Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character, story element or plot item originally published in the Harry Potter books or movies that I may refer to in this story. I'm merely playing in the sandbox.
Author's note: Welcome back, dear reader, to another of my random ideas that I don't know what else to do with.
So…I have heard a few comments, just a few, that I'm too nice to the Weasleys. That's not always true, but I never really was partial to the whole "Ginny is a…" well, insert your favorite insult here.
Harry's vision was filled with green fire and red light. He could hear screaming. Is that me? Soon there were other shouts joining the voice that may have been his, may have been someone else's. Suddenly, two hands jerked him up and his splitting head whirled as he was pulled upward, voices shouting at him. For a brief moment, the only thing he was certain of was that the red face screaming at him, framed in red hair, was Ron.
Before he could ask what was going on, a fist hit him. Soon, there were several more, blows to his torso and face. There was another flicker of red and he was certain he'd seen Voldemort's eyes. The two red splashes on pale white skin made him jerk his hands free and, with a mindless grunt of air, blast raw magic out into the air. There were cries of shock and pain and, oddly, a surprised squeak.
"Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?" Ron seemed to continue his harangue from earlier.
Harry reacted, drawing a wand and blasting a hole int eh ceiling as someone struck his arm and moved his hand. "wait…Ron? Why…what…ugh, I'm gonna be sick." And he was. Harry now vaguely remembered having some whiskey last night while there was a celebration in the courtyard. He'd gone into the Great Hall, then didn't want to celebrate anymore, simply snagging a bottle and retreating to the tower.
He was tossed to the side, but not soon enough to avoid painting the robes that Ron was wearing with greenish muck. "What's with the shouting?"
"How could you? I waited on you!"
The shrill voice wasn't helping, and Harry's stomach heaved, but this time, his wand wave was not intercepted. The entire room was silenced. He pushed himself to sit up, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
After a moment, everyone tried to undo what he'd done as Harry tried to get the room to stop, Harry touched the wand to his lips and undid the accidental spell backlash that had hit him. "Okay….quietly….someone tell me what I did this time. Raise your hand to volunteer."
Most were seeking wands and Harry was calmly disarming each one that reached for a wand, blasting back a large redhead that Harry realized must be Charlie. Finally, Harry noticed Hermione calmly raise her hand, a cold look on her face.
"All right, you get to be spokesman." Harry flicked his wand and she grumbled.
"Why are you in bed with someone else when Ginny is here?"
"I'm not in bed with anyone…this prat jerked me up and I have a hangover."
"Um, Harry?"
Harry stiffened, then turned back to see Luna climbing back into his bed, one hand rubbing her backside. He had just enough time to realize that they were both clothed as he passed out.
He woke to more yelling, the unconsciousness lasting only for a few minutes, he assumed. Luna was still in his bed but sitting up now. Otherwise, most had not moved. Several were still silenced, and he glanced at his wand. After a moment, he realized what had happened. He cast a field spell for nausea on himself, then stood. "I can explain."
"Oh, I bet you can," Ginny snarled. "Bet you thought it was fun to lead me on."
Harry watched her for a moment then shook his head. "You know…I don't really like what I see from you right now." Just as the noise started up again, Harry disarmed a few again, this time banishing their wands through the hole he'd blown in the ceiling.
"There was some kind of party, which I was interested in for a moment…then I remembered Moony….Tonks….Fred…all the others. I walked away. Did any of you notice me missing from the celebration?" There was a brief shaking of heads and Harry rolled his eyes, careful not to shake his fragile skull too much.
"I went into the Great Hall and stood there for a long time. Looking….so many losses." He shrugged. "Then I thought about the ones that no one would mourn….then I summoned a bottle and wanted to forget. Fortunately, I did. I don't know what happened last night, but I would never have cheated on you." He scowled at Ginny and considered that hose feelings weren't all that strong anymore.
"Sure, you didn't. Bet you just decided that you're the rick famous Harry Potter. Surprised you didn't make a run at Granger when you were in the tent."
"yeah, after your stupid brother abandoned us because he wanted a stew or something." Harry growled the last at Ginny, now certain that this was the real end. Won't be stupidly noble this time. She's lost the plot.
"If I can say something?" The quiet airy tone behind Harry made him turn.
"Please. Maybe you can tell me what happened."
"You didn't make it very far up the stairs. I cleaned you up after the first time you threw up….I'm good at cleaning spells." Her eyes unfocused for a moment, but Harry just patiently waited. "I helped you up the stairs to here."
She looked down. "You began to cry, saying it was such a waste. That you didn't understand it. I don't either, Harry. There was no reason." She looked up at him, smiling lightly. "I didn't want to leave you like that, though, so I sat with you and held your hand until you slept. Then I started to turn you on your side in case you threw up. I didn't want you to choke on it. That would be a sad way to go after dying already."
Harry nodded, but there was muttering from the Weasleys and Harry gestured threateningly with a wand in their direction. The room fell silent. "So why were you still here?"
"You started talking again, afraid of being alone. You didn't want to go back?" She frowned, looking at him. "Something about a train station and Dumbledore."
Harry nodded. "I saw him. After Voldemort hit me with the Killing Curse again. I didn't just play dead in the forest….I did actually died. Thought about staying" He snorted, ignoring the sudden breaths being drawn by several in the room. "It was you guys I came back for and you're already to turn on me for something I don't' even remember. No shock there." He touched his face lightly. "Whoever gave me the black eye needs to practice more. My cousin hits harder."
"He really killed you?"
"For a few minutes…I guess. Maybe seconds, what you do care, Weasley?"
His ex-girlfriend gave a choked sound at his tone. "So, you stayed with me." He turned back to Luna. "Thank you."
"Yes. I curled up with you and held you, telling you that I would be with you, and it was okay." She seemed to stare off for a moment. "Oh, I kissed you." She looked skyward. "It was on the cheek, though. Does that count as cheating?"
"No." Harry turned narrowed eyes towards the ersatz family he'd formed. "I don't think so, anyway. Hermione has kissed me on the cheek, she did that in front of everyone at King's Crossing one time, so I can't imagine this would be different."
"Sure, you didn't take advantage of Loony, Potter."
"He didn't, but we can prove it. The nurse can test me. There is an old spell for that, I'm sure she knows it."
"I don't want to embarrass you, Luna."
"I'm not embarrassed. I decided to wait to be loved, not just for a quick run in the broom closets. Witches my age don't seem to care too much about what they get up to in broom closets, but I wanted different."
Something about the wording made Harry remember the stories from his prior two years and Ginny. "I can agree with that. I admit, I've not had much time to get up to anything in a bromo closet. Too busy having wizards betraying me or trying to kill me."
"Please call Madame Pomfrey. I want to clear Harry's name." She gracefully stood, turning with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Luna, dear, we don't want to…"
"Molly, it's her right to ask. Don't interfere." Harry spoke coldly. He offered his arm to Luna. "I'll walk you down. These can follow and then I think our business is done at that point. Besides, I need her to check to make sure there's no lasting damage from my 'family' and their ministrations. Guess in the magical world and muggle, family's only worth a beating and insults."
"That's not all families, Harry." She sighed, taking his offered arm. "I guess it is over. It is so sad. Ginny was my friend. I don't think I can be friends with her if she's accusing me of stealing her boyfriend."
"Ex." Harry spoke, then led her down the stairs to Madame Pomfrey. He was disgusted to know that most of the herd had followed him down. He assumed that someone was going to fetch the missing wands.
In the Great Hall, in front a of a larger crowd than Harry wanted, Madame Pomfrey was told the short version and she looked at Harry for a long second, then shook her head. "He would never. He's a troublemaker and should have had a nameplate over a bed in my infirmary, but he isn't disloyal."
"I know. They don't. Please cast the spell." With Luna asking, Pomfrey nodded, and Luna glowed white.
Harry considered for a moment. "Does it work the same for guys?"
"It does. While boys are built differently, there is the acknowledgement of intimate contact needed to reflect…certain…behaviors" She seemed uncomfortable.
"Then please cast the same on me." He stared into Ginny's eyes, almost daring her to say something.
"If you wish." There was another white flare and Ginny paled.
"Harry, I…" She faded off as he kept his stare on her.
"You need to control your temper, Weasley."
He walked off, sheathing his wand, but keeping one hand by it.
"Wait, Mr. Potter….did they injure you?"
"Yeah…no treatment needed if there's nothing permanent. Let it heal naturally. I've done it before." He returned at her urging and she did scan him for broken bones. There were none and she offered him a vial of pain killer. He thanked her, then walked a few steps away before throwing his cloak around him, silencing his footsteps as he walked away.
By midafternoon, he was on the docks by the boats. He thought about climbing on one and riding across the lake to the station but was not sure if there'd be a train there waiting for him. Thinking of the train made him shiver and he wondered if he could ever ride the Express again without thinking of that white room.
Footfalls on the wood got his attention and Luna sat down next to him, taking her shoes off to dangle her feet in the water. "They want to apologize."
"I don't think I can do it. Not right now. I'm not even sure I want to stay here right now. I killed people. Robbed the goblins. Been a prisoner and a fugitive and...""
Luna's shoulder hitched and he looked over. "Luna, I'm sorry, I didn't think…."
"It's okay. It's my fault you were taken prisoner. If my Daddy…." She looked down and her eyes closed, tears dripping down her nose. "He couldn't live with the shame of what he did. When they didn't return me and then he was sitting in the rubble of the house…all by himself…I found out today, while others looked for you…the Aurors came to tell me that I'm now alone."
While he could not remember it, he tried to act out what she'd described. He pulled her closer to him, putting an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You're not alone, Luna. I'll be with you."
AN: Ginny does have a temper though and I think this kind of thing is more realistic. Frankly, the Wizarding World needs counselors of some kind. Probably everyone who survived Hogwarts and the camps…probably the whole of the British Magical World needs to be taken in and examined.
I don't know what I would do with this except for write a fluff piece…which is not really me. Something about him rebuilding. The Weasleys would probably try to fix things, but hey. Maybe you can't fix the damage after shots are fired?
During the second run at it, the edit and a slight adjustment, I find myself picturing more of an epilogue type piece. He goes to the goblins to try to resolve things. He travels for a bit, bringing Luna with him. They see the world he's been denied, and she guides him, being far better travelled. Finally, they return in September and go straight to Hogwarts, waiting on the others in the Great Hall, skipping the train. From there…who knows?
Also, I hate to ruin the solemnity of the moment, but I just found out I accidentally renamed one of the Weasley grandchildren and no, I'm not fixing it. I like my choice better.