Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, locations and content belongs to and is trademarked by J.K Rowling. This is intended for entertainment only.
Harry Potter lay sprawled across his bed with both feet dangling over the edge. His snores were heard throughout the tent but they did not rouse the other Aurors. He looked gaunt and ghostly beneath his messy mop of striking salt and pepper hair. Harry's beard was scruffy and unkempt and his round glasses sat forgotten, hanging crookedly off the end of his nose. Wrinkles lined his forehead and the edge of his mouth, yet he did not look his thirty-eight years. Harry awoke suddenly and hastily kicked off the blankets that lay over him. He glanced around the dark tent and pushed his glasses up his nose as he strained his ears. His stomach dropped and the hairs on his arms stood up. Harry crept over to each of his coworkers and woke them with a shake of their shoulders. Harry placed his finger to his lips but his fellow Aurors were already on high alert. Harry wasn't sure what was wrong but his gut told him that something was very wrong indeed. A stick crunched under foot in the distance and so Harry chose that moment to raise his wand and cast a non-verbal Homenum revelio. The spell revealed hundreds of people walking through the dense forest, not far from where their tent was strategically placed by a large bush. Harry knew that no one could see their tent without having to break several spells. However, Harry felt suddenly vulnerable which was rare for him these days.
"Get everything packed as quickly as possible. We leave in one minute" whispered Harry.
Wands were raised and spells were flying around the tent until all the important documents that had been hazardously piled on the floor were now contained in a secure moleskin bag that Harry wore around his neck, hidden beneath his clothes. As per emergency protocol, all but two Aurors apparated to a local safe house so that they could floo back to the Ministry. Harry, of course, stayed behind with Auror Bones. They carefully exited the tent and packed it up with a couple flicks of their wands so that no evidence of their mission was left behind. Harry observed the people walking through the forest. They wore ripped dark coloured clothing with coats to their ankles and mangled scarves wrapped around their mouths. Their outfits were topped with black, jagged hats causing them to look sinister in the moonlight. Harry stared at one man that walked by, certain that he had seen him before. The man seemed to feel Harry's eyes on him and turned straight in his direction. His eyes should have been unseeing due to all the protection that had been cast over their hide out, yet his eyes pierced Harry's. Harry's wand was out in seconds but their protection had already dropped. There was a blur of movement as Harry shot spell after spell at the hundreds of men and women that stood surrounding him in the forest. With a simple thought of Protegro, Harry had a shield expanding out in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Auror Bones go down in a flash of red. At the sight of blood pouring from his friend and colleague's chest all of Harry's self preservation went out the window. Harry sprinted to where Auror Bones lay, placed an emergency porkey in her hand and held onto her for dear life as it glowed blue. Just as the world began to spin over twenty different curses were flung at Harry with the very intention to maim him before he escaped. Harry yelled out in pain before blacking out with his arm wrapped around Auror Bone's elbow.
Ginny Potter sat in her office glaring at her half-finished article. She had been trying to come up with a good ending but couldn't seem to find the words that described the way Puddlemere United had simply slaughtered the Cudley Cannons for yet another year. The quidditch game hadn't even lasted an hour before the Puddlemere seeker had caught the snitch during a particularly daring dive. With a huff, Ginny stood and began to pace around her small office. She looked at the photos and memorabilia that were scattered around the walls and balanced on the edges of shelves. The room was painted a dark green and had golden trimming that lined the edges of each wall. These colours highlighted Ginny's love for her old quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. Ginny admired her study and glanced fondly at the latest family photograph. In the photo Harry stood with one arm wrapped fondly around Ginny's waist and his other hand on top of James' head. James pushed Harry's hand off and elbowed Albus in the side. Lily was laughing from her spot by Albus and tackled both brothers to the ground much to the amusement of her parents. Ginny was startled from her thoughts when a beautiful otter patronus landed in the office. The otter opened its mouth and spoke.
"It's Harry, he's hurt. He landed in the Atrium only seconds ago when I was heading to the floo. He's been sent to St. Mungos. I'll meet you in the foyer in a minute" said Hermione hurriedly before her patronus disappeared.
Dread washed over Ginny as she ran around Pickled Cottage—named by Harry because of the poem Ginny wrote when she was 11—trying to find her bag. It wasn't until she had ransacked the whole house that she remembered she could use magic.
"Accio black handbag" yelled Ginny and within seconds Ginny's handbag was clutched in her outstretched hand.
With a loud pop Ginny was gone. She arrived in St Mungos to find Hermione waiting for her by the front desk. Ginny saw the tears on Hermione's face and the despair in her eyes. She ran up to Hermione.
"Where is Harry?" whispered Ginny.
Hermione said nothing. She simply began to walk down the corridor. Ginny followed close on Hermione's heals. They took several turns and walked up a flight of stairs before they reached a small white door. Ginny didn't even hesitate, she pulled open the door and stepped into the stark white room. Muggle like machines were buzzing and potions lined a table in the corner of the room. But Ginny saw only Harry who lay unconscious in the bed. His chest was barely moving, odd shaped lumps and welts lined his arms and a purple bruise closed Harry's eyes shut. Ginny gave a shudder and silently walked up to Harry's bed to take his limp hand in her own. Hermione hovered, unsure what to do. They stood in silence for several minutes.
"Do you want me to send a message to Neville? Everyone else is already on their way but I wasn't sure if you wanted the boys pulled out of their lessons" said Hermione in a whisper.
Ginny glared at Hermione.
"Do you really think I care about their lessons when my noble prat of a husband lies unconscious in St Mungos?" shouted Ginny.
"Of course not! Ginny, how could you even…I…the kids are still young…I wasn't sure if you wanted them to see their father, Harry, like this…"
"Can you get a message to the school? The kids need to be here" Ginny said, suddenly calm.
"Forgive me? I'm a git. I shouldn't have yelled at you when you were just trying to help" Ginny said sheepishly.
Hermione gave a stiff nod to acknowledge her apology and brushed her curly brown hair behind her ears.
"I'll just be outside if you need me, should I let the others come in when they get here?" said Hermione as she opened the door.
Ginny simply nodded and began to transfigure a comfy chair for herself to sit on while she held onto Harry's calloused hands. Minutes passed by slowly as friends and family trickled into the spacious hospital room in which Harry lay. Ginny was hunched over, lost in her own thoughts. She barely even registered the conversations that floated around the room. All she could picture was Harry's face three months ago before he left for the Auror mission that seemed to have brought only injuries. They were no closer to figuring out who the insurgents were that had begun to terrorise people around Europe. Harry had given James a hug and whispered in his ear which made James blush and laugh. Next Harry had turned to Albus who stood quietly off to the side. Harry had hugged him and tapped his nose—a secrete signal—that he used to do with Albus when he was young. Harry had been part-way turned when Lily had jumped into his arms and squeezed him tight. Lily had sobbed and begged for Harry to stay but as he had told them all previously, since the mission was so dangerous, Kingsley had requested Harry take part himself. Even the famous Harry Potter can't say no to the Minister of Magic. That final day together, all those months ago, Harry had pulled Teddy into a hug before he had gazed into Ginny's blazing eyes and snogged her like their first kiss in the Gryfindor common room all those years ago. With a pop he had disappeared. Ginny didn't realise she was crying until she felt the tears splatter on top of their joined hands. The door suddenly slammed open.
"Mum!" cried Lily as she ran to Ginny.
Lily's face was tear streaked and she had snot running down her face. Ginny's parents walked through the door with Hugo in tow and went to stand by the other side of Harry's bed. Albus and James burst through the door shortly after and froze at the sight of their sick father. As an Auror Harry had been in hospital many times before but never had he been unconscious or in such a bad shape that the kids needed to be excused from Hogwarts. Ginny pulled her children into a hug and whispered words of comfort in their ears, something that Ginny hadn't done for many months now that the boys had both started Hogwarts. Ginny really looked around the room then and saw for the first time what she had missed while she was stuck in her own thoughts. Ron and Hermione stood by the door wrapped in each other's arms. Ron's forehead was pressed against Hermione's shoulder and they were both shaking slightly as they looked at Harry. Hugo stood by their sides with his hand clutching his mother's coat. Ginny caught Ron's eye and gave him a watery smile. Next to Ron and Hermione stood Bill and Fleur. Fleur's face was buried in Bill's chest and she was notably sobbing. George and Angelina sat on the window sill and whispered quietly to each other, fingers grasped tightly together. Her Mum and Dad had transfigured a bench for themselves and sat side by side, within reach of Harry's other arm. In the far corner stood Percy and Audrey. Audrey had her arm draped through Percy's and was gazing at him. Ginny had never been in a room this quiet that contained all her siblings and sister-in-laws. She was used to Ron and Hermione's constant bickering, Bill and Fleur's rapid conversations that were a mix of French and English, Angelina and George's pranks, Audrey and Percy's debates and her Mum and Dad's stories from when they were younger. Ginny had just wiped the tears from her face when a stricken Teddy—with Victorie close behind—rushed into the room. He took one look at Harry and suddenly acquired a greenish tinge. Lily, Albus and James stumbled forwards upon seeing Teddy before crushing him into a hug. They were unfazed when Teddy pushed them away, grabbed a bin and promptly threw up. Ginny walked over to Teddy and rubbed his back.
"Harry is going to be alright you know. He's survived the killing curse twice and has broken more bones than just about anyone I know, which is saying something, since I used to play professional quidditch. We just need to be patient" Ginny whispered.
"Mum" sobbed Teddy.
He put down the rubbish bin so that he could wrap his gangly arms around Ginny. It was not often that Teddy would say Mum. In fact, he was seven when he last called Ginny that. To both Harry and Ginny, Teddy was their child despite the fact that he lived with his Grandma most of the time. But he only ever called them Mum or Dad when he was extremely frightened, anxious or worried. A commotion at the door caused Teddy and Ginny to lift their heads. What they saw in the doorway surprised them. A soot covered Rose, Roxanne, Fred II, Dominique, Molly II, Louis and Lucy were frozen in the doorway. They were gazing at their parents and it was clear from their worried expressions that they were expecting an explosion.
"What are you lot doing here?" asked James in surprise.
"We're here to see Uncle Harry, obviously," replied Rose. "When Professor Longbottom wouldn't let us come with you we decided that we had to break out of Hogwarts and come to see Uncle Harry on our own. We broke into the Headmasters office and used his floo since the fireplaces in our common rooms don't lead out of the school grounds."
"It wasn't fair that only the Potter's got to come!" yelled Roxanne.
"He's our Uncle Harry," Fred II piped up. "He lets us use his invisibility cloak and everything!"
"Well he is my godfather," stated Rose "And Weasley-Potter's always stick together!"
Ginny and the older Weasley's stood gob-smacked. Molly groaned.
"It's like our kids all over again, why do we have to be related to such a bag of misfits?" muttered Molly before she laughed quietly to herself.
Harry chose this moment to open his eyes.
Teddy saw movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Dad?" whispered Teddy.
All eyes swung to Harry. He appeared to be opening his eyes but they were almost swollen shut.
"Whatzhappening?" mumbled Harry confusedly.
All the Weasley- Potter's took this moment to crowd around the bed and pepper Harry with questions.
"What happened this time, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Are you alright Harry?" questioned Hermione.
"You look awful mate…actually now that I think about it, no different than usual, you specky git" said George with a laugh, which was followed by a thump and a yelp of pain that made Harry immediately think of Angelina.
"Harry…what have we told you about your 'saving people thing'?" said Audrey.
"Looks like you've got a new scar Dad. How many is that now?" proclaimed James with a wicked grin.
"ENOUGH!" bellowed Ginny.
Harry's eyes swung towards the sound of Ginny's voice. He thought for a moment that he could make out the brown of her eyes amongst the haze of ginger but Harry was forced to acknowledge that it was wishful thinking. Through heavy lids and already poor eyesight, Harry could see nothing but black, orange, pale yellow, brown and blue. The myriad of colours that was his family's hair. His family. Those two words side by side still caused Harry's heart to flutter. All those years of being alone in a house full of relatives that hated him and now Harry had a massive family that he loved and whom loved him. Ginny squeezed his hand which caused Harry to flinch.
"Harry?" whispered Ginny, as she leaned forwards so that he could see her better.
"Ginny? I'm sorry. I'm the world's biggest git. Forgive your most 'desirable' husband?" croaked Harry.
He thought for a moment that Ginny would hex him but she simply gave a breathless laugh and gently lay a kiss on the lightning bolt scar that sat on his forehead.
"Oi! That's my sister you prat!" yelled Ron, before he was promptly shushed by Molly, Hermione and Rose.
Harry laughed which caused his body to spasm in pain. In a far corner of Harry's mind he knew that with the sheer number of curses that hit him earlier that day, he should not be conscious let alone laughing at Ron. Harry could feel his energy depleting just as quickly as it came.
"How's Susan?" wheezed Harry.
"You got her out of there just in time. She's going to make it" said Hermione.
"Dad" said Lily as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd and stood beside her mother.
"Lily-Lu…," whispered Harry, distracted by the blurry figure of his daughter. "You've gone and grown again. You promised you wouldn't grow until I got back, remember?"
"I couldn't help it, sorry Dad. Would you have preferred I stayed elf-sized like Mum for the rest of my life?"
"Hey!" said Ginny in fake seriousness. "You'll pay for this Potter, turned my daughter against me".
"She's right though Ginny, you are awfully small. It's quite unnatural really" said Teddy with a grin.
Ginny mock-glared at Teddy for a moment before turning to face George, James and Dominique, all of who were in a sudden debate about whether Ginny was in fact a witch and not some other type of half-elf half-human creation.
As the hospital room filled with varying arguments and debates, Weasley's and Potter's shouting over the top of each other, Harry Potter was forgotten. With a quick wink to Albus who was watching out of the corner of his eye, Harry closed his eyes. Despite the immense, agonising pain, Harry was happy to fall asleep to the sounds of his family's bickering and laughter.