A/N just because of all the fantastic reviews i have already recieved i thought I'd put this chapter up earlier then I had originally planned. Hope you enjoy even though it might not quiet be what your expecting (laughs evily again) so please please please review some more it spurs me on. in fact if i get enough i might just put another one up before bed!
Molly paced outside her daughters room while the healers worked. She had tried to stay with her but they had kicked her out after she started crying again. She couldn't help it she had never seen her daughter look so fragile in her life. She had been scared for a moment she was dead when Arthur had returned with her in his arms. No one knew what had happened, Arthur had done as his daughter had requested, he had gotten everyone away. But when he returned he had found her collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood that wasn't her own, and Harry gone.
No one could find Lily, and Sirius was going out of his mind with worry, but all Molly could think of then was her daughter. Just then the door to Ginny's room opened and the healer came out looking drawn and pale.
"How is she Alexandra?" Molly asked rushing forwards to the other woman.
Alexandra sighed and scrubbed her hands over her face, "well she's physically and magically exhausted. She had some tissue damage that I've repair as best I can, and as far as I can tell now her body is intact," she paused there and looked up at Molly her eyes sad.
"What is it?" Molly whispered barely able to get her voice to work.
Alexandra stepped forwards and took Molly's hands in hers, "physically there is nothing wrong, but Molly you have to understand that I found traces of very dark magic around her. Something seriously wrong obviously happened but I don't know what. I can't get a reading on anything; it's all jumbled with her other side. I'm a wizarding healer, and she's not completely witch. She needs a shifter to look at her."
Molly pulled her hands back from the woman and turned to look out of the window. Other than Harry she didn't know any shifters, and he couldn't be found, for all they knew he was dead.
"I know this is hard Molly, but you have to understand Ginny isn't in there," she said and Molly turned to stare the woman down.
"What do you mean she isn't in there?" she demanded growing angry with the woman now.
Alexandra sighed again and began moving down the hallway away from Ginny's door, Molly hot on her heal. Alexandra had been a healer for most of her life and now at sixty she was an old hand at fixing things others couldn't. She had started out her life as a mediwitch but soon realised her magic went further than the simple spells and remedies they used in hospitals. The medical community had shunned her after she turned her back on the normal things, even for witches and wizards they had found her to strange. But a few still knew that she was valuable in more ways than others would admit. She had cured things other mediwitches had turned their backs on. She could sense in the patient instinctively what they needed. She even connected with some, as she had tried to do with Ginny.
She had known Ginny most of her life, Molly choosing not to take her to normal doctor's appointments for fear of what they would do when she was found to be a shifter. The girl had barely ever gotten sick but few outside the family knew what she was and Molly wanted to keep it that way. Alexandra had been a perfect substitute and so she had watched Ginny grow into the woman she was. She had a strong connection with Ginny, one touch and she always knew what the girl needed. But now, even laying her hands on her bare skin hadn't helped. She knew for a fact that what lay in that bed seemingly sleeping was simply a shell. Ginny's mind and spirit were gone. Where to she had no idea, and how to get her back she just couldn't tell. This was beyond anything even she had seen and she feared for her.
"Molly you have to hear me, I tried to search her mind, but she isn't there. What ever happened has sucked everything Ginny is out of her body. I don't know what happened in that village but it was bad enough to shatter Ginny completely."
Warmth, that was the first thing ginny felt, and then arms wrapped around her waist. Strong arms holding her against a body that was half lying on top of her. She breathed deeply taking in the familiar scent that enveloped her and smiled. Opening her eyes she found that she was in the cottage they had made into their home for a little while, nestled in the bed of furs he had made for her.
With a contented sigh she wiggled loosening his grip so that she could roll over and smiled when she was greeted with bright green eyes staring at her.
"Morning love," Harry whispered leaning in to capture her lips in a tender kiss.
Ginny felt her heart skip at the touch of his lips on hers and eagerly deepened the kiss until she stole the very breath from his lungs. He pulled back from her laughing and she smiled brightly at him.
"Well I would have woken you sooner if I knew I'd get a greeting like that," he laughed and she nipped playfully at his lip as he growled and flipped her onto her back so he could drape his body over hers.
Laughing she tried to throw him off but he simply buried his face in her neck, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin there sending shivers down her spine. Heat lashed through her body at his touch and he growled as he caught the scent of her need.
But before she could act on that need there was a bang as the door to their room slammed open and the sound of tiny feet skittering across the wooden floor found her ears.
"Oh know I think we have company," Harry whispered with laughter in his voice as he looked up over Ginny's shoulder.
Ginny frowned and turned straining to see what he was looking at. Just then she caught a flash of bright red hair and the disturber was flying onto the bed.
"Daddy! You promised to come get me as soon as you were awake!" the little figure proclaimed as they bounced into Harry's arms.
Harry scooped up the little bundled and cuddled her to his chest kissing her lightly on the cheek. Ginny simply stared sitting up and pushing back so that her back rested against the cold stone of the wall behind her. She took in the sight of Harry holding the little girl that couldn't be more than three by her size but seemed so much wiser. She took in the amazing red hair on the girl that she saw every day in the mirror, but as the girl turned and smiled at Ginny she saw Harry's eyes in the tiny girls face.
"Mummy, tell daddy he promised," she said her little lip quivering as if she was about to cry.
Ginny couldn't say anything though, her voice having been stolen by the sight of the most beautiful thing in creation. This was her little girl, this was hers and Harry's child, how could she have forgotten her.
"I know I promised baby," Harry said as he leant down to press a kiss into her hair breathing deeply as he did, "pancakes coming up as requested," he laughed lifting her from his lap as he stood.
The little girl squealed happily clapping her hands as she watched Harry walk across the room to pull on his robe. With a flash of a grin Harry ducked out of the door leaving Ginny alone with the girl who was now staring intently at her.
"I missed you mummy," she said suddenly and as quick as a flash was crawling into Ginny's lap.
She curled into a ball on Ginny's lap resting her cheek gently against Gin's heart one little hand going out to wrap a strand of her mother's hair around her fingers. For a moment all Ginny could do was stare down at the top of her red head, and then her arms were moving of their own accord wrapping around the tiny body and pulling her tightly against her.
"I missed you to baby," she whispered against her hair as she breathed in her amazing flowery scent.
She smelled like fresh daisy and sunshine rolled into one and Ginny had never smelled anything as sweet and as wonderful as her daughters scent.
The girl sat up then smiling brightly at her mother before she pressed a kiss to her cheek and skittered down from her lap running for the door and the sound of her father in the kitchen.
Ginny simply sat and stared at the door unsure of what was happening. Pressing her hand to her head she tried to remember the last thing she had been doing. She knew that whatever it had been it was important something that meant a lot to her, but try as she might she just couldn't pull it up.
"Breeze baby, breakfast's ready," Harry called interrupting her thoughts.
Shaking her head she threw back the comforter and swung her legs out of bed so she could get down. Pushing away the thoughts that were starting to make her head hurt she crossed the room to the closet so she could retrieve her robe and pull it on. Padding out into the hallway she headed for the kitchen.
She found Harry stood at the stove pilling a plate high with freshly cooked pancakes. Their daughter Ella, that was it her name was Ella, was sat at the table eagerly awaiting the first batch of pancakes. With a laugh Harry rounder the kitchen counter and placed a plate in front of Ella who promptly dug into the steaming pile.
"Jeesh one of these days I'm not going to pull my hand back in time and she'll catch me," Harry laughed his eyes sparkling as he looked at Ginny.
"Well wife of mine are you going to sit down and eat?" he laughed as he pulled out a chair for her.
Ginny barely missed a step as she moved but hearing him call her wife had knocked her. Why did that sound so strange to her? She sat in the chair he held out and he produced a plate for her, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he went back into the kitchen.
She reached out for the knife and fork he had placed next to her plate and spotted the silver ring on her finger glinting slightly in the morning light. Her wedding band was a twisted Celtic knot, understated and perfect exactly the kind of ring she had always dreamed of. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of it and looked to Harry as he moved to join his family, noting the matching ring on his finger.
"You ok Gin?" he asked as he leant over her again to kiss the top of her head.
"Yeah, just a little out of it still," she said and he smiled as she sat next to her.
"So what are we going to do today?" Harry asked Ella, who instantly started trying to plan their day even though she hadn't finished the bite of pancake in her mouth.
Ginny watched the exchange between father and daughter quietly, nibbling lightly on her pancakes and laughing when Ella got to excited and knocked the syrup bottle over into Harry's lap. This was her family and everything was perfect.
After breakfast Harry ran Ella a bath and the parents indulged in watching their child play in the bubbles, probably a little too long as Ella was wrinkly when she finally got out. All three then dressed and decided it was time to play in the garden. Harry dragged out a chair so Ginny could sit and watch as he and Ella ran around. She wasn't surprised when harry changed and Ella climbed onto her father's back laughing lightly as Harry lopped off across the garden.
Everything was perfect; this was everything Ginny had ever wanted. From the moment Harry had appeared in her life this is how she had wanted everything to turn out. Something at the back of her mind niggled at her, some disquiet that she couldn't put her finger on, but she pushed the thoughts aside as she watched Harry play with his daughter. She was so glad that she had been able to give Harry this, give him the peace that he had deserved for so long. A dark thought flashed through her mind but was gone so quickly she couldn't chase it.
With a frown she scrubbed her hands across her face trying to fight back the unease that was settling into her stomach.
"You can't stay here Ginny," a voice said behind her and she spun to find Harry stood in the doorway to the cottage.
With a frown she got to her feet walking to him, she knew this wasn't right that something was happening but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Why can't I stay here?" she asked and watched as his eyes grew sad.
"This isn't real Ginny, you know that. This is all just one big dream that you created to protect yourself. But you can't stay here; if you stay here you die."
Ginny stopped cold as a wave of memories crashed over her, the last moments before she had collapsed suddenly becoming all to clear. Looking down at her hands she found that they were covered in blood.
Desperately she looked up at Harry only to find the front of his shirt blossom with blood.
"No not again!" she screamed running forwards and pressing her hands to his chest, "please don't leave me!" she sobbed.
"You have to fight Ginny, you can't stay here," he whispered into her hair as his arms circled her waist.
She shook her head, burying it into his neck breathing in his scent even as his blood flowed over her fingertips.
"I can't live without you," she whispered against his skin, tasting him in every breath.
"And I can't live without you, you can't stay here Gin, please I'm begging you. You have to wake up for the sake of everyone, you have to wake up."
With a sob she looked up to find that he was gone, the blood on her hands no longer there and the sound of her daughter playing filling her ears. She turned on her heel to see Harry striding across the garden a laughing Ella on his shoulders. She reached up and whipped her cheeks, and they came away touched with tears.
Why had she been crying, she frowned trying to remember what it was that had upset her. But then Ella was running to her and she scooped her daughter into her arms forgetting completely that she had been upset by something a moment ago. Harry was there pulling her into a hug, pressing a kiss against her neck and she could remember why she had felt as if she needed to leave. This was her family, why would she ever leave them.