Disclaimer: I am a frog. I'm made out of chocolate. J.K. Rowling is a genius. She's not made out of chocolate. She deserves all the credit.
A/N: I want to apologize for the long delay in updating. I have been out of town on business. In regards to the question raised by one of my reviewers, Harry and Ginny were not a couple prior to her disappearance.
Harry Potter and the Lost Library
Chapter 8: Lost Ones
Harry was still smiling when he woke up the next morning. He stretched like a cat before reaching over to his nightstand for his glasses and the morning paper. As the front page came into focus, Harry sat bolt upright.
A Daily Prophet photographer had snapped a picture of Harry and Ginny as they exited St. Mungo's. Inside the photo, a clearly nervous and jumpy Ginny was looking around while a very protective Harry hovered over her. The caption underneath the photo read, "Miss Ginerva Weasley traveled from St. Mungo's in the care of Mr. Harry Potter." Harry was used to being in the media spotlight and was quite adept at spotting photographers. He was surprise that he hadn't noticed the camera waiting outside St. Mungo's. Given his mood that day, the photographer had been lucky to go unnoticed and unscathed. An angry muscle twitched in his jaw as his eyes swung over to read the article.
The-Girl-Who-Lived Released from St. Mungo's
Officials at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries have confirmed that Ginerva Weasley, The-Girl-Who-Lived, was released yesterday afternoon into the care of her family. Visitors and staff witnessed Miss Weasley being personally escorted through the hospital by Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Erma Pepper, who was at the hospital visiting her brother-in-law, recalled, "It was hard to miss them [the Weasley party]. They were moving down the hallway like a herd and passed right by me. I caught a brief glimpse of The-Girl-Who-Lived. She was arm in arm with that nice young Harry Potter, and he seemed very concerned about her. It was sweet really."
Miss Weasley left St. Mungo's with Mr. Potter, and the two used Muggle transportation to travel to Mr. Potter's home near York. Neither the Weasley family nor Mr. Potter have released any statements about Miss Weasley's return.
The Wizarding community is increasingly concerned as to the nature of the spell used to return Miss Weasley. Sources inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding report that the school was rocked by a serious earth tremor shortly before Miss Weasley was transported to St. Mungo's. Arnold Miller, a fifth-year Hufflepuff, said, "I was in the library when it happened. All the books fell off the shelves. I ran for my life." Mr. Borgin, proprietor of Borgin & Burkes of Knockturn Alley, says in his expert opinion, "raising people from the dead is very powerful black magic. Not even You-Know-Who messed around with that." Although the Ministry has not yet taken a stance on Miss Weasley's return, some concerned citizens are calling for an official investigation.
Harry couldn't read any more. He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the fireplace. He couldn't believe the audacity of the Daily Prophet. Suggesting that he, or any of the others involved in Ginny's return, had done anything improper was an insult. Yet, the Daily Prophet's tendency to jump to the worst conclusion was not surprising.
Harry dressed and made his way down to breakfast. He found the chairs around his breakfast table mostly occupied. Apparently the Weasleys had risen early this morning. The Weasley children and their spouses sat in age order from Mr. Weasley at the head of the table down to their mother at the other end. Harry noticed that the chairs on either side of Mrs. Weasley were empty, and he slipped into the one next to Ron. "Ginny not up yet?" he asked politely.
"No," Mrs. Weasley sighed happily, "Poor dear. When I checked on her earlier, she was sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake her."
Harry heaped food onto his plate. The conversation at the table was lively and random like a group of children on Christmas morning. At the slightest sound, all heads would turn expectantly towards the door. The excitement built up as time slowly ticked onward.
When Ginny finally pushed open the door, Mrs. Weasley burst up out of her seat. "Ginny dear," she exclaimed, "There's a seat for you over here."
Ginny crossed the hall while shooting embarrassed smiles at her broadly grinning family. She was dressed in the same borrowed clothes that she had worn the previous day. Her flaming hair was pulled up away from her pale face in a simple braid and appeared to still be damp. As she slowly sank into the chair across from him, Harry caught her eye and sent her a wink. For a split second, a genuine smile crossed her lips before she lowered her eyes to her plate and began filling it with modest portions.
"Ginny dear," Mrs. Weasley started brightly, "Why don't you and I walk into the Muggle village and buy you some personal effects? I think there are some quaint little shops on the main street. When you're feeling better, we can make a proper shopping expedition to London."
"Okay," Ginny replied quietly before turning back to her eggs.
The mood of the room took a turn for the strange. A million questions danced on the edge of the Weasleys' tongues, but they were too mindful of Ginny's fragile feelings to let them fly. Instead they busied themselves with disjointed and meaningless conversations while constantly shooting speculative glances towards Ginny. Bill once leaned so far over the table trying to get a look at his sister that he trailed his shirttail through his tea. Ginny, for her part, continued quietly eating her breakfast.
"Mr. Potter, Sir," a squeaky voice interrupted at his elbow. Harry turned to see Winky staring up at him. "The post has arrived. Dobby and I put it on your desk in the library."
Harry gave Winky a confused glance. He had never insisted on formalities in his castle. Usually, owls were allowed to simply bring the post directly to the dinning hall. "Okay," he said tentatively, "Thank you."
After breakfast, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny headed off to the nearby village. The rest of the Weasleys used the free afternoon to tend to their own affairs. Mr. Weasley and Ron took the opportunity to visit the Ministry of Magic and check in at their respective offices. Bill did the same for Gringotts. Charlie went to visit an old school friend who lived in York, and the twins returned to Hogsmeade to see to their business. Fleur gave in to Arty and Will and allowed them to accompany Fred and George. The house grew calm and quiet in their absence.
Harry retired to his library. As soon as he opened the door, he realized why Winky and Dobby had taken the post there. His desk was buried under a mountain of letters, and as he watched, three more owls swooped in and added their letters to the pile. The latest addition proved too much for the unstable stack of parchment, and a small landslide spilt onto the floor.
"Goodness," Hermione exclaimed from behind him, "We haven't received that much post since you left the Cannons."
"I suppose it's all for Ginny," Harry commented absently.
"I help you go through them," Hermione said, "We can sort out those that are from people she actually knows."
Harry took one look the gigantic stack of post and groaned, but Hermione simply pulled up a chair. He did the same and grabbed a fist full of letters. After a few minutes, he raised his surprise-filled eyes. "I don't understand," he said, "This lot is all addressed to me."
"I found one letter from Colin Creevey, but the rest of this bunch are for you," Hermione added.
The two made quick work of the pile. In the end, they had separated the mountain into three categories. There were a few items that constituted a normal day's post (newspapers, advertisements, and the like) and a modest pile of letters from friends and acquaintances for Ginny, but the vast majority of mail was addressed to Mr. Harry Potter.
"What is all this?" he wondered out loud. As he spoke, two more owls flew through the window and deposited letters in front of him. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. Harry pulled a penknife from his desk drawer and slit open the first letter.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We have never met, but my son attended Hogwarts with you. His name was Elton Dane, and he was in his third year in Hufflepuff house. Death Eaters killed Elton while he tried to flee to Hogwarts from his Care of Magical Creatures class on the day You-Know-Who attacked Hogwarts.
Elton was our only child, Mr. Potter, and his death almost destroyed this family. I will not waste your time with our hardships, but know that my wife has never fully recovered from the loss of our son. The return Miss Weasley has given my wife and I reason to hope after all these years. The spell you performed to return her to her family must have truly been miraculous. I'm sure anyone who lost loved ones in the war would agree.
You are the greatest wizard of this age Mr. Potter. I write to ask you, no beg you, to return our son to us. We would give everything we possess for one more day with Elton. Please help us Mr. Potter.
Yours Sincerely,
Elias Dane
Harry felt as if he had been kicked square in the chest. He sat in stunned and saddened silence with his eyes fixed blankly on a father's plea.
"What does it say?" Hermione asked. Her concern permeated her voice.
Absently, Harry handed the letter off to Hermione. He watched her expression whiten as she read. Her eyes were wide with horror and tears as she raised them to meet Harry's. "My God," she whispered, slowly lowering the parchment. A horrifying thought entered her mind as her eyes drifted to the huge pile of letters that remained unopened on the desk. "You don't suppose..." she began, but a small sob escaped her throat and cut her off.
"Yeah," Harry replied. Finally, he allowed his gaze to fall upon the unopened letters. He swallowed convulsively. "What should we do?"
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to regain her composure. She massaged the bridge of her nose as she spoke. "I'll need to get in touch with the Daily Prophet. I'll have them write an article explaining the spell we preformed and that we didn't raise Ginny from the dead. Once the public understands that the spell was highly specialized to the circumstances of Ginny's disappearance, hopefully, we can erase any false hope that people might be harboring."
"What should we do about the letters?" Harry asked. Almost on cue, another owl swooped in and dropped a letter onto the desk.
"We'll need to go through them," Hermione said resignedly, "and determine if there are any we can help."
Harry's spirits sank. He knew that in good conscience he could not pitch the letters into the fire, but he sorely wished he could. With a determined sigh, Harry pulled a stack of letters towards him. "What am I looking for?" he asked.
"Basically anything that suggests the person might still be alive," Hermione replied. She also grabbed a heap of letters to read.
The afternoon that followed ranked as one of the worst in Harry's life, and that was saying a great deal. As he read letter after letter, Harry began to recognize a recurring prose. Once the initial introductions were complete, the writers would describe (sometimes graphically and in great detail) the loss of their child, parent, sibling, relative, or friend. They continued on to explain the profound affect the deaths of their nearest and dearest had on their lives. All begged Harry to return their loved ones using the spell that had saved Ginny. Some offered money and property in exchange, while others simple pledged their undying thanks. The tone of the letters varied between dire desperation and hopeful joy. Making the task even more difficult was the fact that Harry knew or recognized almost half of the names that people were requesting he bring back to life. He had even personally witnessed some of the deaths described in the letters. As Harry finished, he leaned back in his chair feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
"What did you find?" Hermione asked in a grim voice.
"These three are the only one's that I thought might have a possibility of the person still being alive," he replied handing them over to Hermione.
She scanned the first letter. "This one sounds like the gentleman just used the war as an opportunity to leave his wife." She flipped to the second. "I've never heard of anyone surviving this curse, but the circumstances described here definitely are strange." She read through the last letter. "I have no idea what happened here." Hermione added Harry's three letters to a small stack of her own. "What about the rest?"
"These are the ones where the person is undeniably deceased," he replied gesturing towards a large mound of letters. Pointing to a bundle of about twenty or so letters, he said, "And these are the ones where the details of the letter are too vague to make any sort of determination."
The two friends sat in a dazed silence. When two more owls swooped into the study with letters, Harry glanced at the clock. "We need to get these letters out of here," he said, "Ginny will be coming back soon, and I don't want her to see them. She's having a tough enough time adjusting as it is without adding a major dose of survivor's guilt."
Hermione shot Harry a surprised and thoughtful glance. "I'll take them up to mine and Ron's suite. I'll send our sympathies and apologies to those we can't help and write to the rest for further information."
"Are you sure?" he asked with concern. "It won't be too much strain on you and the baby?"
"I'll be fine. I'll get Ron to help me," she reassured Harry as she waved her wand to make the letters disappear.
"If you change your mind," Harry said, "let me know."
Hermione nodded and stood to leave. She paused half way across the library floor and turned back towards Harry. "Harry," she whispered, "You do think that Ginny will be all right?" From the expression on her face, this question had clearly plagued her over the past couple of days.
"I do," Harry replied thinking of the time he had spent with Ginny yesterday.
Hermione sent him a relieved smile and left the room.
Harry swiveled his desk chair around so he could gaze out the tall library windows. He watched the tiny figures of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny crossing the courtyard and disappearing into the castle.
His mind drifted over all the friends and relatives he had lost in the war against Voldemort. He could understand peoples' desire to bring their loved ones back to life. If he hadn't been involved with Ginny's return, he probably would have written a letter as well. Still, it was disconcerting to think that at this moment witches and wizards from all over might be burgeoning with fervent and unfounded hope.
A relieved sigh broke into his private thoughts. Harry turned his chair back to watch Ginny stroll into the library. She was now dressed in a pair of gray trousers and a dark blue jumper that suited her much better then the cast offs she had been wearing. "How was your afternoon?" Harry asked.
"Somewhat shy of awful," Ginny murmured while delicately trailing her finger tips over the spines of the books shelved along the wall. "Mum still hasn't figured out Muggle money. It's lucky that I still remembered my Muggle studies."
"You got by okay otherwise?" Harry asked as she drifted to sit across from him in the chair Hermione had vacated just minutes before. As Ginny brought her eyes around to meet his, Harry read a surprising sadness in them. "What's the matter?" he asked automatically.
"On the way back home," Ginny answered softly, "I asked Mum when Percy was coming to visit."
Harry inhaled sharply. "I see," he said. "What did she say?"
"She told me that Percy died in the Battle of Hogwarts, but she was too upset to say how," Ginny murmured. Her eyes filled with tears and she quickly turned her face away.
Harry grimaced slightly at what he felt was his duty. "Percy was fighting in the band of the Death Eaters that attacked the Herbology class. When the reinforcements arrived from Hogsmeade, he and his cohorts engaged them. He used several Unforgivable Curses. The eyewitness accounts are a little sketchy, but it is believed that he was struck down by one of the Aurors when they arrived. He and the rest of the fallen Death Eaters were buried in the Forbidden Forest." Harry had explained the events as quickly and as somberly as he could. The twins really should have been the ones to tell her. They, after all, had witnessed Percy's death, but Harry knew that it had been both a painful and horrifying experience for George and Fred.
Ginny released a sob before bending her face to her knees to weep openly. "I know he was a git," she cried between heaving sobs, "b...but he was still my b...brother."
Harry was a bit taken back by her reaction, but he hurried around his desk to sooth her anyway. Even though ten years had past since Percy's death, Ginny was hearing of it for the first time. She hadn't been given the opportunity to mourn and heal as the rest of her family had. Although as Harry thought back, there had been so much anger and shame surrounding Percy's death that no one had ever probably cried over him. Harry felt a stab of remorse as he gently rubbed Ginny's back.
Ginny's tears diminished, and she finally straightened. She made to wipe her eyes and nose on the sleeve of her new jumper, but Harry quickly handed her his handkerchief instead. "I'm sorry," she mumbled while mopping her face. "It's just that my worst fears were true. All those years...never knowing."
Harry felt a stabbing pain in his chest. To lose a family member was bad enough, but to spend ten years worrying and never knowing must have been pure torture. He felt hot tears of empathy prick the back of his eyes. "Too many people died in that war," Harry said stiffly.
Ginny's lips parted in a crooked sort of smile as she gazed up at him. "I don't think I can handle hearing about anymore today." Her eyes were still watering heavily as she absently patted Harry's thigh. "Maybe in a couple of days or something."
Harry helped Ginny get shakily to her feet. She refused his escort back to her room, and Harry was left alone feeling like the Hogwarts Express had just struck him.