"Kalopsia"
"Chapter Six"
Ginny groaned, her head pounding and her mouth dry as cotton. An odd beeping noise filled her ears and grated on her nerves. Forcing her eyes open, all she saw was a white ceiling and the sterile smell of a hospital. Turning her head to the side, she spotted George sitting at her bedside with his feet propped up at the foot of her bed and pieces of parchment in his hands.
"What happened?" Ginny croaked, wincing at the sound of her voice.
George looked up, relief washing over his features. "You were drugged. I saved the day. Mum's madder than hell. Robards is secretly pleased but acting like he's upset."
Ginny let out a puff of air from her lips, her eyes squinting as she tried to remember what had happened. Everything seemed fuzzy, like there was a thicket of fog blocking her from recalling all the details.
"We were in Malefic Way," Ginny said, her lips pursing to one side.
"Yeah, and some creep had you pinned in an alleyway and shoved a needle in your neck. I already shared the memory with Robards and all hands are on deck on identifying him."
"I passed out," Ginny reasoned, blinking up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, when I found you, you were collapsing into the creep's arms. I shot a Stunner at him and he dropped you, needle still in your neck. He managed to get away. I brought you here and, luckily, there was still some potion left in the tube thing and the Healers were able to counteract the effects quite easily."
Ginny brought a hand up to her neck, her fingers dancing along her skin to find the puncture mark, but felt nothing. She had been so stupid. She should have whipped Harry's wand out the moment she realized he had pickpocketed her.
"Was it the same potion that was used on Ron?" Ginny turned to look at George.
"They think so. They gave him the same antidote as you. According to Mum, his fingers have been twitching, but he hasn't woken up yet. It took you," George glanced down at wristwatch, "six hours to wake up and Ron's had it in his system a lot longer. They said it would probably take around double the amount of time it took you to come around."
A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. Robards now knew what the assailant looked like, the Healers had an antidote for Ron, and Ginny couldn't help but feel a little smug that she and George had put an enormous crack in the case.
"I can't believe you let him get away," Ginny whispered. "I wish you would have caught him, so Harry would be here already."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was too busy trying to make sure my kid sister didn't die instead of making a citizen's arrest." George rolled his eyes. "I won't make that mistake again."
"I didn't… George, you know what I meant."
"I know. If I could have done both, I would have. I was just so scared to lose you, Ginny. I'm not Ron or Harry. I don't know how to save the day and accomplish it all."
"Thank Merlin for that." Ginny smiled, reaching out a hand for George. "Two noble gits are definitely enough."
George grasped her hand in his. "Nah, only one noble git. The other one thinks he's funny, but he's not, and the noble one is cynical and blames himself for everyone else's problems. That's why you need me, the hero who brings humor to this family."
Ginny chuckled, squeezing George's hand. A knock interrupted their moment. She called for them to come in. Her smile immediately faded from her lips when Gawain Robards stepped in. The door snapped behind him, and he then walked to the foot of her bed. Leaning forward, his palms wrapped around the footboard, and he looked mildly amused.
"Ginny Potter, Quidditch star, famed writer, amateur Auror. I didn't know you went by so many titles," Robards jested. "If I didn't know any better, running blindly into fight must be a Potter trait."
She ignored his comments. "Did you identify the attacker?"
"We did, actually. Funnily enough, the wizard must live off the grid. We can't find any known address, occupation, or records of him post about five years after Hogwarts." Robards tapped his fingers against the footboard. "What you did was incredibly stupid. If you bothered to read the entire report you stole, you would have realized that you were the ideal victim: a young, pretty woman who would be easy to overpower and manhandle. Did you skip over Harry's profile of the killer?"
Ginny let out a puff of air. "I don't have his profile report."
"Guess you didn't look hard enough in his office, then."
"Thanks to me, you've identified the killer, and one of your best Aurors will wake up in a few hours to tell you how they tracked down the wizard you can't seem to find," Ginny said smugly.
Robards let out a soft chuckle. He stood up to his full height and shoved his hands into his Auror robe pockets.
"What if it hadn't worked out so well? What if you were incapacitated and being drugged, like Harry is right now? What good would that have done?" Robards raised his eyebrows, as though challenging her to admit what she did was beyond insane. "Make no mistake, Ginny, you got lucky. You were lucky that little girl ran into the shop to grab George, you were lucky your brother found you in time, you were lucky there was leftover potion in that syringe that allowed the Healers to finally make a counter-potion. You must have someone watching out for you from above, because Sage Zephyr is a deranged psychopath who not only fed his victims an experimental potion cocktail but also abused, starved, and sexually assaulted his victims."
Ginny's heart raced in her chest. She could feel the man, Sage Zephyr apparently, casually touching her in public like he had owned her. Clenching her jaw, she refused to look away from Robards. It was stupid, she knew that. It was Ron and Harry at Hogwarts level of stupid. She couldn't sit around and hope for a break in the case and Harry to be rescued. She had to do something to save Harry, because she knew Harry would not have rested until he had saved her.
"The little girl, Mary, is she alright?" Ginny asked gently. "Her arse of a grandfather abandoned her for business. She was scared."
"We were able to identify her based on her Trace. Ministry Child Services were going to pick her up from her grandfather and alert her mother and father what happened."
"Her father is a deadbeat. He shouldn't be allowed unsupervised visits with that child," Ginny growled.
"I'll let the case manager know your opinion on that."
Ginny nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to decipher if Robards was trying to appease her or patronize her. Robards bid his farewells before leaving the hospital room.
"That was pleasant." Ginny sighed.
"I found it rather entertaining, honestly." George rubbed his hands on his trousers. "It was nice not to be the one scolded for some harebrained scheme for once."
Ginny snorted as she pushed the scratchy covers off her. She sat up, swung her legs to the side of the bed, and scanned the room for her clothes. She couldn't very well walk around the hospital with an open-backed gown and show off her best assets for the world to see.
"Where are my clothes?"
"Better question, what are you doing?" George's brow furrowed.
"I want to be with Ron when he wakes up. I want to hear what exactly happened the night he was drugged and Harry went missing."
Ginny scooted off the bed, and her legs immediately collapsed under her weight. They felt like two giant sticks of jelly. She squealed as George wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her upright. He scowled at her, sitting her down in his vacant seat.
"Let me get a chair at least. Merlin, you're a pain in the arse," George grumbled.
"Why aren't my legs working?" Ginny's fingers grazed over her thighs.
"Not only was there a Sleeping Draught component to that potion you were given, there were also immobilization ingredients as well. I'm sure they'll wear off in a few hours. In the meantime, maybe it's a good thing you're not coordinated enough to walk right now. Might keep you out of trouble."
Ginny scowled as George grinned at her before leaving the room. He was back moments later with a chair with wheels on it. He helped Ginny into the chair before he draped a blanket across her legs.
"Ron Weasley's room," Ginny commanded the chair, and it jerked forward, causing her hands to clench the armrests. "Bloody hell!"
George jogged after the chair, trying to grab onto it to slow it down. His laughter slowed him down as he chased them through the corridors of the hospital. Healers and staff jumped out of the way, yelps and curse words filtering through the air. The chair came to a dead stop in front of Ron's hospital room, her knees slamming into the door. Ginny hissed in pain.
"Come in!" Hermione's voice rang.
George wheezed next to her, his hands gripping his side. Ginny reached out and hit him in the chest with the back of her hand. Still laughing like a fool, he opened the door and the chair jerked forward once more before parking itself next to Hermione's chair. Hermione glanced over at them, an exasperated look crossing her features.
"While there are a lot of things I want to say to the both of you for your utterly reckless behavior, I also want to say thank you."
"Did that hurt your soul a little bit to thank us for being idiotic dumb fucks, Hermione?" George questioned, leaning against the back of Ginny's chair.
Hermione's lips twitched as she glanced up at George. She shook her head and turned back to Ron.
"Mildly," Hermione responded.
George roared with laughter. Ginny, meanwhile, couldn't take her eyes off Ron. He looked like he had regained some of his color. His fingers twitched on top of his blanket. His eyes rolled behind his lids. Ginny willed her brother to wake up, to tell them exactly what happened that night. She felt George's hand squeeze her shoulder. She reached behind her to rest her hand on top of his.
Ginny fell asleep at some point waiting for Ron to wake up. She roused from her sleep when she heard a low groaning noise. Quirking an eye open, she noticed Ron stirring in bed. Sitting up straighter, she noted George sleeping in the chair Hermione had occupied. She glanced around for her sister-in-law but didn't see her.
"'Mione," Ron groaned.
"She went home to be with your daughter," George's tired voice rang. "I told her I'd grab her and stay with Rose when you woke up."
Ginny blinked back sleep. The lights to the room turned on, and she shielded her eyes while Ron groaned louder. She wondered how long she had been asleep. Bringing her hand down and squinting, Ginny watched George stand up and clapped Ron on the shoulder.
"Alright, brother?"
"Hmm, yeah, how's Harry?" croaked Ron. "He was on the ground when I found him and then I got jumped."
Ginny sat up a little straighter. "Harry's missing."
"What?" Ron snapped his attention to her. "He got him? He took Harry?"
"They've identified the kidnapper," Ginny forced herself to say in a calm voice. "They can't find out any information on him. It's almost like he doesn't exist. Robards is hoping you can tell him how you two tracked him down."
"Theddingworth… it's where the young girl was found…" Ron's brows furrowed.
"Wait, can you start from the beginning?" Ginny leaned forward. "Tell me everything, from the moment you two were put on the case."
"I want Hermione first," Ron whispered. "I have to see her."
"I'll go grab her. No worries." George smiled briefly before sprinting out of the room.
Ron appraised Ginny, his face pulling into a grimace. "Why the bloody hell are you in a hospital gown? Fancy we could match?"
"I may have gone looking for clues about what happened to you and Harry," Ginny replied, her chin jutting up. "I got drugged."
Ron's face paled. "Did he touch you?"
Ginny blinked, unsure of how to answer. She shuddered, feeling his palm press against her. Her silence must have told Ron everything he wanted to know. He glanced up at the ceiling, his jaw clenching.
"Fuck, Ginny, this guy is a sociopath. He abused and assaulted all of his victims." Ron glanced over in her direction. "I'm sure they were too strung out on his little potion to even object or notice."
"I couldn't sit at home. I had to do something." Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "I was only groped. Nothing crazy, alright? Just… don't tell Mum or anybody. We keep this between us. Youngest Weasley Pact is officially enacted."
"Don't even enact the pact," Ron groaned.
Ginny smiled, knowing she had Ron right where she wanted him. It had been something they started when she was around five and he six. Either one could enact the pact that had a wide range of uses, one of which was to keep a secret from the rest of the family and not judge one another. Neither of them had ever violated the pact. There were many nights she wished she had enacted the pact when Tom Riddle was abusing and violating her mind and body her during her first year. She had been too scared to even admit what she feared to the one brother who had always protected her childhood secrets of broken lamps, pranks on the twins gone awry, and wrecked vegetable gardens.
"Harry's included," Ginny whispered. "He's family, and you can't… the pact, Ron, alright?"
"Does George know he touched you?"
"Ron, it was just… it was a grope, alright? I'm fine. He doesn't know, nor does he need to. He thinks I was just drugged." Ginny shrugged. "It's not like I haven't been groped before."
"I'll kill them. I want names!" Ron attempted to sit up, but his limbs weren't cooperating with him.
"Sit down. There was an immobilization component in the potion. Hence my fancy chair."
Ron sighed and slumped against the pillows. He frowned over at Ginny, his eyes gliding over her body like he was looking for evidence of something more done to her. She suppressed an exasperated sigh.
"Do you think Harry's alright?" Ginny changed the subject. "Hermione doesn't think he's dead, because Zephyr would have bragged about it."
"Probably true." Ron shrugged. "I'll find him and bring him home."
"I don't doubt that you will."
Ginny reached out and grasped Ron's hand in hers. Her heart hammered in her chest as the two of them sat in silence. She could practically see the wheels turning in Ron's head, plotting and planning the rescue of his best mate. Ginny felt confident that everything would be alright with Ron back in commission.
Harry let go of Ron's wrist as soon as they landed in the field. He looked around, déjà vu crashing into him in relentless waves. He took a few steps forward, the long grass flickering and distorting around him immediately. He knew he was in the right place, knew he would receive some of the answers he had craved since he appeared in this wonky dimension or dream or whatever it was.
A woman appeared in the grass, her chest heaving and eyes glassy. She murmured pleas for help. A moment later, she vanished. Harry blinked, his breath hitching in his throat as he whipped around to glance at Ron who patted his body down to ensure that he was intact and not Splinched. Ron's fingers ran along his eyebrows, and he sighed in relief.
"This is it," Harry whispered. "This is where it happened."
"Yeah? Well, I'm just happy you didn't Splinch us. Where are we exactly?"
"Theddingworth."
The word rolled off his tongue before he could stop himself. He moved closer to where he had just seen the apparition of the woman in the grass. Kneeling down, his palm roamed across the tips of the blades. He screwed his eyes shut, his chest heaving.
"Please… help me… home… I want home…" a female voice groaned in his mind.
His heart hammered in his chest. He could hear the woman so clearly, so frightened and out of it. If he concentrated enough, he could see her features so clearly. Her pale lips, the pallor of her skin, the blood under her nails, the mole on her forehead. Harry knew she needed saving, knew she was the latest victim in the case he and Ron were investigating.
Harry opened his eyes to see the woman in front of him again. It was just him and the girl in the field. A trail of blood cascaded down her neck out of a small puncture mark. He reached out a shaky hand and felt her hot skin beneath his fingertips. The early morning sun peaked through the clouds and the dewy grass saturated the knees of his work trousers.
"Can you hear me? Miss?" Harry asked, his fingers gliding up to take her pulse which was fast and erratic.
"Home," she groaned again. "Go home."
Harry pointed his wand at the woman's chest and cast a Reviving Charm. She remained asleep, her mutterings continuing. Her head thrashed to the side as a guttural groan escaped her lips. Harry's jaw clenched as he looked around for any sign of Ron. They had separated when they found the girl as a noise alerted them to the possible assailant. Ron had run off before Harry could protest. He knew he couldn't leave the victim alone.
A scarlet light hit him out of nowhere, his wand flying through the air. Harry jumped up, whipping around to see a man with greasy salt and peppered hair sneering at him. Without hesitation, Harry rushed forward to tackle the man.
Their bodies collided, the man's wand falling to the ground and Harry's glasses flying from his face. Harry landed on top of the assailant, his eyes wandering to where the wand had landed about a yard away. A fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Harry's face. He fell off the man, rolling in the grass. He recovered quickly and crawled towards the wand at the same time the man went for the wand.
Harry's fingers brushed along the wood, attempting to roll the wand a little closer to him so he could grab it. The man's shoulder connected with Harry's, jolting his fingers and causing the wand to roll further away. Deciding to forgo snagging the wand, he pushed the older man back, knocking his legs out from under him. He crouched over the wizard, pinning him to the ground as he straddled him. He reached behind him to grab the magical cuffs from his belt as he began to read him his rights when he felt a sudden stab of pain in his thigh.
Ice soared through his veins as Harry's hand fumbled for the cuffs in his back pocket. The man pushed Harry off him. He blinked, squinting up at the orange sky. His limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated. The man loomed over him, a sneer on his face. Familiar shouting sounded in the distance and a spark from a wand lit up in his peripheral vision.
Everything faded.
Harry groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He was no longer in the field. He was no longer with Ron. A dilapidated room surrounded him. He could barely make out the peeling wallpaper on the plaster. He looked up to see his hands tied above his head and the broken ceiling fan whirling not far from him.
His shoulders ached, his wrists burned, his mouth felt like a giant ball of cotton. He tugged his arms down feebly, the rope rubbing against his already bleeding wrists. The pain allowed him to know he was awake, he was alive, he wasn't hallucinating. His bottom lip slipped between his teeth as he heaved another tug with all of his might.
It was useless. He felt weak and exhausted. Glancing around the room, his eyes stilled on a woman strung up next to him. He squinted to see she was bloody. Dirt was caked on her dress and skin. Her dress was ripped up the side, exposing a large chunk of her thigh. Her hair was matted and sweaty. Her head lolled to the side to show off the multiple needle marks and trails of dried blood.
Harry's chest heaved as he looked back up at his wrists. He blinked a few times before squinting, his fingers feeling around trying to find the knot. His fingers fumbled to untie the rope and failed. Sucking in a deep breath, Harry gripped his left thumb with his right hand. The only way he could see out of the ropes was to dislocate the limb. He mentally prepared himself for a wave of pain. With a quick jerk, pain flooded his left hand as the tendons and tissues tore, and the bone slipped from its proper place.
Harry whimpered, his lip sliding between his teeth to keep from crying out completely. He wiggled his left hand down, beads of sweat pouring down from his hairline and into his eyes. He twisted and maneuvered his hand through the rope loops, his blood lubricating his skin and helping it to slide.
His hand slipped out and fell limply to his side. The weight from his right arm caused the rope to slide from the loop hanging from the ceiling. Harry went crashing to the floor, his legs unable to hold up his weight. The air rushed from his lungs upon impact and tears brimmed his eyes. The dirty, cool floor felt good against his cheek. He laid perfectly still for a few moments, trying to orient himself.
The woman next to him groaned loudly, low sobs escaping her lips. The noise was enough to jolt Harry into action. He attempted to slide his legs underneath his body, but his limbs did not want to cooperate. Everything felt heavy and uncoordinated. His knees slipped on the hardwood floors as he struggled to get up into a crawling position.
His foggy brain couldn't remember how to move correctly. He swayed to one side and fell flat on his side, his head knocking against the hard floor. Another groan escaped his lips. He couldn't give up. He had to keep trying, keep moving. He would crawl home to Ginny if need be. Nothing could keep him from going home to her.
His eyes slid over to the girl. His heart hammered in his chest. He should save her, help her. She couldn't be more than nineteen or twenty years old. He couldn't leave her, could he? Sliding his eyes closed, he pictured Ginny smiling at him in a white dress as he crossed the room to kiss her goodbye in the morning. He could escape and alert the Aurors to rescue her. It was what he would need to do. He couldn't even crawl on all fours, so how was he supposed to save her?
Harry rolled onto his stomach and propped his upper body up on his forearms. He pushed at the rope still attached to his right wrist to the side. He used his elbows to propel himself forward but paused when he heard the girl let out another sob. Harry hung his head, his jaw clenching. Changing directions, he made his way towards the girl. He couldn't leave her. He had seen the evidence of what their captor did to his victims.
When he reached her, his hand grasped her ankle. He had to wake her up, knock her out of her drug-induced sleep. It was the only way he could help her out of this hellhole. His breath escaped his lips in long huffs as he tried to think of how to wake her when a door creaked.
Whipping around, Harry saw the man enter the room. His face had three long scratch marks that marred his cheek and neck, something that Harry did not remember him having previously. His fingers slipped from the girl's ankle as he attempted to stand up. Except he couldn't get up on his knees.
The man laughed, a smirk gracing his features. "Oi, pretty boy, you think you can get away that easily?"
He crossed the room as Harry's limbs continued to not cooperate with him. Harry rolled onto his back, drawing his knees close to his chest so that he could hopefully get enough momentum to take the wizard out. The man drew closer, and Harry kicked his legs out. They weakly connected with the man's stomach, and he merely laughed at the pathetic attempt.
The man shoved Harry's legs aside before straddling his chest. He wrapped his fingers around Harry's throat, pushing his neck back and forcing his chin up. Harry's fingers clawed at the man's hands around his throat.
"You think you're so smart," the man whispered, his yellow teeth gleaming. "You and that partner of yours think you cracked the case all because that brat teenager got away. Except what happened, hmm? I have you so drugged you can't even defend yourself and your partner is slowly dying of starvation and exposure in some field."
Harry's insides twisted. There was no way that the department hadn't found Ron. They had missed their check-in. Surely, they would be able to find Ron based on their last known coordinates they sent out. Harry's eyes slid shut as he focused on his breathing. The man's hand pressed uncomfortably against his windpipe, cutting off his oxygen supply.
"What… do… you… want?" Harry gasped out.
The hand left Harry's throat. He gasped for air, his hand weakly massaging his neck.
"Don't you get it?" the man whispered, leaning close enough to Harry's face that he could smell the man's rancid breath. "What did you see? Where did you transcend to?"
"What?" Harry opened his eyes, still gasping for more air.
"I make people feel, man. I take them to heights they didn't think were possible. I give them a new life." The man grinned. "Was it good? Was the concoction perfect this time?"
"It sucked," Harry hissed. "You might as well… stop this little endeavor. Your potion is shite."
The man's jaw clenched, his head nodding. He reached out and grabbed Harry's dislocated thumb. Harry couldn't help but scream, pain flooding through him. He sputtered, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes.
"I won't stop until I have the perfect mix of ingredients," the man whispered as he let go of Harry's thumb. "I want to transcend, to enter another world. Escape this crap hand that life dealt. This isn't for anybody but me. You're all my puppets, my little toys to experiment with."
Harry licked his cracked and dry lips. Black dots formed in front of his eyes as he felt himself slipping further away.
"It was easy at first," the man continued. "Grab a few Muggle crack whores. Nobody missed them. Nobody investigated. Then I started to think about how I needed to test my potions on wizards. What if there were differences in the genetic makeup that would affect my desired outcome? Enticing potion addicts was easy at first. They all wanted to try something new, get a new hit. Word spread around about the dead bodies and even the addicts, despite their yearnings for something different, were less tempted. I started grabbing whomever I could. Why the hell did it matter, anyway? They were serving a purpose."
Harry's chest heaved, his eyes sliding shut. A wave of nausea washed over him, either from the man's words or from the steady pain that radiated through his entire body, he wasn't sure. He opened his eyes, the man blurry in front of him.
"You won't get away with this," Harry whispered. "You don't think they'll find you? Find this place? You're delusional. The arrogant ones are always the easiest to take down."
"You Aurors think you're so smart. I've outsmarted you for months now."
"You'll mess up. Just like everyone does. When you do, that's when the Aurors will swoop right in." Harry grinned weakly. "I think you already messed up. Taking me? The Aurors are even more invested than they were before."
"Too bad they'll be too late. I think I've finally figured out how to perfect my potion. You see, I think it's all about the power of suggestion. I've developed a little potion that acts sort of like the Imperius, where I can plant ideas and thoughts in your mind. Then I'll add my little hallucinogenic potion and you'll be in the fantasy of your dreams. Let's test this my theory, shall we?"
The man grabbed Harry and hauled him up. Harry struggled against him, his legs were weak and wobbly. He was too disoriented to actually fight back. Ropes coiled tighter than before around his already abused wrists and hauled above him. He felt himself raising in the air until only the tips of his shoes grazed the stained hardwood floor and his shoulders ached something terrible.
The man grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head to the side, exposing his neck. Harry twisted, blood spilling down his arms as the rope only cut in deeper. His breath hitched as the needle pierced his neck. His skin felt like it was on fire, burning and sizzling through his veins.
"You won't remember any of this. You won't remember me, this room, the girl, nothing of your old life," the man's words vibrated in his head and lulled him into a false sense of security. "You'll have your parents, your family, your wife, your kids. You'll have everything you ever wanted. The perfect life."
"No," Harry groaned. "No."
"You'll still be a famed Auror. Maybe You-Know-Who never even existed. Just the perfect, blissful life. It's what you've always wanted. You'll accept it."
Another sharp pain hit his neck. Ice filled his veins this time. His felt his limbs grow slack and his mind grew foggy until….
Harry's head hurt. The throbbing only seemed to increase as the minutes ticked by. He kept his eyes closed and listened to the distant beeping. Opening his eyes, he saw his godfather sitting by his bedside. Sirius tossed aside the magazine he was reading and loomed over him.
Ginny. Teddy. James. Albus.
His family's names echoed in his brain, but he didn't know why. The mantra continued as he struggled to focus on what Sirius was saying to him. His mouth felt oddly of cotton. His tongue peaked out to moisten his dry and cracked lips.
"You gave us quite a scare," Sirius murmured as he plopped Harry's glasses on his face.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry struggled to sit up, and Sirius assisted him by adjusting the pillows behind him.
"In the tearoom. The boys wanted something to eat."
"Sirius, stop hovering before you suffocate him," a female voice rang and Harry turned his attention to a tall woman with brunette hair. "I swear, you are like a mother hen to Harry and Astrid."
"Shut it, Marlene," Sirius snapped playfully. "If I can't fuss over my godson and my daughter, then who can I fuss over?"
"Sorry your godfather is a broomstick mum," Marlene jested as she rose from her chair, crossed the room, and kissed him on the cheek. "How are you, Harry?"
Harry blinked, an uneasiness settling in his chest. He blinked up at Marlene. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly.
"Confused."
"I'd say. They said you hit your head pretty hard," Sirius commented, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ron's fine, by the way, as is everyone else on your team. You were the only unlucky bastard who was taken out in the raid."
"I don't remember the raid…" Harry trailed off.
"I'm sure you'll remember soon enough," Marlene commented as she grabbed Harry's wrist and placed her fingers on his pulse point and looked down at the watch on her wrist. "Head injuries aren't fun."
The door to his hospital room burst open and noise erupted. Teddy screamed, "Dad!" and ran towards the bed. He climbed up on top and Harry wrapped his arm around his eldest son. James squealed and clapped his hands as he demanded to be let down from his grandfather's arms.
"I see how it is, Jamie. Your namesake is only fun until your dad is awake." James plopped the two-year-old on Harry's lap just as Marlene let go of his wrist.
Ginny rushed forward. She placed her hands on either side of Harry's head and bent down to plant a kiss on top of his unruly hair. She sank down onto the bed by his knees and her hand wrapped around his thigh. Even with his family surrounding him, there was still a tightness in his chest he couldn't explain.
"Albus doesn't care you're awake," a young teenager with long black hair announced. "So, I'm not handing him over."
"Astrid." Marlene frowned. "I'm sure Harry wants to see his son after being rendered unconscious."
"You're never allowed to be an Auror," Sirius announced as he wrapped an arm around the girl. "My heart can't take my only daughter being an Auror."
"Harry would watch out for me." Astrid winked at Harry.
"No."
"Dad," Astrid laughed. "I have two more years left at Hogwarts. Don't worry about it for, hmm, at least a year and a half."
"She's teasing you, Sirius, she has no interest in being an Auror," Lily commented as she crossed the room. "Harry, sweetheart, how are you feeling?"
Harry looked up at his mother, his chest tightening as their emerald eyes locked. "I'm okay."
"Do you want me to get you some food, sweetheart? Something outside of the tea room? Molly sent over dinner for Ginny and the boys. I popped by your house to put what was left over away. I'll ran there to grab it for you if you'd like a homecooked meal," Lily continued.
"Marls, what can he eat?" James gestured towards Harry. "Can he stomach anything or are we talking soft foods for right now? My wife needs to feed our son."
Harry glanced over at Ginny. Her mouth hid behind her hand and her shoulders shook. Her hand tapped him sympathetically on the knee.
"I'm not his Healer, James," Marlene replied.
"Bollocks. You've been his Healer since he was a few days old!"
"Yes, but you see, James, I deal with children under the age of seventeen. I see his kids. I make house calls to his kids. I now make house calls to all the various Weasley kids. Harry, however, I do not see on a professional basis anymore," explained Marlene.
"Who do you see, Harry?" Lily gasped. "We've trusted Marlene for years! You didn't tell me you got a new Healer!"
"I see an adult Healer for adult wizards," Harry said simply. "I don't need licorice wands after my Healer appointments anymore."
Sirius gasped audibly from the other side of the room. "Prongs… he doesn't want licorice wands? What happened to our baby?"
"You lot realize I'm a grown man with three kids, right?" Harry exclaimed in exasperation.
"And what grown man can't have a treat after he sees a Healer?" asked James. "I always get a licorice wand when I've been a good patient, right, love?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Not the point, James. Are you sure you're not hungry, sweetheart? It's no problem at all. I can get you anything you'd like."
Harry's eyes widened as he looked over at Ginny for help. He could see the glint in her eye. She was either going to egg his parents on even more or she would seek pity on him. He cocked his head to the side, putting on his best I'm exhausted face and Ginny, bless her wonderful soul, took pity on him.
"Harry doesn't need any treats right now, but he does need some rest," Ginny said with a soft smile. "I hate to be that mother, but it is after the boys' bedtime. We were just getting a late-night snack. I was just about to have your parents take them home. Is that alright, love, or do you want them to stay a few moments?"
Harry tightened his grip around his two sons to say goodbye as he looked up to see Albus half-asleep in Astrid's arms. Teddy snuggled into Harry's arms, defiance written clearly across his face. Jamie babbled about nonsense things as he bounced on his father's lap.
"Dad, we want to stay. We'll be good. Better than good. The best in the world. You won't even know we're here, because we'll be soooo good." Teddy smiled brightly up at him, his eyes wide and hair wild.
"We'll bring you back first thing in the morning, Marauder's honor." James winked and slung an arm around Lily's shoulders.
"What about Harry eating something?" Lily interrupted.
Ginny chuckled. "I'll make sure my husband doesn't starve. Just worry about the boys."
"I'll take Albus home," Astrid piped in. "You don't want to stay with your noisy brothers, oh no, you want Auntie Astrid and your great-godparents."
"You're not going to be getting up with him all night!" Marlene chuckled. "You would sleep right through his cries and poor Albus would starve."
"Uh, Mum, nighttime feedings are what great-godfather's do." Astrid grinned up at Sirius.
"Look, whatever everyone wants. We'll take any of the kids if you want us to," Sirius replied as he bent down and ran a finger along Albus' chubby cheek.
Harry glanced over at Ginny. An amused look crossed her face as she rolled her eyes up in the air. Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
"You need to go home and get some sleep," Harry announced as he placed a kiss on each one of the boys' head. "Your grandparents and great-godparents can fight over you lot. Just be good."
Teddy protested as James gently tugged him off the bed. Jamie jumped right into Lily's arms. Ginny rose from the bed to bid goodnight to all of her babies and thank her in-laws for all their help. After a lot of complaining, whining, and loud discussions on who is sleeping where, the group of Potters, Blacks, and Lupin left the hospital room.
Ginny sighed, turning around to grin at Harry. "Do you hear that? Silence? Merlin, that's a rarity."
"There's never a quiet moment in a family filled with Potters, Blacks, and Weasleys," Harry commented as Ginny took a seat next to his side and grasped his hands into hers.
"How are you feeling?"
"I…" Harry frowned, a heavy weight in his chest that he couldn't explain. "I don't know."
"Oh?"
The comfort of her hand in his left as she reached out and push a lock of hair off his forehead. She smiled encouragingly at him, her left eyebrow raised up elegantly.
"Something feels… off. I don't know, it's stupid."
"It's not stupid," Ginny argued. "Is it something with the raid or the case?"
Harry squinted and looked down at Ginny's hand over top of his. Her thumb ran along his knuckles.
"Just… off in general, I suppose." Harry's eyes met hers.
"Well, more often than not, your gut is normally right. I'm here if you want to work out anything." She smiled warmly at him, the freckles on the corners of her mouth scrunching together.
"I know," Harry whispered. "I'm being silly."
"I love you."
Ginny leaned forward and her soft lips brushed against his. The weight in his chest twisted ever so slightly instead of easing. The kiss was familiar and warm. Except… it seemed empty, different, odd. Harry opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and begged that the uneasy feeling would disappear from deep within him.
Whelp, now you know exactly what is happening with Harry and why. A few of you mentioned this reminded you of that Supernatural episode with the Djinn. That's where I got the inspiration from. How many more of you were getting Dean vibes in Harry? Next week, I may not be able to update due to personal reasons. I have some very big, personal changes happening very soon and next weekend might be rough for me to update. If I do update, then the next weekend will probably be an off week. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up. Follow me on Tumblr (seriouslysam8) for updates on posting delays, posting updates, or ask a question. Please, don't forget to review. Your reviews keep me writing, keep the ideas flowing, and make me want to keep sharing with you all!
Special thanks to Arnel for editing like usual. Special thanks to Bree for bouncing ideas around with me!