Cessation ⌁ Draco Malfoy [3/4] ✔

3

Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Mad-eye Moody, Hagrid, Mundungus Fletcher, Bill, Fleur, and Kingsley all left to retrieve Harry from his aunt and uncle's. Emma sat next to a fidgeting Mrs Weasley, while Ginny sat silently on a pouf by the sofa. 

"Don't worry, Mrs Weasley," Emma said awkwardly, aware of her incapability of comforting people. She wasn't too bad with Harry and Draco, though. "They'll all be back, safe and sound."

Mrs Weasley's mouth twitched and she turned her head toward Emma. "Oh, I know. Yes, they will be. I'm going to go and wash some dishes until they come back."

Mrs Weasley absently stood from the sofa and wandered over toward the kitchen, where Emma could see her grabbing the dishes from which the large group of people ate dinner from, until she could hear the water and the sound of the dishes clanking against each other. 

"Exploding Snap?" Ginny broke the silence. 

Emma nodded, although she wouldn't have under any other circumstances, and kneeled down by the coffee table where Ginny was handing out the cards. They played until Mrs Weasley grew tired of mistaking the exploding cards for someone to have arrived back at the Burrow. 

"Girls, please!" said Mrs Weasley.

Ginny and Emma looked at each other. 

"That wasn't us," Ginny said breathlessly, getting to her feet. "Someone's just come back!"

Mrs Weasley was quicker than Ginny and the older woman ran past the two girls and out the back door, where Emma and Ginny followed. They could see Harry and Hagrid. 

"Harry? You are the real Harry? What happened? Where are the others?" Mrs Weasley was saying. 

"What d'you mean? Isn't anyone else back?" Harry said, confused. "The Death Eaters were waiting for us. We were surrounded the moment we took off - they knew it was tonight - I don't know what happened to anyone else. Four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort caught up with us -"

Mrs Weasley pulled Harry into a hug and said, "Thank goodness you're all right."

Hagrid asked for some brandy for medicinal purposes, and Mrs Weasley waddled off back toward the house. 

Emma looked down at the hairbrush, which she knew was once the portkey, in Harry's hand. 

"About time you used your common sense, Harry," Emma joked, pointing at his messy hair. "Be sure to let Hagrid use it after."

Before Harry got the chance to say anything, Ginny spoke. 

"Ron and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them. And that one should have been Dad and Fred's, they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and if they made it, George and Lupin ought to be back in about a minute."

Harry nodded with distant eyes. 

Emma opened her mouth to ease the tension when there was a sudden blue light in the darkness several feet away, growing larger and brighter. Lupin and George had arrived. Emma gasped as quietly as she could at the sight of an unconscious George, face covered in blood, being supported by Lupin. Harry quickly ran to their aid and grabbed George by the legs, and the two carried George into the house. Emma and Ginny quickly followed behind. 

"His ear..." Emma whispered in shock. George was missing an ear. "Poor George..."

Emma doubled back as Lupin reached over and grabbed Harry by the upper arm and dragged him into the kitchen. She watched them disappear before kneeling beside Mrs Weasley, who was bent over George and attempting to do whatever she could with the hole that was once George's second ear. 

Mrs Weasley summoned whatever bandages she had in one of the cabinets, and the three women quickly but gently tended to George's ear. Emma wasn't too good with blood, and the big gaping hole staring up at her was making her feel quite faint. She used a cloth to wipe his face instead, which had far less blood than his ear. 

"Will he be OK?" Emma said quietly. 

"Yes," Ginny said firmly. "His ear was probably cursed off, though, so he'll have to go without."

Emma's stomach twisted. She hoped his twin wasn't in any worse condition. George groaned incoherent words, but Emma couldn't get what he was saying, only that Ginny was whispering back to him as she wiped whatever blood Emma had left behind. 

"How is he?" said Harry from behind them. 

"I can't make it grow back, not when it's been removed by Dark Magic. But it could have been so much worse...he's alive," said Mrs Weasley. 

"Yeah, thank God," Harry said.

"Has anyone else arrived?" Ginny asked. "I thought I heard someone else in the yard."

"Yeah, Hermione and Kingsley are back."

Ginny nodded. Suddenly a loud ruckus erupted from the kitchen, but Emma ignored it. 

"Don't worry, George, you're still handsome to me," she smiled. 

"Course I am," he murmured. 

Mr Weasley and Fred suddenly burst into the room, and Emma stepped aside for them to see George. Fred looked absolutely lost upon seeing George injured on the sofa. 

"Thank goodness you're OK," Emma told Fred. 

"Thank goodness indeed," he said distantly, wandering over toward the back of the sofa and staring at George's injury. 

"How do you feel, Georgie?" Mrs Weasley said quietly. 

"Saint-like," he murmured in response, groping the side of his head. 

"What's wrong with him?" Fred said quietly, looking pale. "Is his mind affected?"

"Saint-like. You see...I'm holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?"

Fred looked a lot more relieved at his twin as Mrs Weasley began to sob. He and George conversed back and forth as Harry and Ginny disappeared off to somewhere. 

"Shouldn't the others be back by now..." Emma said quietly, watching as George's grin faded. She sighed, stood from her spot, and wandered over toward Hagrid. "Hey, Hagrid. Can I have some of that?"

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A/N: I apologise for the delay, I don't normally wait this long to update anything, but I've been beyond busy. Assessment, I'm trying to find a new job, trying to pass my driver's test etc....gah....I hate updating slow because then I lose all motivation to write a good chapter. So I'm sorry for the boring chapter heh heh. But it's late and I'm really tired. The next chapter shouldn't be too far away this time :D