See I was so desolate before you came to me

Looking back

I guess it shows that we were destined

To shine over the rain to appreciate

The gift of what we have

And I'd go through it all over again

To be able to feel

This way

Thank God I found you

I was lost without you

My every wish and every dream

Somehow became reality

When you brought the sunlight

Completed my whole life

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

See baby I'm so thankful I found you

-Mariah Carey Thank God I Found You

Chapter Thirty-Four: Mending The Broken Part 1

The remaining friends stood firm on not telling anything about what had happened minus what happened to Hermione and Daphne until Viktor arrived. Though McGonagall was quite upset, she respected their wishes, even though she knew it would probably take a day or so for word to get to him.

Ginny and Draco locked themselves in Draco's room with Ginny not really wanting to speak to anyone but him. She had been unnerved by the way Rodolphus had spoke about her. Blaise crashed in his room as well, leaving Ron and Harry to sit and worry in the Slytherin common room.

Ron paced back and forth while Harry just stared at the dancing flames in the fireplace. Each man was fuming with rage, fear, and dread over what happened to their women, and not being able to be at their side at the moment.

"What do you think they were got with?" asked Harry after about 10 minutes of angry silence.

Ron finally stopped pacing and looked at him. "Dark shit, mate." said Ron "From the way Mione was acting, it was like she was back at Malfoy's being tortured by that bitch Bellatrix."

"Daphne was screaming and moving about as if she was being hit by her dad or something." said Harry, cringing at the now ingrained sight of the girl he had fallen for her get literally beaten by the horrid memories of her father.

"I can't take this, mate. I need to see what's going on." said Ron, heading for the door.

"Stop it, Ron. There's no use. Pomfrey won't let us in now, she's probably looking after them." said Harry, trying to be a voice of reason when in reality he was ready to go himself.

Ron sighed, walking away from the gaping hole and say next to Harry. He put an elbow on his thigh, resting his head on his clenched fist.

"They'll be all right." he said more to himself than to Harry.

"Yeah." agreed Harry. "It just hurt, you know? To see her suffering like that and not being able to help her. I felt fucking useless."

"Same here, mate." said Ron. "It felt like Malfoy Manor all over again where all I could do was yell her name while that bitch tortured her. She still dreams about it, mate. And I told her, if Bellatrix ever came back and tried some shit, I would be there. And I wasn't."

"You were there, Ron. You were. Don't beat yourself up over it. Hermione wouldn't want you to." said Harry, patting Ron on the back.

"Thanks, mate." said Ron, still unsure.

In Draco's room, Draco had finally settled Ginny down from crying and she had called asleep, exhausted from the fight and the tears.

He held her close to his body, her head resting under his chin while he continued to gently rub her back while she was sleeping.

He couldn't believe this had happened. He felt like an useless git for not knowing what was going on. His fucking uncle in law. He would have never even suspected.

This experience had further cemented in his mind and heart that he was not going to let his Ginny go. He vowed to himself right there that he would keep her close and always be there to protect her. He rolled his eyes at the thought. How bloody Gryffindorish.

"What's on your mind?" he heard Ginny whisper.

"I thought you were asleep." said Draco.

"I was, until your heart trying to beat out of your chest woke me up." she said, moving her head off his chest and onto the pillow, facing him.

"Sorry, don't feel like sleeping." said Draco, stroking Ginny's hair.

"I really don't either. I'm too worried about Daphne and Hermione. I wonder what they were hit with." said Ginny.

"A reliving curse." said Draco immediately.

"Reliving curse? I've never heard of that."

"It's good that you haven't." said Draco. "It's a particularly nasty and ancient bit of dark magic that causes the one that was cursed to relieve some of the most painful moments of their lives. In Granger's case, I'm guessing when my aunt tortured her for information. I really don't know about Daph's. Anyways, the victim relives it, trapped in a , only they can feel the pain and everything else of the situation. It only stops working if the one that casted it lifts the curse, gets killed, if the wand breaks, or if the mind is damaged beyond repair."

Ginny felt an eerie shiver go up her spine. "Do you think they will be okay?"

"Dunno. It depends on how strong their minds are. But I'm sure they will be okay. Daphne is tough and Granger is the brightest witch of her age. They just need rest."

Ginny nodded. She tried not to think about her new friend and the considered a sister lying in the infirmary.

"I was so scared." said Ginny. "Would you believe I was more scared at that moment than I was during the war?"

"I was scared too." said Draco. "Haven't had that feeling ever since Voldemort threatened to kill mother if I didn't kill Dumbledore."

"Why?"

"Because I thought I was going to lose the one I love."

Ginny looked up at Draco and smirked. "Why, the Ice King does have feelings." she joked, kissing his neck.

"Oh shut up." he smirked and he lifted Ginny's chin so that his lips met hers.

Hours later, McGonagall sent Harry and Ron a patronus, telling then that Harry could go and visit Daphne as she was awake, but Ron would have to wait until later. It seemed as if Hermione needed more time. Enraged, he stormed off to he and Hermione's dorm, while Harry took off like lightening to the infirmary.

It was 3 in the morning, and as much as Madam Pomfrey didn't want to let him in, she couldn't deny him.

"Don't stay long, she needs her rest." she warned the boy before she retreated to her quarters.

Hermione and Daphne were laying on the beds next to each other. Hermione was clearly asleep, while Daphne was wide awake, staring at the ceiling.

She looked over and smiled as Harry sat in the chair next to her bed. "Hey you." she said in a weak whisper.

"Hey yourself." he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "How do you feel?"

"The truth? Like I just went three rounds in that crazy muggle sport boxes."

Harry grinned. "Its called boxing, love."

"Yeah. That."

"Are you okay?" asked Harry.

Daphne stared back at the ceiling. "It was like I was 12 again, when I came home from my first year of Hogwarts. I was telling Astoria and Mum about everything. Astoria cried because she had to wait another year to go. My father made it seem like I was bragging to her. That was when my mother found out for sure that my father was abusing me. He beat me so bad, I had to go to St Mungo's. We had to say that I had gotten into a fight with a bully. They didn't believe it, and Mum was forced to use her veela charms on the mediwizard."

"I knew it had to be your father. You kept saying for him to stop and that you were his daughter"

"He beat me in a blind rage." said Daphne. "I felt like he didn't know he was fighting me. Hermione had it worse than me. Madam Pomfrey said she relived being tortured by the cruciatus curse. She hasn't been up since the fight, but she said that Hermione should be okay."

Harry looked over at the closest person he ever considered a sister and almost cried. Her face looked as if she was terrified in her sleep. As if she was having a horrible nightmare. He understood why Madam Pomfrey didn't want Ron to come. He would have lost it completely seeing her like that.

"I'm so sorry." whispered Harry.

"What are you sorry for, Harry?" asked Daphne. "You didn't do this to me."

"I couldn't properly help you. All I did was sit there and tried to hold you down from thrashing all over." said Harry, looking down at the floor, trying to hold in his tears.

Daphne smiled and caressed his cheek, causing him to look at her. "Always trying to be the hero, Harry. It's okay. You were there for me. You didn't what you could. Sweetheart, you were brilliant."

"I thought I was gonna lose you. I don't want to lose you." said Harry.

"I'm not going anywhere, darling. Can't get rid of me that easily." said Daphne with a sweet smile.

Harry kissed Daphne softly on the lips. Feeling her lips against his made her real again, and not just an illusion in his head. The emotions that flowed through his body for her were intense. More than he ever felt for Ginny. A thousand times note than he ever felt for Cho.

As he headed back to Slytherin, he couldn't help but let the tears cascade down his cheeks. He couldn't imagine losing that girl. The thought of not being able to have her in his life, he didn't think he would be able to breathe.

He was in love with her. Deeply. Unconditionally. Irrevocably.