Just so you know, this story was written pre-HBP so is now considered a little AU, I suppose.
A/N: Well, I’m sorry to say the wait for this chapter has been many months! I can’t believe I let my timing get this out of hand, but things became so busy I just couldn’t take it, I was on a hiatus, you could say. It’s just been really, really crazy. Plus the fact, this has been finished since June and my Log In problems and rejection have caused some issues. Also, I’m sure you don’t care about my excuses but I really tried to get this out quick, but obviously something went wrong. I’ve probably lost my only like two readers, but hey, the show -or story- must go on. Please read!!!
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Chapter 9 ~ Strange and Happy Occurrences
Hermione and Ron were pushing their way through to the other side of the hall, trying to see what happened. There were worried whispers surrounding them and as they reached the scene, they stopped dead in their tracks. Tears pricked Hermione’s eyes, a male nurse was standing over two bodies holding out his wand, he had a deathly glare in his eye and he seemed to be daring anyone to try and fight him. Worse yet, to Hermione anyway, those two bodies on the floor were none other than Neville, and strangely Percy Weasley.
First she was puzzled, Percy had never made up with the Weasley’s and Cornelius Fudge had become something of his father. Shouldn’t he be around? And even stranger, why was Percy with Neville, of all people? To add to her confusion, the nurse, why would a St. Mungo’s worker be endangering the people here? Her answer came as soon as the nurse turned, there was a searing black mark of a skull on his arm she barely caught a glimpse of as his sleeve ruffled.
She held her breath and pushed Ron back in the crowd a little. Even though Percy had abandoned the family, he seemed upset. “Ron,” she whispered, so no one else could hear, “it’s a Death Eater, undercover.” A look of understanding spread across his face until he suddenly blurted out, “Ginny’s gone!” Hermione looked around anxiously, she was. “She probably stayed back there Ron, we have to stop this death eater! For Harry!” He seemed to agree to this as he pulled out his wand and moved toward the front of the crowd. She followed.
Before she could even speak, Ron shot a body bind curse toward the Death Eater, taking him completely by surprise; he fell to the ground, and unable to move. Hermione sent a stunning curse behind him; to be sure he couldn’t find a way out. “Listen everyone,” she addressed the crowd, “this man is an undercover death eater.” She pulled up his sleeve to show the slowly fading Dark Mark. “There could be more hidden here, be on the look out.”
There were apprehensive murmurs throughout the group. She bent down by Percy and Neville, they were still alive, but barely, Ron levitated them into a ward in search of a healer while Hermione put a long sleeping curse on the death eater and pushed him outside. Then, she went in search of Ron, leaving the wary crowd behind her.
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Ron, as tall as he was, could not get a glimpse of what was going on through the crowd, so he and Hermione pressed their way over to the scene. Only once they arrived, and saw Neville and Percy, which through his strong pulse of anger, he felt sadness. If Percy dies, without ever making up, he didn’t think about it. Then he realized Ginny hadn’t followed them, but Hermione seemed to notice something at that time because she pulled him aside.
“That nurse is a Death Eater,” she told him, this made sense, because it couldn’t be any St. Mungo’s worker but he couldn’t hold in his worry for Ginny any longer.
But Hermione brushed it aside, saying Ginny probably didn’t follow, and Hermione was probably right, his worry was misplaced. Then, Hermione mentioned Harry, he knew he just had to take this Death Eater down, for him, so he pulled out his wand and sent the first spell he could think of. Then he took Neville and Percy while was talking to the crowd. She’s so good at taking control, he thought, absently.
Down the hallway, he glanced into rooms, except for the injured, they were strangely empty. It was eerie and silent, this is odd he thought, where are the healers! He reached a room that sounded as if people where humming loudly, he laid Neville and Percy on the ground and opened the door. It seemed as if every healer was tied up and thrown into the room. He quickly untied them all with magic; they all rushed out of the room. Only one woman stopped to say, “Thank you.”
But before she could run off, he stopped her. “Oy! These people need immediate help, they could be dying!” She came back and took them herself.
Ron stood by and watched and followed her as she went around trying to find healing materials. They finally settled in a room and he sat waiting for some form of information. Hermione turned up then.
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Ginny was walking around, the halls were too quiet. This should have been a busy ward, everyone was an emergency. She walked determined, glancing in rooms as she went. However, someone brought her back to reality. Lockhart. His face came peering, smiling, out of a room, the same one where Neville’s parents were lying. She then realized, he didn’t know what was going on, he was living the same mixed up, simple life they had saw him in two years previous. She stopped.
What was she doing? She just set off, Ron would probably go nuts with worry, and she didn’t know the danger she could be getting into. But, she had started; she couldn’t very well stop now. Finally, she saw a flood of healers, muttering, rushing toward the ward, they all ignored her as they rushed to their patients, this struck her as extremely odd. She continued on, she spotted the casualty list lying on a table, forgotten. She warily stepped towards it, wondering if she wanted to read it. But her suspense and curiosity got the better of her, she grabbed it.
Deepest regards to all families’ losses.
That was the header. She skimmed the list, looking for anyone and everyone she knew, dearly hoping she didn’t find them. Unfortunately, she found a fellow sixth year Gryffindor and three Ravenclaws she knew. Also, there were two Hufflepuffs and several Order members including Kinglesy Shacklebolt and Mundungus Fletcher. Dean Thomas and Cho Chang were also among the list as well. She purposely skipped over the W’s, looking down, she found a few more people she knew from X-Z. Now, tears were streaming down her face. She cautiously looked at the W’s.
Julian Walters was first, she was a seventh year Ravenclaw. Then”no Weasley’s!! She looked at it three times before she confirmed it was true, not one Weasley was on that list. Her heart skipped a beat and she nearly smiled. Then, the true reason she was here returned to her with a painful twinge in her side, which was starting to bleed again.
She tried to ignore her pain, as she thought of her secret, why hadn’t she told anyone? It was too late to worry about that now; she knew she just had to find Harry. Something happened that night he saved her, that terrible night in the Chamber, but she had never shared that with anyone. Some type of connection had forged between them, she wondered if Harry had ever noticed it and, like her, kept quiet.
She began to notice the connection around third or fourth year. The times when Harry’s dreams had become more frequent and when he began to interpret and feel inside Voldemort’s mind. Ginny’s dreams and feelings had corresponded to Harry’s. She dreamed stronger, more frequent dreams at the times he did; always involving him and Voldemort, though Ginny was sure they were more fiction, than reality, like Harry’s dreams were.
Furthermore, Ginny somehow felt how Harry had felt, she couldn’t explain why or how she knew it, but she did. Once this began, she knew it wasn’t just her infatuation with Harry causing it, it was deeper. She knew he had to feel it too, but never had to courage to actually find out, and now she regretted it.
During those long hours of waiting in the common room, she began to think, half awake, and started to piece her dreams together, from the first she could remember. …Harry saved her from Voldemort…..she watched Harry fight death eaters…they fought for some unknown object, to keep it from Voldemort…they fought side by side against enemies unknown and Voldemort…All of these things, in some form or another, whether she was there or not, had happened. Her dreams were in way, reality, not the present, or really what happened, but still reality. At some point during her half-stupor she must have really drifted off, and she dreamt the most complicated thing yet.
Harry seemed dead, yet still alive, and she walked up to him and did something, and he woke, then time seemed to jump. She was standing with Harry sometime after his triumph and they were….happy. She woke with a start. All her other dreams had been true, why not this one, but the fight hadn’t started, this must be… the future, she had thought. If her other dreams have happened, this one must too. She marveled at her confusion as though waiting for a clear answer to spring out of the air, but none came, the only thing that came was the the signal to come join the fight.
She walking from room to room, looking for Harry or any sign to show her where to go, but strangely enough the first thing she found was Ron and Hermione sitting together in a room. She walked in to see Neville and Percy, wondering if they soon would be added the list, they defiantly looked like it, she thought sadly. Ginny was most forgiving of Percy, even though he had yet to make up with the family, she tried to understand. Ron and Hermione looked up at her in surprise.
“Ginny?” they said in unison.
“What are you doing here?” Ron asked worried.
“How did you get here?” Hermione added.
Ginny didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to tell the truth either. She started by telling them all the Weasley’s, with the exception of Percy, were alright. At this, some of the color returned to Ron’s face, he looked just a little better. She paused trying to figure out what she should tell them next, but was saved the trouble when Hermione, half franticly shouted, “Ginny!”
She was pointing at her waist, where unnoticed by Ginny, the slash had leaked blood onto her robes. At as soon as Ginny thought about it, the pain increased hundred fold and blood came more profusely. But she tried to act as if it was nothing, “I’m fine Hermione, don’t worry about it. I’ll be alright - leave me alone - get off!” Hermione pushed her into a chair and she realized how weak she was, and how good it felt to sit. Hermione ushered the healer over to Ginny, who tried to fight her off but failed miserably.
However, it took the healer no more than five minutes and all that was left were a few bandages to help with scarring, and Ginny regained a lot of energy.
“Now, are you going to tell us why you’re here?” inquired Hermione. “Well,” Ginny could think of no way out, the truth must be revealed, so she launched into her story. When she finished which only took a few minutes due to how fast she spoke. Hermione and Ron both seemed shocked, mouths open, eyes popping, shocked.
She didn’t think she could stand anymore of their staring, or face their comments so she stood up, “I have to go find Harry,” she whispered, and walked out of the room.
But before she was two steps away, the healer, who must have been listening, came out, “Do you really think we left Harry Potter just lying in any old room to be cared for whenever someone got to him?” she asked incredulously.
Ginny cowered, “Well, I’ll have to look extra hard then, won’t I?”
But before she could stalk off the healer pulled her closer and whispered so softly it could have been a gentle breeze, “Top floor, hidden door to the right of the fountain, tap the wall three times.” Ginny stared, nodded, and turned away slowly, before heading for the stairs.
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Hermione and Ron sat next to each other, still in shock from Ginny’s news. “Well, what do you reckon she’ll do?” asked Ron.
Hermione shrugged, just as confused as he was. Before they could contemplate further, the Healer came over, “I’m doing the best I can for these two, but honestly, don’t get your hopes up, the spells on them seem to be some dark magic, but I really will try.”
Ron looked close to tears, but Hermione was already completely hysterical, she may not have been close to Percy or Neville, but still, knowing they might die was too much. The only reason she wasn’t hysterical over Harry yet was that she clung onto a desperate, probably lost hope, that he could survive anything, and he would be alright. Ron put his arm around Hermione, doing his best to comfort her, even though emotions weren’t really his specialty.
Hermione looked up, “Ron I always felt it was betrayal to Harry, and he would be mad, but if I don’t get another chance, I love you, Ron. I don’t care if you don’t love me back, but I had to tell you. No matter what though, you have to promise, you, me, and Harry, we will always be, ‘The Golden Trio’, you know, the three of us, forever.”
Ron sat there for a minute, and then stared back into the depths of Hermione’s eyes, so full of pain, “Of course, always the three of us, forever. And… I love you too.” He hugged her.
“Oh, Ron what if he doesn’t live, how could we survive?” Hermione whimpered into his shoulder.
“He will Hermione, he hasn’t failed yet, remember his love is what guides him, and the love the three of us share can make anyone survive.” He smiled, surprised at what came out of his mouth, though not entirely sure he believed it., nevertheless, it comforted Hermione slightly.
Also, something else deep in his mind told him, Harry would survive, because of Ginny, he didn’t know why, but he just had a feeling, and it cheered him, however little.
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Meanwhile, Ginny was in the Lounge, on the seventh floor, she walked over to the fountain, turned to the right and tapped the wall three times. Slowly, a door appeared, “Name,” came a voice from nowhere.
Ginny jumped before she answered, “Ginevra Weasley.”
It seemed to consider her answer before it said “Insert your wand,” when she did, it slowly opened, and her wand came out the other side and she took it and turned to face the room at large.
There was Harry lying in a bed, clearly unconscious. This was her dream and somehow, she knew, it was her job to save Harry, even though she had no idea how to do it.
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A/N: I know that change from Ginny’s P.O.V. after she enters the room with Ron and Hermione is kind of confusing. It is like Ron and Hermione’s point of view together, it seemed to work better that way. I’m sorry if it confused you.
Also, a HUGE thanks to HP11star for Beta-ing this chapter!! You helped so much!
Wow... it's been some time. Yeah, I'm glad I'm working to get this up. Tell me what you think, if it’s that bad, then tell me, but correctively, not critically and rudely. Go to my authors page for a note. I'm having major issues. But please keep reading. :)