Through The War

inexplicably

Ron struggled to pick Ginny up from the ground, for he was struggling too, internally, but with the help of Hermione as well he succeeded in pulling the curled up Ginny up and supporting her weight.

Ginny was a mess. She wasn't crying, she wasn't speaking, but it was as if all the bones and muscles in her body had stopped working, and she was limp.

"Ginny, c'mon - the battle is still going..." Hermione tried quietly, a supporting arm around Ginny's shoulders. Her eyes were blank. She didn't respond, only nodding her head slowly. "We've got to keep going, it's going to be alright." Her voice cracked at her own words of affirmation, and it seemed her voice went out. Ron picked up the conversation.

"Ginny?" Ron asked tentatively, looking at her concernedly. He kept glancing around habitually, his eyes darting to every flurry of movement. He was itching to see what had happened in the battle when he was gone, and he feared the worst for the rest of the family. "W-what's the matter? Bloody hell, Gin, what's wrong?" He added, for Ginny had straightened up harshly and almost elbowed Ron in the face, her expression set.

"Let's go." Was all Ginny said, and turned on the spot so quickly that Hermione was knocked off balance and stumbled behind as Ginny turned sharply around the corner. Ron shared a look with Hermione and both quickly followed - worried for what Ginny was thinking.

Ginny ran down the steps of the moving staircases without a second thought, anger burning through her blood - adrenaline was coursing through her veins like a drug and she wasn't stopping for anyone who wasn't her family, Neville, Luna or even Harry. She turned through the corners of the castle, taking no notice of Ron and Hermione following desperately behind her, only looking for her family. If she was going to lose Harry - she sure as hell wasn't going to lose them as well. She would make sure of that.

Right as she turned the corner for the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor, a small battle was breaking out - and she heard Percy's voice. Her stomach flipped. It was Percy, Fred and the imperiused Minister for Magic. None of them noticed her rounding the corner, but she did notice Rookwood coming out of the shadows, a creepy look etched on his face, his wand drawn suspiciously. Ginny kept her wand out, arms shaking with nerves.

"Hello, Minister!" bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?""You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee."You actually are joking, Perce.... I don't think I've heard you joke since you were -"
Ginny could feel it before it even happened, an explosion erupted with a loud "BOMBARDA!" from Rookwood and she rose her wand like a reflex, bellowing out the first thing that came to her mind,

"PROTEGO!" Her own scream rang in her ears, and she winced.

The rubble that blew apart a large part of the castle flying around them, blowing out the window and the glass and classrooms around the explosion looking like a bubble around them. Ginny's shield charm only protected her, the stone wall collapsing on Rookwood and Thicknesse. It covered Percy and just barely Fred, who was at the edge of the charm, looking stricken. What could've happened hit her like a brick. Fred dying seemed like such a movie situation and she hated the mere thought of it. Her, Fred and George were practically inseparable growing up. Well, actually, she followed them around like a lost puppy. But any of her brothers dying would probably kill her. And now that Harry-

"Ginny!" He exclaimed, running over to her and adding a second shield charm to support the weight of the rubble. They were protected by the shield charm that bubbled around the three of them. It was shaking under the pressure of the rubble. "What're you doing here? You're supposed to be in the room, staying safe!"