-Chapter 20: How Cliché-
Ginny didn't even bother packing a bag. Arthur, Molly, Fred, George, and Ginny held on to each others arms tight and disapparated to just outside Shell Cottage. Ginny vomited when they landed. She had successfully apparated a few times during her lessons at Hogwarts but she'd never gone that distance. They hurried to the door and burst in. Harry and Ron were in the living room with Bill.
"Merlin's beard!!" Molly exclaimed. She ran and started hugging the two boys. Ginny panned the room nervously. Bill took her aside.
"Gin, something happened a few days ago. They were found and taken to Malfoy Manor. Hermione was tortured. Bellatrix Lestrange used the Cruciatus curse on her. Hermione is okay, physically. We're not sure otherwise. She looks pretty rough," Bill warned Ginny. "They also found Luna Lovegood. She's all right, I don't think anything happened to her."
"I want to see Hermione. Now. Where is she?" Ginny felt a knot form in her stomach and thought she might vomit again but she held strong.
"Upstairs, I'll take you." Bill held on to Ginny's shoulders as he took her upstairs. Ginny took a deep breath and pushed on the bedroom door. Her eyes scanned the bedroom. There was a desk against the left wall with a tall wardrobe next to it. Positioned in the middle of the wall to Ginny's right there was a bed. And in that bed was the lifeless figure of an unconscious Hermione Granger. Fleur was sitting in an armchair on the right side of the bed dabbing a cool cloth on Hermione's forehead. Ginny slowly approached the bed. She sat down cautiously on the left side and ran the back of her hand over Hermione's cheek.
"Oh baby…" she whispered. Ginny shook as she looked at her lover. Hermione's face was pale, there were a couple of scars from minor cuts that Fleur had healed and there was a bandage on her neck.
"She might have cracked a few ribs and there's the cut on her neck but it's almost healed. You know ribs are hard to tell just by looking so we've just been keeping an eye on her, making sure when she wakes up she stays laying down. We don't have anything here to heal bones otherwise we'd give it to her just in case. She has woken up a few times but only for a few seconds at a time and she hasn't said anything, she just drifts off back to sleep," Bill said and he put a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "She'll be all right though. Fleur's been taking good care of her."
"Thank you, thank you both," Ginny said.
"Come on Fleur, my parents are downstairs." Bill and Fleur left Ginny to tend to Hermione.
"Hermione, it's me, it's Ginny. Please, open your eyes, look at me," Ginny begged. Hermione stirred a little hearing a familiar voice and opened her eyes.
"Ginny?" Hermione whispered. She reached a hand out, Ginny grabbed onto it and kissed it.
"Yes, baby, yes. It's me, I'm here. Do you know where you are?"
"I remember a beach. And shells."
"You're at Bill and Fleur's house, Shell Cottage. Do you remember what happened?"
"Pain. Horrible pain. Screaming. Bellatrix." Hermione groaned and clutched the left side of her ribcage. "I hate that woman."
"Yeah love, that's about it." Ginny sighed. She was hoping Hermione wouldn't remember any of it.
"I want to sit up…" Hermione said as she tried to sit up a little. She gasped in pain and held on to her ribcage again and groaned.
"Can I take a look?" Ginny asked. She had learned quite a bit about broken bones playing Quidditch. Hermione nodded. Ginny pulled the blanket down and Hermione's t-shirt up her stomach. There was a massive bruise running down her left side.
"Are they broken?" Hermione asked.
"Bill thinks they're just cracked. Ribs are hard to tell just by looking though. I need to apply some pressure but it's going to hurt."
"Okay." Hermione clenched her jaw and gripped a pillow. Ginny pushed on Hermione's ribs and the elder witch let out a cry.
"I don't think you broke any of them. You're going to be in pain for a while though," Ginny said as she pulled Hermione's shirt back down and pulled the quilt back up around her shoulders. "You're going to be all right. I'll wrap them when you get to where you can sit up. We don't have anything to help mend them quickly so you'll just have to heal the long way." Ginny walked over to the side of the bed where Fleur had been sitting and crawled in next to Hermione, careful not to shift the bed too much. She lay down and kissed Hermione on the cheek.
With a pleasant sigh Hermione looked at Ginny and said, "I have missed you so much. I can't believe it's been seven months since I've seen you."
"I can't believe it's been seven months since I've done this," Ginny said as she leaned in and kissed Hermione's sweet lips. She had almost forgotten what they tasted like. Hermione parted her lips and Ginny slid her tongue across Hermione's bottom lip and then into her waiting mouth. Hermione's tongue pushed on Ginny's. Hermione started breathing hard and had to pull away because of the pain in her side. She whimpered a bit, wanting more but knew she couldn't handle it.
"If it weren't for this pain I would have you right here and now," Hermione whispered.
"We'll see how you're feeling tomorrow, how's that?"
"I am sure I will be better by then," Hermione said. She trailed her fingers on Ginny's cheek, down her neck and to her chest. She noticed the burn scar. "What is this?" she asked, gently touching the discolored flesh.
"Hermione…the night you were at the Malfoy's…I knew it. I knew something was wrong. I thought it was a nightmare except for the fact that the pendant you gave me burned my chest. All I could see were flashes of your face and I heard screaming and someone using the Cruciatus curse. Is there something you didn't tell me about this pendant?"
"There is nothing I didn't tell you. I read everything about the charm I used and it and it didn't say anything about that. Ginny, honestly, I had no idea something like that would happen."
"Then you obviously didn't read everything about it," a voice said from the door. It was Arthur.
"Of course I did, Mr. Weasley. I would never have charmed that pendant had I known this would happen."
"Then you read the simplified version of it. Let me guess, your Apparition guide?" Arthur sat in the chair next to the bed where the girls lay.
"Yes, the one I got at Diagon Alley before I came to the Burrow the summer before last. It was required reading for the Apparition lessons. Have I cursed Ginny?"
"Not exactly. You see, when you use that charm on an object and give it to someone it does allow you to Apparate to them. It is good for family members and close friends. However when two people are in love, such as yourselves, the properties become much stronger. When the giver and the receiver um…when you…" Arthur stumbled on his words, a bit embarrassed, "when you…give yourselves to each other...and love with pure hearts the charm multiplies in strength. Not only could you Apparate to Ginny but as long as Ginny wore the charmed pendant she could feel any of your strong emotions and vice versa even though Ginny can't Apparate to you. The actual description of it is a bit more graphic, but I think you get the gist of it."
"How do you know about this, Dad?"
"It was around the time we had to form the Order when I gave your mother a necklace and she gave me a wrist watch with the same charm placed on them," Arthur said. "Well, I will leave you girls alone, I just wanted to come and check on how you were feeling, Hermione. It seems as though you are in good hands, as always."
When Arthur left Hermione turned her head back to Ginny. "November third. What happened?" Hermione asked sternly.
"Why, what did you feel?" Ginny asked. She already knew exactly what Hermione felt.
"Well we were in a tent in the woods at the time and I was daydreaming. You and I were in the Room of Requirement and we kissed. Then after that…I felt like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. I felt guilt and anger. What happened?"
"Hermione before I tell you, you have to promise that you will listen to absolutely everything I say."
"O-Okay."
"I was studying Potions with Luna…" Ginny started. Hermione cut her off.
"I knew it! I fucking knew it. So how is she in bed? She better than me?"
"Hermione, it wasn't like that. It was only a kiss and it meant nothing."
"Oh how cliché, let me guess, you also thought of me when you did it?"
"Would you please just listen to me?!" Ginny pleaded. Hermione clenched her jaw as tears streamed down her face. "We were studying and then got to talking. I don't know how it happened but out of nowhere this image flashed into my head. I was in the Room of Requirement and you were there, standing there in front of me. I had to kiss you, I just had to. Luna pushed me away and I panicked when I realized what I'd done. You have to believe me, Hermione, please."
"Please leave. Get out of my room. I…I need some time to think." Hermione turned her head away from Ginny. She was trying her best not to cry because of the pain in her side. Ginny did as she was asked and left.
