The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow III » Harry Potter

3.3 | Turbulence and Landing

The Burrow was tensed, the occupants had no choice but to wait. The more time that passed without the arrival of their family and friends, the more their worry increased.

Mrs Weasley tried her best to give tasks to herself and Ginny to keep their minds occupied. Tonks was pacing near the door, her hair a sickly shade of lemon yellow, deaf to anything Mrs Weasley asked of her.

Unbothered and eerily calm, Margaret sat on the couch with her arms folded and eyes closed. A broom was tucked away under the couch, ready for her to grab. She appeared to be meditating, but in truth, her mind was far away.

Zooming through the clouds, Jasper was following the Order's entourage and the ongoing sky battle against the Death Eaters. Camouflaged completely in the darkness, the raven became Margaret's eyes and ears, allowing her to keep up with the happenings while sitting safe and sound in the Burrow. At a moment's notice, she could teleport and join the battle to help in any way she could.

Crash.

Margaret's eyes snapped open as the bowl shattered.

"Oh my, I'm sorry," mumbles Mrs Weasley shakily and flicked her wand. The bowl repaired itself and set down on the table.

"Are you all right, Mum?" asks Ginny.

"I'm fine, dear," says the woman, not sounding fine at all.

"Why don't you sit down, Mrs Weasley?" says Margaret, patting the seat next to her.

She shook her head. "No, no... It's better if I keep myself occupied. They'll all be here soon, dinner is almost ready too..." She sounded almost as though she was reassuring herself, turning back to wiping the crockery that was done washing itself in the sink. Her eyes lingered on that magic clock of hers that showed where all the Weasley family members were.

The hands were stuck at 'Mortal Peril'.

Margaret caught Ginny's eye and offered a reassuring nod before closing her eyes once more, wishing that she could somehow fast-forward time until everyone was safely back. No one had ever told her that waiting was more maddening than any battle could be. Everybody had separated now, and Jasper was dutifully following Harry as Lord Voldemort's eery figure began catching up to him and Hagrid.

"Didn't know he could fly," comes Jasper's uncomfortable voice.

"Be careful," Margaret warns. "Do not underestimate him."

The scene was barely decipherable until a streak of bright golden flames erupted out of nowhere, shrouding the village below in light so bright that it momentarily looked like daytime.

"Whoa!" exclaims Jasper.

Margaret agreed as she leaned forward on the couch in awe.

There was a faraway explosion followed by a shout full of rage from where she could guess Lord Voldemort was. The golden flames faded suddenly, shrouding the countryside in darkness once more, especially since the Dark Lord's tantrum happened to send bolts of powerful magic at the electrical grid below causing a power outage in probably the whole county.

"Retreat now, Krow," Margaret tells Jasper.

A few more minutes passed, and Margaret watched Jasper leisurely fly through the dark sky until there was a thunderous crack of a Portkey from the garden.

Tonks did not hold herself back this time, bursting out of the back door. Margaret was on her heels, quickly catching sight of her best friend.

"Harry! Hagrid!"

Sprinting over to him, Margaret pulled him into an embrace, not caring that he had blood matted into his hair or that he only managed to shakily hug her back.