Chapter 6. On that night at St. Mungo's

A/N. Another flashback. This was going to be another Monster Chapter but it worked best split in two smaller ones. It was really funny writing it. I'm pained for my inability to conserve italics in this site. It affects the understanding of several sentences. At the beginning of the chapter, what Harry is dreaming is written in italics, and the reality is not. The new OC is loosely based on myself: the sentence about the tears and bogies is one of my mottos. I also believe there is real magic in words, laughs and physical contact. Even Muggles can do a bit of magic :-)

St. Mungo's, June 2000

She disappeared in the dense fog. "Ginny!" he screamed.

"You can't help her", Hermione said.

He turned to face the voice, but it was not his friend's: out of the fog, a tall, black robed figure was drawing a wand on him, and he had a pale face with slits for nostrils…

"Harry, wake up, it's a dream…"

"Harry Potter, come to me…"

"It's not real…"

"And die…"

"HARRY!"

He woke up gasping for air, reaching for his wand, only to see the worried face of Ginny Weasley looking at him, her hands gripping his arms. She is here, she's real, was all he could think. Harry allowed himself to get lost in her chocolate eyes, and after a moment he began to relax.

"You scared me, Harry," said Ginny.

"Sorry, it was a bad dream-"

"I wasn't referring to that. I'm talking about this," and she made a sweeping gesture in the general direction of the surroundings.

Only then did Harry realise that he was not in his bed at George's flat, or even at the Burrow. The room had an aseptic, impersonal quality. Several vials of potions were lined on a bedside cabinet and a chart hung on the wall… Oh, Merlin. Crap. St. Mungo's.

Memories flooded back to him: Avery, cornered in an old family house, had put up a fight. Harry had used Reducto to block a curse he had sent their way. It had worked, but had also caused the room to collapse in. He did have no recollection at all of what had happened after that. He tried to sit up, and an intense wave of dizziness followed by nausea, prevented him from it. His head was pounding, but in a somewhat muffled way. He raised a hand and touched the turban-like bandages that covered it.

"What happened to me?" he asked, flopping down back on the bed.

"I'd love to know myself," she said sarcastically. "Nobody is bloody 'authorised to disclose information on his state, sorry, miss'. I'm here only because they recognised me from the press and a nice Healer took pity on me, but still, she wouldn't say anything because for some reason, I'm nobody to you!" Ginny looked now positively mad.

"Why wouldn't they tell you? You're my…"

"Doesn't matter to them. According to your file, only my brother Ron is listed as next of kin, and as he's currently admitted as a patient here and has yet to regain consciousness-" Harry gasped and tried to sit up again, only to be stopped by Ginny- "don't worry! He'll be all right, he only got hit at the head, Lola told me. But when she was going to tell me what happened, she got an urgent owl from Kingsley and fled to the Ministry. So I don't know anything." She punched lightly his arm. "You promised to me you wouldn't go looking for trouble!"

"Gin, you know trouble always finds me, so I figured I could make a living out of it, didn't I?" He exhaled a breath he did not know he was holding. "Did we catch Avery? That bastard was behind a dozen attacks."

"I've no clue. All I can tell you is I dropped at the Burrow after training, and while I was there my parents got an owl. 'As the next of kin listed as emergency contact, you are hereby informed that Ronald B. Weasley has been admitted as a patient in our hospital.' I knew you were together on an assignment, so the fact that it was an owl and not you the one bringing such news alarmed me. We came here and a Healer took us to see Ron, but he wouldn't say anything about you! I was mad, the git wouldn't even tell if you were here or not. So I think I was being a bit loud voicing my dissatisfaction-" Harry snorted as he heard this "-oh, right, I was in a bit of a temper- don't roll your eyes! Ok, I was furious, wasn't I? I didn't know if you were alive or dead, you go and try to keep calm, Harry Potter! The only thing that prevents me from hexing you into next year is the fact that it could mess up your recovery! What were you thinking, not listing me as emergency contact? Even my prat of a brother put my parents AND Hermione! So, explain!"

"But you eventually got here, didn't you? No harm done," he said.

Had he been all right and not just woken up after a head trauma, he could have seen the storm coming. As it was, it exploded just in front of him.

"NO HARM DONE? I've been scared sick, Potter! Can't you imagine what it was for me and my parents, not knowing if you were alive or dead? All because you couldn't be bothered to add our names to a fucking emergency list! I nearly hexed half the staff here because they wouldn't tell me anything! You must be grateful Lola arrived and stopped me from doing something crazy! And then, all she said before having to go to the Ministry was that you were here and she thought you might be ok! If it weren't for that Healer, I'd still be waiting in the corridor, worrying sick, hoping for Ron or you to wake up and allow me to see you! Do not dare to act like it's no big deal, because it is!" she yelled.

Her hair was loose, her face was red with rage, and her eyes were wild. And just when it looked like she was going to resume her tirade, she suddenly broke up crying. Ginny covered her face with her hands, sat in the bed and turned her back to Harry, as if trying to hide her grief from him.

"Gin…" he called.

She did not react. Harry did not try again to get her attention. This was not a moment for words, so he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and worked to sit up in the bed. He managed to fight the dizziness, breathing evenly in and out with his eyes closed, until he felt it subsiding. Then he took Ginny in his arms. She turned and clung tightly to him, crying on his shoulder. Harry said nothing. It had taken the aftermath of a war, but he no longer felt uncomfortable with tears, nor did he tried to stop them. Ginny was right to be furious with him. After their breakup and posterior reconciliation a year ago, he had internally vowed to never hide major information from her. And now a tiny detail like emergency contacts had made him fail on his promise, and she had suffered for it- again. The memory of the circumstances of their last fall out came to his brain, and he felt a heavy weight of dread taking hold of his chest. Too many similarities to ignore a possible outcome.

Gradually, Ginny's sobs faded, and Harry knew it was the moment to talk. "I'm sorry, Gin, I mean it. I filled the application for the Aurors before you were due to return to Hogwarts. I didn't want to bother and worry you with split lips and cuts while you were there, so I talked to Ron. He had came to the same conclusion regarding Hermione, so we agreed to leave both of you out while you were at school, and I wrote down your brother's name in the emergency list. We relied on each other to warn you girls if there was something important. Never occurred to us that we could be both injured and incapable of doing so. After the… incident in October, I thought about including you, but then we broke up and… Well, you know. When we got back together, I just forgot that damned list. I'm sorry you had a bad time. I know what it must've been for you."

Ginny muttered something, but it came out muffled because she was still hiding her face against his chest.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Ginny leaned back and glared at him. "I said that if you ever make me go through something like this again, I'll be the one to give you more than a split lip," she answered.

"I can't say I don't deserve it," he chuckled.

Ginny looked on the verge of delivering another angry retort when suddenly the door opened, letting a green lime robed figure into the room. She sprang apart from him. "Oh, Healer O'Reilly! Sorry I didn't call you, I was going to, he just woke up."

The newcomer looked as Irish as Harry resembled a nun. With her ebony skin, broad nose and wiry black curls that escaped from a head wrap, she was clearly of African origin or parentage. This might be the Healer that let Ginny see me, he thought. The witch smiled broadly at Ginny, and dismissed her apology with a hand gesture.

"No worries, darling. I was more preoccupied for you than for my patient, who I will attend in a minute, by the way," she said, glancing briefly at Harry. O'Reilly stopped in front of Ginny, took her hands and inspected her critically. "Hmm. Allow me, darling." And without waiting response, she began to wave her right hand before Ginny's face, humming something at the same time and keeping hold of her other hand.

Harry had not seen anything like that in his whole life. Under the Healer's ministrations, Ginny visibly relaxed, her shoulders losing rigidity, her features softening. The blotched face and red-rimmed eyes disappeared. The witch cocked her head to the side, observed her work for a moment and smiled again. "Now darling, that's better. You fine? I could give you some drops of calming draught, but you could do without the drowsiness after such an adventurous night. Simple tea will be much better, don't you think?" She squeezed Ginny's hand with affection, before directing her attention to Harry.

"Now dear, you are another matter. But first, let's go over some red tape. Are you able to give me consent to discuss your personal information in front of this fine young lady? Not that I'd mind to do so, but I overlooked some rules when I let her stay with you and it's best if we follow procedures from now on, do you agree?"

Harry closed his mouth, which he did not noticed he had it open in surprise, and cleared his throat. "I- Well, yes, of course! Gin -that is, Ginevra Molly Weasley-, she's my girlfriend. I would like to add her name to the emergency contacts list, too. Could you do it? Oh, and could you please inform the rest of the Weasley family of my state? They must be worried."

"I'll see to it. But no visitors other than this lady for today. Very well, let's check you… I fixed your fractures, minimised the head trauma, healed cuts and bruises -heavens, you were scarred already enough- and let you sleep. You need to drink some potions now. I'll have you under observation today and then if everything's all right, I'll discharge you tomorrow with recommendations for home rest for at least a fortnight. After that, I advise you to take it easy. No fieldwork this summer. Catch up on your files, interrogate the baddies, whatever. And please go on holiday: your partner told me it's been ages since you had a free day. It makes sense: I can practically feel the stress and tension rolling off you." She said all this while feeling Harry's head over the bandages, checking his pulse, looking into his eyes and finally taking his hands on hers, like she had done with Ginny. She gazed calmly at him, and Harry began to feel curiously peaceful. Whatever magic she was using, Merlin knew how, it was working.

"We've been working tirelessly to bring down Avery and his accomplices," he said."I don't know if I can be on leave, Avery might have ran off…"

"He didn't," interrupted O'Reilly. "Your partner, Amaya, that was her name, wasn't it? She told me it was over. She did not offer details and I did not ask either, but it sounded like a closed case. So, young man, by the authority invested on me by this institution, you are going to follow my orders at home or I won't sign your authorisation for resuming fieldwork. First of all, potions time!" She released Harry's hands and waved on the direction of the bedside cabinet. Two potions zoomed straight to her hands. One of them was Skele-Gro.

Harry groaned. "Oh, no. Not rotten fungus again."

The Healer snickered while measuring the dose. "How on earth would you know how rotten fungus taste?"

"Long story," answered Harry. He heard Ginny snorting. Harry swallowed the potion and grimaced. "Nobody bothered to improve the flavour of these things?"

"Medicines have to taste like piss, otherwise people would abuse even more of them," said the witch, totally unfazed. She thrusted the second potion on his hands. Harry obliged, and the Healer nodded and smiled again. Harry felt the already muffled headache fading away. O'Reilly snapped her fingers, and the chart flew to her side. She scribbled some notes, returned the chart to its place on the wall with another hand gesture, and turned to face the two of them.

"I will send tea and a light breakfast in a moment. Do not eat or drink more than you feel up to. Have this young lady call me if you have dizziness, nausea, any other trouble at all. I'll be back in two hours to help you out of that bed. Any questions?"

Harry could not contain his curiosity. "How do you do it?"

The Healer laughed. Harry grinned as well; the good naturedness of that woman was infectious.

"How do I do what, darling?"

"You don't use a wand, yet you perform magic. I've never seen anything like that. Well, except Dumbledore, but you know, he was Dumbledore."

"Oh, I have a wand, too!" O'Reilly produced one out of a pocket and showed it to them. "I bought it at Ollivander's, first time I came to England. Took him ages to find one that chose me!" She laughed again, and this time Harry and Ginny joined her, it was impossible not to. "I'm Namibian, young man. In Africa, you are taught to feel your magic, tame, channel and use it with your bare hands. Of course, if you have a wand you can perform quicker, maybe more accurate spells, so that's why I traveled here after graduating Uagadou. To learn. It's nice to be able to have the best of two worlds, yet I favour wandless work, because it's more in my nature doing so, and because physical contact is a kind of magic in itself, one that even Muggles can do." She stared at Ginny, took again one of her hands, and patted it. "You feel it, don't you?"

"I think I know what you mean," said Ginny.

"Of course you do, you're a bright young lady, aren't you, and deeply in love." Ginny blushed to the roots of her hairs. "That's why I sneaked you here last night. Nobody should be alone, and the next of kin was knocked out with a lump in his head the size of a Chimaera egg. Occidental people can be so shy of physical contact, don't you think? Can't understand it. When I saw your despair, I knew you were my patient, too. I brought you here so you could be healed and help to heal."

"I don't know how to thank you, Healer O'Reilly. I'm sorry I got you into trouble," said Ginny. "If there's something I can do…"

"Oh, no harm done, darling, I'll deal with old Miller, the supervisor. He's a softie, and loves my fat cakes. He knows better than to argue with me," she chuckled. "But there's a tiny something you can do for me. My husband is a big Quidditch fan. Big, like, you know, he succeeded to make it a family thing, meeting up to listen to matches on the wireless. My Patty would be over the moon if you signed something for him."

"Oh, I'll be delighted!" said Ginny. "Wait, you said it's a family thing? How large is your family?"

"Large as a classical Irish one, dear," the Healer chuckled. "We have six children, all grown up. Bit difficult to get them reunited for a match, but that's life, little birds always grow and fly off the nest. I still have my Patrick, and he has me. Never regretted the day I stayed here to live with him."

"It must've been hard, leaving your loved ones in Africa," observed Harry.

"I lost my immediate family to war. My extended one took good care of me, and I miss them and visit as often as I can. But my Patty took my heart, and you know the saying! He's my home, and he loves me to pieces. It has been worth it. It would've been worth only for seeing people do a double take when they hear my name, God, it's priceless!" She laughed out loud. "Pat didn't ask me to take his name, but I did it just for saving me a great amount of spelling out my maiden one."

The witch amazed Harry. She had lost family like him, she had left the rest in another continent, adapted to a culture totally strange to her, and she laughed and joked about it. He looked at Ginny; she was staring at the Healer and had a decided expression on her face.

"Expect something better than an autograph for your husband, madam. If I can manage it, the next family reunion will be for a live match. It's the least I can do," said Ginny.

"Oh, dear, you don't have to! But I won't lie, we would have the time or our lives if you did," she laughed. "Oh my, I must go. Miller is right; my worst fault is I love chatting people up. But it's another kind of magic, isn't it? Talking and laughing. Remember: no matter how tragic the cause of your tears is, you always end up blowing out your bogies. I'll see you later! Breakfast will appear over that table in a bit. Bye-bye!" she said in a singsong voice, and left the room.

Harry and Ginny were left gaping at the closed door. A faint pop at their backs made them jump out of their trance: as promised, a tray with a tea service for two and some toast has appeared over a table. Ginny ran to it and busied herself pouring two cups of tea.

"She's great, don't you think?" she said.

"Truly amazing," answered Harry. But the cheerful atmosphere seemed to have departed with the Healer. They stayed in silence while Ginny helped him again into a sitting position on the bed, arranging the pillows to be comfortable. The pain and nausea had disappeared completely, and Harry found he was a little hungry. He accepted a cup of tea and some toast from her, and they sat eating in silence for a while. Ginny looked immersed in thought, sparing occasional glances to him, but she did not break it. When it began to be uncomfortable, Harry racked his brains for something to say.

"Whoever said breakfast in bed was romantic, I bet they didn't had this in mind," he joked.

Ginny scowled at him from the top of the teacup she was drinking from. "It's not exactly how I had planned to spend my free day." She set the cup on the saucer. "Have you finished?"

Harry nodded, feeling nervous. Ginny did no longer looked as angry as before, but she wasn't herself either, and Harry began to dread the direction of her next words. Memories of that Halloween in Hogsmeade came unbidden to him and the slice of toast suddenly felt like a heavy stone inside him.

"I don't want to go through something like this again, Harry," she said.

Cold chills of fear ran through his body. "You won't, I mean, I can't promise I won't get hurt again, I'll do my best to help it, of course, but Gin, this is my job, I'm good at it, and it's one of the things that keeps me going on. And you're another, and I need you too. Don't ask me to leave my job for you, please. Or…"

"I wouldn't ask you to drop out of the Aurors, Harry," she interrupted. "Your job is part of what you are now and this" -she waved at the room- "comes in a package with it, no matter what I think of it. But I won't be treated again like the past night."

"It won't happen again, I added your name to the list…" His voice had a desperate note.

"It isn't enough. I'm talking about everything, Harry. We barely see each other. I live at Holyhead's team residence; you live with George and Ron. I'm tired of hiding and lying to be alone with you. Tired of scraping free time between my training, matches and travels and your work, your assignments and George's shop. My parents love you, but they're not as open minded as Hermione's, they won't let us sleep together while we are under their roof. And now you get hurt and I'm treated like I am nobody, like you have no family!"

She got up from the bed and began to pace the room. "No, it's the last drop, Harry. We can't carry on like this, we feel miserable, I know you do too. I see only one way ahead, and I know what I have to do."

She stopped in her tracks, and stared at him. Then she went to sit again on the bed, facing him. Harry met her stare and felt his heart sink. There it was: the hard, blazing look he had grown to love and fear at the same time. That look could bring the best or the worst.

But then she took his hands in hers, and goosebumps erupted all over his skin. He felt warmth creeping up his arms, and suddenly all fear vanished. Ginny took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Harry James Potter, do you want to marry me?"