Chapter 12
'Vulnera Solanis.' Healer Alberto Silva spoke the incantation and for a minute nothing happened. Ginny's head moved and she gave a groan. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and leaned toward her but the healer held him back. "Not yet Mr Potter, let her wake a bit more." Her eyes fluttered open, and then closed again. Even the dim light hurt her eyes. The healer said softly, "Take your time, Miss Weasley, there's no rush. Now, how do you feel?"
"Head… ache," this through a dry throat. The healer passed his wand over her forehead.
"Your headache will clear in a couple of minutes. Anything else?"
"Thirsty…" Silva moistened a tissue and dabbed it on her lips, which Ginny licked eagerly, he gave her a drink.
"Slowly, and not too much at first." Her eyes were open now and Harry came forward.
"Ginny…" he said softly. She focussed on him.
"Who… who are you? She asked. "I don't know you. Where am I?" Silva eased Harry back again.
"You are in hospital, Ginevra, you had an accident but you have no lasting injuries. There are some more people here to see you." He waved Molly and Arthur forward.
"Ginny, darling. You're going to be alright dear. You just relax and get well." Molly was struggling to speak at all.
"Sorry… but I don't know you either." She looked across the room at Ron and George. "I don't know you, any of you. Please… I'm scared. What happened to me?" Silva took charge again,
"Can you tell me your name, your full name?" they could clearly see her concentrating,
"I… I don't remember, why don't I remember? Please… please help me."
"Stay calm now, you're in no danger here. Try to relax. Now I want you to try and remember a name, any name, any name at all." Again the concentration,
"Er… Brian… Um… Clapstone. I remember Brian Clapstone."
"And who is Brian?"
"Er… I don't know. I feel like I should, but I don't."
"Okay, don't worry about it. You rest now, I'll be back shortly." Silva indicated that everybody should leave the room. They filed out with Harry and Silva at the rear. It was as Harry reached the door that he and Silva heard Ginny say quietly,
"Draco! Er… Molloy, I remember Draco Molloy." The two returned to the bed.
"Who is he, Ginny?"
"I… I'm not sure, but I think he might be my… boyfriend. I seem to remember kissing him." Harry walked out of the room in a daze.
The Weasley's gathered around Silva along with Harry, Hermione and Draco. Silva started with a question. "Who is Brian Clapstone?"
"He's the drummer in the Weird Sisters." George answered, "Ginny was a big fan, but that was a long time ago." Draco didn't wait for the question.
"I'm Draco Malfoy."
"That's close enough, she remembers you." He thought for a minute, "Okay, Mr Malfoy, go in and speak to her. Do not question her directly. Keep it fairly light. Talk about any memories you might share. Just give her clues. If she asks any questions, answer honestly. Keep it to five minutes or so but if she becomes agitated cut it short. Any questions?" Draco looked at Hermione, who smiled encouragement at him,
"Go on, Draco, go and help her."
Molly put her hand on his arm, "Please Malfoy, help my girl, please." Draco covered her hand with his,
"I'll do whatever I can, Mrs Weasley, I promise I'll do my best." He went into Ginny's room, leaving the door ajar.
Hermione addressed Silva, "I'm Hermione, and I'm Ginny's best friend. Do you think she might remember me?"
"Maybe. Give Mr Malfoy a couple of minutes, and then go in. Keep to the same guidelines."
Draco approached the bed. Ginny's eyes were closed. "Ginny?" her eyes opened.
"Draco!"
"Hello Red. How are you feeling?"
"Better now that I see someone I know. I remember you calling me Red. That's good isn't it? How did I get here, was I hit in the head by a bludger? Er… hang on, what's a… bludger?"
"Don't worry about that now, you just concentrate on getting well. What do you remember about me?
"I seem to have a memory of us kissing. Did we?"
"Yes we did. It was a long time ago. Do you remember how it happened?
"Um… I was… Quidditch. It's a game, isn't it? Yes, I remember I won a game, and you said well done and gave me a prize. That's what the kiss was. My prize."
"Very good Red. Anything else you remember me for?" she thought hard. Now she looked mystified.
"I don't, or at least I didn't, like you very much. Why didn't I like you Draco? You seem nice."
"No, you didn't like me and with good reason, but that's a long, long story. Harry was here earlier, are you sure you don't remember him?" another pause for thought.
"No sorry. Who is he?"
"He's your boyfriend. You love each other very much, Red, and he's very worried about you."
"But Draco, you're my boyfriend…" she paused as the door opened and Hermione came in. A frown crossed Ginny's face, "Who…"
"My name's Hermione. We've been best friends for years…" the frown deepened and Ginny shook her head.
"No! You're not my friend, you're here to take Draco away from me! Draco, please… don't let her, make her go away. I hate her." A knot twisted in Hermione's stomach and pain etched her face. She had to leave.
"It's okay Red, she's gone. It was the truth you know; you two have been best friends for seven or eight years. You're just like sisters. Try and rest Red, I'll come back soon. Try to sleep." He left the room as well.
Outside the room Draco re-joined the others. "Sorry everyone, that didn't go too well." Healer Silva responded,
"Don't be so sure, Ginevra obviously has some memories and while they are confused they do have some basis in fact. I have sent for Healer Vasily Valentinov. He is our resident memory recovery expert. He came to us from the Moscow Institute ten years ago. If anyone can fix Ginny's problem, he can. It's ironic that given his job title, he still has trouble finding his way around the hospital."
Around a corner came a tall man with a shock of wiry grey hair that surrounded his head like a halo. Even smiling, the face looked sad and mournful, broad shoulders and an erect posture cut an imposing figure. "Ah, there you are Silva, tell me about my patient." His English was excellent. "These people are family and friends, yes? They can all go home. Once I begin nobody will see the patient until I am finished. I will need the rest of today and possibly tomorrow morning as well."
"We'll stay." Said Molly. Valentinov was uncompromising.
"It's your choice, but you will not see the patient and I do not give progress reports. You can stay here or in the comfort of your own home. It's up to you."
"Let's go home, Molly. There's nothing we can do here and we can be back quickly when the time comes. I'm sure Ginny will be well looked after." Arthur led Molly, protesting mildly, to the hospital apparating area.
"We'll go back to Hogwarts." Hermione decided, Draco and Harry concurred. They took the floo network back to the apartment. Harry stayed another night with them, now no longer fazed by the sleeping arrangements.
Harry returned to St. Mungo's next morning after an early breakfast. He had not slept long or well. The events of the previous couple of days had left Hermione almost exhausted. Her eyes had closed as soon as she laid her head on Draco's shoulder. "Sleep well, sweetheart."
"Mmm" was the only response she could manage before sleep overtook her. A few minutes later Draco picked up his wand from the bedside.
"Lumos midi." In the soft wand-light he looked at the girl sleeping on his shoulder, her body's length close against his. You are so beautiful, he thought, why, why did I take so long to see it? I can't believe someone would try to hurt you for the simple reason that I love you. I will do everything in my power to prevent something like this happening again. He did know of a way to put an end to all this nonsense, but for many reasons, at the moment it was an impractical, not to say preposterous, idea. "Nox." The picture of Hermione's head on his shoulder still filled his vision as he fell asleep.
Harry had left them a hurriedly scribbled note explaining that he was going back to the hospital and thanking them for their hospitality. Draco and Hermione were on the sofa when Gabby brought them coffee and the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. "Mister Draco, Miss Hermione, the elves is hearing of what is happened to Miss Wheezy. We is all sad and we is hoping she is becoming un-ill very quick." Hermione was moved.
"Thank you, Gabby. That's very kind, please tell all the elves I said thank you and I'll tell Ginny when I see her. Thank you." The elf bowed low and disappeared back to the kitchens.
Draco picked up the paper, "You can be mother." He said, indicating the coffee pot and yawning as he spoke.
"I hope so, but not just yet." After the last two days a little humour was in order, she thought. "Although…" she took her diary from her handbag and opened it. "Draco… I… I'm a day late."
"For what?"
"What do you think? Why do girls worry about something being 'late'?" he hadn't even opened the paper yet.
"I don't kn… wait you don't mean…" He was wide awake and paying attention now.
"Yeah, but it's only a day. That's not unusual for me. I'll let you know when to start worrying." He was staring at her. "What?" she asked.
"Oh nothing, I was just trying to imagine you with a big belly. Can I read the paper now?" he didn't wait for an answer, but opened the folded paper. An article on page two caught his eye. It concerned a fifteen-year-old Durmstrang student who was claiming that he had solved the problem of magical interference with anything electronic. Draco was interested. Very interested. If the claims were correct then this young man could be worth a fortune. He decided he had to move on this and quickly. He had to see his corporate lawyers. He had to get them moving. Today. "Are you going to St. Mungo's this morning?"
"Yes, of course. Why?"
"I've got some urgent business to take care of in London." They were ready to leave in ten minutes. They separated at the hospital floo station. Draco apparated to his lawyer's office and being a Malfoy he didn't have to wait, but was shown straight into the office of the senior partner, Thomas Justinian. He wasted no time in explaining what he wanted. "Get somebody to Durmstrang today and sign this boy, Anders Lindstrom, to a solid contract with Malfoy Enterprises. Offer him a salary he can't refuse and promise him all the research facilities he could wish for. There are only two conditions. He must transfer to Hogwarts. If this thing turns out as big as I think it will, I want him where I can keep an eye on him. The second condition is that he will complete his education. If he has a family move them to this country as well."
"We have an office near Durmstrang so we won't need to send anyone from here. We'll sign him on a standard contract by the end of the day and a tighter, individual one in the next week. Is there likely to be any competition?"
"I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. Sondergards perhaps. That's why we have to move now. Top any offer anyone else makes. Give me a report as soon as possible; I'll probably be at St. Mungo's for most of the day and then back at Hogwarts. Also start on the preliminaries to set up a subsidiary company, Malfoy Electronics will do for now. Allocate ten per cent of the company to my mother, and another ten per cent in the name of Hermione Jean Granger, that will change later to Malfoy."
"Yes, I heard of your engagement, my congratulations to you. Your fiancée is muggle born I believe."
"Is that a problem Mr Justinian?" Draco asked sharply, wondering how the news had travelled so fast.
"No, not at all. My wife is a half blood. It doesn't matter to me in the slightest, and please call me Tommy, all my clients do." Draco left to return to the hospital. There goes a very impressive young man, the lawyer thought. Decisive and determined, he was the equal of his father at the same age. Justinian prided himself on being a fair man, never padding his invoices, never ripping off his clients. He would treat the young Malfoy the same and looked forward to a long; and therefore lucrative, association. This Granger girl, he would have his muggle associates check out her and her family. It was always useful to know if there were any skeletons in the closet.
Shortly after ten o'clock, Draco arrived outside Ginny's room. Mr and Mrs Weasley, George, Harry and, his heart lifted, Hermione were waiting. "Is there any news yet?" he asked.
"Not yet." A glum Arthur Weasley replied. "He's been in there for seventeen straight hours; God only knows what he's doing. Healer Silva went in about an hour ago."
It was half an hour later when Silva came out. "Mrs Weasley, would you come in please? Just you for the moment." Molly stood up, visibly shaking. The others smiled encouragement at her.
Silva closed the door and Molly saw Ginny sitting up, but with her eyes downcast, watching the fingers that plucked nervously at her bedcovers. Stopping by the bed, Molly said softly, "Ginny?" A tear dripped from the tip of her nose as she looked up.
"I'm sorry Mummy, I'm sorry I didn't know you. It was horrible Mum…" Molly embraced her only daughter,
"Shhh baby, its okay I understand. You did nothing to be sorry for." to Valentinov she said. Almost whispered, "I don't know how to thank you, doctor. I'm so grateful." A slight incline of the head was his only response. Silva called Arthur and George. George gave her an extra kiss from Ron, telling her that he would visit later; he didn't want to be around Hermione and Draco. As far as he was concerned this was entirely their fault, and he no longer trusted himself to keep his temper in their company. Most certainly not in Ginny's hospital room.
Outside the room Hermione was sitting between Draco and Harry. Her left hand was gripping Draco's right. If she squeezed much harder he would need to get his hand checked before leaving the hospital. "Relax Hermione, I don't mind a little pain but this is ridiculous." Before she could reply, Silva appeared and called them in.
They approached the bed. "Hermione, Draco, great to see you and… who is this with you? Hello," she smiled sweetly, "my name's Ginny. What's yours?" Harry stopped dead in his tracks; there was panic in his face and in his head. She doesn't remember me! Why does she remember everyone else and not me? Ginny held out her hand to him. "That's the face I wanted to see, Harry. It's a real picture. Come here…" the smile left her face as Harry scowled, turned on his heel and quickly left the room.
"Harry?" now it was Ginny's turn to panic
Hermione started to follow him. Draco stopped her, "No, love. Stay here I'll go after him." he hurried out of the room. Hermione turned to her distraught friend in the bed.
"It was just a joke 'Ne. I was just winding him up. Why did he leave?"
"I don't know, Ginny. Don't go getting too upset now. He'll soon realise it was a joke."
"Hermione's right, Ginny. He'll be back soon." Molly did not sound convinced.
Draco returned. Alone. "He disapparated before I could stop him. Hermione, let's go back to Hogwarts and see if he is there." Hermione agreed. Molly had her arms around her sobbing daughter.
