Without her wand, Ginny paced about the room, clueless on what she could do. There was a made bed, but she was too restless to try and take a nap. The window, double locked as she had found out immediately after getting put in there, showed an outside view of the ocean waves lapping up against the shore. The sight was beginning to calm her down, despite the fact she was trying to keep up her rage to deal with the woman that had brought her here.
The door behind her creaked open, and Ginny turned on it, ready to charge into her brother's wife the second she made it through the door. She held back though; the person at the door wasn't Fleur. It was her brother Bill, the ever-gangly figure that she had come to know over the years, standing in the doorway. The long red hair that essentially made him a Weasley falling down to his shoulders. The scar on his cheek twisted with the rest of his face in a disappointed expression.
"Where the hell are we?" Ginny asked, glaring at her brother fiercely, as if she could somehow will him to answer.
It probably didn't make much of a difference. Either way, he answered. "We're at the Shell Cottage. Me and Fleur bought it for me and her to live in after the wedding. Don't you remember me and mum talking about it?" Bill had one hand on the dresser at his side, leaning forward on it, and his other hand on his hip. His eyes were wide, as he waited for an answer.
The posture was familiar, but it took a few moments for Ginny to place it. He resembled her mother when she was disciplining her children. It was almost scary, how well he copied the stance.
"No, I don't. Honestly I blocked out a lot of the wedding talk." Ginny muttered. She folded her arms in front of her chest. When Bill had finally told them that he was getting married to Fleur, Ginny admitted to herself that it felt like he was leaving her behind. Leaving the family behind. She knew that that wasn't how things were, and she had gotten over it by the time the wedding actually came around, but she felt small traces of it every now and then.
She shook the thoughts of out her head. "Why am I here, then? One second I'm walking through London and the next your wife has her hand on me and we're transported here. She's lucky I didn't try to hex her."
Bill sighed, walking around the dresser to sit down on top of it, the thing only coming up to about his waist. "Thank you for holding back, but you're here because we need to keep you safe."
"Keep me safe from what?" Ginny asked, exasperated.
"Gin, why did you skip out of school?" Bill asked.
The anger that had been simmering in Ginny choked, cut off by a lace of panic. "What? How do you know about that?"
"Mum called me two days ago." Bill produced a crinkled envelope from his jeans pocket and handed it to her. "Letter from the great headmaster Severus Snape."
Ginny took the envelope from him and pulled out a slip of paper, the seal having already been pulled off. She scanned it over in annoyance, throwing it to the ground with a huff. "Bloody Death-Eaters." She began to pace again.
Bill clasped his hands in front of him. "Why, Gin? We know it's bloody awful there right now, but do you realize how bad this could have gone? What if we hadn't found you first? Do you know what the administration does to kids these days?"
Ginny stopped pacing, turning on Bill again. "Do I know, Bill? Of course I know!" She shouted at him, pointing to herself with an angry index finger. "They've only been trying to teach it to us for the past seven months!"
Bill didn't rise to meet her heat, though. He was irritatingly calm, like always. "Then you know why we need to protect you." He stated simply.
"I'm not the one that needs protecting. I'm not the one that's locked up in the basement of Malfoy Manor!" She turned away and looked out the window to the beach below, hugging her arms to her body. Her anger had given rise to small tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes.
She heard Bill sigh. "How did you learn about that?" Bill asked. He sounded exhausted.
Ginny sniffed, the tears leaking from her eyes against her will. "Bloody Carrows. Came in drunk and they went on and on about how they almost nabbed Harry a few weeks back at Mr. Lovegood's place. Said they were still having their fun with the blackmail they had on him. Asked if Snape wanted a piece while he tried to sober them up."
Ginny twisted her head to see Bill staring at the floor from where he sat on the dresser. "Luna, Bill, they were talking about Luna." She told him.
He nodded, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He shook his head. "I know, Gin." He sighed again. "I know."
Ginny turned to him, wiping her eyes of tears. "So let's go. With Fleur we'll have triple the firepower than I had alone. We can't leave her in there, Bill. Let's go get Luna out!" She pleaded.
Bill shook his head. "No, Gin, we can't-"
"Why not?" Ginny demanded without letting him finish, stomping her foot.
"We've already got someone on the job. We can't risk it."
Ginny's eyes went wide. "Who?"
Bill rubbed his temple. "Merlin," He muttered. "For the life of me I can't remember his name. The house-elf that Harry's so fond of-"
"Dobby?!" Ginny asked incredulously. "That little buffoon? Why don't we just hand You-Know-Who the title of Minister of Magic while we're at it; if Dobby's the best the Order has got!" She threw her arms up in the air.
"We can't do this ourselves, Gin. Dobby's the only one that's got the magic to work his way around the wards-"
"Who says we can't? We just have to sneak inside. We're Weasleys for Merlin's sake, you should know that! We can find a way in and out of anything!" She insisted.
Bill stood, pointing a stern finger at her. "No, we're not going. I gave mom my word that I would keep you safe, and I'm not going to let her down. End of discussion." Bill turned to leave.
"So what? We're just going to throw her to the wolves?! Let her get tortured by the Carrows, the Malfoys, and whoever else wants a turn?! I thought you were a Gryffindor Bill!" She screamed at him, anger boiling over and making her say things she didn't mean. It was harsh, but in the moment she didn't care.
Bill paused at the door, probably taken aback by the comment. Ginny stared at his back, the tears spilling out of her eyes again. Her breaths were heavy, moving her entire body as she took them in and out. She waited, mentally begging him to take the bait and fight back.
He didn't. He grabbed the door knob and slowly shut the door behind him, locking it once he was outside.
In a huff, Ginny dropped herself onto the bed. Her hair flowed out from her head in a mess as she lied there, sprawled out across the mattress. After a few minutes, the position became uncomfortable and she shifted to lay on her side, her whole body curled up on the bed.
The rest of the day passed slowly, the sun crawling down through the sky. Ginny watched as the light from the window behind her changed minutely every hour, sleep taking her every now and then, but never for long enough for it to mean anything. She didn't dream, and every time she woke up she felt just as tired and restless as she had when she fell asleep. The naps only being a service for her to quickly blink away a few hours.
Anxiety nibbled at her at a furious rate, as every moment she wasn't sleeping, thinking about angry she was at Bill, or feeling like she had been too harsh with him, she thought about what Luna might be going through at that exact moment. The Carrows had spent their lessons this year teaching the students what spells and curses were good for inflicting the most pain on their targets. Ginny imagined them performing every one of those curses on Luna as she laid on the floor of the mansion.
That didn't even cover everything that they could do to her. That was only the variety of magical pains they could unleash. Ginny didn't know too much about Muggle history, but Harry had had an education as one until he was the age of eleven, and plenty of time around them when he wasn't at school. She remembered while they were dating he had told her about the various ways enemy forces had interrogated British soldiers during past wars, and she could see the Death Eaters doing each of them to Luna.
Part of her hated Harry for telling her those things, even if the rest of her knew it wasn't fair to get mad at him.
Around the time that sky turned orange with the sunset, a plate of food appeared on the dresser by the door along with a drinking glass. A few slices of ham, mashed potatoes, some assorted vegetables, and a glass of water. A few minutes after it appeared, Ginny supposed there was no use in starving herself and got up to pick at it.
By the time night had completely fallen and the clock on the wall opposite the bed indicated it was nine o'clock, the plate was still mostly full, the worry making a pit in Ginny's stomach that was too difficult to eat around. Once it got cold enough she wouldn't touch the veggies unless she was literally starving, she used the fork that had come in with it to scrape it into the garbage can in the bathroom that was connected to the room.
Upon returning to the bed, she heard a knock at the door, and a familiarly foreign voice coming through the door. "May I come in?"
"Sure, why not?" Ginny called back. She sat square on the bed as Fleur stepped into the room, carrying a stack of folded clothes. Half-veela, the woman was as beautiful as ever, even with her platinum blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun. The pajamas she wore were cotton and lavender, haphazardly wrinkled. The neckline of the shirt showed a cleavage that even Ginny was secretly envious of, though she didn't particularly like the woman.
She imagined that if the circumstances were not what they were, Fleur would have used that shirt to seduce her brother into a night of celebrating their marriage, and that made it far easier stay angry at the woman when she was bringing her clothes to sleep in. She had to admit that her Hogwarts' uniform was getting uncomfortably warm, especially with the temperature of where they lived.
"How are you, Ginny?" The woman asked, giving a small smile that Ginny met with a hard glare.
"I'd be better if you hadn't grabbed me off the street and locked me in your guest room." She told her coldly.
Fleur nodded awkwardly, setting the pile of clothes on the dresser where the food had been. "Did you like ze food? I can cook you zomething zpecific tomorrow if you'd like." She offered.
Ginny shook her head and lied down on the bed, turned to face the other side. She prayed for Fleur to leave the room, feeling the woman's eyes staring holes into her back.
"You know ze just vants to protect you, don't you?" She asked.
"That's the problem." Ginny told her, almost speaking into the pillow. "I've got people I want to protect too, and I can't do that while I'm locked up in here."
She heard Fleur sigh. "Vell, if you zink about it, Bill can't protect you if you're not." She said.
"How long are he and mom planning to keep me here?" Ginny asked.
"Oh, I don't know." Fleur said. "You'll have to go back to school at zome point."
Ginny rolled over to face the woman. "How can you stand to just sit here and not do anything about the war?"
Fleur walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It'z becauze I know when I can do something and when I can't." Fleur told her. "You don't really zink Bill would leave Luna locked up in that horrible place if ze could do zomething about it, do you?"
Ginny bit her lip, considering it. The very fact that she had to pointed to Fleur being right. Bill was never a callous person. Hell, he hadn't even fought back when Ginny cracked the whip. He had just stood there and take it. Bill was too good a person for that, and she had taken advantage of it.
Ginny sighed. "You're right. I'm being dumb."
Fleur stood up and walked closer to Ginny, taking her head in her hand. "Not dumb, just in love." Ginny surprised herself by not flinching away from the gesture by her sister-in-law. It was motherly, and after the year she had been having, it felt nice to have someone comfort her.
"Thanks Fleur." Ginny said, even further surprised. She never thought she would have said that when her brother came home and told them they were dating.
The woman gave her another small smile before stepping towards the door. With her hand on the handle, she turned back to face Ginny. "I'm going to leave zis unlocked. Do I need to vorry?" She asked.
Ginny shook her head, and the woman left, shutting the door behind her. The sound of the lock clicking into place never came.
After another half hour, Ginny eventually got to changing out of her Hogwarts robes and into some of the clothes Fleur had brought her. She settled on a baggy orange t-shirt and a pair of white, fuzzy pants with purple polka dots on them. Looking herself over in the mirror, they fit her astonishingly well. Dressed, ironically the opposite way you'd want to meet someone, she opened the door and crept downstairs.
Outside, the night was lit up by the stars and the moon that shone, unhindered by any polluted air. The light reflected off of the ocean water so much it almost wouldn't be necessary for the sun to come up if people wanted to get around.
She found Bill and Fleur in the kitchen. The white tile floor was cold underneath her bare feet, and the entire room was dimly lit by the window above the sink. Stepping through the doorway from the hall, the table they sat at was stuck against the back wall of the cooking area.
Bill was hunched over in his chair, his head resting against his arm placed on the table. His other arm was outstretched, and Fleur was holding the hand attached to it. Upon Ginny's entrance, she tapped the man on the shoulder before Ginny could mouth out a 'no' to her. It was probably useless anyway, fine details too hard to see in the dim light.
Bill lifted his head up, and Ginny let out a small sigh of relief to see that he hadn't been crying, but had fallen asleep at the table. His tired eyes scanned the room before widening as he realized she was standing there. His mouth made multiple shapes as he tried to find words. "Huh-wha-Ginny? Are those-" He yawned. "Fleur's?"
Ginny looked down at herself for his sake. "Yeah, they are. You've got a pretty good girl here, Bill." She told him, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down to the table. "She brought me some clothes to wear so I didn't have to spend the night in my sweaty old robes." Ginny joked.
Bill's groggy demeanor soon vanished, and his face took on a more somber expression. He was probably remembering their earlier conversation.
"Bill, I'm sorry." Ginny hurried to say before either of them could say anything else. "I'm really sorry. I was way out of line. I swear I didn't mean what I said. You are a Gryffindor, and no one knows that better than I do. You're one of the bravest people I know." She sighed. "I'm a bloody idiot for thinking that we could go after the Death-Eaters like that."
Bill took his hand from Fleur and stretched it out to hold the hand that Ginny had laid on the table when she sat down. "Love makes us all idiots. Apology accepted, Gin." He said. For a moment, the two of them sat like that.
"Ze definitely knows zat." Fleur giggled, lightening the mood breaking the moment of familial tenderness. "Did zou tell her ze time zou picked a fight for me?"
Ginny retracted her hand with a chuckle. Curling up into a ball on the seat, she crossed her arms in front of her. "Did he? I don't think I've had the pleasure of hearing that story. Please go on." She gestured to Fleur, rotating her wrist and hand in a motion for her to continue.
Bill let out an exasperated sigh, but Ginny could see him smiling.
"Well, ve are at zis bar in London, and me and Bill are chatting, having a good time, and zis man comez by and gives me a rather unwanted zlap on ze rear. Now, I'm used to zis sort of treatment from unruly bar men, but you're brother zteps up and calls him out. Tells him zat zat's zis girl and ze'll have to apologize for that. One thing leads to anozer and next zing I know, Bill iz fighting a man two times bigger zan him."
Ginny looked over to Bill with wide eyes. The idea of Bill, the brother who never once threw punches with the others or got upset when they played with his stuff, starting a fight with some stranger was unthinkable. The slight shade of red tint to his cheeks though proved it was all true.
"Let's just zay Bill didn't win." She laughed.
"Hey, I got a few good hits in. He definitely woke up with a black eye the next morning." Bill protested.
"Well zou woke up with two and a broken nose." Fleur countered.
Bill grinned, taking her hand in his. "That's not all I woke up to." He giggled.
"Aw, no!" Ginny yelled, pressing her hands to his eyes as if to stop the image from making it to her head. She dropped them and pointed a finger at Bill. "Stop that right now or I'll start talking about me and Harry, and trust me, I've done some freaky shit." She told him in a serious tone, despite the smile that persisted on her lips.
Bill brought his hand entwined with Fleur's up to his cheek, his free hand going to the other. "Awe Fleur, look, she thinks she's hot stuff." He said in a faux-admirable voice. The kind people used when they were gushing over babies.
On that thought: "But seriously, you guys are going to be some amazing parents." Ginny complimented them.
"Thanks, Gin, I know you will be too." Bill paused, but his smile gave away that he was about to go on. "If your husband isn't scared of making tiny little versions of you." He laughed, and she and Fleur joined him.
The laughter, the family presence, the lightened mood, it was nice after the gloom and anxiety that had seemed to hold a grip on Ginny for the past few months. But just as she noticed how good it was to feel differently, the dark feelings began to return, to remind her that none of this was solved. Luna was still trapped in the Malfoys' mansion, Voldemort was still out there killing half-bloods and Squibs, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still out there looking for the Horcruxes. It all seemed so hopeless. The warmth the happiness had brought her seemed unearned, and it just became an uncomfortable heat that made her want to crawl out of her skin.
The life in the room seemed to completely die as the laughter died down, and Ginny suspected Bill and Fleur were feeling the same thing that she was. The levity they had created came crashing down like a crushing weight, and the darkness of the nighttime no longer felt cozy, but cramping, like there was no way to escape the feeling of dread that hung over them. Ginny suddenly went from enjoying the night to praying that sleep could take her to the light of morning, yet it seemed like she'd never see it again.
They sat there in the uncomfortable, writhing silence for a minute before Ginny spoke. "So what's Dobby doing? I know I bashed him before, but he's the best chance we've got and I've got to admit that." She asked.
Bill ran a hand through his hair. "He's been taking periodic trips from here to the mansion, figuring out how to get around the wards. I'd go and help him but he's the only one with the magic to do it. House-elves are tricky when it comes to what they're capable of, so he's been testing the boundaries on what he can and can't do." Bill explained.
"So what do we do now?" Ginny muttered, biting her lip in worry.
"Now?" Bill arched an eyebrow at her, and then looked to his wife, expression softened. "Now, we wait."
So wait Ginny did. The task was an unbearably boring and tasking one, when everyday her entire body screamed at her to move into action, but she was able to restrain herself and keep her from taking her wand and running off in the middle of the night. Instead, she left her wand locked up in Bill's home office, even after he had told her she could take it as long as she promised not to leave. She had turned the offer down. It was easier to keep her mind off things when she didn't have it.
Not that it wasn't still a daunting task to keep her mind off her troubles. Without her wand though, she could at least busy herself with daily chores. Every time she thought about needing her wand though, she felt a nag in her mind, as if her wand was calling to her to use it and free Luna. At night, her restless naps without dreams had given way to too-real nightmares that made her restless from the amount of sleep they stole from her.
She caught up with Bill about the past months, him chatting about him and Fleur's friends they had made in the town down the hill and through the forest, Ginny chatting about various stories from Hogwarts. It pained her to notice how few good ones there were to tell this year.
Somewhere along the line, spending time with Fleur had stopped being the chore it had been when Bill brought the woman home for the first time, and it had started to be legitimate fun. As much as Fleur enjoyed discussing clothes and having Ginny try stuff on, she was equally adept at running, a hobby Ginny picked up over the few weeks she spent at Shell Cottage to clear her head. Whenever they raced, Fleur beat her.
The nights were still hard to get through though, and over time, the two spouses began to take notice of Ginny's baggy eyes and sluggish movements. Fleur gave her several sleep potions to help with it, but they did little for her.
Ginny felt the best when she was up on the cliff that looked out over the beach below, where the stone cracks spurted out grass and the hard surface was cushioned by the greenery. It reminded her of the times that she and Luna would spend their off days under a tree next to the Great Lake and do their schoolwork, practice their magic, or gossip about people.
When she looked back on it though, Ginny remembered that when there was gossip to be shared, she was the one doing most of the talking, not Luna. Rather than discuss it, Luna would simply smile and listen as Ginny went on and on about the various social drama going about the castle. That smile stuck in her head as one of the things she missed most, and when she closed her eyes up on the cliff, she could almost imagine Luna sitting beside her, ready for Ginny to open her eyes and see her simple smile.
These were a few reflections, among many more that she came to be aware of over the days that she spent outside, looking out to the ocean as if it held her answers. Ginny would think of how wonderful a friend Luna was, but along with that she would question how good a friend she had been. She knew it was probably ridiculous to wonder, but with nothing else to do, the doubts planted themselves inside her head nonetheless.
Did she reciprocate the support Luna did, whenever she showed up at her Quidditch games with a giant lion on her head? Luna never really seemed needing for support. She was strong. Odd, quirky, and sometimes Ginny never quite understood her, but she was strong. She never let anyone make her feel bad for being who she was or doing what she liked to do.
But what if, secretly, she had needed that support? What if she had been too scared to say anything of it to Ginny and had been hoping one day Ginny would ask her about it? Did Ginny fail her by not being close enough to her to see some hidden insecurity? Convoluted, damning thoughts liked these tormented her when she didn't worry over what the Death-Eaters were doing to the poor girl.
At night, she sometimes found herself clutching a pillow in front of her to help her fall asleep. A new development over the past year, but Ginny remembered the nights that Luna had sneaked quietly out of her own bed and crept into Ginny's, scared that if she didn't sleep with Ginny, the Carrows or Snape might come and snatch her out of bed in the middle of the night. Not an irrational fear, for more than once, a student that had gotten in trouble with one of the Death-Eater teachers had been gone from bed in the morning only to come back in the middle of the day, looking hollowed out.
So at night Ginny would find herself holding a pillow close to her, wishing it was Luna, because for as much as it was a comfort for Luna to have Ginny's arms wrapped around her to keep from being taken in the night, it had been a comfort for Ginny, to have someone close after Harry, and to have someone she knew she could protect with half her family out in the world at risk of being hurt or worse.
Three weeks of long days and sleepless nights dragged by, and it came to a point where Ginny began praying for just about anything to happen. The time spent in stasis was grating on her, and all she wanted was for Dobby to appear and tell them that he could get in, or better yet, bring Luna back so Ginny could crush her in the biggest hug that she could and squeeze the life out of her herself.
Every night she prayed that Bill or Fleur would wake her up and tell her that it was all over, or for this to be some night terror and for her to wake up inside her four-poster bed with Luna sleeping soundly in her arms.
It was one night, after Ginny had finally managed to get to sleep, a restless nap that had no dream, a luxury at that point, when she was awakened by a slight touch to her side, the small amount of contact pathetically enough to wake her.
For a moment, her mind couldn't even process what she was seeing, but by the time she was capable of comprehending it, her eyes were filling with tears that she couldn't hold back, and she was smiling so hard her mouth hurt.
Standing in front of her, shimmering in the moonlight that came through the window, was the one and only Luna Lovegood.
She jumped up, wrapping her arms around the girl and squeezing her as tight as she could, too scared to let go with the fear that this could all be some dream and that if she didn't keep up the contact, she would wake up and have to go through another day not knowing what was happening to her best friend.
Luna groaned in pain from within her arms. "Not too hard." She muttered softly.
Ginny, suddenly scared of hurting the girl anymore, released her in a hurry. Now that she was looking at the girl clearly, she could see the pain written all over her. Luna was pale, but the extent she was now was to the point where if her skin were any lighter, Ginny swore she would be transparent. On top of that, her body was littered with cuts and bruises, tainting the perfect image that Luna was.
"Can I lie down?" She asked politely, giving Ginny a small smile that she had been so scared would be gone when Luna came back. From her posture, Ginny could tell that Luna had aches all over her. It was the similar to the way Ginny would stand after Quidditch practice, to avoid using anything that might be painful to move.
Ginny nodded enthusiastically, the words not coming to her. Quickly, she pulled back the blankets and offered the bed to her friend, who slowly uncoiled her body onto the bed. Once she was laid back, Ginny pulled the blanket up over her and knelt down by her side. The tears were still flowing as she watched Luna close her eyes and let out a sigh-cut off with a grunt of pain-a stab of sorrow went through her heart at that.
A moment passed before one of Luna's eyes popped open. "Are you going to lay with me?" She asked, as if it was too obvious to have missed.
Every bone in Ginny's body pleaded with her to say yes, but first, "Only if you want me to." she clarified.
Luna closed her eyes and nodded against the pillow. Ginny walked around the other side of the bed, and laid down next to Luna, putting an arm over her that Luna gripped with two hands. Not able to help herself, Ginny let the tears fall out of her eyes, and sobs wracked her body. After a few minutes of this, Luna rolled over to face her, a movement that looked to hurt her. Ginny took her hands off her, scared of putting her in anymore pain.
With a few winces, Luna looked to Ginny.
"I thought I might never see you again." Ginny mumbled out between sobs. Her hand went to Luna's side. Had Luna been in good condition, she might have pulled her closer. For now, she just kept her hand there, satisfied just to have Luna underneath it. "I wanted to come rescue you, but there was no way I could do it on my own, and then I wasn't sure if I was a good friend and everything was just so hard, imagining you in that damn mansion, tortured by Death-Eaters-"
Luna leaned in before Ginny could comprehend it, and her lips were flush up against Ginny's, putting a halt to her rambling. They were colder than they should have been, Ginny thought. All the same, it was nice. Not a proper kiss. Ginny had had enough of those to spot a novice when she saw one. Or got one, in this scenario.
Luna's lips stayed there for a few more moments than the intensity of the kiss usually called for, but Ginny suspected it was because Luna was trying to get in a less painful position to pull back into.
Eventually, they pulled apart, and Luna stared at her with her signature, strangely knowledgeable deadpan. Ginny had stopped crying, but now she was entirely lost on what to do.
"Ginny, you're my best friend. I don't want you to think any different. You care about me, you support me, and we feel better when we're in each other's company. When I was at the Malfoys' mansion, you were one of the people I told myself I would see again before I died. I knew somewhere out there you were still fighting, and I knew I had to too. Your bravery kept me alive, Ginny Weasley. You saved my life." She told Ginny in a matter-of-fact way that somehow, coming from Luna, seemed more sincere than it would have been even if she was crying.
With that said, Luna scooched closer to Ginny, resting her head on Ginny's chest. Ginny lightly settled her head on Luna's, and stared out the window at the moon shining down on the water. "I love you, Luna." Ginny retracted her head and placed a small kiss on the girl's forehead before returning her head to its previous position and closing her eyes.
"I love you too, Ginny." Luna mumbled into Ginny's chest before Ginny felt the girl's muscles release all their and she fell asleep.
With that sentence, Ginny felt her heartbeat pick up. Despite it though, she soon fell asleep and had the most restful slumber she had experienced in past three weeks.
The next morning, Ginny woke up to the sun shining in through the window, casting a warm glow over the whole room.
Luna was still asleep, and at some point in the night, her mouth had gotten propped open against Ginny and she had drooled a pool on Ginny's shirt. She silently giggled to herself at the sight, the image too cute not to be remarked on. Begrudgingly, she maneuvered her way out of bed, careful not to wake Luna.
She changed into a new set of Fleur's clothes and made her way downstairs. The house was quiet, and she found Fleur and Bill sitting out on the balcony that branched off the glass windows of the living room. Stepping outside, the morning air was fresh against her skin, the sun embracing her in its radiance.
The somber looks on their faces made her sit down, dreadful anxiety starting to make a return. She had been looking forward to a respite from it. "What is it?" She asked hesitantly.
"Luna told us about the Malfoy Manor this morning when Dobby brought her here." Bill answered. "She said that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are there."
Ginny's eyes widened. "What? Why? How?" She asked, likely too fast for them to process.
"Some Snatchers caught them and brought them to the mansion. Hermione was quick on her feet and managed to disguise Harry. You-Know-Who isn't there, but Ron and Harry are still trying to save Hermione. Last Luna heard she was being interrogated by Bellatrix."
Ginny's fists clenched in her lap. "Bloody Death-Eaters."
"It'll be okay, Gin. They've been in some tight spots before." Bill reassured her.
"I know." Ginny said to her lap. Knowing it didn't make the reality of the situation any easier to accept. Not for her, at least.
"On another note, me and Fleur have been thinking that it might be time for you to go back." Bill told her. When she looked back up at him, he was leaned forward in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him. "Do you think you can do that?"
Ginny looked to her hands again, crumpled together in an expression of rage.
From inside the building, she heard a loud yawn and looked in through the glass doors as she saw Luna making her way towards the balcony, dressed in some of the same baggy clothes Ginny had been wearing while she was at the Shell Cottage, though they were even bigger on the petite girl. She couldn't help but break into a grin at the picture. "Yeah, I think that's a little more doable now."
Fleur leaned forward conspiratorially. "Zat's zome girl you've got zere." Fleur commented, looking in through the door for a moment to glance at Luna. "Ze vouldn't even let me patch her up a vittle before ze went to see you."
Ginny simultaneously adored that fact and hated it. She didn't want Luna to be in pain when she didn't need to be, but it was so like her to make sure Ginny was okay before tending to herself.
It was crazy to think that she was doing the protecting, when this time yesterday she had been going through Hell with monsters all around her.
Ginny smiled. "Yeah, she's some girl."