Loss - 3

He picked up his wand and resumed stuffing clothing into his backpack, feeling troubled. He hadn't had any kind of vision or felt any emotion from Voldemort in over a year. Dumbledore had suspected he was using Occlumency to keep Harry out. Why now? What had happened that would enrage Voldemort so much that he would temporarily drop his Occlumency shield? Did it have anything to do with the reason they were evacuating headquarters in the middle of the night?

"What are you doing on the floor?" Ron asked, beginning haphazardly to stash items into his own rucksack.

"Tripped," Harry mumbled, not wanting to alarm Ron just yet with the revelation that Voldemort had been in his head again.

"I wonder what happened," Ron said, beginning to look worried. "It must have been something big."

"Yeah," Harry said, zipping up his bag. "Are you finished?"

"I suppose," Ron said, staring at the messy room helplessly. "I can't see a bloody thing, anyway. How am I supposed to know what to take if I don't even know where we're going? Why does he want the lights out?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably just being Moody. Just take some extra clothing, your broom and anything really important to you. Come on, let's get downstairs. I want to find out what happened," he said, his hand instinctively touching the rope bracelet Ginny had given him to be certain he had it.

Ron shrank his broom before zipping his bag and following Harry from the room. They hurried down the dark stairs and into the kitchen where the lights blazed brightly. Harry had to blink and shield his eyes from the sudden glare.

Bill and Fleur were the room's only occupants. Standing near the large fireplace, they had their heads bent and appeared to be in the middle of a deep discussion. Fleur had her arm on Bill's shoulder, the side of her face still swathed in bandages from the wounds she'd received in Diagon Alley.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, staring back and forth between his brother and Fleur.

"It happened quicker than we thought it would," Bill said grimly. "The Order has been accused of treason against the Ministry. There are a handful of warrants out for arrests, and we believe the wards are already failing."

"Whoa," Ron said, sitting down heavily at the table. "Whose arrest? Dad's?

Bill nodded. "And Moody's, McGonagall's and mine. Umbridge has had a grudge against McGonagall since her time at Hogwarts. We suspect there will be more names added as the day progresses. Our Interim Minister appears to have a source who's willing to talk."

"Percy?" Ron asked, grimacing slightly.

Bill winced and sucked in his breath.

"Non! Not your brozzer," Fleur said, once again gripping Bill's shoulder. "He's been giving information to us for months, now."

"Mum and Dad have gone ahead to Hogwarts, and we've already sent the owls along," Bill said, his face impassive. "Professor McGonagall is preparing for our arrival."

"That's where we're going? Hogwarts?" Harry asked, feeling both relieved and apprehensive about going to the school again. He hadn't been back since Professor Dumbledore's death.

"Yeah," Bill replied, nodding. "It's the safest location, and there are plenty of places to hide if the Ministry conducts a search. Hogwarts has a way of keeping things hidden. We've got the Floo open to the Hog's Head; Aberforth Dumbledore and Hagrid are expecting us."

"'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it,'" Harry mumbled.

"Pardon?" Bill asked.

"Nothing," Harry said, shaking his head. "Just a memory. Where are Ginny and Hermione?"

"They haven't come downstairs yet. Moody is rounding up everyone," Bill replied.