Redemption I

Chapter 43

Ginny chewed her fingernail nervously. Lunchtime was fast approaching and so was the time they would all be escorted to the Great Hall. She hadn't been able to get a response from Neville on the two-way parchment and she was growing even more concerned. She just prayed that he was waiting for her in the common room. Her class was the last to let out and be led back to the dormitories.

"Neville!" Ginny moved through the other students over to the couch beside the fire. His head was in his hands and she could tell he'd been crying. "Neville... what's wrong?" Ginny took the place beside him wrapping her arm around his back. "What happened? Is it Luna? Is she alright?"

Neville sniffled softly and shook his head, "It's gran..." He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "I...I got into a fight with Alecto to go and see Luna you know?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...he came to retrieve me from the Hospital wing...he told me that...because of my continued misbehaving that they had to take action..."

Ginny put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from cursing the malicious man under the earth. Neville pulled himself up his eyes searching the heavens for a few long moments. "I think they're going to go after Gran, Gin...I-I don't know what to do...what I can do..."

"We go to McGonagall...she can alert the order...come on." Ginny pushed herself up, "Her office isn't that far, I'm sure we can get there and back before they come to get us for lunch."

oOo

"We got into Hogwarts before, we should be able to do it again." Harry had his eyes on the map, his lips pursed as he tried to figure out the best path to getting to Ravenclaw tower. It was the most likely place to start. After all, it was their resident ghost's heirloom.

Ron shifted slightly humming his agreement. He had Hermione wrapped up tightly in a blanket in his lap with her head tucked down into his chest. Her shaking had subsided but she still hadn't woken. Her breathing had evened out a bit, though his arm would shift too low on her side from time to time causing her breath to hitch. It had taken him some time to figure out that he was the cause of the misfire but he had eventually adjusted for it.

"Do we have any more extra wands? Hermione needs a wand...we can't expect her to come with us unarmed." Ron's attention diverted from the map to the small groan that mumbled past her lips. He pulled the blanket a bit further from her face, he had covered her eyes to help her sleep but he wanted to aid her any way he could. When she merely shifted her head he covered her eyes again.

"I don't think we should take her with us..." Harry didn't want to say it but it needed to be said. He had made the mistake once listening to her when she'd assured him that she was capable. Now look where they were.

"We can't leave her here...who knows when Mom and the others will return or if they'll return tonight..." Ron shook his head, "We should just let her rest...the world isn't going to turn on its end in a couple hours..." He shifted to lean back on the couch looking down into her face. She didn't look peaceful anymore, her brow was furrowed and she was starting to squirm slightly.

Harry pursed his lips but nodded all the same, "Yeah...I suppose you're right..." He looked down at the map with a heavy sigh, "Let's see if we can find her a wand...there might be one laying around this house somewhere."

"Sounds good..." Ron adjusted the blanket again pulling her closer to his chest. He rested his chin on the crown of her head letting his eyes go out of focus. He felt so helpless. He had been so happy to have her back with them but now their future not just as friends but as potentially being something more was completely at ends. He wanted to help her, he wanted to heal her, he just didn't have the first clue on where to start.