry exchanged a quick worried glance with Hermione. Neither Ron nor Ginny were acting as they normally would. They decided to head back to the dorms when Hermione fell asleep.

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The train ride back to London was quiet. No one spoke, and both Weasleys looked worn and strained. They hadn't heard from their parents since Thursday, and it was now Sunday. The train arrived in London in the early afternoon. Bill, Melissa, who had become an Order member, Remus, Tonks, and Thia met them there.

They left the platform quietly, and walked the many blocks to number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry was not happy with the prospect of staying there, but he knew Ginny needed him. Not to mention he also wanted to see the twins. He would just have to suck it up and deal with the memories the house invoked.

Mrs. Weasley looked horrible when she opened the door to the house. She had red eyes and her face was pale and drawn. Ginny clung to her mother, and the two cried silently. Bill and Remus led the group down to the kitchen. Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table with Charlie and Shacklebolt. Mrs. Weasley started setting platters of food on the table, and the teens helped set it.

"Hello, everyone," Shacklebolt said tiredly. The group returned the greeting.

"When did you get out of St. Mungo's?" Harry asked.

"Yesterday evening," Shacklebolt answered.

Strained silence fell on the room. Harry couldn't think of anything to talk about that wasn't too frivolous or too close to talking about the twins. They ate in silence. Soon they were done, and the group set out for St. Mungo's. On the way, Tonks and Thia explained that the twins had taken another turn for the worse and they might not be able to see George or Fred that day.

"What do you mean, turn for the worse?" Ginny snapped.

"There was a poison in their system that was missed in the original diagnosis," Thia answered, ignoring Ginny's tone of voice. "The healers are desperately trying to combat it. But first they have to figure out what it is."

They reached the huge shop windows that served as the entrance to St. Mungo's. Mr. Weasley went to stand in line to talk to the witch at the desk. He came back with a sorrowful look on his face.

"We can't see them," he told the group. "The healers are working on the poison, and no one else is allowed in. Though," he said turning to his wife, "the head healer, Healer Lemon, wants to talk to us." The two left, and those remaining turned to look at each other.

"Now what do we do?" Ginny asked the adults.

"We wait," Remus answered. "How is the school work coming?"

"Just fine, Remus," Harry answered quickly. "Let's not talk now." Remus nodded. Remus led them over to a few open seats and let Tonks sit in a chair. Harry sat on another and pulled Ginny onto his lap, ignoring Bill's glare and Charlie's grunt of disapproval. Ron and Hermione sat side by side on one chair. They waited in silence, Harry knowing that Ginny was close to tears.

Mr. Weasley entered the waiting room, guiding a silently sobbing Mrs. Weasley. He shook his head to the questions and led the way out of the hospital. They walked slowly back to Grimmauld. They went into the library and everyone took seats either on the couches and chairs or on the floor itself. Harry leaned up against the wall and Ginny sat next to him.

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Mr. Weasley looked over his family. How would he be able to tell them what Healer Lemon had said? There was his eldest son, holding his girlfriend. He was proud of his first-born son. Bill was a fine young man. Charlie sat on one of the armchairs, glaring angrily at Harry and Ginny. Charlie's anger had only intensified while he was way in Romania. Arthur was glad that Charlie had been able to take off from work to be with his brothers. Ron and Hermione shared another armchair. Ron looked awful. He had developed a strong bond with the twins, even if he was often the butt of their jokes.

Then there was his baby girl. She was furious under all those tears. She had started crying soon after she sat down. The twins were her favorite brothers, though she was closest with Ron. The young woman that his baby girl had grown into was confused, angry, and hurt. He was glad she had Harry.

And then there was Harry. Harry was as good as a son to him. The way Harry treated his baby girl, made Arthur sure that Harry was the right man for Ginny. Harry was resting his chin on Ginny's head and he whispered soft words into her hair. His eyes were guarded, and Arthur knew he was just as worried as the rest.

"Dad," Bill started softly, "what did the healer say?" Arthur rushed to Molly the second her first sob left her mouth. He held her tightly and looked over his children. The only one missing was Percy, as he was still in Azkaban.

"They're not sure the twins will live," he finally answered his son. It broke his heart saying that and seeing it seep into their understanding. "They can't figure out the poison in George and Fred's bodies, and without that knowledge they can't give them an antidote."

"They have to live!" Ginny shouted, but not at him. "They just have to! They can't die!" Her voice broke and she started weeping again. Arthur felt his heart break as he watched his only daughter face the possible loss of her brothers.

"I think it would be a good idea for everyone to head to bed," Thia finally said. "What good will it do the twins if we kill ourselves with lack of sleep?" She and Remus herded the group out and into their individual rooms. Arthur was thankful for such great friends.

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"Harry," Ron said quietly, an hour later.

"Yeah, Ron?" Harry answered quietly.

"I can't sleep."

"Neither can I, Ron," Harry responded throwing the covers aside. "Let's go check on the girls." Ron nodded and they silently walked across the hallway and knocked on Ginny and Hermione's door. There was a quiet yelp that Harry recognized as Ginny, and then Hermione's voice told them to enter.

"What do you guys want?" Ginny asked angrily.

"We can't sleep," Ron said in a pitiful whine.

"Can we just talk or something?" Harry pleaded with Ginny.

"Fine," she answered. Harry sat on the end of her bed. They talked quietly of the twins and what they had gotten up to. It was impossible not to smile and laugh.

"Did they ever send your mum a toilet seat?" Harry asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, for Christmas our first year," Ron said smiling. "Mum sent it back with a Howler. Didn't you hear it?"

"No," Harry replied. "I never did. They did send me a toilet seat after the fight for the Philosopher's Stone. I guess Madame Pomfrey confiscated it though."

"That's too bad," Ginny said with a laugh. "I wonder how the shop is."

"Lee must be keeping it open," Hermione replied. "I can't see the shop being closed just because they're in St. Mungo's."

"I don't want them to die," Ginny whispered several minutes later.

"Me neither," Ron breathed softly.

"It would be so boring without them," Hermione added firmly.

"They won't die," Harry said strongly. "They love life too much to die." The sun was rising and filling the room with its light. Soon they heard the house awaking. Mrs. Weasley's footsteps were going down the stairs; she was probably going to make breakfast. Remus and Thia's voices went past talking in soft and hurried tones.

"I guess we should head back to our room," Harry said standing. Ginny gave him a hug and then he headed back to their room. He and Ron quickly dressed and then headed down to the kitchen as well.

Bill and Arthur entered the room, both looking exhausted. "Did you get to see...?" Mrs. Weasley started, but she trailed off when Mr. Weasley shook his head. She nodded and brushed fiercely at the falling tears. She finished placing the food on the table and everyone started to eat. Harry forced himself to chew each bite and then swallow the food. It wasn't easy; he didn't feel all that hungry.

The day passed slowly. Bill, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks had to work. Remus and Thia were gone on some Order business. Mrs. Weasley was furiously cleaning the house. Harry spent the day with his friends, but they were worried and couldn't find anything to occupy themselves.

When Arthur returned, he had news from St. Mungo's. It seemed that they had figured out the poison and were now treating them. Harry smiled with the other Weasleys when he heard that news. The twins weren't out of the woods but they were going to live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night Harry slept fitfully. His normal dreams were punctuated with dreams of the twins dying or already dead. And the memories of Sirius made a strange nightmare for him. He woke up from the last dream of Sirius and knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night. He got out of bed and put on some running clothes. He wouldn't be able to run, but he wanted to work through some hand to hand exercises that Bryant had taught him.

He spent three hours running through his exercises. He had cleared the furniture to the edges of the library's walls and was using the empty space. He was going through the most complex sword dance he knew, when he realized someone was watching. He grounded the stick-sword he had transfigured from a quill and turned to the door. Thia and Remus were watching him.

"Keep going," Thia said, impressed. "Don't let us interrupt you." Harry nodded and started over, picking up speed as he continued. He loved the fluid movements of this dance. And a dance it was. He swept the sword to the left and right, turning around at some points and dropping to the ground at other times. With one last flourish, the dance was done. Harry grounded the impromptu sword and turned back to the two adults.

"You've only been learning sword for three months, right?" Remus asked amazed. Harry nodded. "You're a natural then, Harry."

"I was wondering if you wanted to run with us," Thia asked.

"Sure. Can you help me move the furniture back?" They nodded, and in no time at all the furniture was back the way it was before. Harry enjoyed the run with Thia and Remus, though his muscles were protesting the long workout. By the time they got back, Harry was forcing his feet to go one in front of the other and Thia and Remus were standing at his sides, making sure he didn't fall over.

Molly was frantic when she saw him. She was positive that they had been attacked. When they started laughing, she got offended. "Well, you look horrible!" she responded defensively.

"Don't worry, Molly," Remus said calming his laughter. "Harry just learnt a very valuable lesson."

"And what's that?" Ron asked from the table, after swallowing the large amount of food in his mouth.

"Not to go running after a three hour long intense work out," Harry replied, sinking thankfully into a chair. He immediately pulled the nearest food towards himself and dished up large helpings. "No wait, I have a correction. Don't go for an hour and a half run after a three hour work out."

"Well, I could have told you that!" Thia said with a laugh.

"Then why didn't you?" Harry asked after swallowing his food. He was famished.

"Because I didn't know that you had been working out for three hours," she answered. "Though you did pretty good for a while." The two were laughing, and Harry made a rude noise in his throat. This caused them to laugh even harder. They fell silent as Mr. Weasley entered the room. He sat at the table and started to dish food onto his plate. Everyone knew that he went to St. Mungo's early every morning.

"Any news?" Mrs. Weasley asked standing right behind him. He shook his head, not looking up from his plate. "Well, no news is good news." The room stayed silent and Harry was glad when he was able to excuse himself to go take a shower. He limped his way up the stairs and then back down them fifteen minutes later. He eased his way into the library where Ginny was studying and Hermione was working on homework. He sank into the chair across from Ginny, and he pulled the book she was pretending to read away from her.

"Hey! I was reading that!" she complained.

"Yes, and that's Ron doing homework behind you," Harry replied with a smile. "Why are you studying Defense without me? I'd be more than willing to help."

"It was the first book I grabbed," Ginny told him. "And you're right, I'm not studying. I'm too worried about Fred and George to concentrate."

"Well, then, let's see if I can help." He opened the book randomly and asked Ginny questions from that page. They spent the morning reviewing Defense, and Harry was glad to distract Ginny from the worry.

"Have any of you guys seen Ron?" Thia asked late that afternoon.

"No, not since breakfast," Harry answered slowly. The others said similar things.

"Well, Molly is going insane with worry," she informed them. "Can you help look for him?" They nodded and stood up. They couldn't find Ron anywhere in the house. Harry and Ginny checked the attic where Buckbeak lived. They checked each of the bedrooms, stopping to wonder at how messy Bill's room was already. They searched the ground floor rooms and then the kitchen. Hermione and Thia were coming up from the basement without Ron.

"Where could that git get to?" Ginny asked irritated.

"Where's Molly?" Thia asked worried.

"In the front room," Harry answered. "She's crying mighty hard." Thia nodded and headed to that room. The three teens stood looking at one another.

"Where could he be?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, but when I get my hands on him," Ginny said making a violent gesture in the air. "He's giving mum the worries." They headed up to Ron and Harry's room, hoping that he'd be in there. He wasn't.

"Let's check the rooms again," Hermione said, trying to hide her worry. Harry nodded and they searched the bedrooms once again, working up to the top of the house. They stopped in the attic and stayed in there to pet Buckbeak.

"He wouldn't leave the house, would he?" Ginny asked nervously.

"No," Harry answered, but he didn't believe it.

"This is just what mum needed," she said fiercely. "The Git in Azkaban, her twins in St. Mungo's, and ikkle Ronniekins missing."

"I know," Harry agreed. "She didn't look to good when we last saw her."

"I wonder why he didn't leave a note?" Hermione asked herself out loud.

"Yeah," Ginny answered. "You would think he would."

"What was that?" Harry asked, stepping in front of the girls. He drew his wand but sighed in relief as Ron slipped through the window. "Where have you been, mate?" he asked, relieved.

"On the roof," he answered with a shrug.

"Well, you had better go find mum," Ginny scolded him. "She's worked herself in a right good worry fit because of you." Ron gulped but left the attic for the stairs. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and led her down after Ron, with Hermione following. Mrs. Weasley was beside herself with joy and hugged Ron until he turned blue. Thia pried her off and sat Ron down. He explained where he had been and then Mrs. Weasley yelled at him for a good fifteen minutes. Harry and Ginny left, hiding grins, but Hermione stayed to give support to her boyfriend.

Mr. Weasley came home later that evening, pale and drawn. The room, filled with loud eating people, became instantly silent. They waited for the news he had brought from St. Mungo's. Harry had a feeling that it couldn't be good. Mr. Weasley walked over to his wife and whispered something in her ear. She looked up, surprised and then followed him out of the room. The remaining occupants exchanged worried looks and jumped when they heard Mrs. Weasley's sobs from the other side of the kitchen door.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley re-entered the kitchen and Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. "Healer Lemon informed me that the twins had an undesirable reaction to the antidote. The healers are afraid that either they are allergic to an ingredient or they mis-diagnosed the poison. He didn't think they'd survive the night. He actually said that the twins needed a miracle to survive the night."