Chapter 19
Recovery
Later, Harry would have vague memories of being awake, but not being able to think past the desperate need for food. Every few hours or so he'd reach a state of half consciousness, and somehow food always seemed to be available, and always got into his mouth, though he couldn't think enough to even find his mouth.
But at some point, in one of these half awake stages, food wasn't provided immediately. Instead something small and soft was put in his mouth, where it dissolved instantly. He yearned for the food, but wasn't able to express the need, and the part of his mind that was awake panicked when the need wasn't satisfied.
But that need ebbed, something inside him filled, and he was finally able to fall asleep in earnest.
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Harry mentally groaned when his body identified where he was. He knew these sheets, this smell, this temperature better then he did his bedroom at the Dursley's. Somehow he almost always ended up here, in the hospital wing.
He forced his eyes open with will, though they still felt like lead. He didn't move, he wasn't ready to waste that much energy yet.
It took his mind a full minute to figure out that the humming and the heat beside him on the bed was a person, and full minute more to figure out the voice humming belonged to Ginny.
"Pet?" he asked, but the word came out harsh and twisted, as if his voice had been misused, or not used.
"You're awake Harry?" she turned her body slightly, shifting down so she was at his level. "I have somebody I want you to meet. This is your son, Harry. Bobby, meet your daddy."
She brought into his range of vision a doll, one that blinked up at him and curled its little nose.
He stared at the baby, his mind not quite ready for this type of concept. So "Bobby?" was all that he managed to ask.
Ginny giggled and laid the doll across Harry's stomach. "I didn't feel like being creative." She shifted again, now that the doll was out of her arms, and kissed Harry's cheek. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm hungry," he answered honestly. "What happened?"
Ginny moved yet again, snuggling against him and pulling Bobby up to lay cradled in one of Harry's arms. "You were hit with a Drainer, Harry. The same thing that my mother had. Except, we didn't realize exactly how much energy you lost magically, so when we switched that drain so it was physical instead of magical, it hit you a lot worse then it would have normally. Frankly, Harry, if you had been anybody but you, you'd have starved to death before you were able to wake up enough to eat. As it was, the only reason you're able to be awake now is because Neville managed to grow you a Starenergy flower that restored most of what you lost."
"What about Sirius? Heather?"
Ginny giggled, nuzzling Harry's face. "They're fine, they're all fine. When you're more awake I'll give you the full report. Right now, do you think you can take care of Bobby long enough for me to track you down something to eat?"
Harry tried to sit up, and actually managed a little. He adjusted Bobby in his arms so that he was stable but wasn't requiring any of Harry's precious energy to hold up. "Yeah, I think I've got it."
Ginny nodded, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on Harry's lips. "Are you up to any visitors?"
"Maybe, if they don't talk a lot," he answered, too tired to try to word it so it was less offensive. Ginny just grinned at him.
"Alright, you and Bobby can bond, I'll be back."
Harry looked down at the doll in his arm, who stared back at him with comically large blue eyes. After a moment of staring at each other, Bobby's lips pursed and began to blow bubbles with his own saliva. Shaking his head sadly, Harry leaned back into the pillows.
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Between Harry and Ginny, who were both laying in Harry's hospital bed; Bobby, who was laying in Ginny's arms because Harry was eating; Sally, wrapped around the headboard of the bed; Sirius, with Heather on his lap in the chair beside the bed; Remus in the chair beside them; and Ron and Hermione both in their own chairs, the small hospital room was getting quite crowded. It was better then Harry having to stay in a curtained bed, though. It was the same room he'd used at the end of last year. Madam Pomfrey said she was considering having his name engraved into the headboard of the bed.
They talked among themselves as Harry ate, as that was the most important thing. Within a few more days Professor Sprout was to receive another set of Starenergy seeds, the goal being to get Harry restored enough in time for summer to start and in turn, the Quidditch season. The Catapults weren't thrilled that he probably wouldn't be able to practice until then, but there was nothing to be done for it.
It wasn't until Harry had cleared his plate and accepted Bobby from Ginny that he asked his first question. "Okay, so play by play, what happened?"
"Well, after you fell down Harry, we had to hold Rose back," Hermione started.
"Peter made Sirius chose between performing the counter curse on you, or freeing me. So Sirius kept you from losing your magic, but passed out right over you from blood loss, probably."
"Meanwhile, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and I half formed a plan. I ran out in front of Peter so he would focus on me. Draco walked up to the other one and kept him talking long enough to distract him." Ginny reached over to smooth down Bobby's little tuft of hair, which like all the dolls but unlike either of his "parents" was blonde.
"I'd give a lot to know who that was," Sirius said with a growl. Neither Ginny nor Harry looked at him; they'd made a deal, and neither was going to break it.
"So while Ginny kept Peter busy, Hermione and I snuck up on either side of him. She hit him with some spell that would keep him human. I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I hit him with my Transfiguration book, which I'd accidentally taken with me."
Harry grinned wolfishly at Ron, as Bobby curled a hand around one of his index fingers. "Figures, Ron, Booky hits him with a spell from a book, and you hit him with one."
Ron threw his hands up in the air. "Why does everybody keep making fun of me for that? It worked didn't it? He fell over, we kept him over, the teachers broke the shield and took over."
Harry nodded. "You guys did great. I'm disappointed I was unconscious for it."
At the praise Ron's ears turned red. "Yeah, well, Harry, Hermione and I don't really like this hero stuff. Next time try to stay awake and take care of it yourself, alright man?"
Harry grinned. "You got it, Ron. So what's happening now? Where's Peter?"
"Being shipped off to Azkaban later tonight, where he will remain in a special cell made to fit his condition," Sirius answered with a grin.
"So everything's okay? You're free?" Harry asked, hardly daring to believe it.
"Legally, I am a free man. It's not going to be easy, because half of the world still believes it is all some elaborate trick. As a result, the Ministry is allowing my Animagus form to remain unrecorded, so should anybody try to threaten me, I can use it to escape."
Harry sank back into his pillows, half from relief, half from exhaustion. The movement didn't bode well with Bobby, who started to cry loudly. Sally let out a long-suffering cry of her own, hiding her head under one of the pillows. Ginny solved the problem, however, by getting up and leaving the room.
The moment the door closed, Sirius leaned forward despite Heather's presence on his lap. His eyebrows did a questioning dance on his forehead that made Harry laugh. "The answer to your question is yes, Sirius you dog, but don't talk about it in present company, alright?"
Sirius whooped and Heather squealed. Remus smiled and Hermione giggled at Ron, who was covering his ears and closing his eyes. "About time, Harry," Sirius said.
"Yeah, that's what everybody says. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Lani quit. She'll be finishing the year but then she'll be leaving," Remus supplied.
"Why?" Hermione asked, while Ron silently cheered.
"She doesn't enjoy the job. She doesn't feel she's good at it."
"But she is," Hermione insisted, just as Ron and Harry said "she isn't."
"She's weird," Harry said, shaking his head.
"Lani? As in Lani Cameron?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded. "She took the DADA position. I thought I told you that was how I was able to stay here."
"You did, but you never gave me the name. She was that little hottie, right? In Flower's dorm? With the brown hair and the really nice ass?" Heather hit Sirius in the back of the head but he ignore it. "She was interesting. Always reminded me of a snobby bunny. Composed, but twitchy."
"It doesn't feel right," Harry said. "For the DADA teacher to leave without playing some sort of important role. She should be evil or something."
Remus chuckled. "Lani was always her own person, but she could never be evil. She has a very strict moral code. She went through a lot as a child, you know. Her older brother was bitten by a vampire, and they had been close siblings. I guess that sort of trauma leaves its mark."
"Rationalize her weirdness all you want," Ron said shaking his head, "but I'm just glad she's leaving."
"What about you, Remus?" Harry asked. "If she leaves do you have to go too?"
Remus nodded. "I suppose I do, but I'm sure we'll work something out to make sure you stay in training, Harry."
Ginny came back in, cradling a sleeping Bobby in her arms. "Here you go Sirius. You're a grand-godfather now." She passed the doll off, much to Heather and Remus' amusement. Sirius tried not to look too pleased, but it was obvious he actually thought the little thing was pretty cute.
Ginny crawled back into Harry's bed, sliding in next to him. He shifted to make room for her, wrapping an arm around her so she was free to snuggle against him as much as she wanted. "I want it understood Harry, that although I'm caring for that little bundle of joy over there, should this experience ever be repeated in a real life scenario, it will be your responsibility. I raised six brothers, I'm done."
Harry raised an eyebrow. He leaned over to whisper in her ear in Parseltongue. "Are you implying you want to make a baby, Pet?" he asked, sneaking one arm around her to tickle her sensitive side.
She squirmed away from his hand, in turn into him. She pushed his head away from her ear. "Pervert," she scoffed.
"Alright, kids, I think we've overstayed our welcome. Come on, there will be six very angry Quidditch players if Harry doesn't get his rest."
"Twelve," Ginny corrected. "We still have to beat the Hufflepuffs in ten days."
Harry groaned. Heather shooed Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Remus out of the room, and gave Harry and Ginny a wink before exiting herself.
Ginny smirked down at Harry. "Your godfather just walked out of here with our son."
Harry reached up and looped an arm around her neck, pulling her down on top of him. "He'll take good care of him. Mommy and Daddy need some alone time."
Ginny laughed but didn't resist in the slightest. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and inhaled the scent of fire and sky that was solely Harry. He whispered something, too softly for her to catch completely, and when he didn't repeat it she assumed it was her imagination. Considering what she'd thought she heard, that was the more than likely scenario.
"I'm going to make mysself sscarce," Sally interjected, her amusement obvious in her voice.
"Bite me, Sal," Harry retorted hotly, which made Ginny curious as to what they were referring to. Several minutes of silence followed Sally's departure.
"I miss you," she said suddenly, her words slightly muffled. "It's not the same up in the tower without you, or at meals. All I can think about is coming back down here to be with you. Does that sound a little obsessive?"
Harry reached up with one hand to catch her chin with his thumb. He brought her face up so he could see into her eyes for a moment, before pulling her close enough to kiss her. He wasn't able to lift his head away from the pillows for any length of time, but she was more then willing to close the distance between them.
She pulled away few moments later. He smiled up at her. "I miss you every heartbeat you aren't here," he answered. "And I," he cut off, as if he couldn't form what he wanted to say. "I dread the day I have to go home and you won't be by my side," he finished.
"Lair," she said, though her heart stopping smile told him that those words had meant a lot to her. "You're looking forward to your Quidditch so bad I'm but an afterthought."
"Only as a chance to see you in the stands, Pet."
"Flirt," she retorted, before ending the fight by kissing him again. He didn't shut his eyes, but instead stared at her imploringly. It caused her to pull away, and give him a questioning look.
"I," he started, then snapped his mouth shut. "There's something I've been trying to tell you, but, I can't, even though I want to."
She hushed him with a solitary finger against his lips. "I love you too, Teddy."
His thankful smile neatly broke her heart into two very much in love pieces and healed it in the same breath. "I love you, Rose Petal. And the thought, that one of us might not have survived the attack, and I hadn't told you yet, made me realize there was nothing gained by waiting. I love you," he said the last in Parseltongue, which somehow made it even more real, more intimate. Unable to get past the lump in her throat to respond verbally, she kissed him again, and melted into his arms.
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When Peter was handed to his captor who would take him across the water to the prison, his panic was considered normal. What watchers didn't understand was it was not a life in hell he feared, but end of life.
Peter could recognize Malfoy's hands. He was cloaked and hooded as a mock-dementor, as was tradition, but his hands were bare. Peter knew those hands. And he knew, with the certainty of a condemned man, what it meant that Malfoy was his captor despite the fact at his sentencing another man had been named for the position.
So he panicked and struggled, flailing desperately as the island neared. He could already see him, shrouded in a circle of dementors. The cloaked dementors held no fear for him, he had no happiness for them to steal. He wallowed in his own hate, guilt, and pain.
It was the figure standing among them that made his heart speed and his thought process shut down.
Malfoy had to bodily drag Peter to his master's feet, allowing the figure that once was a man to crumple on the ground.
"This is what you give me to rectify your mistake?" Voldemort asked, burning red eyes burning inside his cloak. "He's hardly worth his own breath let alone enough to negate your folly."
Malfoy bowed respectively. "I'll do what you ask of me, my Lord."
Voldemort's sneer was audible, if not visible. "In the future, if you wish to remain at your current status, you'd do best not to follow the leadership of anybody besides myself."
"Yes, Lord."
Voldemort reached into his pocket, and pulled out a quivering rat. "Place this creature in the cell meant to hold him. I'll dispose of this." He kicked at Peters quivering body, causing him to whine pathetically and cower.
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After the second blossom from the Starenergy plant, grown once again by Neville, though this time Harry was awake enough to thank him, most of Harry's energy had returned. He still tired quickly, and ate an unusual amount at meal times, but he was able to move out of the hospital wing and back into his dorm.
There was still three weeks before the end of the year. The coming weekend held the end of the year Quidditch game, between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. The following week would be testing, O.W.L.s, finals, and N.E.W.T.s. The last week would be free of classes.
Harry was attempting a delicate balance of training for the approaching Quidditch game, and in turn the professional season to follow, and making sure not to wear himself out in hopes that he would recover enough by the game in order to get through it.
"It can't be any worse then last year," Ginny told him. Though Harry fully agreed with her, it didn't comfort him any.
At least the day came clear, without a hint of rain and the sun was broken by white fluffy clouds that kept the heat from being harsh.
There wasn't a lot of pressure on this game, for which Harry was thankful. The Hufflepuffs were so behind in the race for the Cup that as long as Gryffindor didn't let them fifty points ahead and allow them to catch the snitch on top of it they had no chance. However Gryffindor needed thirty more points to beat out Ravenclaw, who had smashed Slytherin in their last game. Once those thirty points were scored, who won the game was irrelevant. Harry was steeling himself for the very real possibility that he would not win this game. His personal triumph was not important as long as the team won the cup.
He arrived for the game at the last possible moment, not wanting to waste any of his energy he could save by laying in bed. The team already knew the circumstances, which saved him half a pep talk. "This is your last game, guys," he said, looking his three chasers and two beaters in the eye. "We don't need to win, true. But we're going to win the cup, so you guys can go out with a bang. Rose and I are going to miss you five."
"Ah, go on Captain," Fred said, leaning against his brother and using Alicia's sleeve to wipe away invisible tears.
"Alright you losers, let's get out there and do this once more."
Until those first three goals were scored, Harry was a nervous wreck. The girls were quick about it through. It was hardly into the game and the score was thirty to nothing.
So as it stood, Harry could hardly believe when he spotted the snitch. He hesitated for a moment. The snitch was right above the Hufflepuff seeker. If he went for it, the other seeker would surely notice and catch it before him. But the game would be over, he could go back to bed, and they would win the cup.
But he couldn't just give in that way. Knowing Tony was in the stands, Harry pointed his broom down and dove with purpose. The other seeker shot after him, in a delayed attempt to catch up with him, but as soon as the other seeker was close enough Harry stopped his dive and hovered, looking around for the snitch again. It had left its pervious place.
Cheers and shouts and a huge ruckus went up once Lee managed to express to the crowd what Harry had just done.
He started to fly back up to where his view was better. He happened to pass Ginny on the way, who called out to him. "Stupid self sacrificing moron." He gave her a tired smile and a nod.
An hour later, Gryffindor had two hundred points to Hufflepuff's twenty, and Harry was doing his best not to slip off the end of his broom.
He didn't let their lead lull him into safety. The fact that they would lose the game would not keep the other seeker from catching the snitch; they'd lost the cup anyway, just catching the snitch would be a moral victory. It wasn't the lead that lulled him, it was exhaustion.
He knew he wouldn't fall asleep on the broom, at least not yet. He'd quit before he'd put himself in that type of danger. But he couldn't get his eyes to focus, and as a result his normally keen, darting eyes would stare into nothing and get lost there as his tired mind shut down.
Which is why, when the shouts rose and the other seeker was speeding up, he was slow to react. Once he processed what it meant, he shot after him, even if he couldn't see the snitch.
He did see it, thought, clenched in his team mate's hand.
There was a roar from both sides of the crowd. From the Gryffindor crowd for winning the game and the Cup, from the Hufflepuff crowd for catching the snitch.
He returned to the ground thankfully, collapsing against George who'd managed to get behind him just in time. He didn't have a chance to shake his opponent's hand because a moment later he was sound asleep.
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"Yeah, between Lynn and the wedding, she's pretty busy. This summer will be interesting, with three babies in the house." Ginny's voice sounded far away, but Harry would recognize it anywhere, and struggled from a gray haze in order to reach it.
He blinked awake. He was in his dorm, which was a good deal better then being back in the hospital wing. Ginny was with him, his head resting in her lap while she played with his hair. Scattered around and on his bed were the Catapults.
"Hey Plummet, played a little too hard, huh?" Tony asked, being the first one to notice his eyes open.
"Just too tired," Harry responded around a yawn. "I promise I'll be better before summer starts."
"Don't worry about it Harry," Lad insisted. "What's important is that you get better period. Quidditch is just a game. It'll wait for you."
Harry relaxed into Rose's hands, secretly calmed by her attention to his hair. "You know, guys, this stuff always seems to happen to me. And it probably won't stop," he added. "Are you sure you don't want to get a seeker that isn't on everybody's death wish list?"
"Harry," Tiffany said, leaning forward. "Quidditch is a game, winning is not important. What makes it important is your team. You are part of our team. Without you, it wouldn't be important, and we wouldn't play, period."
"And you proved today," Brad said from his seat on Ron's bed, "that you give your team whatever you can. That was quite a sacrifice you made today with that feint."
Harry grinned, inwardly touched by their words. He yawned again. "Just checking. Thanks for coming, guys."
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Harry could hardly believe it as they loaded things onto the train. It was over, the year, the O.W.L.s, finals, Bobby. Exactly one year ago on this day, he'd realized that he was in love with his best friend's little sister. He'd said as much to her when she'd come in to wake him up that morning. She responded to him in her favorite way; kissing him.
Like every year before, he didn't want to leave.
But it wasn't the Dursleys he dreaded. He'd only be there a few days at a time. Quidditch, playing it and practicing it, along with all the media that would undoubtedly go with it, would be taking up most of his time. He didn't want to leave, because he hated the thought of not being with Ginny.
"You'll come visit, right?" Sirius asked, eyeing the train.
Harry laughed. "Visit? Sirius, when you get the place fixed up, I'm moving in. Pick a room for me. You're my legal guardian and you better start acting like it."
Sirius gave him a doggy grin and pulled his godson into a hug. "Good. I didn't want to ask you to. I mean, you'll get more freedom with the Dursleys and you're old enough to make your own choices, but I want you there Little Man."
Harry hugged Sirius harder at the use of the old pet name. "Freedom and nobody giving a damn what you do are two very different things, Sirius. Besides, this place is supposed to have tons of dad's paintings in it. I want to see them. I want to see everything. So you three better fix it up quickly."
"We'll do our best to be done before the summer's over." Heather added, as Harry moved over to hug her too.
"Maybe you'll be able to stop by a few times between games," Remus suggested when it was his turn.
"I hope so. Maybe," his eyes brightened, "could I have a birthday party?"
"Aren't you a little old for that?" Heather asked, skeptical.
"Well," he looked down at his feet with a blush, "probably, but, I've never had one before. And it would be a chance for all of us to get together, and-"
"Of course you'll have a birthday party," Sirius interrupted. "You're turning sixteen after all."
"Harry, I'm sorry but we have to go," Ginny said, coming up beside them and hugging Heather.
Harry gave them each one more hug before following Ginny to their train compartment.
This would be Hermione and Ron's first extended separation in over a year, and as a result neither were speaking to the other at present time. Harry figured it was some kind of distancing process; fighting before you parted made the act of doing so easier.
They all stuck their heads out the window and waved until Sirius, Remus, and Heather were nothing but dots, that soon disappeared behind a slope. Then pulling their limbs back inside, they began to settle for a long ride.
Harry wanted nothing more then to pull Ginny into his lap and hold her the whole way. But, since Hermione and Ron were fighting and therefore not touching, for him and Ginny to do so seemed inappropriate. He resorted to holding her hand, tracing patterns into her palm with his thumb
"Harry, can I talk to you a second?" Ron asked suddenly, standing up and moving out of the seats into the isle.
Harry stood to follow, dropping Ginny's hand. He waited just long enough for Sally to detangle herself from his arm before leaving the compartment after Ron.
"Is something wrong?" Harry asked, when Ron looked uncomfortable.
"No," Ron said, "and yes. I've been trying to get around to this for a while now, but it's just so weird, because, well, you're my best friend, Harry. And she's my baby sister."
Harry froze, not wanting to interrupt Ron for fear of angering him, or upsetting him, or anything.
"Look," Ron said, "I'm not stupid. I know it's not a joke."
Harry really wanted to ask how long it took him to figure that out, but figured the question was not suitable for now.
"A lot of me rejects to it, I'll be honest. Because, again, you're my best friend, Harry, and she's my sister. But," he stopped again, looking uncomfortable. "It's really obvious that you guys love each other a lot, okay?" he said, almost defensively. "And Fred and George seem to think it's okay. And, well, you were really great about telling me to my face and stuff, and, you're very good about making sure I don't have to see anything that would be weird."
Ron's ears had gone from pink to red, bypassing the color of his hair and heading toward cranberry. "Harry, you make her happy. And you're happy around her. So my best friend and my sister are happy, and there can't be anything wrong with that."
Harry wanted him to get to the point, but he knew better then to ask for it. Ron was best if let to play these things out verbally. He was convincing himself of what he said more then he was Harry.
"So, I guess what I'm getting at Harry, is that it's okay with me that you guys are together." Ron was going to say more, but snapped his mouth shut on it.
Harry now unfroze, and smiled at his best friend. "Thanks, Ron. I'm glad that it's okay with you because I don't know how I would handle it if it wasn't."
Ron covered his eyes with his hand. "Arg, Harry, I can't believe I'm going to say this. You can kiss her. Oh, wrong. I mean, I'm sure you already do, but, I promise not to freak out if you do it, you know, in front of me. Kiss her, I mean."
Harry did his best to keep from laughing. "You can stop now, Ron, thanks."
Ron nodded, the color fleeing his ears in a sign of relief. "Good, that's over with."
Harry laughter followed them back into the compartment. Ginny looked up curiously at his amusement.
Harry didn't answer her unasked question. He only had a few hours left to keep her. Sitting back down, he reached over and pulled her out of her seat and practically into his lap, his arms holding her firmly against him.
She grinned, pleased with the contact, and laced her fingers with his.
"I love you, Pet," he whispered in Parseltongue.
"Ditto," she replied, as she'd come to when they had company.
He kissed her temple and breathed in the scent of her hair, wanting to memorize everything he could before they had to part. 'You'll see her in three days,' his head told him. But somehow that wasn't the same.
Sally moved down and wrapped around their wrists where their fingers were laced together, making a silent but poignant point. Harry and Ginny smiled at her, relaxing together and pretending the train wasn't moving.