DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Harry ran most of the way to the Hospital Wing. The Auror who'd shown up in his Transfiguration class was lagging quite a bit behind him. Even Ron and Hermione had caught him up and passed him as they ran.
Harry's mind barely had time to try and think of what might be wrong with Ginny. Before he even reached the door to room she'd been sleeping in, he got his first clue.
"Let me OUT!" a voice bellowed.
As Harry approached the door he heard even more shouting. It had to be Ginny, but Harry barely recognized her voice. The Weasley family was still waiting outside, but they looked as worried as Harry felt. A small group of Aurors was standing in front of the door. They parted immediately, opening the doors for him.
As Harry strode past the Weasleys, Bill grabbed his arm quickly. "Remember, Harry." Harry nodded to him and made his way past the Aurors. As he walked through the doors, he could hear Ron shouting at the Aurors. The doors closed tightly. Once inside, he stopped short. He could barely believe the sight before him.
Ginny was most definitely awake. She was perched on the headboard of her bed, with her back to one of the large windows. Large, ominous looking cracks spidered across the panes of glass, but they remained intact. The room immediately around the bed was a mess of tumbled curtains and small tables. The Aurors and other visitors were grouped in a rough semicircle around Ginny, though Harry got the impression that they weren't trying to surround her. It seemed more like they were trying to find somewhere safe to stand. Many of them had their wands drawn. One of them was raising his wand.
In front of them, roughly halfway between Ginny and the Aurors, stood Albus Dumbledore, with his wand out, but pointed in no particular direction. Ginny had a wand as well, and hers was pointed directly at Dumbledore.
"Put down the wand, girl," one of the Aurors called out.
"No!" Dumbledore warned with a commanding gaze. "No one is to do anything to her."
Harry cautiously stepped forward, realizing for the first time that there were a few bodies on the floor. One, an Auror, had obviously been hit by the full body bind. The other, to Harry's shock, was Madam Pomfrey. Harry hoped she was only stunned. Both were close to Ginny's bed, and it seemed only Dumbledore was brave enough to step that close.
"Relax and think, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said calmly. "Think about where you are. You're safe here."
"No one is safe anymore," Ginny replied angrily. "He's gone. Tom killed him. I saw it. Let me die fighting him. It's all useless anyway..."
"You saw Voldemort kill Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked cautiously. "In a vision or some—"
"I was covered in his blood!" Ginny shouted back. She held her left hand up to her face, as if she could still see the blood. "It never dried. It was everywhere... and the smell... GET BACK!" She suddenly turned on an Auror who had taken advantage of her distraction to try and retrieve the bound Auror.
Ginny fired a curse at him, but Dumbledore seemed to cast some shield in front of him, and the spell bounced off, taking a small chunk from the wall.
"Harry is not dead, Miss Weasley, He was lying asleep in that very bed not less than three hours ago," Dumbledore said as he slowly gestured toward an upturned bed next to hers.
"Don't say that!" Ginny shouted back. Harry was still slowly walking forward, and some of the visitors had noticed him now. Ginny's eyes were red, and tears were streaming slowly down her pale, freckled cheeks. "I saw it. It's hopeless. He's gone."
"No. I'm not."
Ginny turned on him so quickly that she almost fell from the bed. She seemed stunned for a moment while she tried to tell if everyone else was able to see Harry as well. She seemed to return to her senses, but instead of smiling, her face twisted into a grimace of anger and pain.
"Get away from me!" she screamed at Harry when he took a step toward her. "Don't-you-dare-come-any-closer!" she screamed hysterically. Harry remembered Bill's words. Only Harry knew what she'd been through. He held out his arms to show her he wasn't going to pull his wand, and slowly took a step toward her.
"No," Ginny sobbed, "you're not him!" She turned back to Dumbledore, and scowled at him. "Haven't you been listening to me you daft old man? I watched Voldemort kill him! That isn't Harry!"
"It is Harry," Dumbledore replied calmly. "He has not left the castle."
"Then you're not as great at they say," Ginny said spitefully. "He came after me. I didn't want him to, but I saw him coming to protect me that night. I wanted it to be done before he knew what was happening. But I was stupid. I led him right to them. They captured him and killed him the next day, right in front of me."
There was a chorus of horrified gasps and confused murmurs. Both Harry and Dumbledore paused. The old wizard gave Harry an uncertain, questioning look, and Harry knew why. He turned back to Ginny and saw fear and sadness in her eyes.
"That isn't what happened," Harry said in a calming voice as he continued walking toward Ginny. He was now a little closer than even Dumbledore, but Ginny seemed to be getting more and more tense.
"I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" she shouted loud enough for it to echo in the room. "I WATCHED HIM DIE!", she shouted, but for once it looked as if she might be doubting herself. Harry took the opportunity to take two steps closer. The moment passed, and Ginny's eyes locked on Harry.
"I didn't dream this up. It really happened, and I told you to STAY BACK!" Her left hand darted out to grab a small glass pitcher and launch it at Harry. He had no chance to move. He put his arms up over his head, and felt a mix of dull and sharp searing pain as the pitcher shattered on his forearm.
When Harry lowered his arms, he saw Ginny staring at the arm that had blocked the pitcher. Two long cuts wrapped around his forearm, bleeding slowly. As the blood dripped to the floor, Ginny turned pale, and looked like she would be sick.
"Calm down, please, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore pleaded. "What day is it, today? You were found this morning at dawn. What day would that be?"
Ginny's eyes narrowed as she looked at her Headmaster. "It's Friday. Pomfrey already told me."
"Indeed it is," Dumbledore agreed. "It is Friday, the Eleventh of April." Ginny swallowed hard, and stared at the faces around her as if she was just seeing them now. Dumbledore took a step toward her. "Miss Weasley, I think you have been Memory Charmed."
"Memory Charmed?" Ginny sneered. "Where did this come from, then?" Ginny pulled a silver chain from her wrist and held it out for everyone to see. "I gave this to Harry for Christmas."
Slowly, and very carefully, Harry reached behind his neck, unclasped his own chain and pulled it out. He held it up in exactly the same manner as she did. "It's me, Ginny," Harry said as he took another step. "I never left. Ron and Hermione and Dumbledore stopped me."
Ginny turned her wand on Harry. "Prove it." Before Harry could think of any way he could prove his own identity, he heard Ginny's voice again, but this time it was hard and commanding. Harry barely had time to react after he realized what she was saying.
"Incendio!"
Harry ducked again and instinctively pushed out his hands toward the approaching jet of red light. Just before it reached him, there was a shower of red sparks, followed by the sound of a small blast against the opposite wall.
Ginny lowered her wand and stared at Harry in confusion. "I— I saw you die," she said in quiet voice.
"It wasn't me." Harry was quite close to her by now.
"I— Your knife..." Ginny whispered so no one else could hear.
"I took care of it," Harry whispered back. "I took it when I found you this morning."
Ginny dropped her wand, and fell to her knees on the bed. She stared at Harry, but didn't say anything more.
Behind them, Dumbledore had already started ushering everyone out of the room, including a dazed Madam Pomfrey who was not at all used to being stunned. Their departure seemed to cause a bit of a commotion in the hallway, as it was no doubt already filled with people who'd heard Ginny's shouting.
"I will return shortly, Harry." Dumbledore said as he stood by the door. "I trust you and Miss Weasley will be alright until my return?"
Once Dumbledore had stepped outside, Harry went and cautiously sat on the foot of Ginny's bed. She was laying on her side curled up in a ball and staring at the window.
"Everything is okay," Harry said quietly. "We're both fine. Whatever Voldemort was trying to do, it didn't work. I'm still here, you're back and we're together again." When Ginny didn't respond, Harry leaned toward her. "We are still together, aren't we?"
Ginny remained silent for a moment. When she finally did speak, she didn't take her eyes from the window.
"I think so," she whispered. The two of them sat in silence for some time. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a small clock and the muffled voices talking outside the door.
"What's going on, Harry?" Ginny asked as she finally looked him in the eyes. "Is all this really a diversion? It didn't feel like a diversion. The illusion? The Memory Charm? I was gone for two weeks, Harry. We aren't seeing things right. There's something we've missed, some mistake we've made."
"I am afraid that I agree with you Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said as he quietly walked up to them. "I do not know what that could be. I admit that there were times when I thought that Voldemort might be trying to close down Hogwarts —as he is all too close to doing— or trying to discredit Harry, something he may never be able to accomplish. The fact remains that he has yet to make any move against the Ministry or the Order."
"You still think he's waiting for something?" Harry asked skeptically.
"Perhaps, or he might be trying to move against Hogwarts, itself," answered Dumbledore. "All of his actions seem to be attempting to rid Hogwarts of its students, and specifically you."
"Why wouldn't he just kill us?" Ginny asked.
"You are no threat to him, and you should be thankful for that. He sees greater value in your return and the spreading of your fear. Many students have already left. Of the houses, Gryffindor has had the fewest, yet those are still too many."
"That can be dealt with later. For now, we need to take care of young Miss Weasley," he said with a smile. "I fear Madam Pomfrey will not forget what you've done, but she may someday forgive you. I do find the use of the Memory Charm worth some thought. It may be that you have seen something you were not meant to have seen. When you are feeling a little better we may speak of it again." Ginny didn't seem to like the prospect of that, but she nodded anyway. Dumbledore quickly walked about repairing and replacing upturned tables and beds. Harry helped where he could, cleaning up spilled potions and repairing the cracked windows. When he was finished, Dumbledore wiggled his wand at Harry's arm, and fresh white bandages wrapped around it, and Harry could feel a warm tingling around the cuts.
"Poppy will be needing this, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said as he gently took the wand Ginny had been using from the bed. "I'm afraid we have not found your wand. Perhaps I should convince Ollivander to pay you a visit tomorrow?"
"I have her wand," Harry said quietly. "I'll bring it down tonight."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said with a clap. "Come, Harry. Miss Weasley needs her rest, and Poppy needs her wand. I don't think she will be pleased with either of us, tonight."
"Sir," Ginny called out as Harry followed Dumbledore, "Will I be let out soon?"
"That will be up to Madam Pomfrey, I'm afraid," he said with a faint smile, "though I can't imagine she will be eager for you to stay for very long. If you are lucky, you will only miss your Potions class on Monday, but I think I can guarantee that you will be released well before Gryffindor's last Quidditch match."
Ron was in a sour mood all through supper that night. He was quite annoyed at having to wait outside in the hallway while Harry had been let in to talk with Ginny. Harry was in no mood to argue with him about it, so he was thankful that Hermione was there to argue for him.
The only thing which made supper bearable was the fact that he was not getting nearly as many looks as he would have expected. It was almost as if the rest of the students didn't find his life terribly interesting anymore. Even Malfoy seemed to be ignoring him, though he also looked generally less happy than he had while Ginny was gone. Harry pointed it out to Ron and Hermione.
"We'll it's not half of what that git deserves," Ron growled as he reached for more bread. "If he's not the one who tipped off Voldemort, I'll eat my broom."
Harry didn't doubt it either, and Hermione said nothing to convince them otherwise. After they finished eating, the three of them returned to the Gryffindor common room. Until then, everyone had been mostly keeping their distance, but almost immediately after the portrait closed behind them, Katie Bell and Jack Sloper were walking along side them as they went to sit by the fire.
"It's great to have you back, Harry," Jack said enthusiastically. "We were a bit worried, you know. The Ravenclaw match is only a week away, and it's not like we have a reserve Seeker."
"Thanks."
"Speaking of that, we heard that Ginny was awake and out of bed just this afternoon." Harry rolled his eyes. Their attempts to sound conversational were failing. Harry would have bet his wand that they'd been rehearsing this since supper. "I was talking with the others, and we heard that you got in to see her. We were wondering —not like it matters, you know— how bad off she was. We're just worried about a fellow Gryffindor, and all."
"Don't worry, Dumbledore said she'll be out before the match," Harry said flatly. "She's not really hurt, so it shouldn't be long."
Katie flopped back in her chair, with a relieved sigh. "That's really good news. Jack, go tell that MacLaren bloke that we won't be needing him after all."
Ron stared at Katie in disbelief. "You'd already given away Ginny's spot?"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Ron," Katie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He's really dreadful. Ginny's much better than he is."
Ron crossed his arms with a huff, and shook his head. "Why are all the Quidditch captains mental?"
"Are you volunteering for next year?" Katie challenged.
"Maybe I am!" Ron replied.
"But next year are N.E.W.T.s, and you're already a prefect," Hermione protested. Ron rolled his eyes. "And Harry's been on the team longer than you have," Hermione added. "Shouldn't he be the captain?"
"Not bloody likely," Harry barked. "It's not like I don't have enough to do. D.A. meetings are quite enough for me, thanks." Harry stood up and began walking toward the stairs to the dormitories. "You're welcome to it. I have to return Ginny's wand. I'll be back."
Harry fetched Ginny's wand from his trunk, and when he came back down a moment later, both Ron and Katie were smiling as if they had won some argument. Harry just shook his head as he walked past them.
Dumbledore had been right. Harry did not feel at all welcome in the Hospital Wing. It wasn't that Madam Pomfrey was upset at anything Harry had done that afternoon, but instead she completely opposed the idea of giving Ginny a wand that she would be even more effective with. Ginny, however, was much more appreciative.
"Thanks, Harry," she said, giving him her first genuine smile since she'd come back to Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey conspicuously found some work to do in another room, leaving Harry alone with Ginny.
"She doesn't trust me," Ginny said in a low voice. "I apologized, and she said that she wasn't upset, but she still refuses to turn her back to me." Ginny gave a small shrug.
"I guess I should have tried that a long time ago," Harry said. Ginny smiled again. Her smile slowly faded and she looked down at the floor.
"They said you were in here this morning."
"I was. Fawkes spent all day yesterday looking for you. I barely slept, and I hadn't slept well for quite a while before that."
"You had dreams? Visions?" Ginny asked quietly. Harry nodded. He hadn't hidden them from her the previous summer, why should he start now?
"Was I in them?"
"Yes," he answered, "but there weren't many visions. At least, I assume so. I only remember a few of them."
"What— What did you see?" Ginny seemed reluctant to question Harry about this. "What happened to me?"
"I didn't see much," Harry started. "I only saw it when Voldemort was there. I guess he didn't visit you all that often."
"You said that you found me." Ginny waited for Harry to agree. "The others... Something happened to all of them. Dean can't see. Susan can't walk —or can she?"
"She never came back after the Easter holidays." Harry said flatly.
"Right," Ginny said with a frown. "So... did you see... or— Do you have any idea what happened to me?"
"Well, you remember the—" but Harry stopped himself. "You remember what happened right before they let you go."
"I don't think that was it. I think that was for you."
"Well there wasn't much else." It was frustrating trying to think of what horrible thing that he might have missed. "There was a Boggart."
Ginny's eyes closed, and she looked almost embarrassed. "No... that couldn't be it either."
"Maybe they didn't do anything to you. Maybe you were just bait?" That didn't seem to make her feel any better, so Harry tried something else. "The rest of them were just attacked. You were taken away. Maybe the attacks have changed again, just like they did after the platform at King's Cross. The rest of them all had scars, and Pomfrey didn't see anything on you."
Ginny looked away. "Maybe you're right. I'm just confused." She pulled the bed covers tighter around her. "And tired. I need sleep. You'll visit me tomorrow?"
Harry promised that he would, and even gave her a light kiss on the forehead before he walked back to Gryffindor Tower. He'd have to tell Hermione about the changes in the attacks. Maybe she'd be able to understand what it might mean. Maybe it meant that Voldemort wasn't going to be waiting much longer.
Over the next few days Ginny seemed to be returning to normal, though she was still as quiet as she had been just before being taken. However, as they days passed, it became more and more obvious that something wasn't right. There was something about the way that Ginny was acting that seemed off.
Harry tried on a couple occasions to try and talk to her about it. After the first try it became quite obvious that she wasn't interested in even acknowledging the question with anyone else around. When he asked again as they walked back from another Quidditch practice, he finally got some response.
"You've been acting a bit odd lately," he said in a low voice.
"Is that odd for me, or odd for someone who's just spent two and a half weeks imprisoned by Death Eaters?" Harry didn't know how to respond, so he just waited silently, hoping that she might give him some other answer. In time she did.
"I'm fine, really," she said in a slightly shaky voice. "Don't worry about it. I promise I'll do better than I did against Hufflepuff."
"It's not Quidditch that I'm worried about."
"It should be," Ginny said as she stared at the ground. "It's Katie's last match and it'll be for the cup. She'd be upset if you were flying around worrying about me when you should be concentrating on the Snitch."
It was just another dodge, and Harry couldn't get Ginny to talk about anything other than the upcoming match. When they got back to the common room, Ginny disappeared up the stairs and didn't come back down all night. Harry pulled Hermione off to a corner and tried to talk to her. Ron wanted to follow them, but Hermione successfully stopped him. Harry eventually summoned the courage to try and ask at least a few of the questions that were flying about in his head.
She helped somewhat, though not as much as Harry had hoped. After all his questions were answered, they invited Ron over and quietly tried to discuss what had happened to Ginny in the quietest whispers they could manage.
One thing seemed clear. Her attack had been different. Harry had suggested that perhaps it was the start of some new set of attacks, but Hermione and Ron didn't see it. He tried to think of all the differences, but in the end, it wasn't as convincing as it sounded when he had been talking with Ginny.
"It wasn't like all the rest of them, though," he argued.
"How isn't it?" Ron asked. "Because they took her instead of just attacking her and leaving?"
"She wasn't hacked off at me," Harry replied. "The rest of them were."
"Dumbledore wasn't," Hermione interrupted. "And neither was Susan. They couldn't have known that you weren't going to say that Susan had said yes. They probably guessed you'd tell the truth and it would look like anyone who went to the ball with you would be attacked."
"Neville was like the rest."
"The rest of who, Harry?" Ron asked. "Millicent attacked Hermione, not you. Snape's been nasty to you all year. Dumbledore hasn't done anything. A load of Aurors saw you trying to protect Dean. Susan said yes. Ginny wasn't upset at you. There never was a pattern. The only pattern is you."
Harry couldn't tell if Ron sounded supportive or upset. Hermione had agreed with Ron, and there wasn't much point in trying to argue. Nothing he said was wrong. Maybe there really wasn't any pattern, but there was something they all had in common.
"They were all marked," Harry said in a low voice. "Ginny wasn't."
"How do you know that?" Ron asked slowly.
"I heard Pomfrey talking about her while everyone thought I was still sleeping."
"No one knew about Dumbledore's mark," Hermione said hesitantly. "I've looked and I still haven't seen it. Pomfrey was looking for injuries, she might have missed it."
Ron glared at her. "You say that like you hope she's actually got one."
"I do, Ron," Hermione responded. "I don't want things to go back to the way they were when we were at Grimmauld Place, do you? If she isn't marked, it may be the first sign that Voldemort is finished waiting. The Order isn't ready. Neither is the Ministry."
Harry went to sleep that night feeling very much more worried than he was when he woke up that morning. Nothing had changed. Harry could feel it. If Voldemort were moving forward with some plan, he would have gloated about it. If something was changing, he'd have known.
Maybe Madam Pomfrey had missed the mark. He'd only really seen the one on Dean's temple. It was an ugly red color, as if it was from a nasty burn, but it had also been quite recently given. Ginny might have had hers for a week or more. Maybe it would have just looked like an old scar. Why would Pomfrey tell Dumbledore about an old scar she found?
The next night after dinner, Harry decided that there was only one way he could ever get Ginny to talk to him about it. As they walked back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry gently steered Ginny toward the Library.
"Er, Harry... The Tower's that way," she said as she stopped to look at him.
"I was going to help you catch up with Transfiguration."
"I don't need help with Transfiguration," she replied stubbornly.
"You missed quite a bit while you were gone, and the O.W.L.s are still coming."
"Not tonight, Harry."
"Tomorrow night, then?" Harry suggested.
"She doesn't want to go with you, Harry," Ron called out from behind him. "Come on, Ginny. I'll take you back to the common room."
If there was anything that could have made Ginny change her mind and go with Harry, it was the sound of Ron's voice ordering her to walk away from Harry. With a scowl, she turned back to Harry.
"You want to practice Transfiguration?" she asked threateningly, "Fine. Let's go practice, then." She turned and walked briskly away from Ron and Hermione, leaving Harry to try and catch up. When he finally got to the abandoned office, he found her standing in the center of the room and staring at him strangely.
"What did you want to talk about, Harry?"
"We've barely talked since you left the Hospital Wing. You've spent more time in your dormitory than you have in the common room. I just wanted to talk to you and make sure that you're doing—"
"Nice try, Harry," she interrupted him. "You've got something a little more specific on your mind than that, so just ask."
Harry stared back at her for a moment, suddenly uncomfortable with his own thoughts. "Ron and Hermione don't think the attacks are changing."
"Well they don't have quite the same perspective on it as I do, do they?" Ginny mumbled as she turned toward the window. "And what do you think, Harry? Did it feel the same when Crabbe had his arm broken?"
Of course it hadn't. But then, he hadn't felt anything at with Millicent, and he probably blocked everything with Snape. Beyond that, each time seemed to be getting more and more intense. It was a revelation that didn't inspire much courage for the future.
"Each time has been different," he told her instead. "None of them have been the same, but they've all been linked to me, and they've all been marked."
"They?" Ginny laughed coldly. "Don't you mean 'you'? Or perhaps it should be 'us'? You were the first victim, after all. At least you know what happened to you."
"The marks are all related to the reason the people were attacked," Harry explained as he walked toward her. "Crabbe's arm was marked because he broke mine, Susan's legs were marked because she was going to the Ball with me, and Neville's chest was marked because we broke his heart.
"No. You're wrong," Ginny said quietly. "Neville's chest was marked because his memories are ripping his heart to pieces. Susan's legs were marked so that she would remember that she couldn't walk because of you, and Crabbe's arm was marked so everyone would connect it with you."
Harry walked around Ginny to look her in the face. "And you were Memory Charmed, so you should have a mark somewhere on your head." He started searching around her temples, ears and jawline for any mark. Ginny pushed him away and glared at him.
"The marks aren't important!" she said as she stepped away from him.
"Well, if you want to figure out what happened—"
"I DON'T!" she shouted. "I don't, Harry. Please don't try to figure it out. It's not important."
"You were marked, weren't you?"
"Harry, you have to trust me," Ginny pleaded. "The scars... they're distractions... diversions—"
"What happened to you?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled as tears started trailing down from the corners of her eyes. "Sometimes there's nothing else in the world I want more than to know what Tom did, and other times I would give anything to never have to think of it again."
"There is a mark, though, isn't there?"
"Harry... Please, you have to let it go. Please," she begged. She was pale and shaking. It took Harry a moment to realize that she was completely terrified.
"What do you remember?" he asked her in a gentle voice. "Everything is okay now. You're safe here. Everything that happened, it's in the past. It's all over."
Ginny's eyes stopped moving and she simply stared back at Harry. "No, it's not," she whispered. "It'll never be over. I... I have to go."
She turned and jerked the door open and ran out of the office and down the corridor. Harry could hear the echoes of her shoes hitting the cool stone floors as he watched her turn a corner and disappear down another corridor.
Author's Notes:
That's it for tonight. Let me know what you think. I won't be giving you all a teaser for the next chapters. It doesn't really seem appropriate. Instead, I'll pose a question to ponder:
Why has Ginny changed her mind about the Marks?