Title: World without Harry.
Author: searching4romeo
Rating: PG? I never know with these things…
Summary: The title says it all. Where would Ginny be without him?
It was black. Where there had been the comforting surroundings of her childhood bedroom, now everything had quite suddenly melted away. It was all gone, drowned in a darkness that seemed to be unending. Ginny struggled to find an escape but, wandless and blinded, she was afraid to move.
"Lumos?" She tried, tentatively. "Lumos!"
Still, it was black. Something had changed though; faint voices were murmuring overhead.
"Doctor! Doctor… oh Fred, go and find that stupid man, will you? Tell him she's speaking Latin again." The maternal, bossy sort of voice was closer now. "Ginny, love? Ginny, please open your eyes!"
She was crying.
Ginny didn't know why. She tried to tell the woman that it would be alright, but she found couldn't speak. Frustrated, she thought of all the things Harry would use to cheer her up – Harry.
Where was he?
The force of that thought caused her to snap upright, her eyes forcing themselves open against the garish lights overhead. Seven concerned faces slid in and out of focus.
"Harry…" she rasped, throat dry. He isn't here. He promised he'd always be here.
The anxious faces swimming in front of her exchanged wary glances.
"Sweetheart," the tall, balding man on her left tried, "Who are you looking for? You don't know any Harrys."
"No – no Harry?" Ginny repeated, confused. "But he promised – he wouldn't… where's Hermione?"
The woman identical to her mother beamed, "Oh Gin, you're remembering!" and one of the gangling red-heads piped up, "Hermione will be by later, with the baby."
"Baby?" Head feeling as though it had been cleft in two, Ginny changed topic. "Where's my wand? S'too bright."
The lights dimmed considerably a few seconds later, but not by magic and she looked up to see a jovial woman in a white coat standing by the door frame, holding a clipboard. "Good afternoon Ginevra. How are we today?"
Frowning at the familiar face, she searched for a name to put with it. "Madam Pomfrey?"
"Nurse Pomfrey will do fine, dear." Bustling over, she peered into Ginny's face and scribbled a few notes onto the board. "How are you feeling today, pet?"
The look-a-like Mrs. Weasley whispered loudly, "She's been asking after that Harry fellow again."
More looks were swapped and lips were pursed before the Nurse promised to send the doctor right along and left them to it.
"Mum," Ginny mumbled, taking a chance. "Mum, I have to talk to Harry. Will you find him for me? He's probably worried."
"Harry isn't real, lovey," The woman was going to start crying again. "He's a figment of your imagination, just like magic. Won't you let go of this silly game now? We've all missed you so terribly."
A vivid memory of emerald eyes sparkled in Ginny's mind's eye as she tried to comprehend what she was being told.
"But… he l-loves me," she stammered. "He said so."
She closed her eyes, willing herself to retreat back to the darkness, where it was safe. One by one, she heard the people by her bedside leaving.
It was black; night had descended on the asylum and Ginny was alone.