~*~*~*~
Rowan quickly guided both stretchers into Harry's room. With a few swift flicks of her wand she lit several of the alabaster lamps, bathing the room in a warm glow and settled Ginny securely into Harry's bed. Rowan rechecked the girl's pulse and breathing before muttering a few charms that would alert her to any change. The best thing to do now would be to allow Ginny to wake naturally, then take things from there. Rowan sighed in empathy; ruthlessly locking her resurging memories back in their mental box, and turned to Harry.
Harry looked up at her sulkily. From the look in his eyes Rowan knew her godson wouldn't be very cooperative. Well, she wasn't in much of a mood for childishness at the moment. Harry landed heavily on the floor as Rowan abruptly removed spell and scrambled back to his feet, attempting to ignore the odd tingly aftermath. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again when he saw the look Rowan's face. The older witch stood at least three inches shorter than any of the males in the household, but managed to effectively loom over them all in certain moods. Right now she looked deadly as all fury.
"Ginny will be in shock, at best, when she wakes up. I have no idea how long it will last, but she'll be running an emotional gauntlet. You, Harry, will go to my laboratory and set out the ingredients I will need to make for all the potions listed under "maternity" in my grimoire and brew a Calming Draught." Harry blinked in surprise, wondering why he was being asked to prepare these things, but didn't ask as Rowan nailed him with a stern look that rivalled McGonagall's. "Do NOT attempt to make the maternity ones. I will handle it; just read all the directions first and prepare the ingredients for me."
Harry nodded, still wondering at the strange list, slipped over to the bed and looked down at Ginny. He reached down and brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen into her sleeping face. "It's all right," he whispered. "You're safe now."
Rowan watched the pair silently, a soft smile touching her lips. "Harry," her voice broke the permeating stillness. "We need to hurry."
~*~
Hermione moaned softly to herself. The painful twinges that she'd tried to ignore since lunchtime had turned into a throbbing headache. She'd come home at lunchtime and slipped into her most comfortable pair of robes. It was also her most tattered pair, but only Crookshanks and Ron would see her in them. Ouch, and maybe Rowan, Hermione thought as she collapsed onto the couch and began massaging her temples. She seriously considered dragging herself over to the fireplace and asking if Rowan would make a house call.
The door slammed loudly and Ron entered the room, a smile on his face. He paused when he saw Hermione's pained expression. "What's wrong?"
"I have a headache." Hermione stood and made her way towards the bedroom and away from her noisy husband. "Any lummox would be able to see that."
"Unless that lummox happens to be married to you." Ron caught up with Hermione and then lifted her into his arms. "You should take it easy, Hermione. What can I do to make you feel better?"
"Stop talking," Hermione ordered through gritted teeth.
Concern crossed Ron's face. "Hermione, is this normal? I mean you're only a few months along."
"Pregnancy is different for each woman. Rowan says I'm doing fine," Hermione shrugged then winced as the movement initiated another twinge of pain. "However, certain parts of me aren't."
Ron kissed her forehead lightly. "I'll order some pickles for you tomorrow. "
Hermione didn't even bother to ask why he'd be buying her pickles. Nothing Ron did since she'd told him about the baby, made much sense. He wandered around in a daze with a smile on his face. "Just put me down Ron, I want to go to bed."
A knock sounded loudly on the door.
Ron grinned down at Hermione, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He slung her over his shoulder and went to answer the door.
Hermione pounded her arms against Ron's back. "Put me down you git!"
Ron steadied her with one hand and used the other to pull the door open, expecting to see Harry laughing at the antics of his best friends. "Hey Harry, guess what . . ." Ron's announcement trailed off into confusion as he saw an anxious Morgaine Lupin standing in the doorway. "Morgaine?"
Hermione went limp. She pounded her head against Ron's shoulder, muttering curses under her breath. Ron carefully put Hermione down and they moved aside so Morgaine could enter.
"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, noticing Morgaine's pale face.
~*~
Harry thought every candle and torch in the castle must be lit when he re-emerged from Rowan's laboratory after nearly an hour and made his way into the main hall. Sirius and Remus stood near the stairs, talking quietly, but stopped when they noticed Harry's presence
"Where did you put the bod . . . I mean... Nevi . . . um . . . Have you seen Ginny?" The words tumbled over each other. With the first question, Harry wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer. The second question was pointless. Rowan cam into the lab not five minutes ago and asked him to go sit with Ginny while she finished the more complicated potions. Ginny's condition hadn't changed in the past five minutes.
"We put Neville in the crypt. The preservative spells in place will help. He can stay there until we contact his family." A small smile replaced the sad look on Sirius' face. "Rowan let us peek in on Ginny, she seems to be doing fine, but Rowan shooed us out."
Harry nodded in sympathy. "She made me prepare potion ingredients."
"Never cross Rowan when someone is ill." Sirius smiled fondly. "The day you were born, Rowan held Prongs at wand point to keep him out from underfoot. I'm glad she didn't have to resort to the same measures with you."
Harry shifted uncomfortably. Suddenly several things connected in his brain; Rowan's attitude, Sirius' comments, and the maternity potion ingredients he'd just prepared. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice slightly hurt with too many shocks for one day.
Sirius blinked in confusion. "Tell you what?"
Harry looked at Sirius, relief sweeping through him. Sirius and Rowan weren't keeping secrets from him. He raised an eyebrow at Remus. "Is it Morgaine then?"
"What about Morgaine?"
Harry rolled his eyes in frustration. "Who's pregnant? Rowan or Morgaine?"
Remus and Sirius looked at Harry dumbfounded.
"PREGNANT?" they shouted in unison.
"How do you know this?" Remus asked, attempting to calm down, but looking very pleased.
"Rowan had me preparing ingredients for a maternity potion." Harry smiled apologetically. "I thought, maybe," He shrugged helplessly.
Sirius looked at Remus and grinned. "Five galleons say it's Rowan, she's been acting a bit peevish lately."
Remus thought for a moment. "Morgaine may have put on a few pounds."
"Morgaine would geld you if she heard that," Sirius shook his head. "And it has to be Rowan, Moony. Have you noticed her temper today? Not to mention . . ."
"Sirius Black!" Rowan's voice interrupted them like a crash of tympani and she sounded absolutely scandalized.
Three guilty faces looked up at Rowan as she entered the main hall. Sirius winced as he noticed the dangerous look in his mate's eyes, but then decided that he didn't care and crossed the hall in a bound of energy. Sweeping his mate into his arms, he pulled her into a deep kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. "And how is Padfoot Jr. this evening?"
Rowan lifted an eyebrow, smiling at his exuberance. "We're not naming him Padfoot," she informed him crisply. "And don't pick out the nursery colors quite yet. I'm not pregnant." She kissed him fondly. "We can rectify that later, if you like." She shook her head at Remus's triumphant look. "Sorry, Moony, it's not Morgaine either."
A horrified look crossed Harry's face and he looked up in the direction of Ginny's room.
Rowan rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath about the stupidity of men and their willingness to jump to conclusions. "Harry, I had you prepare those ingredients for one of our guests. The baby's father has red hair, not its mother. Why don't you go up and sit with Ginny while I finish the preparations down here?"
Harry nodded and beat a hasty retreat up the stairs.
~*~
Harry entered his bedroom where Ginny slept soundly. Perry, the most personable of the castle house elves, puttered about nearby resetting a few of the charms on the room and keeping a watchful eye on Ginny. Perry appeared at his elbow a few moments later with a tray of light snacks and tea. Harry thanked the house elf and took up residence in deeply cushioned armchair near the bed to wait.
~*~
Rowan entered the room sometime later, followed closely by Ron and Hermione, and Perry. The house-elf had been worried because the "young master" hadn't moved from the chair since he'd entered the room.
"Maybe you should go to bed Harry. Ginny will still be here in the morning." Hermione suggested gently. Harry looked up in surprise.
"I'm all right," he shrugged off her concern. "Besides, Ginny's in my bed."
Rowan raised an amused eyebrow. "Harry, this castle is slightly larger than Hogwarts. I'm sure we can find you a spare room for one night. Or we could move Ginny." Determination flashed across his face and Rowan sighed. "Right, fine, we won't move her."
"She should have at least one of us around when she wakes up," Ron commented, coming to Harry's rescue. "Strange surroundings and all that."
"Harry, I'm not sure how Ginny would react to your presence. It might be better if . . ."
A low groan, escaped Ginny's lips and everyone started. Harry reached Ginny first and leaned over her anxiously.
Ginny's eyes fluttered open. "Harry?" She sat up and looked around the room. "Oh, Neville." The delayed shock suddenly seemed to hit her and she clutched both hands to her mouth. She stumbled from the bed and tried to make her way to the bathroom.
"I is helping you, Miss!" Perry called as she magically lifted the washbasin from a bedside table and placed it directly in front of Ginny. Ginny grabbed gratefully for the bowl.
Harry watched as Ginny retched violently. The bile rose in his own throat as he thought of what she'd experienced that day.
Everyone waited until Ginny's gurgling was replaced by dry heaves. Rowan conjured a wet rag and quietly instructed Hermione to lead Ginny into the bathroom and help her clean up while Perry removed the bowl deftly while Harry and Ron watched on, ready to help if needed.
"Is she going to be all right?" Ron asked, a bit pale at his sister's distress. Rowan nodded reassuringly.
"She'll be fine. Harry? Why don't you go help Hermione with Ginny?" Harry nodded and slipped into the bathroom. Rowan waited until he was gone before turning back to Ron. "Ron, I want you and Harry to run a check on the grounds and the boathouse in the morning."
"You should have Bill check all the wards and charms around here too," Ron told her. "You don't think this was a random attack, do you?"
Rowan shook her head wearily. "No, I don't."
~*~
Ginny sat on the cool tile of the spacious bathroom for several moments, allowing Hermione to kneel by her and rub her back gently.
"Feeling any better?"
Ginny nodded, her eyes unfocusing slightly. Hermione looked up as she heard the door whisper open to admit Harry.
"I think she's going into shock again. You'd better leave."
"NO!" Ginny cried sharply, her voice tainted with an edge of hysteria. She looked up at Harry with frightened brown eyes. "How can you protect me if you leave? Are the Death Eaters gone? You said that you'd keep me safe!"
"You were awake earlier?" Harry felt shocked. He didn't think she'd heard what he'd whispered to her at the shore. Shaking off his surprise Harry knelt beside Ginny and gathered her into his arms. "Don't worry, Ginny, they're gone. Ron and I'll go over and look. We'll find out why . . ."
Harry trailed off as Ginny tensed suddenly and began shaking and weeping. "Neville! Oh Harry! Neville's gone!"
"Let's put her back in bed." Hermione told Harry quietly, wiping tears of her own away.
Harry knelt and gently picked the sobbing Ginny up before carrying her the few yards back to the canopied bed. He tried to put her down, but Ginny clung to him even tighter, sobbing harder and holding to the only solid thing she perceived at the moment. Harry looked at the other three helplessly.
"Why don't you sit down?" Rowan pointed to a comfortable armchair. "She needs someone to comfort her. Just let her cry for a bit." Perry appeared again, this time holding a small bottle of purple potion and a goblet that Harry recognized immediately: a potion for dreamless sleep. He had also been dosed with this potion after Voldemort's return in his fourth year. Rowan smiled gently and handed him the goblet of potion. "See that she drinks all of this, would you?"
Harry nodded and when Ginny and Harry were comfortably ensconced in the armchair, the others slipped quietly away. Harry rubbed Ginny's back and murmured to her softly, coaxing her carefully to drain the goblet. Almost immediately Ginny lapsed into a dreamless slumber, but didn't let go of Harry. Harry smiled and carefully resettled her smaller form into a more comfortable position. Before long, he too fell deeply asleep.
~*~*~*~