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.
After the D.A. meeting, things with Ginny seemed to get even worse. She wasn't really avoiding him, but whenever she was around, Harry's mere presence seemed to drain any trace of happiness from her. It got bad enough in just under two weeks, that Ron and Hermione were the only people who really spent much time around her. The only remaining Gryffindors who'd been her friends had even started avoiding her.
Harry tried to improve things by avoiding her, but Gryffindor Tower wasn't terribly large, and the number of students at Hogwarts was slowly shrinking, making it increasingly difficult for him to find many places outside class where she wasn't nearby.
Each day seemed to get just a little worse, and slowly Harry felt it affecting him as well. Whatever Voldemort had been trying to do, he'd at least succeeded in stripping away the last bit of happiness that Harry had. By the first week of April, Ron and Hermione were both quite worried about their friends.
They'd taken to trying to keep Harry and Ginny apart for at least part of every day. Ron would find some excuse to do something with Harry and Hermione would often drag Ginny off to the library or someplace else where they could just talk.
It didn't help much, unfortunately. At best it provided some distraction, but it was only temporary, and whatever enjoyment there was, quickly drained away when they returned. Despite the lack of effect, Harry still kept playing chess and trying out new wheezes with Ron, and Ginny still kept finding new books to read at the library. It was boring and monotonous, but it passed the time until the next disaster struck him.
The second Saturday of May dawned bright and cheery despite Harry's mood, and while most of the students had taken the opportunity to go outside, Harry spent the morning lounging on the couch and reading through his Potions and Charms texts. Ginny had taken a seat at one of the tables and was studying for the O.W.L.s which were much closer than Harry had realized.
After lunch, Ron walked up to Harry wearing his Quidditch robes. "Come on, Harry, you've studied enough," he said as he pushed Harry up the stairs to his dormitory. "Get your robes on, we're going out to the pitch."
"I don't really feel up to a match today, Ron," Harry grumbled.
"Good, because I need someone to watch and keep track of everything," Ron answered as he tossed Harry's guards at him. "You get ready and I'll be down at the pitch in about twenty minutes."
He disappeared back down the stairs leaving Harry with a pile of Quidditch equipment on his bed. Whatever Ron had in mind was better than another afternoon of obscure potions he'd never find a use for. With a mental shrug, Harry pulled on his robes and started buckling up the various guards he had. He didn't know why he'd need them. Ron said he wouldn't be playing, and they never used them for friendly games anyway.
When he finished, he walked down to an empty common room. Even Ginny and Hermione were gone. He wondered if this was something Ron had done, or if everyone else had just succumb to the allure of a warm, sunny day. In just a few minutes he was out on the pitch.
There were a number of students already there, all of them from Gryffindor by the looks of it. They were all dressed in worn robes with a rough assortment of guards and looking at him as if he might have some idea why they were here. Ron still hadn't shown up, but he still had some time before he'd said he would.
Eventually one of the younger students pointed him out, walking from the direction of the lake instead of from the castle as Harry had expected. He seemed happy and energetic, and that alone seemed to cheer Harry up a little.
"What's going on, Ron?" he asked as soon as Ron was close enough.
"Quidditch tryouts, Harry," Ron answered with a smile.
"Er... Aren't those normally held in the fall?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't do us much good, does it? By then there's barely enough time to train any of them up, and I think we've got some training to do." Ron stared at the confused look on Harry's face. "Think about it, mate," Ron whispered to him. "We're the oldest on the team, now, and we're not going to pick a pair of beaters and a chaser from the first years. We might as well pick them now and get them to practice over the summer holidays."
"Right," Harry agreed despite some confusion over Ron's eagerness. "How exactly do we pick them? We don't even have a captain for next year?"
"Actually we do," Ron whispered. "Katie and I have this agreement. We didn't figure you'd want to be captain next year, and being practical, it's difficult to have a Seeker captain anyways. Cho always had her Keeper doing most of the coordination."
"That's it?"
"Well... She said she'd do whatever it took to get me a spot on one of the professional teams if I could do any better than her."
"So every little advantage helps..." Harry said, shaking his head and stepping over his broom.
"Right," Ron agreed. "So this lot—" he motioned at the group of Gryffindors "—is going to try out for the two Beater positions, and the open Chaser position. Sloper and Kirke are in there, too, and they might be the ones we end up picking, but this should at least inspire them to practice a bit more.
A small crowd of other Gryffindors was gathering as students who had been relaxing had taken to the stands to watch the tryouts. Harry took to the air next to Ron and they tried a few different drills until they found one they liked. After only a few rounds through the drill, Ron had trouble remembering which had already had their turn and which hadn't.
"Harry, see if Hermione will take notes for us. This is impossible," he called out. "I guess everyone thinks they could do as well as our current Beaters."
Harry flew over and found Hermione sitting next to her bag. "Hermione, could you keep track of the drills? We're a bit swamped."
Hermione rummaged for some parchment and a quill. As she slid out a long black quill, she turned back to Harry. "I can try, but I don't know all of their names, and I'm not getting on a broom to do it."
"Make Ginny help you," Harry responded.
Hermione paused and frowned. "Er... Ginny's not here, Harry."
"She's what?" Harry asked without thinking. Before Hermione replied, he was already scanning the stands and pitch for a bloom of coppery red that would reveal her location.
"Ginny's not here. I don't know where she is. Spending time with her friends, I'd hope."
Something felt wrong. Harry closed his eyes and focused all the fear, anger, and sadness over the past weeks into trying to sense Voldemort. At first there was nothing, and then suddenly he saw the dim outline of dozens of trees and the dull flash of sunlight off water.
The lake. There would be loads of students around the lake.
"Harry!" Hermione cried. "What is it? Is she in danger?" Without replying, Harry spun his broom around and sped off toward Ron.
"RON!" he shouted as he got closer to him. "We have to find Ginny!"
"Relax, Harry," Ron said in a calm voice. "Ginny's fine. She's with a friend."
"A friend?" Harry replied skeptically. "Her friends haven't talked to her in weeks. They're all here, anyways. Where did she go?"
"She's fine, Harry. Let's just get back to the tryouts."
"She's not fine!" Harry shouted. "Where is she?"
"She's with Neville, alright?" Ron hissed back at him. The students there for the tryouts were all staring at them. "Neville came back this morning, maybe just for a little while and he asked if I could convince her to talk with him."
Harry felt an irrational fury rising inside him. "You— You convinced her to go with Neville? What were you thinking?" he shouted at Ron. "Even if it isn't a Death Eater in disguise, it's about as big a target as you could have made!"
"Calm down, Harry," Ron replied. "She'll be fine. She's not your girlfriend anymore. She can walk around with whatever bloke she wants."
"You don't know what happened between us," Harry yelled, "so don't pretend that you have any idea what she wants! Where are they?"
"I don't think it's any of your—"
"WHERE ARE THEY?" Harry shouted as he flew over to Ron and nearly pulled him from his broom. He pulled Ron's face close to his, and dropped his voice to a low growl. "Tell me where they are, or you may not have any sister to idiotically protect."
Ron's face was set, but there was a slight twitch of fear in his eyes. He stared back at Harry before finally answering. "They were just going to walk around the lake."
The lake.
Harry's blood froze and his heart started beating hard enough to make him feel short of breath. They'd come back for Ginny. Voldemort knew he still cared for her. There would be no end to the amount of pain he could cause through her.
Harry pushed Ron away, and turned his broom toward the lake. He looked back over his shoulder at his friend, and barked orders at him. "Tell this lot to clear out. All of them. They're all to go back to the castle. Tell the first Auror you see that there are Death Eaters on the grounds." Harry only saw the fear on Ron's face for an instant before he shot off in search of Ginny.
He saw the clumps of students staring up at him as he sailed over the edge of the lake, searching for Ginny and Neville, if it even was Neville.
Finally he spotted what he was looking for. Ginny and Neville were standing near a large boulder on the side of the lake opposite the castle. Harry turned his broom toward the ground and made a rough landing on the rocky ground some distance from them. To his surprise, neither of them had noticed him as he landed or ran toward them. As Harry got closer, he realized why. They were shouting at each other.
"It's all I've got left!" Ginny shouted at Neville. "It's all any of us have! Where else should I be?"
"Anywhere else! You don't have to stay here, Ginny. You'll never be safe as long as he's here."
"No place in the world is safe for me anymore, Neville!" Ginny shouted back. "If he fails, there's no hope for me. If he fails, I wouldn't even want—"
"I'll keep you safe," Neville interrupted. "I'll protect you with my own life if I have to."
"And that's exactly what it would cost you," Ginny replied. "If you were lucky, he'd kill you before he turned to me, but he'd probably make you watch, just so you understood how completely pointless your sacrifice was."
"And he can do better?"
"He'll have to," Ginny answered. Before she could continue, a flash of color joined the afternoon sun and made the three of them look up. Red sparks were arcing into the air from two different points along the edge of the lake. Ginny and Neville immediately looked around, and spotted Harry.
"Harry!" Ginny called out. "Harry, what's happening?"
"Death Eaters," he answered. "They're on the grounds."
Neville stared back at him. "Death Eaters? Here?" Harry gave him a quick nod. Neville grabbed Ginny's arm and started walking her toward the castle.
"No," she said as she jerked her arm away from Neville. "I'm not going."
"You can't stay here," Harry told her. "They're not far from here, and they're probably headed this way."
"I'm not leaving," Ginny repeated as she stared at Harry. She was unnaturally calm, and even had a faint smile on her face. "I was wrong to be afraid. I didn't understand."
"Go back to the castle," Harry ordered, but she stood her ground.
"I won't go," she replied in a relaxed voice. "What are you going to do, Harry?" His heart was still pounding and he could almost feel the Death Eaters closing in on them. He held out his broom to Ginny, but she ignored him and just stared back. Faint crackling prompted all of them to look to the sky and see red sparks flying into the air from three more locations.
"They're coming, Harry," she warned. "—Stay here, Neville!" she shouted with genuine concern. He had started to walk off, but froze upon hearing Ginny's command. "If you leave, I don't know what will happen. Your best chance is to stay right here."
"We have to go," Harry pleaded. "I can keep you both safe, but we have to go now."
Ginny turned to look into the trees. The sounds of rustling branches and boots on soft ground drifted toward them. Whoever it was, they were headed toward them, and quickly. Ginny was still staring at Harry. "They're almost here, Harry. You've got to do something." For the first time, there seemed to be a hint of fear in her voice.
Harry scowled at her, then turned toward the trees and pulled his wand out of his pocket.
With a crash, a dark robed wizard burst through the last wall of underbrush and ran toward them. Harry aimed his wand, but dropped it as he recognized the wizard. It was an Auror, and he had been running as quickly as he could. He stopped and took a few deep breaths.
"It's Potter!" he shouted louder than Harry had thought possible. "Potter's here! The Weasley girl is here too, and the Longbottom boy."
Another Auror came running up behind the first, breathing even heavier. "Had to be the far side of the lake, didn't it?" he panted, "When I was young, we met girls behind the greenhouses." As they caught their breath and searched the area, another pair of Aurors came jogging out of the woods.
"So where are they, Potter?" they asked after looking about.
"I don't know," Harry replied. "I just know they weren't far from the lake."
"Well, we're sending all the students back to the castle. If this is for nothing, I can't imagine you'll make many friends."
"I'll find some way to deal—" Harry cut himself short as his chest hitched and his eyes shut tightly against a stabbing pain from his scar. He felt dizzy, and the world around him dipped and wobbled before tipping onto its side.
Instead of the lake, he saw a path winding through green grass. It was the path to the castle. Harry felt his heart skip as he recognized a person standing on it. Ron had his wand out and a fierce scowl on his face. Behind him a group of younger students were running away down the path.
"Whatever you want, you won't get it!" Ron shouted. To Harry it sounded distant, but he knew that wherever Ron was, at least one Death Eater was near.
"HARRY!"
Someone was shaking him, and slowly the lake returned to him. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling and then regaining his balance. His knees were ripped and bloody, but he wouldn't be needing them. He leapt onto his Firebolt and sped off toward the castle.
He found the path, and dropped down to fly low over it. They couldn't be far from it, and Ron wouldn't have ran while other students were around.
Then he saw them, like some sick nightmare come true. Ron on his knees but climbing back onto his feet. The Death Eater seemed to be walking toward him still. Harry landed and started sprinting toward them.
There was a quick flash of light, and suddenly Ron toppled to the ground and cried out in pain. The Death Eater stooped over Ron for a moment as if he was telling him something. He jabbed his wand into Ron's chest.
"Get away from him!" Harry shouted as he pulled his wand. The Death Eater turned to look at him, and an instant later, a second flash of bluish light came from Ron's chest. Harry stopped short and raised his wand.
"Stupefy!"
The target, however, was no longer there. And Harry shouted in frustration as he looked around in vain. They had Portkeyed off the grounds again. Harry turned his wand to the sky instead and shot a huge fountain of red sparks into the air.
He raced forward to where Ron lay motionless reassuring himself that the flash had been blue and not green. As he kneeled by Ron, his friend looked up into his eyes.
"My leg... broken... and then... chest..." he mumbled more that Harry couldn't make out, and his eyes started to roll about wildly. "Have to... Harry..." Ron focused for a moment, and reached for Harry's robes. "Watch Hermione..." he whispered. "Keep her... safe." Ron's eyes slid back and closed limply.
Harry, Ginny and Hermione waited impatiently outside the Hospital Wing waiting for any news on Ron's condition. By the time the Aurors arrived, Ron was beyond unconscious. They floated him back to Hogwarts as quickly as they could run, with Harry trailing behind them. Hermione and Ginny didn't arrive until well after they had sealed the Hospital Wing.
They both had showered him with questions, most of which he had no answers to. After only a short time, Hermione had walked away and to sit silently against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest. Ginny had kept asking him questions until he'd had enough.
"I—Don't—Know," he shouted back at her. "We wouldn't even be here if you'd have come with me when I told you to."
"It doesn't matter," Ginny replied.
"It doesn't matter? It doesn't matter that your brother is in the Hospital Wing lying almost lifeless despite everything that Pomfrey and Dumbledore have tried?"
"No," Ginny said plainly. "It doesn't. It was going to happen anyway. He's just a diversion."
"How... How can you say that?"
Ginny stared back at him with a flicker of anger in her eyes. "I can say it because it's the truth. You're still trying to run away from everything and protect everyone."
"What should I do, then?"
"Fight," Ginny shot back at him. "You have to fight back."
"I can't fight him. He's too strong."
"How could you know? You've never tried," Ginny replied.
"I have tried. He's always had the advantage. He's always been smarter, faster, stronger than I am. The only reason I'm still alive is because I ran."
Ginny didn't reply and simply stood by the door, staring sullenly at Harry. He took to pacing to avoid her glare, but she never broke eye contact with him, and whenever he checked, he always saw the same look in her eyes.
Dumbledore eventually came out to speak with them. Ron was apparently going to be alright, though they didn't know how long he would be unconscious. The headmaster said that the curse he'd been hit with seemed to be similar to an ancient form of the Stunner they'd practiced in Defense Against the Dark Arts. They had no idea how long it would last, but he didn't think it would be more than a few weeks.
In the meantime, Dumbledore had arranged for Harry and Hermione to work on their classes outside the classrooms. It would allow them to spend more time by Ron's side. Snape had refused, so Dumbledore had arranged for them to work with Madam Pomfrey preparing the potions she needed for the Hospital Wing.
Ginny was another situation, though. She had the O.W.L.s to prepare for, and no amount of reading and practice would be enough. She still had to attend her classes, but she could visit Ron whenever she had time and Madam Pomfrey did not explicitly forbid it. This last bit of news seemed to annoy Ginny even more. Pomfrey hadn't forgotten being stunned by her, and Ginny didn't think it likely that she would ever be terribly welcome in the Hospital Wing.
Harry spent most of the next two days sitting in a chair next to Ron's bed. Madam Pomfrey didn't seem terribly pleased to have him there, but she didn't make him feel unwelcome. She was a little more friendly toward Hermione, though it could have been partly due to Hermione's quiet, almost mournful attitude.
It wasn't as if Ron was even aware that either of them were there. As Pomfrey explained, his condition was little different than Hermione's after she'd been petrified by the Basilisk. Of course, they had already tried Mandrakes, as well as a dozen other types of potions, but nothing had revived him. Madam Pomfrey was confident that he would wake up, but she had no idea how long it would take.
Until then, Harry was certain that Ron would be safer if he kept watch over him. And then there was Hermione. Ron had been worried about her, and since Hermione spent most of her time at Ron's side, it was easy to protect them both.
They worked on their classes together, using one of the side offices for practicing Charms and Transfiguration work. Madam Pomfrey helped them with Potions and Herbology, glad for the extra help in replenishing all of the potions she'd gone through that year. Outside of their studies, Hermione barely said anything, and spent most of her time either reading or simply staring at Ron.
On the third day, however, Hermione didn't show up after breakfast. Harry paced impatiently for almost an hour before he finally got up the nerve to leave. Ron would be alright for a short time. Madam Pomfrey was still there, and three were still a number of Aurors in the corridors. He'd barely left the Wing before he ran into Ginny.
"Aren't you supposed to be in Herbology?" he asked her.
"I had a bit of an accident with a Stinging Fern," Ginny replied calmly as she held up her hand. There was a pattern of small red dots across her palm and wrist. "I was hoping one of you could get me the antidote. Sprout didn't have any."
Harry ducked back into the Hospital Wing and fetched the potion Ginny needed, along with a clean cloth to apply it. Ginny thanked him, and went about dabbing the potion across her palm, wincing only slightly. "Where were you going?" she asked him as she finished.
"Why do you care? I thought Ron didn't matter," he shot back at her, remembering their last argument. Ginny sighed and stared at the floor, making Harry felt slightly guilty for snapping at her. "I was going to look for Hermione. Ron asked me to keep an eye on her and she didn't show up this morning."
"Of course she didn't, she went to Transfiguration this morning," she said. Her voice was laced with unexplained annoyance. "She said she needed some time away from the Hospital Wing."
"How much time?" Harry asked immediately. If she wasn't going to be in the Hospital Wing it was going to get rather difficult to watch over her and Ron. Ginny returned an odd smile. "Oh, don't worry, she'll be back today," she answered. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Harry found something else to talk about.
"Is there a D.A. Council meeting?"
"A Council meeting? Why?"
"I didn't show up to breakfast."
Ginny's eyes narrowed and she leaned closer to Harry. "I don't think the Council much cares what you do anymore, Harry," she whispered. "To be honest, I don't know if the D.A. even exists anymore. Congratulations."
"Oh, so it's my fault?"
"Yeah, I'd say so," she said with a nod. "I think you telling them all that they should turn and run from anything that looks dangerous pretty much did it. A great strategy, by the way," she added bitterly. "If only Ron were awake so he could run away."
"I was trying to teach them how to live to fight another battle."
"No!" Ginny said as she jabbed her finger into his chest. "You were trying to teach them to live to run from another battle."
Harry had no more energy to fight Ginny that morning. Without another word, he turned and walked back into the Hospital Wing. Ginny shouted for him to stop, but he ignored her. Pomfrey stopped her at the door and forced her to return to Herbology. Harry saw her scowl at him before she turned to leave.
Just as she'd said, Hermione returned later than morning. They worked on Charms for a while, then helped Pomfrey brew more Pepper-Up Potion. When they were finished, they took their seats near Ron's bed. This time, Hermione didn't have a book to read.
Instead, she asked Harry about the attack again. He told her everything he could remember, without leaving out Ron's request this time. It seemed to actually cheer her up a bit and for the first time since Ron was attacked, Hermione was talking to him.
She didn't blame him for what happened to Ron, or for leaving to find Ginny and leaving Ron behind. She was worried about both Ron and him, and worried about what might happen next. To Harry it felt somewhat reassuring that he wasn't alone. It felt good to simply sit and talk with Hermione again.
The next few days passed slightly faster. Hermione would often go to one of her classes each day, but she would always come to the Hospital Wing for at least some time in the morning, come back right after lunch, and return after supper to talk with Harry until she returned to the tower to sleep.
Harry stayed in the Hospital Wing and slept in a bed next to Ron. Madam Pomfrey knew about it and after the first night had taken the time to set it up with a pillow, fresh sheets and a glass of water each night.
He'd almost come to enjoy his time there. Pomfrey never truly got comfortable with him being there, but she at least respected him and honored her agreement with Dumbledore. Hermione was quickly returning to normal, or as close as she could get with Ron lying in a hospital bed. Harry had spent so much time with Ron and Ginny, that he'd forgotten how much he could enjoy time with Hermione. When she wasn't trying to force him to read some book, or research some problem, she was quite pleasant to have around.
He could see why Ron liked her.
Thursday, when they both returned to the Hospital Wing after a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Hermione seemed much more quiet and uncomfortable than she had been in a few days. After a bit of prodding and encouragement, Harry was finally able to get her to talk to him about what was troubling her.
"What really happened between you and Ginny?"
Harry looked away. "We had a disagreement."
"Ron and I have had loads of disagreements. I haven't seen you and Ginny do anything but argue for over two weeks." She paused, no doubt hoping that Harry would say something about it. When he didn't she finished her question: "Why did you leave her?"
Harry's eyes darted to where Hermione was sitting and his whole body tensed. "I didn't," he answered simply.
Hermione stared back at him in confusion. "But— That doesn't... What about the dinner after... well, you know... When she first yelled at you."
"I told the truth," Harry said in a low voice. "I used that spell to torture her, and then she said that we shouldn't be together."
His answer seemed to confuse Hermione even more. "But why..." Hermione stopped herself and looked at Harry oddly. "Have you tried talking to her about it?"
"Of course. Why do you think she stopped coming by to ask about Ron? I think yesterday was the first day this week that she didn't snap at me about something, and that's only because we didn't say anything to each other."
"Maybe you should try again?" Harry gave her a skeptical look. "Really, Harry, you should. She doesn't hate you, I swear. She's just scared. Come to dinner with me. She won't shout at you in the Great Hall." Harry frowned and reluctantly agreed. Hermione left a short time later, saying she had to run to the Library and that she'd come back before dinner.
Harry walked into the Great Hall behind Hermione. Many of the other students noticed him, but they politely kept whatever rumors they were creating quiet enough that he didn't have to hear them.
Ginny was sitting in the middle of the Gryffindor table, but the only people around her were the Creevey brothers and a pair of fourth years. Harry felt an odd tightness in his chest. He was beginning to have doubts about this plan of Hermione's. Whatever she was hoping for, Harry was certain it wouldn't happen. He tried to hide his apprehension as he sat down next to Hermione on the bench across from Ginny.
"Good evening, Hermione," she said without looking up from her food. "I see you've pulled Potter from his post. Is it some special occasion, or did you trick him into thinking there was some good reason for him to come out of his hole?"
"I thought it would be good for him to spend some time with his friends," Hermione answered quietly.
"Of course you did. You're so caring," Ginny replied. There was something odd in her voice. Something that Harry couldn't quite recognize. "So how about it, Potter? How safe is my brother today?"
Harry sighed and looked at her. "I don't want to fight."
"Of course you don't," Ginny laughed bitterly. "You're too busy gossiping." She paused to take a drink. "I didn't figure you'd want to fight. I figure you're more likely to run back to the Hospital Wing and hide. You'd rather wait there for Tom to come and get you." She ripped a roll in half and started spreading butter on one piece. "Don't worry, Harry," she said softly, "he'll come eventually."
Harry pushed his empty plate away, and turned to glare at Hermione. This had been her idea. She hadn't thought that Ginny would fight with him here, but she'd been wrong. Hermione looked both apologetic and horribly shocked at Ginny's behavior.
But Ginny didn't stop. "Would you fight, then? Would you fight for us? You fought for Snuffles."
"And he died," Harry growled.
"That's right, Harry. He died fighting!" Ginny snapped. The Creevey brothers were now staring at her in shock, as well. Other Gryffindors were listening in, probably only confusing themselves with what they heard.
Harry turned to Hermione. "Just scared, right?" he mumbled. She just gave him an apologetic look.
"What was that?" Ginny asked. Harry looked back at her and recognized her expression. It wasn't a good sign. The only good thing about it was that she wasn't glaring at Harry, but at Hermione.
"I see," she said with a nod. "Just a coincidence that Harry showed up tonight, is it? Maybe you forgot just who's lying in that bed? I guess the days have been long, haven't they Hermione? Seems the two of you have been sharing quite a few secrets. Anything else? No inside jokes, or clever anecdotes about my childhood you want to share? No?"
Ginny slammed her cup down on the table splashing juice over her plate. She abruptly stood up and strode out of the Hall. Leaving everyone sitting at the table in silent confusion and shock.
"Well," Harry said slowly. "That went about as well as I expected." He wasn't hungry anymore, and after waiting a moment to make sure Ginny was gone, he got up and returned to the Hospital Wing. Some time later, Hermione showed up, just long enough to speak with Madam Pomfrey about Ron. There hadn't been any real changes, and Harry thought she was doing it as an excuse to check on him.
"Pomfrey said she thinks she might have found a potion that will help," she told him as he read over various Charms used to control fire.
"That's absolutely spectacular," he replied without a trace of emotion.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I... I didn't— I didn't understand, I guess."
"It's alright."
"I'm worried about her. There's something different about her."
"Right. I think I noticed that. It's her hair isn't it? It's a bit shorter I think."
"She's not acting like herself."
"Oh, right. That. I guess I hadn't noticed."
Hermione stood quietly for a moment. Harry just continued to pretend he was reading his book. He didn't want to talk about it now. He didn't know what Ginny wanted him to do. He couldn't fight what wasn't there, and he couldn't just stand by while Voldemort attacked all of his friends.
"Goodnight, Harry."
Harry looked up from his book. Hermione looked better than she had in a while. She wasn't nearly as depressed as she had been earlier that week. She was more confident, more outgoing. More like the Hermione he was used to. If Ron would only wake up, everything might be okay. It was the only thing he had to hope for at the moment, but it felt comforting.
"Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione came in to visit the next morning. With some help from Harry and Hermione, Madam Pomfrey finished making the potion she'd found and they'd carefully given it to Ron, making sure not to choke him with it. Harry spent the rest of the morning sitting next to Hermione at Ron's side, waiting to see if it would work. Pomfrey had said they should see some improvement within a couple hours, but after three hours, Ron hadn't so much as twitched an eyelid.
That afternoon, when Harry walked into the Hospital Wing, he didn't find Hermione sitting by Ron's bed. Ron was laying in just the same position he had been that morning, but something about him looked slightly different. He couldn't make out just what it was, but there was something. However, it had been six hours since Ron had been given the potion, and the only improvement was so subtle that he could barely convince himself that anything had changed. It was clear the potion wasn't working as well as Pomfrey had hoped. It was probably best that Hermione not be there. It would only make her dwell on whatever disappointment she felt.
Harry, however, didn't see much point in not being here. His best friend was still here. Hermione had been better over these last few days, but she wasn't really going to join in any games of Exploding Snap. And he could barely say two words to Ginny without starting an argument. He was, essentially, without a friend to talk to.
So he sat and waited for Ron to wake up. As the room darkened, Madam Pomfrey came around to light the candles for Harry to read by. She gave him a weak smile as she silently waved her wand over Ron yet again. When she left, Harry tried to read some of his Charms text, but his eyes kept returning to Ron's face, hoping to see some sign of life.
As Harry sat and waited, he heard the door to the cavernous room creak open and then shut with the dull sound of wood on stone. Light, sharp footsteps echoed off the ceiling as they approached. They weren't the footsteps of Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey. Harry frowned. It must be Hermione coming to check on Ron. She stopped nearby and simply stood there, watching Ron and Harry.
"You haven't eaten."
Harry's eyes darted toward the source of the voice. Ginny. He should have known she'd come. Of course she'd have noticed he hadn't been at dinner. Harry quickly looked down at his book, pretending he knew exactly where he'd left off.
"Ginny... I— I don't want to argue with you. Some other time, just—"
"I'm not here to argue. I'm well shut of it." Her voice was even and almost empty-sounding.
"Why are you here?"
"I told you: You haven't eaten."
"I'm not hungry."
"You're lying." She was right, mostly. He was past the point of hunger. His stomach had seemingly given up on the idea of getting food that night.
"Quit that," Harry replied, looking up at her. "It's creepy."
"Right, and you using magic without a wand is perfectly normal."
Harry thought it really wasn't the same thing, but wasn't in the mood to argue with her.
"You came down here to tell me that I'm hungry?"
"No, I came down here to feed you." Ginny took a small basket from her pocket and with a swish of her wand it grew to a normal size. She handed it to Harry. "Dobby was upset that there wasn't any more room. If you like, I'll run back and get you more. I'm sure Dobby won't mind."
"I'm sure this will be plenty."
"Would you like company?"
"Not as much as Hermione probably would."
"Hermione was the one who sent me."
Harry looked up at her, and saw a small smile. What was Ginny trying to do? How long would it last? Was it worth the impending fight? With a sigh, he smiled back. He couldn't turn away anyone who was willing to be friendly with him. Harry reached out toward a nearby chair. It slid toward him, skidding to a halt in front of Ginny.
She stared at the chair warily. "You don't think that's even a little creepy?"
Harry felt the corners of his mouth twitch. "Well... maybe."
"Bloody useful, though," Ginny said as she sat down in the chair. "Ever use it to toy with Snape?"
"That'd be a bit childish of me, wouldn't it?" Harry said as he fetched a sandwich from the basket.
"You're right," Ginny said as she grabbed an apple for herself and set the basket on the ground. "Did he find out it was you?"
"Never had a clue. He thinks one of his ingredient racks is haunted now. The one in the back corner with the silver handles. Never uses it."
Author's Notes:
Well, people wanted more Ron, so they got some more Ron. Granted, he's not very talkative, but he's got a front row seat (or bed, at least). And Ginny, well, she can be a bit harsh. There are some rather hurtful things she says here, but it's leading somewhere, even if I've purposefully left out all the hints which might explain where.
The next chapter is the famous 'Falling', which originally contained what is now Chapter 45 and 46. It was around 83kb, so I split it to create an even 50 chapters.
For all of you who have been a bit confused about Ginny's actions, you should be confused (Harry is), and your questions should be answered there. Granted, you may not like the answers, but they seemed valid to me, and no one complained six months ago when I wrote it, so now you're stuck with it.
And for those of you who've been convinced that Hermione has been under the Imperius Curse from the start, you're sadly wrong. Other than the D.A. lesson, no one has been under the Imperius Curse. I'm sorry I didn't squash that earlier. I didn't realize it would live so long.
'Falling' is perhaps the most important chapter so far as the theme of the book goes. After reading it, you may want to go back and read the first chapter and see if it might have any different meaning to you. Or you can just review (or even just email me) with complaints about how it still doesn't make sense.
The still unnamed Chapter 46 with the teaser designed to turn everyone against me is still unnamed. I'll see what I can do about that. For now, a teaser for Chapter 46:
"You're certain we shouldn't at least throw a Full-Body Bind on that chair? You know, 'Constant vigilance' and all?" Ginny's impression of Moody was impressive.
"Er... I think I'll risk it, thanks," Harry replied with a glare. Ginny just stared back.
"No need to feel all awkward, Harry," Ginny said as she fought back a smile. "It is a very threatening looking chair. The other chairs have said that it just wasn't raised properly, and unless I'm mistaken, I do believe it was trying to seduce me earlier this morning. Maybe a quick Stunner will make it show some respect."
"Are you done?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Any more jokes about my eyesight?" Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.
See. I can give out teasers which don't make people upset. This one is just fun. Enjoy the next chapter.