Making a Stand
Chapter Two: Just Friends?

There stood, in front of her, the famous, good, great, Harry Potter, the excact boy whom she thought would never like her. In his hands he held a limp white owl.
"Hedwig!" Ginny murmured. She did not know whether to go up to him or make sure he did not see her. She decided quickly and immediently took her place behind the counter. Harry was first to say something.
"Ginny?"
"Er, yeah, and Harry, it's been.. how many years? ..Oh.. Forget it, forget it, what's wrong with..?
"She collapsed on a delivery!" he handed her Hedwig.
Ginny held Hedwig's chest up to her ear. Her heart was beating, but only just. Her eyes were closed, her breath faint, and feathers ruffles.
"How old is she?"
"Thirteen, about..."
"Oh, Harry.. hang on.." She sped off through a door marked "Employees Only".
There were potions all over the shelves in large viles, in alphabetical order. She looked around frantically under "O" and gasped. All the potions for Hedwig's case were gone!
"I'm really, really, sorry, Harry!" she said, popping out one door and into another, this one marked "Mrs. Sulucas".
A stern looking woman with her gray hair drawn in a bun at the back of her neck sat at a desk with her hands locked together.
"Mrs. Sulucas! Do we have any, er."
"Owl potions?" she inquired, in a low, almost croaky voice.
"Yes, yes!"
"We only have enough for our own."
"But we need one for a customer's!" she exasperatedley.
"We will get another shipment next week."
"But one is needed now!"
"I'm sorry, dear. Now run along."
Ginny's face turned red. She hated to be treated like a child, especially when her boss was. Oh well, she thought, too bad, Mrs. Sulucas. She went out of the office and ducked under the counted, Harry watching suspiciously.
"Accio potion!" she whispered.
red bottle rushed into her hands.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"Er, tying my shoe."
"But you're wearing sand--"
"Here you go!" she handed him the bottle. She looked at Hedwig's chest. It was not moving up and down anymore. She took Hedwig and held her, again, up to her ear.
"Oh no!"
"What?" Harry asked.
"She's not br--" but, seeing the pained look on Harry's face, did not continue. He was losing a friend, a real friend, and she would not stand for it. What was she doing? It was her job to prevent this sort of thing!"
"She opened Hedwig's beak ever so gently with her thumb and forefinger ever so gently.
"Harry, the potion?"
"Right." he handed her the red bottle.
She opened it and allowed three drops to trickle down Hedwig's throat.
"The effect should come about immediently," she said. Seeing it did not, she dropped three more down her throat.
Hedwig stirred.
She opened her large, oceany-blue eyes and whimpered a note, such a note they had not heard in a long time.