More losses - 6

The Fat Lady huffed indignantly, but the portrait hole swung open.

Several heads turned her way as she entered, her eyes sweeping the room for any sign of the returning party.

Iris and Mrs. Parkinson sat by the window, reading their books, although Iris kept glancing toward the corner where Fred and George were involved in a heated game of chess. Shannon peered over the board watching them. All of them looked up when Ginny entered the room.

"Ginny! There you are," her mother said fretfully, jumping up from her chair by the fire where she'd been knitting. "Are you all right? You'll probably catch a chill being outside in that cold air all this time."

Ignoring her mother's fussing, Ginny said, "They're back. I saw a group of them on the road from Hogsmeade."

"They're back already?" her dad asked, furrowing his brow. "That seems terribly soon."

Ginny nodded, unwilling to add to her father's obvious anxiety by voicing her concern. "I'm certain that I saw Ron, Harry and Hermione in the group."

"What about the others?" her mum asked, wringing her hands. "Bill and Charlie?"

Before Ginny could respond, the portrait hole swung open, and a grim-faced Professor McGonagall led the weary group inside.

Harry's face was a rigid mask, revealing nothing. Hermione took his arm, attempting to lead him to a chair, but he roughly jerked it away. Both Ron and Charlie's faces were taut, and Hermione looked as if she'd been crying. The Dursleys all looked like scared rabbits. They huddled together, barely stepping inside the room, their eyes warily taking in their surrounding.

Worried, Ginny moved closer to Harry, but he shied away, obviously not wanting to be touched.

Something was very wrong.

"Thank Merlin, you're back," her mum cried, throwing her arms around Charlie. "I've been so worried. Where are Bill and Fleur?"

Ron quickly moved away before she could smother him, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders and leading her to a chair. She sank down into it, sniffling and leaning heavily on him. Neither of them took their eyes off Harry.

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" her dad asked, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Dursleys. "I'd also like to know how Harry's relatives came to join us." Although his voice sounded outwardly pleasant, Ginny could detect the hard edge. Muggles or not, her dad didn't like the Dursleys any better than the rest of them did.

Mrs. Dursley clutched her son's arm and pulled him against her, as if prepared to bodily keep any stray bits of magic from seeping into him.

"I'd like an answer to that question myself," Vernon Dursley said, regaining some of his bluster. "I don't know how we ended up at this ruddy school. I don't even know how all this can exist inside that pile of ruins we saw outside."

"Magic, Dad," Dudley said, rolling his eyes. "It didn't look like ruins to me."

Mr. Dursley spluttered a moment, apparently unaccustomed to any kind of lip from Dudley.

Ginny continued to watch Harry. His face and forearms were covered with nicks and cuts, and he rigidly stood away from the others, wrapping his arms around himself as if chilled. The stony mask never slipped from his face, and his eyes were flat and lifeless. Ginny grew increasingly frightened, desperately wanting to comfort him but uncertain how. She tried to catch Ron and Hermione's eyes, but they purposefully avoided her gaze. They, too, were covered by small abrasions.

Ginny's stomach knotted.