Madam Pomfrey kept Harry and Ginny in the hospital wing another day and the following night. She said there was no particular urgency in releasing them, as the headmaster had canceled final exams, due to recent events.

Ginny's brothers all came to visit. Harry felt awkward while they thanked him for saving their sister, but overjoyed to learn Hagrid was out of Azkaban, and back at Hogwarts. Ginny was glad to hear the news as well, but still felt guilty over the part she played in getting him sent there in the first place.

Aside from that visit, and one from Harry's Quidditch teammates, Harry and Ginny spent the day together as the only non-petrified students in the hospital wing. As promised, he told her everything he, Ron and Hermione had learned about the diary and its author.

After that, they stayed away from serious topics. Ginny didn't regret opening up to Harry, but that had been under cover of darkness. Some things were too personal to speak of by the light of day.

They still found plenty to talk about, between Quidditch, magic, teachers and classmates. Ginny told him stories about growing up at the Burrow. She noticed his reluctance to discuss his own home life, but didn't press him on it.

~*~

That night, Ginny had another nightmare. When Harry went to comfort her, she said, "I don't know why this keeps happening. When I first got back, I slept fine."

"I think that's just how these things work sometimes. After everything with Quirrell and Voldemort, I didn't start having nightmares until I left Hogwarts. Though the people I live with during the summer might have had something to do with that. They're nightmares themselves."

When she asked if her brothers had been telling the truth about bars on his bedroom windows, something about the darkness and the way she'd opened up to him made him share more than he normally would about what passed for life with the Dursleys.

As Ginny listened, she found herself feeling somewhere between appalled and murderous. "Harry, this can't go on."

"I made it through ten years living in that place the whole year round. I can do five more summers."

"No. I'm going to save you, just like you saved me."

"You don't owe me anything. Besides, Ron and I lost the flying car."

"Maybe there's not much I can do right now, but one day, I will save you. I swear it. Not just from your relatives, but from Riddle too. And anyone dumb enough to follow him. I don't know how yet, but probably using lots of fire, if that turns out to be something I'm good at. I'll figure it out by the time I'm powerful enough to do something about it."

"That's a long ways off. Let's not worry about it now."

"Hermione's pretty smart, huh?"

Harry blinked at the change of subject. "That's putting it mildly."

"Okay, so she's fucking brilliant."

"Yeah, she really is. Why?"

"There's the answer then. She'll come up with a plan, and I'll carry it out. I might even let Ron help a little. Problem solved."

"Easy as that? You must be talking about the Dursleys, right?"

"You know who I'm talking about. Wait, flip that around. I'm talking about You-Know-Who."

She grinned at her own wordplay, but saw that Harry looked less amused.

She said, "You fought him and beat him. Three times, from what I've heard."

"I didn't fight him on purpose! I don't even know what happened the first time, when I was a baby. Last year, I thought Snape was behind everything, and I only needed to delay him long enough for Dumbledore to get there. This year, I thought the Heir was a Slytherin student. For a while there, we were sure it was Draco."

She snorted. "That idiot?"

"The point is, I didn't know who I was going to face this year or last, and I got lucky Voldemort wasn't at full strength. The diary was more like a memory or a ghost. Last year, he was stuck on the back of Quirrell's head."

"He what now?"

"Another long story."

"I can't wait to hear this one."

"I'll tell you, so you can see how lucky I got. Whatever happens, please be careful, and don't take risks you don't have to. And yeah, it never hurts to check with Hermione before doing anything."

"I'll be careful. More importantly, Hermione will be brilliant, and I'll be vicious."

Harry didn't have a response to this, so the conversation trailed off, and they both drifted back to sleep.

~*~

The next morning, Madam Pomfrey announced she was releasing Harry.

"Ginny too?" he asked.

"No, Mr Potter, not quite yet."

"Why not?" Ginny asked. Seeing Pomfrey glance at Harry, Ginny told her, "You can say in front of him."

"Very well. I'm still seeing more fluctuations in your temperature than I'd like. I'm not too worried, but I'm going to continue monitoring you."

Harry said, "If it's all the same, I'll stay to keep her company."

"It most certainly is not all the same," she told him. "You've been here often enough to know the policy quite well by now. The hospital wing is for patients, not for visitors who never leave."

Harry looked over at Ginny. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.

"But–"

"You're dismissed, Mr Potter."

"Can I at least have a minute to say goodbye?"

"You may, but do not test my patience by trying to drag that minute out indefinitely."

"Understood."

Pomfrey went to check on the petrified students. The potion to revive them would be ready later that day.

"Ginny…" Harry began, not sure how to reassure her.

"Well. Lucky you."

"I'm sure it won't be much longer, and I'll visit as much as I can. Though maybe if we tell Pomfrey about your nightmares–"

"No!"

"Maybe if she knew, she'd let me–"

"It won't end with the nightmares. The whole story will come out about Voldemort being my mentor and then possessing me. Everyone will think it must have turned me mad, or worse. They'll lock me away."

"I'm sure she won't go around gossiping. She didn't like me listening in, and I'm on your side."

"No, but she'll tell Dumbledore, and he'll tell the teachers to keep an eye on me. They'll start treating me differently, and people will pick up on it, and connect it to everything from this year. You should know better than anyone what it's like to have rumors turn everyone against you. My way is better. Trust me."

"If you're sure this is what you want."

She looked up at him, and tried to smile. "It might not happen again. At some point, my mind has to accept that this is real."

Harry didn't know what to say. How could you prove the world was real to someone who didn't automatically accept it? He glanced towards the area with the petrified students. He'd have to ask Hermione, once she woke up.

Pomfrey noticed him looking, and gave him an impatient look in return. He turned away before she said anything.

Ginny was looking down again, talking to herself. "It has to be real. He never went this long without doing something nasty."

She stiffened as a new notion struck her. "Unless I died in the Chamber, and I'm the one trapped in the diary now. I'd be his to play with forever, and he could drag it out as long as he liked. He could let me think I'm living my life, graduating and leaving Hogwarts, but all the while my body would be lying down there in the cold. Then one day, he'd suddenly appear, and take everything away."

Harry said, "No. That isn't what happened."

Her gaze returned to him, suspicious now. "If I'm right, that would mean you're…" She looked away.

He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She startled, but then he felt some of her tension ease away. He thought she felt hotter than usual, even through her hospital robe.

She gave a sharp nod, coming back to herself. "Right. Okay. Sorry, I can't seem to stop spinning around. I'm worried that if I keep thinking about this, it'll give me nightmares. But I'm so busy worrying about nightmares, I can't think about anything else. I keep going round and round like that. It's stupid. I just need to make myself stop."

"It'll be okay. I know you'll figure it out, but I'll visit as soon as I can anyway."

Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to clear her throat from across the room.

Ginny said, "You should go now, or she might not let you come back."

"See you soon."

"See you."

Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower and a flood of questions about his recent adventures. Ron had already told people his part of the story, but that ended with the cave-in.

Harry gave answers that glossed over Ginny's role in the year's events. He hoped Ron had been careful to do the same. Based on the questions people asked, it seemed he had.

When Hermione returned, she ran over and hugged Harry and Ron. The rest of her housemates were glad to see her too, but didn't hit her with the same barrage of questions Harry had gotten. Lying petrified in bed didn't make for the most engaging story.

Of course, Harry and Ron had to tell their whole story again for Hermione's benefit. By the time they finished, evening had fallen. After everyone else drifted away, the three friends sat together in a corner of the common room.

Harry caught Hermione up on the parts of the story he hadn't wanted everyone to hear.

When he finished, she asked, "Is Ginny going to be okay?"

"Why? What happened?" he demanded, drawing looks from both his friends.

"Nothing happened. She just seemed preoccupied. I stopped to say hello to her after Madam Pomfrey revived me, but it's like she was in her own little world."

Ron looked around to make sure no one was listening. "She's probably worried you're holding a grudge over getting petrified."

"She didn't look worried or guilty. More like afraid."

"Afraid you were going to yell at her, maybe? I don't know. She seemed alright when I saw her, but Harry has spent the most time with her since everything."

"Yeah, until Madam Pomfrey kicked me out."

"Can't get enough of the place?" Ron asked. "Given your luck, you'll be back soon enough."

Hermione swatted him, but he shrugged. "Just how it seems to go."

Harry chewed his lip. "You may be onto something there. Hermione, do you think he's right? Was she worried about you, or something else?"

"She looked uneasy even before she noticed me. She kept checking the windows, like she was expecting bad news by owl or something."

Harry stood. "Ron, I need you to come help me with something. For Ginny."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a puzzled look, then both rose to follow him.

Harry said, "I only need Ron for this."

"No," Hermione told him.

He tried glaring at her, but he'd forgotten how much better she was at it. "Fine, but promise you won't interfere."

"I'm not promising anything of the sort."

He shook his head, and started towards the common room exit.

When they found an empty classroom and closed the door behind them, Harry turned to Ron and asked, "Can you throw a punch? Like a proper one? I need you to hit me. Hard. Probably several times."

Hermione gasped. "Harry!"

Ron's lips moved as he searched for words. He settled on, "Have you gone mental?"

"No. I need a reason to get back in the hospital wing. Something bad enough to keep me there overnight. I'm thinking broken nose, dislocated jaw, maybe knock out a couple teeth?" While listing the options, he gestured at his face to illustrate.

"Harry!" Hermione cried again.

Ron shook his head. He backed away, but Harry followed him, staying in close.

"It's not a big deal," he insisted. "Wizarding medicine can fix pretty much anything. I regrew the bones in my arm in one night. You aren't going to use any magic for them to track, so you won't get in trouble. I'll say I fell down the moving staircases. Adults believe whatever's most convenient for them, when it comes to stuff like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded.

Ron looked ill. "I don't care about getting in trouble. I don't want to hurt you, even if it can be fixed."

"I can take a punch. Believe me."

"But why? You can't ask a bloke something like that without even giving a reason."

Hermione said, "There is no acceptable reason!"

Harry said, "None of what I'm going to tell you now can get around school, but I know why Ginny was watching the windows. She was watching for nightfall. She's been having nightmares about Riddle, and the Chamber. Bad ones. When she wakes up, she has trouble shaking them off. I'm worried it might even be bad for her condition. You know, with her temperature and everything."

"Poor Ginny," Ron said. Hermione nodded in sympathy, but didn't look ready to budge from her opposition.

Harry said, "It helps if I'm there to reassure her, because I was the first person she saw when it was all over. I asked if I could stay until she gets released, but Pomfrey said no."

Hermione said, "It's nice you want to help, but you can't take this all on yourself. Madam Pomfrey can give her a Sleeping Potion. If that doesn't help, I'm sure she can pass her case on to the proper people to handle it."

Ron snarled, "Watch your mouth, Granger."

Harry and Hermione were both taken aback by his change in tone. "Ron? What–?"

"We're not sending my sister to Azkaban!"

Hermione said, "Azkaban? Of course not! I would never suggest that!"

"Well, long term in St Mungo's then. At best. But if people decide she's mental because she got mixed up with something Dark, Azkaban is more likely. It happened to one of my mum's cousins."

Hermione asked, "Are you saying that if a witch has mental health issues, she could wind up in Azkaban? Besides being a prison, Azkaban is also… an asylum?"

"What are you on about? Azkaban is the last place you'd go to seek asylum."

"Not political asylum, a mental asylum. Though I'm not sure if that's the proper modern term for them."

Ron looked at her blankly. "Listen, it's simple. People who are dangerous to themselves get sent to St Mungo's. People who are dangerous to others get sent to Azkaban."

Hermione looked horrified. "Oh God, I think I get it. The reforms in how Britain treats people with psychological issues must have happened after the Statute of Secrecy. The wizarding world never went through the same reforms."

She pulled out a Muggle notepad and pen and began writing.

Ron snatched it away to see what she'd written. "What is this?"

"Hey!" she protested, grabbing it back. "It's the list of things I need to fix about the wizarding world."

Harry said, "This isn't helping right now."

Hermione finished writing and looked at Ron. "You said this happened to someone in your family?"

"I thought I told you about him. Oh, maybe I just said he was an accountant or a stockbroker or whatever."

"What's his job got to do with anything?"

"That's what you say about family members you don't want to talk about. You pick some Muggle job and say they went off to do that."

Hermione stared at him. "People here use Muggle careers as a euphemism for psychological issues? That is just wrong in so many ways." She scribbled more notes in her notepad.

"Not everyone, obviously. Blood-purist idiots probably think having a family member choose the Muggle world is worse than having them be a nutter."

Hermione looked up from her writing with a scowl.

"What? I don't think that. I'm saying living like a Muggle is better than being mental."

Hermione turned red and drew in a breath to give him a good shouting, but Harry cut in. "Hey! I need to get back to Ginny! Hermione, if you don't like it, then leave. Ron, we let Ginny down this year, by not figuring things out sooner. This is our chance to start making things right."

Ron frowned as he considered this, then put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Mate, you were practically an honorary Weasley already, but this, and everything else you've done for Ginny… It's like I have another brother."

Harry had remained stoic while pleading with Ron to injure him. Now, at Ron's words, he had to blink several times to stop his eyes from stinging.

Ron looked away to give him a moment to collect himself.

Harry said, "Thanks, mate. Likewise." He took off his glasses. "Okay, ready."

Ron turned back to him, and shifted his stance. "Uh, close your eyes, I guess."

Hermione cried, "Oh, my God! Stop!"

Harry and Ron jumped, like they'd forgotten she was still there.

Ron looked down. "Hermione, you need to leave. I don't think I can do this with you watching."

"You can't do this at all!"

"Hermione–" Harry began.

"As I understand it," she interrupted, enunciating her words slowly and precisely, "the problem is that if Madam Pomfrey sees you in the hospital wing without a valid medical reason, she'll just kick you out again. Is that correct?"

"Well, yes. Obviously," Harry answered in the same manner.

"If only you had a way to avoid being seen…"

Ron and Harry looked at each other. They both exclaimed, "The Cloak!"

Harry hurried for the door, calling back over his shoulder, "Thanks, Hermione. You're the absolute best!"

"I still don't think it's all up to you to–" she began, but stopped when he ran out of the room. She turned back to glare at Ron instead.

Ron folded his arms, and tried a weak smile. "Harry sure comes up with some crazy plans sometimes, huh?"

"Hmph!" She turned to stalk off.

"Where are you going?"

"Library."

"Why? Dumbledore canceled exams."

She whirled back around and advanced on him. "After being subjected to that… spectacle by you two idiots, I need some time in my happy place!"

Having established that, she resumed storming away.

Ron waited until she was out of earshot, then muttered to himself, "Merlin. That one may be a bit mental herself."

It sure was bloody brilliant to have her back though.