Ch. 21 Ginny's Head Injury and Hermione's Promotion

I'm having to do a major re-write of chapter 22. Do not expect the next chapters to be posted as quickly as the last few have been.

By the 4th (of 5) Saturdays in September it was becoming clear that the Harpies were having an exceptional season. It was also clear that Ginny was one of the stars of the Harpies.

There were 3 new chaser recruits. None of them were a threat to Ginny being one of the first string players, but they needed another solid second string player or two. Harry quickly lost track of all the new players. None of them would be important for at least a few months.

As in the spring, being a starting chaser was a tremendous amount of excitement and fun, and also a lot of very hard work

It looked to Harry like Ginny's opponents were much more aggressive towards her during the first four weeks of the season, and every Saturday Ginny came home with bruises. This was a source of concern for Harry. Ginny was more mad than anything about the newly aggressive tactics.

"Too many of the men on the other teams think that they can intimidate me!" Ginny exclaimed after one particularly rough game. "After all I did, fighting Riddle. You would think they would know they couldn't intimidate me. Donna says I'm going to have to take one of them out to make them scared of me."

"Be careful Ginny!" Harry said. "You could get hurt trying to tackle somebody larger than you." But Ginny would not promise to be careful, just to get even with somebody one of these days.

On the fifth game there was one beater that seemed to be trying to take Ginny out. He was large, maybe two hundred fifty pounds. After about an hour it looked like the two were flying right at each other, each determined not to be the one to turn away. Harry could see that look of fierce determination on Ginny's face, and got worried. What was she planning?

At the last moment he thought he could see what Ginny was planning, and involuntarily he reached for his privates as Ginny flew the head of her broom right into the most sensitive area between her opponent's legs.

There was a terrible crash. Ginny flew off her broom and was caught by a witch on the field below as she tumbled down, apparently not conscious. She seemed to regain consciousness reasonably quickly, but she was led off the field looking a rather woozy.

Harry looked at the opposing beater. He had blood between his legs, and they had to carry him off the field. He looked like he was in agony. Harry looked around. Most of the men were a little shaken by what Ginny had apparently done to her opponent.

About half an hour later Ginny came up to the Potter/Weasley box seats. "The Son of a Boggart is out for the rest of the fall season, at least!" Ginny said. "They will not let me back in the game. Damn! Boggarts and Bollox, Damn."

"Ginny!" Molly said. "Watch your language!"

Ginny said. "He has a reputation for dominating women on and off the field. He's just escaped being put in jail for rapes. He's a SON … OF … A … BOGGART and I hope I ripped his privates off."

Molly shook her head but didn't say anything else. No one else spoke up either; Ginny was obviously in a fierce and foul mood.

Shortly after Ginny came into the box one of the young assistants came to the box and said, "Ginny, stay here in the box until Gwen and one of the healers come here to talk to you."

Ginny glared at the girl.

The assistant said, "Gwen asked me to tell you, Harry, that it is important that both of you stay until she comes here."

Ginny glared at Harry, but he acknowledged the assistant with a nod, and Ginny knew she would be stuck in the box until Gwen showed up. Bollox and Boggarts! Damn!

The game lasted another two hours until the Harpies won. They really were an exceptional team this year.

As soon as the game was over a furious Donna Lionheart came over and landed her broom right in front of Ginny. Donna all but yelled, "Merlin's messes Potter, what did you think you were doing, Boggarting yourself up like that? The Son-of-a-Dementor deserved it, took advantage of a couple of friends, but it wasn't worth you messing with your head. WHAT were you thinking, getting a head injury like that.

"DON'T EVER PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT AGAIN!

"I don't need any more hurt people in my life."

Donna looked over to where Tabitha was cowering behind her husband Bill.

"I'M NOT YELLING AT YOU, Tabitha, Oh, I'm sorry. I just did. I'm mad at Mrs. Potter, not you.

"Bollox, Boggarts.

"Messed up again. Damn this parenting is hard."

Donna gave Ginny one more brief and fierce look, but she had tears in her eyes as she turned and flew down to the field, went into the locker room to get cleaned up.

Tabitha turned to her friends and said, "Mum hasn't yelled like this after a game all year. She must be really upset. Sorry." Tabitha may have been apologizing for her mother, but she was sort of shaking and was just holding back tears.

Fifteen minutes later Donna was back. She ignored Ginny, went up to Tabitha and the two little girls from St. Mungo's who were at the game with their parents. Donna said, "I'm sorry I yelled. I'm certainly not mad at any of you. I'm just upset at Mrs. Potter." Donna gave Tabitha a big hug, and with tears right at the surface said, "Sorry," again.

Bill, Donna and Tabitha took the two students, who were classmates of Tabitha's at St. Mungo's, back to their home for a visit and snack.

About half an hour after the end of the game the only people left in the Potter/Weasley box were Harry, Ginny and Teddy. Harry and Teddy were chasing around the chairs and playing a peek a boo game, Teddy and Harry both laughing and giggling. Ginny was sitting in one of the few large overstuffed chairs with a splitting headache, seriously worried about what Gwen would say.

Finally Gwen Jones, one of the healers from the team, and healer McGraw from the mental wing of St. Mungo's came into the box. The healer from St. Mungo's examined Ginny, both with his wand and by looking at her head and asking her questions. Then they all sat down opposite Gunny. Gwen started out saying, "I told you I wouldn't have a player like Bill Lionheart on my team, Ginny. What you did was foolish. I know Quidditch is a rough game, but you did not have to endanger yourself that way."

"He was trying to intimidate me!" Ginny exclaimed.

"So now you are out of the game with a head injury," Gwen said. "How does that help the team?"

Ginny looked at Gwen, then over to Harry, then back at Gwen. She really didn't have any answer to that question.

Healer McGraw spoke next. "You are to stay home Monday. You can come back to the team Tuesday but not practice on your broom. You are not to play next week, but after the game we will examine you and see if you can play the following week. Meanwhile I have to emphasize that head injury damage is cumulative. You know Bill Lionheart."

Ginny nodded yes.

"The hit that ended his Quidditch career probably would have in any case, but he is so spacy at times not just because of that one hit but because of a history of head injuries. We can heal or even replace a lot of body parts, but once the brain goes there is not much even the best of magic can do."

"How is the player that Ginny hit?" asked Harry.

Healer McGraw said, "The plumbing and nerves are pretty delicate down there, and the head of Ginny's broom did a lot of damage. They are trying to put him back together. I don't think they will know how well everything worked for a couple of weeks.

"If you do that again, intentionally, you could be banned from Quidditch, Ginny."

"You've made your point, Ginny," Gwen said. "That's one stunt I don't ever want to see you pull again. He IS a Son of a Bitch, though, and you picked the ideal person to … Ginny, DON'T DO IT AGAIN!"

Ginny got no sympathy from Harry or the rest of the family over having to miss a game, to her frustration.

When Harry got back from work Monday afternoon Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table looking at several pieces of paper, tears in her eyes. "I can't even exercise hard, Harry," she said. "I can't fly or exercise much. Look at these instructions! I have to go to St. Mungo's for treatments every day and then sit and watch practice."

"You had better do what the healers say," Harry said. "You don't want to make things worse."

"I don't like being hurt!" Ginny said.

"I don't like having you hurt, Ginny. The way to get better is to follow the healer's instructions."

"I know, Harry. I just don't like it. Bollox and Boggarts and all the swear words my mum wished I didn't know. DAMN!"

The first week in October Ron approached Harry. "Aberforth Dumbledore is tired and wants to retire," he said. "He doesn't want to sell the place to the wrong person, though. It has the hidden passage into Hogwarts, after all. Besides, he gets a lot of dodgy characters in there, and I think we want people on our side dealing with them."

"You want the Aurors to run a place where illegal activities take place?" asked Harry.

"Don't be so naive, Harry," Ron said. "You know that a lot goes on that, if not strictly legal, is not totally forbidden either. Even some minor law breaking that Aurors put up with because it's not worth fighting it. Better to know about it than not to know about it."

"So who do you suggest?" asked Harry.

"I don't know," Ron said. "Maybe Hannah Longbottom knows somebody else who wants to run a place like her place."

Harry went over to The Leaky Cauldron to speak to Hannah, asking her, "Do you know anyone we could get to run the Hogs Head, maybe buy it? Ideally I'd like someone who we could train as … well, who would be on our side."

"Come back tonight for dinner. I just may have an ideal couple," Hannah said.

That night Harry worked until about six thirty. Ginny was going to be staying at the Harpies anyway, so he left the Ministry and arrived at the Leakey Cauldron just before seven. Hannah greeted him, but the waitress who took his order was Penelope Clearwater.

"I didn't know you worked here?" Harry said.

"I have a minor job at the Ministry, recording contracts," Penelope said. "I guess it would be interesting if you were going to get into law or property stuff, but it bores me. I'd much rather be talking to people. The problem is that I can't get paid all that much working for Hannah. Roger and I are saving to buy a place of our own."

"Roger?" Harry asked.

"Roger Davies, he's a fantastic cook and is back in the kitchen right now. He doesn't like his job any better than I like mine. We're going to get married this fall, and then pool our money and see what we can borrow to buy a place like this."

"When do you get off work?"

"About eleven. Depending on how busy we are we can get off a little sooner or later."

"I can be back here at eleven. I may have a place you could buy. Keep everything very confidential, please."

"Let me ask Roger when I go back to the kitchen."

Harry waited for his meal and Penelope, and when she came back she had a big grin on her face. "Roger and I will be waiting for you!" she exclaimed.

Harry went home, talked to Ginny a little on the mirrors. She was going to be able to play the second game in October. She also had a formal warning from the International Quidditch Association informing her that intentionally aiming for where she had taken out her opponent could get here a life ban on playing. One of the members had written her a private note saying that the ruling would hold "even if the person she took out was ALSO a Son of a Bitch."

"Nobody likes WHAT I did," Ginny said, "But no one but his teammates seem to mind WHO I did it to."

Harry turned on the telly, watched a little BBC and a little CNN International. A little before eleven he was back at the Leakey Cauldron. Shortly after eleven Penelope and Roger came out. They had Harry sit down in a booth in the back that could be shielded and made to disappear. Then Roger said, "We are all ears, Harry."

"The Hogs Head is for sale," Harry said.

"And?" Roger asked.

"Would you like to buy it and run it?" Harry asked.

"Is it profitable? It looks pretty run down," Roger said. "Grandfather says Aberforth just breaks even, but maybe that's because he never hires any of the family."

"The strictly legal stuff is marginally profitable," Harry said. "It would probably get more traffic if it was cleaner and the meals were better. The not strictly legal stuff is reasonably profitable. Aberforth doesn't talk much about that part of the Hogs Head, but Ron has promised Aberforth immunity as long as Aberforth keeps Ron informed on what is going on. It works out pretty well. We want to get another proprietor in place who can work both sides, so to speak."

"I can cook a lot better than Aberforth and what little staff he has," Roger said. "Grandpa always thought the Hogs Head dabbled in less than legal things. Of course my dad hasn't lived in Hogsmeade since way before I was born."

"Ideally you would need a couple of house elves to help with the cleaning and food prep and the like," Penelope said. "We have a little money, but not enough to buy the Hogs Head and a couple of house elves."

"I can loan you a couple of house elves, I think," Harry said. "They are sort of undercover Potter/Weasley house elves. I think we can make the finances work out too."

"Where are we going to get the money?" Penelope asked.

"With the extra money from being undercover Aurors and maybe a loan from, well, you are just not going to say who the loan is from, I think we can work it out," Harry said. "You are going to have to get some training, and it's maybe not the safest job you could get, but if everything works out you should have a nice establishment paid for reasonably quickly."

It took all fall to work out everything, including secretly getting Roger and Penelope some Auror training, but before Christmas they were working with Aberforth and it was announced that they were going to be buying the Hogs Head.

It ended up taking another twelve months to train Roger and Penelope and the house elves and make the transition, but when they were done Harry was going to have another couple of undercover people in a part of the Wizarding world that had a lot of Witches and Wizards that lived in rural areas and were at the least unsocial and at the worst very bad people

Harry found out, and approved, of spending about a million galleons a year on basic research, half in and funded by the Swiss part of the Potter money, the other half from the other part of the Potter money. There really were two separate estates, well maybe three. There was the Swiss money, which really was separate. There was the original, totally owned by Harry, Potter and Black estates, which were being kept separate even though Bill was also managing it, and the rest of the estates, the money inherited because Harry defeated Riddle.

The house at 13 Grimmauld Place was not going to be available for more than a year. The family living in it was eager to have a confirmed buyer. They knew that they would be moving in a little over a year, and were eager to have the house sold before they did have to move, but wanted to stay in the house if possible. This was really not a problem for Ron and Hermione. They were both too busy that they really did not have time to remodel a new house. It was easy to commute by floo from the apartment over the Hogsmeade store, and besides the price was right.

Harry and Hermione found out that if they purchased the house with the right to the attic right away they could let the family live in the house and by having Harriet Tubman live in Hermione's house Hermione could own a house elf, and have Harriet and Hermione work together at the ministry as well as at her house. Winky was at the apartment in Hogsmeade some of the time, but most of the time Hermione was at the Ministry Winky was there, not helping at all with Ministry work but getting Hermione and anyone else on Hermione's command coffee or food from the cafeteria and otherwise acting as Hermione's personal assistant.

If Hermione needed some paper or something else right away Winky would get it if she could, but Winky would never file anything or replace anything that was outside of Hermione's personal space.

Hermione was embarrassed to own house elves. Ron kidding Hermione about owning 'slaves,' but it was hard to think of Harriet as a slave. She's a touchy and independent employee or servant, but not a slave. Winky was almost a slave, but Hermione and Harriet tried not to upset or abuse her, and Winky slowly became happier.

Meanwhile Harriet and Winky really did help Hermione get more work done, and within the next 12 months Hermione and T.T. Chang had completely revised the Potions textbooks for the first time. There would be several more revisions.

October 2 there was another complication for Hermione. Many people in the ministry had noticed that Hermione's division of The Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures was functioning with efficiency and openness that could be a model for the Ministry and that the rest of the department was as dysfunctional as ever. Pincus Absemuntus was almost old enough to retire, and Kingsley approached a subcommittee of the Wizengamot about giving Pincus an opportunity to retire early on a full pension, something he gladly took. Of course this left Hermione in full charge of the department after only a year there. All the clerks in the department found out that they had better do what they were told. Hermione fired two of the least productive and cooperative clerks within the first week, and after that got more work out of the rest, more effective and efficient work. The best of the staff was delighted to work for Hermione, and the rest of the staff was at least afraid of her and worked as hard as they could to do her will.

Sunday October 8th the family gathered together, with lots of excited conversations, and Arthur finally got up at the Brunch table and said, "I think we need to hear from all the family members one at a time. The last two weeks have been very busy. Ginny, you first."

"I'm cleared to go back to playing next week," Ginny said.

"She's been warned about head injuries," Harry added.

"I'm fine, Harry," Ginny said.

Harry said, "It's never a good idea to ram your head into anything."

Ginny said, "I think I've heard that a thousand times and I DON'T need to hear it anymore."

Quickly changing the subject Arthur said, "Harry?"

"I feel like the winter before the Battle of Hogwarts. I know things are getting done, but nothing is moving fast enough," Harry said. Ron nodded in agreement. Neither of them really wanted to talk about Penelope and Roger Davis, or the kidnapped girls.

"I know you have had an exciting week, Hermione," Arthur said.

"Exciting, stressful, and full of tension." Hermione said. "Pincus was retired and I'm now in charge of the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. I've had to fire two of the staff the first week. The best of the staff is Harriet, in one way. She knows more than anyone else and works harder than anyone else. She's just about as tactful as running down somebody with a lorry, or Ginny's little counter-attack last weekend. I think she's half Goblin."

"Maybe we can look on the Tapestry and see if she IS part Goblin," Harry said.

"It's just a figure of speech," Hermione said. "I don't think Goblins and house elves can marry."

"You saw Goblin wives at the funeral of Fletcher," Harry said. "Are you sure?" Harry thought back to the time he spent in China with the elves. There was a lot of history that Harry thought had been lost, or that at least witches and wizards didn't know.

"Sometimes I think that the older I get the less sure I am of anything," Hermione said. "What seemed simple when I was a student at Hogwarts sure seems a lot more complicated now."

There was a long discussion about the problems Hermione's appointment, and how she was using Harriet and even Winky, were causing with the Wizengamot and the administration of the Ministry, something that Percy was deeply involved with. "We are breaking precedents left and right," Percy said. "I don't think anyone in the Ministry has been immune to attacks. I've been called all sorts of names because I'm part of this family and I'm not taking sides against what Harry and Hermione, and if the whole truth be known Dad and Kingsley, are trying to do."

"Percy, you rebel!" George exclaimed. "It's about time you joined the family."

"I can't tell you how helpful Percy has been," Hermione said. "I'm glad Kingsley is not related to us because our family has been accused of running the Ministry. There are plenty in the old guard accusing us of ruining the Ministry"

As Kreacher says, "Changing everythings, subversive," said Harry laughing.

Arthur said, "There might be more problems except that all this is coming while most of the attention of the Wizarding Community is focused on Dolores Umbridge."

"That pretty well ties up Fridays," Harry said. "I think people get over a death sooner than they get over the kind of petty torture and meanness Dolores was famous for."

"Like your scar on your hand, and mine here," Ginny pointed to where the one on her breast was, "AND here," pointing down between her legs, where the scar that was only visible in part when Ginny was wearing very short knickers. "Umbridge didn't do all of it, but she taught people, and she is probably responsible for over half the people with scars physical and emotional. I hope you have a suitable torture ready for her!"

"Torture breeds torture," Harry replied. "She is going to be confined for the rest of her life, and I'm beginning to think it's for her own protection as much as anything. No cute cats or frilly, floozy decorations on the walls. She's going to be warm enough in the winter and well enough fed, but she is not going to be allowed to correspond with anyone."

Ginny got a snarky smile. "You are not going to let her decorate her cell with pink curtains with CATS all over them."

Hermione said, "Cats are too good for her."

"Except half-Kneazle cats that are ready to attack you at any moment," Ron said.

"Mum always had cats," Hermione said. "They are easy pets to have."

"Your mum never had a half-Kneazle monster. Crookshanks is still suspicious of me," Ron said.

"You're not exactly friendly towards him!" Hermione exclaimed. "Just because he likes sleeping in our bedroom."

"It's not when we're sleeping I mind him. It's creepy having him watch when … Oh, never mind."

"When what?" asked George. "There's evidence that Angelina and I don't just SLEEP in our …"

Angelina interrupted with, "GEORGE, enough,"

Ginny was laughing as she said, "Crookshanks has to have a LOT of patience to watch you two."

"Good afternoon, Narcissa," Molly said.

"Good afternoon, Molly. From what I read and hear your family has been busy."

"Not all of what my family has been doing has been good, Narcissa. Ginny has a lot of people mad at her."

"I'm glad she never attacked Draco like that or I might never have a grandchild," said Narcissa, laughing. "I understand that Ginny may have just done the man a favor by making it harder to rape anyone. Nothing like castration, to slow down a sex fiend."

"No one seems to mind who Ginny attacked, but the nature of the confrontation got her in trouble. We are all worried about her head injury. Ginny's cleared to go back to playing next week. Meanwhile the whole Ministry seems to be involved in the trial of Dolores Umbridge."

"I'm glad I never had to meet her, Molly. Your daughter-in-law seems to be making waves in the ministry."

"Hermione is a very hard worker, and also very smart. What is surprising is that Hermione, who is so much in favor of house elf rights, is now the owner of two elves. Well, she is really the owner of one elf, Winky. Harriet may legally be Hermione's house elf, but she's more independent than many witches."

"Harriet sounds like a real character. You have the most interesting family."

"There's never a dull moment. Usually I love it. Usually.

"How is the romance between Draco and Astoria Greengrass?"

"It's a strange relationship. They go to see Lucius often, which doesn't make me feel real good. I just don't trust that man any more. Draco sees him every month, and I can't say I like the person he is when he comes back from Azkaban.

"Draco and Astoria is almost more like a business deal in the making. She wants to be married to Draco, I guess, so she doesn't have to work and she gets to be the queen of Malfoy Manor or something like that, but she isn't all that affectionate towards Draco or anybody. And Draco seems to be putting up with it because he doesn't have another girl, but he is not all that enthusiastic. I've tried to talk to both of them about their relationship but haven't gotten anywhere.

"Druella, my Mum, is happy that Draco is apparently marrying a pure blood, although she is a little upset that they are not more affectionate. And Lucius's mother Godiva likes the fact that Astoria is a relative and a pure blood. In some way she seems the happiest. I just don't know what her relationship was with Lucius's father. I never saw much affection but they seemed to be partners.

"You and Arthur seem to still be in love. I envy you that."

"Well you don't have eight children without a certain amount of physical affection, but if we had a child for each time we did it we could fill up Hogwarts every year. I love Arthur, and I know he loves me, and yes we have always been physically affectionate with each other. It's good."

Molly reached out to hold Narcissa's hands. "It's real good. I am so blessed to have the love of a good man. I think all my children have made good marriages too."