Harry and Ginny

Chapter Seven

Hello my faithful readers! Here is the next chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. I just had surgery and I didn't feel up to writing much. Hope you like it! :)

...

That night after everyone had gone to bed, Ginny sat alone curled up on the couch, staring into the warm, hearty fire, trying to think about nothing. She was tired, but her mind wasn't. She just wanted to sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep well for months now, ever since things started getting really bad with the Carrows. She shook her head trying to get rid of the thought. She continued to watch the flames burn and flare, until her eye lids eventually began to become heavy. Slowly, she started falling asleep. Ginny continued to lay there, still only half asleep. She was vaguely aware of someone with round glasses, picking her up off the couch. 'Harry,' she thought, smiling and snuggling closer to him. She felt him carry her up the stairs and to her room, where she was gently put under the blankets. Harry smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead, then left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

In the morning, Ginny jerked awake in a cold sweat. She had had another nightmare; this time about Harry. She was always having nightmares now. They rarely stopped, and she constantly had to live her fears. She stood up. It was still mostly dark out. Since she was already dressed from the day before, she just put on a jacket and crept out of the house. Ginny sneaked over to the broom shed, and took out an old Cleensweep 5. This was something of a habit she had developed in her childhood when her brothers wouldn't let her play quidditch with them. She hopped on and flew up into the air. She felt light, weightless. It was the best she had felt in weeks. She closed her eyes and felt the wind in her hair. Laughing, she began flying as fast as the beat-up broom could go, doing loops and spinning through the air.

Ginny sighed. This was the first time she had been flying all year. Of course quidditch had been banned, that year. She had missed it. She flew around their quidditch field. She then flew across it, and across all of the nearby fields, whizzing past neighboring homes of other wizards. She started going higher and higher until she was as high as she dared. The sky was so clear she could see for miles ahead where the sun was glowing orange just above the horizon.

Other than quidditch itself, this was her favorite part of flying. She remembered doing this ever since she was little, when she taught herself how to fly. Nearly every morning she would sneak out and practice flying on her brothers' broomsticks because they would never let her play with them. She smiled at the thought.

After an hour or so, she flew back home in time to see Ron and Hermione standing outside the back door. They were carrying bags. Ginny had forgotten that they were leaving for Australia. She saw Ron give Hermione a hug, then they disapparated. They never saw Ginny watching them. She flew down and landed, put the broom back in the shed, then went inside. She walked into the bathroom deciding to take a shower. She stepped into the hot water and let it rain down on her. After a long while, she got out and wrapped her towel around her. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked worn. Her normally soft brown eyes looked tired and much older than they had several months earlier. Even her vibrant red hair seemed to have faded a bit.

Ginny turned around to look at her back. Long, scars slashed across her pale skin. The Carrows had come up with several creative ways to punish students who refused to obey them, including a few muggle torture devices. She shuddered. She could still feel the sting of the whip, and the curses that hit her again and again. Her mother tried to heal her the best she could after she had been rescued, but unfortunately, the injuries were inflicted by magic too dark. Like George's ear, it couldn't be healed properly. The wounds had taken a long time to heal without magic, and the scars were red and still fairly new. They didn't pain Ginny as much anymore, but every once and a while, she flinched sitting down, or doing various things. She got dressed and put her wet hair up so it wasn't in her face. She decided to go downstairs and join her family for breakfast, even though she had lost her appetite.

...

Two weeks had gone by. Ron and Hermione had returned safely from their trip and everyone had begun rebuilding the castle. So many people had shown up to volunteer, that Professor McGonagall had tears in her eyes when she saw the crowd assembled, awaiting instructions. They had all worked out and gotten used to the routine of the maintenance. Four teams were assigned, by their houses, and each team given a different section of the castle to work on. They started by clearing away the rubble, then started on repairs. They would continue to work on their assigned section until everything was back to normal. They all got three meals a day in the Great Hall, thanks to the house elves, and slept in their dormitories at night in their respective houses.

The Gryffindors were currently assigned to a section on the third floor. Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville worked together, clearing away the chunks of rock that had been blown off the walls with their wands. It was near the end of the day and Ginny was tired and hungry. She was relieved when their supervisor, Proffesor Flitwick told them they were finished for the day. They all headed down to the Great Hall to eat. Everyone ate together during meals, regardless of their house. When the group sat down together, they were joined by Luna and Cho.

Everyone began gorging themselves with the food that had been set before them. Laughing, and eating, Ginny felt happy and content to be with the people she loved most. Later that night, Ginny sat in an armchair alone in the Griffyndor common room. She was exhausted from a long day of working, but she wasn't able to fall asleep. She heard a noise behind her and turned around. Harry was watching her, and she noticed he was holding his invisibility cloak. "Come with me," he said. Offering her his hand, he helped her up and threw the cloak over them. Ginny thought this was funny because they weren't breaking any rules leaving the common room. Harry seemed to have read her mind because he smiled saying, "For old times sake." She smiled and nodded.

Harry opened the portrait hole, but Ginny knew he knew better than to help her through. He took her hand and they walked through the castle, then out the front doors to a tree by the lake. Once out of view of the castle, they took off the cloak. Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny from behind. "Oh I missed you so much," he said. She smiled. "What's this all about?" she asked. "We never had a chance to talk since everything's been over, and I know there are plenty of stories to tell," said Harry. They sat leaned against the old tree, overlooking the lake. Harry began telling his adventure, starting after the wedding.

He told her about escaping death eaters in the cafe, staying at Grimmauld Place, discovering about the horcruxes, sneaking into the Ministry of Magic, traveling around the country, while keeping away from snatchers, Ron leaving and coming back, being captured and imprisoned in Malfoy Mannor, Dobby dying, staying at Bill and Fleur's, breaking into Gringotts, escaping on a dragon, going to Hogsmeade, meeting Aberforth, and going to Hogwarts. Ginny never imagined all that he went through during the past seven months. She didn't really want to tell him about what she had been through anymore because it was nothing compared to what he had.

"Oh Harry, it must have been so horrible. I can't even think about it," she said. He really was a hero. He had always been one, she knew, but she no longer felt worthy to be loved by this Harry Potter. She looked down. "Hey," said Harry, tilting her head up. "We made it through. It's all over and everything is going to turn out fine." He kissed her forehead. "I've told you my story, and now it's your turn," he said. Ginny took a deep breath, then started. She told him about being captured and monitored by the Death Eaters from the wedding. She told him about everyone being forced to attend Hogwarts, which had been taken over and ruled by Snape and Death Eaters. She told him about the Carrows, the brother and sister Death Eaters. The sister, Alecto Carrow, took over the Muggle Studies class, and replaced Professor McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress. Her brother Amycus, took over the Dark Arts class, which had replaced the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, and had been assigned Deputy Headmaster. Some classes involved them performing the cruciatus and the imperius curse on first and second years.

Both of them had been given the task of punishment in the school. Ginny explained about their more "muggle style" punishments, like starving and whipping them, along with the cruciatus curse and a number of hexes and jinxes. She had experienced it all. When she wouldn't curse the first years, when she helped try to steal the sword of Griffyndor, when she repeatedly refused to have anything to associate with the dark arts. The whole school had been changed. The Professors did the best they could to help them, but there wasn't much they could do. Things started to get really bad after they had taken Luna away. Everyone was being hurt and abused, and that's when they had to take action. The Room of Requirement was their savior. Anyone that supported the Carrows couldn't enter their hideout. They stayed there for a few weeks, before Harry, Ron, and Hermione came with Neville.

"So," she concluded, "that's how Hogwarts was this year. I don't think we could've made it if we didn't have you to give us all hope. I just missed you so much." Ginny reached out and hugged Harry, who was looking horrified, and he held on to her. "I missed you too," he said. "More than you know."

...