"'Don't search for us. We won't be found'?" Mrs. Weasley collapsed into the couch, shaking like a leaf and as pale as a ghost. "Arthur!" she screeched.
Mrs. Weasley heard Mr. Weasley stumble down the stairs. He burst into the room with his glasses on sideways. "Yes? What –?"
"Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny are gone, and I found this note!" Mrs. Weasley thrust the note at her husband, who straightened his glasses and began to read. The Weasley Matriarch rose to her feet, still shaking. "What if a Death Eater took them?"
Arthur went white, but looked up at his wife. "It's Ginny's handwriting, dear, not rushed at all. It sounds like her too."
"What should we do?"
Arthur looked up sharply at Molly. "We wait for the others to wake up, then we start searching. I'll go to the Ministry and see whether our Floo was used, and to where."
Molly nodded faintly. Still white, she set off towards the kitchen, then started banging and crashing, making breakfast for all the people living under her roof.
~*~
"Why didn't you wake us?" Charlie demanded, standing up. Everyone in the house was gathered in the living room.
"We have to set out immediately." Fred stood up to join his brother. Everyone else in the room nodded.
"We need a plan," Fleur called. Gabrielle was standing between her and their mother, holding Fleur's hand.
"Everyone sit down. Arthur's gone to the Magical Transportation Office in the Ministry to find out whether the Floo was used, and to where." Molly handed around a tray of cakes and biscuits. With the grave news that the Saviour of the Wizarding World had vanished, the Veela that had remained after the wedding made no objections to eating the heavy treats. All five of them, including Gabrielle Delacour and her mother Isabella, seemed as scared as the Weasleys.
Just as Molly got the empty tray back, Arthur appeared in the flames. He stepped out and brushed off the soot. Bill, Charlie and George all stood to help him, but he waved them off.
"Where are they, Dad?" Charlie asked, sitting down nervously.
"They went to The Starring Wand, the pub that opens up to Dublin's Wizarding Street –"
Outcries, roars and cheers let up from around the room. The relief at knowing the teens' location was tangible.
"–at seven o'clock last night."
"Thirteen 'ours? Ze trail will be cold after zat amount of time!" Fleur cried. Her mother placed her hands on her shoulders.
"But it is a trail. We can enquire at The Starring Wand as to where they went, and follow that. We might get closer to them. Now," Mr Weasley raised his voice, "I need five others to help with the search."
Voices clamoured from the group of people. Tonks, Remus and other Order members were the loudest, after Gabrielle, Bill and Charlie. Mr Weasley took a step back.
"Okay. Remus, Charlie, Kingsley, Tonks, Mrs. Delacour, if you wish."
There was outcry at this. Mrs. Isabelle Delacour made her way to the front of the room with the others.
"Why not me or Fleur?" Bill demanded.
"You've just been married. Enjoy it."
"How can I enjoy it? My baby brother and sister are missing!"
Arthur walked out of the room, towards the kitchen. The volunteered people walked quickly out of the room, following Arthur to the fireplace and roaring through the Floo to The Starring Wand.
~*~
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny appeared inside a well-lit pub, with booming business, in the true stereotypical tradition. Many witches and wizards were sitting down at tables and at the counter, having dinner and a pint as they talked about the happenings of their neighbours, their friends and the people they worked with. It was a merry atmosphere, shared by the small group of leprechauns in the corner.
"What're yeh doin' here, kiddies, wit'out yer parents?" one of the closest drinkers asked, looking at the quartet.
"Leave 'em alone, Brian, t'ey'll be off teh t'e broom shop in Brogue Road." The man sitting next to Brian smiled at the two redheads, and then winked at Harry. "'Paren'ly, two of 'em are locals. The black-head looks teh be a Harry Potter fan, dressed just like he would."
"Come off i', Tal," Brian said.
"Neh, yeh come off i'!" Tal said, outraged. "Jus' because you've had too many pin's wit yer dinner –"
"Let's get out of here," Hermione whispered to the others.
They all nodded and walked away from the bickering drinkers, heading towards the back door of the pub.
Hermione removed her wand from its cover as she left the pub. There was the same empty backyard as in London. Quickly deducing what she had to do, Hermione counted bricks and gave the correct one a good whack with her wand. The bricks started moving aside, and she grinned at the others.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"How did you know to do that?" Ron demanded in shock, as the four of them started forward.
"Well, if there's international travel by wizards, then it would make sense to have all the shopping districts accessible the same way, to prevent confusion."
Harry nodded slowly. "Does make sense." He clapped his hands to snap himself out of his trance. "Okay. We need a boat or a way to travel the Irish Sea. We'll also need tents, food, drinks, anything else we'd need to travel."
"We'll take the tents," Ginny said, indicating Harry and herself.
"I'll take the groceries," Ron said.
"Looks like I'm on everything else," Hermione said, then smiled.
The three groups split up and headed into Brogue Road.
~*~
Author’s Notes:
Yes, this was written before Deathly Hallows. That is why it has the same title. This is what I thought was going to happen when I found a spare three weeks between the end of my re-reads and the Deathly Hallows release.
Thanks to my beta, ILoveCats, who is a most definitely a godsend and a brilliant person when it comes to my constant repetitions and plot-cutting.