Chapter 5, Part I: Cold Cold Heart

Author: Punkin/Buttamellow

I've tried so hard my dear to show

That you're my every dream

Yet you're afraid each thing I do

Is just some evil scheme

A memory from your lonesome past

Keeps us so far apart

Why can't I free your doubtful mind

And melt your cold, cold heart

Another love before my time

Made your heart sad an' blue

And so my heart is paying now

For things I didn't do

In anger unkind words are said

That make the teardrops start

Why can't I free your doubtful mind

And melt your cold cold heart

There was a time when I believed

That you belonged to me

But now I know your heart is shackled

To a memory

The more I learn to care for you

The more we drift apart

Why can't I free your doubtful mind

And melt your cold, cold heart

"Cold Cold Heart", by Norah Jones

Reminder of the last part of the last chapter:

From that point on Harry Potter was going to cut off all communication with Ginny Weasley.

~*~

Ginny felt as though she were trapped in a lake trying to swim to the top. She kept reaching toward the surface but it seemed as though it were miles away. The sights and sounds of the outside world were muddled and muted and it felt as though her lungs were filling with water.preventing her from yelling for help. No matter how much she paddled and pushed through the water it seemed as though she was sinking deeper and deeper. Just as she was about to give up hope she saw a light. The light seemed so.warm.so inviting. 'Maybe it'll show me a way out' she thought to herself. She once again began to paddle and push through the water, this time in the direction of the light that was beckoning her.

Surprisingly enough she soon found that she was getting closer to the light. It was warming her thoroughly. Just a bit further and she'd reach the surface. She just knew it. With one last strong kick she pushed her way through the surface feeling the white light wash over her. She took in a large breath and began to blink.

For a moment she wondered if she should have thought a second before following the light. What if she had followed it into heaven? Well, this room was definitely white enough to be heaven. Then she thought for a second. She knew she definitely wouldn't have felt this horrible if she was in heaven. She supposed that she would feel- well- heavenly- for the lack of a better word- if she was. She grimaced when she started to take in her surroundings. She rolled her eyes as she noticed that she was in the Hospital Wing. She sighed and was about to close her eyes when she felt a warmth on her hand. She closed her eyes and began to revel in the warmth and tingling sensation that was being created. She slowly began to move her fingers. She thought that she was dreaming because such a wonderful feeling could only come from her dreams.

She then slowly opened her eyes and noticed a startlingly green pair of eyes looking at her. She blinked her eyes a few times, she was dreaming- she had to be. No way would Harry Potter be holding her hand. 'And were those tears in his eyes? Why would he be crying?' she thought to herself tilting her head. "Harry?" she whispered. She was afraid that if she said it any louder then he would disappear.

"Yeah Gin, it's me. How are you feeling?" Harry choked out. Suddenly everything came rushing back to her: the Chamber, Tom, the snake, Harry- everything.

She thought for a second. She had to let everything sink in. "Hmm.a little sore and tired. But, other than that, I feel fine. Are you okay Harry? I was so worried. I knew that I had to come back to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine Gin. I'm great actually. I'm so glad you're awake. Go on back to sleep alright." Ginny inwardly smiled. 'He was happy SHE was awake?' She was so happy he was even here!

"No, Harry I'm fine." Ginny tried to say between a yawn. She didn't want to ruin the moment but she was so tired.

"Well, Miss Fine, how about I stay here until you fall asleep?" She looked at their intertwined hands and smiled. She then looked back up into Harry's eyes.

"That sounds nice. Goodnight Harry." Ginny yawned one more time and then shifted in order to get comfortable in her bed, all the while holding onto Harry's hand.

"Goodnight Gin. Sweet dreams." Ginny then drifted off into a dream far away from water and Chambers and snakes and Tom.and everything bad in the world. No- her dream was full of one wonderful green-eyed boy that had taken her heart.

*****

When Ginny next awoke she was giddy all over. She was surprised to see all of her family seated around her. She sat up looking around expecting to see someone in particular that would stand out against the rest. She soon centered on one.but she sighed. It wasn't the person she had been looking for- as much as she loved Hermione- she only wanted to see him. She peeked across the room one last time glancing for the raggedy black haired boy but was disappointed when she didn't see him anywhere.

There was a quiet murmur that permeated through the room for several minutes, none of those in attendance noticing that the patient that they had come to visit had awoken. Ginny sighed inaudibly; this was so like her family. They all worried about her but when it actually came to paying attention to her they were always more preoccupied with other things. She was also thankful for this small amount of peace because as soon as they discovered she had woken they would hound her. They really were like a pack of hungry wolves. They attacked her with attention and coddled her to the extent that she thought she might suffocate.

Ginny smirked while raising one eyebrow. 'Five, four, three, two.'

"Ginny, darling! You're awake. Thank Merlin! I was so worried. How could you possibly get yourself into this situation AGAIN!?! Are you comfortable dear? Do you need some more pillows? Shall I fetch Madame Pomfrey? How about water? Fred, pour your sister some water. What in the dickens were you possibly thinking? I just don't understand the youth of today. You are going to bring me to an early grave. Ginny you are looking quite pale, maybe you should go back to sleep. Oh Madame Pomfrey.MADAME POMFREY.Yoo Hoo!" shouted Mrs. Weasley frantically waving her hand in the air trying to summon the matron unsuccessfully. Mrs. Weasley sighed, patted Ginny on the head and then took off in the supposed direction of Madame Pomfrey.

Ginny shook head as her mother disappeared behind the white curtains yet she could still hear her constant buzz. Ginny grinned. Yes, her mother was a bee.Queen Bee to be exact. She was inwardly fighting a battle trying not to laugh.she knew her mother too well.

Ginny gladly took the proffered glass from Fred. Her throat was actually quite parched if she admitted it to herself. Why did her mother always have to be right about such things? She snickered into the glass as she heard her mother pestering the very busy matron. She opened her eyes just as she was about to take a sip and let out a screech. Lying on the bottom of her glass was none other than a black plastic snake. Ginny dropped her glass becoming very pallid, hands shaking, and breathing starting to come in short spurts. She heard a clanging sound that much resembled that of a metal tray and all of the utensils hitting the ground. She then noticed her mother all but vaulting the beds to get back to her.

"Ginny, darling. What's the matter? What happened?" Molly asked frantically searching for some sort of an answer. Ginny just continued to shiver, her eyes slowly filling with tears. Who would possibly be so mean as to taunt her about what had occurred down there?

Ginny gulped. She was not going to act like a baby. She was going to handle this like the mature person that she was. Hell, she had been through a lot more right? So what was one teeny little practical joke? She was about to tell her mum that she was alright when she heard someone begin to mumble an apology.

"Sorry Mum. It was just a bit of fun. Really. We were just trying to lighten the mood a little. We just played that game we always played with Ginny when she was little," said Fred looking at his shoes and scuffing them back and forth. "Sorry Gin."

Ginny tilted her head and looked at her brother with scrutiny for a moment. She suddenly remembered the jokes Fred and George had played on her when she was a little girl. She fought the urge to smile and beckoned her brother to come over to the side of the bed, not letting any prevalent emotion show. "Fred, come here please." Fred looked up at his younger sister dreading the legendary Weasley temper. He faltered for a moment before he willingly came over to her as she had requested. When he had gotten close enough to her bed she grabbed him into a fierce hug. "Thanks Fred."

He looked into her eyes questioningly, "For what? All I did was freak you out some more."

"For being you." She said squeezing Fred one more time.

Fred leaned down, "Anything for you, Gin." He sat back up and tweaked her nose affectionately.

Then, suddenly out of nowhere, Ginny started to laugh at the irony of the situation. She had made Fred flinch. She laughed so hard that people started to look at her strangely. She heard Ron mutter under his breath, "Mental, that one." Ginny wiped the tears of laughter from her face. Although the image of the snake had basically scared the wits out of her, it warmed her heart to know that her brother was trying to cheer her up and make things as normal as possible. While her mother fretted over her, her father paced back and forth and her other brothers whispered to each other.Fred and George continued to be themselves. Fred and George reminded her that she was alive, everything was alright, and that, maybe, eventually everything would resume their normal pace.

Ginny sat lost in her thoughts for a few moments before she shook herself back to reality. "Umm.err.well, what I'm trying to say is." Ginny sighed waiting for everyone to pay attention to her. "Urgh, will you listen?" Ginny vented noticing the sudden reactions of her family.

Arthur Weasley stopped mid-pace and turned to face his daughter. "Hmm, Fae? Is there anything that you need?" he asked using his nickname he had called her when she was a child, Fae, which was short for faerie.

Ginny blushed. "Well, is Harry alright? Where is he?"

This time it was Ron who ventured to answer. "Well." Ron said looking around at each of the family members for some support. His focus then centered on Hermione who Ginny noticed shrugged and mouthed for him to continue. "Well, you see.Harry said he had some things to.take care of.and that he couldn't come."

Ginny's face suddenly became downcast. "That's it?" Ron nodded. "Oh, well, alright. I guess if was important." Ginny then noticed that Hermione was finding something very intriguing about the laces of her shoes. "It was important right? Is there something you're not telling me? Ron?" Ron dodged eye contact with her and looked out the window. "Hermione?" Hermione looked up. Ginny noticed that it seemed as though Hermione was holding her breath. She could tell that Hermione knew something. "Hermione, please tell me. Is something wrong with Harry?"

"Oh no! Nothing like that! Nothing like that at all." Hermione answered very quickly and then looked at Ron for support. Ron, of course, continued to look out the window.

"Well, then, what is it? What are you keeping from me?" Ginny asked agitatedly.

Hermione looked into Ginny's eyes and sighed. "I don't know Ginny. Harry's been acting strange since.well, since you came back actually. He's been very standoffish and distant. He's been acting." Hermione breathed in deeply, "He's been acting like he did at the beginning of the year. He refuses to talk to anyone. He has this distant look in his eyes and he's hiding something. I just know he is!"

"Hermione, dear. It could just be from all of the stress from what happened during the last encounter with iYou Know Who/i." Molly stated, emphasizing the Dark Lord's non-name in a hushed voice.

"No! It's not like that. I, I just know that Harry's up to something. He may have been standoffish after the third task but it was no where in comparison to this. He just seems.different." Hermione ended unsurely.

Ginny looked at Hermione furrowing her brow. "What do you mean different?"

"I don't know, Ginny. I can't explain it.it just that." Hermione started and then she was cut off by Ron.

"It's just that since you two returned from the Chamber of Secrets he's gone inside a shell. What.what exactly happened down there? Did You Know Who say something to Harry?"

Ginny swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat as memories from the Chamber swiftly came back to her. Ginny opened and closed her mouth several times trying to find the words to describe what happened down there.

"Fae, you really don't have to answer it right now. You just woke up, it can wait," he stated then disappointingly glanced at his youngest son. "We all know that what happened down there can't be easy to remember," stated Arthur, moving to the side of his only daughter's bed and clasping her hand.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and then turned on Ron. "RONALD, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOUR SISTER JUST WOKE UP! SHE ALMOST DIED! AND YOU'RE ASKING HER TO RELIVE A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE."

Ron looked down at his hands nervously and then looked at his mother. "Mum, I'm sorry. Sorry Gin. But I'm just worried about Harry."

"We all are Ron," added Hermione, grabbing Ron's hand.

Ginny smiled encouragingly at her brother, "I'm worried about him too Ron." Ron nodded his head and then looked inquisitively at his sister as though he were assessing her. Ginny began to squirm in her seat under the intense scrutiny she was enduring. "Why are you looking at me like that Ron? What have I done?" Ginny asked wearily.

Ron looked at his sister, sitting straight. "Do you even know what he gave up to go down there, Gin? He may not be able to come back here? He may be expelled." Ginny felt her eyes well up with tears but Ron continued. "He may be acting distant because of that, but I'm almost positive something happened down there and I'm going to find out. I will NOT have my best friend ignoring me again. You want to know where Harry is right now Gin? He's in McGonagall's office. They are deciding the rest of his life for him. He just so damn bloody noble!"

"Well, Ron. I'm sorry! I didn't ask him to bloody come and save me! I didn't ask for any of this. You think you're his only friend! He's my friend too! You're right! Something did happen down there but I'll be damned if I'm going to tell you what happened. You are such a PRAT Ron. Leave! All of you just leave me alone. None of you." tears were now running down Ginny's cheeks and she gulped, "None of you ever listen. Maybe you're right Ron. Maybe Harry did give up a lot to go down to the Chamber; MAYBE he should have just left me down there. It certainly seems that it would've made a lot of people a whole hell of a lot happier." Ron opened his mouth to interrupt. "No Ron, I don't want to hear it. Please just leave.all of you. Let me be alone." Ginny ended with a sobbed whisper, bearing her face in her hands.

Everyone in the room looked between Ron and Ginny. Hermione let go of Ron's hand and glared at him. "Great going Ron!" She then looked at Ginny one last time empathetically and walked out of the hospital room.

Bill and Charlie looked at Ron with narrowed eyes. They then looked at Ginny. Bill went up and kissed Ginny's forehead between her fingers and Charlie rubbed her head. "If you need anything." Ginny shook her head but continued to sob. The two eldest looked at their baby sister one last time and walked out of the room.

Fred and George who were standing side by side at the end of the bed, turned and glared at Ron. "Oh Ronniekins. Smooth move, Captain Groove*. Beware of the spiders. You might want to be careful for a little while." George whispered in Ron's ear. Ron visibly paled. The twins shot a glare at Ron and Ron cringed, they then walked out of the Hospital Wing.

Now all that were left were Molly, Arthur, Percy and Ron. Ron was grasping the handles of his seat so hard that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. He skin was pallid and guilt was clearly written all over his face. He looked down at his shoes and began to mutter obscenities to himself.

Percy, who everyone had always thought of as a stick in the mud, carefully stood up and walked over to the side of his sister's bed. He removed one of the tear stained hands from her face and interlaced their fingers. "Gin..." Ginny looked away and continued to weep uncontrollably. "Ginnybug please look at me." Ginny turned her face toward Percy. Percy squeezed Ginny's hand and looked into her large chocolate-brown eyes. Tears were still streaming down her face. Percy leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Ginnybug, you're always worth it." He then left the room pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Molly and Arthur had been looking at each other trying to find words that would placate their teenage daughter. The two walked hand in hand up to Ginny's bed, one standing on each side. "Ginny, darling. You do realize that the reason why we had so many children was because we wanted a daughter." Ginny looked up at her parents incredulously.

"It's true Fae. You are perfect just the way you are. We wouldn't change anything. Don't regret anything."

"We love you darling." Molly stated squeezing her youngest child with all her might as Arthur stroked his daughter's hair. The two then walked hand in hand out of the Hospital Ward.

All that was left was a guilt-stricken Ron and Ginny. Ginny, who had ceased crying after Percy's comment was now lying on her side curled into a ball and looking out the window. Ron continued to try to think of an apology for his sister. He had no idea why he had said it in the first place. It's not like he had meant it that way. He loved Ginny, with all his heart. When they had been little they were like two peas in a pod. One was never found without the other in tow. 'When had things suddenly changed?' Ron thought to himself. He knew when it had all changed and he knew it was his entire fault. It all changed once Harry Potter entered their lives. Harry was his best mate and he didn't know what he would do without him, but he missed the relationship that he had had with Ginny. He was so, so, so sorry. He stood up from his chair and cautiously crossed the floor toward Ginny's bed. When he reached the side of her bed he hesitated touching her. He then settled on whispering to her.

Ginny's back was facing toward him and she continued to look out the window watching the rain pour down in sheets. What Ron had said had hurt. Ron was supposed to be her co-conspirator and even though things had changed over the years she never thought that he thought such things about her. She felt a little piece of her heart break away. She was just about to start crying again when she heard Ron's voice.

"Gin? Gin-Gin. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. You know I."

"Ron. Just go." Ginny interrupted, whispering despondently as she continued to look out the window, tears trickling out of the corners of her eyes.

Ron shook his head and felt the tears begin to prick his eyes. What had he done? He had broken his little sister. He was supposed to protect her and play Aurors and Deatheaters with her. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Ron dejectedly walked out of the Hospital Wing wondering how he was going to make this up to her.

~*~

Well, that's all for this part folks. I'm so so so sorry that it took me this long to get this out. I never expected it to. I just had finals and papers and projects due while at school and then I went to the beach for a week and I had to go to a conference last week and let's not even go into this week.family problems. This has been written for awhile though I just wanted to have the whole thing in one chapter. But alas, it seems that I will be separating it into two. I should have it up and going a lot faster now that I'm free but you know how these things work. Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed for the last chapter. I thank you oh so kindly. You are fabulous! I will have a response to you at the end of the next part. (My laptop is no longer connected to the internet since I am at home. Urgh!)

Special thanks:

Aimee: LOL hun. You listened to me while I was writing this chapter as well. It's sad. I can no longer tell you to just walk right in since you are now two hours away. I am keeping you to your word that you will come and visit! You are great and we had a blast while we were at the beach! Love you lots girl!

Guerry: You definitely know how to keep me on my toes. I have cut this chapter in half all because of you. I feel horrid for not updating sooner. Our story is going to be awesome though! Look closely at the characters that will come up in the next two chapters. You may be surprised. (wink wink)