I didn't know a lot of things, but the one thing I did know was that for the first time in my life I would not be going back to Malfoy Manor for summer break.
Potter went back to the Dursley's for a week. Why, I had no idea, but Dumbledore apparently insisted before he died, and it was a bit harder to disobey him now. Hermione also went back to her parents house, only for a very short amount of time, and she had joined us at the Burrow a few days ago. I knew what she had done to keep her Muggle mother and father safe. Just the thought made my heart hurt for her.
I, however, went straight to the Burrow with Weasley the second I stepped off the Hogwarts Express. I truly felt terrible, placing all that extra worry on them, especially with the wedding. Mrs. Weasley had assured me that I was more welcome then half the family that would be soon coming to the house, but her face was undeniably strained and anxious as she said it.
Then my worries turned to Draco, like they had so many times before since he left with Snape the day Dumbledore died. Where was he now? With my father and mother, surrounded by Death Eaters, getting a new task from Voldemort? Was he contributing to the horrors happening around the world right now?
Even Fudge, before his recent removal, contacted the Muggle Prime Minister because the situation was getting so drastic. Muggle families were getting murdered, tortured, and disappearing every day. It was disgusting, but above all else absolutely terrifying.
I was snapped out of my heavy thoughts by Hermione and Tonks both taking one of my hands. We were Apparating to Potter's aunt and uncle's house to bring him back to the Burrow, but it was risky. Our spies in the Ministry had set a fake date for when we were going to be transporting him, and we didn't know if the Death Eaters had bought it or not. After all, they had basically infiltrated the Ministry at this point. Still, we had to try.
The entire group that was coming on this lovely little trip with us consisted of Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, Moody, Remus, Tonks, Mundungus, Bill, Fleur, Fred and George, Weasley, Hermione, and me. I knew we had a plan, one that Moody was sticking to unwaveringly, but Hermione, Weasley and I were only let in on the main parts. I thought that was unfair. After all, the three of us were of age now.
"On the count of three," Mr. Weasley began. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny stood off to the side, watching with pained expressions. I knew Ginny was furious she couldn't come along, and Mrs. Weasley was just scared for her children and husband.
"Three... two... one."
The Burrow's kitchen twisted away. I was thrown through space, the only real things the hands clutching my own. My eyes were sucked into the back of my head, there was a crushing weight on my chest, my lungs felt like they were going to explode, and then I sucked in a gasp of cool night air.
We were standing in the middle of a quiet Muggle neighborhood. The street lights were dim, and I could just see how neat and perfect the front yards of every house were. I was sure that if I checked, each blade of grass would be exactly the same length.
I immediately heard the distant rumble of a motorcycle, and all thirteen of us looked up to see Hagrid rocketing down from the inky sky. He landed with a bump on the road beside us and took his helmet off with a grin. Just in time.
He parked the flying motorcycle right on the Dursley's pristine lawn and pounded on the door. I'm sure he didn't mean to make that much noise, but when you're half giant I guess you get used to it.
We all gathered behind him, and when Potter opened the door Hagrid laughed in delight. "Hello, Harry!" He boomed.
Potter exhaled in relief. He had probably heard us and assumed we were Death Eaters coming to murder him. Weasley stepped forward first, then Hermione, then me. Potter gave each of us a hug, and I felt some of the weight lift off my shoulders as he held me tight.
"You're lookin fit!" Hagrid exclaimed.
"Yeah, he's absolutely gorgeous," Moody growled, pushing past us. "How about we get undercover before someone kills him."
"Evening," Potter greeted him. The sarcasm didn't escape me.
Moody threw a brown bag full of clothes onto the floor of the completely emptied living room as everyone filed in behind us. As I looked around I realized that all the rooms were completely empty, void of everything besides the curtains and antique lights on the walls.
"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Prime Minister," Potter said when he saw him.
"You are more important," Kingsley replied.
"Hello, Harry," Bill said from behind him. "Bill Weasley." He held out his hand and Potter shook it.
"Pleasure to meet you," Potter nodded to him and hugged Fleur.
"He wasn't always this handsome, Harry," Fred said as he walked by, grinning at Bill.
"Dead ugly," George agreed.
"True enough," Bill chuckled, gesturing to the severely cut side of his face. "Owe it all to a werewolf, name Greyback. Hope to repay the favor one day."
"Well, you're still beautiful to me, William," Fleur said, kissing him on the cheek.
"Just remember, Fleur, Bill takes his stakes on the raw side now," Remus added, him and Tonks completing the circle that had been formed against the walls of the room.
"My husband, the joker," Tonks smiled up at him. "By the way, Harry, wait till you hear the news. Remus and I-"
"Oh, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later," Moody shouted gruffly as he forced his way to the front of the group. "We've got to get the hell out of here, and soon." Then he stood next to Mr. Weasley and said, "Potter, you're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."
"What's the Trace?" Potter asked.
"What's the Trace?" Moody said. "Why, if you sneeze, the Ministry will know who wipes your nose. The point is we have to use means of transport the Trace can't detect. Brooms, thestrals, and the like. We go in pairs. That way if there's anyone out there waiting for us—and I reckon there will be—they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one."
"The real one?" Potter repeated suspiciously.
Moody reached into his coat and pulled out a bottle of Polyjuice Potion. "I believe you're familiar with this particular brew?" He asked with a grim smile on his face.
"No. Absolutely not," Potter finally caught on.
"I told you he'd take it well," I muttered.
"No," he said again, looking back at us with wide eyes. "If you think I'm going to let everyone risk their lives for me, I-"
"Never done that before, have we?" Moody asked.
"No! No. This is different," Potter glanced back again, waiting for someone to back him up. "I mean, taking that, becoming me—no!"
"Well, none of us really fancy it, mate," George said.
"Yeah," Fred smiled. "Imagine if something went wrong and we ended up a scrawny, specky git forever?"
Potter was not amused.
"Everyone here is of age, Potter," Moody said. "They've all agreed to take the risk."
Behind everyone, Mundungus cleared his throat. "Technically, I've been coerced. Mundungus Fletcher, Mr. Potter. I don't believe we've formally met. Always been a huge admirer."
"Nip it, Mundungus," Moody barked. "All right, Malfoy, as discussed."
I stepped forward and ripped some of Potter's hair out, then put it into the potion. It fizzed inside the bottle, nearly bubbling up over the top.
"Blimey, Alexandra," Potter grit his teeth, rubbing the back of his head.
All the people who were going to be turning into Potter—Fred and George, Mundungus, Fleur, Hermione, Weasley and I—lined up in the middle of the room.
"For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning. It tastes like goblin piss," Moody said, handing the bottle to Fred first.
"Had a lot of experiences with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" Fred asked. Moody glared at him.
"Just trying to diffuse the tension," he said, taking a swing of the potion. His face changed in seconds, bubbling and twisting disturbingly. The bottle got passed down the line, and when it got to me I took a deep breath, drank the last of it, and then handed it back to Moody.
Potter watched in horror as we slowly transformed into him. The twins and Weasley shrunk. Mundungus, Fleur, Hermione and I grew. I watched my hair darken and felt my stomach churn. Then when it was over, I looked around. There were seven Potters, all standing in front of the eighth and original one.
"Wow! We're identical!" Fred and George looked at each other and said simultaneously.
"Not yet you're not," Moody said, nodding to Remus. Remus opened the bag on the floor, and seven pairs of the same pants, shirts, and jackets spilled out.
"You haven't got anything a bit more sporting, have you?" George asked, picking up one of the red jackets.
"Yeah, I don't really fancy this color," Fred looked down at the clothes in his hands.
"Well, fancy this," Moody replied. "You're not you. So shut it and strip."
"All right, all right," Mundungus said, unbuttoning his silk zebra-print dress shirt.
"Bill, look away," Fleur said, sounding on the verge of tears. "I'm hideous."
"This is terrible," I said, looking down at my arms. Or I guess they weren't my arms anymore.
"Thanks," Potter grimaced at me.
"Harry, your eyesight really is awful," Hermione commented, putting on one of the many pairs of glasses lying on the floor.
"Right, then, we'll be pairing off," Moody continued, like they did this every day in Auror training. "Each Potter will have a protector. Mundungus, stick tight to me. I want to keep an eye on you. As for Harry-"
"Yes?" We all answered.
"The real Harry," Moody grumbled. "Where the devil are you, anyway?"
"Here," the real Potter called out from the back of the room.
"You'll ride with Hagrid," Moody finished.
"I brought you here sixteen years ago," Hagrid looked down at Potter and said, sounding rarely emotional. "You were no bigger than a bowtruckle. It seems only right that I should be the one to take you away now."
"Yes, it's all very touching," Moody scoffed. "Let's go!"
We all stepped outside again, this time most of us in the strangest disguise we had ever worn. I still felt extremely odd and a little disturbed to be in Potter's body. I had kissed him and touched him and even just looked at him, and now I was him. It was an experience that I wanted to be over with as quickly as possible.
"Enjoying yourself yet?" Remus asked me as I climbed onto one of the thestral's backs after him.
"Oh yes," I replied. "This is jolly good fun."
"On the count of three!" Moody shouted. "One!"
Hagrid revved the engine on the motorcycle, and the headlights turned on.
"Two!"
I tightened my grip on Remus and the thestral underneath us pawed at the pavement with its hoof.
"Three!"
We all shot into the air. Some were on brooms, a couple on thestrals like us, and the real Potter was next to Hagrid in the small buggy attached to the vehicle. Moody had his own specially crafted broom that had a seat and a rest for his wooden leg.
The temperature dropped as we gained height, biting at any of my exposed skin. Potter's exposed skin. Whatever. The clouds lit up with the occasional flash of lightning, and besides the deafening thunder all I could hear was the wind howling in my ears.
We couldn't have been in the air for more than a couple of minutes before pandemonium broke out.
Suddenly there were Death Eaters shooting through the sky, all on brooms of their own. Flashes of light from wands wizzed dangerously close by, and shouts and screams carried through the night. It was impossible to tell who was who, but when a group of three people wearing all black started following us, I guessed it was safe to assume they were the ones we wanted to throw curses at.
I turned around as much as I could on the thestral without falling off and started sending wordless spells at the men behind us. I didn't exactly know what spells they were, but I managed to get one Death Eater to spiral down to the ground, clutching at his side.
One of his friends hesitated, then disappeared into the clouds to go find him. We still had a Death Eater on our trail, and I let Remus do the driving as we got further away from everyone else. Quite honestly, I was angry that the Death Eaters had already known we would be coming. Someone betrayed us. I used that anger to slash my wand through the air one last time.
The third and final Death Eater following us shouted out in pain at the burn I had given him. The cloth that had been covering his shoulder was now smoldering. Remus urged the thestral faster, and I swore I saw a flash of blonde hair under the Death Eater mask as we finally left the sky and began descending towards the ground. I pushed the possibility out of my mind.
As the blurry outline of the Burrow came into view, I realized that my arm and the side of my face were both stinging. I must have gotten hit at some point, but at the moment that wasn't my greatest concern. What I was really worried about was everyone else we had left behind back there. Never mind a normal battle with Death Eaters, this time we had been in the sky.
I felt a warm shiver run through my body, and then we were past the boundaries. Our thestral landed with a harsh bump, and the second Remus and I fell off it ran away through the fields, shaking its head and flapping its wings frantically.
"Are you okay?" Remus asked breathlessly, grabbing my arm.
"Fine," I gasped out.
Then I turned around and Ginny and Potter were running toward us so fast, I barely had time to realized it was them before Potter nearly knocked me over with the force of his hug. I guess I looked like me again. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in relief, and when he pulled away Ginny threw herself at me as well.
Potter opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get a word out Remus suddenly grabbed him by the collar and held his wand to his throat.
"What are you doing?" I screamed.
"What creature sat in the corner the first time Harry Potter visited my office in Hogwarts?" Remus panted.
"Are you mad?" Potter asked, trying to grab at Remus's arm.
"What creature?" Remus bellowed.
"A- a Grindylow!" Potter stuttered.
Remus stood there, hand around Potter's throat, for a long moment before he finally let go and stepped back. Potter's expression was pure shock, and he was breathing heavily.
"We've been betrayed," Remus said, calmer now. "Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter."
There was a burst of light, and two more people appeared. We all rushed forward again, but Remus held out his arm to shop us. With his other hand he pointed his wand at Kingsley, who was doing the same to him. Hermione stood behind them, looking frightened and white but otherwise fine.
"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?" Kingsley asked calmly.
"Harry is the best hope we have," Remus answered without hesitation. "Trust him." Potter looked between the two of them with an expression I couldn't read on his face. Kingsley and Remus both lowered their wands.
"What gave you away?" Kingsley asked, now turning to Potter.
"Hedwig, I think," he replied. "She was trying to protect me."
There was the third miraculous whooshing sound of the night, and then another thestral screeched. Tonks and Weasley had made it back safely. Hermione looked back at us only once before running to Weasley and wrapping her arms around him tightly. His face finished transforming back to his own, and he wore a dazed smile on it.
"Deserves that," Tonks said, hugging Remus herself. "Brilliant, he was. I wouldn't be standing here without him."
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Always the tone of surprise," Weasley said. She just grinned and took his glasses off.
Potter and I suddenly ran forward and barreled into the two of them. I could have cried in relief. There was a lot of much needed embracing going around tonight.
Seconds later Bill and Fleur arrived, both appearing unharmed. Fleur looked especially glad that she was back to her normal self. Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George followed immediately after, but something was wrong.
Two of them were nearly carrying the other, and as they stepped closer I realized it was Mr. Weasley and Fred carrying George. We all went silent.
"Quick," Mr. Weasley gasped. "Into the house."
We followed them inside, where Mrs. Weasley instantly let out a sob when she saw her son. They laid George down on the couch, and a circle slowly formed around him. When I finally got a good look at him, I had to throw my hands over my mouth to stifle a scream.
He had a nauseating amount of blood going all the way down the left side of his face. It was matted in his hair and all coming from the place his ear should have been. I tried to think of a spell that could have possibly caused that, but the only one I could come up with was Sectumsempra. Then I decided I shouldn't have tried to think about it so hard.
Ginny stood near George's feet, Mrs. Weasley brushed his hair back from his forehead, and Fred knelt down next to his twin brother.
"How are you feeling, Georgie?" Fred whispered.
"Saint-like," George mumbled.
"Come again?" Fred asked.
"Saint-like," George repeated, cracking his eyes open. "I'm holy. I'm holy, Fred. Get it?" He pointed to the hole that his ear normally occupied.
There was a collective sigh of relief around the room, and Fred laughed. "A whole wide world of ear-related humor, and you go for I'm holy? That's pathetic."
"Reckon I'm still better looking than you," George replied.
Then Bill stepped forward, his face grim. "Mad-Eye's dead," he announced tonelessly.
Everyone looked at him with wide eyes and pale faces. Remus slowly lowered himself into an armchair.
"Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and... Disapparated," Bill continued.
Fred and George's grins had dropped. Mrs. Weasley dissolved into silent tears, and Mr. Weasley wrapped an arm around her. The rest of the room was completely frozen in shock. Moody was the strongest out of all of us, and now he was just... gone.
I glanced at Potter, and my heart broke. He looked horrified and furious and crushed, but the strongest expression on his face was guilt. He felt guilty for Moody's death. He thought that because he had reluctantly agreed to let us take the Polyjuice Potion, Moody had died for him.
Really, if anyone was to blame it was Mundungus. That stinking, cowardly old thief. I had never exactly been fond of Moody—he wasn't the most heart-warming person—but he was one of the best Aurors the Ministry had ever had. He was the one who kept everyone together. He was the one who led when no one else wanted to. And then all of a sudden he wasn't here anymore? It seemed impossible.
That night I couldn't seem to fall asleep. Hermione and Ginny were out cold the second their heads hit the pillow, but I was restless. Eventually I resorted to looking out the window blankly, feeling nothing. I just couldn't grasp the fact that Moody was dead. Gone forever. Bill, Mr. Weasley, and Remus had all gone out together to try and find his body, but they had no luck. We all knew the Death Eaters must have cleaned up after themselves, but that fact just made it so much worse.
I suddenly realized that I was now staring at a figure instead of the dark grass of the Burrow's front yard. And the figure was wearing a backpack and quickly disappearing into the darkness. I immediately knew it was Potter.
Without thinking I put my slippers on and made my way down the stairs as quietly as possible. I threw open the front door, hoping desperately that he wasn't already gone. When I saw him still walking the path through the reeds, I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Going somewhere?" I asked, too loud for him to pretend not to hear.
Potter looked at me with a pained expression on his face. "Nobody else it going to die... not for me." Then he turned back around and kept walking.
"For you?" I asked in disbelief. "You think Moody died for you? You think George took that curse for you? You may be the Chosen One, but this is a whole lot bigger than that."
He turned again at my words, staring at me for a moment like he was putting a great deal of thought into something. "Come with me," he finally said.
"And leave Hermione and Weasley?" I replied. "Are you mad? We wouldn't last two days without them. Besides, you've still got the Trace on you. The Weasleys still have a wedding."
"I don't care about a wedding," Potter sighed. "I'm sorry, no matter whose it is. I have to start finding these Horcruxes. They're our only chance to beat him, and the longer we stand here the stronger he gets."
"Tonights not the night," I stepped closer to him. "We'd only be doing Voldemort a favor."
I silently pleaded with him as he looked into my eyes, until finally he dropped the backpack on the ground and stared out at the rolling land in front of us. I took the bag, took his hand, and we walked back inside the house together.
When we reached the landing that we would have to separate at I took Potter's face in my hand and brushed my lips against his softly. He took the bag back, and I turned to leave for my bed again, aware of a heavy weight pressing down on my chest.
If I hadn't seen him, Potter would have left tonight without a word to any of us. Without a word to me. Disappeared like Moody.
I finally fell asleep to the fantasy that August would end, and I would get on the train to Hogwarts with Hermione, Weasley, and Potter like always. We would sit with Ginny, Neville, and Luna, play Exploding Snape the whole way there, and then eat a feast almost as good as Mrs. Weasley's in the Great Hall.
Potter and I could be normal teenagers, Hermione and Weasley would undoubtedly fall in love, we wouldn't have to worry about being seventeen years old and saving the entire Wizarding World, and maybe George would still have both his ears.
It was wishful thinking, but everyone needed a good wish right about now.