Disclaimer: All I own is the plot and anything else you don't recognize from the wonderful writings of the great J.K.
A/N: Sorry about the delay! I hope you like this chapter. PLEASE read and review it. Thanks so much
Ginny's eyes snapped open when she heard the commotion that was accumulating outside her room at St. Mungo's. Unsteadily she rose from bed and footed to the door. Three rooms down the white hallway was a large crowd of people looking as if they were craning their necks to have a look in. She was about to turn around when she heard her name in the conversations of the onlookers.
"Yes, Ginny Potter is here as well. She doesn't know he's here yet."
"Is it true that he may not make it?" said another voice.
"It isn't looking good."
Harry was the only thing on Ginny's mind as she rushed forward, pushing through the now growing mass of people. The sight she saw brought on a mixture of emotion. Harry was laying on the bed his practically destroyed robes still on, his cheek bones looked hollowed out. His ribs jutted out at odd angles as if they had been broken several times and his face had a green and blue tint to it. About five healers were surrounding his bed performing various spells on different parts of his body. Ginny distinguished one of them to be Hermione.
She stood hypnotized just inside the doorway urging her legs to go forward. Feeling as she was going in slow motion she stepped closer and closer to her bed that held her husband. As she got closer she noticed the cuts and scrapes that had accumulated all over his face. His arm looked broken too as it hung loosely over the side of the bed. Yet, the thing that scared her most was his shallow breathing. His chest barely seemed to move in or out at all.
Hermione just seemed to notice her, "Ginny! How did you get in here?"
"Don't pay attention to me, get back to Harry!" she shouted fiercely. When Hermione got back to work Ginny kneeled, with some difficulty due to the size of her stomach, and grabbed Harry's hand. Something strange happened, or didn't happen for that matter, the normal electricity that Ginny always felt when she came in contact with Harry didn't occur. Ever since they were young the touch of his skin would send shivers up her spine. Something wasn't right. She reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair off his face. No, she thought, something is wrong.
Ginny looked up and saw Hermione's eyes screwed up in concentration. Hermione turned to the blond healer to her right, "I can not seem to stop the bleeding, and I've tried every spell I can fathom."
"Muggle methods?" questioned the other healer
"Of course," Hermione snapped, "Nothing is working," just then she seemed to realize that Ginny was still there.
"Gin, you should go back to your room. Give us more room to work with Harry."
"I can't leave him, but something isn't right," said Ginny not completely making sense to even herself.
Hermione seemed like she was going to argue when a loud cough was heard. She turned to Harry and saw him hacking blood out of his mouth. She was immediately back to work, a horrible look on her face.
"Mansy, apply pressure to those wounds. Turner, go get Singleton we need him here. Cosner, we need to operate immediately go get the potion," Hermione continued to shout orders, but Ginny didn't hear them. She was staring at her husband's face. His eyes were rolled to the back of his head and his whole body was jerking as if he were in great pain. Silent tears ran down her face as quickly as the crimson blood left Harry's mouth. All she could do was stroke his hand.
Ginny looked up as the coughing seemed to subside. The hopeful feeling completely vanished and she was filled with nausea at what she saw. The coughing was impeding, but so was Harry's breathing.
"No, no come on Harry," shouted Hermione in a slightly hysterical voice as she cast more enchantments at his wounds. Again this did nothing; Ginny felt her body go weak as she felt Harry slowly slip away from her.
His hand went completely limp in hers and the shallow sinking and rising of his chest stopped completely.
"NO!" Hermione shouted. Her uniform was covered in blood and dry, racking sobs were escaping her lips. "NO, NO, NO!" as the other healers started levitating the body away.
Hermione slid down the wall and stared at the ceiling, he hand was pressed hard against her mouth. Ginny was still kneeling by the bed that until a minute before contained her husband, her wonderful loving Harry. The man who constantly gave up everything he had to save others. He lost so much but never regretted it. He always knew just what he needed to do, and did it without question. Now he was gone. Gone, gone, gone, was all Ginny could think. She sank all the way down to the ground. All she could see was his face cracked into the perfect smile. His sparkling eyes laughing, she could almost feel his warm embrace enclosing her-
"Wait!" she turned her head and saw Hermione jump from her position on the floor. She ran over to Harry's corpse and levitated back to the bed.
"What are you doing!" cried Ginny, having to look at Harry's dead body was almost more than she could handle. Then she saw it too. Harry's raven hair was slowly growing blond. She looked at Hermione her eyes wide. Next his body grew shorter and stockier. Before a minute was up Harry's body was gone and it was replaced by a man both Ginny and Hermione recognized.
Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had gathered in Ginny's hospital room. Ginny was in bed still slightly in shock. Next to her Ron was slouched over in a chair rubbing his temples feverishly, and Hermione was pacing the room with such speed she seemed to be racing her own shadow.
"Why would they do that there is no point at all," exclaimed Ginny.
"Oh, I think there is though," said Hermione slowly, "They still need Harry, or Harry's powers, they had no use for his partner. They also must know you were pregnant."
"That still doesn't explain why they would send Ralph here on the verge of death, disguised as Harry. Why not just use Avada Kedavra?"
"Because I believe they knew Ginny was in the hospital, I'm not sure how though. Well, they must have thought that thinking she witnessed Harry die would maybe cause her to lose the baby. That is all they need another Potter running around, but everywhere you go you're so well protected they couldn't get close enough."
"Oh no," sighed Ginny burying her head in her hands.
"No, Gin, this is a good thing!"
"Yes of course it is, Hermione! The same people who are torturing my husband are trying to kill my unborn child. That is magnificent!"
"No, obviously Harry must still be alive or they would have just sent his body, instead of his partner's."
Ginny sat up straight, "Well, let's go get him then!" she said prepared to hop out of bed.
"No, Hermione and I will go. You stay here. It's where it is safest for the baby." Ginny opened her mouth to dispute, but then she saw her bulging stomach.
"Fine."
"Okay, good, we'll see you soon," the two of them rushed out of the room leaving her quite alone. She wasn't that way for long though, a healer walked in. Ginny recognized him as Healer Miller, he had been the one who had told her she was pregnant in the first place.
"Hello, Mrs. Potter, how are we today?"
"Fine, I suppose. It has been quite emotional."
He nodded understandingly, "I can only imagine. Here I want you to drink this potion, it will help you sleep and calm the baby's kicking for a while. I imagine he or she has been doing that great deal lately?"
Nodding Ginny took the goblet filled with an indigo colored liquid. "Dreamless sleep draught?"
"No, just a sleep aid," she swallowed it in one gulp.
"Thanks."
"Not a problem. You just try and get some rest," with that he left the room leaving Ginny alone again.
"You never should have done that," said Ron with a frown as they exited St. Mungo's.
"Done, what?" questioned Hermione
"Told Ginny Harry is still alive, I know there is a chance, but what if there isn't? She probably will lose the baby if he turns out to be dead."
Hermione frowned, "Well, we'll just have to make sure we find him then," she said huffily, "Let's apparate right from here, we mustn't waste any time," with a loud pop they both apparated to the ministry and rushed inside.
After what seemed like an hours in the lift they arrived on the Auror level and marched down the corridor straight towards Samuel Timins office, the head Auror.
"Come in," was heard when Hermione knocked on the door, perhaps rather harder then she should have. The head Auror raised his head from a mountain of paper work that had accumulated on his desk. His brown hair was standing on end as if he had run his hands through it several times and his horn rimmed glasses were on his nose at an odd angle. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, what do I owe this lovely surprise."
"I don't know if you've heard, sir," said Ron, "Ralph Sunlipski died this afternoon."
"Yes, I did hear, it is tragic, very tragic. I can only imagine what they did to Potter."
"That is why we're here, sir," said Hermione, "We have reason to believe that Harry is alive and somewhere in Ireland."
Timins sighed and rubbed his temples, "Is my information correct that you, Ron, and Harry were quite close in school."
"Yes," she said slowly, "but I don't see what that has to do-,"
"Well, isn't it possible that you are grasping at anything just to have him back? The top Aurors in the world searched for him for months. I'm sure if he were alive, we would have found him long before now."
"Sir, Ginny, Harry's wife, is having all these visions that make it seem very probable that Harry is indeed alive!"
"No offense to your family Weasley, but wouldn't we be a bit imprudent to take the world of a women who can't seem to last a week without passing out?" Hermione stared at him in shock and Ron's ears turned scarlet.
"That was a small complication with her pregnancy! I strongly urge you to resume search in Ireland!"
"I don't think that is possible or even necessary," Timins stated plainly.
"You are being an idiot! What if he is alive? How will we know if we don't resume search!" shouted Ron.
"Watch your tone, Weasley," he said with a snarl, "There are much more important things going on. There is no need to send Aurors in search of a dead body."
"Just send me then," said Ron, obviously trying to keep his temper in check.
"You are one of our most valuable Aurors we can not afford to let you go for weeks at a time."
"Well, then I will just take a leave of absence."
"You can not take a leave of absence in the middle of the war!" he said starting to get aggravated. "You are seriously pushing your luck."
Ron stared at his boss for a moment, "I quit then."
Samuel looked quite taken aback, "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. If you are not willing to take action on something this important, then I quit. I'll look for Harry myself. Come on Hermione," and with that Ron stormed out of the room followed quickly by Hermione. Once in the hallway they looked at each other.
"So, we're really doing it then?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.
"He'd do it for us."
Hermione nodded, "Let's do it."
A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone I really hoped you liked it. I am going to be at cross country camp in Vermont for a week in a few days. I will try to get another chapter out by then, though I can't make any promises. Thanks to all those who agreed with my prediction on R.A.B. I am glad to know I'm not the only one who thought that. Please Read and Review. Again any tips welcome. Always—Lupin's Lover