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,” said Harry, reaching out to place a finger on it, ready to leave. “ Wait a moment,” said Hagrid, looking around. “Harry, where?s Hedwig?” “ She… she got hit ,” said Harry. The realization crashed over him: He felt ashamed of himself as the tears stung his eyes. The owl had been his panion, his one great link w ith the magical world whenever he had been forced to return to the Dursleys. Hagrid reached out a great hand and patted him painfully on the shoulder. “ Never mind,” he said gruffly, “Never mind. She had a great old life – ” “ Hagrid!” said Ted Tonks warningly, as the hairbrush glowed bright blue, and Hagrid only just got his forefinger to it in time. With a jerk behind the navel as though an invisible hook and line had dragged him forward, Harry was pulled into nothingness, spinning uncontrollably, his finger glued to the Portkey as he and Hagrid hurtled away from Mr. Tonks. Second later, Harry?s feet slammed onto hard ground and he fell onto his hands and knees in the yard of the Burrow. He heard screams. Throwing aside the no longer glow ing hairbrush, Harry stood up, swaying slightly, and saw Mrs. Weasley and Ginny running down the steps by the back door as Hagrid, who had also collapsed on landing, clambered “ The Death Eaters were waiting for us,” Harry told her, “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 – ” He could hear the selfjustifying note in his voice, the plea for her to understand why he did not know what had happened to her sons, but – “ Thank goodness you?re all right,” she said, pulling him into a hug he did not feel he deserved. “ Haven?t go? any brandy, have yeh, Molly?” asked Hagrid a little shakily, “Fer medicinal purposes?” She could have summoned it by magic, but as she hurried back toward the crooked house, Har ry knew that she wanted to hide her face. He turned to Ginny and she answered his unspoken plea for information at once. “ Ron and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them,” she said, pointing at a rusty oil can lying on the ground nearby. “And that one,” she pointed at an ancient sneaker, “should have been Dad and Fred?s, they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and,” she checked her watch, “if they made it, Gee and Lupin aught to be bac k in about a minute.” Mrs. Weasley reappeared carrying a bottle of brandy, which she handed to Hagrid. He uncorked it and drank it straight down in one. A blue light had appeared in the dar kness: It grew larger and brighter, and Lupin and Gee appeare d, spinning and then falling. Harry knew immediately that there was something wrong: Lupin was supporting Gee, who was unconscious and whose face was covered in blood. Harry ran forward and seized Gee?s legs. Together, he and Lupin carried Gee into the house and through the kitchen to the living room, where they laid him on the sofa. A s the lamplight fell across Gee?s head, Ginny gasped and Harry?s stomach lurched: One of Gee?s ears was missing. The side of his head and neck were drenched in wet, shockingly scarlet blood. No sooner had Mrs. Weasley bent over her son that Lupin grabbed Harry by the upper arm and dragged him, none too gently, back into the kitchen, where Hagrid was still attempting to ease his “ So why aren? you checkin? me?” panted Hagrid, still struggling with the door. “ You?re halfgiant,” said Lupin, looking up at Hagrid. “The Polyjuice Potion is designed for human use only.” “ None of the Order would have told Voldemort we were moving tonight,” said Harry. The idea was dreadful to him, he could not believe it of any of them. “Voldemort only caught up with me toward the end, he didn?t know which one I was in the beginning. If he’ d been in on the plan he?d have known from the start I was the one with Hagrid.” “ Voldemort caught up with you?” said Lupin sharply. “What happened? How did you escape?” Harry explained how the Death Eaters pursuing them had seemed to recognize him as the true Harry, how they had abandoned the chase, how they must have summoned Voldemort, who had appeared just before he and Hagrid had reached the sanctuary of Tonks?s parents. “ They recognized you? But how? What had you done?” “ I…” Harry tried to remember。 it collapsed beneath him. Ignoring his mingled oaths and apologies, Harry addressed Lupin again. “ Will Gee be okay?” All Lupin?s frustration with Harry seemed to drain away at the question. 10 Of Love The stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of edies, and now and then of tragedies: but in life, it doth much mischief: sometimes like a siren。 and Appius Claudius the decemvir, and lawgiver: whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate。 but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept It is a poor saying of Epicurus, satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus: as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven and all noble objects, should do nothing, but kneel before a little idol, and ma ke himself subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are) yet of the eye。 and how it braves the nature and value of things。 for whereas it hath been well said, that the archflatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man\39。 certainly, the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himse lf, as the lover doth of me person loved: and therefore, it was well said。 but to the loved, most of all: except the love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt. By how much the mo