Disclaimer: I, of course, own absolutely nothing. I don't own Hogwarts and I don't own anything that has to do with magic. If I had a mind as creative as that then I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fanfictions.
Author's Note: I'm not pleased with how this story came out at all. I'm not used to writing stories centered around Ginny and the trio, so the characters are most likely out of character. I've been sick and I felt like writing a bit of fluffy goodness to heal my troubled soul. ; )
Ginny Weasley woke up at some ungodly hour in the morning from a cold sweat. The moon was still out and the sky was still dark, a sign that no sane person would be awake. The room was poorly lit, the only light was that given off by the silver sliver of the moon through the curtains. Looking around the girl's dormitory, Ginny could see that all of the other girls were soundly asleep in their beds, their bed curtains drawn firmly around their respective areas. Even Parvati and Lavender, who normally stayed awake gossiping until the sun rose, were asleep. The lulled quiet was actually a breath of fresh air for the red-headed fifth year. Usually girls bustled in and out, squealing, giggling, and whispering all of the time. Just watching them was enough to make Ginny tired. The antics of the girls were beyond tiresome. Ginny simply couldn't keep up with it all.
With a small groan, Ginny rolled over onto her side, trying to get into a more comfortable position. She hated sleepless nights. They were absolutely useless, especially where there were classes to attend. The Christmas season was already rolling around, and Ginny had to excel in her studying if she wanted to get superior results on her O.W.L.'s. Those bloody exams were enough to make anyone go crazy.
Needless to say, Ginny was more than determined to get to sleep. The stubborn Weasley refused to let anything come between her and her required and recommended eight hours of shut eye. However, the more she attempted to fall asleep, the more restless she got. In a desperate attempt, she even tried to count sheep, a muggle trick that Hermione taught her one year while she was staying at the Burrow.
Nothing worked, which only caused annoyance in the fifteen year old. Thinking that a change of environment would do her good, Ginny rolled out of her bed. Slowly, she trudged down the stairs and entered the empty common room. Seeking out her favorite couch, Ginny plopped herself down on the plush cushions. She shut her eyes immediately, and enjoyed the coziness of the room. Her eyes soon became drowsy and she drifted in and out of sleep. She was almost washed into a peaceful slumber when the portrait hole swung open.
"I'm telling you Hermione, Malfoy is a Death Eater! Just the other night I overheard him…"
"Harry! Stop being ridiculous! He's sixteen, for Merlin's sake!"
"But…"
"Oh, Harry. If you're that worried about it then we'll figure something out in the morning, alright?"
"Yeah, mate. We'll figure something out."
The conversation was more than Ginny bargained for. Not wanting to be rude, she cleared her throat loudly, to let the trio know that she was in the room.
"Shh!" Hermione hushed, placing a hand over her mouth, and looking around the common room.
Ginny sat up slowly, and rubbed her eyes, suddenly realizing how much her throat ached. She gave a half-hearted smile towards the three, before she leaned her head against the back of the couch.
"Ginny? What on earth are you doing up at this hour?" Hermione questioned, her eyebrows scrunched in obvious disapproval.
"I could ask you the same question." She replied, shutting her eyes. The burning in her throat was getting stronger, but Ginny tried her best to ignore it. Ginny convinced herself that she was only a little hoarse. Early morning hoarseness wasn't all that uncommon, after all.
"Shouldn't you be up in your bed?" Ron asked, a ginger eyebrow raised with clear suspicion.
Ginny merely nodded her head, and placed her head back down on the arm of the couch, the sore in her throat making its way into her ears.
"Well then why aren't you up in your dormitory?" Ron's voice was filled with irritation, as the older Weasley slowly began to lose his patience.
Ginny groaned in response, and turned over, her ears pounding painfully. She heard the trio's footsteps coming closer, and she winced as every step of theirs reverberated in her head.
"Are you okay, Gin?" Harry asked, concern laced sweetly into his voice.
"Yes, fine." She squeaked out, forcing a smile onto her face.
"Are you sure?" Hermione knelt down in front of the couch and tilted her head to the side. She scrutinized the younger girl's face and frowned.
"Yes." Ginny replied forcefully, turning onto her other side. "You guys should go to bed. It's almost time to wake up."
Hermione sighed softly before acquiescing. She stood up and gave Ginny a small smile and said goodnight to Harry and Ron. The boys quickly followed her, eager for a few good hours of sleep, leaving Ginny by herself in the common room once again.
Somewhere between sunrise and eight o'clock, Ginny had fallen into a restless sleep. She awoke to an obnoxious jerking to her shoulder. Groaning softly, Ginny rolled herself over, trying to move away from the prat who was trying to make her get up when she had finally fallen asleep.
"Lea' me 'lone." Ginny mumbled, her face forming a pout as she swatted at the hand that was tousling her arm.
"Gin, you have class in an hour." The recognition of Harry's voice immediately caught Ginny's attention. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment and she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm.
"Oh…" Ginny stated quietly, silently acknowledging the fact that she felt even worse than she had the previous night. One of her hands found their way to her disheveled hair, while the other propped her up into a sitting position.
"Are you sure you're okay? You really don't look very good…"
"Thanks Harry. You're looking marvelous today yourself." Ginny rolled her eyes as the caustic remark slipped out, and stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her shirt as she did so.
"That's not what I…"
Ginny cut him off with a small smile and waved her hand to stop him from finishing his sentence.
"I know. I should go get ready."
Harry nodded in agreement and Ginny went up the stairs of the girl's dormitory, not really wanting anything more than to snuggle back up in bed and sleep away whatever virus she was catching.
A half an hour later, Ginny looked half-way presentable, and made her way down to the Great Hall. Her school robe was in a messy state, as well as her hair. Her eyes had bags underneath them and her cheeks were uncharacteristically pale.Setting her books down on top of the table, Ginny took a seat next to Ron, grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it lightly.
"Finally decided to join us?" Ron asked, a smirk gracing his face. Ginny simply shook her head and smiled, biting into the toast.
When she was a little girl, Molly used to force Ginny to eat toast whenever she wasn't feeling well. Gin used to hate the cardboard tasting meal, but Molly always insisted that the toast calmed down upset stomachs and was bland enough to eat without getting sick. That was the method behind the toast madness, seeing as she would never take something so tasteless to eat for breakfast if it were a normal day. Hermione picked up on it right away.
"That's all you're eating?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she watched the tiny bits her friend was taking.
"Uh, yeah. I'm not really hungry." Ginny replied, placing the toast back down on her plate. There was no way that Ginny was going to say that she wasn't feeling well. Oh no, that would not go over so well. Hermione would end up marching her to the Hospital Wing, and then Ginny would miss class. O.W.L.s were too close to be skipping important material just to take a snooze with Madame Pomfrey.
"You're not hungry?!" Ron asked incredulously, looking at his sister as if she had two heads. "You're always hungry!"
Ginny shifted uncomfortably at that comment, mortification taking over her as she noticed Harry's piercing eyes staring at her with a sloppy grin on his face. She sighed softly, and took the piece of toast, once again bringing it to her lips and biting a small portion of it.
As she swallowed the food, she closed her eyes, feeling the shooting pain in her throat fall in sync with the pounding of her ears and head. She knew she had a fever. Ginny was a relatively healthy girl, but when she got sick, she got sick, and the experience was never pleasant. Reopening her eyes, she felt a wave of nausea sweep over her, and resentfully noticed the room was slowly starting to spin. Placing her head in her hands, she tried to calm herself down so she could walk to class. She was not going to miss History of Magic.
Standing up from her seat, Ginny muttered a small goodbye to the trio, before walking down the corridor to the old classroom. She took her seat and waited for the rest of the class to file in, scrawling a few last minute notes down on a piece of parchment.
It just so happened that Luna Lovegood was in that class and Luna knew everything.
Taking the unoccupied seat next to Ginny, Luna gazed sympathetically at her red-headed friend, while she placed a quill on the desk.
"How long have you been sick?" Luna asked gently, placing her hand up to Ginny's forehead. "You have a fever."
Ginny could have snorted at Luna for pointing out the obvious, but refrained, and shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll be fine." She replied, her voice soft and raspy. It would be simply wonderful if she lost it. Then how would she explain that to the ever-so-persistent Hermione?
Luna gave Ginny an expression that had disbelief written all over it, but dropped the subject, and took to writing notes from the Professor's lecture instead. Ginny, on the other hand, had all she could do to keep her eyes open, never mind paying attention to the lesson.
"Miss Weasley?" The Professor's voice snapped her out of her self-pitying thoughts, and her eyes widened slightly.
"Miss Weasley, maybe you should take a trip to the Hospital Wing."
Hearing old Professor Binns suggest it, Ginny nodded her head and slipped out of the classroom, taking her belongings with her. She dreaded to think about how she must look. If a professor knew how sick she was just by glancing at her then it must have been painstakingly obvious.
Walking in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower, since Ginny had absolutely no intention of going to visit Madame Pomfrey, she ran smack dab into an all too familiar raven haired seventh year.
As the familiar figure turned around, Ginny groaned, and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.
"Gin?" He asked, confusion evident on his face.
Ginny looked at him and swallowed a lump in her throat, tears prickling at her eyes at the sharp pain she felt when she did so. It felt like someone was stabbing her throat and pounding at her head.
Noticing Ginny's distress Harry tilted his head, and squinted his eyes. "Sick?"
"Yes." Ginny replied, leaning her head against the cold stone castle wall. She took a seat on the ground and placed her head delicately in her hands. She was almost relieved to see that Harry sat down next to her.
"Want me to walk you back to the common room?" He asked, a bit awkwardly, worry etched sincerely on his face.
"That would be nice." Ginny replied and attempted to smile, but winced instead. She stood back up, feeling a bit wobbly, and held Harry's arm for support. Harry led her quickly to the common room and helped her lay down on the closest couch.
"Do you need anything?" Harry stood above the couch, his hands thrown into his pocket, looking a bit uncomfortable at the given situation.
"No, thanks Harry." He smiled down at her and turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Ginny's voice call him.
"Yeah?"
"Please don't leave." Her voice was small and sounded childlike, even to her own ears. Ginny hated being alone when she was sick. Usually her mother was with her whenever she was ill, or Ron. She hated how vulnerable and juvenile she sounded, but she didn't care. As long as Harry would stay with her, it was well worth the momentary helplessness.
Harry turned around and sat down on a chair, adjacent to the couch Ginny was resting on.
Ginny began to shiver slightly, from her fever. She didn't know why she was so cold. Her hands were like ice, but her face was red hot. Harry noticed, and stood up from his chair. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head.
"Ginny… why haven't you gone to the Hospital Wing?" Harry's voice was accusatory and firm. If she had gone to the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey would have given her some potion that would help ease her discomfort.
"Um…" Ginny stuttered softly, trying to think of a valid answer. "I did. She said there was nothing she could do."
"Oh, really?" He took a few steps closer to her, and knelt down, placing his rough hand on her burning forehead. "She couldn't give you anything for you're fever, then?"
Ginny shook her head fiercely, silently noting how good Harry's cool hand felt on her hot skin. The truth was, she hated Hospitals and Healers. She had nothing against them personally, but she had always had a fear of them. When she was younger, she put up a good old fight every time her mother attempted to haul her off to St. Mungo's.
"Maybe we should go ask her again." Harry's voice was stern, but at the same time gentle. He knew how much fun it was being sick. He sympathized with Ginny, but if she wouldn't try to help herself feel better, then there was really nothing he could do.
"N-no!" Ginny exclaimed, reaching out to grab Harry's hand. "She'll make me stay up there!"
Harry smiled as Ginny practically admitted that she hadn't gone to the Hospital Wing in the first place. He tilted his head to the side and placed his hand over Ginny's smaller one.
"I'm going to go see if I can get you a potion to help with your fever, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes." Harry pat her hand a few times, and exited the common room, on a quest to get Ginny some medicine.
Ginny grunted loudly at the thought of medicine. Somehow Madame Pomfrey always made the potions taste repulsive. She would much rather have one of those jelly beans Bernie Botts made. Gin truly believed that dying from a tremendously high fever would be better than feeling the putrid potion ease down her throat. She closed her eyes and prayed that she would fall asleep. Surely Harry wouldn't wake her up, even if he did have medicine with him, just to make her take it.
Ginny was in that stage where she wasn't exactly asleep, but not exactly conscious, as Harry re-entered the common room. He walked over to her side, and gently brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face to wake her up.
First one eye opened, then another, as Harry's blurry image came into view. Ginny's face fell when she recognized the silver bottle clutched in his right hand.
"Harry… I'll be fine! I just need to sleep it off. Tomorrow I'll be good as new!"
"Gin, open up." Harry tilted the bottle and poured some of it onto a large spoon. Gin's eyes widened with fear as she bit down on her lip and shook her head.
"Ginny…" Harry was growing impatient as he held the spoon in his hand, trying to shove it into the stubborn red-head's mouth.
Ginny simply shook her head 'no', absolutely refusing to allow the repugnant liquid to be placed inside of her mouth.
"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, his face a bit contorted with his growing irritation. He sighed heavily and decided to try a different motive.
Carefully he placed the spoon full of medicine onto the wooden table behind him. He took a seat on the floor and held Ginny's hand. Suspiciously, Ginny looked from Harry to the spoon, the pressure she placed on her lips to keep them shut slowly easing.
"You aren't going to…" Before Ginny could finish her sentence, Harry placed the medicine in her mouth, and covered it with his hand so she couldn't spit it out.
Accepting defeat, Ginny swallowed the potion, glaring at Harry as she did so.
As soon as she was finished, Harry removed his hand and wore a satisfied smirk.
"Harry Potter, wipe that stupid smirk off of your face." Ginny grumbled, looking away from him.
Harry simply chuckled and sat down on the couch, careful not to disturb Ginny in the process. As soon as Harry was sitting next to her, she sat up, and lightly swatted him on the shoulder.
"That was cruel."
"No, that was because I didn't want you sick forever. There's a Quidditch match Friday. We can't afford to have you sitting out."
Even though she knew Harry was teasing, her face fell slightly. For a minute she thought that he genuinely cared about her well-being.
Detecting Ginny's disappointment, Harry placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up.
"And, of course, I wouldn't want you to feel miserable any longer than necessary."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny leaned her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Harry slung an arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to him.
And while Ginny fell asleep in the older boy's arms, she felt that her fevered heart just might burst.
Feedback from wonderful readers like you would be very much appreciated.
- Muriel.