Author's Note: Disclaimer - reference to blood and scenes of attack.
I really enjoyed writing this chapter, sorry it took so long. Enjoy and please favourite if you like.
Once Ginny had decided to visit Hermione at the Ministry for lunch, she had quickly realised that it wasn't going to be as fun as she first thought.
The kids had gone to their grandmothers for the day and Molly had told Ginny to take the day to herself. Ginny had decided that the kids needed one more day of normality before their entire world collapsed around them with the news of their father.
Ginny had contemplated musing around the house all day, but the worry had been eating her alive like a flesh-eating slug. A surprise visit to her best friend had encouraged her to put on some make-up and brush her hair which she had not done for a few days. Feeling surprisingly content, she took the floo network to the Ministry and carried the feeling all the way to Hermione's office.
However, once they had settled into the canteen with their lunch, Hermione quickly revealed that she had bad news.
'I don't really need any bad news right now,' Ginny sighed. Hermione looked at her meaningfully.
'Okay, well I could pause for a moment and tell you some possibly good news,' Hermione offered with a grin.
'Alright, what news?' Ginny asked intriguingly.
'I think I might be pregnant.'
'Oh my gosh!' Ginny replied matching her best friends' wide smile.
Momentarily stymied, she listened to Hermione's plans and worries about having another baby, especially when she was Minister of Magic. But the happiness with which she told Ginny made her content and also slightly jealous. If Ginny were honest with herself, she wished she could have some news like that, or at the very least someone to share some good news with. Ginny had to quickly shake the idea from her mind about her becoming pregnant again. That thought alone was enough for the smile to be wiped from her face.
'It's too early to tell, but I'm sure I'm right, I have an appointment later today' Hermione said.
'Does Ron know?' Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.
'No, I'll tell him the news when I find out for sure,' Hermione replied with a nod of the head. Ginny chuckled slightly.
'Can I please be there when you do?' She laughed.
Hermione gave her a stern look that was mingled with an amused smile.
'Well, my fingers are crossed,' Ginny smiled back. The chatted some more on the subject and returned to Hermione's office.
Her office was bedecked with varnished mahogany furniture, Ginny sat down on the green chair in front of the desk. It was by far the cleanest and most organised office Ginny had been in, Hermione always kept it tidy. Harry's office on the other hand, Ginny was forced to remember, was always in a state of disarray, always kept in a state between coming and going as was prone to Harry. Hermione, instead of sitting on the opposite side of the desk, took the chair next to Ginny and handed her a small cup of tea.
'So, back to the bad news.' Hermione gave Ginny the same knowing look and Ginny's face fell.
'Do I need to brace myself?' Ginny asked.
'Yes,' Hermione replied apologetically.
Ginny took a deep breath.
'So, yesterday I had a meeting with Mr. Robards,' Hermione started. 'The Aurors in Albania searched the warehouse and found some letters that were addressed to Harry.'
Ginny knitted his eyebrows. She let Hermione take a hasty sip from her tea before she continued.
'The letters had been sent by a fake name, and they were … death threats,' Hermione revealed in a small voice.
'When had they been sent?' Ginny asked tentatively as a memory resurfaced of a series of mornings in which Harry had received owl post and hidden the contents in his coat pockets.
'There were about half a dozen letters, each delivered before Harry left for Albania,' Hermione said still in a small voice.
Ginny fell silent for a moment, her mind wandering off to the time in which Harry had hidden letters in his pockets before leaving for work.
'I ignored it,' Ginny said miserably. 'I thought Harry was hiding something, and I ignored it.'
A few weeks before Harry would be in Albania, he had received a letter. Ginny had been sat at the kitchen table with Lily and had noticed him turn his back on them while he opened the letter. She thought nothing of it at the time, but now that she was being told about death threats, Ginny remembered several occasions where this had happened.
'There's no way you could have known,' Hermione told her.
'Is that why he was so desperate to go, to find the person who had sent the letters?' Ginny asked.
'Yes, that's what Robards decided.'
'And now Harry has been kidnapped,' Ginny shook her head.
Hermione placed a hand on her arm. 'They'll find him Ginny.'
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
'Come in,' Hermione said loudly.
Teddy Lupin glanced around the door, his hair a wondrous said of bright green which drastically contrasted the solemn smile on his face.
'Hi,' he said rather awkwardly. 'Oh, hey Gin,' he added noticing her as he entered the room. 'Can you tell me what's going on now, Hermione?' he asked with a sigh.
'Yes,' Hermione replied as Teddy shut the door behind him. 'I'm sorry for blowing you off yesterday Teddy.'
'That's okay, I knew you were busy,' he shrugged.
He pulled out his wand and with a flick, a chair appeared out of thin air which he placed next to Ginny. He sat down with one leg resting on the other and leaning backwards nonchalantly with his arm on the back of the chair.
'I was meeting Mr. Robards that's all,' Hermione replied apologetically.
Teddy raised his eyebrows. 'Is there any news?' he asked expectantly. He leaned forward on his seat.
Hermione relayed everything she had told Ginny. After she had finished, Teddy looked revolted.
'Who do you think sent the letters?' he asked both women.
'I think I have a fairly good idea,' Hermione replied. 'Dolohov.'
Ginny and Teddy glanced at each other for a second and both decided that it seemed most likely.
Dolohov had been released from Azkaban five years ago and only six months ago, Harry had been attacked. The attacker had fled leaving no evidence behind but the Aurors had suspected Dolohov. On the particular night of the attack, the Aurors in charge of watching Dolohov had lost track of where he was. But there was still not enough evidence to have him sent to Azkaban.
Ginny remembered this time vividly. Harry had been attacked in his office at the Ministry. Ginny had received a Patronus message in the shape of a terrier. Ron's anxious voice had told her to get to the Ministry as soon as she could.
In a wave of panic, Ginny had thrown on a Weird Sisters t-shirt over her pyjama top and slung a dressing gown over the top as well as pulling on two completely different coloured converse. She had dropped the kids, who had just been getting ready for bed, at her mums and explained the situation. Once outside the Burrow she had disapparated to the Ministry.
Once she had reached the Auror office, she was met by two burly Aurors who were watching the corridors with their wands held out in readiness. They let her pass and she rushed towards the offices and took a right. A crowd of people were standing over somebody on the ground. The crowd parted as Ginny approached. A couple of healers were knelt next to an unconscious Harry. A gash was bleeding profusely from his abdomen and his face was paper white.
Ginny's breathing became harsh and irregular, she couldn't catch her breath as the tears started falling from her eyes. All of sudden a pair of hands gripped her shoulders gently, she wheeled around to see Ron holding her, his face just as white as Harry's. She looked at him for a second and managed to heave a deep sigh, Ron nodded like he completely understood what she was feeling. She fell into him and Ron held her for a while as she cried.
Ginny chanced a glance at Harry once more, the breath caught in her throat once again. She had first thought he was lying on a deep red carpet, but upon second glance she noticed the dark carpet was stained with blood. A pool had formed underneath Harry.
'What happened?' she asked Ron quickly.
'Someone attacked him, they cursed him, and he fell, I ran to help but he started bleeding, and they can't seem to make it stop,' Ron said breathlessly.
'Why aren't they taking him to St Mungo's?' Ginny asked.
'They can't, it's too dangerous.'
Ginny wiped her face.
All of sudden Harry gave a hoarse grunt. His eyes flickered open and closed. Ginny knelt next to him and took his hand in her own.
'It looks like we've stopped the bleeding,' the healer said beside Ginny. 'Once his breathing slows down, we can take him to hospital.'
A spiral of smoke curled through the air from the place Harry had been cursed. The healer next to Ginny was crouched with a black glass vial in her hand, she poured a small amount of white liquid on the exposed wound and another circle of smoke bleared through the air. Harry grunted for longer this time. He squeezed his eyes tightly and let out a deep guttural sigh. Ginny held his hand tighter.
After a few more drops of the white potion, the wound began to seal itself. Slowly it stitched itself together and the healer placed a bandage over the top, sealing it tightly with tape.
Ron had knelt on the other side of Harry; Ginny still clutched his hand in hers. The crowd had cleared as the healer ordered. Just then, Harry's eyes fluttered open, his face still pale and beaded with sweat.
'Gin,' he managed quietly. His fingers squeezed tightly around hers.
'It's okay, their gonna take you hospital soon, try not to move,' she replied breathlessly.
Ron looked anxiously into Harry's face.
'Sorry mate, I wasn't quick enough,' he said.
'Not your fault,' Harry managed through a grunt of pain. 'Threatened …' he said, unable to finish his sentence. Ginny shook his hand gently, but Harry had fallen unconscious again.
'Do you remember when Harry was attacked at the Auror office six months ago?' she asked Hermione and Teddy quickly. Both nodded their heads.
'Yes, but the man was found and taken to Azkaban,' Hermione replied.
'Yeah, but everyone thought that he had been Imperiused,' Teddy reminded them both.
'Exactly, so that must have been the first time Harry was threatened. He said that word to me before the healers took him to St. Mungos.'
Hermione looked as though she was lost in a deep trance.
'Did Robards say what he's going to do next?' Teddy asked with knitted eyebrows.
'He's going to Albania, tomorrow,' Hermione replied.
After they had finished dinner, Ginny had decided to tell James, Albus and Lily the truth. She took a deep breath.
'I need to talk to you all about Dad,' she said. James gave her a steely glare that reminded her of Bill, Albus was fidgeting with his hands on the table and Lily placed her doll on the empty seat next to her then looked intently at her mother.
Ginny rubbed her forehead, 'there's a reason he hasn't come home yet,' she said thickly.
James and Albus exchanged a look.
'They can't find him,' she said clearly even though a lump had formed in her throat. Lily scrunched her face.
'He's missing?' James asked.
'Yes, he was supposed to contact the office as you know. And when the Auror's left to search the warehouse in Albania, where your Dad was … there was no sign of him … or anyone.'
Ginny eyes began to sting, for some reason the words were harder to say than she had expected. She looked at her children, they didn't deserve news like this. No one did. They all looked devastated, each one straining to find something to say. Ginny thought of how her family must have felt when she had been taken into the chamber of secrets. The air must have been as thick as it was now. The unbearable feeling between trying not to cry and feeling so angry it was impossible to cry.
'What are they doing to find him?' Albus asked through pursued lips.
'There searching everywhere for him, everywhere they can think of,' she assured them.
Lily had started to cry. She ran over to Ginny and sat on her lap with her head buried in Ginny's chest. Ginny stroked her hair. Looking at her sons, she noticed that James was grinding his teeth and it seemed as though Albus was holding back tears.
'They'll find him,' Ginny said through a thick voice.
James shook his head. 'You can't promise that.'
Ginny gave him a severe look.
'Albus, they'll find him,' she said encouragingly turning to her youngest son. He gave her a sad smile and walked over to hug her and his sister.
'How long have you known?' James asked as he stood up and paced the floor.
'James,' Ginny started.
'How long?' he insisted.
'Come here,' she said imploringly.
James gave her a hopeless look and she quickly realised that he wasn't angry, he was scared. James slowly moved over and joined his siblings.
An hour later, James and Lily had retreated upstairs to their rooms. Albus was stood at the sink washing a glass over and over again until the squeaking of the glass bothered Ginny.
'Albus, I think it's clean,' she said to his back.
Albus lifted the glass and grunted amusedly. 'Oh yeah,' he replied.
'You okay?' Ginny asked delicately. Albus turned to face her, leaning against the side of the sink. He nodded his head slowly.
'They'll find him, won't they?' he asked quietly.
Ginny stood up and moved over to him, 'yes, I know they will.'
She gave him a hug and he too retreated upstairs. Ginny stood for a moment wondering how they would possibly deal with any bad news. After all they were just kids, they didn't deserve to wonder whether or not their father would be found. They also didn't deserve to wonder whether he was alive or dead. But he was alive, Ginny knew that. Any other answer was impossible for her to imagine.
In the brief silence, Ginny heard a strange cracking noise. She turned towards the back door, something had shifted at the back of the garden. A peculiar movement that gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. Then she heard it again.
She moved quietly into the hallway, stepping only on the balls of her feet. Knowing full well that the back door was locked she checked the front. That was locked too. In the shadows of the kitchen light that spilled into the garden, she saw movement once again. There were two figures standing in the garden and the noises had been that of apparition. Ginny stood at the bottom of the stairs, her hands clenched against the bannister, her breath coming short and staggered. Then the sound of another crack echoed through the silence.
Ginny rushed up the stairs as fast as she could, bumping into James as she reached the top.
'Mum?' he urged.
'Shh!' she replied with her finger over her mouth.
James mouthed the word, 'what?'
Just then they heard the distinct sound of glass breaking and shattering the floor.
'Get Lily and all of you go to Albus' room, lock the door, don't open it until you hear me,' she whispered quickly.
'What's going on?' James whispered back.
'Someone's breaking in,' she explained through hushed tones.
James turned quickly to Lily's room, but Ginny grabbed his arm.
'Get your invisibility cloak,' Ginny whispered.
She ran into her room and grabbed her wand on the cabinet. As she walked back onto the landing, James and Lily passed her, heading for Albus's room. As soon as she heard the lock click, she headed for the top of the stairs.
She crouched down at the top and listened. She could just hear the sound of footsteps. As quietly as possible she made her way down the stairs, her wand held aloft in her hand.
She turned and saw two shadows crossing the kitchen floor, she moved slowly down the hall towards them. Her heart hammered in her chest; her breath was shallow. She moved passed the open door to the sitting room but as she did someone grabbed her from behind. Pulling her by the hair, she was thrown into the coffee table. Disorientated, she threw her hair from her face and was met by a man in a black cloak and a mask covering his face. She still held her wand and without thinking flew a reductor curse at him. He had been expecting it and shielded himself from the curse.
'Stupefy,' she said quickly before he could react. The man flew backwards into the sofa behind him landing with a soft thump.
She pulled herself up, not worrying about the pain in her back. Her biggest concern was making sure the kids were safe. She thought it strange that the other intruders hadn't come running at the sounds. Ginny knew better than to charge wand first into the kitchen. They were hiding, so would she. She hid behind the door that connects the kitchen to the living room and thought for a moment.
She moved back over to the stupefied man lying crumpled on her sofa and heaved him upwards. With a quiet grunt she pulled him towards the door and used every ounce of her strength to throw him through the open door. As soon as the man hit the floor, two voices shot curses at him.
Ginny hauled into the kitchen when they had stopped yelling curses. With every spell she shot at the taller of the two, she could feel her adrenaline kicking in. The man shielded every spell as the other man moved slowly away. But Ginny could still see him, so she quickly shot an impediment jinx at him and he jolted. The taller man was starting to get tired; his movements were waning, and Ginny took every opportunity that she could to catch him off guard. Her concentration was held solely on the taller man and she didn't realise when the other intruder seemed to come back to himself. The tall intruder hurled a stupefy curse at her and she hit the wall behind her. She slid down the wall taking with her some precious photographs. Most of them including Harry, and this was the ammunition she needed. These intruders knew where Harry was. She picked herself up quickly, shielding herself with Protego as she did. She hurled every spell she could think and at the same time slowly drawing them back to the now smashed back doors. Occasionally she was hit with a jinx which whipped through the air catching her on the legs and arms. Again, the smaller intruder hit her with a stupefy curse and she crumpled to the floor. When the ringing in her ears stopped, she heard footsteps on the stairs, and she could only see one intruder. The kids, she thought to herself.
Before the taller intruder could utter his next curse, the other man flew back into the kitchen. He smashed into the sink, and crumpled to the floor with a giant thud. The other intruder looked incredulously over to his fellows. The intruder that Ginny had thrown was coming to and the taller one moved to help him. But as he bent down to lift his friend from the floor, he was hit in the face by a jinx. He fell onto his friend, who seemed unable to get up under the weight of the other.
Ginny pulled herself to her feet, sweat running down her face and her breath was hammering once again. James ran around the door to help his mum. Ginny looked at him incredulously. His wand was held out in front of him, and his face was determined. It reminded Ginny of Harry.
'Sounded like you needed help,' James explained with a lop-sided grin.
Once Ginny had recovered from her mother's mollycoddling, she relaxed with a cup of cocoa on the armchair by the fire. James walked down the stairs looking extremely tired.
'You okay, mum?' he asked softly. Ginny nodded in reply with a forced smile.
'Are you?' she asked.
'Yeah, and I think I understand Dad better than ever.' He sat on the arm of Ginny's chair.
'Really,' Ginny smiled.
'Yeah. Seeing you on the floor like that and hearing all of those screams, I get why Dad has to save people all the time. He doesn't like seeing anyone in trouble and I understand that now.' He smiled ever so slightly.
She placed her mug on the small table in front of her and wrapped him in a hug.
'Mum!' he complained, but she wasn't letting go.
The moment, however, was short lived as Ron's face appeared in the embers of the dying fire.
'Gin!' he said urgently.
Ginny let go of James quickly and raised her eyebrows, 'Ron, what's wrong?'
'I'm at St. Mungo's,' he said hurriedly. Ginny noticed his hair was scruffy and his eyes were wide and maniacal.
'Why?' Ginny stood up. 'What's happened?'
James moved next to his mum, staring unblinkingly at his uncle's face.
'It's Hermione. She's been attacked.'