center Chapter IV – Awakening Anxiety /center
The few days Ginny had been unconscious not much had happened, Ron and Hermione only had been anxiously awaiting her and Harry's recovery. Neither of them had even flinched for the whole five days until a Tuesday afternoon when Ginny opened her eyes somewhat. The sunlight flooded into her pupils like giant gold lasers, she quickly shut them and groaned. Rolling over on her bed she realized she wasn't in her dormitory. Moaning she tried to sit up but didn't have the strength, she saw bloodstained bandages wrapped around her and she was wearing a clean nightgown.
"Ginny!" she heard Hermione cry, "Your up!"
"'Bout time to, Madam Pomfrey was going to send you to St Mungo's if you didn't come around by today," Ron said.
"Oh… how's Harry…?" she asked hastily, looking over to the hangings that she had an idea concealed Harry.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.
Finally Hermione took in a deep breath and said, "Harry isn't doing very good, Madam Pomfrey said that he may be in a coma for months, even years…" she trailed off, "because being frozen alive must have permanently traumatized Harry's brain, they're transferring him to St Mungo's in three days in he doesn't improve… and so far he hasn't…" she evidently broke into a never ending river of tears.
Ginny blinked, Ron looking pained changed the subject.
"McGonagall said that she found you in the corridor bleeding to death, did someone try to hurt you?" he asked her.
"No," she said, "I was all alone, when I just started to bleed; it made me feel crazy though—like I would explode." She had completely forgotten about the rhythmic whispers.
Then Hermione, whose eyes were still watered with tears suddenly, looked flustered. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"I just thought it was a little strange—that's all," Hermione muttered.
Madam Pomfrey suddenly rushed into the room and prodded Ron and Hermione out of the wing.
"Good your up, thought you never would," she muttered glancing over to Harry's hangings, "here drink this," she handed Ginny a cup of some blood red colored potion, she drank.
In between one of her gulps Ginny asked her, "Madam Pomfrey, what's going to happen to Harry—I mean will he be alright?"
"I don't know Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey took the empty cup and refilled it with another potion and gave it to Ginny, who drank reluctantly.
"I heard that he'll be transferred to St Mungo's if he doesn't improve in the next three days."
"Yes, I've done all I would, there at least there are Healers that specialize in his current condition."
"What is his current condition?" Ginny quizzed her curious about Harry, she wanted, no i needed /i to know all she could.
"You need to rest," Madam Pomfrey obviously didn't want to tell her, she got up and trotted off leaving Ginny alone in her sudden drowsiness.
For the next two days Ginny discarded sleep and lay there pretending to be resting. She listened to the teachers talking about Harry's unfortunate state and the shuffle of Madam Pomfrey's tending to Harry. She had a dispute in her mind whether to let them take Harry or not, she knew he would be OK in her heart but that was torn it two; the other half of her said "no". Ginny couldn't bear the though of her visiting Harry in a ward at St Mungo's in ten years time.
So she silently and stealthily crept out of her bed. It was late midday, nearly sunset, and the red sun was cascading the horizon like a flaming sphere.
Ginny tip-toed over to Harry's hangings and slipped between them, noticing a stool beside his bed she stood on top of it so her feet wouldn't be seen.
"Oh, Harry..." she groaned looking at his pale completion, reaching to touch her cheek it was hot and cold at the same time. "Probably a warming charm..." she muttered tracing her forefinger over his lightning shaped scar.
There for a split second, she thought her eyes were hoodwinking her; she saw Harry's eyes twitch. Then her gaping face full of surprise was interrupted by echoing footsteps on the other side of the dormitory. Ginny reached and wrapped her skinny freckled arms around Harry's waist and attempted hauling him out of the bed. Gasping she was caught, McGonagall had pulled the hangings aside.
"Miss Weasley what are you doing?" she snapped, eyes flicking about back and fourth between Harry and Ginny.
"Professor—professor McGonagall—" she stammered, "you d-don't need to t-take Harry! He's alright!"
"Nonsense Miss Weasley, only it was only an hour ago when Madam Pomfrey checked up on him. There's no chance that he has gotten better since then!"
"Your wrong," Ginny suddenly said feeling a surge of bravery.
"Miss Weasley you need your rest. Go back to bed." McGonagall looked aghast at Ginny's stubbornness.
"NO!" She shouted.
"Minerva, I think you should hear Miss Weasley out," Dumbledore suddenly cut in, Ginny could have sworn she saw him wink at her.
"Well... I went over to see Harry, you see. And-and well I saw his eye twitch when I touched his sc- forehead..." she trailed off at the end of it all.
Dumbledore got up and strode over to Harry and started at him unblinkingly. "Miss Weasley is right, Minerva, he doesn't have to go."
"But—Albus... are you sure—absolutely positive?"
"Yes Minerva, in my books that counts as a great improvement. I am quite sure and in that case he may wake up any day now. So I am to believe it is not necessary to send Harry to St Mungo's and to grieve his friends even more than required.
I daresay!" he suddenly said with a quick glance at a copy of i The Daily Prophet /i laid upon a nearby bed, "he's already made the headlines."
"Well if you're sure Albus and I do suppose that Mr Potter doesn't need any more exploitation nor attention," McGonagall agreed and Madam Pomfrey nodded.
Then only moments later McGonagall rounded up on Ginny.
"Miss Weasley," said she sternly with a sideways glance to Madam Pomfrey. "Neither me or Professor Dumbledore were given the opportunity to speak to you while you were awake briefly a few days ago. Did you see your attacker that night when you were, I believe cursed?"
Ginny's thoughts suddenly went from glee of Harry getting better to who had attacked her.
"No, everything went blurry, I felt horrible pain though. I don't even know if anybody was there."
"That's impossible. I heard you screaming Miss Weasley, I recall hearing 'please don't kill me?' can you explain that?"
"No, Professor McGonagall," she replied looking into McGonagall's thin face, who gave no reply out of utter bewilderment.
The following day Ginny had asked Madam Pomfrey when she would be allowed to leave for she was extremely bored with being kept here.
Finally after her fourth time asking, Madam Pomfrey gave her a satisfactory answer out of annoyance.
"I suppose you may leave now, you seem to have enough energy. But I will be having your return to me of anything happens to your wounds." the added through gritted teeth, "they may be cursed."
The following day Ginny was delighted to leave the wing but not to leave Harry, because she still felt partly to blame for his state. When she returned to the common room around midnight, Ron and Hermione greeted her warmly; they had been informed by Dumbledore himself that Harry was not going to St Mungo's. But Hermione asked her why she looked so grim over the good news. Ginny frowned.
"If your think its your fault Ginny, it's not!" Hermione had said to as if she knew legilimancy, which turned Ginny's frown, not upside-down but into a cold, bitter scowl. So smartly Hermione changed the topic off of Harry.
"So, Gin. Did you open my present yet?" Ron asked her anxiously, Ginny remembered the pile of Christmas presents that were lying forgotten at the foot of her four poster bed.
"Err... no, not yet," she replied to her brother awkwardly.
Ron's eyes widened. "Go get them then!" he insisted, so Ginny and Hermione went to her dormitory to carry a pile of gifts back down to the common room.
So that night Ginny opened her gifts in the company of Ron and Hermione in the common room. Ginny had received a new wizard chess set and a Weasley sweater from her mum and dad. A book called i 'Defensive Curses of the Middle Age by Aesalise MacMurdochley' /i from Hermione, an enchanted scarf that was water and snow resistant, and could change its own temperature to your will from hot to cold from Ron 'great for summer' he said. Finally Harry's present loomed there in an evergreen colored box and a red bow. When Ginny reached out and took the box she was greeted by a thud near the portrait hole.
Hermione screamed as somebody a stumbled through looking weary, it was Harry.
"Harry! what are you doing here?" Hermione cried in rage running over to support him and Ron joined and they both sat Harry down onto an armchair he let go of his firebolt and let if fall to the floor.
Ginny was exceedingly surprised at Harry's sudden appearance, she stood up throwing her last present onto the floor and dashed up to her dormitory nearly teary eyed, but reluctantly. Harry caught sight of her.
Back in her dormitory she was almost hyperventilating. Seeing Harry awake was too much weight over seeing him in a peaceful coma. So she sat there for a few moments that seemed like never ending, listening to the silence. But wanting to hear what they others were saying she slowly opened her door and stepped into the landing and stood a the top of the twisting stairs that piloted down to the common room.
Listening intently she heard Hermione's screams. "HARRY! YOU SHOULD BE IN THE HOSPITAL WING! YOU KNOW HOW CLOSE THEY WERE TO SENDING YOU DO ST MUNGO'S? THANK MERLIN THAT GINNY SAY YOU MOVE OR ELSE YOU WOULD BE THERE NOW! YOUR NOT IN THE RIGHT HEALTH TO BE WANDERING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AFTER BEING IN A COMA FOR A WHOLE WEEK! AND ALSO IT WAS YOUR OWN RECKLESSNESS THAT GOT YOU THERE WHILE YOU WERE OUT IN THE SNOW DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT WITH OLIVIA!"
"Hermione—" Ron had started to say but Hermione cut him off.
"Ronald, don't you defend him! If Harry gets sick, he brought it upon himself!" she shrieked and stormed up the stairs nearly knocking Ginny over while she stomped past where she stood.
After Hermione had slammed her door shut Ginny listened for voices. She hears Ron and Harry talking.
"When-how did you wake up?" asked Ron.
"I felt something..." Harry said, "It was strange, it was coming from my scar but it didn't hurt; it actually kind of..." he trailed off "...it felt good."
"Are you sure it was your scar?" Ginny heard Ron say, she frowned edging herself down the stairs trying keep out of view.
"Yes Ron... I think someone was tracing it or something," Ginny suddenly froze, she had done so, what if Harry knew it was her? "Did Olivia at all come in to see me?" She then heard Harry say, where Ginny inserted a sigh of relief.
Ron suddenly sounded serious when he spoke. "No," he croaked to Harry, "she's ignored everyone since Christmas Eve. What happened to you to out there?"
"I-I- I told her it wasn't right... Being with her, it just didn't feel right, I-I felt guilty. As though I would be taking advantage of her with... what you would call fame?"
"Harry, she i wanted /i to shag you."
"It still doesn't make it right Ron!" said Harry hotly.
There was silence. Ginny was still frozen.
"Look Harry, this is about Ginny," Ginny's ears perked up, "she was attacked by something... she was taken to the hospital wing early on Christmas day. The teachers went back to investigate and they found bloody bare footprints leading right out of the castle. They never told Ginny yet."
"Is she alright? I saw her leave when I came in, and why would someone attack her?"
"Beats me, she doesn't remember anybody attacking her. She does think it's strange though... been acting a little weird."
"I need to talk to her," Harry said.
"And I'll let her when I see her. You go back to the hospital wing, before Madam Pomfrey finds you gone and goes ballistic."
"Fine," spat Harry getting up, she wavered and fell back down onto the armchair with a thump.
"They'll both have your head," said Ron nearly chuckling, referring to Hermione i and /i Madam Pomfrey."how did you even get here if you can't walk?"
"I don't know really, I kind of woke up in the corridor... I was closer to the common room... so I think I came here, it was all like a haze." Ginny heard him say.