Only Half-Weasley
Chapter 22
A/N: Believe it or not, I am updating this story I started writing fourteen years ago! Some of the plot I originally had in mind is a little fuzzy and honestly, after re-reading, I have a strong desire to go back and rewrite some parts. Fourteen years of life experience, marriage, work, kids, and hopefully some maturity has given me a new perspective. Either way, I'm hoping to finish this story for all of my readers who have been waiting for years for me to rediscover it again. Thank you all for your kind reviews!
Ginny marched through the gates of Hogwarts, wand out, eyes blazing and determination etched in her face. The feeling was reminiscent of the Battle of Hogwarts—as if she was walking to her own death just as much as she was there to rescue her daughter. But nothing was going to stop her, not even Harry Potter who walked silently behind her.
The first thing Ginny saw when she arrived at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds and the beginning of the forbidden forest was her father. It was almost a relief to feel his welcoming arms come around, to hear the murmur of words promising that Holly would be found, that everything would be ok. She wanted to believe it so much because she trusted her parents over anything. However, it didn't entirely push away that pit in her stomach that reminded her that everything wasn't ok.
"We have several teams combing the forest," her father told her. "She will be found."
"Alive," Ginny amended. "Promise me she will be found alive!"
Her father's lips made a straight line as he looked at her behind his horned-rimmed glasses. "I will do my best, Gin," he said evenly.
Ginny wanted to yell that 'best' wasn't enough, that they needed to double, triple, quadruple their efforts, but before she could get a word out, Hermione appeared at her elbow. The bushy brown-haired woman had dark bags, under eyes, twigs and leaves sticking out of her hair, and her robes were nearly drenched in mud as if she had slipped several times in the dense forest. Clearly, she had been a part of the search party.
"Oh Ginny!" she cried, embracing the red-head tightly. "I'm so sorry! We're doing everything we can, you know. Holly will be found—"
Ginny pushed Hermione off of her, her temper still short. "I don't want to hear it!" Ginny snapped, turning away from her sister-in-law and stomping towards the forest.
"Where are you going?" Hermione called after her.
"To find her myself!" Ginny shouted over her shoulder.
Hermione gasped. "You can't go in there by yourself!"
"I can and I will!" Ginny said firmly, turning around with her wand at the ready. "And I dare anyone to try and stop me!"
Hermione looked from Mr. Weasley to Harry who both looked slightly stunned and wary. If the three of them knew anything about a Weasley, it was that you didn't dare cross them when they looked capable of murder.
Satisfied that no one planned to impede her efforts, Ginny turned her attention to the forest at hand. It was large and dark, but for a mama bear looking for her cub, none of the dangers mattered. She only had one thing in mind and she wasn't going to stop until she found Holly or died trying. Melodramatic maybe, she thought, but it was better than never seeing her daughter's sarcastic smile or her eyes light up on Christmas morning. To Ginny, that would truly be the end of the world.
At first, Ginny didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Her wand sliced from side to side as she moved past overgrown bushes and stumbled over rock and boulders. But as her temper began to recede, she noticed the patter of steps behind her and glanced once over her shoulder in surprise. Harry was several steps behind her with Hermione struggling to keep up. It was an odd comfort to have her two old friends at her side, though she didn't feel like admitting it at the time. She wasn't alone in this mission; they still cared for her. Or at least cared enough not to let her die alone in the forest.
The trek through the forest didn't feel like long, but hours still droned on. Ginny used her wand to amplify her voice through the forest, but the only response she received was her own echo. She tried to keep her spirits hopeful, but each step, each beat of silence seemed to drag that hope down into the mud and trample all over it. Surely if Holly was still alive, she would hear her mother's calls.
Right?
Holly had no idea how long she had been sleeping on her small bed of moss. It was just as dark as it was when she fell into an uncomfortable sleep, interrupted occasionally by the cold wind and sharp pain in her leg. Sometimes she thought she heard large creatures move about but without any light it was difficult to tell. At other times, she thought she heard her mother's voice calling her name. But that was impossible. Her mother was safe at home, unaware of the predicament that Holly was in.
Would she ever see her mother again? Or her grandmother? Holly felt sick at the thought. What she would say to them if she could! To sit curled up next to her mother under a warm blanket while they watch a show together or bake a fruit pie with the berries in her grandmother's backyard. Or just to be next to a warm fire. She had never felt so cold and helpless in her life.
Holly didn't realize until it was too late that something large was standing over her. She had heard of beasts in the forbidden forest. Was she about to become dinner for some creepy animal? But no, this creature was gently moving hands all around her.
"Holly Miller?" A deep voice asked.
Holly's head popped up, but she still couldn't tell who was talking to her. The voice didn't sound human and from what she could tell, this creature was much larger than the average man. "Yes?" she croaked.
The creature snorted and suddenly a horn bellowed in Holly's ears. She instinctively covered them, but it was a welcome sound. The sound of help and safety. Whatever this creature was, it was there to help.
"Do not fear, young one," the voice told her. "Your people will find you soon."
They didn't arrive right away and Holly was starting to grow skeptical. But a loud crash a hundred feet away and her mother's cry as she picked Holly not-so-gently off the ground brought relief. She yelped as her broken leg was jostled but it was short-lived when Mrs. Weasley, coming into view just behind her mother, pulled out her wand and fixed her leg on the spot.
"Holly," her mother murmured in her hair. "If you ever do this to me again!"
"I'm sorry, Mum," she sobbed with relief. "Tell me you brought food."
Her mom shook her head, but Professor Potter, his face bright and grinning from ear to ear, promised a feast once they reached the castle. They thanked the creature that had found Holly, a centaur they called Firenze who had been on alert for the young girl. Holly was in awe of him as wands lit up his magnificent horse legs and dark mane. He looked wild and nothing like the fairy tale books. She probably would have died of fright had she seen him in the light, but that didn't take away her eternal gratitude that he did find her rather than turn her into a snack. Did centaurs even eat people?
The journey back to the forest was much shorter than Holly believed possible. Before she knew it, she was inside the warm castle and forced into one of the beds of the hospital wing where Madam Hertz was already taking her vitals. Holly tried to protest that she was just fine, but her mother wouldn't hear of it.
"Your promised a feast," she accused Professor Potter who hovered over her bed protectively opposite of her mother.
"When Madam Hertz says you can eat," he responded firmly.
Holly glared at both him and Madam Hertz while she finished her examination, forced a steaming, putrid potion down her throat, and declared herself satisfied. Just when she thought she might die of starvation did Professor Potter conjure a plate of food that she attacked like a ravenous beast. With a full tummy and the effects of the potion starting to take effect, Holly drifted into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.
Ginny sat next to Holly's bed for as long as she could, just watching her daughter's chest rise up and down. She could have sat there forever, memorizing the shape of Holly's closed eyes and the freckles on her nose but Harry startled her with a hand on her shoulder.
"You should go home and get some rest," he said gently.
Ginny shot him a dark look. "If you think I'm going to leave her for a second," she started, but was interrupted.
"I do," he said sternly. "You need food and rest just as much as Holly does. Madam Hertz is more than able to watch over her."
Ginny pursed her lips, giving Holly another long look. She really didn't want to let Holly out of her sight, but she also couldn't deny that she was hungry and she didn't want to disturb her daughter's rest. "Fine," she finally agreed.
She followed Harry through the castle, but instead of going to the Great Hall or the kitchens, she found herself in Harry's office. She took it all in from the doorway—the Gryffindor banner, the Quidditch posters, a shelf of random objects ranging from a broken sneakoscope to something that oozed black liquid in a large vial. Hedwig rested on a perch in the corner of the room, with a letter tied to her leg. Harry retrieved the letter and fed Hedwig an owl treat before she flew silently off for the owlry.
Harry was distracted by the letter for some time before he realized that Ginny was still standing in the doorway. "Oh, you can sit you know," he said gesturing to the seat before his large, mahogany desk. The desk was covered in parchment, books open to various pages, and ink splattered as if it had been spilt in a hurry.
He noticed Ginny's gaze and blushed. "I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to make it presentable," he apologized, picking up the stack of parchment that looked like a class' worth of essays and shoving them into a drawer. Ginny wondered vaguely if he would finish grading them but was distracted with a tray of food. She sat down in the chair, feeling oddly like she was a student again. Ginny had quite forgotten what it was like to eat at the castle. She ate in silence, savoring each delicious bite and recalling her days in school when she didn't have to cook her own meals or clean her own messes. Back when the future was uncertain, but held so much promise.
As though he could read her mind, Harry broke the silence. "Takes you back, doesn't it?"
Ginny nodded. "I wonder if Professor McGonagall could use another teacher?" she mused, taking another bite, then thought better of it. "No, I would probably be a terrible teacher. It would be too tempting to hex students who get out of line."
Harry chuckled, surveying a savory bit of sausage on his plate. "Probably not enough to deter your nephews, though," he pointed out.
"Who?" Ginny wondered. With all that had happened, she had completely forgotten that her brothers had children at Hogwarts. She could only vaguely remember the small group of children who rushed in and out of the Burrow at Christmas. She didn't even know how many children Ron and Hermione had, let alone who they were or what they looked like, distracted as she was at the time.
Harry described in great length the creative mischief and resulting trouble the two first years had got into so far. It was hard to believe anyone could give Fred and George a run for their money, but Daniel and Michael were a determined pair. Ginny couldn't help laughing at the vision of Harry chasing a large pumpkin around the castle.
Ginny didn't realize how late it was when she finally finished eating. The day felt like it had dragged on, but was it really almost midnight? Was it really the same day that her heart nearly died at the thought of losing her daughter? And now she was sitting in Harry's office, awkwardness dissipating in the wake of fond memories of Hogwarts and Harry's never-ending stories of student's plights. Could this really be happening?
"I…um…better go," Ginny said, peering at the clock and standing up.
Harry reddened slightly as he followed her gaze. It seemed to catch him by surprise, too. He offered her the flower pot full of floo powder, but Ginny shook her head. "I never seem to come out right on the other end," she excused. "I'll apparate."
"Let me walk you out then," Harry offered.
"No, I think it's better if I go alone," Ginny said quickly. "It's been a long day, you know?"
Harry looked down at her. "You don't have to do everything alone, Ginny," he said quietly.
"But you do?" Ginny countered quietly.
Before Harry could respond, Ginny was gone, the words hanging in the air between them.