This is my first ever fan fiction, so I am relying on you strangers of internet world to be kind to me. I am using writing as a creative release to get myself over a period of depression, this with watching the HP films over and over again like a lunatic, led me to here!
I'm pretty sure I can keep updating this regularly as I have nothing else to do but "rehabilitate"! Fun times!
As you may have guessed already, I own nothing. Anything you recognise from the Harry Potter Universe belongs to JK Rowling. I might be a little crazy, but I know I am not her. Worse luck!
The battle dust had barely settled and a dreadful and uneasy quiet fell upon Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Dark Wizard, Voldemort, and his army of Death Eaters had fallen. They were finally beaten by a group of school students, teachers and a select few Aurors, parents, friends and magical creatures led by three teenagers.
The grounds of the dark, cold castle were littered with debris from the battle. Bodies of fallen comrades and enemies alike still lay where their souls had left them. Survivors sat around in groups trying to come to terms with what had happened over the past few hours. The remaining Death Eaters had vanished into hiding. Giants, Vampires and Werewolves had abandoned their posts on the final destruction of their leader. The darkest Wizard of all time, he who must not be named, had been killed by an eighteen year old wizard. That wizard was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Harry Potter had not been seen by anybody since his two closest friends had led him away moments after his victory.
In the great hall, healers were arriving to tend to the wounded and take away the dead. Ministry officials came to catalogue those involved and hear the stories of the survivors for the archive records. In a quiet corner a large group of red-haired people sat huddled together, sobbing for the loss of one of their own, and so many of their friends. Percy Weasley had led away the Ministry officials wanting to take their statements. Charlie stood alone on the platform above them all looking out onto the collapsing ruins of the once grand hall. His eyebrow had been split open earlier and blood was still dripping down his face. He looked down to his family. His brother Bill with his wife Fleur sat in a tight embrace, Bill was already scarred by a previous werewolf attack but he was now matched by his Veela wife who herself had three long wounds down the side of her beautiful face. Bill slowly stroked his thumb down her bloodied cheek reassuring Fleur over and over that she would always be beautiful to him.
George sat between his mother and father. He looked broken. Charlie could think of no other word for it. George stared into the distance, his eyes empty and though his father held him tightly he felt nothing but the numb void where his twin brother Fred should be. Fred's body had already been taken away to be prepared for burial. Arthur felt like the only thing he could do for George was to hold him upright. He feared that if he let go of his son, he would crumble to the ground.
Charlie's mother Molly who always appeared to be the strongest of them all, the one who would get them through all of their troubles sat silently between two of her children. Only moments ago she had stepped in front of one of the most feared witches in the Wizarding World, Bellatrix LeStrange, to protect her only daughter. Right now, Molly looked tired, beaten and hollow. She had lost her son, Fred. Ron was nowhere to be seen and her other children were battered and bruised around her. Though she held George's hand, her thoughts were far away. The youngest Weasley child, Ginny, was the other side of her mother. She was shaking violently. Charlie narrowed his eyes watching her. Charlie quickly moved down to them and knelt down in front of his fragile sister. Ginny was trembling all over, the tears fell from her eyes silently and her breathing was shallow and uneven. "Ginny?" Charlie said softly, taking hold of her hand. "Ginny, can you hear me?" Charlie asked. Bill looked over at his brother with a worried expression. "Charlie, what's going on?" He asked. He looked as his wife who nodded him off towards his siblings. Bill moved down to where Charlie was trying to calm his little sister. "She's freezing." Charlie told him. "Ginny, look at me please." Charlie asked her gently. He had no response from her.
"Gin, please." Bill pleaded. Molly turned around, shaking off her absent-mindedness.
"Ginny darling?" She called out in a panic. The other family members began to look over. Ginny's breathing became more irratic and the shaking worsened. Charlie only just managed to catch her as a breath caught in her throat, her eyes rolled back and very suddenly she collapsed. He picked her tiny limp body up into his arms and shouted for a healer. "Are you ok Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall called across the hall in response to the sudden commotion.
"It's Ginny! Something's wrong. We need a healer." He shouted. Professor McGonagall nodded and quickly paced over to a group of people in the far corner of the room, returning with a rotund wizard with a mop of salt and pepper hair and chunky black spectacles. "This is Healer Morris." She introduced. "The Weasley Family, Graham."
"Thank you, Minerva." He nodded to her and faced the family. He looked at the young girl in the strong arms of her brother. "Mr. Weasley. Let's put her over here shall we?" He said kindly, pointing towards a bench by the wall. Charlie lay Ginny down on the bench and let Healer Morris in front of him. The healer began his examination, he muttered several charms over her body and she levitated from the bench, a foggy aura snaking around her. He ran his hands across the length of her body, shaking his head and urgently mumbling under his breath. His movements paused over her chest. As he gathered information from the examination and moved up to her head, the aura changed colour occasionally. He stopped and tapped on her forehead and temples, the aura surrounding her grew darker. He pulled a vial of blue liquid from his robes and tapped it with his wand. The blue swirled around and changed to a bright orange. The family looked on as the aura colours changed again. "I need to give her this potion. It will bring her back around." Healer Morris advised the watching group.
Healer Morris poured the orange potion into Ginny's mouth. Within moments, she had opened her eyes. Healer Morris lowered her to the bench again and checked her over before helping her to sit up. "What's going on?" She said sleepily.
"Ginny! You scared us there!" Charlie sighed. Ginny blushed and bowed her head, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Miss Weasley will need to rest." Healer Morris announced. "Is there somewhere quiet and calm that she can go?" Fleur stepped forward and sat beside Ginny on the bench. She squeezed the younger witch's shoulder gently. "She weell com' 'ome wiz Beell an' I to Shell Cottage." She announced. Bill looked like he wanted to kiss her.
"That's a great idea, Fleur!" Charlie smiled. Bill kissed his wife on the top of the head and turned to the Healer. "Is there anything we need to do for her?" he asked.
"She will need rest. I will send over a Medi-Elf with some potions that will help her. I believe her black out was stress related. Obviously the battle here will have played a role in that but there does seem to be something else, an older trauma, going on." He looked at Ginny with deep concern. "We don't yet know what happened at Hogwarts under the Death Eater reign. I dread to think what the poor girl may have endured. I will ask a mind-healer to pay her a visit in a few days to see if she would like any therapy to help her recover. Mostly, she will need her family and her friends and absolutely no stress or over excitement." Bill nodded in understanding and looked over at Ginny with worry. "Thank you, healer. We will do everything we can."
The healer nodded and walked off to his next casualty. "Bill." Charlie said, calling Bill to the side with his father. "I think you and Fleur should go now." Arthur said as soon as they were away from the others. "Take Ginny and go home. Charlie and I are going to patch up the boundaries around the burrow and fix it up and the others will stay with Aunt Muriel. Please, look after Ginny, ok. We will let you know when the burrow is fixed up."
"If you need any help you know, just ask." Bill replied.
"I know, but I want you to focus on Ginny. She needs you."
"What about Ron?" Bill asked. "Does anyone know where he is?"
"No idea. He, Harry and Hermione will turn up soon I am sure." Arthur said.
"Besides, the Healer said no stress and those three bring it by the bucket load. We are not telling them where Ginny is until we know she is ok. Agreed?" Charlie said.
"Normally, I'd fight you on that, but I think you have a point." Bill agreed. Arthur nodded. The three Weasley Wizards said goodbye and Bill returned to collect Fleur and Ginny for their trip back to Cornwall.
"Mr. Potter! There you are!" Harry turned around from his comfortable chair in the headmaster's office. A short out of breath wizard scurried towards him.
"Who are you?" Harry replied.
"Ministry of Magic at a guess" Ron muttered from the sofa where he was snuggled lazily with his new girlfriend Hermione.
"Mr. Weasley, I presume?" the unfamiliar wizard asked.
"Yeah." Ron replied.
"Everyone has been searching for you." He said, his focus reverting to Harry. "You really should not be up here without supervision." He puffed up his chest and continued very seriously. "There are still Death Eaters out there. The danger is far from over."
"Give the guy a break!" Ron cried. "He's just spent the best part of a year running away from death eaters, fighting death eaters, oh yeah and he defeated Voldemort. I think he can cope!"
"It's alright, Ron." Harry said with an amused grin. "I guess it's about time to face it anyway."
"Rightly so." The wizard replied. "Come along, let's get you all somewhere safe."
"I should go and see my family first." Ron replied.
"No need, we will get word to them once you are situated."
"It's OK, Ron." Hermione said gently, putting her hand over his. "I'm sure they are being looked after too. We'll speak to them soon."
"Indeed. Miss Granger, isn't it?" the wizard asked. Hermione nodded. The wizard gave her a little bow and motioned to the open door, "well, shall we make a move then?"
The three teenagers looked at each other. They would have much preferred some more time before this came, but they were prepared enough for the questions and the stories they would have to tell, for reliving the last few months of their lives. The relief filled them all that at least the worst of it all was behind them now. At least that is what they hoped for as they followed the ministry official out of the Headmaster's office and into the ruins of Hogwarts castle.