Authors Notes - Music is a big part of my writing and reading, while I wrote this chapter and the next one which should be arriving shortly depending on the reviews I receive. I listened to the Half blood Prince score 'Dumbledore's Farewell.'

Chapter 23 – Unbelievable Pain

Harry had passed out as he was being carried to the hospital wing; he was so exhausted and worn. Neville and Hermione had laid him gently on the bed next to Ginny's, when they had stood back and looked at their broken bodies for Hermione it became too much and broke down into tears. Her friends lay unconscious, bearing horrific wounds that they could see physically, however the wounds they couldn't see worried her more.

"They're alive, just thank god they're alive!" comforted Ron by wrapping his arms around her. Hermione sunk into his embrace shaking from head to foot in distress.

"What have they done...to them Ron...?" sobbed Hermione into Ron's shoulder as Madam Promfrey worked on Harry and Ginny; she waved her wand over their bodies muttering healing spells.

"Miss Granger will you help me administer some potions please?" asked the nurse as she ran towards her medicine cabinet.

"Of course," sniffed Hermione trying to pull herself together, as she reached to take a vial from Madam Promfrey. Ron helped her by propping up Harry while she poured the liquid down his throat.

When they moved to Ginny and tilted her body forward she shook violently and began shouting, "Get it out...get his filth away from me!" she screamed, as the nurse ran over to her bed with a dreamless sleep potion that she got Ginny to swallow with great difficulty. Her body began to still slighting until she became motionless again. Hermione gently brushed back her hair that had become stuck to her face, revealing the vivid bruise on her cheek.

They stood back recovering themselves from the shock of Ginny's outburst, "I wonder what she meant?" Hermione whispered as Ron held her.

Madam Promfrey looked towards her patients, "I'm not sure, but I'm sure we'll find out...soon." She sighed with sorrow in her eyes; she had treated all sorts of injuries, wounds and breaks. But she had never seen bodies so tortured, fear pulsed through her veins as she worked on them, as time passed she realised what some of their ordeals. She fought the tears away that threatened to fall as she worked; this was no time to show weakness.

Many hours passed and Professor Dumbledore had arrived in the hospital wing with Mr and Mrs Weasley, the twins and Bill waited outside after being warned about the current state of the teenagers.

Molly Weasley flooded the room straight to her daughter's bed, tears streamed down her face; tears of relief that they were alive, but tears for the horrors they had suffered. Harry and Ginny still lay unmoving on their beds, Arthur wasn't far behind as he stood with tears in his eyes. His children who had been through so much already with this war were again suffering.

Ron and Hermione moved towards the adults, and were crushed into a desperate, needing hug.

"Oh god what has happened to them!" Molly sobbed in amongst the hug, "My baby girl and Harry!" She sobbed even louder as her heart felt like it was the weight of a brick.

"I don't know...they can't tell us anything," Hermione sniffed being released from the hug.

"How long have they been like this?" whispered Arthur, his eyes focused on the two beds, his face crumbling into lines.

"About an hour or so," Hermione replied following his gaze towards the beds.

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The day past extremely slowly and no-one had left the bedsides, the night drew in and they still didn't know anything about what had happened to their children. The headmaster had visited the hospital wing many times that day to find the two still unmoving, "Carefully he told the Weasley's and Hermione that the information surrounding what had happened to them was still uncertain." Leaving them burning with questions.

The thick blanket of darkness began to set in, covering them all as they slumped in the chairs closing their eyes in a restless sleep surrounded by nightmares of their two loved ones.

When they opened their swollen eyes the next morning the scene hadn't changed and their hearts began growing heavier. Madam Promfrey had done her rounds, admininstrating more potions and doing more wand movements.

Hermione took great care watching what the healer was doing, when suddenly their eyes connected showing Hermione the terror that lay within them. Hermione knew some of what they had endured due to the slashes and marks engraved in their skin. But something else lurked within Madam Pomfrey's eyes, some horrors and it frightened Hermione.

More hours passed when all of a sudden Harry inhaled a huge breath filling his lungs before he sat straight up in bed. He looked confused as he took in his surroundings, "Where am I?" He croaked wincing from the sudden movements.

"The Hospital Wing at Hogwarts," replied Ron as he approached the side of his best friend's bed warily. The Weasleys and Hermione close behind them, but the look in Harry's torn eyes told them they needed to back off away from him. They returned to their seats involuntary, as Ron spoke quietly trying to reassure Harry.

"Oh...right...are we safe?" he asked, not giving Ron or anyone in the room eye contact.

"Yes...you're both safe!" responded Ron gently as he placed his hand onto Harry's shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Harry...what happened to you?" He desperately, whispered softly, as he looked into Harry's eyes, he was horrified by what he saw. His eyes looked haunted and troubled as he awaited a response.

Not responding to Ron question Harry's eyes drifted to Ginny's unconscious form, the pain in his heart returned full force. She looked so tiny in the bed; the sheets seemed to swamp her, as he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes never leaving her, he pushed himself from the mattress onto his feet that began to wobble at first. He reached her bed taking in a short breath, willing his heart not to break in front of her family. He grasped her limp hand from the bed, bringing it up to his face holding it against his cheek, squeezing his eyes shut revelling in her skin. His chest began to quiver and shake as he tried to hold the heartbreak that welled up inside him.

"Harry..?" Ron asked softly again, raising his hand to place it on Harry shoulder again but removed it thinking better of it.

Harry kissed Ginny's hand tenderly before he lowered it back to the bed, resting it into Mrs Weasleys. He just couldn't look or speak to her parents as he gazed at Ginny, long and hard, before the tears fell. Harry could take no more of this, his emotional being began to concave.

"I'm...so sorry" Harry shakily whispered.

He needed to escape and with that thought he ran from the room; tearing his eyes from Ginny as began running through the corridors. He could hear a voice behind him calling out for him, but he kept on running, wanting to feel the pain of all the air escaping his lungs. He needed to feel something. His feet slammed against the ground but he could barely feel them as he pushed himself to the limit, he tore through the remaining corridors the colour from the paintings bleeding together as he ran towards the portrait hole.

He finally reached his dormitory slamming the door shut so hard the hinges rattled. His head was completely in bits, he was damaged. Voldemort had succeeded, he had mostly achieved what he had set out to do. He had weakened Harry beyond belief and the grief he held in his heart burst.

Taking another shuddering deep breath he let the scream that had been trying to emerge from his body out. They cry took all the air from his lungs making them sting; it was the most inhuman noise he had ever heard erupt from him. He clawed at his skin willing for the pain in his heart to disappear; his hands surrounded the curtains that surrounded him bed, the soft velvet felt like sharp sandpaper between his fingers.

And then he lost it, his body streaked through the room, everything he could get his hands on was shredded, thrown, smashed and destroyed. That's how he felt, utterly destroyed. Everything he touched felt like it burned his skin, nothing felt good anymore and he was suffering more than he had ever in his life. How could anyone be so cruel and heartless to hurt someone like that? How could they destroy lives so easily? How could they even live with themselves?

...

How can I be so selfish?

....

I'm not the one who has suffered the most.

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I didn't have to endure the pain she did.

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I caused that pain...me!

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It's all my fault!

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Another Note

Please Review and if you haven't already checked out my other one shot story, please if you have time have a look and tell me what you think.

Thank you all so much for staying with me so long through this story; it's unbelievable how much support I've had. Didn't think I'd ever write this much, but to you loyal readers and reviewers I thank you for pushing me on and showing I could write a little better than I thought possible.