As it turned out, though, Ginny was able to go home after only two days in the hospital, although she was given a week's supply of painkilling potion. After that, due to her youth and sturdy constitution, she shouldn't need any more. And when she did, Harry went with her—although he stayed in Fred and George's old room, which fortunately was close by Ginny's so he could keep a close watch on her. He had even insisted on flying her home on his Firebolt but in front of him this time, suggesting she hold on to him that way so he could concentrate on flying, loving every moment of the feel of her solid, perfumed warmth against him.
He also contacted the Muggle doctor and managed to obtain an appointment to take her in for an examination, specifically requesting a follow-up report after telling him what had happened to her. Later in the week he contacted the Wizengamot and got an appointment to speak with them about what had happened, what would be necessary to press charges against Draco, not only for kidnapping Ginny but actively participating in her rape, along with an accomplice, who had also raped her. He intended to have such a rock-solid body of evidence in his favor that not even Lucius Malfoy or his in-serious-denial relatives could refute. That would take some doing, of course, but for Ginny, he was willing to make the effort.
He also thought it would be best to see if St. Mungo's had taken any semen samples from Ginny's body and if they had, he would need them as evidence too. The best of all possible scenarios would be if he could manage to get samples of both assailants' bodily fluid, and if necessary, be prepared to submit a sample of his own, if only for the sake of comparison … as well as obtain reports from both the St. Mungo's Healers and the Muggle doctor as to the differences between same. Not to mention have them testify that they had found no evidence Harry had ever been in sexual contact with her. (Not that he didn't still want to; in fact, he did, but could control himself if necessary, although it wasn't easy, especially not since he was spending so much time with her.)
With luck, he might even be able to officially deny that he had been in any way responsible for the rape, both publicly and privately, whatever hypnotic suggestion Draco had made to the contrary. He would also suggest that Draco be made to submit to a test with Veritaserum, intending to make sure it was legal to do so before making a formal request … and give Dudley sodium pentothal, the Muggle equivalent of Veritaserum, which would force him to tell the truth of his own involvement in the crime, also making sure that was legal in order to offset any countersuits either way.
It might even prompt an investigation into the possibility that he had been involved in other sex crimes in the Little Whinging neighborhood …maybe even get a search warrant to check Dudley's room for torn knickers, condoms and such, and with luck, even actually get his criminal bully cousin behind bars, where he belonged—and there to stay, no matter what appeals his parents tried to make, however hard they tried to trash Harry and everything he had come up with, evidence-wise.
Best of all, however, would be to see Draco actually get convicted, despite his father's best efforts, and have him cool his heels in Azkaban for a while, see how he liked it. It frankly wouldn't surprise Harry if Lucius had been instrumental in getting Sirius framed too, but since the latter had been cleared of all wrongdoing shortly after his death, it wasn't so urgent a thing as pressing the rape charges. He also suggested that Neville come in and testify before the Wizengamot as to what he had seen the day of Ginny's disappearance. Perhaps even Ron and Hermione if they were willing, if only as character witnesses for both him and Ginny. If not them, then perhaps at least one of the senior Weasleys.
In the midst of all this, of course, he spent time with Ginny, seeing to her every need and taking it upon himself to tell her family what had happened to her and his intention to see that Draco and Dudley were punished to the fullest extent of the law—both in the wizarding and Muggle world. The senior Weasleys were understandably furious, with Molly frankly ready to kill both perpetrators, which Harry fully understood and empathized with, but advised her not to pursue it. He would
be content if they could both be convicted of the crime in question and serve time in prison for it, and so would she have to be. She was still reluctant to back down, but refrained from any further talk on that score for Ginny's sake … at least in her daughter's hearing.
Harry also advised the Weasley family to inform Ginny's other five brothers what had happened and get their thoughts and feelings on the matter. He would sit in on the discussions if necessary, but believed it best that Ron and Hermione gave them the details, since other than himself and the perpetrators, they were the only ones who knew the full details of the crime.
He hadn't mentioned anything about the cost of Ginny's medical care, both inpatient and out, and had no intention of doing so, fully willing and able to cover the costs himself. They were going to go through enough without having to worry about medical expenses. And if Gin should need any psychological counseling as a result, he would pay the costs for that too. He had no intention of making her testify unless absolutely necessary.
It was truly fortunate that he had been able to take care of Voldemort and the Horcruxes once and for all over the last few months,so he wouldn't have to be away from Ginny any more than absolutely necessary. Even at that, Harry still intended to pursue his original vocational choice as an Auror, and for that, it would be necessary for him to return to Hogwarts for his seventh and final year, since much of the seventh-year curriculum and classes covered things he would need to know in his chosen future career.
It was now about two months before they would need to return to school; as much as Harry wanted to go, there was just as much of him that didn't, since it meant leaving Ginny. He even seriously considered taking home study courses, which she would be doing since she wouldn't be emotionally up to the regular classes because of her ordeal. Of course, if the worst-case scenario came to pass and his request for home study courses was denied, he could only promise her that he would owl her often to keep her up-to-date on what was going on in his classes and at the school.
Ron and Hermione would also likely be returning to the school if Harry did, however reluctantly, mainly because they wanted to be there to give Harry moral support, both in class and out. They also promised to keep in touch with Ginny, if not Molly, but all knew that even under the best of circumstances, Ron was, by his own admission, not the best of correspondents, to put it mildly. It was more likely that Hermione would be the one to do so, with Ron most likely to add a postscript or something to her letter. Even Harry hadn't gotten but maybe a handful of letters from Ron the entire time they had known each other, over six years.
So far Harry had been pleased to note little change in Ginny's attitude toward him, but couldn't be sure how long it would last. Just the same, he was hesitant to try anything more intimate than holding her hand or kissing the top of her head in farewell, even as much as he hungered to kiss her lips again, hold her and feel her close to him once again. It had been months, and if he had to leave, it would be even more months, but he wasn't about to rush her.
However, if he did have to leave her, he would make it a point to hold her and kiss her goodbye, in public if necessary, just as their first kiss had been …and declare his feelings for her in gentle, undemanding ways over the ensuing months. The one thing that would keep him going would be hearing from her, particularly if she declared she still loved him and always would, no matter what he had supposedly done.
