There was a torrent of rain pouring from the midnight blue sky. Stars were not visible due to the heavy cloud cover. No one was moving down on the streets. If they were, they were hurrying along, under umbrellas, to the nearest shelter. The atmosphere in the room that you could see this out of was almost identical to outside. The air in the room was heavy with the emotions of the people in it. Three scared people were in the room, one in a bed and two sitting in chairs beside him. There was only one sound in this room, the voice of a red-headed Weasley.
“Harry! Harry, wake up!” a loud, strangled voice called out. He could hardly hear this voice but knew it sounded familiar. “Harry, come on, mate, wake up. You can’t be dead.” Harry was trying to come back to find out who was behind the sound. He was desperately fighting for his life, so as to not fall out of consciousness once more. Who knew if he would wake up again! He could now hear muffled sobs in the background. He was beginning to stir. He gradually opened his eyes and sat up, seeing nothing more than a blur, but there was no mistaking the flaming head of hair in front of him. It was Ron!
“Oh my god, Hermione, he’s awake!” he heard Ron scream out. The next thing he knew he was being thrown back onto the bed. Hermione was sobbing all over him while exclaiming how happy she was that he was alive. “Hermione, get off of him, he can’t breathe,” he heard Ron say as he put his glasses back on to see a huge smile lighting up his best friend’s face. “Harry, I’m so glad you are ok. There was a time where I thought you would...” He couldn’t finish his sentence. “Well, let’s just say, I’m glad you’re alive. So, how are you feeling?”
“I don’t feel so great. I feel like I’ve been here for a long time but that doesn’t make sense, does it,” said Harry as he laughed, but he cut it off quickly once he caught sight of Ron’s face.
“Uh, mate, do you know how long you really have been here? Because it’s been a little under three months.”
“I’VE BEEN HERE HOW LONG? I can’t believe this, we have to leave, we have to finish finding the Horcruxes. We have to find Voldemort!” Harry tried to get up while he was saying, well yelling this, but was pushed roughly back down by Ron.
“Harry, calm down.”
“Ron… let go… of me,” he gasped while simultaneously trying to wrestle Ron off of him, “we need… to… leave, and NOW!”
“Harry, sit down. I’m trying to explain.”
“What is there to explain? Whatever it is, you can tell me later. I’m sure it’s not that important. Come on, let’s go.” At this point, he was practically halfway to the door before someone did anything.
“Harry I’m sorry to do this. Petrificus Totalus.” A jet of light shot out of the tip of Ron’s wand. Harry’s legs snapped together and his hands were brought down to his sides. He was stiff as a board as he toppled over, not being able to move, his extreme impatience could be seen in his bright, green eyes.
“Sorry, but this is the only way I can get you to listen.”
“Harry, we have already found all the horcruxes and you have already defeated Voldemort,” Hermione interrupted.
“That’s why you are here at St. Mungo’s. We, as in the Order, Ron, and I, think we found you three to four days after you killed him. We had been searching for and destroying the horcruxes for the past month. When we destroyed the last one, you took off without telling us where you were going.
“We were able to track you down a week later, and when we found you, we didn’t think that you were still alive. We found your body a few feet from Voldemort’s body in the street in front of your parent’s house. From the look of the place, it looked like you two destroyed the entire neighborhood.”
“Trees were snapped in two as if they were twigs, street signs were blown to smithereens, and the few houses surrounding were leveled. Your parent’s house, well whatever was left of it, is completely gone now. There was no sign of life anywhere,” Ron continued.
”Like I said, we were afraid you were dead. It looked as if you both died at the hand of each other. I remember the feeling I had before I checked your pulse. I was afraid to touch your skin, afraid it would be cold and lifeless, afraid I would never be able to talk to my best friend again. I paused right before I put my hand over your chest because I couldn’t bring myself to think that you actually might be dead, and I thought by finally touching your chest it would confirm my biggest fear.
“The weak, thready beat of your heart made my stomach soar. You were alive! Barely alive, but alive at that. We rushed you straight back here and waited. We waited forever. Then the healers came out and told us you were in a “coma,” some word muggles use. It means that you’re in a deep sleep and can’t wake up. They told us that you might not make it through it. At that point, I broke down," Ron said weakly.
He continued, “I couldn’t bear to lose my best friend when I had just found you. We checked on you day and night. Every time we came they told us your condition was worsening; our worst fears came true. They said you wouldn’t live. They said that even if you did survive, you wouldn’t be able to remember anybody or anything. I think that’s why you can’t really remember defeating Lord Voldemort right now.
“But we refused to believe it, well Hermione and me that is. We have stayed by your side for the past two and a half months. You never showed progress but your condition did not worsen. We were starting to gain hope.
”And then it happened, two days ago you progressed tremendously. You would stir and open your eyes for a minute or two at a time but then slip back out. We knew you were showing hope. And then today we began to talk to you, hoping you would hear our voices and come back, and you did. We were stunned. Well, I’m sure you could realize that, at how Hermione practically threw herself at you.” He was interrupted by Hermione sobbing uncontrollably.
“S-sorry, I-I just di-didn’t want t-to lose y-you Harry. I, w-we, were s-s-so sc-scared f-for y-you.”
“Yea, we were. I mean, I didn’t think I could make it if I didn’t have you as my best mate. Harry, I’m so glad you’re alive.”
The shock Harry felt at their words could be seen in his eyes. They were not bright, vivid green anymore, but dull and tear filled as he watched Ron. He wasn’t shocked at hearing how he defeated Voldemort, knowing that one day he would, but at his friends, Ron in particular. He had never seen this side of Ron. Only the funny, sometimes dazed and confused Ron, not the emotional one.
Here was this tall, muscular guy with tears streaming down his cheeks as he told Harry how he felt at seeing him near death. This made Harry appreciate him even more. To know how Ron felt thinking his friend was going to die and see him standing here crying as he retold it showed the mark of their friendship. He knew Ron deeply cared for him and he was thankful he had a friend that was so caring, though not always showing it.
“Sorry about leaving you down there but I had to tell you. I thought you were about to hex me for not letting you go.” There was a small smile playing along the corners of Ron’s mouth as he said this, but tears still streamed down his freckled face. He muttered the counter-curse and Harry got up.
Once he was on his feet, he swiftly walked over to Ron and pulled him into a brotherly embrace. “Thank you,” he muttered softly. And then he turned and gave Hermione an enormous hug. “Thank you both; I don’t know what I would do without you. You both are the best friends anyone could ask for. Now, come on, let’s go to the Burrow. I want to see everyone, Ginny especially.” A huge grin spread over Harry’s face as he said Ginny’s name. But little did he know that the smiles were wiped from Ron and Hermione’s faces as they frowned at each other behind his back.
“Now wait a second, you are not going anywhere right now,” the healer said quickly as she came swiftly marching in. She had obviously been standing right outside the door waiting for them to finish their conversation. “You are staying here tonight and can leave tomorrow morning, and no buts about it,” she added at the look of protest on Harry’s face. With that, she turned and left the room before anyone could utter a word.
Harry got back in bed, shrugging, knowing he was going home to the Burrow tomorrow to see Ginny, and smiling to himself, fell asleep instantaneously. Little did he know things were not the same as he had left them. He was in for a huge shock…
It was the day after he had gotten to the Burrow and he woke up to the scrumptious aroma of Mrs. Weasley’s breakfast wafting through the house. He jumped out of bed, groaned, forgetting he was still a little sore from the previous events, and began to dress before heading downstairs. There was no noise emitting from any of the rooms as he wandered past them. He figured everyone must be asleep; they were all up late listening to Harry tell his story of the path he took to defeat Voldemort (some parts left out, of course, but he was beginning to vaguely remember most of the details). Everyone was there, even Ginny, though she did have to get special permission from Professor McGonagall to come home; they were already around two months into the term. The entire night Ginny hadn’t looked at him except for once or twice. He thought it was a little strange but didn’t contemplate on it too much. He had other things on his mind, such as Hogwarts. He, Ron, and Hermione had decided to go back for their final year, but not without thinking hard on it.
He stumbled into the kitchen, lost in his memories of last night. Mrs. Weasley was standing there with her back to him fixing breakfast. He smiled as he remembered all the times this woman in front of him had given everything to him. She was the one that took him in like her own. Not wanting to bother her, he quietly tiptoed out into the bright, sunlit backyard only to find the person he had wanted to talk to the most since he had gotten home the previous night.
“Ginny,” he called out as he walked to the swing that she was sitting on and threw his arms around her waist, picking her up and enveloping her in a kiss. “I’ve missed you so much. I wanted to talk to you last night but I never saw you after everyone went up to bed.” He looked up into her eyes, smiling until he saw the distant look in them. He didn’t like the feeling he got when he saw that look. “Ginny, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, um, nothing, nothing’s wrong. I’m just in shock that you’re here and alive.”
“I know, me too, but I am here and we can pick up where we left off.” He then proceeded to kiss her but she did not kiss him back like he was used to. He pulled away to see that look of sadness he didn’t like. “Ginny, what’s wrong? Voldemort is gone; we don’t have to hide our relationship anymore.”
“Nothing, it’s nothing; it’s just that…”
“Ginny, don’t tell me it’s nothing when I can see and feel that there’s something wrong. Now, what is it?”
“It’s just that… Harry, I’m so sorry.”
“Gin, what is there for you to be sorry about?”
“I-I’m, seeing someone…” She couldn’t get the rest of the words out. She couldn’t do this to him. She hated to see him sad. But she had thought he had died. They hadn’t seen him for a month after he left for the summer, and then he was in St.Mungo’s for two and a half. No one had thought that he would survive his condition. They all thought that the healers were just buying time for everyone to say goodbye.
But she hadn’t even gone to see him. She was still infuriated at him for leaving her. She hadn’t even seen him the night that he left. He didn’t say anything to anyone, and she could not stand it. How could he just pick up and leave without saying goodbye to anyone, her especially. She cried herself to sleep for weeks, hoping and praying that he would come back or send her a letter at least. None came. Well, she had decided that she would move on and it was his problem, not hers. He had left her, right? He was the one to blame for this.
Well, she had moved on, and it was to Dean Thomas. He was there with open arms when she would talk to him. He would listen intently to her fears about whether Harry would want her back or not. Ginny would ramble on and on about how since she hadn't been there for Harry during (what everyone thought was) his last days that he might not come back to her. She knew she didn't deserve him since she wasn't acting as her usual self. The Ginny she and everyone else knew would have waited for him. She would have stayed by his bedside until he awoke.
But something in her heart tore the night he left. She had been waiting for him for six years, and then he just took up and left. Obviously she didn't know the reasons for him leaving. She didn't know about the Horcruxes and Harry having to destroy them. She only knew that Harry, the one she loved, was leaving her. Yes, at the funeral she had told him that she knew it was for some noble reason that he was breaking up with her. But that didn't mean that she completely accepted it. It wasn't fair to her that he was making this decision entirely on his own. She was sick of his wanting to protect her scheme. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. Hadn't she proved that in her fourth and fifth year.
Dumbledore had once said that love was the power Harry had and Voldemort had not. Love would protect them. Just like it protected Harry when he was a baby. Love would overcome any obstacle. But Harry hadn't come to that conclusion yet. He hadn't seen that the greatest power to defeating Voldemort was right in front of him. Ginny. If he had Ginny, he had all the love in the world. And then there was Ron and Hermione. With those two by his side with their love radiating to him(even though they both hadn't come to their senses yet either) he couldn't be stopped. He had to realize that. Obviously Ron and Hermione's love was enough. But she wondered, if he had all of her love that night would he have been injured. She would never know.
But something inside her snapped that night and she began to act differently. She wasn't her usual independent and strong personality. She was reserved and shy. She wouldn't even hex her brothers if they made fun of her anymore. It was if she had become another person. Harry leaving had caused her to break down completely.
As she looked back to all those times, she couldn’t understand why Dean dealt with it in the first place. She had been selfish. He didn’t once complain that she was obsessing over another guy. He never made her feel guilty for talking about Harry. Dean was her boyfriend now. He was her new support system.
“You’re what!” Harry yelled. “No, no, you’re not seeing someone else. You can’t. How could you do that to me? How could you leave me? I love you, Ginny, how could you break my heart?”
“Kinda like you did to me?” she challenged back. How dare he talk to her about breaking his heart? She was the one who should be upset. He broke her heart, not the other way around.
“You just left me, Harry, you didn’t say goodbye to any one, especially me. You left in the middle of the night without anyone knowing where you went. How was I supposed to respond to that? I cried myself to sleep for weeks until I decided I wasn’t going to let my feelings for you get in the way of me living my life. You never once sent a letter saying that you were ok or still alive. It was like you didn’t even care about me. Did you ever think about how I would feel, how I would react if my boyfriend that I loved dearly didn’t tell me goodbye on the night that he was going to search for Voldemort? You could have died. Hell, you almost did. And then you sit here and accuse me of breaking your heart. HOW DARE YOU, HARRY JAMES POTTER? I was the one who got her heart broken! I was the one who had to sit in agony for weeks on end until I realized I wasn’t living.” She was now shaking with anger while tears streamed down her face, smearing her mascara.
“Ginny, how can you say I don’t care about you? I love you more than anything in the world.”
“Well, you have a funny way of showing it.”
“I couldn’t send letters. Someone might have intercepted the owl and been able to track us down. I couldn’t take that risk.”
“Damn it, Harry. You couldn’t risk it once, not even once, to just tell me that you were ok?”
“No, I’m sorry that I hurt you, Gin, but I had to do what I did. Voldemort’s gone now, aren’t you happy?”
“Of course I’m happy, Harry. The most evil wizard that ever lived is now vanquished. But did you ever realize that my love would have helped you also? Do you not remember what Dumbledore was trying to stress to you before he died. Harry, the least you could have done was realize that Dumbledore was right all along. If you would have included me everything might have been finished quicker and you might not have been critically injured. But, it's over and I'm very thankful that Voldemort's gone. But, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t take it. I still care for you deeply but I can’t be with you right now. You broke my heart and I can’t forgive you that easily. I’m sorry.”
“Gin, just tell me who it is then. I want to know who took you from me.”
“Harry, don’t do that, don’t blame someone else for your own mistakes. It’s not fair to him; it’s not fair to Dean. Oh and, Harry, he didn’t take me from you, you did that on your own.” With that she stormed off to the house.
Harry watched the girl he loved walk away from him, not knowing if he would ever get her back. By the way she was yelling at him, it didn’t sound too good. And Dean Thomas of all people. ‘I’m just going to have to have a little chat with Dean tomorrow,’ he thought to himself. Harry stepped back into the house, careful not to run into Ginny, and went to his room to pack. He, Ron, and Hermione were leaving tomorrow (though a little late, but nevertheless) to start their seventh year. Ginny was coming with them as well.
The next morning went by in a haze of confusion. Clothes, books, and other items were strewn about the Burrow. The four teenagers were always amazed to find out how many additional possessions showed up every time they tried to pack everything. Ginny hardly had anything to pack considering just about everything she needed was already at Hogwarts. All she had were the little overnight necessities she needed. The trio, on the other hand, was a different story. Harry and Ron more so than Hermione, who had her fair share including her piles and piles of books. But the boys had clothes, posters, quidditch supplies, a few products from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and the things they had from and needed for their quest. Rounding everything up was an injury waiting to happen. When Harry came down the stairs, he nearly sent Hermione tumbling to the bottom by trying to dodge Ginny. Once everything was gathered, they flooed to McGonagall’s office. Even though Voldemort was gone, people were still extremely cautious.
Ginny entered a few minutes before the boys and had a quick conversation with the Headmistress. The trio appeared next.
“Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione. It’s good to have you back,” Professor McGonagall greeted.
“It’s good to be back, Professor,” replied Harry.
“Well, I see you have all of your books necessary for this year and all you need now are your schedules. But I am giving you permission to start classes tomorrow and not today.” With this statement huge smiles were plastered on Ron and Harry’s faces, Hermione’s not as much so.
“Now, Ginny, you are already settled in, so you can continue classes today. But I will allow you to wait until after lunch.”
“Thank you, Professor,” said Ginny.
As the four left the room, Professor McGonagall called Harry back.
“Now, as you already know, Harry, practices for Quidditch have already begun. A team has been put together as well as a replacement for Captain and Seeker.”
“I understand, Professor,” Harry somberly interrupted. “It’s okay.”
“Potter, let me finish. Now, your replacement for both has been Miss Weasley. When she put the team together, she told the three chasers that their positions were not necessarily secure. I think her reasoning behind that was that she believed that you would be coming back and that she would fill one of the chaser positions leaving the seeker position for you to fill. Now, that still leaves the matter of Captain. As you know, Ginny arrived a few minutes before you and quickly told me that she would let you take over your old role as Captain. That is, if you accept.”
“I, well I, uh, yea, yes, I accept. I would love to,” replied Harry, his spirits considerably higher.
“The same goes for Ron’s role as Keeper. Ask him if he accepts, would you?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Well, that is settled.”
Harry turned to leave but Professor McGonagall stopped him once more.
“And, Potter, the first match is in three weeks. Make sure you get your team in top shape. Don’t make me regret Miss Weasley’s decision.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded and left the office beaming.
Harry returned to the Common Room to tell Ron the good news. Obviously Ron was very ecstatic about it.
“No way, we’re still on the team! That’s fantastic,” Ron practically shouted. “I can’t wait to start.”
Harry said slightly quieter, “Yea, it’s really your little sister’s doing. She saved our positions.”
Ron noticed Harry’s change of demeanor and his addressing Ginny as “your little sister.” He knew Harry wasn’t taking things that great and hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid. They all knew how Ginny could get.
“Hey, I need to go talk to her quickly before lunch. I’ll be there in a few,” Harry told Ron.
‘Oh, shit, what is he doing,’ thought Ron. ‘He better not fuck things up any worse.’
Harry crossed the common room to get to Ginny.
“Hey, Gin,” he addressed her. “Um, I mean Ginny.” He quickly corrected himself after seeing the look on her face.
“Hi,” she said rather stiffly. “Do you need something?”
“Uh, well, I was wondering if I could talk to you?”
“Well, you obviously already are. Continue.”
“No, not here, in private, please?” he added with a pleading look.
“Huh,” she sighed. “Okay, but only because I don’t have anything to do. We can go to your dormitory. I really don’t feel like walking around to find an empty classroom.” She groaned and walked up the stairs.
Harry followed, wondering if it was such a good idea to talk to her.
Once in his room, he didn’t know how to begin.
“Uh, well, I - I just wanted you to know, um, I wanted to say thanks,” he finally spit out.
“For what?” Ginny retorted.
“For giving me and Ron our spots and me my Captain spot back. Thank you. It means a lot.”
“Well, Ron is my brother, isn’t he? He does deserve something.”
“But what about me? Why do I deserve it?”
“I didn’t say you deserve it, but it is your job to be Captain. I really didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You didn’t know if I was going to survive-"
Ginny cut him off. She couldn’t take this again.
“Harry, don’t start this. I did what I felt was right at the time, okay? It’s over. The situation is over and I don’t feel like talking about it again.”
“Yeah, well I do. You had to have had something telling you not to give up hope. It had to be your heart telling you that I would make it through.”
“How can you stand there and tell me that it was my heart, the heart that was broken nonetheless, that made me make this decision. No, it was for my brother Ron, the brother who has always been there for me. I wanted him to have his position back if you three made it back. And I figured that if you also made it back, I might as well give it to you also. I didn’t think it was right for one of you to get your position back and the other not. It was my heart making the decision for Ron, not for you. It was my conscious deciding for you,” Ginny stated, hair flying everywhere while on the verge of completely losing it. “There, are you happy now? I told you, okay? Now I’m done talking about it.”
“But, Ginny, how can you-“
She cut him off once more. “Harry, there is nothing else for you to say. You have no right to say anything.”
“I have as much right to say something as you do,” Harry said, fighting the urge to scream.
“Oh really, I didn’t get that equal feeling four months ago. Does that ring any bells? You get to be left out in the cold this time. And don’t ever tell me about decisions that my heart makes ever again. Especially when it deals with you.” Ginny stormed out the door.
Harry sighed and plopped down on his bed. ‘Is anything ever going to be normal again?’ he wondered.
Little did he know that a certain redhead was standing on the other side of the door, crying about what she had just stated and wondering if things were ever going to be the same.
The rest of the day went by without any more conflicts or confrontations. Ginny returned to class after lunch while Hermione headed to the library. The boys had no idea what she was already studying. They obviously had forgotten about the amount of homework they had to make up.
Harry and Ron walked out to the Quidditch pitch to fly around and get used to playing again. Harry played chaser for a while, shooting at Ron.
“Come on, Ron, let’s go. You have only stopped two of the last five,” Harry yelled. “I know you aren’t that bad.”
“Hey, chill out, I haven’t played in four months. Go easy on me, will you?”
“Going easy on you is not going to help us win that Cup. You need to focus.” Harry was slowly turning into his Captaincy mode again.
“Harry, this isn’t practice, you know that, right?” Ron chuckled.
“I don’t care; you need to be in top-notch shape.”
“Oh, so I’m not in shape, am I?” said Ron. “Ok, let’s see how well you fly after four months off.”
Ron put up the Quaffle and let out the Snitch.
“Let’s go, Harry. Let’s see how well you do.”
Then Ron chased Harry, trying to catch the snitch from him. He failed miserably. Harry easily outstripped Ron every time, catching the Snitch within fifteen to twenty seconds of each time he let it go again. It looked like Harry hadn’t even stopped playing. He was still as phenomenal as ever.
Harry flew to the ground with a huge smile on his face while Ron was panting behind him.
“Well, it looks like that answers your question, doesn’t it, Ron?” Harry smirked.
“Yea, yea, whatever. You were always better than me anyways. Let’s go, I’m starving,” Ron said while trudging up to the school. Harry followed, shaking his head and laughing.
After showering, they headed to the Great Hall. Harry had completely forgotten that there were other people in castle. He was rudely brought back to reality in the Great Hall where he did a fairly good job of avoiding people’s questions or congratulations for his defeat of Voldemort. But that was only by eating dinner in five minutes, much to Ron’s dismay. Once they were in the common room, Harry was mobbed once again by a swarm of people. He successfully dodged them and was able to get to the dormitory before anyone else could congratulate him. He knew he would have to deal with it sooner or later, but he preferred later. Soon, sleep fell over him and he got lost in his dreams.
Yes, yes, I know it's short. But, I had a few things in this chapter that just needed to be by themselves. I'm trying to work out some things in the third chapter. Criticism is appreciated. R & R. Please!!