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Saving the Saviour

Chapter 1: What a Fine Mess You've Gotten Yourself Into

Harry Potter, Wizard, Saviour of the Wizarding world at the age of fifteen months, Protector of the Philosopher's Stone at eleven, Basilisk Slayer at twelve, Tri-Wizard Tournament winner at fourteen and at that moment, none of it mattered.

His school year had just ended where he had seen the death of a fellow student, Cedric Diggory who was also a competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He had been murdered right before Harry's eyes when he and Cedric had taken the trophy together. This had led to Harry being used in a very dark ritual that returned Voldemort to a human form.

Now he was being sent back to his prison, the home of his relatives where he was unloved and unwanted.

Harry's return to Privet Dr. was anything but welcoming. His aunt and uncle seemed more hostile than ever. He had been sent immediately to his room when they returned home. He was glad he had something to eat left over from the train because he wasn't allowed any dinner.

At the moment he heard his very large Uncle lumbering up the stairs and down the hall in his direction.

"Boy!" said Uncle Vernon, forcefully kicking Harry's door open.

"The name's Harry," Harry replied hotly, rising off his bed.

Vernon eyed Harry malevolently. "I'll teach you some manners," he threatened, raising what looked like an old oak table leg.

Harry's eyes widened in fear, realizing that his Uncle had finally lost it.

Instinctively Harry raised his left arm in defence as he tried to move back towards his night table where he had left his wand. With a sickening crack, Harry felt his forearm snap as the first blow landed.

Grunting in pain, Harry kept his eyes on his Uncle as he blindly reached behind him, feeling for his wand.

His fingers scrabbled across the tabletop but his wand eluded him. Chancing a quick glance, Harry finally lay his hand on his wand and as he brought it up to bear on his Uncle, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the next blow swinging at him.

"Bombarda!" he cried out just as the blow struck the side of his head. Harry saw stars and he was vaguely aware of his Uncle flying back and striking the door frame. Then blackness took him.

HP + GW – GW + HP

Nymphadora Tonks was just passing by the office of "The Underage Use of Magic" office when someone bolted out of the door, almost hitting her in the process.

Mafalda Hopkirk looked up in surprise. "He's done it again!" she screeched, not even bother to apologize for almost hitting Tonks with the door.

Who's done it again?" Tonks asked, looking at the older witch in annoyance.

"Harry Potter! That's who!" Hopkirk yelled, waving a piece of parchment under Tonks' nose.

Tonks grabbed the parchment out of the startled witch's hand. "I'll check it out," she said over her shoulder as she hurried off towards the Atrium.

As soon as she was able, she Apparated to Little Whinging. It had only taken her about a minute to get there. She looked at the house quickly but carefully and was relieved to find nothing amiss.

She hurried forward, not even bothering to knock, she burst through the door. Standing at the bottom of the stairs she found Harry's Aunt. She was looking up the stairs, her face white in fear.

"What's going on?" Tonks demanded.

Petunia Dursley looked at her in shock, what little colour that remained drained from her features. "Noth – nothing," she stammered, her eyes darting once more up the stairs.

Tonks didn't buy it for one moment. She pushed past the frightened woman and bounded up the stairs.

"Stop!" she heard shouted behind her.

Ignoring Harry's Aunt, Tonks made her way up to the hallway. The sight that greeted her took her totally by surprise. Laying at the far end of the hallway, right outside what she knew to be Harry's door, she saw the remains of an arm.

She ran the length of the hall and spun into Harry's room. The sight that greeted her chilled her heart.

Laying inside the door was Vernon Dursley, his right arm missing from the shoulder on down. He was bleeding profusely and without emergency treatment he would probably bleed to death in minutes.

"Cauteris!" Tonks shouted out, pointing her wand at the injury. A searing flame shot out of her wand, sealing the bleeding wound. The stench of burnt flesh filled the room.

She then focused her attention to the other occupant of the room. He was laying beside the bed. "Oh, Harry," she cried as she took in the sight of the boy laying before her.

His left arm was draped over his body, multiple bones sticking out of the broken appendage, blood flowing freely. Worse was the injury to his head. Tonks shuddered as she looked at the second wound. A part of Harry's scalp was peeled back exposing his fractured skull. It appeared to Tonks that it had been pushed in at least an inch. Laying next to his damaged head lay the table leg, fallen near where it had struck Harry.

Tonks sent an emergency Patronus and hurried to Harry's side. She breathed a slight sigh of relief, Harry was still breathing, if a bit labouredly.

"Hang on, Harry. Help is on the way," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Within moments several others arrived. Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived with two other Auroras and took in the scene.

"Tonks, I want you to portkey with Potter to St. Mungo's, stat," the senior Auror commanded. "Proudfoot will take the Uncle while Smithers and I take control of the scene here."

Tonks nodded and quickly placed the portkey on Harry's chest and within seconds, they were gone.

"Holy Mother of Morgana," whispered Kingsley as he looked at all the blood that was splattered around the room. His attention was drawn to the sound of someone hurrying up the stairs. He turned, wand at the ready only to drop his arm as Remus Lupin came into sight.

"Where's Harry?" he asked desperately, a panicked look on his face.

"Easy, Remus," Kingsley said, taking the older man by the shoulders. "We've taken him to St. Mungo's."

"How bad was he hurt?" Remus asked with a pained look.

"I don't know," Kingsley replied sadly.

When Remus looked at him pointedly, he added "It didn't look good, his head wound looked really bad." He then proceeded to tell him what had taken place, about how it looked like Harry had been forced to defend himself against an attack by his uncle.

Remus' eyes scrunched up in obvious distress. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to calm himself. He then looked around the room. "I'm taking Harry's stuff with me," he stated forcefully. "No way am I letting him return here."

Kingsley nodded slowly as Remus gathered the few things Harry had taken out of his trunk, hoping that Harry was able to return anywhere. He was surprised when the older man knelt down by the bed and reached under, lifting up a loose floor board and checking under it.

Remus smiled wanly at the Auror. "Harry's secret hiding spot," he told the other man. Finding it empty, he replaced the floor board, closed Harry's trunk and Apparated away.

Kingsley watched as the last of the Ministry clean-up crew restored #4 Privet Drive to its former state, removing all the blood stains along with the piece of arm that was laying in the hall. It was so mangled that there was no way to reattach it, even magically.

They descended the stairs where they found several members of the MLE taking Harry's Aunt into custody. Several others were going to remain behind, waiting for Harry's Cousin to return.

With a shake of his head, Kingsley departed, wondering how things had gone so terribly wrong.

HP + GW – GW + HP

Ginny Weasley was sitting in the parlour at the Burrow, the familial home of the Weasleys. She was idly flipping through an old copy of Witch Weekly, bored beyond belief.

She hadn't even been home from school for one day and didn't even want to think about starting her summer homework. So as usual, her thoughts were on the one person they always drifted to when she had time on her hands, Harry Potter.

Sure she used to have a deep crush on him in the past but ever since he had saved her from Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets, her feelings had grown.

Her experiences during her first year had totally changed her. She was no longer a shy, unworldly eleven year old. The things she had experienced and done had aged her beyond her now thirteen years. Even at sixteen, Tom Riddle had been completely evil and Ginny had seen all his memories up until he had made his Diary.

It was a much more mature young woman who was contemplating Harry than one would have suspected. Ginny was very worried about his current mental state. He had seemed so broken after the horrendous events surrounding the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

She was suddenly startled by the sound of someone Apparating just outside the back door.

Curious, she rose and stood just outside the kitchen where she heard her mother welcome Remus Lupin in.

"Remus, what's the matter?" Molly asked with great concern.

"Can you keep Harry's things here?", Remus replied shakily.

"Certainly, but why and where is he?"

Ginny chanced a peek around the corner and saw how pale and upset their former DADA teacher looked.

Remus tried to answer, his mouth opening and closing several times, but nothing came out.

"Would you like to sit down," Molly compassionately asked the distraught man.

Remus nodded his head and sank heavily down into a chair at the kitchen table.

Without asking, Molly immediately started the kettle for tea, giving Remus time to collect himself.

Ginny felt goose-flesh spring up and down her arms, a feeling of dread washing over her. From Remus' reaction, she knew that something horrible had happened to Harry.

She saw Remus shakily raise his cup of tea to his lips, having to use two hands to steady it, even then some spilled.

Ginny chanced another look and she couldn't believe how white Remus' face was.

With a look of utter helplessness, Remus looked Molly in the eyes. "Harry's uncle attacked him a little while ago," he said forlornly.

Ginny's action mirrored her mother, her hand coming up to cover her open mouth to stifle her cry of surprise.

Ginny felt her heart squeeze in her chest, and she couldn't catch her breath as tears formed in her eyes.

"How bad is he?" Molly asked, tears flowing down her cheeks too.

"Kingsley said it was bad, really bad," Remus replied, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He said Harry has a severe head wound along with a arm broken so bad that the bones were sticking out in multiple places."

Ginny couldn't stop a whimper from escaping her lips but it went unnoticed by the two adults sitting at the table in the next room.

Remus gulped down the last of his tea. "I need to get over to the hospital," he said hurriedly as he stood and rushed outside to head to the Burrow's Apparation point.

Molly followed him out the door, watching the older man hurry off.

Ginny stood still for several moments, her mind working feverishly, thinking about Harry and his current situation.

Thinking quickly, she snuck into the kitchen and opened Harry's trunk, taking his Invisibility Cloak then shutting the trunk so no one would know she had removed anything.

With her mother still outside she hurried back into the parlour, donned Harry's cloak, grabbed some Floo powder, shouted out "St. Mungo's" and disappeared from the Burrow without anyone knowing.

It took the youngest Weasley several moments to find the proper spot, but when she spotted Tonks and Remus she knew she was at the right place.

What she saw almost froze her heart. Tonks was crying freely, being held by Remus who was ashen faced and looking so despondent that she thought for sure that Harry had died.

It was only when she made her way closer that she could hear Remus whispering to Tonks that at least Harry was still alive and while he was they had to hope for the best.

Ginny slowly worked her way to the far corner outside of the room they had Harry in. She watched in trepidation as a number of Medi-Witches and Medi-Wizards poured in and out of the room. She could tell by their actions and looks that every second counted.

Closing her eyes she prayed that Harry would be alright, he just had to be. Up to that moment she had been able to keep her emotions under control but as she sat there and watched the frantic efforts of all the medical people, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

It seemed like hours had passed and Ginny looked at the crowd of people who had shown up, waiting for word on Harry's condition. Her Mum and Dad were there and she briefly wondered if her absence from home had been noticed.

Professor McGonagall was also there, along with Hagrid and Professors Flitwick and Sprout. Tonks and Remus had been joined by an older woman that Ginny discovered to be Tonks' mother, Andromeda.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was nearby talking to several other Auroras who seemed to be guarding the hall and keeping the way clear for the rushing medical personnel.

She gasped lowly when she saw her brother Bill join her parents, hugging their Mum as she cried. She was tempted to join them but forced herself not to, knowing that she would be sent back to the Burrow and she didn't want that. She somehow knew she needed to be there for Harry.

It was then that she noticed who was missing, Albus Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen. Ginny found that fact strange as he seemed to take an inordinate amount of interest in Harry's life

Ginny was fighting sleep when she noticed the level of activity had dropped quite a bit. The Medi-Witches and Wizards no longer seemed frantic in their actions. She just hoped that was a good sign.

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was now after two in the morning. A Medi-Wizard came out of Harry's room. Ginny could see how exhausted the man looked as he took in the assembly of people who were waiting.

Kingsley Shacklebolt made his way to the front of the crowd and when he locked eyes with the Medi-Wizard, he gave a curt nod.

Clearing his throat, the Medi-Wizard spoke. "I'm Healer Payne," he introduced himself.

A couple of people chuckled nervously, causing the Healer to give a wan smile. "Yes, yes, I know. A horrible name for a healer," he said, breaking the tension slightly.

"Right now we have Mr. Potter stabilized and it looks like for the moment his life is no longer in immediate danger."

A relieved sigh went through the crowd.

"That's not to say that things are really that good. Mr. Potter has a long and difficult recovery ahead of him and there is always the possibility of things turning for the worse again. I don't want to alarm any of you but I feel I must let you know how things really are."

Ginny felt her heart clench as the reality of Harry's situation hit her and she struggled to remain silent so that her presence wouldn't be discovered.

She saw her Mum, Dad and Bill approach the Healer. "May we see him?" her mother asked emotionally.

Healer Payne looked at the Weasleys with a sad look. "He's not a pretty sight and I warn you, you'll be shocked to look at him."

Molly nodded her head, but wouldn't be denied. "He needs someone with him who loves him like their own."

The Healer nodded and let the Weasleys pass, Ginny following close behind into the room.

Her mother, dad and Bill stopped short of Harry's bed, temporarily blocking Ginny's view. She heard her mother gasp and begin to sob lowly.

She moved around them, finally getting a look at Harry. She almost lost the contents of her stomach and probably would have if there was anything in it.

To say Harry looked terrible was a huge understatement. His face and head were so bruised and swollen as to render him almost unrecognisable. Only his scar standing out in stark relief proved who he really was.

Ginny moved closer to get a better look. She suddenly realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Oh Harry!" she cried to herself. "What have they done to you?"

A movement caught her eye and looking up she saw a Medi-Witch recording the information of the monitoring spells into a chart.

Almost as if she had read Ginny's mind, her mother asked hesitantly "How is he doing?"

The Medi-Witch finished recording one last thing into the chart before looking at Molly. "Are you family?" she asked.

"As near as he has," Molly said plaintively.

When the young Medi-Witch looked at her questioningly, Arthur stepped in.

"Harry is a good friend of our family and since it was his only relatives that did this to him, we wanted to be here so that he wouldn't be alone."

The Medi-Witch looked thoughtful for a moment before she smiled. "I'm April Johnson and will be responsible for Harry's immediate care," she said kindly.

"I'm Arthur Weasley and this is my wife, Molly and my son William," Arthur said in introduction.

April looked at each one as they were introduced and she got a good feeling from them. She could tell they really cared about the young man under her care.

"Well, Mr. Pot. . ." she began but then changed her mind seeing the concerned looks on the Weasleys faces. "Harry is doing as well as can be expected at this point. His left forearm is shattered and will require extensive treatment but that will have to wait until we can deal with his head injury."

They all had glanced at Harry's head when she mentioned his head injury.

"While a portion of his skull was crushed and forced inward, it doesn't appear as if any fragments were pushed into his brain and that is an exceedingly positive thing. Also a segment of his scalp was torn loose, adding to the danger of infection."

Molly gave another small sob, drawing Ginny's attention and she saw just how distressed her mother really was.

"There has been some bruising and swelling of the brain but how serious that is, is hard to tell at the moment," the Medi-Witch continued. "He has been given potions to help combat the swelling but they are slow acting because of the delicate nature of the brain. Only time will tell if there has been any permanent damage."

Ginny was crying almost as much as her mother though luckily she was able to keep quiet and not be discovered. Both her father and brother, though not crying, looked ashen at what they were hearing.

"May we stay with him?" Molly asked tremulously.

The Medi-Witch took one look at them and said softly "For a few more minutes."

When Molly looked like she was going to protest, she continued. "Really, it's best if you go home and get some rest. You all look exhausted. Come back later this afternoon when the potions have been given some time to work and we'll have a better idea of how things are going."

Molly looked like she was going to say something but Arthur intervened. "That sounds like a good idea," he replied with a wan smile.

Molly looked at him forlornly but nodded her head in acceptance. They stayed just a few more minutes before leaving.

Ginny carefully sat down in the chair by Harry's bed and just stared at him, fighting the emotions she was feeling. She couldn't believe how much Harry had been through in his short life. She knew it would have broken a lesser person and she marvelled at Harry strength both physically and in his character.

Sighing, she fought her tiredness but eventually it won and her eyes drifted shut.

Some time later she awoke with a start, blinking her eyes and looking around quickly. Her eyes came to rest on the clock and she saw it was now Ten in the morning.

She noticed the Medi-Witch leaning over Harry's bed, checking him closely and giving a small satisfied nod of her head, she began to make some more notations in Harry's chart.

Ginny then turned her attention to Harry and to her it didn't look like there had been any change, at least for the better. His face looked worse to her, the bruises seeming much worse than before, deeper in colour and she shuddered looking at them.

The Medi-Witch had turned her back and as Ginny watched Harry she saw his right arm move slightly. Unhesitatingly she reached out and took a hold of Harry's hand, giving it a slight squeeze. She was surprised when she felt a small squeeze in return.

Unable to stop herself, she gave a small gasp.

The Medi-Witch spun around, her eyes sweeping the room. A small smile formed on her face. Unbeknownst to Ginny, Harry's cloak had slipped slightly, exposing part of her hand.

"Please show yourself," April said softly, looking right where Ginny was sitting.

Slowly Ginny pulled off Harry's cloak, looking at the Medi-Witch apprehensively.

April gave a low laugh. "Another Weasley?" she asked humorously.

"Yes ma'am, Ginny," Ginny replied.

"So how long have you been here?" the Medi-Witch asked with a smile.

Ginny grimaced slightly. "Well I've been at St. Mungo's since shortly after they brought Harry in, but I didn't come in here till my parents and brother did."

"So I take it they don't know you're here?" April half said, half asked.

Ginny just nodded in reply.

April looked between Ginny and Harry, taking note of Ginny holding Harry's hand. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked with a small smile.

Ginny sighed, "No, but I do have hopes for the future."

"Well, it's nice of you to hold his hand even if he's not your boyfriend. Even being unconscious, people who have woken up said they were aware of those around them and I think it's nice of you to offer him some comfort," April explained.

Ginny sat up straighter, her eyes widening. "Well yes, but the reason I took his hand was because I saw it move and when I gave it a squeeze he squeezed mine back."

April looked surprised. "Really? You didn't just imagine it, did you?"

Ginny frowned slightly. "No, I didn't imagine it," she retorted.

"Please understand that I'm not saying you did, I just have to make sure because it could be very significant," April replied, giving Ginny a reassuring look.

"Oh, okay," Ginny replied contcilitorily. She then gave Harry's hand another squeeze and was rewarded with Harry squeezing her hand again.

"He did it again," Ginny said with a smile.

April came over to Ginny's side of the bed. "May I give it a try?" she asked politely.

April quickly took hold of Harry's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and she smiled when she felt Harry return the gesture. Letting go, she went to Harry's chart and made a notation.

She smiled at Ginny. "That's a really good sign and though it may just be an automatic response, it shows that his brain is functioning at a pretty high level."

Ginny looked at Harry sadly. "I'd hoped that meant he was waking up," she said softly.

April came over and gave Ginny a small hug. "It's much to soon for that to be happening. Even if he wasn't so badly injured, the potions we have him on would keep him knocked out for quite a while yet."

Ginny looked at her questioningly.

"He'd be in so much pain and his body needs time to heal," the Medi-Witch explained.

Just then Ginny's stomach gave a low rumble.

"When did you eat last?" April asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny gave a small grimace. "Last night at dinner," she replied lowly.

"Well we can't have that. I'll order you a breakfast tray," April replied with a warm smile.

She popped her head out of the room and flagged down a passing intern. When she ordered the tray, the intern glanced in the room, wondering why a comatose person would need a meal but she smiled when she saw Ginny sitting by Harry's bed.

Ginny's meal arrived shortly and as she ate she and April chatted about Ginny's and Harry's lives. All the time April kept busy with taking care of Harry, checking him over and giving him his doses of potions when necessary.

Ginny was a little surprised when April talked to Harry, explaining what she was doing and just some occasional small talk.

When Ginny asked about it, April explained "Like I said, some comatose people have said they are aware of what took place around them and even if they can't it's better to treat them like the person they are and not just a body lying in a bed."

Ginny then found herself talking to Harry too and she found it did make her feel better treating Harry like he was listening.

April glanced at the clock and swore softly. "Quick, cover yourself with your cloak and don't make a sound," she said, banishing Ginny's empty tray.

Ginny had just thrown the cloak over herself when Healer Payne walked into the room. "How is our patient doing?" he asked.

April handed him Harry's chart. "He's doing as well as expected, maybe a little better," she replied.

It looked like the Healer was going to ask why when he got to the notation on Harry's chart about his squeezing her hand. He nodded with an appraising look. "What prompted you to squeeze his hand?" he asked.

"I saw his hand move so I tried giving it a squeeze and he responded to that stimuli," April replied.

Healer Payne nodded and drew his wand, casting a couple of spells. Though she was fairly close, Ginny couldn't make heads or tails of what the results were.

When the healer pocketed his wand he looked at the Medi-Witch. "Well I don't detect any increase in brain activity but that's to be expected at this point. Even if it's nothing but an auto-response it's still a good sign. Keep me informed if there are any changes and I'll probably stop by before I leave this evening."

"Yes, sir," April replied, taking Harry's chart back.

"What time do you get off?" the healer asked.

"Not till eight this evening," April replied.

Healer Payne shook his head but smiled at the Medi-Witch. "You girls deserve medals," he said. "We couldn't operate without you."

"Thank you, sir," April said, appreciating the praise.

The healer gave her a wave and left.

April paused for a moment. "All clear," she said to Ginny.

Ginny looked at the Medi-Witch in awe. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Since eight last night," April replied. "I came on duty just before they brought Harry in."

When Ginny looked at her in surprise she added, "I'm pulling a double shift."

"Wow," was all Ginny could think to say as she retook her spot next to Harry and grasped his hand again.

They settled back and began chatting again, Ginny was happy to pass the time talking instead of just sitting there worrying about Harry.

XX HP + GW XX

It was mid-morning at the Burrow before Molly noticed Ginny wasn't around. Puzzled she called up the stairs to her daughter. When she received no response she turned to her sons.

"Has anyone seen Ginny?" she asked, quite perplexed.

When no one reported seeing her after dinner the previous evening, Molly began to panic. It wasn't until she glanced at her magical clock that she settled down some.

Ginny's hand was pointing at St. Mungo's. At first she felt her temper start to rise but then her look softened. "Ginny, you silly girl," she said softly. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, she went to the stove and started the water for some tea.

She knew Ginny was safe for the moment and that they'd be going to the hospital later. Not that she wasn't going to give her daughter a piece of her mind when she got her home, but she did sympathize with her some.

She and Ginny had a pretty good relationship and had spent many hours talking and quite a few concerned the boy who was currently laying seriously injured at the hospital.

Molly sipped her tea, trying to come up with the proper punishment for sneaking out, even is she felt quite a bit of pride for why Ginny had done it.

Rising, she went and decided to do something to pass the time. Being busy was much better than sitting around thinking about what was wrong. She got out the flour and some other ingredients. She'd start by making some bread dough then moved on to making some pies. Cooking and baking were Molly's form of therapy.

XX HP + GW XX

Ginny was actually having a pretty good time, that was as long as she didn't think about Harry and what had happened to him. If she did she started to feel her eyes mist up and she'd have to fight off crying because of how bad she felt.

Luckily, it didn't happen too often as the Medi-Witch, April kept her occupied with either helping out a little or just talking. She spent some time reminiscing about all she knew of Harry's adventures, even telling her things she hadn't shared with anyone about what had taken place in the Chamber of Secrets.

April was a very good and sympathetic listener and what Ginny liked most, she didn't treat her like a little girl but as the growing young woman as she saw herself.

Ginny was helping the Medi-Witch with changing one of the dressings on Harry's head wound, just holding and handing supplies as needed when she was taken by surprise as she heard a low "Ginevra Molly Weasley," from behind her.

After handing the last of the bandages to April, she turned around to find her mother and father standing in the doorway. She looked at her mother somewhat contritely and somewhat hopefully.

She was pleased to see her mother give a small shake of her head and a thin smile after a moment and she knew that just maybe her punishment wouldn't be too severe.

Her father on the other hand was trying very hard not to smile, though she could see his lips curl up at the ends every so often. She knew he was much more tolerant of her misbehaviour than her mother.

Once Molly's display of disapproval was over she came in and gave Ginny a hug. Ginny then went and hugged her father while Molly talked to April about Harry's condition.

Though slight, there had been a small improvement and they were hopeful that things would continue in that vein.

At first Ginny was afraid that she'd be sent straight home but she relaxed when her father whispered to her that she could stay until they all returned home together.

Reassured, she retook her seat next to Harry, took his hand in hers and began to talk softly to the unconscious boy. She was vaguely aware of April explaining to her parents about what she was doing but she concentrated on Harry.

He still looked so terrible it tore at Ginny's heart and she wished she could do something more to help him recover.

The remainder of the afternoon passed much the same as her parents talked with the Medi-Witch and Ginny sat holding Harry's hand.

At four o'clock they got ready to leave and Ginny reluctantly let go of Harry's hand. She had given it a small kiss before setting it down softly, hoping her parents didn't see. She would rather have given him a kiss on the cheek but with his face so swollen she didn't want to cause him any pain.

As she turned around, she saw the three adults looking at her with smiles on their faces, causing her to blush deeply.

As they said their goodbyes, she heard April explaining about her schedule and the hope that she'd see them all tomorrow.

It wasn't until they were outside the door and out of view that Ginny gave herself over to her tears. "Oh, Mum," she cried as she felt her Mum's arms enfold her. "He's hurt so bad."

She heard her Mum shushing her and telling her that Harry would be alright and she fervently prayed that she was right.

It was a thoroughly exhausted Ginny that returned to the Burrow. She was doubly surprised when her mum sent her up to her room to have a bit of a lie in before dinner, not that Ginny was going to complain.

It seemed she had just laid down and closed her eyes that she felt someone give her a small shake.

"Wake up, Ginny. It's time for dinner," her mother said.

Ginny blinked groggily, her eyes darting to the clock beside her bed first. She was surprised to see an hour and a half had passed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up.

"M comin," she mumbled.

To her surprise, her mother was still standing there. "We're going to have a talk, young lady, after dinner. Understand?"

Nodding her head, Ginny knew there was no getting out of it, she'd broken the rules and been caught, though she hadn't really tried not to this time. She knew in her heart she had been where she needed to be. Now all she had to do was convince her mother of that.

Dinner was a rather sombre affair, though it wasn't completely silent, all conversations were subdued and without the normal boisterous element that was the norm in the Weasley household.

All to soon for Ginny's liking dinner was over and as she rose to help clear the table her mother gave a nod of her head towards the stairs. With a sigh, Ginny stopped what she was doing, leaving the clean-up to her father and brothers while her mum followed her to her room.

Ginny sat contritely on her bed as her mother came in and closed the door behind her. Ginny tried to get a read on her mother but found it hard to do. Her face showed her annoyance but she could see the traces of a slight smile there too. Ginny just hoped for the best.

Uncharacteristically her mother didn't lay right into her.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Molly asked eventually.

Ginny could see her mother's small smile as her own eyes widened in surprise as she wondered about this new tactic.

Taking a deep steadying breath, she let it out slowly. "I . . ." she began hesitantly. Then squaring her shoulders and looking her mother square in the eyes she said "I needed to be there."

Molly's eyebrows immediately shot up. "Oh, really?" she asked, increduously.

"Yes," Ginny replied resolutely.

Molly gave her a contemplative look before she came over and sat down next to her daughter. "Care to explain that?" she asked curiously.

Ginny sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging. She was looking off, her head shaking back and forth imperceptibly. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she tried to form her chaotic thoughts in some semblance of order.

She turned and looked at her mother plaintively. "I can't really explain it other than that deep in here," she said, placing her hand over her heart, "that I need to be there."

Molly just looked at her for several moments. "Are you sure it's not here," she said tapping Ginny's head, "and not here," she said, tapping Ginny's chest.

Ginny nodded her head, not knowing how else to explain what she was feeling. Deep inside she was sure she needed to be there for Harry, she just couldn't explain it any better than that.

Molly studied her daughter carefully. She could see something in her daughter's eyes that spoke of some deep commitment, a resolve and a strength of conviction.

She knew, being part of the magical world, that there were sometimes forces at work that defied normal explanation.

"Okay, Ginny. We'll work something out, but that doesn't excuse your actions. You will have to be punished for that."

"Yes, Mum," Ginny whispered, accepting the responsibility for what she had done.

"Besides your normal chores you are to spend at least one hour in the morning doing your summer assignments before you will be allowed to visit Harry after lunch. You are to be home for dinner every evening, no exceptions. Have I made myself clear?" Molly said.

Ginny looked at her mother in shock. She would have never believed what she had just heard if she hadn't experienced it. Nodding her head she agreed, to shocked to say anything.

Molly patted her hand. "I may also ask you to do a little extra, but I won't make things to onerous for you," she said with a smile. "Now come on and join the family in the parlour," she added as she stood.

Ginny sprung up and enveloped her mother in a tight hug. "Thanks, Mum," she said emotionally.

XX HP + GW XX

Harry awoke for lack of a better term. For a moment he looked around in a panic, expecting to see his uncle still attacking him. Instead he found himself in a place that was shrouded in a soft white light.

He lay there contemplating where he was and what was happening when he heard a melodious voice off to the side.

"Well, this is certainly a fine mess you've gotten into."

Startled, he looked at the speaker, his eyes widening in shock. "Mum? Dad?" he said in disbelief.

XX HP + GW XX

A/N: Had most of this sitting on my hard drive for quite some time, almost a full year and decided it was time to do something with it. It will be fairly short, maybe five chapters or so. I know I should be updating my other stories that are underway and I will, I promise but this just screamed at me. I hope you enjoy it and please, leave a review, it warms my heart when you do so.