They got her to St. Mungo's straightaway and reported what had happened as best they could; the Healers examined her and were pleased to report that there was nothing worse than some cuts and bruises, not to mention minor vaginal and anal tearing … nothing they couldn't repair. The physical injuries weren't the problem; it would be the mental and emotional ones they would have to deal with--and not only Ginny's.

They gave her a mild sleeping potion upon treating her wounds, some of which required minor surgery. Upon finishing, Hermione and Ron discussed the matter with the Healer in charge while Harry sat a vigil beside Ginny's bed, holding her hand, just watching her sleep, sometimes putting her hand on his cheek after kissing it tenderly, eyes closed in pain and brimming with tears. He seemed to be taking this worse than she was, at least at the moment.

When was he going to realize not even he couldn't prevent everything bad from happening to those he loved best? He would simply have to learn to trust that they could handle whatever was thrown at them. (They frankly couldn't be involved with him and not be able to.) He was unlikely to believe it, of course; just the same, all they could do was their best to convince him of the fact.

After about an hour of discussion, Ron and Hermione returned to Ginny's bed to find Harry still there and in the same position as he had been when they left. "Harry?" Ron put a tentative hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mate, you've done all you can do. Let's go get some sleep. We can come back and see Gin in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep now, Ron. You two go on ahead," came the almost mumbled and pain-filled reply.

"Harry, Ron's right. There's no point in your staying here. Ginny is being cared for. We can do no more for her, and you need some sleep. You won't help her by making yourself sick or beating yourself up for not being able to make it before she was … assaulted." She put her arms around his shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze.

Harry once again closed his eyes in pain. Leave it to Hermione to cut to the heart of the matter. He reached up to pat her hands with one of his own. "I … appreciate your concern, my friends, but I …can't leave her. Especially not now. If I'm not here for her at any other time, I am …determined to do everything in my power to see her through this, even if I have to pay for her medical care myself and look after her once she's released."

Hermione sighed, knowing that Harry wasn't about to budge, whatever they might say. "Suit yourself—but we'll be back tomorrow."

"Fine," he returned absently. "See you then. I'll be here. Oh – and Ron, when you come back, would you be so kind as to bring me my bag of gold, a few changes of clothes and my toilet articles?" With that, Harry resumed his vigil, seeming to forget his friends were there. A short time later, Hermione whispered to Ron and they Apparated out of the room.

It was the middle of the night, Harry still keeping his vigil, that Ginny moaned in her sleep and tugged at his hand, then her eyes fluttered open. "Harry? Is that you?"

"Yes, Gin. I'm here," he crooned back to her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired … and sore," she confessed. "But that's to be expected, after what …we did."

Obviously the suggestion Draco had planted was still working on her. "Well, I won't work you that hard again," he assured her, speaking as soothingly as he could, deciding it was best to humour her, at least for the time being, in an attempt to minimize the trauma of her double sexual assault. "I …didn't mean to … hurt you. Just … forgot myself."

"I … forgive you, my love," she replied. "I … know how hard it … must have been for you to wait on me."

This was almost more than Harry could take, Ginny blaming herself—even unconsciously—for her own assault. "It …wasn't your fault, Gin. I …don't blame you … not for anything. I …just want you to … get better now … and to assure you that I will be here … if you … need me."

"Thank you, Harry. I …think I'll … sleep now. Good night."

Harry truly hoped she had meant what she said about forgiving him for her assault, even if he hadn't been responsible, and wasn't saying what she thought he wanted to hear or simply talking in her sleep. He wanted more than anything to lie down beside her and hold her, but wondered if he dared—or even had the right any more, after the ordeal she had been through.

Just the same, he had realized that simply holding her hand wasn't going to be enough. Finally he realized that the only way he was going to be able to sleep was if he did something like that, however it might look to anyone passing by. He finally decided he didn't care and carefully maneuvred himself onto the bed with her, resting his cheek on her back and entwining his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the honeysuckle fragrance, smiling despite his sadness and anger at himself for being unable to prevent it from happening. But one thing was for sure, he was going to do everything he could to see that both Malfoy and Dudley were punished for what they had done, both in the wizarding and Muggle world.

Once she was up to it, he would take her to the Muggle doctor his aunt and uncle went to and have him examine her … his report would be one weapon Harry would use in his efforts to see that his cousin was punished for assaulting the girl he loved so brutally. He was thinking he might even have the doctor testify on his and Ginny's behalf should the matter come to trial. He would also speak to the Wizengamot at the Ministry at the earliest possible time, see if they could help him in regards to seeing to Draco's punishment. It probably wouldn't be easy, and even if he managed to pull it off and they were willing to help him pursue the matter, it would take time and lots of it … and most likely engender considerable publicity, both positive and negative, in the process.

Not to mention Lucius Malfoy doing everything he could to paint Harry in a bad light and his son in a good one, however much money he had to spend. He would also likely do everything possible to make Ginny seem promiscuous, probably even claim that she had seduced the two young men in question rather than forcible sexual assault (i.e., rape) having occurred.

Harry truly wished he'd had something like a Muggle tape recorder to tape Draco's original confession; neither his memory or his word would be enough and he doubted he would be able to get him to do it again. He could only hope that the doctors' report from both the wizarding and Muggle world would convince the jury of the truth of the situation.

Meanwhile, all that mattered was the fact that Ginny was alive, in his arms, and snuggled close to him. Knowing that, Harry was finally able to fall asleep, not knowing that an hour later, the Healer Ron and Hermione had talked to went by on her rounds and smiled indulgently as she saw Harry with his arms around Ginny, holding her protectively as he slept, his glasses having slid most of the way down his nose. She carefully maneuvred them off and put them on the bedside table so he could easily find them in the morning.

Young people these days … all the same, she was unable to help being impressed at the young man's devotion to the young woman. For both their sakes, she hoped that devotion would remain, for both would need it in order to survive the next few months following her assault, which were usually the toughest to endure, for both the victim and those closest to her.

TBC