Ginny woke up to the smell of cooking drifting through the house. Her head was throbbing again, the aftereffects of the poison from only a few days ago still making itself known. She yawned, burrowing further into the covers, not willing to wake up fully just yet. It wasn't until she noticed the body lying next to her that she opened her eyes to see Harry, still pale and unmoving as she had last seen him.
Feeling suddenly wide awake, she sat up and looked at him carefully, hoping to see even a slight improvement. She was only disappointed however, when his shallow breathing seemed more strained than before.
Ginny placed her hand gently on his forehead, noticing how cold he felt to the touch. Harry shouldn't be cold, she thought. He was always so warm, giving her an excuse to snuggle up to him in the cold weather, much to his amusement. But now, his pallid skin was colder than hers, and she felt a shiver of fear run down her back.
She looked around, distracting herself, and started in surprise at the bright and cheery room she found herself in. It took a few moments for the memories to rush back of moving to the Potter's house before heading out to help recharge the wards.
Glancing over at her bedside table, she saw a couple of small potion vials, along with a note instructing her to take both when she awoke. Screwing up her nose, she downed both bitter-tasting potions, and felt the throbbing in her head die back to a tolerable level.
Ginny pushed herself out of bed, stumbled over to the door and made her way downstairs. Following her nose, she wandered through the living room into the kitchen to find Lily taking a batch of cookies out of the oven, while Rose sat on and watched.
"Ginny! You're up!" Lily said, beaming at her. "Come sit down, dear. Would you like some lunch?"
"Lunch?" Ginny said. "How long did I sleep?"
"About a day and a half," Rose said dryly.
"Whatever you did to the wards, it left you unconscious Ginny," Lily elaborated. "We bought you back here, and you've slept ever since. Molly came by yesterday, and again this morning, wanting you home, but we thought you'd be happier close to Harry."
Ginny smiled at the woman, grateful for the thoughtfulness, but promptly sighed as she thought of Harry's condition.
"Lunch would be nice, thanks," she said.
She paused before asking, "Has he shown any sign of getting better?"
Lily's shoulders slumped even as she turned back to the kitchen bench and flicked her wand at a knife to start slicing a loaf of bread.
"I'm sorry, Ginny, but not yet. Hermione is researching desperately through Grimmauld Place's library, and Dumbledore has been trying to find some old texts he thinks might have something useful."
"So, nobody knows how to help him," Ginny said flatly, a bitter taste in her mouth.
Rose pushed her own chair back, mumbled something Ginny didn't hear, and practically ran out of the room. Ginny could hear Lily move back to the table, to sit across from her.
"Ginny?" she heard the older woman say. Ginny refused to look up, and idly traced the wood grain on the table in front of her. She didn't want to see the look of sympathy or sorrow she was surely getting.
Lily sighed, and ploughed onwards, "Ginny, we can't just give up on him. He's strong, and he may pull through yet."
"Didn't you work for the Department of Mysteries?" Ginny asked. "Did you ever come across something like this?"
"It wasn't my area," Lily said softly. "I wish now it had been."
Ginny felt sick. This wasn't how things were meant to go. Vaguely she was aware of Lily getting up again and quietly moving around the kitchen. A sandwich promptly landed in front of her, along with a glass of pumpkin juice. Pushing away the sick feeling, Ginny idly ate the food in front of her, listening to the sounds of Lily taking cookies out of the oven, and tidying up after herself.
Once she was finished, she carried her dishes to the sink, and trooped back upstairs to sit with Harry. She took his hand in hers and felt the familiar comforting warmth from the contact. But it wasn't enough. He was still too cold.
Ginny shook her head and stood up quickly. She needed to do something to help distract her. Maybe think up a plan for the next Horcrux. She knew it was the Hufflepuff Cup, deep in Gringotts, and that worried her. Even with Polyjuice potion, they would need to somehow capture Bellatrix Lestrange to impersonate her.
She leant back on the bed, and looked blankly at the far wall. Even if they did somehow capture Bellatrix, that still left them with Voldemort. He hadn't been seen in many months, content to run his battles from the shadows. If they broke out of Gringotts, maybe that would work to send a clear message to Voldemort of their intentions, like it had last time. Or, of course, there was the risk that he still wouldn't show up, and they would have to try and lure him out another way.
Thinking about that wasn't getting her anywhere, she realised, shaking her head. Lily had mentioned her mother was concerned, so Ginny went back downstairs and found Lily again.
"Mrs Potter?" she asked, upon finding Harry's mum.
"It's Lily, dear," she replied, smiling. "What can I do for you?"
"Could I floo call my mum to come over? You said she was worried earlier, but I'd rather stay here with Harry," Ginny said.
"Oh, of course!" Lily said. "Ask her if she wants some tea, and I'll put the kettle on."
"Will do," Ginny called over her shoulder as she walked into the comfortable living room where the fireplace was kept always burning, in case of emergency calls. She scooped up a small amount of floo powder from the pot mounted on the wall beside the fire, and tossed it into the flame, calling out 'Grimmauld Place!'
She stuck her head in the flames, gritting her teeth at the strange sensation of her head seeming to spin madly while her body stayed still. The dark living room of Grimmauld Place suddenly came into view and Ginny shook her head to shake of the dizziness.
"Mum?" she called loudly to the empty room.
She heard a muffled exclamation, rushing footsteps, and then her mum burst into the room.
"Ginny!" she cried, quickly moving over to sit by the fire. "You're up! Are you alright, dear? Is everything okay?"
"I'm fine, mum," Ginny said, quickly stopping her mother from getting worked up. "Lily said you would want to know I was awake, but I'd rather not leave Harry just now. Do you have time to come over? Lily offered to make tea."
"Oh, of course!" Mrs Weasley said. "Let me just tell your brother."
"Just floo over," Ginny said, and pulled her head back out of the fireplace.
She pushed herself back up and collapsed down on the couch, still a bit dizzy.
"Tea, then?" Lily asked from the door.
Ginny nodded, with a smile, turned back to the fireplace. Within a minute, it burned bright green again, and Ginny found herself suddenly being smothered in a tight hug.
"I'm okay, mum," she said, her voice muffled. "I was just tired."
"Tired?" Mrs Weasley said sternly, pushing her daughter back to look at her. "You've been asleep for nearly two days!"
"Sorry mum," Ginny said, pulling on two lifetime's experiences of just saying 'yes mum' and doing precisely what she wanted anyway.
"Hmm," Mrs Weasley said, giving Ginny a look that clearly said she didn't believe her at all. "What were you doing at Hogwarts anyway? I thought you wanted to stay with Harry!"
"The wards needed supporting and I knew I could help," Ginny said. "If those wards fail, who's to say Death Eaters won't swarm us wherever Harry is?"
Mrs Weasley pursed her lips, before changing the topic.
"How is Harry?" she asked hesitantly.
Ginny frowned and sat down on the couch.
"No better," she muttered.
Mrs Weasley sat down and wrapped an arm around Ginny. Thankful for the comfort, Ginny leaned into her, blinking back tears. She was not a crier, but Harry always seemed to be the reason she got close.
"I just, I hate this," she said, her voice choked.
"I know, dear, I know," Mrs Weasley said, wrapping her arms around the young witch, holding her as she trembled. "Dumbledore and Hermione are both tearing through his private library as we speak. If anyone is going to find anything, they will. He wouldn't even have got here without them. That summoning ritual is thanks to them, so I imagine breaking a few Dark curses will be easy."
After a few minutes, Ginny pulled back, swiping away the few tears she hadn't held back and smiled tremulously at her mum.
"Feel a bit better?" Mrs Weasley said.
"A bit," Ginny said quietly. "I'll feel better when they've found something."
She watched as her mum seemed to hesitate, looking uncertain, before she rushed onwards, "I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother."
Ginny blinked, surprised.
"Mum…"
"No, don't disagree. I tried to keep you and Harry apart and I didn't say a nice word about him since you got back together. I should have seen that you loved him, and I should have done better."
Ginny leaned forward and took her mum in a tight hug.
"I was upset, but I knew it would work out," she said. "He might be from another dimension, and you might not know his whole life, but believe me when I say I know him better than anyone. And he knows me too. Even though he's…he's not well, I'd rather he was here, now, than being alone again, like I have been.
"You helped me get through all those years without him and kept me fighting. And now he's back, and it was all worth it. I couldn't have asked for a better mum."
"That's very kind of you to say, Ginny, dear," Mrs Weasley said, wiping away her own tears.
At that point, Lily made her entrance with the tea laid out on a tray and some warm cookies.
Mrs Weasley sat back, taking the tea thankfully.
"Where is James today, Lily?" she asked.
"He, Sirius and Remus are all at Hogwarts again," Lily said with a sigh. "They like to be on hand for Dumbledore. And given the attacks on the wards have stopped, everyone is a bit uptight about what it might mean."
"The attacks have stopped?" Ginny asked.
"Since you strengthened them, yes," Lily said, smiling at her. "Whatever you did, it seems to have reinforced them far beyond what they were before. Dumbledore hopes the Death Eaters will back off for a few days before trying anything new."
The three women chatted for a while, before Ginny started flagging again. She excused herself and made her way back upstairs where she curled up to sleep again, head resting on Harry's shoulder as she listened to his shallow breaths.
It was dark out when Ginny was shaken awake to find Lily leaning over her.
"Can you come down, Ginny?" she said gently. "Dumbledore is here."
Suddenly wide awake, Ginny leapt up and clattered down the stairs ahead of Lily, bursting into the dining room to find Dumbledore sitting at the head of the table with an old, worn book, and a cup of tea. She quickly took a spot at the table, noticing her parents were both in attendance, along with James and Sirius.
"Good evening, Ginny," Dumbledore said, the eyes twinkling at her. "I believe I may have some news for you, concerning young Harry."
"What have you found, Albus?" James said, one hand gripping Lily's shoulder tightly, as she sat back down next to him.
The old man steepled his fingers in front of him and looked at Ginny.
"Until last evening, I have been researching possible counter-curses and potions that might help alleviate the situation. But, then it occurred to me, or should I say, to Miss Granger, that there are many strange and very powerful magics available to a soul-bonded couple. It took me until a few hours ago to find any reliable references on the subject, but I believe I may have found a…possible course of action," Dumbledore said.
"A course of action?" Ginny said cautiously. "Do you mean a solution?"
The elderly wizard gestured vaguely with his hands, looking uncomfortable, "Perhaps. It may heal him, yes. Or, it might just kill you both."
The answer was obvious to Ginny, "I'll do it."
"Ginny, dear, really – " Mrs Weasley began.
"If he dies, we both die, this is the only chance we have. What do I need to do, Professor?" Ginny said, cutting over her mother before she could get started.
Dumbledore smiled sadly, and picked up the old book, which looked more like a journal than a textbook. He handed it to her, and she brushed off some of the dust that still clung to the cover.
"I marked the relevant pages for you, my dear. That journal was written by the healer who developed this particular ritual, but he never found anyone to make it work. He theorised that, along with more power, it would work best if the magical signatures of the healer and patient were as closely matched as possible. Your soul bond allows you to share power with Harry, so you would share the same combined signature."
"A ritual, Albus?" Lily asked. "Aren't they generally frowned upon?"
"In general, yes. However, there are a great many rituals that don't use any form of Dark or Blood magics and have simply fallen out of favour. You must not forget, it was with a ritual that we even have Mr Potter here today," Dumbledore said.
Ginny ignored all this as she flipped impatiently through the journal to the right pages. She stopped upon finding Dumbledore's distinctive loopy handwriting, which simply said 'Possible?'.
"It doesn't mention soul-bonds here, professor?" she asked.
"That was my own reasoning, I must admit," Dumbledore said. "It makes sense, given the need for matching signatures, and more power, that a soul-bond should easily fulfill the requirements. But there is a risk, Ginny. This ritual hasn't ever been proven to work. There is a chance it will simply drain your magic until it kills you and Harry."
Ginny swallowed, as she examined the relatively short ritual.
"You're guesses are generally reliable though, aren't they, sir?" she asked.
"Generally," the old man acknowledged. "But I am not infallible. I wouldn't have even brought this, but, from what Andromeda Tonks tells me, we may not have the luxury of more time."
Ginny read through the steps in more detail. It was quite straightforward for a ritual, involving only a few runes, some spoken words, triggering a transfer of power from the healer to the patient. It would theoretically purge any Dark influences currently on the patient, and leave them tired, but healthy.
She committed the words to memory, and stood up, abruptly interrupting Lily who had been talking.
"I'm going to try," she said simply, before turning and walking briskly out through the living room and up the stairs. She slammed through the door into hers and Harry's room and paused briefly.
You had better come back to me, Potter, she thought.
Brandishing her wand, Ginny levitated Harry off the bed and onto the floor, slipping a pillow under his head before letting him go. Working quickly but carefully, she held the tatty journal in one hand for reference and drew out a series of runes in a circle around Harry on the floor. She paid no mind to the adults crowding the doorway, held back by Dumbledore and Lily who both knew it was dangerous to interrupt a ritual.
Runes completed, Ginny peered back at the book, and swiftly made a small cut in Harry's arm, and used the blood to draw the last few symbols across his bare chest. She skipped the debate the author wrote about how useful any of the runes actually were, but she would rather be safe than sorry right now.
Finally, she sliced her own finger with a wince and traced the runes on Harry's chest once more. With everything setup as the book had instructed, Ginny took one last look at the incantation, making sure she had it perfect, and moved to kneel at Harry's head. She held her wand on the middle of his chest, her left hand on his forehead, and closed her eyes, feeling her hands tingling with the magic flowing through the bond.
"Expecto Salutem," she whispered.
The spell reminded Ginny of the Patronus charm, so she desperately worked to focus on as many positive feelings as she could.
"Expecto Salutem!"
She remembered when she'd finally met Harry once more in this world, when colour seemed to burst back into her life.
"Expecto Salutem!"
She thought of their bonding, and the weeks that followed, away from the war, just her and Harry.
"EXPECTO SALUTEM!"
With a last cry, Ginny felt rather than saw the magic crackling in the air, grounding itself into Harry, as his back arched off the floor.
Those watching from the door backed away, the heat pouring from the room making it uncomfortable to stand too close.
…Ginny?
Ginny collapsed forward with a shout of glee, and promptly started sobbing into Harry's shoulder. Harry!
The world focused once more, as their thoughts reconnected. She felt better than she had in years and could feel that Harry did too. Ginny felt Harry's arms lift to wrap around her and sighed in relief at the comfort they returned.
She looked up to see Harry crack open his eyes and she grinned happily at him through her tears. You're back.
'lo Gin. Harry thought, his mind still heavy with fatigue.
Ginny just smiled, even as her vision seemed to waver. Mind if I sleep here now?
Harry squeezed her tighter to himself, sharing the same fatigue from the amount of magic Ginny had drained. I'll be here when you wake, I promise.
Finally feeling safe, Ginny smiled and nestled into Harry, burrowing her nose into the crook of his neck. Together again, they both fell asleep.
Dumbledore smiled, and carefully levitated the two back onto the bed, before stooping to collect the journal from the floor.
"I think we all deserve a good rest after that," he said, as he ushered everyone else out and pulled the door quietly shut behind him.
A/N: Here we go, another chapter. I hope your enjoy it. :) Harry couldn't stay out of commission too long, as not much plot will be happening without them both. But, they've both made mistakes when alone now, in a way. Power alone doesn't make them invincible.
Between now and the next chapter will probably be a bit of a jump forward in time, though not much. But waiting for Harry and Ginny to both fully recover may drag a bit, and I want to keep the pace of the story going for now. As always, I hugely appreciate all the lovely reviews you've all left!
Salutem roughly translates from latin as 'Health' and 'Safety', which seemed appropriate, I thought.