✓ Heavenly

063. Resurrection Alone

Hermione and an older man entered the sitting room. She remembered him from 12 Grimmauld Place and the battle at the Department of Mysteries. He didn't look very pleased to see anyone of them. Venus stepped away from the window and outside with the rest of them. Silence fell between the five of them as they looked up at the sky. There was no sign of movement; the stars stared back, unblinking, indifferent, unobscured by flying friends. Where was everyone? Where was Dee?

"Venus. Venus Rosario?" The dark-skinned man beside her said, reaching a hand out for her to shake. "Kingsley. Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Shacklebolt?

"Cordelia's Pop, am I correct?" Venus said, shaking his hand promptly.

Kingsley nodded. "My Cordelia is always talking about you. We've never gotten a chance to speak properly."

"Cordelia's a lovely girl. Feisty for sure, but she has good intentions." Venus laughed.

Kingsley boasted. "She gets that from her Mum." His expression quickly fell at the mention of Cordelia's mother.

Venus quickly remembered. "Oh. Cordelia told me. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Kingsley shook his head. "My sister was— Er— she got involved into something she should have never gotten into into the first place. But thank you for the condolences."

"Venus." Ginny was standing at the door. "Me and mum need some help with George."

"Yeah. Yeah. Of course." Venus waved goodbye to Kingsley and returned to the sitting room again. George could barely keep his eyes open. "What should I do?"

Ginny handed Venus some replica of what resembled surgical gauze. "Put pressure on his wound. We're trying to slow the bleeding down as much as possible."

Venus complied. She tried her best to staunch his bleeding without hurting him. Having to replace the gauze every three minutes, the gauze finally stopped bleeding through. Harry and Hagrid entered the sitting room. Harry knelt beside her and looked at George's clean wound through the lamplight. "How is he?"

"Mrs. Weasley's made attempts at growing it back but she couldn't. It's a miracle he's even alive after all of this blood loss."

"Yeah." said Harry.

They looked at each other. Harry's attention was grasped by something else. "Your charm is pink." he said with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk on his face.

Venus looked down at the charm Harry gifted her last Christmas. She felt heat rush to her face until she caught sight of Harry's. "So is yours."

Their moment was interrupted by a great crash in the kitchen.  "I'll prove who I am, Kingsley, after I've seen my son, now back off if you know what's good for you!"

Venus had never heard Mr. Weasley shout like that before. He burst into the living room, face gleaming with sweat, his glasses askew, Fred right behind him, both pale but unharmed.

"Arthur!" sobbed Mrs. Weasley. "Oh thank goodness!"

"How is he?" Mr. Weasley dropped to his knees beside George. Fred gaped over the back of the sofa at his twin's wound as if he could not believe what he was seeing. Perhaps roused by the sound of Fred and their father's arrival, George stirred.

"How do you feel, Georgie?" whispered Mrs. Weasley.

George's fingers groped for the side of his head. "Saintlike," he murmured.

Everyone in the room shared a confused glance at George's bizarre proclamation.

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