Zelda – Glad you'd like to read more! So here we are…

Aranel – Thank you for lending me Cassie! Cassie is your character so I'm inserting a disclaimer……. Here! To anyone who wants to know more about Cassie read Aranel Rine's fics!

And of course thanks to J K Rowling for writing such brilliant books! BOOK 5 PLEASE!

Chapter 2 – Under the weather.

Ginny tried to open her eyes; her shoulder felt on fire, her body felt like lead, her head felt like someone was drilling nails into it and she felt drained of energy, tired. Someone gripped her hand, Ginny managed to open her eyes to look up into brown eyes, identical to her own, although at the moment they looked wild with fear.

Percy she thought languidly.

"Ginny! She's awake! Get Cassie!" he seemed to be very discomposed, "Ginny? Can you hear me?" He gripped her hand more tightly, but she couldn't summon energy to reply; her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she couldn't manage to squeeze his hand back. She felt a tear of frustration roll down her cheek at the thought that something was scaring her normally composed brother; she wondered what could make him so afraid.

"Ginny – Listen you've got to fight it do you hear me! - I love you Ginny… We all do… Help is coming… Ginny FIGHT IT... I can't lose you too…" He said rapidly. Questions flowed through her mind, was someone hurt? Did someone need help? Why couldn't she comfort her brother? Why was she so tired?

Ginny could hold on to consciousness no longer, she drifted back into the quiet as Percy's desperate calls continued at her side. What was wrong with her she wondered…

* * *

A beach, which stretched in every direction; blue crystal water lapped at her ankles and the white sands squeezed between her toes. Gentle winds breathed softly against her, wrapping her heavy robes around her legs. She started to undo the buttons to remove the heavy burden that the long robes brought, the hot sun boring down on her made them hot and her, sleek with sweat, wanted nothing but to dive in to the cool refreshing water.

"Wait," Called a gentle voice next to her, Ginny did not stop undoing the buttons as she turned to see Penelope Clearwater walking towards her across the water. Penelope looked up at the approaching girl, she looked happy, cool, light pink robes flowed about her, and she smiled at Ginny with love glowing in her eyes.

"Ginny, are you sure you want to swim?" she asked, looking into Ginny's eyes.

"I'm hot," Ginny replied stupidly as another wave lapped at her feet.

"But you don't have a bathing suit," The girl stated, Ginny stopped undoing her robes and looked at the fair-haired girl in confusion.

"But… I'm hot, these robes are heavy," She said uncertainly, but thought where am I?

"I know. But there's still so much to see, why don't you carry on walking? You'll find shade, people are waiting for you, and you can go swimming another day," She said warmly, still smiling. She lost her smile as her if thoughts troubled her, "Ginny, my daughter, thank you. Percy needs her, and you." Her smile returned. "Go Ginny, It is a long walk you have ahead of you, but not a lonely one- I promise." She leaned over and kissed the bewildered Ginny on top of her head. Ginny felt peace and tranquillity flood through her body and she felt herself smile. Ginny no longer felt the mindless confusion, it didn't matter, and all she knew was that it was time to go home. The heat didn't matter; it would cool soon.

Penelope looked at Ginny lovingly before she turned back towards the calm sea and started to walk back through the waves.

Ginny turned away from the sea; doing up her buttons she left the waters edge and strolled up the beach, in the distance she could see tiny figures searching along the beginning of the beach.

She waved, but only one saw her returning and waved back, the others continued to search and call her name.

It seemed to take her forever to walk up the hot sand, robes still weighing down her frame and the whole time the figure stood waiting for her return. After a short time, a smaller figure with long bright red hair that moved with the gentle breeze came to stand besides him. As she got closer the figure got clearer, and Ginny saw his light brown hair blowing in the wind, a gentle warm smile on his face and his waiting arms out stretched to welcome her home.

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes the second time to find Professor Snape and Cassie Jones, looming over her, and checking her pulse. Ginny's shoulder felt numb, her body lighter, and she found her aching muscles moved to her command,

"Percy?" she croaked, her mouth felt like the desert.

"You should try to rest Ms Weasley," Snape spoke softly and much to Ginny's surprise, kindly. Cassie offered her a drink of water through a straw, which Ginny immediately took in her mouth, although she found she was too tired to lift her head. Cassie brushed the hair back from Ginny's face as professor Snape continued to check her temperature, and to Ginny's discomfort take a blood sample.

Everything seemed very calm to Ginny, as if a huge storm had passed and everything was peaceful now. Ginny saw the tired look on Cassie's face and the way her movements were very forced. Ginny wondered what could have happened to make Cassie look so worn out.

"The fever is broken – she'll live," Snape said to Cassie, Cassie let out a breath of relief and moved away to look out the window, back to the room. Ginny lay in shock for a couple of seconds, 'I nearly died?' She thought frantically. Snape looked to Ginny,

"The arrowhead was poisoned with an unusual poison recently developed by Voldemort, only a few know how to make and counteract it, myself included. It was necessary to ask for my services; Cassie was doing an excellent job before I arrived, however." He said this in a low voice to Ginny, but Ginny could tell the last part had been directed towards Cassie, who made no response as to having heard it. Ginny was surprised at the praise he had directed at the young woman, getting a 'very good' out of him was usually as easy as getting blood out of a stone. Let alone an 'excellent.'

But Ginny was still somewhat shocked that she'd nearly died, so only half of her really acknowledged the goings on in the room. A thought struck her - if she had nearly died, where was Blaise?

"Where's Blaise?" said Ginny grabbing Snape's hand in an effort to convey her panic, the effort of which cost her dearly.

"She is fine," answered Snape shortly, shaking off Ginny's hand disapprovingly, where it fell limp to the bed.

Snape was watching the woman by the window, unreadable expressions passed across his face but Ginny thought he looked quite concerned and slightly wistful. He caught Ginny watching him and looked slightly annoyed, he forced her to take a dreamless sleep potion so that she could fully recover, informing her that when she woke she was most likely going to be in a lot of pain.

* * *

When Ginny woke, she was in a hell of a lot of pain. Her shoulder, once numb, felt on fire and the skin was stinging with pain. Not to mention that all the muscles around it felt cramped and unused. She felt slightly dizzy with pain, but her conscious refused to let her drift back into unawareness, as she heard someone reading aloud at her bedside.

"'…of a peculiar kind. From their infancy, they have been intended for each other. It was the favourite wish of his mother, as well as of hers. While in their…' " Blaise stopped reading as she obviously had sensed Ginny stir, Blaise was silent for a few minutes, before Ginny said,

"Cradles?" her voice sounded hoarse to her ears.

"Ginny," said Blaise fervently, taking Ginny's hand in her own, "I wasn't sure if you were awake."

"I am," said Ginny.

"Don't waste your energy talking then; would you like me to continue reading?"

Before Ginny could reply however, she heard the door to her room open, "Blaise?" she heard a female voice whisper. "I brought some tea."

"What's the time?" Blaise asked.

"Three-thirty, you want milk or cream?" said Cassie.

"Cream's fine thanks," said Ginny.

A cup smashed on the other side of the room.

"Ginny?!" a voice croaked. She felt a cold hand take up her own and start checking her pulse. "Why didn't you get me as soon as she woke up?" she hissed at Blaise.

"She just woke up for Christ's sake!" snapped Blaise.

"Guys - I've been awake five minutes, can we quit it with the fighting?" said Ginny happily.

She opened her eyes to see Blaise and Cassie looking back at her from opposite sides of the bed.

It had been a long time since she had been in a room with her two closest friends, with Blaise always away in some foreign country playing Death Eater and Cassie constantly tucked away in her lab, she hardly saw them together. But whenever they were together, you could almost guarantee there would be petty bickering and camaraderie. It's what made them her best friends.

By the light of the roaring fire that sat behind Blaise, Ginny could see both of them looked tired and drawn.

Cassie's long black hair looked limp and stringy, her face, pale anyway, looked deathly. Her purple-blue eyes had lost a little of their glimmer and bags hung under them. Blaise, who had looked bad when she had last seen her anyway, now looked terrible. But Ginny noted she still managed to look appealing, even though her nails looked chipped and broken, her hair was messy, her eyebrows looked unattended and her teeth had a definite yellowish tint.

Cassie was in pretty much the same neglected state as well.

"How do you feel?" said Cassie gently.

"Like Hell," said Ginny.