A few hours later…

Harry woke to shouting and a banging door.  He heard familiar voices shouting his name.

"Harry! Harry!" 

            All Harry could do was moan. And then there was a very bright light.

            "Ohmigod.  GINNY!!" Ron screamed.  "Hey mate. Just hold on, k? We'll get you oughta here." Ron whispered.

            "Ron…?"

            "Yeah it's me.  We got your letter Harry." Ron said. He didn't know what to do…the one person who didn't deserve any more pain looked like he'd been battling hippogriffs, dragons and giants all at once.

            "Oh my…." Ginny exclaimed.  She quickly knelt beside Harry.  Remus was right behind her.  "Harry. Listen to me okay.  I want you to focus on my voice okay. Ignore everything else, just focus on me okay."  Ginny gently told Harry while looking him over.  It looked like he had a broken arm, wrist and ribs with cuts bruises and probably internal injuries, a concussion, malnourishment.

            "Ginny…"

            "Yeah Harry. It's me. I would ask you how your summers' been, but…"

            Harry tried to laugh but everything hurt too much, "How…?"

            "Hedwig came with your letter and Ron and I threatened Dumbledore into coming to get you.  He and Snape are downstairs with the Dursley's.  Ron is here and so is Professor Lupin," Ginny explained while tending to the gashes on his back.  Harry started jerking and thrashing, but if Gin didn't bandage the wounds, he would bleed to death. He already looked so so pale… Ginny was having a hard time seeing – her eyes were blurry with tears.  "Remus hold him."

            "Ginny… Where's Aunt Petunia?" Harry whispered - he didn't know what had happened to her.

            "I don't know Harry. Why?"

            "She tried to help," he gasped, "Vernon…caught her…need to help her."

            "Okay.  Ron, go see if you can find her."

            "But…"

            Ginny knew that in wanting to help Harry , Ron didn't want to leave his best friend's side, "Ron. Harry needs to know that she's safe, so in finding her, you WILL be helping Harry. Okay?"

            "Right." Ron left in search.  Ginny could hear loud voices downstairs; Snape must be yelling she thought.  She turned back to Harry. There was so much wrong with him, she knew she was hurting him just by touching him, but she had to stop the bleeding.

            "Harry. Listen to me.  Can you tell me what happened sweetie? I need to know," Ginny said soothingly into his ear, using the same tone her mother used when one her brothers were sick.

            "I…yelled at them and pulled my wand…wasn't going to use… just scare. Vernon came up here and whipped….then Dudley…" his voice cracked, tears came streaming down.

            "Okay. Shhh…its okay. They will never touch you again."

            "Promise?"

            "Yes I promise on all the love I have Harry, they will never touch you again."

            "Ginny!" Ron yelled from down the hallway.

            "Remus will you go? I can't leave Harry."

            "Yeah. I'll be right back Harry I swear," he whispered in his ear.

            "Okay help her Remus." Remus left to help Ron with Petunia.  If she really had tried to help Harry and Mr. Dursley had caught her, she could be as bad off as Harry.

            "Ginny…"

            "Yes, Harry?" she said through her tears, her voice barely above a whisper.

            "I love you," he whispered looking in her eyes (well as best he could since he couldn't see.)

            "Harry…you have a concussion.  You don't know what you're saying," Ginny said, trying to persuade herself into believing that.  She had always loved Harry.

            "No…I know this. It's the only thing I am sure of… You are my light through the gloom of my life…" he rasped as he moved his broken arm up, with his hand gently touched her cheek to wipe away her tears, despite the pain.  "I love you." He said and then the darkness began to surround him. It took all he had left to fight it back and his body started to wraith in pain.

            "Harry! Stay with me. Don't leave me – not now," Ginny was numb. She was covered in Harry's blood, the man she had loved for four years just said he loved her and she didn't know how to move him without causing him more pain.

            "Remus!" she yelled down the hall. "Harry keep fighting okay. Just keeping fighting."

            "Promise me… won't leave…" Harry gasped.

            "I promise I won't let go of your hand. I promise," Ginny promised as he kept fighting and took his hand.

"Mrs. Dursley is beat up – although not near as bad as… I think she passed out.  She may have a concussion," Remus informed Ginny as he came in.  "What happened?" he asked seeing Ginny's tear stained face. 

"We have to get him to Madame Promphrey.  I've done all I can. But we can't put a numbing spell on him because of his concussion.  Its gonna hurt like hell to move him," Ginny explained to Remus.  Nodding he gently positioned himself behind Harry to pick him up.

"Can't leave…won't… Aunt Petunia" Harry mumbled.  Ginny and Remus glanced at each other making the decision.

"Okay Harry." Ginny conceded. "Professor Snape!" she yelled down the hallway. "Remus." She motioned for him to pick Harry up. In doing so Harry let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony and nearly broke Ginny's hand he squeezed it so tight and then lost the fight against the darkness as he mercifully passed out. The three moved into the hallway as Snape came up the steps.  

"You bellowed?"

"Get Mrs. Dursley. She's coming with us," Ginny stated. Snape looked at the expression on the young redhead's and knew not to ask questions. He went into the bedroom and picked her up as the six of them moved down the staircase. Ron going on ahead to tell Professor Dumbledore that they were ready and that Mrs. Dursley was coming with them.

"What!  You are NOT taking my wife with you freaks," Vernon bellowed.

"YES WE ARE! She will not be staying here with a monster that beats her for doing the right thing.  If you don't BACK OFF or I'll gonna hex you into the next millennium! So sit the hell down and don't move," Ron shouted. Gin wasn't the only Weasley with a temper.  Ron had wanted to blow off some of the emotions he had been feeling since they received Harry's letter.  His best friend was unconscious and fighting for his very life.  The one person who didn't deserve anything more to happen to him and he had to go through this! Needless to say Ron was as furious as his hair was red. 

With one look at not only Ron's face but the other "freaks" in the room Vernon looked terrified and decided to sit down.  Going up against five people with wands was not the same as one little boy who partly welcomed being hit. "You won't get away with this."         

"Well you certainly aren't going to stop us." Ron said coldly. Just then Remus and Ginny came in with Harry followed by Snape with Mrs. Dursley.

"Are we ready?" Professor Dumbledore asked as his eyes settled on Harry.  The professors' eyes went blank and then filled with a furious hate that he saved for only the likes of Grindlewald and Voldemort. He blamed himself for this, but not even he could have predicted this.

"Yes." Ginny said.  She was still attached to Harry.  "OH wait…" she said as she turned to look at Mr. Dursley, "If you even so much as think of touching any of Harry's belongings I swear that not even God himself will be able to fix what I do to you. Is that clear?" If someone had looked in on the scene they would have laughed at the fact that a small petite 5'3 girl was staring down a rather large 5'10 man, except for the fact that one could see flames in the girl's eyes as she looked at the man who had beaten the man she loved.

"All right let's go," Albus said as he got the fire ready.  They had figured that Harry would probably need immediate help so Dumbledore had taken done the Floo barrier in his office so that they could directly to Hogwarts.  "Ron you go first to alert Madame Promphrey."
            "Right.  I'll see you in a few minutes Harry," he said towards his best friend and with a last look towards his baby sister he flooed to the Headmaster's office.

"You next Severus, then Ginny." As Snape got into the fireplace, Ginny whispered in Harry's ear.

"I have to floo now Harry.  I'll be back to you in seconds okay?" Harry murmured something and as Ginny kissed his forehead, looked beseechingly at Remus and then flooed to Hogwarts.

"Remus. I'll be along. Go!" As Remus left, with some difficulty holding Harry and throwing the floo powder, he managed it. The last thing he saw was Professor Dumbledore turning to deal with Vernon and Dudley Dursley.