The Last Goodbye

"So Mundungus disappeared?" Lupin asked, who had drained his own glass in one. I quickly chugged back the rest of the drink, preparing myself to be more angry at him than I already was.

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

"Hayley didn't!" Tonks piped up. "But You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to." She sniffed. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley, then us..."

"Yes, and zat eez all very good." Fleur snapped. "But still eet does not explain 'ow zey know we were moving 'Arry tonight, does eet? Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date but not ze 'ole plan." She glared around at us, tear tracks still etched on her face, silently daring anyone to contradict her. Nobody did.

"No." Harry said. We all stared at him, surprised. "I mean... if somebody made a mistake and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault." He repeated, quite loudly for his regular tone. "We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you. I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort." More silence followed.

"Well said, Harry." I said.

"Yeah, 'ear, 'ear." George said and the corner of my mouth twitched.

"You think I'm a fool?" Harry demanded to Lupin.

"No, I think you're like James who would have regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends." Lupin said.

"There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether-" Lupin began.

"No." Bill said. "I'll do it, I'll come at once."

"Where are you going?" Tonks and Fleur said together.

"Mad-Eye's body." Lupin said. "We need to recover it."

"Can't it-?" Mrs. Weasley began with an appealing look at Bill.

"Wait?" Bill said. "Not unless you'd rather the death eaters took it?" No one spoke. Lupin and Bill said goodbye and left.