Thanks everyone for waiting. I'm having a bit of trouble staying focused but I'm told it's only part of pregnancy. I work a bit almost every day but what goes on in my head is getting harder to get on to paper. Please enjoy!

Percy had been startled out of sleep by the appearance of the Ministry owl. It had been close to midnight and Percy had been asleep for a couple of hours already. However, when he arrived at St. Mungo's he quickly realized just why he had been called in. Percy still served as secretary to the Minister and apparently Voldemort had been up to no good.

Once at St. Mungo's, Percy found the Auror in charge and was briefed on what had happened. When he learned that Voldemort had killed seventeen muggles that just happened to look like his sister, he was physically ill. However, it didn't appear that anyone from the Ministry had put it all together to realize these girls looked like Ginny. Then he heard about the message branded into the back of the one witch in the group. Percy had to fight to keep to his assigned duties. He was to deal with the press that would be arriving any time. What he wanted to do was to contact his father and find out if Ginny was okay and if Voldemort had planted these images into Harry's mind. Percy hoped that Harry and all of them were unaware of what had happened, however, knowing Voldemort, he had made sure that Harry was painfully aware of exactly what had happened on his birthday.

Percy was a bit shocked to be approached by Kingsley Shacklebolt. When Kingsley was close enough he spoke softly to Percy, "Your family is fine and so is Harry." Then louder, Kingsley said, "Make sure you keep the press confined to the conference room we have set up for them. There are to be no pictures of what has happened. I'll hold you personally responsible if any pictures leak out tonight."

Percy nodded and moved stiffly off toward the room that had been set up for the press.

Remus placed Harry on the couch in his quarters and called softly for Dobby. Once there, Remus asked Dobby to fix up a bed for Harry in his quarters. Dobby walked over to one of the larger portraits, waved his hand in front of it then with a snap of his fingers the portrait opened to reveal a bedroom with a fire blazing in the fireplace. Remus picked Harry up again to carry him into the bedroom and settle him into the bed.

"What is happened to Master Harry?" Dobby asked hovering over Harry as Remus began to pull his trainers off.

Remus took a deep breath before speaking, "It would seem that Voldemort is at it again, Dobby. Would you please go to Madame Pomfrey and ask for a Dreamless Sleep draught? Bring her back here if you must, but please at least bring the draught." With a loud crack, Dobby was gone.

A few minutes later, Dobby was back with Madame Pomfrey. "You should know, Remus that Ginny, Ron and Hermione are all sitting outside your quarters. They want to come in and see for themselves that Harry is okay."

"Nooo" came a hoarse croak from the bed. "They can't come in. I can't keep her out if she comes in."

Remus and Madame Pomfrey turned to see Harry struggling to sit up in the bed. They both rushed over and Remus placed a supporting arm behind Harry to help him.

Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and began to examine Harry. She began to cluck her tongue as she passed her wand over Harry. "Harry, you're draining your reserves too much. You are going to make yourself sick."

Clutching desperately at Remus, Harry shook his head, "I don't care. She can't see." Harry looked wildly from Madame Pomfrey to Remus hoping that one of them would understand. It was taking everything he had to keep Ginny out while still being forced to relive many of the incidents those girls had gone through.

Remus looked up at Madame Pomfrey and asked, "Is there something we can give him that will allow him to rest but still keep Ginny out?"

Madame Pomfrey thought for a moment before answering, "Well, we can try knocking him completely out. If we can shut down his subconscious then no one should be able to get in."

Remus looked at Harry and after receiving a nod from him looked back up at Madame Pomfrey, "how do we go about doing this?"

"First, I'll need some other potions. Second, I'd rather do this in the hospital wing rather than here."

Harry groaned at the thought of voluntarily going to the hospital wing. "Please can I stay here?" he asked in a whisper. "She can't get in here. She doesn't know the password."

"I have to agree with Harry, Poppy. All three of them are very resourceful and would be in the hospital wing before you know it. I'll watch him here and you can have the password so you can check on him when you want." Remus was very much in favor of Harry remaining in his quarters. He didn't know what was going on but after Tonks and Kingsley's abrupt departure and then finding out that Harry was taping into his reserves to try and keep Ginny out of his mind, Remus preferred to keep Harry close.

Madame Pomfrey was silent for a moment before answering, "Alright but if he gets any worse, he's coming with me. Understood?" Receiving a nod from Remus and Harry, Madame Pomfrey moved toward the door, "Fine. I'll be right back. You can start by taking half that phial of Dreamless Sleep draught. I'll be back with the other things you need shortly. I'll be putting a monitoring charm on you so I can check on you through the night without having to disturb you." Seeing that Harry hadn't moved to take the draught, Madame Pomfrey said, "Take the potion, Potter and there's more where that one came from if you want to stay here."

Harry quickly reached for the Dreamless Sleep draught as Madame Pomfrey left the bedroom. Seeing that she was gone, Harry called for Fawkes. Harry felt better when Fawkes flamed into the room, singing. Fawkes landed on the bed beside Harry and continued to sing. Once done singing, Harry stroked Fawkes' neck a minute before asking, "Go sit with Ginny will you? See if you can help her sleep. If she's asleep, too it will be harder for her to get in." Once Fawkes left, Harry took a deep breath and tried to get more comfortable on the bed. Turning to Remus he said, "Someone will have to tell Ginny you are knocking me out. She can still feel me even though she can't see what I can but if all the sudden I'm knocked out and she can't feel me she will freak out."

Remus nodded, "I'll go talk to her if you feel okay enough for me to leave for a minute."

"I'll be fine. Go make sure she is. Tell her I'm okay." Harry wanted to say he'd talk to her tomorrow but he wasn't sure how he'd feel then and if he would really want to see anyone. He knew that until Voldemort decided to stop bombarding him with images, he couldn't be around Ginny without her seeing what was going on.

Remus stood to leave and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "If it will make you feel better, you can talk to me later. But you don't have to, either. And you know, Nymphadora will tell me when she returns unless you don't want her to."

Harry closed his eyes as another wave of images was forced upon him. Swallowing hard, Harry shook his head to clear his vision, "No, she'll need to talk about it when she comes back. I just don't think I'm ready…" Harry's voice drifted off as he had to focus more on keeping Ginny out. Finally he croaked out, "Go talk to her. Beg her to stop," Harry pleaded.

Remus nodded and hurried out into the hallway.

Percy struggled to be heard over the reporters gathered in the conference room. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please…"

"What's going on? I've heard that You-Know-Who was here in the lobby." Asked a reporter Percy didn't recognize.

"Well, I heard the lobby was over run with Death Eaters," claimed another.

Having had enough, Percy raised his wand to his throat and said, Sonorous before trying to speak again. "As I was saying, if you would all just quiet down." The crown turned toward where Percy was standing at the front of the room. "Now, if you'll take a seat, I'll give you the information the Ministry is prepared to release." Percy waited several moments while the assembled reporters found seats. He placed his wand at his throat and said Quietus. "Now I have a short statement to read. I will not be taking questions and as soon as I am done, you have been requested to leave the hospital so that the staff can continue to take care of their patients."

Percy heard several groans and could see the wheels turning for many of the reporters as they tried to figure out how to stay. "I have been told that security has been increased so that you must possess identification in order to remain in the building. Any one caught lingering in hopes of ferreting out information will be placed under arrest." Percy waited a moment to let this last bit of information sink in before he said, "And you will be taken to Azkaban tonight. Now for the information we are prepared to release," Percy shook a piece of parchment before he began to read, "There have been several people involved in some form of Death Eater activity this evening. There have been some casualties and injuries. We have not been able to notify the families of those involved so we are not prepared to release their names nor the nature of their injuries. After all the families have been notified, then we will release another statement. I can tell you there were eighteen people involved and they are receiving the best care possible. The Ministry strongly encourages all citizens to report suspicions activity and to continue to be on their guard."

Percy put the parchment down on the table beside him and looked out over the crowd. "I know that was not as much information as you were hoping for, however, we are in the middle of investigating this incident and releasing specifics would hamper the investigation. As the investigation progresses, I have been assured by the head of the Auror division, Kingsley Shacklebolt, that more information will become available. Now, you all will be escorted out of the building by the Aurors and are asked to not return until you are contacted. If you are caught loitering, you will be arrested and held until the investigation is over and the stories have been written by other reporters."

Percy opened the door and motioned for the Aurors waiting there that he was finished dispensing his information. Of course the reporters did not go quietly. For whatever reason, they had not taken Percy seriously when he said they'd be arrested for loitering. It wasn't until two reporters were taken away by the Magical Law Enforcement squad did the rest finally give up and leave the lobby.

Percy slumped into a chair outside the conference room. He desperately wanted to contact his father and make sure Ginny was okay. He startled when Tonks sat down beside him.

"Long night, huh, Percy?" Tonks said rubbing a hand over her neck.

"Yeah." Percy looked around to make sure no one was near before he asked, "Can you tell me if Ginny…?"

Tonks shook her head, "She's fine. I just spoke through the floo to Remus and she's still with the others. No one can get her to go to bed, but other than that, she's fine. No one but those here and Harry know what's happened."

Percy closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks. He looked back at Tonks and said, "So he saw what happened?"

Tonks nodded, "That's what Remus told me. He's holed up in a bedroom by himself and has been heavily medicated. We believe that with him being medicated that heavily, his subconscious can't grasp the images he's been forced to witness." Tonks knew she was giving Percy a lot of information but Kinsley, at Arthur's urging, had suggested they give Percy a bit of a test. It wouldn't be long before Voldemort figured out that Harry had been medicated and therefore couldn't force any more images onto Harry.

Percy shook his head before he stood up intent on leaving. "Please pass on my best to everyone. I am sorry this is happening to him. If there's anything I can do…"

Tonks stood also and offered her hand to Percy. "Don't worry, I'll tell them and we'll let you know." Tonks watched at Percy left feeling sure that he wouldn't share anything she'd told him and that he had really turned to their side.

Remus was still gone when Madame Pomfrey reappeared in his room. She started laying out phials of potions and Harry's eyes grew wide at the shear number of them. "All of those?" was all he could manage to stutter out.

Madame Pomfrey glanced over her shoulder and smirked, "Eventually. I figure we'll need to keep you sedated for at least the next fifteen hours if not twenty-four hours. Some of these will keep you sedated and some will help lighten the sedation so it's not such and abrupt shock for you to wake up." Madame Pomfrey straightened up and began waving her wand in Harry's general direction. "I'm just setting up the monitoring charm so I can get a base line before we sedate you."

Suddenly the room was filled with a soft beeping sound. At Harry's questioning look, Madame Pomfrey said, "That's your pulse. This way Remus can sit out in the other room or go to the restroom without worrying."

Harry nodded his head and eyed the bottles of potions lined up on the table. He wasn't really looking forward to taking any of them but if it meant that Voldemort would not be able to force images onto him, he'd try anything.

Just then Remus reappeared looking somewhat haggard. "That girlfriend of yours, Harry, she's stubborn." Remus took a seat on the chair beside Harry's bed. "She refuses to go to bed and instead insist on sleeping on the floor in the hallway. She said she wanted to be close by in case you need her. I tried to tell her we would be sedating you, but she didn't care. I couldn't get her to budge. I couldn't get those other two to go either. So Hermione is now conjuring sleeping bags for the three of them so they can all sleep out there."

Harry managed a half grin before another wave of images was forced onto him. So far he had been forced to watch as the Death Eaters tortured each girl to within an inch of life only to heal her and start over again later. He had even been forced to watch as Death Eaters had violated several of the girls while Voldemort watched.

Seeing Harry begin to struggle again, Madame Pomfrey began to hand him potions. Harry greedily drank them down and began to feel himself slip into oblivion.

Remus sat by the bedside watching as Harry slipped into unconsciousness. He heard as the beeping coming from the monitoring charm slowed and Harry finally appeared to be resting peacefully. Remus looked up at the hospital matron and saw her nod seemingly satisfied.

"He should sleep for at least twelve hours. I'll come during the night to check on him and give him more potions if need be. Now, you should try and rest as well. You will be able to hear the monitor from anywhere in your quarters. Send a house elf if you need anything in the night." With a last glance at her patient, Madame Pomfrey walked out of Remus' quarters knowing full well that Remus would most likely spend the night in the same chair at Harry's bedside.

It was nearing three in the morning when Tonks picked her way through the sleeping bodies outside Remus' quarters. She had only been slightly surprised to find Ron, Hermione and Ginny sleeping on the floor right outside the door. As she stepped over Ginny to try and open the portrait hole, Ginny woke suddenly drawing her wand while at the same time sweeping her legs so that Tonks' feet feel out from beneath her. Ginny was on her feet and had her wand pointed at Tonks before Tonks could blink.

Tonks began to laugh as Ginny stood there over her. "I'm glad someone can put into practice all that we've been teaching you lot." She held up her had so that Ginny could help her up which Ginny did while trying to hide her sheepish grin. "Sorry, Tonks, I just wanted to make sure I knew if anyone tried to get in."

Tonks nodded as she brushed the dirt from her robes. "Tossed you out did they?"

"Yeah. Listen, Tonks do you think you could let me in just to see for myself that he's okay? I promise to come right back out." Ginny pleaded with Tonks.

Tonks was torn. She knew that Harry had asked for Ginny to be kept out but at the same time she truly understood what it was like to be shut out. Coming to a decision, Tonks said, "Alright but if we get caught, I'm telling everyone you put me under the Imperious Curse."

Ginny only nodded as she followed the Auror into her quarters. As they entered the bedroom where Harry was, Tonks situated herself onto Remus' lap as he looked warily at Ginny. "Nymphadora, love, you know Harry didn't want anyone else in here."

Looking him straight in the eye, Tonks said, "She cursed me, Remus. I couldn't help it."

Ginny rolled her eyes at the two and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. She gently stroked his hair away from his forehead and the last of the worry lines disappeared from his face.

Deep in his subconscious the last of the dreadful feelings Harry had been experiencing suddenly sifted away. His last impression before total unconsciousness overtook him was that Ginny was at his side. The connection was finally completely broken with Voldemort and Harry was able to completely relax.

Ginny looked at Tonks and noticed just how exhausted she looked. "Can you tell me…?"

Tonks interrupted her, "No, Ginny I can't. This will be Harry's story to tell when he's ready."

Remus spoke softly, "What ever happened Ginny, he didn't want you to see. He was taping into his reserves, quite heavily, to keep you out. He did that rather than attempt to fight the intrusion from Voldemort. Please keep that in mind when we wake him up and give him a chance to come to terms with this before you start questioning him or trying to find out what happened. I would imagine that it will be in the Prophet before long anyway."

Ginny took a deep breath and sighed, "I was afraid of that. He's never been able to block me that completely." Standing up she made her way to the door. She turned back, "Just take care of him. You know that's all I want to do, too."

Remus stood and put Tonks into his chair before he moved to hug Ginny. "And he just wants to take care of you, too. He just has to figure out how."

"I know. We will have to have a long talk when he's ready. I know there is a better way where we're not fighting each other." Ginny looked over Remus' shoulder at her sleeping boyfriend and tentatively reached out with her mind. She didn't sense him but she hadn't really expected to, either, I love you, Harry. Looking back at Remus she said, "He should be able to rest now. The potions Madame Pomfrey gave him helped tremendously but there was a lingering connection. I helped him break it. I'll see if I can get the others to go back to the dorm with me. We'll all sleep better there." Ginny walked out without another look back.

Tonks stood and stretched. "I think I'll take a shower. It has been a long day."

Remus pulled her into a hug as she passed by him. "Come talk to me when you're done."

Tonks gave him a sad smile, "I'd love to but you know Harry…he'll want to tell you this himself."

Remus pulled her in tighter, "No, love he told me it was okay if you need to talk. He doesn't want you to carry this."

Tonks nodded and moved through the doorway, "I'll think about it while I'm in the shower."

Forty minutes later Tonks still had not reappeared so Remus went in search of her. He found her sitting in the bottom of the shower, with the water still running, sound asleep. Grinning at the sight, Remus grabbed a thick towel out of the linen closet and laid it on the stool beside the shower. He reached in and turned off the water before picking Tonks up and wrapping her in the towel. She's exhausted, Remus thought as he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. Tonks immediately snuggled deep into the bed as Remus covered her, towel and all, with the thick bedspread.

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead before returning to keep his vigil at Harry's bedside.