Yellow (George Weasley)

52 - Ring of Fire

The air was deathly still as our guests lingered by the door. Leaves tumbled across the yard and the only sound that could be heard was the hushed talking of Remus and Mr. Weasley. Tonks stood by his side, her usually colorful hair now a dull brown color as she looked to her lover with concern.

"Unfortunately, we best be heading back." Tonks looked up at Lupin knowingly. He was already on edge as night fell. His gray eyes nervously twitched around as he examined the nature surrounding the Burrow. It was eerie out there, the sound of the soft ticking of the tall reeds that circled the outskirts of the home filling the air. "It was delicious, Molly, really." Tonks grasped the woman's hands in her own. "We had a lovely time." She assured her, probably in an attempt to make her feel better about the Percy disaster.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" Mrs. Weasley offered once again, a twinkle of concern behind her kind brown eyes. "The two of you are welcome to stay in Bill's room again. He and Fleur had to head back early for work so we have the space."

"No, we should go." Tonks glanced over at Lupin once again before leaning in and whispering to us. "The first night of the cycle's always the worst."

Lupin was staring out into the night, practically shaking. "Remus?" Mr. Weasley cocked a brow at the man. While he does tend to look a bit run down around a full moon, the Wolfsbane potion normally keeps him collected. But the man in front of us now was anything but.

"Sweetheart?" Tonks placed a gentle hand on his arm but he only cocked his head as if he were listening intently to something our ears couldn't pick up.

A chillingly familiar whooshing sound filled the sky as a streak of fire came down, crashing into the dead grass that surrounded the Burrow. A ring of fire circled the house as black smoke billowed from the grass. A loud cackle cut through the previously silent night air. Bellatrix Lestrange. They had figured out a way past our protective barrier.

Before I could even pinch myself to make sure this wasn't one of my nightmares, Harry bumped against my shoulder as he sprinted towards the flames. He was in hot pursuit of Bellatrix, still fueled by his intense desire to avenge his godfather's death. Tonks and Remus chased after him but were stopped as the flames whipped around them. The circle of fire enclosed us almost intentionally.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley screeched as her daughter sprinted through the flames after Harry, dressed in her nightdress and her hair still damp from a shower. Her father followed closely behind her, yelling for her to stop.

This is exactly what they wanted. They wanted to get Harry away from the group of people protecting him. It was such an obvious ploy and they had succeeded.

I took a step forward to try to help find Harry but Mrs. Weasley grabbed a hold of my forearm. "You are not going out there." She spoke with tears brimming in her eyes. I examined her concerned expression for a minute before wrapping my arms around her as she cried. It seems the Weasley's will only continue to be a target. The poor woman has already had to watch Bellatrix take away her best friend. I can't imagine the fear she may have for her family now. When I looked over her shoulder, the other three Weasley boys were running down the staircase.

"What's going on?" George furrowed his eyebrows as he approached us, rubbing his mum's back.

Before I could answer a loud whooshing noise filled the air once again. "We need to get out!" I panicked. I've seen the destruction that follows that sound.

"What?" Ron asked as a loud crash erupted from above us. And another. And another. Suddenly, flames sputtered above our heads.

George hooked my elbow and yanked me from the house just as the fires began to spread. As we ran, we turned in shock to watch the beloved Weasley home up in flames. The fire slowly spread upwards, thick black smoke billowing from the windows. Not only had they lured Harry from his safe house, but they had destroyed it in the process.