Chapter 26 – Poison

She felt revolting, she felt naked to their eyes. They could see everything of her, even how damaged her soul was. She thought she could do this, fight it, but the shock of everyone near her was frightening.

"They're going...they're just worried about you," Harry attempted to soothe her.

Harry gently placed his hand on her quivering shoulder rubbing his thumb back and forth, she didn't flinch away from him and he took it as a good sign. Harry stayed in this position, for how long he couldn't remember, Ginny needed this. She needed to release the grief and pain that was engraved into her heart; she sobbed mumbling words Harry couldn't understand. Gradually Ginny began to slowly uncurl her body, removing her hands from her face revealing her eyes to Harry's.

"We're at Hogwart's...we're safe," Harry tried again to comfort her, "Your family has been so worried...they're just so pleased you're safe."

Ginny softly nodded her head as the tears continued to fall, "It happened?" She barely whispered looking towards the floor.

Whatever Harry had expected her to say it wasn't that, he wasn't particularly sure what she meant at first as he tried to process her words.

"It's real!" she answered herself voice quivering, "It wasn't a nightmare...it really did happen!"

"I'm so sorry Ginny...I...I..." Harry couldn't go on as his throat closed up in agony.

"It's real!" she repeated again, rolling onto her back staring towards the high ceiling above her. She lay there for what seemed like an eternity her face blank her cheeks glistening from her tears. Slowly lifting the sheet from her body swinging her legs over the bed her feet made contact with the cold smooth floor. Shakily at first she stood looking towards the window, she shuffled her feet forward until she stood directly in front of it looking out over the Hogwarts grounds. The sunlight streamed through the window colliding with her skin, she spread her arms out letting the warmth engulf her, cleansing her as she closed her eyes.

Harry slowly approached, standing behind her as she closed her eyes. He just didn't know what to do; he felt completely and utterly lost. He didn't know how to deal with this himself, how in the world was he supposed to help Ginny? She looked so lost and confused, but mostly terrified as reality had began to hit her. All he wanted to do was to hold her tightly in his arms and hide her from everyone, so nobody could touch or hurt her again, but he didn't know if she could cope with that sort of contact just yet. She hadn't pushed him away when he rested his hand on her shoulder but the fear of being rejected himself was becoming too much to bear. He longed to be held by her, to know she still loved him. But the uncertainty dug into his skin poisoning him.

All of sudden Ginny breathed in a long haggard breath wrapping her arms tightly around herself, "I don't know what to do," she spoke as her head fell against her chest, "I don't know how to feel, I...I...there's something missing from me!"

The words stung Harry harshly, he didn't know either. He was lost and he didn't know how to fix it!

"I'm here, we can get through this...I know we can." He spoke steadily to her, ignoring the ache in his chest.

"Can we?" she sadly questioned, "I'm just not sure now."

Shocked by her words Harry moved to stand in front of her looking her straight in the eyes as he spoke, "Of course we can." Trying to make his words sound truthful, not really knowing for certain if they could. "You can't give up Ginny, you can't let them win!"

Silent tears started streaming from her eyes, "I'm broken Harry, look at the state of me!" She practically began to scream looking down at her body, "I'm gone and I don't know how to come back!"

"You're not broken; you're not broken, you're beautiful, always!" He spoke urgently and taking the risk to hold her shoulders as she tried to turn away from him, "You're here, all of you! Just some of its hidden."

"I thought I could handle anything they did to us! I thought I could move past them! But they ripped me apart in here!" she cried pointing towards her chest.

"What if I can't be fixed? What am I going to do if this poisoned darkness never leaves me! It's taking over me I can feel it running through my veins." her words coming from her lips thick and fast as Harry looked on in horror.

"No, don't say that we can, we must, get through this! We have each other, we'll do it together; we have too!" he replied quickly not realising his own tears had resurfaced.

"Why?" she questioned her eyes digging sharp into Harry's.

"Why, what?"

Why Harry? How even? How can we do this together Harry? I'm filth, total and utter poison, dirty and horrific!" she spoke believing every word she said.

"YOU'RE NOT! Don't you ever say that again!" He shouted angrily, "You're beautiful, funny, and intelligent; you're everything to me and I can't do this without you. I need you Gin." Cupping her cheeks forcing her eyes to meet his as he said, "I love you, more than anything in the world. Nothing will ever change that, and I mean nothing. We can fight this together, I won't lose you Ginny. I won't allow it."

She couldn't bare to look into his hope filled eyes when she didn't feel any at all, she tore hers away looking to the side focusing on the wards huge doors where her family awaited on the other side.

"How can you love me?" she replied hardly getting the words from her lips, "After what I've become, after...after what he did to me?"

He was taken back by her words, surely she didn't think? But to be honest he couldn't imagine how she was feeling of thinking.

"Did you really think I'd stop loving you because of what...he did?"

The pain was hurtling back towards her heart as she moved away from him, turning her body away. The disgusting feeling coating her skin again, ingraining itself deep down.

"Look at me, look what he's done to me!" she was practically screeching her last words as she spun round to face him again. "Look at his filth!"

"Your mine Ginny and I will always love you!" he continued putting emphasis on each word. "Remember back when we were first taken, remember what I said to you, nothing has changed. Those words hold as much meaning now as they did then, even more."

Flashback

Harry spun grabbing Ginny round the waist and brought his lips crashing down onto hers, not knowing if he would ever get another chance. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as they heard the death eaters move in around them; Harry quickly moved his hands to cup her face.

"I love you, no matter what happens I love you!" He spoke urgently as the death eaters tried to pull them apart.

"I love you too!" Ginny replied and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, as Harry hands were torn away from her. She could feel someone pulling her away down the corridor, away from him, she flung her body again trying to free herself as Harry was pulled away too.

Ginny's legs began to shake as she gazed at Harry, his words filling her with slight hope. She raised her hands holding onto his arms where his hands began cupping her cheeks again.

"Please..." she whispered as more tears fell and she dropped her gaze back to the floor.

"Yes?" he softly questioned back.

"Please...hold me," she said forcing the words from her lips as she looked into his emeralds.

Within seconds he had engulfed her in his arms, he held her tightly to his chest as she gripped his body, digging her finger tips into his flesh. Her breaths started becoming erratic as she forced air into her lungs, crying into his chest.

He rested his head onto hers kissing it and whispering, "It's going to be okay, I'm here."

They held each other like their lives depended on it and perhaps they did, the room stood empty apart from the teenagers beginning their journey to recovery, even if it were a long one. They cried for what had happened, for what they'd lost, for the pain still engraved in their souls, they cried trying to release their pent up emotions and sufferings.

Holding onto each other was all they could do for now, they had nothing else but themselves. There was no pointing wishing that they had never been taken, it had happened and they needed to get through it not hide from the truth.

Harry gently pulled back from Ginny's body to look her again in the eyes, "I love you, never ever forget I love you."

"I love you too." her throat kept threatening to close, but she forced the words out, looking him also in the eyes and beyond.

Neither had noticed that the sky had darkened as they held each other, relishing the feeling of being in each other's arms pushing the pain away.

No one had re-entered the wing since that morning and as Harry and Ginny slowly drifted asleep wrapped in each other's warm embrace as the day began to drift away. The Weasleys, Hermione and Madam Pomphrey had sneaked a peek into the room after everything had become silent to see the teenagers wrapped in each other, before leaving the room to rest themselves.

As the night's hours passed starting a new day, a new beginning. The doors to the hospital wing were flung open causing a huge bang to echo from the walls, revealing Professor Snape's stumbling form accompanied by the headmaster. His robes torn and dishevelled, his face and hands covered in fine scratches.

Authors Notes

An enormous apology for the lateness of this chapter, I've had it sitting here for ages hoping I had the courage to post it. Still struggling on the next chapter though, so any suggestions or ideas would be greatly received.

And again, please review!