AN: Hello there, a few things!
1. To the reviewer who asked how far into the lives of the girls I'm planning to take the story, I do have the final chapter written and they are in their 30s, but there will definitely be a time-jump to get us there.
2. Trigger warning: I have added a text break within Hermione's POV, and beyond that is some SA content. Nothing too heavy, but could be triggering, and it will be recapped in the beginning of next chapter without any SA content, so you can full on skip everything after the text break if this is something that will trigger you.
Thanks again to everyone reading the story!
Chapter 84
Ginny POV
Ginny was exhausted. Actually, exhausted felt an understatement. Ginny had never been this tired before. She had just finished her final O.W.L. exam, and all she wanted to do was rest. That, however, apparently wasn't on Hermione's agenda.
"How'd it go?" Hermione asked anxiously, sitting down beside Ginny who was leaned up against their favorite beech tree down by the lake, trying to relax.
"Fine…" Ginny sighed, her eyes still closed.
"Ginny Weasley, you've said that about every exam you've taken. You've got to give me more than just 'fine'!"
Ginny opened her eyes and turned to face her girlfriend, whose eyes were narrowed slightly as she glared at her.
"Really fine…" Ginny said slyly, failing to keep from smiling at her affronted girlfriend.
Hermione huffed, "I did not take time out of my busy schedule all year and summer to help you prepare for these exams just for you to report back that they went 'really fine'!" she said exasperatedly.
"Alright, it was more than fine. More than really fine. It was brilliant, Hermione. Almost nearly as brilliant as you are," Ginny said, her lopsided smile spreading across her face.
"Really?" Hermione asked eagerly.
"Really. I felt great about it, great about all of them, actually. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help me. Maybe McGonagall will reward you house points for helping a younger Gryffindor student prepare for her exams?" Ginny teased.
Hermione shot her an unimpressed look, "You're welcome… And I certainly should be rewarded somehow…" she added pointedly.
Ginny grinned, "Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?" she asked, leaning over to kiss Hermione's cheek.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't say no to… To… I…" Hermione appeared to lose her train of thought as Ginny kept kissing her, moving down her cheek onto her neck, lightly sucking the delicate skin there into her mouth.
"Ginny!" Hermione scolded lightly, blushing.
Ginny's grin grew as she pulled back, "Yes?"
"Haven't we discussed not leaving marks where people would be able to see…?" Hermione asked somewhat breathlessly.
"I thought we concluded that it was fine, just as long as you had enough of that bruise removal paste from my brothers?"
"Okay, technically yes, I did say that, but… I…" Hermione drifted off again as Ginny continued kissing her neck gently.
"Well, hello there, lovebirds."
Both Ginny and Hermione looked up to find Katie standing in front of them with a light smirk on her face. Again, Ginny grinned, and Hermione blushed lightly.
"Clearly I'm interrupting, but do you mind?" Katie asked.
"Of course not, Katie. How were your N.E.W.T.s?" Hermione asked quickly, sitting up straighter against the tree.
"They were brutal, of course, but I think they went well overall. You should be just fine next year, Hermione," she said kindly to a clearly anxious Hermione. "Have either of you seen Demelza?"
Hermione shook her head, but Ginny said, "She sat a few rows over from me when we took the History of Magic exam this morning, but when I got up to leave, she'd already gone."
Katie sighed, "She's a bit harder to keep track of these days, that's for sure."
Ginny furrowed her brow, "Why would that be? Wouldn't she want to be spending all of her time with you, seeing as it's your last few weeks at Hogwarts?"
Katie shrugged, "I think she's having a hard time with it. I get the impression that seeing me is making her quite sad, actually."
Ginny looked at Hermione, who was gazing at Katie with a concerned expression, before turning back to Katie.
"Can I ask a favor of you two?" Katie asked.
Ginny nodded, "Of course you can."
"I know that you're friends with her, Ginny, and Hermione you're connected through Ginny, but would you two mind watching out for her next year? I know she can handle herself just fine, but it'd be a huge comfort knowing you two were looking after her once I've gone."
"Of course, we will, Katie!" Ginny smiled reassuringly, "Of course we've got your back, and Demelza's."
Hermione nodded kindly as well, "Yes, of course, Katie."
Katie let out a sigh of relief and swept her dark hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear, "Great, thanks. I knew I could count on you two."
"What? Didn't want to rely on Ritchie and Colin?" Ginny added playfully.
Katie laughed, "Colin, yes. Actually, that's a good idea, I'll talk to Colin too. Ritchie, absolutely not. He's far too busy lately trying to find himself a girlfriend."
Ginny laughed as well, as she was reminded of Ritchie's many failures regarding the opposite sex this past year. He wasn't a bad-looking bloke and he meant well enough, he was just… Oblivious on how to actually talk to girls.
"Fair enough," Ginny agreed, when an idea dawned on her. "Hey Katie, why don't you teach me to plait Demelza's hair? I've noticed it's part of her pre-match routine, having her hair plaited in that same, complex way. Think you could teach me?"
Katie shot her a warm smile, as did Hermione, "That's a great idea, Ginny. Why don't we meet in the dormitory bathroom tonight and I can teach you there?"
Hermione nudged her, still smiling proudly at her.
"What?" Ginny asked.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Ginny."
Ginny laughed, "You know, I have been thoughtful before this as well. Is it really that big of a deal that I'd want to help out a friend?"
"Well, no, but it's just…"
"It's very sweet," Katie supplied for Hermione.
"Yes, exactly. It's very sweet of you to offer to learn how to plait so Demelza will feel a bit more comfortable."
"I mean, I can plait already…"
"Not well, you can't," Katie said.
"Oi!" Ginny exclaimed, making Katie and Hermione laugh.
"Alright, I'll leave you two to it, but I'll meet you up in the girls' dormitory bathroom tonight then Ginny? After dinner?" Katie asked as she backed away.
"Are you sure you don't want to skip dinner all together so we'll have adequate time for me to work on my horrible plaiting skills?" Ginny asked sarcastically.
"You're welcome, Hermione," Katie laughed as she walked away.
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Katie," Hermione laughed too before turning to Ginny, "What?"
"So, are you two best friends now? Slughorns favorite girls, huh?"
Hermione shook her head, "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Yeah, if it means you're going to gang up on me like that!" Ginny huffed with faux-anger before cuddling back into Hermione's side.
"Oh, shush. You're fine," Hermione said as she ran her fingers through Ginny's hair, lightly scratching her scalp soothingly.
"I'm good at plaiting…" Ginny pouted under her breath.
"Yes, of course you are…" Hermione laughed lightly before kissing the top of Ginny's head. They spent the rest of the afternoon cuddled up, leaning against the beech tree, looking out across the sparkling surface of the Black Lake.
After Ginny and Hermione had finished dinner that evening, Ginny made her way back to the Gryffindor common room to meet Katie.
"Why weren't you at dinner?" Ginny asked as she climbed through the portrait hole to find Katie sitting in one of the large armchairs by the unlit fireplace. Just about every student in Hogwarts would be spending the rest of their days outside on the grounds now that exams were over, and they could enjoy the beautiful June weather completely carefree until late in the evening, so Ginny and Katie were alone in the common room.
"I was looking for Demelza," Katie sighed.
"What? You still haven't found her?"
Katie shook her head and got up, headed for the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. Ginny followed close behind, continuing to bombard Katie with questions about Demelza's whereabouts. Once they were behind the closed door of the girls' dormitory bathroom, Katie took a deep, settling breath.
"What's going on?" Ginny demanded.
"Just… Let's get into this first, then I'll tell you," Katie said, sitting down between Ginny, who was sitting on a small ottoman, and a large, full-length mirror.
They worked diligently for a while, only focusing on Ginny's hands in Katie's hair. Ginny knew she'd grasp the intricate plaiting quickly, regardless of Katie and Hermione's doubt in her abilities. It wasn't exactly her fault that she grew up in a family of all boys, and Bill never let her plait his long hair. Charlie always offered when she whined about Bill turning her down, but his hair was far too short. Once Ginny finished Katie's hair completely and had it looking good enough for her liking, she spoke up as she brushed Katie's dark hair back out.
"What's going on with Demelza?"
Katie paused, looking at Ginny in the mirror. She looked as tired as Ginny felt.
"Did you… Did you two break up…?" Ginny asked tentatively.
Katie shook her head, "No, nothing like that," she took another deep breath. "Ginny, I need you to promise me you won't say anything about this to anyone."
"I – Of course I won't," Ginny said quickly, taking in the serious expression on Katie's face.
"Demelza's dad is sick."
"I – What?"
"Demelza's dad is sick. And not just a little sick, but really ill. He's been in and out of St. Mungo's all term, and they're still not exactly sure what's going on, but he's not doing well. Demelza's obviously taking this really hard, you know how close she is with him."
"Really close… That's awful…" Ginny muttered, still slowly brushing out Katie's hair.
"She's not sure that she'll come back to Hogwarts next year, if he's still not doing well. I don't blame her, really. He's got friends and all, but really, it's just the two of them, and it'd be terrible if something were to happen to him when she was at school."
Ginny was silent. She felt awful for Demelza.
"What about her mum? Can't she do anything to – " Ginny stopped when Katie shook her head.
"Her parents have barely spoken since they broke up before Demelza started at Hogwarts."
"Okay, but if he's really that sick, then – "
"Ginny, how often does Demelza talk about her mum?"
Ginny thought for a moment, "Almost never."
"There's a reason for that."
Ginny looked at Katie's even more serious expression now and decided not to push any further.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
Katie shrugged, "She hasn't told anyone besides me and Professor McGonagall. She didn't want this thing with her dad to get too in the way of her everyday life. Unfortunately, these days it's all she can think about. I'm not sure she'll even last to the End of Term Feast, to be honest."
"What? What about the last few weeks? It's your last few weeks at Hogwarts!"
Katie shrugged again, "She's got much bigger things to worry about than my last weeks at Hogwarts. And our relationship is stronger than that. I want her to do whatever's best for her, and if that means leaving now that exams are done, then that's what I want her to do."
Ginny stopped brushing Katie's hair and put her hands on her shoulders, "She's really lucky to have you. I don't know if I could be that selfless."
Katie smiled up at her in the mirror, "I think you'd be just as selfless Ginny. Anyway, if she does leave early, what do you say you and I workout down on the pitch together? Think you can help me tune up for my upcoming Quidditch trials?"
"Wait, what? Where? Trials as in plural? With who? Congratulations!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly, wrapping her arms around Katie's neck and hugging her tight.
Katie laughed, "I was called in to tryout for a reserve spot with Falmouth, Puddlemere, Tutshill, Holyhead, and Montrose. Puddlemere and Montrose I'm assuming are due to Oliver Wood's recommendation and McGonagall's connection. It would be great to play with Oliver again, even if just as a reserve at Puddlemere. Montrose wouldn't be too bad either. Holyhead, of course, would be incredible, but they are a bit out of the way and insanely competitive, I'm not sure if I'm really good enough for them to be honest. I know Demelza would love if I ended up with Tutshill, because of the proximity to her dad, but I reckon everyone's trying to get on with them since they've been doing so well lately. And then Falmouth was actually quite a surprise, and I'm not sure I match their tough style of play, but they were the first team to reach out to me, so I'm actually leaning towards them if they offer me."
Ginny's mouth was hanging open, "Five teams? Katie, that's incredible! And how long have you been keeping this from me?"
Katie grinned, "Only for the past couple of weeks. I had to focus on my N.E.W.T.s and you needed to focus on your O.W.L.s!"
"Well, that's all done now, we've got to go get you ready!" Ginny said, jumping up and pulling Katie to her feet.
Katie chuckled, "It's far too dark now. How about first thing in the morning? Even if Demelza stays, if we get up early, she'll be too busy sleeping to miss me while we train. Does that work for you, coach?" she teased lightly.
"Ugh, fine… But first thing tomorrow morning, I'll be knocking!" Ginny said, giving Katie a stern look before softening it to a warm smile, "Katie, I'm so proud of you."
Katie smiled back, "Thanks Ginny. I'm proud of me too."
Ginny hugged her again, pulling her in tight, "I'm really going to miss you…"
"Hey now, none of that. We've still got two weeks left and I can't have my coach all soft and weepy out on the pitch," Katie joked lightly as she pulled away.
Ginny sniffed, successfully fighting back her tears, "Right, okay."
"Come on, let's go see if Demelza's in your dormitory yet. And remember, you don't know about what she's going through. If she brings it to you, then that's great, if not, you have no idea what's going on. Got it?"
Ginny nodded, "Got it, got it."
The two left the girls' bathroom and walked down the hallway past the seventh and sixth year dormitories before coming to a stop outside the fifth year dormitory. Ginny opened the door to reveal an empty room. She looked at Katie, who was frowning.
"She wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, would she?" Ginny asked hesitantly.
Katie shook her head, "No. And her things are all still here. She wouldn't leave without them."
Just then, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the common room, and turned to look, hoping to find Demelza approaching.
Hermione POV
After Ginny left the Great Hall to meet up with Katie, Hermione set off to begin her Prefect duties with Dean.
"Alright, Hermione?" Dean greeted her with a kind smile. "Looking forward to yet another patrol while everyone is out enjoying the nice summer evening?"
Hermione tipped her head, "It is a bit pointless, isn't it?"
Dean smiled sheepishly, "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a Prefect and all, but I'd also love to be out playing pickup Quidditch on a night like tonight."
"Then why don't you?"
Dean looked at her, slightly stunned, "Are you serious?"
Hermione shrugged, "Why not? I can certainly manage patrols on my own, especially since most people will be outside. Go on, enjoy yourself," she smiled at the tall, lanky boy.
Dean grinned, "Thanks, I'll go see if I can still join the match!"
Hermione watched as he set off towards the Quidditch stadium at a jog. She truly didn't mind completing Prefect duties on her own. There really wouldn't be much, if anything, for her to do this evening, and with Ginny off with Katie and Harry and Ron out playing Quidditch, she didn't mind the opportunity to walk the halls of Hogwarts on her own.
While she loved being at home with her parents and was looking forward to seeing them in a few weeks' time, Hermione was going to miss being at Hogwarts. She'd miss the normalcy of all things magical that surrounded her daily, and knew in about a month she'd be craving an environment in which she could openly talk about and practice magic. Suddenly, she realized that this would very likely be the last summer she'd spend at home, in the Muggle world. She was hoping for a job at the Ministry of Magic, which would keep her firmly rooted in the Wizarding world. Of course, she could live in the Muggle world while working in the Wizarding world, surely many Muggle-borns had done that before her, but would she want to do that? Would Ginny? Hermione furrowed her brow as she walked past the Hospital Wing, thinking about just how much she factored Ginny into her future plans.
It's not that crazy, is it? I love Ginny, in fact I'm IN love with Ginny, why wouldn't I think about her when I think about my future? Yes, I am a bit young for that, but why wouldn't I want Ginny in my future? Oh, don't worry about that now. You've got a whole year until you need to make any decisions, really.
Hermione shook her head as she dismissed her thoughts and climbed a few flights of stairs that thankfully stayed still as she made her way up a few floors. She figured she'd do one last sweep of the top-most corridors, starting with the Astronomy Tower, before working her way back to the ground floor and then calling it a night. The other Prefects would take over soon enough anyway, cutting out a few minutes early certainly wouldn't make a difference.
As Hermione climbed the final winding staircase to the Astronomy Tower, she walked out to the railing and looked out over the grounds. The sun had set while she was walking the corridors, and now the dark, vast night sky had replaced clear blue sky, with millions of stars scattered across it. She sighed as she took in the beauty around her and smiled, feeling the warm breeze on her skin as it blew through the open tower, tousling her loose curls. She wished she'd be able to see the night sky like this from her parents home, and thought about how she would be able to see it from the Burrow on one of hers and Ginny's evening spent out at Stoatshead Hill.
She only stayed for a few moments, before she decided it was time to head back down to finish her patrol. As she took a step back from the railing and was just about to turn to head towards the door, she was grabbed roughly from behind and was being dragged backwards. Hermione's attempt to scream was muffled as a large, strong hand had covered it completely.
"Oh, come on, Granger, don't pretend you haven't been eyeing me all year at Ol' Sluggies dinners…"
A cold chill ran through Hermione's body as she immediately recognized the voice in her ear to be McLaggen's. She was so panicked that she didn't know which spell to try and cast nonverbally to get him away from her. Her panic intensified as his other hand moved from her stomach up to her chest, grabbing it firmly. She struggled against him and tried to kick back at his shins to no avail. Her brain had frozen, and she was horrified that she was failing to protect herself. What had she been thinking, coming to such an isolated part of the castle alone at night? She shouldn't have sent Dean off, there was a reason they'd been assigned to patrol the corridors in pairs.
"I know you've been trying to convince yourself for years that you don't fancy me, Granger, but you can make up for all of that lost time tonight… Weasley doesn't need to know…" McLaggen whispered deeply into her ear.
Hermione continued to try and wriggle free, but McLaggen just tightened his hold on her. She tried to bite the hand over her mouth, but it was too large. She was trapped.
"Pretificus Totalus!"
Hermione felt McLaggen's hold on her release immediately, followed by a loud thump. She turned to find McLaggen stiff as a board and flat on his back on the ground. Behind him was a tear stricken Demelza, who was pointing her wand pointed directly at McLaggen.
"Demelza?" Hermione gasped.
"Come on!" Demelza cried out desperately, her wand fixed on McLaggen.
Hermione rushed over to the girl and grabbed her outstretched hand, and they ran down the winding staircase together.
"We've got to get to Professor McGonagall, quick!" Demelza stressed as she pulled Hermione along.
Demelza was much faster than Hermione, but she did her best to keep up as she fought to push the realization of what had just happened to the back of her mind. A few moments later, Demelza was pounding on the large wooden door to Professor McGonagall's office as Hermione leaned up against the corridor wall, trying to catch her breath.
"Miss Robins, Miss Granger, what – " Professor McGonagall began as she opened her door.
"Cormac McLaggen attacked her!" Demelza interrupted firmly, wiping the tears that were now falling from her eyes. "I told you he shouldn't be allowed at the school. I told you! I told you and Professor Dumbledore that he wouldn't care about some punishment and that he would wait for his opportunity. I'm so glad that I followed him when I saw him pass the Hospital Wing, or who knows what would've happened to… To Hermione…"
Demelza was full on sobbing now, and Hermione heaved herself off the wall to put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
"Is this true, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked tentatively.
Hermione nodded as tears began to flow from her eyes as well as she finally felt what had just happened to her.
"Yes, Professor."
Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed and she beckoned them into her office.
"You two stay right here, I'm going to go get Professor Dumbeldore. Do not leave, that is an order."
They both nodded and Professor McGonagall swept from her room, closing the door firmly behind her.
"Are you okay?" Demelza asked in a small voice.
"I… I don't know… Better than I would've been, had you not come along… How did you know what he was going to do?" Hermione asked quietly as she wiped her tears.
"I was just about to leave the Hospital Wing, and he walked past with such purpose. I just felt like something bad was going to happen, and my gut told me to follow him," Demelza explained. "I'm so glad I did, Hermione. The things he said he wanted to do to me last year… They still haunt me…" Demelza broke down in tears again as she covered her face with her hands.
Hermione closed the gap between them and pulled the younger girl into a fierce hug, "Shhh… It's okay… We're both okay… Thank you for protecting me…" she said as she stroked Demelza's long blonde hair soothingly.
They stood like that until Professor McGonagall returned with Professor Dumbledore.
"Ladies… Please sit down…" Professor Dumbledore said calmly.
They sat in the chairs opposite Professor McGonagall's desk while Professor Dumbledor sat in the chair behind it and Professor McGonagall stood beside him.
"Please, tell me what happened…"
Hermione explained, trying to keep her voice as even as she could, "I was off doing my Prefect patrol for the evening, and while I was up checking the Astronomy Tower, McLaggen grabbed me from behind. My mouth so I couldn't scream and my… My chest… Demelza showed up and paralyzed him with a body-bind curse."
"Where was Mr. Thomas?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I – I told him I could do the patrol alone… I now see why that is not the case…"
Professor McGonagall was looking at her sternly while Professor Dumbledore's expression was a bit more empathetic.
"Miss Granger, this is precisely why we assign the patrols in pairs… If Mr. Thomas had been with you, this would not have happened and – "
"That's not the point!" Demelza interjected, drawing everyone's eyes to her. "I told both of you last year that he was a danger to myself and probably others as well, and you let him remain at Hogwarts!"
"I understand that, Miss Robins, but we could hardly expel him for a verbal threat," Professor McGonagall explained.
"Well now look at what's happened!"
"Miss Robins, I ensure you that Mr. McLaggen will be expelled for his actions tonight…" Professor Dumbledore said calmly. "And I apologize that we were unable to do so previously. Thanks to your bravery this evening, Miss Granger has escaped what sounds to be a worse fate than what she was made to endure, and Mr. McLaggen will be dealt with accordingly. I am sorry that either of you had to suffer abuse at this young man's hand."
Demelza was still glaring at both Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, so Hermione reached out and grabbed her hand gently.
"He can't hurt you now… It's alright… I'm alright…"
Demelza looked at her for a moment, her eyes still welling with tears, before nodding, "Okay…"
"We will go collect Mr. McLaggen and arrange for him to be removed from the premises. I suggest that the two of you make your way back to Gryffindor Tower for the remainder of the evening. He will not return to collect his things, I will have someone else do that," Professor Dumbledore said in his still calm demeanor.
They both got up and left the office quickly, Hermione still holding fast to Demelza's hand. They walked quietly up to Gryffindor Tower and Hermione muttered the password to a clearly annoyed and sleepy Fat Lady before they climbed through the portrait hole. They passed through the empty common room and Hermione stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to the girls' dormitories.
"Demelza?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you… I didn't know he was harassing you too…"
Demelza nodded, "Right around Valentine's Day, last year. He cornered me in the dungeons. Threatened me with… A lot… I wound up in the Hospital Wing. Katie and Ginny came to visit me, but I guess you and Ginny weren't talking at the time, so you wouldn't have known…"
"I'm so sorry…"
"I'm sorry too… He's such a creep… Glad we're rid of him now…"
Hermione nodded and followed Demelza up the stairs.
"Hey! We were just wondering where you were and – What's wrong?" Katie quickly pulled Demelza to her with a concerned look on her face. Demelza collapsed into her arms, tears once again trailing freely down her cheeks.
"What happened?" Ginny asked Hermione as she walked past Katie and Demelza to get to her.
"I – I was attacked my McLaggen," Hermione said softly.
"What?" Both Ginny and Katie shouted.
"Demelza saved me… Hit him with a body-bind… He's been expelled…"
Ginny and Katie stared at her, stunned, while Demelza continued to cry into Katie's chest.
"Come on, my dormmates snuck off to Hogsmeade for the evening… We can talk in my room…" Katie muttered, slowly walking Demelza down the hall. Hermione and Ginny followed.
"Are you alright…?" Ginny asked gently.
Hermione nodded, but couldn't stop a few tears from escaping.
"I'm going to kill him…"
"No, you're not… He'll be gone by tomorrow…"
"Well, if I ever see him again, he's dead…" Ginny growled angrily.
Katie pulled Demelza up onto her bed while Hermione and Ginny sat on the edge of the bed beside them.
"Do you two want to talk about it…?" Katie asked tentatively.
Hermione shook her head quickly, "There's nothing more to say. He attacked me, Demelza saved me, he's being expelled as we speak. I'm far too tired tonight to process any of it…"
Katie nodded and slid into her bed beside Demelza who looked as if she was already drifting off to sleep, "If you two want to stay here tonight, you can."
Ginny looked at Hermione, who nodded, "We'll go get ready, then come back."
"Alright, we'll be here."
Ginny and Hermione left the seventh year dormitory and got ready for bed in their own rooms before meeting again outside the seventh year dormitory door.
"I know you don't want to talk about it now, but if you ever do…" Ginny said.
Hermione nodded, "I know. If I want to, I know I can talk to you. Thank you."
Ginny pulled her in for a hug and Hermione relaxed into her, burying her face in her neck.
"I've got you…" Ginny whispered into her ear as Hermione nodded, tightening her grip around Ginny.
They stood like that for a few minutes, before entering the seventh year dormitory and settling in to the bed next to the one where Katie and Demelza were cuddled up, fast asleep. Hermione felt so safe as she too cuddled into Ginny's protective arms, and quickly fell asleep.