The Big Dipper

Broken Glass

"Did the kids enjoy their gifts?" asked Fred, as he and Ursula lay together on the couch.

"I believe so, yes," she replied. "I heard from Sirius that the party was a huge success."

"We all knew it would be," said Fred teasingly.

"How was Christmas at your parents'?" said Ursula, playing with the hand Fred had curled around her waist.

Fred shrugged.

"Considering it was only George, Ginny, and I, it was pretty fun," he said. "Bill and Fleur didn't come — something about wanting to spend their first Christmas alone together — nor did Charlie or Percy, the great prat. Ron wasn't there, of course. Mum invited Tonks, Remus, and Andromeda, so it was a bit more normal. Everyone seemed stressed out, you know?"

"Mmhm," said Ursula. "I know exactly what you mean. The ball was absurd — you wouldn't believe how many Death Eaters were there. I spent Christmas Day with my aunt and uncle, and they both seemed so anxious the entire time." She sighed. "I want this war to be over."

"Me too," murmured Fred. "Then we can finally be together in the open, right?"

"I promise," said Ursula. "And I can't wait."

"Me neither," said Fred, and he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Ursula's head. "I love you."

"I love you too, my darling," whispered Ursula.

She didn't know how much longer she could fight this war. The last year and a half of official war — accompanied by several preluding years marked by attempts to bring Voldemort back to life — had felt like an eternity. She couldn't imagine what the first wizarding war had been like. It had lasted for eleven years — Ursula couldn't handle another decade of this. If the war didn't end, and soon, she would have to take drastic action.

The problem was, Ursula didn't know what that drastic action was. She thought about getting every one of her spies and forced Death Eaters to revolt, but she knew even she couldn't hide them and their whole families, and that no revolt would end without copious death. She would have to weigh what she could reasonably pull off — what would actually destabilize Voldemort — with how many people would die as a result to determine if it was worth it or if she was merely leading her friends and family to the slaughter for a pointless fight.

The other consideration Ursula had to make was how her web of spies would function after she ran away. She was not going to marry Hadrian, so she had until the second of May to plan. Either her spies would have to continue contacting her to pass on information, or she needed to leave a strong enough framework for their acts of rebellion to continue on without her. Giving up on all the hard work she had done and invalidating the danger she and so many others were in by abandoning her plans was not an option.

In the time between Christmas and New Year's, Ursula spent her days visiting Fred, avoiding her family, and scribbling plans whenever she could. She still felt as if she wasn't doing enough for this war. Ursula knew that every action counted, every little thing brought them that much closer to victory, but there had to be something she could do to make a bigger impact.

Unable to think of anything that wasn't incredibly foolish, Ursula went about her business. She visited her financial advisors and met with a few of her top investments and had tea with a handful of acquaintances. After another heavy snowfall, she was invited for tea with the Rowles, an invitation she couldn't refuse.

Hadrian's brother Caspian, who was Draco's age, was home from Durmstrang for Christmas, though he was quite disinterested in Ursula. Montgomery and Hadrian talked quietly in front of one of the windows about Hadrian's job and the Dark Lord's plans, while Anastasia and Ursula discussed wedding plans, and Caspian ignored them all, sipping his tea with a furrowed brow.