"That's brilliant!" I exclaimed in excitement after a few moments of silence.

But hearing a sound behind us, we turned around only to see that Sirius had nearly fallen to the floor, clenching the table to hold himself up, the color draining from his face.

        "Oh, Sirius..." Mrs. Weasley smiled happily, going forward to hug him. But Sirius looked too much in shock to have noticed.

        I frowned in confusion, finding the whole situation weird. But I shook my head off the thought and chuckled.

       "Naughty Crookshanks," I giggled, patting her on the head. "Is that where you've been going when you disappeared? To meet up with your secret guy-cat lovers?"

        Sirius coughed uncomfortably, sitting down on a chair nearby awkwardly, still pale and windswept.

       "Aww, can you imagine that in a few month little kittens would be running around here!" I said, clapping my hands together in glee.

       But by those words, Sirius went even paler, if that was even possible. "Kittens? As in p-plural?"

       "Well, yeah," I shrugged, "cats usually have around six or seven kittens on average."

       Sirius looked like he was having a stroke.

     "Lexi, why don't you go help Fred and George around?" said Mrs. Weasley hastily when she saw the expression on his face. "They do seem to be having slight complications with making their new products, considering the explosion sounds in the backroom."

     "But —"

     "Go on," she said, pushing me out of the kitchen by placing a hand oh my upper back. "Thank you, dear."

     And with that, I left the kitchen to help Fred and George, still confused as to what had just happened

***

The next time we saw Sirius in a week, he looked more cheerful than ever despite all the deaths and disappearances that's been going on.

      But I couldn't say the same for myself.

      We've been reaching the end of the war soon, and I couldn't have been more stressed out. There were days that I even refused to eat anything, because I felt sick each time.

      Everyone thought that it was the after effect of that horrible night which I'd been kidnapped and tortured, but the truth was something else.

     That day, I was sitting around the house with George, changing through the channels so we could tune in to Potterwatch. Fred had gone for the broadcast this time.

     "Evening everybody, this is River!" said Lee's cheerful voice. "I apologize for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters. But now we've found ourselves another secure location and I'm pleased to tell you that a few of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening, boys!"

     "Hi."

     "Evening, River."

     "But before we hear from Royal and Romulus," Lee went on, "let's take a moment to report those deaths that the Wizarding Wireless Network News and Daily Prophet don't think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell."

     I felt a sick, swooping in my stomach, thinking about what his pregnant daughter was going through after hearing the news of her father's death.

      "It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been traveling with Tonks, Cresswell, and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news."

     "Isn't this the same Dean who was dating Ginny?" George asked me and I nodded.

     "Finally, we regret to inform our listeners that the remains of Bathilda Bagshot have been discovered in Godric's Hollow. The evidence is that she died several months ago. Listeners, I'd like to invite you now to join us in a minute's silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk, and the unnamed, but no less regretted, Muggles murdered by the Death Eaters."

     George and I fell silent, glancing at each other worriedly. The number of people who had been killed in such a short while seemed insane and horrifying.

     "Thank you," said Lee's voice after a long pause. "And now we turn to regular contributor Royal, for an update on how the new Wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world."

       "Thanks, River," said Kingsley's voice. "Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties. However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles' knowledge."

      "And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be 'Wizards first'?" asked Lee.

     "I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to 'Purebloods first,' and then to 'Death Eaters,' " replied Kingsley. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."

     "Excellently put, Royal, and you've got my vote for Minister of Magic if ever we get out of this mess," said Lee. "And now, over to Romulus for our popular feature 'Pals of Potter.'"

      "Thanks, River," said Lupin's voice.

     "Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you've appeared on our program, that Harry Potter is still alive?"

     "I do," said Lupin firmly. "There is no doubt at all in my mind that his death would be proclaimed as widely as possible by the Death Eaters if it had happened, because it would strike a deadly blow at the morale of those resisting the new regime."

     "And what would you say to Harry if you knew he was listening, Romulus?"

     "I'd tell him we're all with him in spirit," said Lupin, then hesitated slightly. "And I'd tell him to follow his instincts, which are good and nearly always right."

      "Thank you, Romolus," said Lee. "And for our usual update on those friends of Harry Potter's who are suffering for their allegiance, we turn to our newest contributor," Lee was saying. "Evening, and welcome to our broadcast, Ralphie."

      "Hello, River," said a woman's voice that sounded extremely familiar.

      "Hey, that's Jenna!" George exclaimed a little more enthusiastically than what he was supposed to.

      I gave him a look and raised my brow at him, so George abruptly looked away awkwardly, clearing his throat.

     "Well, many of Harry Potter's supporters have been imprisoned lately, including Xenophilius Lovegood, erstwhile editor of The Quibbler," said Jenna's voice. "We have also heard within the last few hours that Rubeus Hagrid has narrowly escaped arrest within the grounds of Hogwarts, where he is rumored to have hosted a 'Support Harry Potter' party in his house. He is on the run now, of course. But don't underestimate the Death Eaters; those mother f—" someone cleared their throat warningly, "those mother truckers are everywhere."

      "I suppose it helps, when escaping from Death Eaters, if you've got a sixteen-foot-high half brother?" asked Lee.

      "Maybe at first. But you never know what awaits you with You-Know-Who in power. That stupid son of a b —"

      "I said no cussing!" Lee hissed at her in a quiet tone.

        "Oh, give me a rest," said Jenna rather moodily.

      "Er... right." Lee cleared his throat, continuing. "And now let's move to news concerning the wizard who is proving just as elusive as Harry Potter. We like to refer to him as the Chief Death Eater, and here to give his views on some of the more insane rumors circulating about him, I'd like to introduce a new correspondent: Rodent."

      "'Rodent'?" We heard Fred's voice. "I'm not being 'Rodent,' no way, I told you I wanted to be 'Rapier'!"

      "Oh, all right then. 'Rapier,' could you please give us your take on the various stories we've been hearing about the Chief Death Eater?"

     "Yes, River, I can," said Fred. "As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond or somewhere similar, You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic. Mind you, if all the alleged sightings of him are genuine, we must have a good nineteen You-Know-Whos running around the place."

     "Which suits him, of course," said Kingsley. "The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself."

     "Agreed," said Fred. "So, people, let's try and calm down a bit. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a basilisk, listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do."

      For the first time in weeks and weeks, I was laughing. But it faded quickly as the tension found its way back to my body.

      "And the rumors that he keeps being sighted abroad?" asked Lee.

     "Well, who wouldn't want a nice little holiday after all the hard work he's been putting in?" asked Fred. "Point is, people, don't get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he's out of the country. I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but safety first!"

      "Thank you very much for those wise words, Rapier," said Lee. "Listeners, that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch. We don't know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: The next password will be 'Mad-Eye.' Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night."

      And with that, we tuned off.

      "Well, that was something, huh?" said George, grinning.

      But I didn't reply. I gulped as the familiar sense of anxiety filled me up again, knowing that we were getting closer and closer to the Battle of Hogwarts.