Ginny opened her eyes slowly. The first sensation she was aware of was the rough stone beneath her cheek. She carefully pushed herself to her feet. Her hand grasped for the talisman around her neck. Dumbledore had said that she must not lose it. She sighed with relief She had a bad feeling about this. All around her was darkness. Darkness, and rocks for miles. She looked around her and realized she was alone. A cold stab of fear shot straight to her heart. Where were Lucy and Sirius? She'd been holding on to both thier hands in the parlor. How had they gotten separated. She couldn't do this without them. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. She was scared. How was she supposed to find Harry without Lucy and Sirius? A loud clap of thunder made her heart leap into her throat. "SIRIUS!" she yelled. "LUCY! WHERE ARE YOU!" She screamed as a bolt of lightning struck very close to her. She ran a fast as she could.
"Sirus! Lucy!" she yelled as she ran.
"Ginny!" a hoarse male voice yelled. Ginny let out a huge sigh of relief as she saw Sirius running toward her. She ran to him and grabbed him in a bone crushing hug.
"Oh God, Sirius!" she bit back a sob. She knew she was acting like a little girl but at the moment she didn't care.
"I was so scared. I was all alone and this place is so awful..." she whispered. Sirius rubbed a comforting hand over her back.
"I know, Ginny," he said. "Everything's going to be all right"
"Where's Lucy?" Ginny said. Sirius looked around.
"I don't know," he said. "We have to find her before we can find Harry." Ginny slipped her hand into Sirius's. Sirius Black might be one of the most frightening men she'd ever met but right now, she was glad he was with her. They made their way over the rocks, carefully weaving their way around around several fast flowing rivers of lava.
"I see what Dumbledore meant by personal hell," Sirius said as he helped Ginny down a particularly steep hill.
"Lucy's out there somewhere by herself," Ginny said deeply worried about the older girl.
"Lucy!" Sirius yelled. "Lucy if you can hear us, give us a sign."
"Oh please, god let her be all right," Ginny thought. They walked on for a long time calling Lucy's name. The wind was blowing harder and it was hard to keep her feet.
"Sirius," Ginny whimpered. "What if something's happened to her"
"It's going to be all right, Ginny," Sirius said, but he didn't sound that confident.
"Sirius!" Ginny gasped as her heart froze. There in front of them lying flat on her back, her legs at odd angles, blood dripping from her nose and mouth was Lucy.
"No!" Ginny screamed burying her face in Sirius's shoulder. Sirius felt as though his guts were being ripped out.
"Oh God no!" his mind screamed. "No please no. Not both of them. NO!" He sank to his knees taking Ginny with him.
"Oh God Lily, forgive me. I failed them"
"RIDDIKULUS!" an unseen voice yelled. Sirius could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Lucy, her sweater torn, her hair rumpled, a small bruise forming on her forehead, yet very much alive stood with her wand out while the crumpled corpse disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Lucy!" Ginny yelled running to the other girl. Sirius watched in relief as the two girls embraced.
"What was that?" Ginny said shooting a glance at the spot where "Lucy" had been lying.
"Boggart," Lucy said in disgust. "I came across two of them before I found you guys. The first one looked like you," she glanced at Sirius. "You were dead," she trembled as she said it. "At first I thought...but then it changed and turned into Ron. Also dead. That's when I knew what it was." Sirius felt so foolish. A boggart. He'd been fooled by a stupid boggart.
"That doesn't make any sense," Ginny said. "Why would a boggart appear to us as you. I don't want you to die but that isn't what I fear most." Sirius could have said it was what he feared most, but he remained silent.
"It wasn't showing you what you fear most," Lucy said. "It was showing you what Harry fears most. The second boggart I came across was you Ginny, and it changed into Hermione. Losing us, his family and friends, is Harry's greatest fear."
"It makes sense," Sirius said. "If Harry's trapped in his own personal hell, it makes sense that we would be going up against his worst fears"
"Considering the nightmares that Harry has in his subconscious," Lucy said. "I'd say these boggarts are just the beginning." None of them were able to speak for a moment, each of them too lost in thier own memories of the nightmares Harry had come up against in his life.
"Well, we have no choice but to go on," Sirius said. Lucy and Ginny nodded.
Back at Grimmauld place the rest of the group milled around the house. Harry's body still lay on the table. Ginny, Lucy, and Sirius lay on their sides surrounding Harry. Oliver held Lucy's hand unwilling to leave her side. He gently ran his thumb over the ring on her left ring finger.
"Please let her be all right," he whispered. He looked up at the hand on his shoulder.
"Oliver," Remus said. "Come have something to eat. There's nothing you can do for Lucy right now"
"I know that," Oliver said. "I just can't leave her"
"It's going to be all right, Oliver." Remus said. "Lucy is a very capable witch"
"In this world. In limbo who knows what she'll be able to do"
"She's not alone Oliver. Sirius and Ginny are with her. They'll look out for each other. That's what you do for your friends and your family." Oliver nodded. He looked down at Lucy's face. She looked peaceful as though she were only sleeping. Suddenly a tear appeared in her sweater and a bruise started to form on her head.
"Remus!" Oliver cried.
"I see it," Remus said getting to his feet. "Albus!" he called. Dumbledore hurried into the room followed by McGonagall.
"Look at her," Oliver said. "What's happening to her?" Dumbledore knelt down and quickly examined Lucy.
"She is all right. A minor bruise only"
"But why do we see it?" Remus said. "It is only her physical body that we have here. How can injuries sustained in limbo appear here"
"Their souls are separated from their bodies, but the two worlds are still connected through the talismans"
"So any injuries they recieve in limbo, will affect thier physical bodies here?" McGonagall asked.
"I am afraid so," Dumbledore said. "I admit this is something I failed to realize"
"So if they are killed in limbo," Oliver said, his fist clenching, "they'll die here"
"You must not think that Oliver," Remus said squeezing the younger man's shoulder.
"We have no way to warn them," Oliver said.
"Calm down," Dumbledore said. "We must not panic. I must inform Arthur and Molly of this, they will need to know. All we can do is hope for the best." Oliver squeezed Lucy's hand hard.
"If you can feel this," Oliver said. "Know that I'm right there with you. Know that I love you. You stay alive do you hear me. You stay alive." He leaned down and kissed her lips.
"Hang in there love."