Chapter 30 It's in the Blood
Ginny tried to ignore the stares as she made her way through the hospital to Harry's room. She knew she was a sight with her scorched, torn, and bloody clothing. Ginny had singed her red hair, and had burn marks on both of her arms. Cuts were liberally bleeding in several places. Her nose had an annoyingly slow trickle of blood that would not stop. She realized she was even limping a little. No. This would not do. She shook her tangled hair back, straightened her shoulders, and stopped limping, even though her ankle was giving her pain. She had been a professional quidditch player. She could handle a little pain.
Ginny came to a halt outside Harry's hospital room, her eyes widened with amazement. Harry was awake and he was smiling! She couldn't help the brief twinge of jealousy that crept up on her, knowing Hermione and Teddy were the first people Harry saw when he had awoken. Ginny had wanted to be there. She wiped absently at the blood from her nose. Well, needs must, she thought, and she wouldn't have changed a thing about tonight. It was for the best she had been ignorant of the fact they didn't need Delphini to cure Harry. She probably would have done something she would have regretted.
Harry must have felt her eyes watching him, because he looked towards the door. She took one step forward but hesitated because she knew looked terrible and didn't want to worry him. She didn't want Harry to see her in this state, but it was too late now. Harry reached for his glasses to see her better, then flung the covers off, ready to rush to her aid. Ginny shot forward to prevent him from getting out of the hospital bed and threw her arms around him. He pulled her to him and turned his face into her neck.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked. "Hermione told me you went after Delphini."
"I'm better now," Ginny sighed, looking over Harry's shoulder at a worried Hermione who mouthed, "Ron?"
Ginny responded to Hermione, "Ron took Delphini to the Ministry Detention Center."
Hermione gave a quick thanks and then tugged on an incredulous Teddy, who looked at Ginny with awe. He allowed himself to be pulled away from the hospital room, but only because he knew he would hear all about it later.
Ginny held her shoulders rigid until she heard the door close. It was only then that she allowed herself to truly comprehend the events of the night and the last few weeks. Her bravado and composure crumbled like a house of cards, and her slender shoulders shook with her sobs. She had been carrying the weight of loss and his disappearance for so many weeks, and now she felt a profound sense of relief that shook her body. She felt like a ship on a stormy sea tossed about on waves of emotion.
"Hey," crooned Harry, "it's OK. We're going to be OK."
Harry pulled back to look into her eyes and he thought he'd never realized how beautiful she was until this moment. Hermione had told him what Ginny had done, and the lengths she went to find him. She had been strong and held their family together for so long, and he was more than willing to take the burden from her. He kissed her gently, afraid to injure her, but she deepened the kiss, desperate to feel him and drink him in.
Harry drew back from the kiss, touched his forehead to hers, and said, "I missed you. Delphini is evil. If she'd hurt you…"
He couldn't continue, didn't want to even think about what might have happened. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly, his hands sliding into her hair and caressing her scalp. When they broke apart, they were both a little breathless.
"They're keeping me until the morning," Harry informed her.
"Shove over then," Ginny demanded.
Harry lifted the bedcovers and moved over. Ginny crawled in beside him and he secured the covers around them both. They settled down together, his arms encircling her, and she sighed with pleasure to once again feel his warm body close to hers.
"You're going to get right sick of me because I'm not letting you out of my sight."
Harry sighed, "Sounds perfect."
