Hi! This is based on an old fanfiction I wrote ages ago. It will have some pretty dark themes, mentions of torture and rape... Nothing graphic though. And don't worry, I will explain where exactly this went AU as this story goes along. I mean, if anyone is interested :)

Chapter1

Return

Bill Weasley hadn't expected his day to go like this. Yesterday he had been working in Egypt, feeling both guilty and lucky not to be anywhere near Britain. Then the news had hit. Voldemort was gone. Probably dead. And the Snake Pit, the fabled, horrifying hub of everything they feared, had fallen. They had been celebrating happily, him and his colleagues, when his mother's message had found him several hours later. Ron and Ginny had been found during the raid of the Snake Pit. Bill had felt like his world had collapsed around him. Ron and Ginny. He had thought them dead. They all had. Taken too soon in a war not yet supposed to be theirs. They had mourned them, like they had Dad. And then, years later, Charlie. Bill fiddled with his dragon claw earring. Charlie's last gift to him.

When Charlie had died, Bill had hoped for something, anything to make it not true. There had been no miracle for them. And now? He had taken one of the first hurriedly organized portkeys back to England and gotten into the queue outside St. Mungo's.

There were news of people long thought dead and lost found within the dungeons of Voldemort's headquarter. Now here they all were, hoping to get news of their lost relatives. Bill was one of the lucky ones, he knew his family was there and got ushered towards a different line. Still, it took hours to process him. Finally he was let through and given directions. But no one could or would tell him anything. Where were they sending him? In what condition were his siblings? They had both been in captivity for over two years…

Bill was making his way through what looked like an endless supply of people, hurrying up when he spotted Percy's red head. He was standing next to the twins and a tall, blonde woman Bill had never seen but assumed to be Carol, Percy's girlfriend. George spotted him first and hugged him tightly, Bill held on longer than he had originally planned, simply needing a moment of his brother's comfort. They all looked tired and worn. And simultaneously happier than Bill had ever seen them.

He was gone. Voldemort was gone. It was still too good to be true. Ron and Ginny were alive. Alive. But probably not well.

"What can you tell me?", he asked after hugs and introductions.

'Don't expect too much', he tried to tell himself, but hope had already taken hold in his heart.

"We have seen Ron. He is much better than we thought. They put him in a room with Neville. The healers are in there right now, so we were asked to wait outside." , Fred told him quietly. Bill turned, seeing Alice and Augusta Longbottom a few meters behind them. They waved at him, looking ecstatic. Neville was their only child and grandchild. Bill wondered if getting Neville back was more of a miracle to them, than it was to the Weasleys, who were getting back two kids.

"And Ginny?", Bill dared to ask.

Their faces darkened.

"We haven't seen Ginny yet. Your Mum is with her.", Carol informed him, as none of his brothers made an attempt to answer.

"They found about 50 women and girls.", George told him, confirming Bill's dark suspicions, "Which is why finding Ron and Neville was so unexpected."

The door opened in front of them. A smiling healer ushered them in. "All good.", he told them. And the Longbottoms followed close behind them. Ron and Neville were both sitting up in their beds, smiling at them. Ron's face lit up, when he saw his oldest brother. Bill hurried over and hugged him tightly.

"The healers say, we are fine.", Ron informed them. Bill really wanted to ask more. Why? Why and how were the two of them alive?

"Has Mum been to see you?", he asked instead.

"Yeah, for a bit. She's with Ginny now.", Ron's eyes darkened. Again, Bill really wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.

"I can come home tomorrow.", Ron told him instead, "They want to keep me overnight. And ask some questions. Then we can both go."

That seemed strange to Bill. He assumed the investigators would have more than "some questions".

They talked for a bit. About normal things. No one dared to ask Ron about the last two years and Ron wasn't offering up any information.

"Ron", George finally dared to ask what was on all of their minds, "Do you know what happened to Ginny?"

Ron clamped his mouth shut, his eyes turned away from them. Bill turned to follow his little brother's line of sight. He was staring at Neville, who was looking back just as stone-faced. A chill ran down Bill's back, as Ron answered in a monotone voice: "No. We don't know anything."

"Ron…", George tried again.

"I am really tired. I need a little bit of sleep.", Ron told them, immediately lying down and pulling up his covers. Bill felt like Ron had slapped him.

"I am really tired, too.", he could hear Neville telling his mother and grandmother, albeit much softer and warmer than Ron, "Maybe come back tomorrow, yes? We can talk some more then. Once I am home."

Before Bill had really processed the whole thing, he was ushered outside by the smiling healer.

"They both need some time.", Alice Longbottom told them, appearing to be trying to convince herself, "We can't even begin to imagine."

"They are hiding something.", Percy muttered.

"Maybe they just want to protect you from the truth.", Carol tried.

"Or themselves.", Augusta Longbottom replied gloomily.

"What are you saying?!", Percy sounded honestly offended on their brother's behalf.

Mrs Longbottom looked at Percy with something akin to pity on her face, but chose not to answer, instead forcefully taking her daughter-in-law's arm and pulling her away.

The remaining Weasleys were looking at each other uncomfortably.

"Maybe we should go to Ginny's room?", Carol tried, but Fred shook his head.

"They won't let us in anyway and we've been here for ages. Let's go and get something to eat first."

"I am not hungry.", Bill interjected and had them explain the way. Closed ward. That didn't bode well.

He had to go through two more security checks before finally being admitted. The ministry was taking great care not let anyone unauthorized see the women and girls rescued in the past hours.

He found Ginny's room and set down in front of it, ready to wait for his mother to come out at some point. He must have dozed off for a bit and woke to his mother's loud voice coming through the closed door: "Absolutely not!"

There was a mumbled response Bill didn't get, then his mother again: "No one is taking the child away from her mother! No one!"

Bill's eyes widened in horror, when his mother's words finally registered. He got up in a hurry and pushed the door open without knocking.

The first thing he noticed was his mother, hands on hips and angrily glaring at two men Bill recognized as Law Enforcement. They looked annoyed, but not much else.

"Mrs Weasley…", one of them tried again, completely ignoring Bill's arrival. The small form on the bed behind his mother did not.

Ginny was sitting at the end of the bed, pressed to the far wall, as if trying to get as far away from the two men as possible. Her red hair was cut into a short, chin length bob and she was clad in hospital robes. There were dark circles under her tired looking eyes, but she was looking at him with a calculating gaze. Something moved and Bill finally saw the small child Ginny was clutching tightly. Or more accurately: Bill saw a wild mob of black curls. The child's face was buried into Ginny's chest, who kept gently stroking her back.

"What's going on?", Bill asked, keeping his voice calm.

"They are trying to take the little girl away from her mother.", his Mum huffed, "And that is not happening. Hello dear."

"Mrs Weasley, we have talked about this. The child is at least three years old. She is too old to be Ginevra's child.", the man's annoyance was seeping from every word. Bill gave a sigh of relief. Not Ginny's. Not Ginny's. He repeated over and over in his mind.

"Kyra. Her name is Kyra. And she is mine.", Ginny's voice was soft, almost inaudible. Soft and scared.

"Miss Weasley, she could stay with you during the testing, but we need to take her in now. Find out, if she has family. We can't just…"

"I am her family.", Ginny told them with a note of desperation. The child moved her head slightly, Bill could see one bright blue eye looking up at him in fear.

Kyra, Bill thought, her name is Kyra.

"You can't just take her away.", Bill chipped in, "I want to talk to your superior and hear his reasons."

"It's standard procedure."

"Nothing about this is standard anything.", his Mum hissed.

The door behind Bill opened again. An older man in robes identifying him as a healer entered, looking concerned.

"What is going on here? This is no place for arguments."

"We came for the child."

"No. You did not.", the healer determined, "I will not have my patient stressed by the forceful removal of her daughter. Please leave. I have not cleared Miss Weasley for questioning."

"The child is not her daughter!", now the man was shouting.

The healer didn't even dignify that with a response. Instead he walked over to Ginny's bed and smiled at her, pulling a little stuffed dragon out of his robes.

"Nelly here belonged to my granddaughter. I thought you might like to have her.", he softly told little Kyra, who still wasn't looking at him.

"Kyra, it's okay.", Ginny told her softly.

Carefully little Kyra loosened her grip on Ginny and turned around. Her eyes found the two strange men. Immediately she turned away again. The healer sighed, placing the toy back in his robes.

"You really need to go now. Leave your names with reception. I will get in touch."

Bill expected Law Enforcement to put up more of a fight, but they both just walked out without even saying goodbye.

"They are busy enough as it is.", he explained and turned his attention back to Ginny and Kyra, "They won't be back for a while."

"Thank you, Healer Kremer.", his Mum shook the man's hand in gratitude.

He smiled at her in response and held the stuffed dragon out towards Kyra again. This time she did fully turn around and carefully took it, holding it close to her chest. She had a round, pale little face, her eyes looked a little too big for it and their deep blue colour was striking.

"Thank you.", Ginny told him, when Kyra smiled widely.

Little Kyra seemed to feel safe enough now to let go of Ginny fully, happily smiling at the dragon. As she carefully scooted away from Ginny to sit on the bed and play, Bill finally got a good look at his previously lost little sister.

He let out an audible gasp. His mother shot him a disapproving stare.

Kyra might be too old to be Ginny's biological daughter, but judging by Ginny's protruding belly, he would be a biological uncle soon, too.