Chapter 12 – Ginny's Story
Once the trio returned to Grimmauld Place, they found Pigwidgeon waiting for them near the kitchen window with a note from Mr. Weasley.
Ron read the note aloud to Harry and Hermione, who took their seats at the table.
Ron,
Mum and I are at Hogwarts with Ginny, she is in the hospital wing – Madam Pomfrey has sedated her and she is asleep. Remus and Tonks are hopeful that the bright light they witnessed has revived Harry. Please tell us that they are correct and that you are all safe.
Come to Hogwarts as soon as you can – Mum and I are staying in the guest quarters until Ginny has recovered.
Love,
Dad
Harry shook his head, looking a bit distressed. "I really don't want to go anywhere near Ginny right now. I mean, I'm glad she's safe at Hogwarts but I can't face her just yet."
Hermione reached over and took Harry's hand. "It's okay, Harry. You don't have to go if you don't want to. Why don't you go upstairs and nap for a while and Ron and I will go to Hogwarts? After everything you've been through today, I think you should rest."
Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze as he looked at her gratefully. "Thanks, I think I could use a nap right now. Ron, you don't mind?"
"Not at all, mate. We'll go and report back."
Harry let go of Hermione's hand and stood up. "I'll see you both later?" He said as he walked out of the kitchen.
Hermione was still for a moment, hoping that she would indeed see him later. The last time he had said that was before he had disappeared earlier in the day.
"Ready to go?" Ron asked, reaching for Hermione's hand.
She stood up from the table, grabbed Ron's hand and they apparated to Hogwarts' guest quarters. They found themselves by the front desk, where a stout looking witch was perched on a stool.
"May I help you?" She asked briskly.
Hermione spoke. "Um, yes, we are looking for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?"
"Ah, Weasley, they checked in about an hour ago." She was staring at Ron. "You must be their son, Ronald. They're expecting you, room four."
Hermione and Ron walked down the corridor and knocked on the door to room number four. Mrs. Weasley opened the door and immediately grabbed her youngest son, embracing him as if she hadn't seen him in years, instead of just this morning.
"Oh Ron," she cried. "I've been worried sick about you. Going off to the Department of Mysteries like that to help rescue Ginny, you are so brave. You are indeed a Gryffindor!"
Ron looked embarrassed. "Mum, it was Hermione's idea, actually."
Molly then let go of Ron and finally noticed Hermione standing behind him. Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, hello Hermione," she said coolly, obviously not ready to forgive her for supposedly breaking Ron's heart.
Well, at least she didn't call you 'that Granger girl.'
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley. It's nice to see you." Hermione replied, trying to be as nice as possible, considering that she partially blamed Molly for Ginny's situation.
"And where is Harry?" Molly asked, sounding worried. "He is okay isn't he?"
"Yes, mum, he's fine." Ron assured her. "We left him at Grimmauld Place, he was pretty knackered after everything he's been through."
"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave him alone? Do you think he's safe?" She asked.
Oh now she's worried about his safety?
"Molly, why don't you invite them in before we talk any further?" Arthur's voice said.
Mr. Weasley appeared at the door, looking relieved. "I'm glad to see you both," he said as he hugged both teens.
After ushering them inside, Hermione and Ron sat on sofa in the small, but comfortable looking room. The room had a four-poster bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, a small desk and the sofa. It looked similar to their dorm rooms, but with higher quality furniture.
"So how is Ginny?" Ron asked. "When I last saw her, she was in a right state."
"We left her alone to sleep." Molly replied. "The poor thing blames herself for what happened to Harry in that room. We tried to tell her that he was going to be okay, but she kept saying "It's my fault, it's my fault" over and over again."
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. Well, it might've been all her fault, right?
"Did she explain why she thought it was her fault?" Hermione asked patiently.
"No, she was too upset." Arthur said. "Although, Remus and Tonks gave me a book. They said that Ginny was holding it when they found her."
Arthur pulled a book out of his briefcase and handed it to Hermione. It was, of course, Under Your Spell.
"Are you familiar with this book?" Arthur asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I saw it in Ginny's room the night, um, the night Ron and I…."
Mrs. Weasley looked very uncomfortable and eyed Hermione suspiciously. "Well, I think I should take a look at that book, perhaps I could help figure what Ginny was doing with it." She got up from her seat on the bed and grabbed the book off Hermione's lap.
Ah, I wonder if Mr. Weasley doesn't know about his wife's little hobby?
Molly quickly put the book away in her handbag. "I'll look at this later. Why don't we all go to dinner at the Great Hall? I bet you both are starving."
"Yeah, I'm famished." Ron agreed. "Haven't had a thing since breakfast."
Hermione realized she was hungry, she hadn't really thought about food since she had been otherwise occupied. "Yes, let's go."
Dinner at the Great Hall was surreal experience. Hermione hadn't been there in several months a year. And while the place was buzzing with students, it seemed empty without Professor Dumbledore presiding over the place. From her perch, Professor McGonagall spotted the Weasleys with Hermione and nodded at them, giving them a tight smile.
Hermione didn't get a chance to question Molly any further about the book because various school friends kept approaching Ron and Hermione, inquiring about what they were doing.
"How is Ginny doing?" asked one.
"Are you coming back to school?" said another.
"You are so lucky you aren't preparing for NEWTS," commented another.
"How is Harry?" everyone else asked.
Then, just as they were finishing up, Luna Lovegood approached their table.
"Hello, Ron. Hello Hermione," she said in her usual dreamy fashion.
Hermione watched with interest as Luna engaged Ron in conversation. Luna smiled and laughed and tossed her long blond hair. She even noticed Ron blushing a bit when he introduced her to his parents.
"Well, I have to go now." Luna announced airily, standing on tiptoe to give Ron a kiss on the cheek.
"It was nice to see you all. Please keep in touch and give my best to Ginny when she wakes up. Oh! And please say hello to Harry."
"I'm sure you will be in touch." Hermione teased, giving Ron a knowing look as Luna left the Great Hall.
"Lovegood, eh?" Arthur asked. "Doesn't her father edit The Quibbler?"
"Yes, he does." Hermione replied. "She's a nice girl, a bit strange, but nice. Isn't she, Ron?"
"Huh?" Ron said looking lost in thought, his ears pink.
"Why don't we go back to hospital wing to check on Ginny?" Arthur suggested.
Hermione and the Weasleys headed for the hospital wing. As they entered the room, Madam Pomfrey came running over to them.
"We were hoping to see Ginny." Mrs. Weasley said anxiously.
"She's awake again. She's asking for you, Mrs. Weasley."
Molly quickly approached the bed as Hermione, Ron and Arthur followed at a distance. Ginny was propped up against her pillow with her red hair scattered. Her face was still puffy from the tears she had shed, but she wasn't crying.
"Oh Mum, I think I know what I did wrong. The potion I used was too strong, that's what killed Harry."
"Dear, Harry's not dead. He's just fine." Molly replied stroking her daughter's hair. "Why don't you just rest?"
"Harry's okay?" Ginny perked up, noticing Ron and Hermione for the first time. "Is he here, has he come to see me?"
Ron approached his sister and sat on the bed. "Ginny, Harry's not here – he's at home resting, just like you."
"I bet he hates me." Ginny whined, starting to cry again. "He'll never speak to me again."
Hermione's heart softened seeing Ginny's tears. "Oh, Ginny, I'm sure he will, he just needs some time."
"What are you doing here?" Ginny cried. "Have you come to gloat? You warned me not to do any love spells on Harry and you were right. I screwed it up and I almost killed him! Are you happy now, Hermione?"
Well aren't you?
Shut up!
"Ginny, I haven't come to gloat. I came here because I'm concerned about you. I would also like to find out just what happened earlier today, how you happened to take Harry to the Department of Mysteries?"
"What has Harry told you?" Ginny asked, sniffling.
"Not much, we didn't get a chance to learn much except that you kissed him in that room and then he passed out." Ron explained. "What happened before then?"
Molly looked concerned. "I'm sure we can find that out tomorrow, Ginny should rest, right Madam Pomfrey?"
"No, Mum! I want to tell them, I need to tell my side of the story." Before Molly or Madam Pomfrey could say anything else, Ginny launched into her story.
She explained that she had wanted to save Harry ever since Ron told her Hermione's theory that his scar was a horcrux and it could be removed if Harry experienced love. She admitted with her Mum's help, she had used the Chest Monster potion in her shampoo and it worked on Harry last year at school.
Hermione noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked embarrassed while Arthur looked very disapproving upon hearing this.
Ginny had also been stalking (for lack of better word) Harry, apparating between her classes to watch him meet Remus and Tonks, from afar. Using extendable ears that she had gotten from the twins, she would listen to their conversations and learned all about their plan to find the Room of Love as well as learning about their future meeting spots.
Ginny figured that if she somehow got Harry to the room she could use a potion on him, kiss him and get rid of the scar. If she did that, then Harry would be so indebted to her, she thought he would love her for real and wouldn't need to use magic on him anymore.
This morning, she left her bed very early to get to Diagon Alley, where she purchased the ingredients she needed for her potion. She had learned from the book how to make the potions into cosmetics, in this case a lipstick. She prepared the lipstick with the shopkeeper's help. She found Harry in London at his meeting spot, waiting in the phone booth that led down to the Ministry. She surprised Harry and kissed him on the mouth in the phone booth. The potion seemed to work as he didn't question her presence. She had told him that they were going to meet Remus and Tonks at the Room of Love and he followed her like a puppy.
It took them a while to find the room, but Ginny had remembered a story her father had told her about it when she was little. He told her that the room was so powerful that it had its own wing. There was a room that fit that description and to her surprise, it was unlocked and she and Harry went inside. She reapplied the lipstick and asked Harry to bow his head. She kissed what was left of his scar and instead of disappearing it came back full force and Harry was screaming in pain. He yelled "What did you do to me?" before collapsing onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Ginny felt a strange sensation inside her, something she hadn't felt since Tom Riddle's diary had possessed her. She then thought she had seen figure in a dark cloak with a snake-like white face and red eyes appear in front of her. She was so frightened that she fainted.
She remembered waking up and going over to Harry but he was cold and had no pulse. That's when she started screaming in horror and Ron heard her. Hermione then finished the story with what had happened in the room, leaving out the parts about Dumbledore's voice (she didn't want them to think she had gone mad) and snogging with Harry after he had woken up (she didn't want to rub it in Ginny's face or make Molly dislike her anymore than she already had).
The room was quiet after that and everyone seemed lost in thought.
Finally it was Madam Pomfrey who broke the silence. "I think it is best that Miss Weasley get her rest now." She looked a bit shaken from listening to the story.
Molly kissed Ginny on the forehead. "Goodnight, dear. We'll see you in the morning."
Arthur then followed his wife's lead but didn't say anything to his daughter as he kissed the top of her head. Ron gave Ginny's hand a squeeze before standing beside Hermione to leave.
As they were walking towards the door, Ginny said one more thing.
"I'm really sorry for everything I did. Whatever punishment you think is necessary, I will take it."
A/N: so do feel sorry for Ginny at all? Next up – repercussions and perhaps a little H/Hr alone time? ;)