Chapter Seven: With
Whatever Comes
Ginny hadn't slept so peacefully in ages it seemed, and it was exceedingly difficult for her to wake up. The bright sunlight pouring in through the stained glass windows, signalling that it was a gorgeous fall day, did nothing to encourage her to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed. She merely pulled the duvet over her head and clutched the pillow to her as she snuggled back down into a dreamless sleep.
When she awoke next, the sunlight was even brighter, if such a thing was possible, and Ginny slowly blinked her eyes open, yawning. Her first coherent thought was that the room she was in was not hers. It wasn't the hospital wing, that much was certain, judging from the Hogwarts crest was illuminated in the stained glass window opposite her and the initials HG were embroidered on the duvet. There was an empty chair next to the bed, as though someone had watched her sleep all night. Ginny absently traced the fabric, trying to remember...
It was almost funny how, after all the startling events that had occured the previous evening, the first thing that jumped to the forefront of Ginny's memory was Harry's eyes. Last night those eyes had burned her soul; had finally told her what Harry had never been able to put to voice. Harry Potter loved her. After that, nothing else seemed important.
Ginny rose from the bed, noticing that her clothes were laid neatly out on Hermione's dresser. Ginny dressed, gasping at the sight of her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. She leaned closer in, wondering if her eyes had decieved her.
"Very nice, dearie," said the mirror.
It was as though the past few months had never existed. Her hair was no longer stringy and lackluster; it fell down to her back in rich, shiny waves of red in an even brighter, deeper, shade than the normal Weasley red. The strained, frightened look that had haunted her face was gone, as was the splotches of yellow and blue bruises that marred her pale skin. Her eyes were a deep, chocolate brown again, with golden flecks around the irises that sparkled in the candle light. Ginny stared at the mirror image of herself, not believing that she'd turned to normal so quickly. The girl that looked back at her gave no hint at all of the effects that the past few months had had on her. It must have been the phoenix tears that had brought about the change; phoenix tears had magical healing properties.
Ginny gave the mirror one last fleeting glimpse and turned the doorknob, her heart in her throat as she walked downstairs. Ginny had never been this self-conscious before and it was not a good feeling. She somehow thought that perhaps everything had been a dream, but dismissed the thought just as quickly; it didn't explain how she had awakened in Hermione's room.
"Do you think we should wake her?" Ginny could hear Hermione ask as she turned the corner at the stairs. They were all sitting in the cushions in front of one of the large windows, playing a game of exploding snap. A quick glance at the grandfather clock told Ginny it was nearly half past two in the afternoon.
"No. Let her sleep a bit longer," said Harry as he tossed a card onto the pile. "She could use it after all she's been through."
"Yeah," agreed Ron, carefully placing a card on top of Harry's as the stack of cards began to smoke. "When she wakes
up—"
"I'm up," said Ginny coming up to them. Ron and Harry stood up so fast that the snap pack exploded, blasting a good sized hole in the table they had been using. Neither one noticed the smouldering wood and smoke.
"Ginny!" Hermione reached her first and hugged her, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "Harry wouldn't let us wake you! How are you feeling? Did you get enough sleep? Are you hungry? We were talking about going to Hogsmeade later on…." Ginny just smiled as Hermione rapidly fired questions, not giving her a chance to reply.
"You look great," Ron said as he drew her from Hermione and engulfed her in such a strong bear hug that Ginny wasn't able to breathe. "Welcome back, munchkin," he murmurred in her hair, using the old nickname he had given her because of her dimunitive size. Ginny hugged Ron back as tightly as she could, causing him to grunt in surprise.
"You are freakishly strong, did you know that?"
Ginny giggled, realizing that it was the first time she had done so in a long time. She'd missed it. "You have something on your nose, did you know that?" Ginny laughed as she leaned back to gaze up at him.
"Story of my life," said Ron as he wiped the bit of ash from the exploding snap pack off his nose. His face grew serious for a moment, the teasing light gone from his blue eyes. "You're all right, aren't you?"
"Yes," Ginny replied. "I'm going to be just fine."
"We were thinking of going down to Hogsmead. You feel like coming? I know you must be starving," said Ron.
Ginny was absolutely ravenous, but she didn't feel like walking to Hogsmeade. While she wasn't tired and weak anymore, she just wasn't in the mood to deal with a lot of questions that she knew the other Gryffindors would have, as well as the rest of the school, especially once they had noticed how her appearance had changed. "No, I'll stay here. You go on and have fun."
"You want us to stay here?" Hermione asked. "We don't mind at all. And Ron doesn't need any more dungbombs anyway." Hermione shot Ron a slight glare as she said this. Ron had never failed to buy a bulging sack of dungbombs during a Hogsmeade trip, even when Hermione had pointed out that he needed schoolbooks instead. At her words, Ron grinned sheepishly, his ears turning pink.
"I'm fine," Ginny repeated. "You guys go on ahead. I'm just going to sneak down to the kitchens and grab something to eat and read a book or something. I'll be fine."
Ron gave her one last apprasing glance before he said, "Ok, then. If you're sure. Coming Harry?"
Ginny froze at the mention of the name. So far she hadn't even so much as glanced in his direction. He hadn't said anything and she wasn't too sure what she should say. Gathering up her courage, Ginny turned around to face Harry. He looked horrible, as though he'd not slept in the past fortnight. His hair was wildly mussed, the black strands were clumped together and poked out in all directions, and his beautiful green eyes were now bloodshot and dull. There were deep purple circles under them and did Ginny imagine it, or did his left cheek have a slight bruise on it?
She shivered involuntarily as Harry's gaze caught hers. "I'll stay here," he said very quietly. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but just shook his head and turned to face Ron. Ginny saw them exchange looks. Had something gone on between them last night? Surely Ron hadn't blamed Harry for what happened, had he? She frowned at the thought, hoping it wasn't so.
Ron turned to face Ginny again. "We won't be gone long," he said, giving her one last quick hug. "We'll bring you back some of those horrid Muggle crisps you love," he teased, tweaking her hair as Hermione have her a hug as well. Ginny offered them a smile and watched as they exited through the portrait hole.
Ginny turned around to face Harry again, jumping when she saw that he'd moved closer to her. She could see quite clearly a greenish bruise marring the smooth skin on his cheek. The whites of his eyes were criss-crossed with dark red veins and were almost lifeless looking.
"What happened to you?" Ginny asked, not aware of how rude the question may have sounded.
Harry blinked. "Nothing. Why?"
"You and Ron didn't…he didn't…"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," said Harry. Ginny reached out to gently touch his cheek; Harry flinched but then closed his eyes as her fingers lightly stroked, checking for any signs of swelling.
A loud growl broke through the silence, startling both of them.
Ginny let out a horrified giggle. "I guess I'm sort of hungry," she said, and as though to emphasize her point, her stomach let out another rumble.
Harry chuckled. "I should say so. Come with me and we'll see what we can do about that." He held out his hand for her to take it. Ginny stared at the open palm for a moment before slipping her own into his. She shivered as a tiny current rippled through her at the contact. His hand was warm, the fingers calloused from years of Quidditch.
The trip down to the kitchens was a silent journey, broken only by the cackling of Peeves as he chased Mrs Norris down the corridor. "Oh, it's potty wee Potter and weeny Miss Weasley!" the poltergist called after them as he flew through the air, knocking down suits of armor as he passed by.
Ginny barely paid attention to Peeves, even though a sword from one of the suits of armor just missed her by inches. Her mind was focused on Harry, as she thought about the events of the previous evening and of how much she wanted to say, questions that she wanted to ask, but wasn't able to put to words. Harry seemed to have the same problem as well, she noticed. He kept on giving her fleeting looks as though he too had too much to say and no idea where to begin. Every once in a while, he would squeeze her hand, held tightly in his, as though the small gesture would somehow communicate his thoughts to her, and oddly enough, it did.
The painting of the fruit loomed over them before Ginny realised they were at the entrance to the kitchens. The pear giggled as Harry reached up to tickle it, and turned into a doorknob. The kitchens inside Hogwarts were a lively place at any time of the day or night. Smells of baking bread, roasting meat, and sweets mingled together in the air as the door was opened, making Ginny's stomach growl even louder. Harry grinned as he held the door open for her to enter. Before Ginny had even cleared the doorway, she was knocked backwards, her head hitting the doorjamb as several small missles launched themselves at her, throwing their small arms around her waist and hugging so tightly she could barely breathe.
"Lady Wheezy! Lady Wheezy!" Dobby was the first to reach her, followed closely by Winky, Pippa, and a few other house-elves that Ginny was acquainted with. Dobby had taken quite a liking to her, ever since she'd first visited the kitchens with Hermione, Ron and Harry in her fourth year. Hermione was still trying to get everyone involved with S.P.E.W, and during one of her lectures on elf rights, an accident had occurred. Winky's tea cozy had caught fire and Ginny, who was nearest, was the first to put it out, burning herself badly in the effort. From that moment on, Ginny was idolized by the house-elves, who were amazed that anyone would go to such lengths to save one of their own.
"Dobby!" Ginny gasped. "How are you?" She looked to Harry, hoping that he would get the hint and help extract her from the tiny circle. He just stood there, laughter shining in his eyes as he took in the sight of house-elves climbing all over her.
"Oh, Dobby is fine, miss! Just fine! Dobby heard that you
were not feeling well, but Dobby knew that Harry Potter would take care of you
for you are Harry Potter's—"
"Ok, Dobby, let her breathe," Harry interjected, gently pulling Ginny
away. Ginny noticed that his face
seemed a bit flushed, but didn't know if it was because of Dobby's praise, or
from the heat from the fireplace. Harry
let her to the two chairs set near the fireplace. "Ginny hasn't eaten anything since last night Dobby—" But before
Harry could finish, an enormous tray loaded with tea, eclairs, biscuits, and
all of Ginny's favorite sweets was placed in front of her.
"Thank you Dobby," Ginny said through a mouthful of cream cake.
"Why is Lady Wheezy not eating, Harry Potter?" asked Dobby, his ears twitching as those huge eyes of his fell on Ginny.
"She was sick, Dobby. Very sick." Harry poured Ginny and himself a cup of tea. Ginny could help but notice how the cup shook on the saucer when he handed it to her.
"Poor Lady Wheezy!" said Winky, who had come to sit next to Ginny. "Is Lady Wheezy better now, Harry Potter?" Her own eyes were watering. "Lady Wheezy cannot be sick!"
Ginny did not like being talked about as though she was not there. "I'm fine, Winky. Just a bit hungry, that's all." This seemed to cheer up Winky and Dobby as they both gave her tremulous smiles and nodded eagerly.
"Oh, Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed suddenly, startling both Harry and Ginny. "Guess who Dobby saw yesterday afternoon!"
"Who Dobby?"
"It was Dobby's old master's son! And Dobby didn't have to iron his ears, or stick his head in the oven, or beat himself at all!" Dobby announced this proudly, his ears now wiggling in delight. "Dobby hasn't seen him since he'd been freed."
Winky frowned at Dobby's words. The other house-elves, who'd all been listening avidly to the conversation, now turned away and went back to work. Ginny had to suppress a smile behind her tea-cup. Despite all of Hermione's attempts at getting S.P.E.W off the ground, the house-elves still did not approve of being free and acted as though Dobby had said something scandalous. While Ginny suspected that Hermione had not given up, she was too stubborn for that, Ginny knew that between her new subjects, her new responsibilities as being Head Girl, and finding time to spend with Ron, Hermione hadn't had much time to involve herself with S.P.E.W.
"That's great Dobby," said Harry smiling. Ginny knew that Dobby was referring to Draco Malfoy, whose family Dobby had worked for before Harry had freed him in her first year.
"Dobby saw him sitting in the Headmaster's office, when Dobby went to check on the Headmaster's fire."
"You were in Dumbledore's office, Dobby?" Ginny looked up from her plate of sweets; she'd been deciding on what to eat next when Harry's voice cut into her thoughts. Harry was now sitting up very straight and his eyes were narrowed as though Dobby had said something alarming.
"Yes, sir. Dobby goes in there everyday to check on the fires, and Dobby saw his old master's son sitting in the chair before the desk."
"When was this Dobby?" asked Harry.
"Almost before the noon meal, Harry Potter. Dobby remembers since he had to hurry to go back down and help in the kitchens."
Harry turned to Ginny. "You were in there right after that weren't you?"
Ginny swallowed the treacle tart she was eating. "Yes." Then she cottoned on to what Harry was leading up to. "Oh Harry, you can't think that Malfoy had something to do—"
"It makes perfect sense! We all know what the Malfoys are anyway, just ask Dobby—" Harry gestured towards to Dobby, who was nodding his head frantically.
"Yes, Lady Wheezy! Dobby's former masters were powerful Dark Wizards!" Dobby clamped his hand over his mouth.
Harry jumped up from his seat as though discovering it was on fire, grabbed Ginny's arm and said, "We've got to get to Dumbledore and tell him this! I can't imagine why he hasn't put two and two together."
"Harry, really!" Ginny cried, twisting out of his grasp to grab one last éclair. "You can't be serious. I know what the Malfoys are, believe me, but this doesn't make much sense." Harry acted as though he never heard her and ploughed onwards through the entrance through the kitchens. Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, right in the middle of the corridor, folded her arms across her chest and waited for Harry to realise that she was no longer following him. "I'm not going anywhere Harry Potter," she said defiantly. "This is crazy, you know it. Malfoy would have had to have known that I was going to end up in Dumdledore's office later on that day to even plant that dagger." She said all of this to a very stiff Harry, who had stopped, but hadn't turned around. "You can't march up to Dumbledore and accuse Malfoy of that, especially with no proof," she said reasonably. Harry finally turned around, and Ginny almost smiled, thinking that he'd seen her way of reasoning.
He hadn't. "How many times is it going to take Ginny?" His voice was deadly calm. "Do you realise that this is the second time your life has been placed in danger because of a Malfoy?" With each word he spoke, he took a step towards her, and for one fleeting moment, Ginny was absolutely terrified of Harry Potter. His eyes were wild-looking and she could almost feel the fury radiating off of him. Harry was always so calm, so in control, that it was alarming to see him act this way. She hadn't realised she had been moving backwards until she felt the cold thick wooden panneling against her back. Harry paused mere inches from her.
"Twice Ginny!" He almost shouted. "Two times you've almost died because of him! Remember that diary Lucius Malfoy gave you? How did he know that you'd be in Flourish and Blotts that day, didn't you ever wonder? And why did he choose you, of all people to give the diary to?"
Ginny shook her head wordlessly, but didn't know whether it was in answer to Harry's questions or because she didn't want to think back to the events of her first year. Harry must've not been too pleased with her reply, because he took her arms in a hard grip and shook her so hard her head was knocked up against the pannelling, making her teeth rattle. "Twice you've been placed in danger, Ginny! Twice! Because….because of…me!" He immediately let go of her, stepped away, and once Ginny had managed to focus her eyes on him again, she saw that he was no longer angry, but very frightened. His nostrils were flaring and he was almost panting with the effort to breathe.
"I…did…I didn't mean…did I hurt you?" he squeaked. Ginny tried to say that she was fine, but Harry surprised them both by pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair, hugging her so tightly that she couldn't breath.
"God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he murmured, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "This is all my fault."
"Harry, this isn't your fault!" she cried, pulling back to face him. "None of this is!"
Harry wasn't listening to her. His eyes took on a glassy look as he stared into the space behind her. "I hid it for a year, I thought I had it under control. I knew you'd be in danger if he ever found out, knew you'd become the prime target if he went after me again. He'd use you to get to me, just like he did before in the Chamber of Secrets. I never wanted you to find out like this…" His voice broke as he looked away.
Ginny gently reached out and touched his cheek, blinking when she felt warm moisture on her fingertips. "Harry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say. She wrapped her arms around him and held him as tightly as she, laying her head on his chest, listening to the pounding heartbeat, inhaling the clean scent of his robes, a mixture of citrus and light musk. Time became lost as they stood there, arms wrapped securely around each other as though they expected the other to be ripped from them.
Finally Harry raised his head. "What do we do now?"
Words Ginny had once heard Hagrid say popped into her mind. "Well, with whatever comes, we'll face it. Together." Harry nodded and smiled down at her, making her heart skip.