Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. I'd be out spending my money!
Title: Lost Souls Forever
Summary: "I'm taking you home Gin..." he said quietly, "we're going home..." She gazed at him blankly, before turning her head slowly back to the wall. "Harry ..."
Chapter Two: Leaving London
"Mr Potter?"
The door had opened; a Healer was stood framed in a silhouette, in front of the white light pouring into the room, a frown on her face. Her hair was pulled back into a sharp grey bun at the top of her neck; pulling her eyes and cheeks back in a very sinister fashion; she wore blue, plastic gloves over claw-like hands and carried a small tray. She entered the room quickly, letting the door bang loudly behind her. Harry jumped; Ginny didn't even flinch.
The Healer briskly walked over to the table next to the bed and put down what she was carrying.
"Tut Tut" Mr Potter, "you really shouldn't touch her" she said picking up their hands and prising them apart, she put Ginny's hand back under the cover and moved in between them quickly, "she's violent, unpredictable, we try to avoid all touching as it could lead to an attack, although we have had subduing charms on her for quite a while now so I'm prepared to overlook that". She smiled widely, and Harry was strongly reminded of an ex DADA teacher.
"Subduing charms?" Harry said quietly, gazing at Ginny's blank expression. She moved her lips slightly.
"Yes, of course, she is a danger to herself and others" the Healer said briskly, listening to Ginny's pulse, "it's the best thing to do in this –ahem- situation".
"I'm taking her home" Harry said quietly.
"What?" said the Healer, scathingly "don't be absurd, Mr Potter, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this", she added, her voice softer, she took his hand and held it gently, talking barely above a whisper as if she were trying to block Ginny out of the conversation. She continued: "but she's stark raving mad!" she said suddenly, with a hint of crazy laughter in her voice, Harry looked up at her coldly, determinedly removing his hand from her grasp and looking away; she 'humph-ed', then continued, in the softer voice; "We were afraid you wouldn't understand; she's gone Mr Potter. The girl you knew is gone. She's as good as dead. Do you have any idea what she saw that-?"the Nurse stopped suddenly, once more, blushing and looking at Harry.
"Yes, I do know what she saw that day" he said grimly, meeting the Healers eyes, "and if I can survive it, so can she, she's a fighter", he said loudly, with that he reached for Ginny's hand again.
"Ridiculous" the Healer said quietly, raising an eyebrow at his action, "you will not take her, she is fine in St Mungo's. I'm afraid that you will not be able to care for her as we can, you simply do not have the expertise." she said this with a slight pleading note in her voice, gazing anxiously from Harry to Ginny.
"She'll be better away from here, with me" Harry said vaguely, cupping her cheek in his hand, barely listening to the increasingly agitated Healer, "I'm taking her now" he continued, trying to stand up.
"No!" the Healer said, looking a little flustered. Pushing his shoulder down hard she succeeded it making him stay seated "I'm calling the Head Healer, he'll explain it all to you. Don't move!"
She left the room quickly, and Harry heard her bustling up the corridor, muttering frantically to herself. He shook his head sadly, before reaching under his jumper; he removed a length of shiny silver material from under his shirt looking at it fondly for a moment before laying it on the bed; he pulled the coverlet off Ginny carefully, revealing a tatty white nightdress, which stopped suddenly just above her knees, frayed edges seemed to reflect the state of her mind.
She continued looking at the wall, barely noticing Harry was in the room. He picked her up slowly, sliding one hand under her lower back; the other under her thighs, with his wand in one hand digging into Ginny's back he summoned the cloak from her bed. It flew into his hand and with some difficulty, he wrapped it over both of them, thanking God that Ginny was so small. He attempted to slide his wand into his pocket, but soon gave up as he heard voices down the corridor. He manoeuvred them both out of the room, and began walking slowly down the hall, trying not to bang Ginny into either wall. Under the cloak he felt Ginny's head come to rest on his shoulder, and her hand grasped the familiarness of his 'Weasley jumper', which he had decided to wear today, after many weeks of ignoring its existence down the back of the sofa.
Hearing a commotion further up the corridor, he pressed his back against the wall, holding his breath as the Healer ran past tugging at the arm of a rather harassed looking wizard; Harry assumed was her boss. When they had passed he carried on down the corridor, through a small, empty waiting room; the people in this wing of St Mungo's rarely received visitors.
He went down another small corridor, and came to the large General Waiting area of the hospital. Ginny whimpered slightly, pressing her face into his jumper, Harry gritted his teeth, breathing more heavily now and managed to weave himself round the witches and wizards in the waiting room. As soon as the cold air hit them on the dingy London Street, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly walking over to an alley, which separated the building St Mungo's was concealed in, and the next one over, Harry pulled the cloak off both of them and put Ginny down.
She reluctantly let go of her grip on his jumper and looked around. She shivered. Looking utterly lost. Harry felt another sob rise in his throat as he saw her there, in her white tattered nightdress, no shoes on her feet, instead, they were encased in huge white socks. Her hair blew across her face in the wind, and the cold morning light only enhanced the deathly pale of her skin, she looked like a ghost. Harry wondered hesitantly whether he had done the right thing; he quickly pushed the thought away, of course he had, Ginny needed to be with family if she had any chance of getting well again, and he was the closest thing she had left.
"Ginny?" Harry started, "Do you know who I am?" he continued, taking her hands and looking into her dull eyes. "Who am I Ginny?" he tried again. She just looked away, shivering, not wanting to meet his fierce gaze.
Taking his cloak off, Harry wrapped it around her, and putting his arm around her shoulders, they quickly walked down the alley, and emerged on a slightly busier street. Not wanting to risk calling the Knight Bus, when there would surely be Healers out looking for them, Harry flagged down a muggle taxi. Opening the door he ushered Ginny inside and got in after her, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders.
"Where too mate?" the taxi driver asked loudly.
The significance of this question struck Harry like a ton of bricks. 'Where too?' he could go anywhere. Why did he have to stay in London, nothing kept him here anymore, he could go somewhere where Ginny would be safe, where she could get well again. When he had entered St Mungo's this morning, the only thought on his mind had been to get Ginny, out of that place; he had no idea what to do now. Harry thought quickly; He couldn't make her live in his stuffy little flat; that would barely be better than leaving her in the hospital. Making up his mind suddenly, Harry was resolved; He could take Ginny to the flat, get some money from Gringotts, get her something to wear then they could leave-.
The taxi driver interrupted his thoughts:
"Look mate, we can sit 'ere all day, but you migh' wanna know I am runnin' the meter!"
"Yeah, Sorry!" Harry said, tightening his grip around Ginny he said loudly and clearly, as if he was flooing:
"Knightsbridge"
"Right." The taxi driver said, glancing in the mirrors before pulling out:
"Nice day" he commented to Harry as they sped down the crooked London streets, Harry just grunted, pulling his cloak around Ginny further, as she was still shivering:
"Suit yourself," the Driver said quietly, he turned the radio on loudly:
I don't feel the way I've ever felt
I know
Going to smile and not get worried
I try but it shows
Anyone can make what I have built
And better now
Anyone can find the same white pills
That take my pain away
It's a lie
A kiss with open eyes
She's not breathing back
Anything but bother me
Nevermind, these are hurried times
I can't let it bother me
I never thought I'd walk away from you
I did
But it's a false sense of accomplishment
Every time I quit
Anyone can see my every flaw
It isn't hard
Anyone can say they're above this all
But it takes my pain away
It's a lie
A kiss with open eyes
She's not breathing back
Anything but bother me
Nevermind, these are hurried times
I can't let it bother me.
"Oi, wake up!"
Harry awoke with a jolt, grabbing his wand and directing it towards the voice.
"Hey!" a indignant man shouted, "watch what you're doin' with that stick!"
Harry blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his brain, an angry looking man slowly came into focus, Harry shifted slightly, felt Ginny squirm next too him, it all came flooding back, the man was leaning towards him from the front of a taxi:
"That'll be £34.50. Please." He said menacingly, holding out a podgy hand, Harry fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a few notes; he pushed them towards the driver, muttering:
"Keep the change." He gripped Ginny under the arm, and pulling her out of the cab after him, supported her, whilst she leant towards him. She was fast asleep, Harry supposed it was the 'subduing charms' the witch had mentioned. He gritted his teeth angrily and looked around him; they were at least half a mile from Knightsbridge!
"Hey!" he shouted angrily, reaching out to hit the back of the black cab, the driver quickly revved up the engine and pulled out, so Harry's fist met nothing but air. "£34.50, and he doesn't even bloomin' take me all the way" Harry muttered angrily. Ginny slumped towards him and tightening his grip under her arm he began walking down the street, made immensely more difficult by the fact he was as good as carrying Ginny.
Just to make matters worse, he was about halfway down the street when the heavens opened, as they so often do, on London town.
Harry swore loudly.
An old lady waiting at a bus-stop 'tutted' loudly. Harry glared at her, she looked at him disapprovingly, and turned away with a 'humph!'
"Had a –bloody- 'nuff of old –bloody- women tutting at me" he wheezed, as he dragged Ginny up the rain soaked street, "they can stick their –bloody- 'tuts' where the sun don't shine!" He pushed his rain-soaked hair out of his eyes, earning a gasp from a young boy sheltering in a doorway, at the sight of his scar.
"Cool!" he whispered loudly.
About half an hour of physical torment later, Harry reached his small flat; he hurried the few remaining steps to the door and just put his key in the lock when the door swung inwards. Harry, who had been leaning Ginny against the door while he searched, one-handed for the key, couldn't stop himself falling with Ginny when the door opened. They landed in a heap on the faded, threadbare, red carpet.
"Oh! Mr Potter! I am sorry!" an elderly looking woman said, her hands at her mouth, although her eyes seemed to hold a cruel spark, that was very reminiscent of the look in Harry's Aunt Petunia's eyes when she had caught Mrs Jones doing something she shouldn't with the milkman.
"Its all right Mrs Parker! We're fine!" Harry said cheerfully, when he really felt like hitting the old bat over the head with her knitting bag. If he knew Mrs Parker, she'd been waiting there all day to see what he was up to, she'd opened the bloody door on purpose, probably to try and catch him in the act of something. Nosy old bag, he thought as she began to pick up her wool, which Ginny had caught on the way down and knocked about the floor.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine, you get your wool" Harry muttered, pulling himself up, Ginny lay on her back underneath him, her eyes were open, eerily bright, as she stared up at him:
"Are you alright dear?" Mrs Parker said, craning her neck around Harry to get a better look at this mysterious young woman:
"Dead." Ginny said loudly, gazing at Harry, he could see the old sparks in her eyes, but he wasn't filled with a strange, calmness at the light, what he saw in Ginny's eyes, scared him..
"Dead." she repeated.
And there was Chapter Two! Slightly longer! The chapters will get longer soon, these just need to be short, to show different stages! The song was 'Pain' by 'Jimmy Eat World' and its brilliant – although I do not own it, or the band in any way! I was listening to it whilst I wrote this chapter, and it just seemed right to have it in there somewhere!
Thank you to all my reviewers! I was so surprised to get 11! I love 11! It's a brilliant number! ;-P
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