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A/N Well OK. It's a bit of a short chapter. It's still quite packed though. I'm hoping I didn't cram too much stuff into too little pages but I can't seem to think up of a way to expand this more. Anyway, I hope this one meets your expectations.
Chapter 9: Bugs at the Burrow
"Wow! I mean that was just wow!" said Ron.
"Ronald, you just said that three times already," said Luna. They were walking down the path that led straight to the Burrow having just Apparated back from the Pro-Quidditch Stadium.
"I know. But how can I bloody not? This is the first time the Cannons have made it to the semi-finals in ages! This is a cause for celebration!" He grinned at Luna and said, "And of course, I got to once again experience the spectacular commentating of Miss Lovegood here."
Luna laughed and said, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"You ever consider quitting your job and working full time on Quidditch commentating?" Ron asked, only half jokingly.
"On occasion," said Luna. "But I love working at the Quibbler so much, I couldn't give it up."
Ron shrugged and said, "I suppose." They stepped up to the crooked house. "Hey, you want to come inside? I'm sure everybody would like to see you."
"I would love to," said Luna. Ron opened the door for her and Luna breezed into the house.
Ginny, discharged from the hospital earlier that day, raised an eyebrow when she saw the jubilant expression on Ron's face. "You know for a bloke who was just dumped by his girlfriend yesterday, you seem to be in a good mood."
"Nice to see you too, Ginny," Ron said dryly. "Well Hermione and I," he shrugged and said, "guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"Well glad to see you're taking it so well," said Ginny. "Hi Luna."
"Hello Ginny," Luna greeted her friend. "I'm glad to see you're OK."
"Ronald, are you back?" Molly stepped out of the kitchen carrying a mixing bowl: she had obviously been cooking. "Luna! Welcome. Would you like to stay for supper?"
"If it's OK, I would like to very much Mrs. Weasley."
"It's Molly, dear. Now, now don't just stand there. Make yourself at home."
Out in the yard George and Percy were going over their store sales. Or at least Percy was, George was merely lounging on his chair.
"I'm afraid we're going to have a considerable loss this quarter," said Percy. "Can't help that though given how the main store was destroyed in the attack. We need to switch primary operations to the Hogsmeade branch."
"Man, I am so glad you came to work in the store," said George. "The numbers were always the big killer for me."
"Least I could do for Fred," said Percy with a sobering tone. George nodded.
"Ah, there you boys are," said Arthur, coming out of his garage. "I'm working on a new project. Would either of you like to help me?"
Percy frowned. "Dad, please don't tell me you're trying to make your muggle contraptions transform into 'abnomalies'."
Arthur did not look pleased. "Of course not, why would I do something insensitive like that?"
"Way to place yourself on the bad side again, Perce," said George. Percy had the dignity to look ashamed.
"Come on everybody," said Molly, levitating their supper in front of her. "Supper time. Clear the table, we're eating outside."
"Luna!" exclaimed Arthur, delighted to see her coming out to the yard escorted by Ron. "You'll be joining us for supper?"
Luna nodded. "Thank you for welcoming me."
"Why you're always welcome here," said Arthur. "So how's Xenophilius these days?"
Luna frowned and bit her lip. "He hasn't really been feeling well recently," she said. "He's resting at our house: you know the one in Ottery St. Catchpole near here. I just hope he doesn't exert himself too much."
Supper was a joyful affair as the Weasleys and Luna tucked in. Ron was inhaling the food at a high pace that would have made starving dragons jealous. "Ron, mind your manners," said Ginny.
Ron swallowed some food and said, "What can I say? I'm still growing."
"I think it's adorable," said Luna, causing Ron to blush and for Ginny to raise an eyebrow.
"Well, to each his or her own," said Ginny. All of the Weasleys laughed. A second later, they were screaming as the top floor of the Burrow was blown off.
"What in the world?" exclaimed Ron as all of the Weasleys ducked for cover. The Burrow's roof went flying across the yard and Ron was even able to make out the remains of the attic's ghoul flying with it.
"G-giant insects!" screamed Percy. Ron looked up to see a giant stag beetle, rhinoceros beetle, and grasshopper were flying toward them.
"It's them!" yelled Ron. "It's the robots!"
"B-but... they're not planes," stammered Ginny.
"Planes, insects, they're still robots!" exclaimed Ron. "Use reductors!"
The mechanical insects surveyed the destruction and spotted the Weasleys as they were preparing their defenses. "Kickback, leave none alive-alive," hissed the stag beetle.
"I'm on it, Shrapnel," said the grasshopper, Kickback. He leapt forward, twisted around and kicked straight into the Burrow's wall, hurtling a large chunk of debris toward the Weasleys.
"Protego!" shouted Ron and Molly at the same time. Molly wore the same furious expression she had worn when she had battled Bellatrix Lestrange. "No one hurts my family! Reducto!"
The explosion of the reductor hit Kickback square in the face, hurtling him back several feet. Seeing that the Weasleys knew how to fight back Shrapnel turned into his robot form, his horns sticking out from either side of his collar region. "There's a lot more of that coming-coming," he said. "Bombsell, send them a gift-gift!"
"I'm all for that," said the rhinoceros beetle, Bombshell. He transformed into his robot form, his horn coming up diagonally on his head like a unicorn. "Here's a little token." He fired a projectile from his horn.
"Oh no you don't! I'm not going back to the hospital!" muttered Ginny. She and Luna simultaneously fired their reductors at the projectile, sending it flying straight back at Shrapnel and Bombshell. The projectile exploded over their head, piercing them with hundreds of shells. The two Insecticons screeched as their armor was penetrated. Bombshell continued firing his projectiles at them yet the Weasleys managed to shoot most of them down.
"They know how to defend themselves," said Kickback, standing up and transforming into his robot form, complete with antennae and wings.
"Then... we will have to... be smarter-smarter," hissed Shrapnel.
"I'll be a distraction," said Ron.
"What?" exclaimed the other Weasleys and Luna.
"I'll fire enough reductors at them so that they'll be ticked off at me rather than the rest of you. After that, I'll make my escape and draw them away while the rest of you Apparate away somewhere safe!"
The Weasleys were completely stunned. Molly immediately started protesting, "Ronald... you mustn't..."
"You got any better ideas?" snapped Ron. "I'm the Auror here! So naturally I'll be the distraction!" Then, before anybody could stop him Ron darted out of their cover. Screaming "Reducto!" as many times as he could, Ron peppered the Insecticons with as many blasting hexes as was possible.
The three insect robots staggered around as they were blasted with the hexes. Amidst the chaos, Shrapnel spotted Ron make his "escape". "Get him-him!" he yelled.
The three robots took to the air and started firing at Ron. Ron weaved and dodged the projectiles but then lost his balance. Just as one of the projectiles was about to hit him, Ron was pulled out of the way. "What? Luna!" cried Ron when he realized who his rescuer was. "Why didn't you escape?"
"I'm not about to leave you alone with them!" snapped Luna, for once sounding completely lucid. Ron didn't have time to argue as the three robots pounced on them. Just as Ron had managed to shield Luna from the attack, an automobile suddenly burst out of the woods and rammed the Insecticons, causing them to scatter.
The automobile was a maroon Dodge Viper with yellow flame highlights and a yellow v-shaped wing on the rear. The Dodge Viper stopped in front of Ron and Luna, opened the passenger door, and spoke: "Come with me if you want to live... Man! That sounded so cliché!"
Ron was stunned to say the least. "W-what in the world..."
"Come on!" exclaimed Luna. She grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him into the car with her. As soon as they were inside, the door slammed shut.
"Fasten your seatbelts 'cause this is going to be quite the ride!" Saying that, the Dodge Viper tore off into the woods. Completely angry, the Insecticons turned back into insects and took off after it.
"You're one of them," said Ron, on the verge of shock. "You're a robot!"
"Don't worry, I'm one hundred percent on your side. Anybody who can face up against Decepticons like that is all right in my manual," said the car. "The name's Rodimus. But you can also call me Hot Rod if you want. Any questions?"
"Er... no," said Ron.
"Are there any girl robots?" asked Luna, the dreamy smile back on her face.
'What kind of question is that?' Ron thought idly.
"Yup, there are," said Rodimus, completely stunning Ron. "In fact we're going to... Oh, excuse me."
Ron looked out of the rear window to see that the Insecticons were closing in on them. Rodimus however simply opened his trunk and to Ron's surprise, fired a series of blue fireballs straight at the mechanical insects. Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback were blasted away by the fireballs.
"That should take care of them for a while," said Rodimus. "Now, as I was saying..."
"WAIT! STOP THE CAR!" Luna yelled suddenly. Ron couldn't help but realize the irony that Luna had yelled at the car to stop itself. But then, he started when he saw what Luna had just seen: a burning house. And not just any burning house, the Lovegood residence.
As soon as Rodimus came to a stop, Luna burst out of him. Ron hurriedly leapt out of the car as well and grabbed hold of Luna. Luna was completely hysterical. "No! No! NO! Daddy!" she screamed. "I have to get Daddy!"
The house's roof collapsed, taking most of the house with it. Luna burst into tears and sank to the ground. Ron kneeled right next to her and held her as she started sobbing into his shoulder. "Oh Luna. I'm so sorry," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back. Luna only whispered "Daddy," over and over again in between sobs.
It was then that Ron saw the tracks; large, ominous tracks with a metallic shape to them indicating that the house was on fire as a result of a robot attack. But the thing that struck Ron the most of all was that he had seen similar tracks before. Said similar tracks had been made by the acromantula living in the Forbidden Forest.
'Oh God, this was done by a robot spider,' he thought. It was definitely plausible: after all he had just been fighting against robot insects so why not robot spiders? For a moment, Ron's arachnophobia came forth but he fought it down as he thought of the sobbing girl in his arms. 'Spider or not, that robot is going to pay!'
Rodimus had also spotted the tracks. He transformed into his robot form, a tall maroon robot with flame highlights and the yellow wing sticking up from his back, and kneeled down next to the tracks, examining them. Recognition dawned on his face as his fists clenched and his expression twisted into anger. "Scorponok!"
A/N That was sad. Maybe it wasn't long enough but that's the way things are. I'm trying to convey the seriousness of everything here and the Decepticons mean as much business as the Death Eaters did. Everybody can take out their tissues now.