The wish that we wish hadn't been granted
The cheerful pretend happiness of the morning at The Burrow was shattered once again by the pop that signalled apparition and the fact that instead of their parents returning from their meeting with Professor Dumbledore the seven Weasley children were faced with Severus Snape the sour faced potions master who had taught them all at some point during their schooling.
Bill being the oldest was the first to recover from the shop and find his voice once more. "Professor, what can we do for you?"
Snape didn't answer instead he moved towards Ginny and all of her brothers took a step closer to her in an attempt to protect her from what they viewed as an unwarranted attack on their sister.
"There has been an accident. Dumbledore asked me to fetch Miss Weasley and take her to the scene. He seems to believe she can do something for the injured."
The young healer didn't bat an eyelid upon hearing that she would have to make use of her talents for the first time without the guidance of her mentors, this was what she had trained for, it was what she had been born to do and she could do it. She immediately turned on her heel and left the room to collect her equipment.
The six brothers just stood there open mouthed staring at the former death eater. Just what exactly did they think Ginny could do? She was just a fifteen year old girl, not a mediwitch; she couldn't do anything, why was Dumbledore going to put her through this? And most importantly where were their parents?
Ginny returned to the room. She was carrying a green bag that appeared to be very full and had pulled a set of light yellow robes on over her jeans and t-shirt. She appeared very focussed and hardly noticed them as she turned to face the potions professor who had once made her shake only slightly less then he made Neville Longbottom shake, more in control then any of her brothers had ever seen her.
She nodded to Snape in a business like way and gestured that they should go but shockingly enough he didn't move.
"Miss Weasley. Your mother was most insistent that I not take you to the accident scene, indeed that you should not be involved in this whatsoever but the headmaster was adamant that you had to come. So, this compromise was reached: you can go to Privet Drive or we can move everyone and everything to Hogwarts and you can go there. It's your choice."
Ginny ignored the collective intake of breath from her brothers when they heard quite where the accident had occurred, she too had realised just who it was that might be hurt but she couldn't think of that right now, couldn't allow herself to worry about her boyfriend she just had to focus on the injured and worry about herself and Harry later. She was a healer and she had to do what she had to do, even if her mother didn't like it, even if all she herself wanted to do was run to Harry's side and kiss away his pain, she would heal all who needed it first.
"No. I need to go to the site, moving them, even magically, to Hogwarts could cause additional injuries or aggravate the existing ones, the Headmaster should know that."
Immediately upon hearing her answer Severus Snape moved into action he knew just why her assistance was needed and how great the need was. Too much time had been lost already and they needed to be there now. Without speaking another word he shoved the Portkey into her hands and pulling his wand from his cloak activated it with a single word. Satisfied that she was where she had to be, he apparated back to Hogwarts to prepare for the possible arrival of injured people, without even a goodbye to the remaining Weasley's. He never had been one for pleasant small talk and there really wasn't the time to waste when lives were in peril, including that of their sister.
Snape knew that they would curse him for just leaving for not providing them with the answers they craved but he had to prepare a revitalising potion for Ginny for were she to return magically drained from her healing efforts (as in all likelihood she would for she was but a novice) she could die without it and then they would curse him for staying. Sometimes you just couldn't win.
*****
The world resolved into focus once more around Ginny and she immediately began to assess the situation; who was injured, how there were injured, where they were and when it had happened. She spotted Harry sitting up on the ground next to Professor Dumbledore talking. He looked injured but the fact that he was sitting upright and talking meant he was low on the list of her priorities for healing even if he was number one on her list for a hug to reassure herself that he really was OK.
She took a step towards the next person she saw, a tall Blonde woman she thought was Harry's Aunt Petunia. She was lying unconscious on the pavement. Professor McGonagall was by her side trying to revive her but every time she cast the enervate charm it lasted only mere seconds before she lapsed back into unconsciousness again. Ginny knelt by her side and ran her hand over her aura. She immediately spotted the problem and worked to remove it, trying first one method then another. Finally she succeeded and the woman woke, obviously not happy to be surrounded by Magical People.
"Wh-what? What's going on? My Husband, My Son, where are they?" recognition dawned in her eyes when she saw their clothing. "Get away from me! I don't want anything to do with you, you freaks!! Leave me alone."
Minerva McGonagall bristled at that, she had spent over half an hour trying to keep the woman alive and the poor young girl looked done in from her efforts to revive her and they got no thanks whatsoever. The hurt in Miss Weasley's eyes was all too evident and the Head of Gryffindor just couldn't stand by and have one of her student's achievements shot down by a mere Muggle who had no understanding of the subtle and exacting nature of the art of Healing, nor of the personal risk the young healer had put herself at to save the ungrateful aunt of her boyfriend.
Ginny smiled sadly to herself and shock her head at her teacher to show that it didn't matter - she wasn't sad for herself but for Harry. Meeting the woman had explained so much about why he was the way he was and sadly confirmed some of the things he had told her over the last year that she hadn't wanted to believe.
Quickly she gathered her equipment once again, muttering a cleaning charm on each piece as she replaced it in the correct pocket of her bag for easy access - the layout of her kit had been one of the first things she had been taught during her lessons in healing as the seconds taken looking for something whilst treating a patient could easily mean the difference between life and death - and moved onto the next casualty.
If the situation hadn't of been so serious she may very well have laughed at the sight before her eyes as she walked up to the stretcher upon which Dudley Dursley lay. He had by the looks of it a broken leg and wasn't co- operating very willingly with Professor Flitwick who was trying to relieve his pain by putting it in a splint for him. The picture the two of them made was nothing short of hilarious - the small Charms teacher trying to restrain and treat the elephant sized Muggle boy without scaring him any more then he already was. If Ginny had not been the consummate professional that a Healer had to be to function she would have laughed, she would have realised how funny it really was. Instead however, she hardly paid it any attention, choosing instead to heal the boy's leg and move on to the next patient and the next and the next until she could be with Harry once again.
So she dropped down onto the grass next to the boy who although he was Harry's cousin couldn't be more unlike him if he tried and tried to sooth him, distract him from his pain and the fear he felt as she worked and five minutes later he was good as new with no outward sign save the look in his eyes that he had ever been injured.
*****
Back at The Weasley's house, the six young men were trying to understand quite what it was that was going on that day and just what the exact role that their sister was playing in all of this was.
The babble of chatter made no sense, all of them trying to talk at once all of them coming up with their own theory as to why the potions master had appeared in their home and just what it was he and Ginny had been talking about. What did it all mean? They all thought they new but none of them had the same idea. Some of the theories were bordering on questionable taste (strangely enough, those were the work of Fred and George), but only Bill was anywhere near the truth although he too didn't quite get it right.
"Guys, Guys!! Shut up a minute!!!!" Bill tried to share his idea with his brothers but really had to fight to make himself heard. Inspirations struck sometime after his third attempt at making himself heard. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled whilst simultaneously sending up purple and yellow sparks with his wand. That got their attention.
"Ahem. Now I have you attention, I just thought you might like to know that I think I know what's going on with Ginny."
That really got their attention. There was complete and utter silence and every eye in the place was on him. Bill smiled to himself he could get used to being treated like this, being treated like an older brother, the oldest brother even, should be treated, not like how they normally treated him as someone to be ignored.
"Well of course, I'm not completely sure, we'll have to ask Ginny herself to know for definite. But, the signs are there so I thought maybe." He was really trying to milk this, wind his brothers up, get everything out of having their undivided attention that he could.
"Bill. If you really do think you know what is going on you really should tell us." That was Percy, once a prefect, always a prefect. Officious with a capital O he liked to take charge just like now, trying to get his older brother to take the matter at hand as seriously as he was.
"Ok. Ok. Joking aside, I do think I know some of what's going on." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, unsure of just what to say, just how to explain it. "She, She's a healer." Seeing the confusion on Ron's face, he tried to explain just what that meant. "It's not like a mediwitch, this is a skill, a talent that you are born with. Healers have this innate kind of an intuition about healing, they can totally tune into what someone is feeling and what is causing it and they just seem to always know automatically how to change it, how to make it better."
Shock. The look on all of his brothers faces was shock, there was no doubt about it. He was pretty shocked himself but really it was the only possible explanation that made sense. There were other possibilities but they were all a bit too farfetched to be realistic.
Seeing that none of them had questions he decided to keep talking.
"It normally doesn't manifest itself until the Healer is a lot older, but I guess everything she's been through must have forced her gift to the forefront a lot sooner then normal."
Realisation slowly dawned on the oldest Weasley. "The Diary!!! That's what did it, That's why she had to go into hiding!!"
"What?!" Charlie asked the question that was on everyone's lips
"Voldemort knows about her talent, knows that she's a healer. He knows what she could do for him and he wants her on his side, be it willingly or unwillingly. Dumbledore must have figured it out and that's why she had to disappear."
*****
Back on Privet Drive, Ginny realised with a great deal of relief that the Auror lying in front of her was her last patient. She had never been so desperate to finish healing anybody in her life. Then again, she had never healed so many people by herself before and it was the first time she had ever worked without the supervision and support of her teachers and fellow novice Healers.
Sighing with frustration she pushed the wave of dizziness she felt to the back of her mind and concentrated on healing the last of the cuts on the poor man's body.
"There we go, good as new." She smiled at the Auror hiding how ill she really felt.
Glad to be finished she looked around for Harry and started walking over to him determined to check him over thoroughly before giving into her urge to hug him to within an inch of his life.
She was watching Poppy Pomfrey fix up his bruises as she walked across the short distance that separated her from where she wanted to be and so wasn't really watching where she was going. It was taking all of her mental energy, to get her to her goal and she couldn't focus on anything else.
At last she was there and Harry was looking up at her with concern, she really must look as tired as she felt she supposed. His arms were around her and she leaned all of her weight against him, knowing that he was injured and she shouldn't do it but unable to stop herself.
The look of concern in his eyes was the last thing she remembered as she felt his arms go even tighter around her and the world went black.
The cheerful pretend happiness of the morning at The Burrow was shattered once again by the pop that signalled apparition and the fact that instead of their parents returning from their meeting with Professor Dumbledore the seven Weasley children were faced with Severus Snape the sour faced potions master who had taught them all at some point during their schooling.
Bill being the oldest was the first to recover from the shop and find his voice once more. "Professor, what can we do for you?"
Snape didn't answer instead he moved towards Ginny and all of her brothers took a step closer to her in an attempt to protect her from what they viewed as an unwarranted attack on their sister.
"There has been an accident. Dumbledore asked me to fetch Miss Weasley and take her to the scene. He seems to believe she can do something for the injured."
The young healer didn't bat an eyelid upon hearing that she would have to make use of her talents for the first time without the guidance of her mentors, this was what she had trained for, it was what she had been born to do and she could do it. She immediately turned on her heel and left the room to collect her equipment.
The six brothers just stood there open mouthed staring at the former death eater. Just what exactly did they think Ginny could do? She was just a fifteen year old girl, not a mediwitch; she couldn't do anything, why was Dumbledore going to put her through this? And most importantly where were their parents?
Ginny returned to the room. She was carrying a green bag that appeared to be very full and had pulled a set of light yellow robes on over her jeans and t-shirt. She appeared very focussed and hardly noticed them as she turned to face the potions professor who had once made her shake only slightly less then he made Neville Longbottom shake, more in control then any of her brothers had ever seen her.
She nodded to Snape in a business like way and gestured that they should go but shockingly enough he didn't move.
"Miss Weasley. Your mother was most insistent that I not take you to the accident scene, indeed that you should not be involved in this whatsoever but the headmaster was adamant that you had to come. So, this compromise was reached: you can go to Privet Drive or we can move everyone and everything to Hogwarts and you can go there. It's your choice."
Ginny ignored the collective intake of breath from her brothers when they heard quite where the accident had occurred, she too had realised just who it was that might be hurt but she couldn't think of that right now, couldn't allow herself to worry about her boyfriend she just had to focus on the injured and worry about herself and Harry later. She was a healer and she had to do what she had to do, even if her mother didn't like it, even if all she herself wanted to do was run to Harry's side and kiss away his pain, she would heal all who needed it first.
"No. I need to go to the site, moving them, even magically, to Hogwarts could cause additional injuries or aggravate the existing ones, the Headmaster should know that."
Immediately upon hearing her answer Severus Snape moved into action he knew just why her assistance was needed and how great the need was. Too much time had been lost already and they needed to be there now. Without speaking another word he shoved the Portkey into her hands and pulling his wand from his cloak activated it with a single word. Satisfied that she was where she had to be, he apparated back to Hogwarts to prepare for the possible arrival of injured people, without even a goodbye to the remaining Weasley's. He never had been one for pleasant small talk and there really wasn't the time to waste when lives were in peril, including that of their sister.
Snape knew that they would curse him for just leaving for not providing them with the answers they craved but he had to prepare a revitalising potion for Ginny for were she to return magically drained from her healing efforts (as in all likelihood she would for she was but a novice) she could die without it and then they would curse him for staying. Sometimes you just couldn't win.
*****
The world resolved into focus once more around Ginny and she immediately began to assess the situation; who was injured, how there were injured, where they were and when it had happened. She spotted Harry sitting up on the ground next to Professor Dumbledore talking. He looked injured but the fact that he was sitting upright and talking meant he was low on the list of her priorities for healing even if he was number one on her list for a hug to reassure herself that he really was OK.
She took a step towards the next person she saw, a tall Blonde woman she thought was Harry's Aunt Petunia. She was lying unconscious on the pavement. Professor McGonagall was by her side trying to revive her but every time she cast the enervate charm it lasted only mere seconds before she lapsed back into unconsciousness again. Ginny knelt by her side and ran her hand over her aura. She immediately spotted the problem and worked to remove it, trying first one method then another. Finally she succeeded and the woman woke, obviously not happy to be surrounded by Magical People.
"Wh-what? What's going on? My Husband, My Son, where are they?" recognition dawned in her eyes when she saw their clothing. "Get away from me! I don't want anything to do with you, you freaks!! Leave me alone."
Minerva McGonagall bristled at that, she had spent over half an hour trying to keep the woman alive and the poor young girl looked done in from her efforts to revive her and they got no thanks whatsoever. The hurt in Miss Weasley's eyes was all too evident and the Head of Gryffindor just couldn't stand by and have one of her student's achievements shot down by a mere Muggle who had no understanding of the subtle and exacting nature of the art of Healing, nor of the personal risk the young healer had put herself at to save the ungrateful aunt of her boyfriend.
Ginny smiled sadly to herself and shock her head at her teacher to show that it didn't matter - she wasn't sad for herself but for Harry. Meeting the woman had explained so much about why he was the way he was and sadly confirmed some of the things he had told her over the last year that she hadn't wanted to believe.
Quickly she gathered her equipment once again, muttering a cleaning charm on each piece as she replaced it in the correct pocket of her bag for easy access - the layout of her kit had been one of the first things she had been taught during her lessons in healing as the seconds taken looking for something whilst treating a patient could easily mean the difference between life and death - and moved onto the next casualty.
If the situation hadn't of been so serious she may very well have laughed at the sight before her eyes as she walked up to the stretcher upon which Dudley Dursley lay. He had by the looks of it a broken leg and wasn't co- operating very willingly with Professor Flitwick who was trying to relieve his pain by putting it in a splint for him. The picture the two of them made was nothing short of hilarious - the small Charms teacher trying to restrain and treat the elephant sized Muggle boy without scaring him any more then he already was. If Ginny had not been the consummate professional that a Healer had to be to function she would have laughed, she would have realised how funny it really was. Instead however, she hardly paid it any attention, choosing instead to heal the boy's leg and move on to the next patient and the next and the next until she could be with Harry once again.
So she dropped down onto the grass next to the boy who although he was Harry's cousin couldn't be more unlike him if he tried and tried to sooth him, distract him from his pain and the fear he felt as she worked and five minutes later he was good as new with no outward sign save the look in his eyes that he had ever been injured.
*****
Back at The Weasley's house, the six young men were trying to understand quite what it was that was going on that day and just what the exact role that their sister was playing in all of this was.
The babble of chatter made no sense, all of them trying to talk at once all of them coming up with their own theory as to why the potions master had appeared in their home and just what it was he and Ginny had been talking about. What did it all mean? They all thought they new but none of them had the same idea. Some of the theories were bordering on questionable taste (strangely enough, those were the work of Fred and George), but only Bill was anywhere near the truth although he too didn't quite get it right.
"Guys, Guys!! Shut up a minute!!!!" Bill tried to share his idea with his brothers but really had to fight to make himself heard. Inspirations struck sometime after his third attempt at making himself heard. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled whilst simultaneously sending up purple and yellow sparks with his wand. That got their attention.
"Ahem. Now I have you attention, I just thought you might like to know that I think I know what's going on with Ginny."
That really got their attention. There was complete and utter silence and every eye in the place was on him. Bill smiled to himself he could get used to being treated like this, being treated like an older brother, the oldest brother even, should be treated, not like how they normally treated him as someone to be ignored.
"Well of course, I'm not completely sure, we'll have to ask Ginny herself to know for definite. But, the signs are there so I thought maybe." He was really trying to milk this, wind his brothers up, get everything out of having their undivided attention that he could.
"Bill. If you really do think you know what is going on you really should tell us." That was Percy, once a prefect, always a prefect. Officious with a capital O he liked to take charge just like now, trying to get his older brother to take the matter at hand as seriously as he was.
"Ok. Ok. Joking aside, I do think I know some of what's going on." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, unsure of just what to say, just how to explain it. "She, She's a healer." Seeing the confusion on Ron's face, he tried to explain just what that meant. "It's not like a mediwitch, this is a skill, a talent that you are born with. Healers have this innate kind of an intuition about healing, they can totally tune into what someone is feeling and what is causing it and they just seem to always know automatically how to change it, how to make it better."
Shock. The look on all of his brothers faces was shock, there was no doubt about it. He was pretty shocked himself but really it was the only possible explanation that made sense. There were other possibilities but they were all a bit too farfetched to be realistic.
Seeing that none of them had questions he decided to keep talking.
"It normally doesn't manifest itself until the Healer is a lot older, but I guess everything she's been through must have forced her gift to the forefront a lot sooner then normal."
Realisation slowly dawned on the oldest Weasley. "The Diary!!! That's what did it, That's why she had to go into hiding!!"
"What?!" Charlie asked the question that was on everyone's lips
"Voldemort knows about her talent, knows that she's a healer. He knows what she could do for him and he wants her on his side, be it willingly or unwillingly. Dumbledore must have figured it out and that's why she had to disappear."
*****
Back on Privet Drive, Ginny realised with a great deal of relief that the Auror lying in front of her was her last patient. She had never been so desperate to finish healing anybody in her life. Then again, she had never healed so many people by herself before and it was the first time she had ever worked without the supervision and support of her teachers and fellow novice Healers.
Sighing with frustration she pushed the wave of dizziness she felt to the back of her mind and concentrated on healing the last of the cuts on the poor man's body.
"There we go, good as new." She smiled at the Auror hiding how ill she really felt.
Glad to be finished she looked around for Harry and started walking over to him determined to check him over thoroughly before giving into her urge to hug him to within an inch of his life.
She was watching Poppy Pomfrey fix up his bruises as she walked across the short distance that separated her from where she wanted to be and so wasn't really watching where she was going. It was taking all of her mental energy, to get her to her goal and she couldn't focus on anything else.
At last she was there and Harry was looking up at her with concern, she really must look as tired as she felt she supposed. His arms were around her and she leaned all of her weight against him, knowing that he was injured and she shouldn't do it but unable to stop herself.
The look of concern in his eyes was the last thing she remembered as she felt his arms go even tighter around her and the world went black.