Thirty-Six

                                    

                                          
Ron was gone by Calliope and Fred's wedding anniversary on December 31st. They woke up on the morning of the 30th to find Ron not in the house. Initially struck with worry, Calliope sought him out in her astral form and found him roaming some woods. On closer inspection, she was able to see that there was a tent under heavy magical protection in which she was sure Harry and Hermione were staying. 
                          
Calliope returned to the twins and told them that Ron had gone back to Harry and Hermione. Although Calliope knew that the twins would never admit it, they had been worried about their younger brother. 
                          
The 31st of December was Calliope and Fred's wedding anniversary. They woke in a tight embrace, only to be quickly joined by George in the bed as he reminisced about the wedding.
                          
"Oh and then I stuck that toffee in Ron's hair and Mum had to cut it out," George smiled as he lay between the two. 
                          
"Georgie, I think Callie and I are supposed to do the reminiscing about our own wedding," said Fred.
                          
"I was the best man therefore it was my wedding too," said George. 
                          
"I'm not entirely sure that you know how a wedding works," Fred said.
                          
"No that's exactly how a wedding works," George argued, "it belongs to everyone involved."
                          
"So when you get married it will be my wedding too?"
                          
"That is if I make you my best man Freddie," George teased.
                          
Calliope stared at the ceiling as the brothers continued to bicker back and forth about who a wedding belonged to. 
                          
"You're quiet Callie," said George, "does this mean that you agree with me over your husband?"
                          
"No, you're completely wrong," said Calliope, continuing to look at the ceiling.
                          
"You two are hopeless," George complained. He pushed himself to his feet and clambered off of the bed, "I'm going to go and take out my frustrations by making something explode."
                          
"Don't blow up the kitchen," Fred said after his retreating figure. Once he was gone, Fred shuffled across the bed slightly and put his arm around Calliope's shoulders, "if I'd known that getting you to talk would get rid of him then I's have done it much earlier."
                          
Calliope didn't say anything, but sunk further into his embrace, attempting to quash the strange feeling of dread that had washed over her since she awoke that morning. 
                          
********
                          
The next months passed as those which had preceded them. More deaths came every day and the sense of dread only heightened in Calliope as the months passed by. 
                          
Continuing to visit the graves of her deceased friends and family began to prove impossible, as she arrived at the graveyard where Natalie was buried to see the gates flanked by Death Eaters, plainly waiting for her. She quickly disapparated and decided not to visit the graves again.  
                          
Remus and Sirius were frequent visitors to the house and kept Fred, George and Calliope updated on Tonks' progressing pregnancy. Lee returned several times and the group appeared on several more episodes of Potterwatch. A particularly harrowing one being when Calliope appeared alongside Kingsley and Remus and announced the death of Ted Tonks. 
                          
The moment that the transmission ended Calliope leapt to her feet and immediately began pacing. 
                          
"Calliope what is it?" Remus took her arm and tried to stop her from moving.
                          
"They found him," Calliope's eyes were unfocused as if she were seeing beyond the mortal realm, "bloody idiot, he said the name."
                          
Lee's chair scraped as he got to his feet and pulled the door open, "Fred, Callie is freaking out!" 
                          
Fred was already on his way up the stairs when Lee called him and was at Calliope's side in moments. 
                          
"It's not the right time, it can't happen-"
                          
"Callie, what's wrong?" Fred placed his hand on her shoulder, "you're scaring us."
                          
"The snatchers caught Harry, Ron and Hermione," Calliope said, her eyes still unfocused. 
                          
"What?" 
                          
Everyone was on their feet now, clamouring for more of an explanation, but Calliope was not ready to give one, the whispers were loud and she couldn't listen to the voices of her friends and family whilst trying to find the answers that they wanted. She pressed her hands over her ears and screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to block out all foreign sounds and allow herself to focus solely on the whispers.