Emma Potter; Going to War

93: Firewhisky

Nobody spoke, nobody moved. I felt as though somethinginside me was falling, falling through the earth, leaving me forever. 

"Treacle, landed near the safe house" said Alex "he's fine."

"We saw it," said Bill; Fleur nodded, tear tracks glittering onher cheeks in the light from the kitchen window. Alex said nothing just stared into nothing. "It happened justafter we broke out of the circle: Mad-Eye and Dung were close byus, they were heading north too. Voldemort — he can fly — wentstraight for them. Dung panicked, I heard him cry out, Mad-Eyetried to stop him, but he Disapparated. Voldemort's curse hit MadEye full in the face, he fell backward off his broom and — therewas nothing we could do, nothing, we had half a dozen of them onour own tail —"

 Bill's voice broke. 

"Of course you couldn't have done anything," said Lupin. 

We all stood looking at each other. I could not quite comprehend it. Mad-Eye dead; it could not be. . . . Mad-Eye, so tough,so brave, the consummate survivor . . .At last it seemed to dawn on everyone, though nobody said it, thatthere was no point waiting in the yard anymore, and in silence we followed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley back into the Burrow, and into theliving room, where Fred and George were laughing together.

 "What's wrong?" said Fred, scanning our faces as we entered.

 "What's happened? Who's — ?"

 "Mad-Eye," said Mr. Weasley. "Dead."

 The twins' grins turned to grimaces of shock. Nobody seemed to know what to do. Tonks was crying silently into a handkerchief:She had been close to Mad-Eye, I knew, his favorite and hisprotégée at the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid, who had sat down onthe floor in the corner where he had most space, was dabbing at hiseyes with his tablecloth-sized handkerchief.Bill walked over to the sideboard and pulled out a bottle of firewhisky and some glasses.

 "Here," he said, and with a wave of his wand he sent fourteen fullglasses soaring through the room to each of us, holding the fifteenth aloft. "Mad-Eye." 

"Mad-Eye," we all said, and drank.

 "Mad-Eye," echoed Hagrid, a little late, with a hiccup. 

The firewhisky seared my throat. It seemed to burn feelingback into me, dispelling the numbness and sense of unreality, firing me with something that was like courage.

 "So Mundungus disappeared?" said Lupin, who had drained hisown glass in one. 

The atmosphere changed at once. Everybody looked tense, watching Lupin, both wanting him to go on, it seemed to me, andslightly afraid of what we might hear. 

"I know what you're thinking," said Bill, "and I wondered that too,on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn'tthey? But Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know therewould be seven Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared,and in case you've forgotten, it was Mundungus who suggested thatlittle bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essentialpoint? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want tocome in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Whowent straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic."

"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to,"sniffed Tonks. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry and Emma to be withthe toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, andwhen Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley. . . ." 

"Yes, and zat eez all very good," snapped Fleur, "but still eet doesnot explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry an' Emma tonight, does eet?Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to anoutsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but notze 'ole plan."