~ In Harm's Way~
Harry woke early in the afternoon, Ginny was still asleep. She looked somewhat at ease, the corners of her lips twitched occasionally, maybe she wasn't too calm.
Madam Promfrey walked by, seeing that he was awake, smiled, and continued with her duty. When she made her way past the large doorway, Ron had walked into the hospital wing.
" Hey" he whispered, sitting next to Ginny's side of the bed.
Harry waved with the hand he had around her.
" She asked you to stay?".
He nodded, " I don't mind".
" Did she say anything?" Ron asked, hopeful.
" Yeah" Harry looked down at Ginny, " she asked that I don't tell you, for the time being, I'm going to respect that. But, as her brother, you have to help me find who it is".
Ron nodded, not objecting that Harry would not say what he was told. " Does she know?".
" She only knows that it's a boy, besides that, she has no idea".
" Maybe I'll go talk to her roommates" Ron said, " maybe they saw or heard something last night".
" That is a good idea".
When Ron was out of sight, Ginny opened her eyes and turned onto her back. Harry caught her in his gaze when she did.
" You're really not going to tell Ron?" she asked, he knew she must have been pretending to sleep when her brother was there.
" You asked me not too, and I promised I wouldn't".
Ginny moved into a sitting position. The sunlight shone on her tangled red hair, puffy eyes, and bruises. " Thank you".
" You're welcome" he also sat up, " we'll find out who did this, and until then, no one will hurt you".
She gazed down at the bed sheets, " you don't have to do that" she assumed he meant that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
Harry followed her path, ducking slightly, " I want to, he's still in school, and he won't touch you again".
Madam Promfrey approached them, besides a boy with a case of the stomach flu, they were the only ones there. " You're free to go Miss Weasley, your wounds should heal quickly" she, like any other staff member, was still under the impression that a book shelf in the library had injured Ginny. It was the best given excuse. " Lunch is being served now, Mister Potter, will you take her?".
He nodded, and helped Ginny off the bed.
She stumbled in the corridor on the way to the Hall, like she did not want to be going there. When coming to the open entrance, she stopped.
" He's going to be in there" her voice was very secure, she was stating a fact.
Harry took a step back to her, " he'll know better than to go anywhere near you" Ginny still did not feel assured. " We don't have to go".
" If I don't go now, I may never go in there again" her eyes were still locked on the door.
She wanted to get to their seats as quickly as they could. Harry stayed behind her, no one noticed them, they didn't even look up.
Ginny sat down between Ron and Harry, across from Hermione, Neville, George, and Fred. She tried to hide her face over the plate.
Everyone was silent, no one knew that to say.
" Someone, please, say..." a scream interrupted her words. Now they had the students attention. Harry and Ron looked to see a crouching Draco Malfoy behind Ginny. He had pulled at the bottom of her shirt, enough to make her scream.
" He's first on the list" Ron muttered, his attempt to hit him had failed, he was too fast. Ron knew better than to go after him, at least, right now.
Harry watched Draco back to his seat, with a sickening grin of satisfaction. Malfoy had been pure vermin since his first year (most likely before that, but they didn't know him then), but he knew where his boundaries were.
" What can I get you?" Hermione asked, smiling.
Ginny shrugged, " I'm not hungry, I guess I'm still tired".
" I can walk back to the tower with you if you want" she offered.
Without answering, Ginny left the table, Hermione followed. They met at the end of the aisle and left together. Fred and George moved into Hermione's place, they, along with Harry, crowded near Ron.
" What did her roommates say?" Fred impatiently asked.
Ron shrugged, loosing hope, " the same thing, she went to the common room to get a book she forgot, and didn't come back".
" That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" George commented.
" It's what they said".
" He had to be from Gryffindor" Harry claimed.
Fred glared at him, " no need to be sexist, it could have been a catfight gone wrong".
" Harry's right" Ron said, " Ginny told him, she knew it was a boy. There are other things, but, she made him promise not to tell".
" If it becomes necessary, I will " Harry added, " what she told won't help find out who it is, just more eager to find him".
The other agreed, knowing they wouldn't be able to get it out of him even if they wanted to.
" But he's right" George went back to what Harry said only a minute ago, " if he got into the common room, he has to be in Gryffindor".
Ron stared at his plate, " unless Ginny left the common room".
" She didn't" Harry told him.
" So let's ask the guys" Fred suggested.
George sarcastically responded, " oh yeah, they'll defiantly tell us if they attacked a helpless fourteen-year-old girl, you moron!".
" Don't call me a moron!".
" I'm going back to the common room" Harry interrupted the argument, " conversations are not going to solve this". He left them without another word.
" Can't someone say 'good-bye' at least?" Fred asked.
Harry woke early in the afternoon, Ginny was still asleep. She looked somewhat at ease, the corners of her lips twitched occasionally, maybe she wasn't too calm.
Madam Promfrey walked by, seeing that he was awake, smiled, and continued with her duty. When she made her way past the large doorway, Ron had walked into the hospital wing.
" Hey" he whispered, sitting next to Ginny's side of the bed.
Harry waved with the hand he had around her.
" She asked you to stay?".
He nodded, " I don't mind".
" Did she say anything?" Ron asked, hopeful.
" Yeah" Harry looked down at Ginny, " she asked that I don't tell you, for the time being, I'm going to respect that. But, as her brother, you have to help me find who it is".
Ron nodded, not objecting that Harry would not say what he was told. " Does she know?".
" She only knows that it's a boy, besides that, she has no idea".
" Maybe I'll go talk to her roommates" Ron said, " maybe they saw or heard something last night".
" That is a good idea".
When Ron was out of sight, Ginny opened her eyes and turned onto her back. Harry caught her in his gaze when she did.
" You're really not going to tell Ron?" she asked, he knew she must have been pretending to sleep when her brother was there.
" You asked me not too, and I promised I wouldn't".
Ginny moved into a sitting position. The sunlight shone on her tangled red hair, puffy eyes, and bruises. " Thank you".
" You're welcome" he also sat up, " we'll find out who did this, and until then, no one will hurt you".
She gazed down at the bed sheets, " you don't have to do that" she assumed he meant that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
Harry followed her path, ducking slightly, " I want to, he's still in school, and he won't touch you again".
Madam Promfrey approached them, besides a boy with a case of the stomach flu, they were the only ones there. " You're free to go Miss Weasley, your wounds should heal quickly" she, like any other staff member, was still under the impression that a book shelf in the library had injured Ginny. It was the best given excuse. " Lunch is being served now, Mister Potter, will you take her?".
He nodded, and helped Ginny off the bed.
She stumbled in the corridor on the way to the Hall, like she did not want to be going there. When coming to the open entrance, she stopped.
" He's going to be in there" her voice was very secure, she was stating a fact.
Harry took a step back to her, " he'll know better than to go anywhere near you" Ginny still did not feel assured. " We don't have to go".
" If I don't go now, I may never go in there again" her eyes were still locked on the door.
She wanted to get to their seats as quickly as they could. Harry stayed behind her, no one noticed them, they didn't even look up.
Ginny sat down between Ron and Harry, across from Hermione, Neville, George, and Fred. She tried to hide her face over the plate.
Everyone was silent, no one knew that to say.
" Someone, please, say..." a scream interrupted her words. Now they had the students attention. Harry and Ron looked to see a crouching Draco Malfoy behind Ginny. He had pulled at the bottom of her shirt, enough to make her scream.
" He's first on the list" Ron muttered, his attempt to hit him had failed, he was too fast. Ron knew better than to go after him, at least, right now.
Harry watched Draco back to his seat, with a sickening grin of satisfaction. Malfoy had been pure vermin since his first year (most likely before that, but they didn't know him then), but he knew where his boundaries were.
" What can I get you?" Hermione asked, smiling.
Ginny shrugged, " I'm not hungry, I guess I'm still tired".
" I can walk back to the tower with you if you want" she offered.
Without answering, Ginny left the table, Hermione followed. They met at the end of the aisle and left together. Fred and George moved into Hermione's place, they, along with Harry, crowded near Ron.
" What did her roommates say?" Fred impatiently asked.
Ron shrugged, loosing hope, " the same thing, she went to the common room to get a book she forgot, and didn't come back".
" That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" George commented.
" It's what they said".
" He had to be from Gryffindor" Harry claimed.
Fred glared at him, " no need to be sexist, it could have been a catfight gone wrong".
" Harry's right" Ron said, " Ginny told him, she knew it was a boy. There are other things, but, she made him promise not to tell".
" If it becomes necessary, I will " Harry added, " what she told won't help find out who it is, just more eager to find him".
The other agreed, knowing they wouldn't be able to get it out of him even if they wanted to.
" But he's right" George went back to what Harry said only a minute ago, " if he got into the common room, he has to be in Gryffindor".
Ron stared at his plate, " unless Ginny left the common room".
" She didn't" Harry told him.
" So let's ask the guys" Fred suggested.
George sarcastically responded, " oh yeah, they'll defiantly tell us if they attacked a helpless fourteen-year-old girl, you moron!".
" Don't call me a moron!".
" I'm going back to the common room" Harry interrupted the argument, " conversations are not going to solve this". He left them without another word.
" Can't someone say 'good-bye' at least?" Fred asked.