starprincess21 - thanks for leaving a review. Glad to hear that you like it and your support gives me courage to keep going with the story, and even work on the other Harry Potter ideas I have.
Annibal - thanks for the compliments. They mean a lot to me, and I'm glad to here you're find my portrayal of Percy believable.
Mandy - I've always liked Percy myself and I'm glad to see someone else feels the same way I do about him. Glad your enjoying the story.
Zoran - THANK-YOU for the review! Every review means a lot to me, but yours just seems to scream enthusiasm. Glad your enjoying the story. Charlie comes into the story in this chapter. I'll probably bring Bill in later but I'm not sure. I may just mention him. Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy the story.
As Alicia Spinnet took a shot at the scoring hoop, Wood knocked the Quaffle away. Katie Bell zoomed down to retrieve the Quaffle a Bludger zooming in on her. Before the Bludger could reach her though George came zooming down from above and knocked the Bludger in the opposite direction.
Watching, Katie retrieve the Quaffle from above, Fred couldn't help but wish this Quidditch practice was over already. He lost track of how long they had been out here already but his fingers were growing numb. They were also starting to lose light. There were times when Fred thought Wood was pushing to hard this season.
Something small buzzed passed his ear, and a moment later, Harry zoomed by apparently chasing the snitch. How Harry ever spotted that thing, let alone kept his eyes on it, Fred would never figure out. Out of the corner of his eye, Fred noticed Ginny coming onto the field.
"Hey Wood, time out," Fred called out, already flying down toward her. Not only was he concerned for her safety but he was also wondering what had brought her out here. As he touched down beside her, he could tell something had her upset.
"Ginny what is it?" he asked as his teammates joined him.
"Something is wrong with Percy," Ginny told him in a small trembling voice. "He went to bed as soon as we came back from dinner tonight. When I went in to see him he snapped at me."
Fred frowned. While yelling at him or George or maybe even Ron from time to time when they all got on his nerve, Percy had always showed patience with their little sister. Not to mention he and George had both decided that Percy had looked a little tired and paler than usual throughout the day.
"Practice is over," Wood announced before Fred had a chance to say anything. He had been concerned about his friend all day, especially after Snape's class, but Percy had insisted he was fine. Had refused to go to the hospital wing. "Can the rest of you gather the Quaffle, Bludger's and the Snitch?" Oliver asked looking at Alicia, Angelina, Katie and Harry.
"Of course," Katie said speaking for her fellow Chasers.
"Already got the Snitch," Harry said holding up the tiny winged ball.
Wood nodded as he turned and headed toward the castle.
"Come on Ginny," Fred said taking her hand and following Wood. George followed the others, thinking that perhaps he should've said something to someone this morning when he noticed Percy wasn't acting right and had looked pale.
"Wattlebird," Oliver said to the Fat Lady as they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor commom room. The door swung open and the four of them entered the common room, the boys leaning their broomsticks up against the wall.
Walking over to the door to Percy's room, Oliver knocked but entered without waiting for an answer. Having been Percy's friend for so long, he never did.
Percy was laying on his bed, his back to the door. Oliver walked over to the far side of the bed and knelt down in front of him. Percy tried to hid face in his pillow but Oliver had already seen the tears. He reached out a hand and put it to Percy's forehead. Oliver was concerned about how warm his friend felt.
"Fred, George," Oliver said looking up at the twins. "One of you go get Madame Pomfrey and the other go find McGonall.
"Got it," they said in unison and left the room.
"I'm fine," Percy told Oliver reaching a hand up to wipe tears away. "Can you look for Ginny and make sure she's okay. I yelled at her not long ago. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Ginny is fine, just worried about you" Oliver told him, motioning Ginny, who was standing just inside the doorway, over to him. "Who do you think came and got us."
As soon as he saw her Percy sat up in the bed. "Ginny I'm so sorry for yelling at you."
"It's okay," Ginny said, relieved that her brother wasn't mad at her. She threw her arms around him, and Percy hugged her back.
The following morning, Professor McGonagall left the Great Hall and headed for the hospital wing. She wanted to see how Percy Weasley was doing before classes.
It had been after ten the night before, before she had managed to usher the other Weasley kids and Oliver Wood back to Gryffindor Tower. None of them had wanted to leave. She had finally had to threaten to get Dumbledore to make them all leave before they would consent to leave the hospital wing. She hadn't left herself until two hours later, and Madame Pomfrey still hadn't gotten Percy's fever to break.
"How is he Poppy?" McGonagall asked as she came into the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was still hovering at Percy's bedside.
"No change. Nothing I do seems to want to bring the fever down and I think his breathing is getting worse. Have you heard from his parents yet?"
"No. I sent an owl last night but I haven't gotten a reply back yet," McGonagall told her.
As if the owl had been waiting for the invitation, the barn owl that McGonagall had sent the night before swooped into the hospital wing. It swooped down in front of her, and she held out her hands as the owl dropped the letter he had in his beak into her outstretched hands.
McGonagall recognized the neat handwriting of Molly Weasley from the numerous communications they had over the years about the her kids, especially the twins these last four years. She opened it and scanned the short note quickly.
"Is she coming."
"She's with Arthur right now on an important secret mission for the Ministry. She says they'll finish up as quickly as they can but she doubts they can get here until tomorrow night. She did get a hold of her son Charlie. She expects he'll be here sometime around ten tonight."
Madame Pomfrey nodded. She wasn't happy with the reply. She'd feel much better if the Weasley's were there to be with their son. Still their wasn't much more they could do.
"I need to get to my first class," McGongall said placing the not in the pocket to her robes. I'll check back later.
Madame Pomfrey nodded as she watched McGonagall stride out of the hospital wing. As the door closed behind McGonagal, Poppy turned back to her patient, trying to think of something that she hadn't tried yet to get the fever to break.
Harry and Hermione followed Ron into the Great Hall, both of them trying to think of something to say. They had been to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey had forbidden to let even Ron see his brother. Ron wasn't at all happy about it. He had been muttering things under his breath ever since they left the hospital wing that neither Harry nor Hermione could make out.
"I'm sure she's only doing what she thinks is best," Hermione ventured as the reached the Gryffindor table.
"He's my brother. I should be able to see him," Ron muttered in an audible voice as they made their way along the table to find empty seats. They found three next to Fred. George and Ginny were sitting across the table from them. Ginny was simply moving food around on her plate. Her cheeks were tear stained and eyes were red. It was clear that she had been crying.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked staring at the food in front of him. He found he wasn't
all that hungry now that he was sitting at the table. Beside him, Harry and Hermione helped themselves to the food and started eating.
"What do you think," George replied. "We just came from the Hospital Wing ourselves. When Madame Pomfrey told us we couldn't see Percy, Ginny started crying."
"He can't be doing good if they won't let us see him," Fred commented.
Beside George, Ginny put her fork down and pushed her plate away. She put her head down on her arms on the now empty table, he shoulders shaking with sobs.
"Good going Fred," George scolded his twin, as he put an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "It'll be okay, Ginny," he said softly to his sister.
"You don't know that for sure," she said through her tears.
George wasn't sure what else to say. He and Fred always dealt with everything with jokes. They had always let their older siblings deal with the serious things. Problem was, right now they were the eldest and they were in unknown territory. As he looked across the table he could clearly read the expression on his face. Fred was clearly telling him, 'don't look at me'.
Ginny's sobs were starting to attract attention from those around them, and not just at the Gryffindor table. Standing up, George picked Ginny up and headed from the Great Hall with her, still not sure how he was going to calm her down but at least he wouldn't have an audience.
"Why aren't they telling us anything," Fred said softly. He and George were sitting alone at a table in the Common room. Their potions books were open in front of them but their homework wasn't getting done.
"I think you were right earlier. Percy isn't doing well. That's why McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey aren't letting us see him," George said trying to ignore the sympathetic looks others were throwing their way. Ron had retreated up to his dormitory to escape them. Ginny was sulking in a chair by the fireplace.
George looked to where she had been sitting, but saw she was no longer there. He looked around the rest of the Common Room, searching for her.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't see Ginny."
"Maybe she went to bed," Fred suggested.
George looked around the common room for one of her classmates. He spotted Lucy Finnigan playing exploding snap with some classmates. George stood up and crossed over to them.
"Lucy," George said addressing the first year girls. "Can you go down to the dorm and see if Ginny went there for me please."
"Sure," Lucy said standing up and disappearing down the steps to the first year girl's dormitory.
George resisted the urge to start pacing. He knew that would only draw even more stares from his fellow Gryffindors. It wasn't long before Lucy came back upstairs.
"She isn't there."
Cursing under his breath, George headed for the exit. Fred jumped up and followed him.
"Got any idea where she would go?" Fred asked, well aware that if any of them were caught out of the dormitory this late at night with everything going on, they were going to be in trouble. Still, like George he felt a responsibility to Ginny. He knew they had to find out where she had gotten too.
"If she isn't in the hospital wing, then I haven't a clue," George said walking quickly through the dark halls. Coming to an intersection of hallways they found themselves face to face with Professor McGonagall and their older brother Charlie.
"What are the two of you doing roaming the halls at this time of night?" McGonagall said sharply looking at George and then at Fred, waiting for one of them to answer.
"We're looking for Ginny," Fred said.
"I think she might have snuck off to the hospital wing," George explained. "She was very upset about not being allowed to see Percy earlier."
"Why weren't they allowed to see him?" Charlie asked, clearly not happy to hear that bit of news.
"Madame Pomfey and I thought it was best," McGonagall said quickly, not missing the look of disapproval on Charlie's face. "You two may come with us and see if she's there," she told Fred and George. This was one time she wasn't inclined to punish the twins for breaking school rules. Perhaps not letting the Weasley kids see their brother was an error in judgement.
With Mcgonagall in the lead, the group made their way to the hospital wing. As they walked in, Madame Pomfrey walked out of her office.
"Poppy, have you seen Ginny Weasley?" McGonagall asked before Madame Pomfrey could say anything.
"No but I've been in my office trying to grab a bite to eat. I haven't eaten all day," she said taken in the group that had come in with Minerva. Charlie Weasley was the only one she had been expecting. " I thought we decided not to let his younger siblings see him."
"They were out looking for their sister. Seems she's missing," McGonagall said walking over to the curtains blocking Percy's bed off from the rest of the room.
Drawing the curtain back, McGonagall let out a sigh of relief. Ginny was asleep next to her brother, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Fred, George perhaps you should take your sister back to the dormitories," McGonagall suggested.
"No, she's fine where she is at," Charlie said. "I'll be here. I'll keep an eye on her."
McGonagall looked to Madame Pomfrey who shrugged her shoulder. Other than the chance of Ginny getting sick herself (which she had already been with Percy long enough for it to happy any way), she didn't see any harm in Ginny staying in the hospital wing for the night.
"Very well. George, Fred back to the dormitories."
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison. "See ya Charlie," they said to their brother and then headed out of the hospital wing. They knew protesting could very easily get them into major trouble with their professor.
Charlie had taken off his traveling cloak and pulled a chair next to Percy's bed.
"I'm going to stay here tonight," he told Professor McGonagall.
"Very well," she said. "Someone can show you to your room when you're ready. Good night," she told him. "Good night, Poppy."
McGonagall left the hospital wing, relieved that Ginny had been found but concerned about leaving Ginny there. What if she got sick? Still it had been Charlie's choice to have stay. Surely, he had a better idea what his parents would have decided if they had been here.