Silver Birch House

Chapter 6 – Enter Our Knight In Shining Armour!

The fire burned, the flames dancing and glowing maliciously, constantly eating away at the innocuous wood. The darkness crept around the edges of the room, lying in wait, as the fire rumbled, slowly losing the eternal struggle of light and darkness.

A door opened, the echo of shoes sounded along the stone hallway and a man entered in to the gloomy room, taking a seat and warming his cold hands. Ice blue eyes regarded the dingy furniture and dusty sideboards with contempt just as a tall blond woman entered the room.

"Make your self at home," she said contemptuously.

"How can you live so beneath your station?" he inquired.

"I thought you came for information?" she said ignoring him.

"Yes, I want to know if it worked,"

"Of course it worked, by herbs and potions do not fail!" she answered angrily.

"Well the wench has run off and I want to know if my… investments were successful. And if they weren't…" his voice was casual, but there was underlying threat to it that made her nervous.

"Isn't her running off an indication that they worked?"

"I don't know, is it?"

"I will see what I can find out - we know where she went, so I'll start there."

"Be discrete, no one should know about this, or it's both out necks," he threatened, before leaving the small cottage. He walked down the small path, blond hair reflecting the moonlight and disappeared from sight.

Green smoke started issuing from the chimneystack, drifting upwards to meet the gathering storm clouds.

* * *

Ginny trudged along the side of the lake, knee deep in mud, cursing the day Severus Snape was born. The effects of the muggle wine were still wreaking havoc with her senses, her boots had long ago given up on being waterproof and her cloak was slick with mud. Her only consolation was that the moon offered her plenty of light so she could use both hands for balance and not have to worry about one hand being occupied with her wand.

She stopped to look across the peaceful lake, reigning in her thoughts, wondering when life had become so complicated. She realized it was probably about the same time that she'd left home to train as a medi-witch. She'd never told anyone what she was doing, her teacher had been adamant that her training be in secret, of course it was a full two years before Ginny discovered that this was because of Silver Birch.

Then the full realizations of war and training had hit, and her care free world was no more. Ginny suddenly felt very tired and an irrational anger spread through her body, she picked up a stone and lobbed it with all her might in to the water.

"How much more can one person be expected to take on their own?" she asked heatedly.

The night remained silent and unruffled, whatever answer she had been expecting, did not come.

She made the mistake of kicking at a tuft of grass in her frustration and her foot hit a heavy stone, she lost her balance, falling from the precipice she'd been stood upon, right in to the lake.

She hit the ice-cold water and the air rushed out of her. Instinctively, she tried to breathe in and ended up swallowing a large amount of water. Her hair floated around her and she couldn't tell which way was up, bubbles issued from her mouth. She struggled in vain to move, she fought with her cloak, which had tangled tightly around her. She tried to kick her legs, and panic flooded through her when she felt a hand grab hold of her ankle. She struggled for what seemed like eternity, until eventually exhaustion seeped in to her limbs and she felt tired.

Just as her body went limp, hands, as strong as clamps grabbed hold of her arms and pulled tightly. This is it, she realized, what ever had hold of her ankle was about to drag her into the lake and slowly devour her. She felt the water around her stir and more hands on her ankle tugging away.

The thing, resumed pulling at her arms again, and she felt the cold night air hit her face. She choked, spewing out the water in her lungs, coughing deeply until it hurt. She took deep breathes, every intake of air causing her chest to ache but making her head clearer.

She lay exhausted on the ground, and looked up in to soft green eyes, that were wide with worry.

"Are you ok…?" he asked.

Ginny noted a man stood before her, the moonlight shone against drenched black hair, reflecting off his glasses, which were fogging with his warm breathe. He looked very unkempt, from the slight stubble showing on his face, to his clothes, sopping wet and covered in mud.

"You have grass in your hair," she said quietly.

He gave a startled smile, and reached down to push her wet hair from her face.

"Does your ankle hurt? It was all caught up in weeds…"

"It's numb," she replied, the cold starting to bite at her. Before she realized quite what was happening Harry had lifted her in his arms, and started carrying her across the grounds. As her senses really came to, the effects of the alcohol gone from her system, she realized that she was wrapped in Harry's cloak and she was over whelmed with the sense of him. Another wave of shivers racked her small frame, and he pulled her closer to his chest, whispering that they'd be there soon.

She felt them rising up stairs, and she wondered at the strength of him, he was hardly struggling with her weight.

"Ginny?" he questioned, "I need to open the door, I'm just going to put you down…"

She reached in to her pocket and pulled out her wand, through the clatter of her teeth she pointed at the doors and commanded them to open. He looked at in surprise and smiled warmly.

"Or maybe not…" he said, before continuing to carry her through the twists and turns of the castle and pretty soon, he was laying her down on a bed, heaping blankets on top her.

Ginny half heard the bustle of Madame Pomfrey, a potion was forced down her throat and heat spread all through her system, right to the tips of her toes and through every strand of hair.

However, with it came pain.

She could not help crying out as the pain in her ankle and shoulder came in full force. Her eyes snapped open to meet Madame Pomfrey's.

"Where does it hurt dear?" she asked kindly, her tone made Ginny feel very young and small.

"Cassie-" she said through gritted teeth, ignoring the pain.

"Is probably asleep dear, now why don't…"

"Get Cassie, or Snape… tell them my shoulder… they'll understand," she said in desperation, "please!"

"It's alright Ginny, I'll get them," said Harry from out side the curtain.

Madame Pomfrey looked disapproving, and started pulling away blankets and started removing Ginny's robes. The pain was so intense that she could do nothing but lay there and watch as Madame Pomfrey fixed her ankle in a matter of seconds. Eventually, Ginny was clad only in underwear and Madame Pomfrey was examining the wound on her shoulder.

She pulled back the bandage, mumbling at Ginny's protests, just as the familiar taps of Cassie's heels, and of heavy footsteps sounded. The curtain flew back forcefully, to reveal Ginny shaking with pain to Harry, Cassie and Professor Snape. The wound had reopened, and was swelling with blood and an ugly green coloured puss.

"Would you all please remove yourselves! How dare you!!" started Madame Pomfrey, reaching for the curtain.

"It's alright, we've got it…" said Cassie coming forward, Snape disappeared round the curtain before appearing again with a bottle of dark blue potion and a rag.

"Hold her down," he said to Cassie, who was looking pale and drawn.

"Now hold on a minute," said Madame Pomfrey, slightly taken back and quite annoyed.

Ginny heard Harry reassuring Madame Pomfrey in the distance, but her main concern, where the hands that where prodding her shoulder.

"Now this is going to hurt," said Cassie, as Snape poured the potion on to the cut.

A list of unrepeatable words escaped from her lips, the kind that would have made even Ron blush, her body contracted in pain and she went as stiff as a board. Breathing heavily she slumped on to the bed as Snape dapped at the wound, which thankfully went numb, as he worked to remove some of the poison.

Cassie dressed the wound, pulling the blankets over Ginny as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ginny sat up straight in bed, a cold sweat on her forehead and tried to shake the groggy feel of sleep away. Blinking she looked around the dark hospital wing, immediately wondering how she'd ended up there, she turned to swing her legs off the bed and gasped in pain as her shoulder pulled.

Memories flooded in, as she remembered walking around the lake and not counting on it being quite so muddy. She remembered slipping and falling in to the lake, something had grabbed her ankle and she had been tangled in her cloak. Then…

"Miss Weasley?" she looked around in surprise, Professor Snape stood there holding a goblet, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she mumbled trying to stand.

"I suggest you lie down and take this," he indicated the potion, "unless you want to continue on in pain?"

She didn't feel like arguing with him at that moment, as dizziness washed over her, so she obeyed by turning to lie down sipping at the cool tasting potion as he stood watching her drink.

"I'm sorry," she said between drinks, taking him by surprise and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I had a little too much to drink-" she said causing him to snort, "and I had no right to say the things I did. While I'm still not happy with your telling the headmaster, I should have expected it from you, so I am as much to blame as you."

"Indeed," he said looking at her steadily, as soon as she had finished the potion he took the empty container from her. She lay looking at the ceiling waiting for the effects of the potion to start, to take away the pain and pull her in to unconsciousness.

"I must impress upon you the need to take it easy Miss Weasley," came the cold voice of the Professor as her eyes started to drift shut, "If you do not slow down you will NOT recover. While some of us would remain unaffected by the loss of your presence in the world, it seems that you are more important than one would first perceive. If you do not rest, I'll personally body bind you to the bed, a lot of people care about you Miss Weasley, and would be devastated at your loss… including my daughter."

She heard his voice go uncharacteristically soft as he spoke of Cassie, and before she could form a reply, he was gone.

* * *

The sun slanted through the window, lighting the small curtained room and Ginny sat up gingerly, careful not to aggravate any wounds. She looked around smiling at the familiar sight and sound of Hogwarts hospital wing. She felt her stomach give a hungry growl and realized that she needed to make a few nature calls.

She shifted out of bed and stood up, surprisingly free from pain but a wave of dizziness passed over her and she tried to focus on the bed. Supportive arms appeared and helped to steady her, once she was confident enough to stand on her own she looked up in to the eyes of Harry Potter.

He produced a vase of flowers for her, placing them on the nightstand.

"I've rescued you twice in two days, we really should stop meeting like this…" he said.

"Well at least you don't have grass in you hair now," she said and was surprised to hear how tired her voice sounded. Harry had significantly cleaned up, he was clean-shaven and his black robes where free of grime, but in either state Ginny silently thought he looked good.

"Yes, well. There was a lady in distress… how did you end up in the lake tangled in gillyweed?" he said raising an amused eyebrow, "And with a pretty nifty cut,"

"I was out walking and I slipped," she replied honestly, "and maybe I had had a little too much muggle wine."

"Really," he said gazing down at her intensely.

"I'm not new to this whole rescuing thing, but does it by any chance include a healthy breakfast?"

He gave her a dazzling smile, a very rare sight and one that made her heart do a funny jump.

"Anything for the lady," he said than eyeing the hospital gown, "Do you want to get dressed first?"

"Oh, erm yes,"

Twenty minutes later, they where walking at a leisurely pace through the corridors, students gazing at them curiously. They stopped out side a picture of fruit and Ginny gave Harry a puzzled look, he leant forward and tickled the pear and to her surprise, a door handle appeared.

"How the…?"

"A little trick I learnt while here," he said smiling, as they entered the busy kitchens. House elves scrambled every which way and Ginny looked a little stunned, Harry lead her over to sit in front of the fire. After a few moments, Dobby appeared and offered them some breakfast.

And for the next hour both enjoyed eating away, chatting easily and forgetting that anywhere else existed.

Author's note.

Next Chapter!

More Harry to make up for the distinct lack of him in this fic.

JT Jones, thank you for your kind review! As you can see Harry makes a heroic appearance in this chapter! Next chapter we find out a bit more Silver Birch… and your assumptions about Silver Birch may prove to be correct. We shall see…. And Ginny does kick ass doesn't she!

Ginny 1946 – Thank you for your reviews!!! It always annoys me when they don't give Ginny a life that isn't totally wrapped with Harry – independent woman and all that!! And I wanted to get that point across before we insert Harry! But here he is at last. Thank you loads!!

Duck Chick – Thank you thank you! You're reviews are making me feel a lot better!!