Ginny's Gift, Chapter 17
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Ginny gives Harry a special birthday present, but the consequences are unexpected.
"Harry, would you give it a rest for a few minutes? You're making me tired just watching you." Ron's voice intruded on Harry's thoughts, and he stopped pacing for a moment. "It's a good thing the floor's made of stone," Ron went on. "You'd have worn a hole through anything else."
Harry shrugged and leaned against the wall. He, Ron and Hermione were all standing in the corridor outside the hospital wing, where they'd been ever since Madam Pomfrey shooed them out. Harry no longer had a clear idea how they'd been waiting. He knew Dumbledore was still in there with Ginny trying to break through the Memory Charms.
It had to be a delicate operation. He could remember back to his fourth year when Voldemort had caught Bertha Jorkins and broken the Memory Charms Barty Crouch had placed on her. That had taken torture, Harry remembered suddenly, and Bertha Jorkins hadn't been fit for anything more than a quick death once the Dark Lord had finished with her. Harry shuddered. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't subject Ginny to torture, but what if the process was painful?
He began to pace once more. He didn't like this. He was back to feeling powerless. He'd have gladly taken any pain or fatigue Ginny might be experiencing onto himself at this point, but he knew that was impossible. There was nothing he could do but wait. And hope.
His mind turned now to Gilderoy Lockhart. He'd had his memory modified at his own hands, but Dumbledore hadn't seen fit to break that Memory Charm for him. Harry wondered if the headmaster hadn't simply treated that situation as the poetic justice.
The door to the hospital wing opened at last, and Dumbledore emerged. He looked more care-worn than usual. Harry started towards the door. "How is she?"
Dumbledore put a hand out to stop him. "She's sleeping now. You can see her later."
"Sleeping? Again? What happened to her to her that she wants to sleep all the time?" His voice was rising in desperation.
"Easy, Harry. At least I was able to break through the Memory Charm. I was able to learn what happened to her. Rest is what she needs most now, and it may well take a few days before she's feeling herself once more." He paused, and Harry looked at him expectantly. "All will become clear in good time, Harry. I'd like to see the three of you in my office, if you don't mind."
An hour later, Harry still hadn't found out what he most wanted to know. He was sitting in Dumbledore's office with Ron and Hermione, and they'd each been questioned closely about their recent adventures. A silence had now fallen on the room. Dumbledore was staring off into space, and Harry reckoned he was piecing together what had happened from their various accounts. Harry had to fight the urge to get up and pace around the room.
Suddenly, Dumbledore shook himself and seemed to come out of a trance. "There now," he said. "I believe I've learned all I can from the three of you and Miss Weasley."
"Can you tell us what happened to Ginny, sir?" Hermione asked, voicing aloud what the three of them most wanted to know.
"From what she told me, she only wanted to do some Christmas shopping, "Dumbledore began. "And as there was no official trip to Hogsmeade, she took matters into her own hands, as you discovered when you followed her. Ah, secret passages… I used to find them quite handy myself when I was a student, but I didn't know about this one then."
Harry stared at the headmaster, stunned. Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled back at him. "In my days as a student here, there was a tunnel that led directly to the Three Broomsticks. I believe it's caved in now. This was before Madam Rosmerta's time, of course, but there was quite a comely barmaid who…"
He seemed to remember whom he was addressing then and stopped. Ron was trying to hide a smirk, but Harry was impatient for him to get back to the point.
"Yes, well, where was I? Ah, yes, the Honeyduke's tunnel. "He hadn't seemed very surprised to learn of its existence when Harry had told him how they'd followed Ginny to Hogsmeade, and Harry wondered if Sirius or Remus might possibly have told him about it. "Miss Weasley took that tunnel to get to Hogsmeade, but she'd just managed to sneak out of Honeydukes when she felt something strike her from behind. A Stunner, no doubt, because she blacked out after that."
Hermione interrupted at this point. "But who knew she was going to Hogsmeade? She told me she was going, but she didn't want anyone else to know. From the sound of things, whoever took her was already there waiting for her."
"An excellent point, Miss Granger, and one which will require further reflection. Miss Weasley never saw who stunned her."
Harry remembered Snape mentioning a probable spy at Hogwarts. Could the spy have somehow managed to find out Ginny's plan and ambush her? Or had she been lured into Hogsmeade? And who might the spy be? Student? Staff? There was no way of knowing. Even with most of the students home on holiday, it wouldn't have prevented someone from setting Ginny up the day before. In fact, it might be the perfect cover. Whoever had set her up could easily claim to have been at home when she'd been taken. There was nothing to indicate that the person who had captured Ginny and the spy were one and the same.
"At any rate," Dumbledore went on, "when Miss Weasley woke up she was at Carreg Cennen, and Lucius Malfoy was there. He told her he wanted a very special Christmas gift to present to his master. One that only she could procure for him."
"But how did Lucius Malfoy find out that Ginny was able to make a talisman?" asked Harry. "Who else outside this room knew about that?"
"Unless Miss Weasley has told anyone else, no one, in theory."
"Ginny hardly even wants to admit she has a talent. It's not as if she goes around discussing it. Who else would she tell? She hasn't even told her parents."
"We've got a spy among them, as you discovered; they've obviously placed someone here. This is another matter, which will require further thought, I fear."
Harry wasn't quite ready to let the matter drop, though. "But spy or no, how did they find out? It's not as if Ginny would have told them. And how did they even know to ask her?"
"The answer to that, Harry, depends on when the Death Eaters learned you possessed a working talisman. Even if they'd only learned you had it just after Halloween, they'd have surmised it was the reason the curse in Diagon Alley was turned back. And where had you been staying? At the Burrow. That much would have been simple enough for them to discover. It was never kept a secret. It would have narrowed things down quite a bit."
"But just because Harry acquired it while he was staying at the Weasleys' doesn't mean that one of then necessarily made it for him," Hermione pointed out. Harry had actually received the necklace while he was still at Privet Drive, but he didn't feel any need to correct her on this point.
"No, it doesn't. But it's a place to start. And due to the family's financial circumstances, it's rather safe to draw the conclusion that if a Weasley gave Harry his talisman, it wasn't bought for him, but made for him."
Harry stole a glance at Ron, who looked none too happy about the reference to his family's poverty.
"Be all that as it may," Dumbledore continued, "Lucius Malfoy discovered that Miss Weasley is a Jewel-wright, and he demanded that she create a talisman for Voldemort. She refused at first, of course, so Malfoy had to use other means to wear her down. He couldn't use the Imperius Curse on her, because something like that must be made of one's own free will to work." Hermione was nodding in agreement. "And Cruciatus was out of the question, as well."
Harry was getting a very bad feeling about this. Snape had told him that Ginny had defied Malfoy from the time she'd arrived. He spoke up reluctantly "They must have found something they could use against her. Before Ron, Hermione and I tuned up, that is."
"Indeed. Ironically enough, they used an old Muggle trick on her to get her to co-operate. Sleep deprivation."
"But she was only there for about twenty-four hours," Hermione protested. "And Harry told us he found her asleep. That's enough for her to have been thoroughly tired out, but true sleep deprivation takes days."
"True enough, but you, Miss Granger, must have an idea how more time might be gained where there seemingly isn't any."
A look of comprehension dawned on her face, and Harry knew what he was hinting at, as well. "They used a Time Turner?" he asked.
"Yes. With a Time Turner Malfoy could have kept her awake for a solid week or more. Miss Weasley didn't really remember how long it was. When you've gone for long periods of time without sleep, time itself becomes blurred. And you become more open to suggestion. However, Miss Weasley showed more pluck than they expected her to. She held out against them. But then Ron and Hermione were found on the property, and suddenly Malfoy had a much better bargaining tool."
Ron visibly shuddered at the memory. "There's no need to go into that," Hermione said quickly. "We were all present for that."
"Indeed. And when he'd got Miss Weasley's agreement, he made off with her amidst the confusion."
"But it was only a matter of minutes between the time they disappeared and the time we found them again." Harry knew that if there was a Time Turner involved, then this made no difference in the matter. Malfoy had literally had all the time in the world at his disposal. He remembered seeing Malfoy's hand in his pocket as he'd entered the chamber where they'd duelled. Harry realised now that it was very likely that Malfoy had been pocketing the talisman Ginny had produced. It would also explain why he'd been so eager to abandon them when Harry proved to be a tougher opponent than expected. He'd already achieved his main goal.
Dumbledore was looking at Harry searchingly, and Harry felt as if the headmaster could read his thoughts. "I think it's very likely that Voldemort is now in possession of a talisman similar to yours, Harry. The only question now is, will it work?"
Harry didn't say anything to this. He felt as if it would.
Dumbledore didn't make any further comment on the matter, either. Instead he changed the subject a bit. "I only wish Miss Weasley had decided to take my advice and inform your parents of her ability," he said, nodding at Ron. "They will have to be informed of what has happened, and the truth is going to come out now."
Ron spoke up. "I can tell them."
"I'm afraid it's my duty to tell them, Ron. I shall be sending them an owl within the hour."
Harry realised this was their cue to leave. Dumbledore would need the time to compose the letter. He had no doubt that Mr and Mrs Weasley would turn up at Hogwarts before the day was over.
Harry walked aimlessly through the corridors after leaving Dumbledore's office. Ron and Hermione had gone back to Gryffindor Tower, but Harry hadn't been ready to. Not yet. He didn't pay attention to where he was going until he suddenly found himself in front of the door to the hospital wing. He knew where he belonged then: it was at Ginny's side.
He opened the door quietly and slipped through. The ward stretched out before him, the beds lined up in starched regiments. He could see Ginny lying in a bed by the window, bathed in a ray of sunlight, her hair spread out on the white pillowcase and her eyes closed. Harry started along the row of beds towards her.
"And where do you think you're going, young man?" barked Madam Pomfrey, accosting him as she came out of her office.
"I came to see Ginny."
"Miss Weasley is asleep. She mustn't be disturbed."
"I won't disturb her. I'll just sit with her."
The matron softened the slightest amount. "She's going to be that way for a long time yet. I'll send word when she wakes up."
For some reason this only alarmed Harry further. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?"
"She should make a full recovery, yes. She's young and strong, so there's no reason she shouldn't. But she needs time and rest for that."
"Let me sit with her," Harry said again. "Please."
For a moment it seemed as if the matron would protest further, but then she relented. "Go on with you, then."
Harry took a chair, set it next to Ginny's bed and sat down. For a long time he stared down at her pale face, the freckles, which dusted her cheeks, standing out in sharp contrast to her ashen skin. She lay perfectly still, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest so slight it was barely perceptible, and Harry noted the deep shadows under her eyes.
There was a goblet on the bedside table. Picking it up, Harry could see the purple dregs of dreamless sleep potion pooled at the bottom.
He looked back at her and swallowed. He wanted to touch her face, to trace her cheekbones and lips with a finger. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close and tell her everything was going to be all right now that they were all safe here at school. He couldn't risk Madam Pomfrey's wrath by waking her, though, so he simply reached out and took her hand. It was warm clasped in his hand, and that was encouraging.
At some point, he began to talk to her quietly, even though he knew she couldn't hear him, and he felt a bit foolish about it. He wasn't even aware of everything he was saying to her at first, but once he'd started it was as if a dam had burst inside him. He found himself telling her all that had happened to him since Saturday. How worried he'd been to find her missing. How difficult it had been not to just go haring off without a plan. How frightened he'd been for her. How peaceful he'd felt waking up in her bed this morning. How in the middle of all this he'd realised how much he'd come to love her.
He knew he was taking the easy way out by telling her when she wasn't in a position to hear or respond. He told himself it was just practice for when he'd tell her to her face.
After a long time he heard voices coming along the corridor, voices and footsteps. An instant later the door burst open to admit a number of people, including Professor Dumbledore, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred and George. The blonde woman from Zonko's had followed, but she hung back in the doorway for the moment.
Madam Pomfrey came out of her office to see who else had dared disrupt the calm of her domain. "What is the meaning of this? Headmaster, please. You of all people know how much my patient needs her rest."
"Poppy, you have my assurance the Weasleys will not cause a disturbance," Dumbledore replied. "They only want to see their daughter for a bit."
Mrs Weasley, in the mean time, had spotted Harry and didn't allow a protesting Madam Pomfrey to stop her from going straight over to Ginny's bedside. Harry stood as she approached and soon found himself wrapped in a motherly embrace.
"Oh, Harry, dear, I don't know how we'll ever be able to thank you for this."
Harry felt himself begin to go red. "Honestly, Mrs Weasley, there's no need…"
"But both Ginny and Ron…" She choked a bit here and was unable to go on.
Harry opened his mouth to point out that that he hadn't done it alone, that if Professor Snape hadn't been there to make them a Port Key, they might still be looking for a way home. But then he remembered he couldn't say anything about Snape. Mr Weasley had approached and was shaking his hand now. "Anyone else would have done the same in my place," he mumbled, reddening even further.
The twins came up and clapped him rather hard on the back. "Good going, Harry!"
Mrs Weasley was hovering over Ginny now, tucking the blankets more tightly around her, even though it was completely unnecessary. Madam Pomfrey came over to make sure her charge wasn't being disturbed, and Mrs Weasley began to barrage her with questions about Ginny's condition.
Harry slipped to the side. He didn't want to be the centre of attention, and in any case he'd had a brainwave. All this had occurred in part because Ginny had decided to go Christmas shopping Perhaps she'd mentioned this excursion to one of her brothers when they'd come up to the school last Friday.
"George, can I have a word with you for a minute?" he asked quietly.
George turned to him. "Sure, Harry, what is it?"
"Did Ginny mention anything to either of you about coming into Hogsmeade when you were both here the other day? Something that might have been overheard?"
George thought for a moment. "No, can't say that she did. Not in my hearing anyway. Why do you ask?"
"Someone knew she was planning to go to Hogsmeade. They were there waiting for her according to what she told Dumbledore."
"Sorry, can't be of any more help than that."
"It's okay. Even if she had mentioned it, you probably wouldn't have noticed who was around then anyway." Harry had known it would be a long shot before he'd asked, and in any case, there'd been so many people in the Entrance Hall that day, it would have been impossible to narrow anything down based on that information.
"Given any thought to what you're going to get her?" He nodded towards the bed.
"Erm, no. Can't say that I've had any time for that."
"Right. Listen, my offer still stands. I can arrange for something nice."
Harry hesitated. "George, it's not that I don't trust you…"
George laughed. "But you don't trust me. I don't blame you one bit. I wouldn't trust me either. I promise, though, no funny stuff. If you want we can ask Pauline to help." Harry followed George's glance over to the blonde who was still hovering by the door.
"Well, in that case…"
"Come on, let's go ask her about it. She mentioned seeing some fancy trinkets in a shop down in London. Between you and me, I think she was hinting for something for herself…" And George led Harry towards the door to discuss the possibilities with Pauline.
*
Harry went to the hospital wing early on Christmas morning and was relieved to find it empty of extraneous Weasleys. Mr and Mrs Weasley were staying with Fred and George at Zonko's, but they'd spent a good deal of time at Ginny's bedside, meaning that Harry had had very few chances to spend time alone with her. He was also happy to see she was awake. She'd been spending more and more time awake over the past few days and was becoming increasingly restless at having to keep to her bed. Harry took this as a sign her strength was returning.
"Happy Christmas, Ginny!"
She scowled at him. "What's happy about it?"
"Perhaps Madam Pomfrey will let you get out of bed today."
"I hope so! She won't even let me get up to use loo! I swear if I see another bedpan…" She broke off and reddened while Harry started to laugh. "It's not funny."
"I don't suppose it is, but if you could just see your face right now."
"Humph!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away. Harry sat down on the bed. "I've brought you your present, but I don't suppose you want it."
She rolled back over and faced him, a look of dismay replacing the embarrassed expression she'd had a moment before. "Oh, Harry, and I never had a chance to get you anything."
Harry shook his head and then looked straight into her eyes. "It's enough that we've got you back safely," he said quietly. "I don't need anything else."
He thought her eyes became a bit too bright at that, and he saw her swallow hard. But then she sat up and put out her hand. "Well, let's have it then."
Harry suddenly felt nervous. He hadn't actually seen what the small box in his pocket contained. It had arrived by owl yesterday already wrapped, and he hadn't wanted to undo the fancy wrapping. He knew there wasn't any way he'd get it put back properly if he opened it. He'd made his choice based on Pauline's description, and he could only hope that Ginny liked it.
He handed her the brightly wrapped box, and their fingers brushed. Harry held his breath while she undid the wrapping and opened the box.
"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful!" She held up a shiny gold bracelet with a small heart-shaped charm dangling from it. Harry tried to act as if he wasn't seeing it for the first time. At the same time, he let out the breath he'd been holding, relieved that she obviously liked her present and that it hadn't exploded when she'd opened it.
She was smiling at him, her eyes shining with joy. His heart turned over at the idea that he'd caused her to feel that way. "Aren't you going to put it on me?"
"Oh, erm, yeah, sure." He'd had no idea he was supposed to do that.
He took the bracelet from her, and it took him several attempts before he got the delicate clasp undone, but he finally managed to get it on her. He looked up and met her eyes again. She put her hands on either side of his face and drew him into a kiss. It began soft enough but did not remain so, as Harry's feelings for Ginny began to pour forth. They had to break it off, however, as the hospital wing wasn't exactly the ideal spot for this.
Ginny looked at him, dazed for a moment, before whispering, "Thank you, Harry. I really love it." She paused to catch her breath. "I still wish I'd had a chance to get you something. That's what I wanted to go to Hogsmeade for, you know."
It was the first time either of them had brought up their recent adventures. "Ginny, I know you told Professor Dumbledore that you never saw whoever it was who took you, but can you think of anything at all that might give us a clue as to who it could have been?"
She was shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I told Dumbledore everything I could. I never heard or saw a thing. I hardly felt anything. I was coming out of Honeydukes one minute and the next I'd blacked out. Next thing I knew I was in a strange room with Lucius Malfoy." She shuddered visibly.
"But who could have known you were going to Hogsmeade? Why did you even go to Hogsmeade? Your brothers offered to take care of my Christmas shopping for me. Why didn't you just ask them to help you?"
She looked at the bracelet sparkling on her wrist for a moment, and when she replied she seemed determined to ignore his outburst. "You mean those great gits helped pick this out?"
"George's girlfriend, actually."
"Anyway, they did offer to help me out. They sent me a note."
"What?"
"They sent me an owl on Saturday morning telling me to come to Hogsmeade."
Harry frowned. Something wasn't adding up here. "Dumbledore didn't mention that the other day," he said, as much to himself as to her.
"He didn't know about it. I didn't tell him."
"Why not?"
"There wasn't any point. It was legitimate."
"It couldn't have been! I asked George the other day if he'd known about your plans to go to Hogsmeade, and he didn't know a thing about it. And Ron, Hermione and I followed you into Hogsmeade, and we asked after you at Zonko's. If they'd expected you to drop by that day and you didn't, they would have mentioned it."
"I know what my own brother's handwriting looks like, Harry."
"Where is this note now?"
Ginny shrugged. "It might still be in my room. I dunno. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally save."
"It couldn't have been your brothers who sent it to you, Ginny," Harry insisted.
"Even if you did find the note, I don't know how you'd go about finding out who sent it. If it was a forgery, it was an extremely convincing one."
Harry didn't know what to reply to this. In any case, Madam Pomfrey came in with a breakfast tray for Ginny at that moment, giving Harry a very pointed look. Harry got up from Ginny's bed. "Suppose I should go down to breakfast," he mumbled.
"Can't you stay?" Ginny asked. "You can help me eat all this." There was easily enough food for two on the tray.
"You need to eat to get your strength back, young lady," pointed out Madam Pomfrey.
"I'm feeling much stronger, honestly," said Ginny, glaring at the matron. "Can't I at least get out of bed?" She'd taken Harry's hand and was holding it in a death grip to keep him there.
"We'll see a bit later. In the mean time, eat." Madam Pomfrey left without pronouncing judgement on Harry, and since Ginny still had hold of his hand, he decided he'd better stay.
"Have some toast," Ginny offered. "Help me eat all this. She's going to be back in half an hour with her damned bed pan, and I'll be buggered if I'm going to use it."
"I don't know how you're going to get out of it," Harry commented, before taking a bite of toast. "I mean eventually, you'll have to, erm… Right."
"You're going to help me get to the loo," Ginny said. Harry choked on his toast. "You don't have to come in with me," she hissed. "Just help me walk over to it. If I need help, that is. I might not, you know. Only Madam Pomfrey won't let me try. Here."
Ginny handed him her glass of orange juice to sip. Harry was having trouble getting his coughing under control. "If she hears that, she'll claim you're ill and try putting you to bed," Ginny said, nodding towards the matron's office. "Then we'll both be prisoners." She giggled. "Might be more fun that way, actually."
Harry had mixed feelings about that prospect. "Why don't I just keep visiting you until you're freed."
Ginny stuck out her tongue at him. "Spoil sport." And they both burst out laughing.
In the end, Ginny did have to lean on Harry to make the trek across the ward to the toilet. Harry had an arm around her waist and was helping her back to her bed, when Madam Pomfrey returned for the now empty breakfast tray. The matron was none too pleased with Ginny.
"If you're not careful, you're going to set your recovery back even further," she scolded.
Ginny stared stonily back. Then she surprised Harry by breaking away from him and stumbling the rest of the way to her bed by herself.
When Madam Pomfrey had left once more after a lot of grumbling about hard-headedness and a final few admonitions not to get out of bed again, Ginny turned back to Harry, her eyes overly bright. "I hate this," she grumbled. "I just want it to be over."
Harry thought she was talking about her weakened state. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Harry sat down with her and reached out to brush it away. Then he put his arms around her. He hadn't had a chance to do this since they'd brought her back from Wales, not while she was aware of it. He tightened his grip on her and rested his cheek on the top of her head.
"Ginny, I…" His voice sounded oddly raspy to him, and he swallowed before starting over. "I love you, Ginny."
He heard her catch her breath, but she didn't have time to respond. Voices could be heard coming in from the corridor. Ginny's family was coming back up to visit her. Harry pulled away from her, his face burning now. This was too new and private to share with anyone else. Ginny's eyes were still bright with unshed tears, but the anger and frustration that had burned in them before were gone now.
"Happy Christmas, Ginny," Harry whispered, as the door opened.
"It is," she said. "Now."
A/N: Huge thanks once more to my betas, especially Monique. They've assured me this isn't too high on the mushiness scale. I hope not…
Chapter 18
Summary: Ginny gives Harry a special birthday present, but the consequences are unexpected.
"Harry, would you give it a rest for a few minutes? You're making me tired just watching you." Ron's voice intruded on Harry's thoughts, and he stopped pacing for a moment. "It's a good thing the floor's made of stone," Ron went on. "You'd have worn a hole through anything else."
Harry shrugged and leaned against the wall. He, Ron and Hermione were all standing in the corridor outside the hospital wing, where they'd been ever since Madam Pomfrey shooed them out. Harry no longer had a clear idea how they'd been waiting. He knew Dumbledore was still in there with Ginny trying to break through the Memory Charms.
It had to be a delicate operation. He could remember back to his fourth year when Voldemort had caught Bertha Jorkins and broken the Memory Charms Barty Crouch had placed on her. That had taken torture, Harry remembered suddenly, and Bertha Jorkins hadn't been fit for anything more than a quick death once the Dark Lord had finished with her. Harry shuddered. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't subject Ginny to torture, but what if the process was painful?
He began to pace once more. He didn't like this. He was back to feeling powerless. He'd have gladly taken any pain or fatigue Ginny might be experiencing onto himself at this point, but he knew that was impossible. There was nothing he could do but wait. And hope.
His mind turned now to Gilderoy Lockhart. He'd had his memory modified at his own hands, but Dumbledore hadn't seen fit to break that Memory Charm for him. Harry wondered if the headmaster hadn't simply treated that situation as the poetic justice.
The door to the hospital wing opened at last, and Dumbledore emerged. He looked more care-worn than usual. Harry started towards the door. "How is she?"
Dumbledore put a hand out to stop him. "She's sleeping now. You can see her later."
"Sleeping? Again? What happened to her to her that she wants to sleep all the time?" His voice was rising in desperation.
"Easy, Harry. At least I was able to break through the Memory Charm. I was able to learn what happened to her. Rest is what she needs most now, and it may well take a few days before she's feeling herself once more." He paused, and Harry looked at him expectantly. "All will become clear in good time, Harry. I'd like to see the three of you in my office, if you don't mind."
An hour later, Harry still hadn't found out what he most wanted to know. He was sitting in Dumbledore's office with Ron and Hermione, and they'd each been questioned closely about their recent adventures. A silence had now fallen on the room. Dumbledore was staring off into space, and Harry reckoned he was piecing together what had happened from their various accounts. Harry had to fight the urge to get up and pace around the room.
Suddenly, Dumbledore shook himself and seemed to come out of a trance. "There now," he said. "I believe I've learned all I can from the three of you and Miss Weasley."
"Can you tell us what happened to Ginny, sir?" Hermione asked, voicing aloud what the three of them most wanted to know.
"From what she told me, she only wanted to do some Christmas shopping, "Dumbledore began. "And as there was no official trip to Hogsmeade, she took matters into her own hands, as you discovered when you followed her. Ah, secret passages… I used to find them quite handy myself when I was a student, but I didn't know about this one then."
Harry stared at the headmaster, stunned. Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled back at him. "In my days as a student here, there was a tunnel that led directly to the Three Broomsticks. I believe it's caved in now. This was before Madam Rosmerta's time, of course, but there was quite a comely barmaid who…"
He seemed to remember whom he was addressing then and stopped. Ron was trying to hide a smirk, but Harry was impatient for him to get back to the point.
"Yes, well, where was I? Ah, yes, the Honeyduke's tunnel. "He hadn't seemed very surprised to learn of its existence when Harry had told him how they'd followed Ginny to Hogsmeade, and Harry wondered if Sirius or Remus might possibly have told him about it. "Miss Weasley took that tunnel to get to Hogsmeade, but she'd just managed to sneak out of Honeydukes when she felt something strike her from behind. A Stunner, no doubt, because she blacked out after that."
Hermione interrupted at this point. "But who knew she was going to Hogsmeade? She told me she was going, but she didn't want anyone else to know. From the sound of things, whoever took her was already there waiting for her."
"An excellent point, Miss Granger, and one which will require further reflection. Miss Weasley never saw who stunned her."
Harry remembered Snape mentioning a probable spy at Hogwarts. Could the spy have somehow managed to find out Ginny's plan and ambush her? Or had she been lured into Hogsmeade? And who might the spy be? Student? Staff? There was no way of knowing. Even with most of the students home on holiday, it wouldn't have prevented someone from setting Ginny up the day before. In fact, it might be the perfect cover. Whoever had set her up could easily claim to have been at home when she'd been taken. There was nothing to indicate that the person who had captured Ginny and the spy were one and the same.
"At any rate," Dumbledore went on, "when Miss Weasley woke up she was at Carreg Cennen, and Lucius Malfoy was there. He told her he wanted a very special Christmas gift to present to his master. One that only she could procure for him."
"But how did Lucius Malfoy find out that Ginny was able to make a talisman?" asked Harry. "Who else outside this room knew about that?"
"Unless Miss Weasley has told anyone else, no one, in theory."
"Ginny hardly even wants to admit she has a talent. It's not as if she goes around discussing it. Who else would she tell? She hasn't even told her parents."
"We've got a spy among them, as you discovered; they've obviously placed someone here. This is another matter, which will require further thought, I fear."
Harry wasn't quite ready to let the matter drop, though. "But spy or no, how did they find out? It's not as if Ginny would have told them. And how did they even know to ask her?"
"The answer to that, Harry, depends on when the Death Eaters learned you possessed a working talisman. Even if they'd only learned you had it just after Halloween, they'd have surmised it was the reason the curse in Diagon Alley was turned back. And where had you been staying? At the Burrow. That much would have been simple enough for them to discover. It was never kept a secret. It would have narrowed things down quite a bit."
"But just because Harry acquired it while he was staying at the Weasleys' doesn't mean that one of then necessarily made it for him," Hermione pointed out. Harry had actually received the necklace while he was still at Privet Drive, but he didn't feel any need to correct her on this point.
"No, it doesn't. But it's a place to start. And due to the family's financial circumstances, it's rather safe to draw the conclusion that if a Weasley gave Harry his talisman, it wasn't bought for him, but made for him."
Harry stole a glance at Ron, who looked none too happy about the reference to his family's poverty.
"Be all that as it may," Dumbledore continued, "Lucius Malfoy discovered that Miss Weasley is a Jewel-wright, and he demanded that she create a talisman for Voldemort. She refused at first, of course, so Malfoy had to use other means to wear her down. He couldn't use the Imperius Curse on her, because something like that must be made of one's own free will to work." Hermione was nodding in agreement. "And Cruciatus was out of the question, as well."
Harry was getting a very bad feeling about this. Snape had told him that Ginny had defied Malfoy from the time she'd arrived. He spoke up reluctantly "They must have found something they could use against her. Before Ron, Hermione and I tuned up, that is."
"Indeed. Ironically enough, they used an old Muggle trick on her to get her to co-operate. Sleep deprivation."
"But she was only there for about twenty-four hours," Hermione protested. "And Harry told us he found her asleep. That's enough for her to have been thoroughly tired out, but true sleep deprivation takes days."
"True enough, but you, Miss Granger, must have an idea how more time might be gained where there seemingly isn't any."
A look of comprehension dawned on her face, and Harry knew what he was hinting at, as well. "They used a Time Turner?" he asked.
"Yes. With a Time Turner Malfoy could have kept her awake for a solid week or more. Miss Weasley didn't really remember how long it was. When you've gone for long periods of time without sleep, time itself becomes blurred. And you become more open to suggestion. However, Miss Weasley showed more pluck than they expected her to. She held out against them. But then Ron and Hermione were found on the property, and suddenly Malfoy had a much better bargaining tool."
Ron visibly shuddered at the memory. "There's no need to go into that," Hermione said quickly. "We were all present for that."
"Indeed. And when he'd got Miss Weasley's agreement, he made off with her amidst the confusion."
"But it was only a matter of minutes between the time they disappeared and the time we found them again." Harry knew that if there was a Time Turner involved, then this made no difference in the matter. Malfoy had literally had all the time in the world at his disposal. He remembered seeing Malfoy's hand in his pocket as he'd entered the chamber where they'd duelled. Harry realised now that it was very likely that Malfoy had been pocketing the talisman Ginny had produced. It would also explain why he'd been so eager to abandon them when Harry proved to be a tougher opponent than expected. He'd already achieved his main goal.
Dumbledore was looking at Harry searchingly, and Harry felt as if the headmaster could read his thoughts. "I think it's very likely that Voldemort is now in possession of a talisman similar to yours, Harry. The only question now is, will it work?"
Harry didn't say anything to this. He felt as if it would.
Dumbledore didn't make any further comment on the matter, either. Instead he changed the subject a bit. "I only wish Miss Weasley had decided to take my advice and inform your parents of her ability," he said, nodding at Ron. "They will have to be informed of what has happened, and the truth is going to come out now."
Ron spoke up. "I can tell them."
"I'm afraid it's my duty to tell them, Ron. I shall be sending them an owl within the hour."
Harry realised this was their cue to leave. Dumbledore would need the time to compose the letter. He had no doubt that Mr and Mrs Weasley would turn up at Hogwarts before the day was over.
Harry walked aimlessly through the corridors after leaving Dumbledore's office. Ron and Hermione had gone back to Gryffindor Tower, but Harry hadn't been ready to. Not yet. He didn't pay attention to where he was going until he suddenly found himself in front of the door to the hospital wing. He knew where he belonged then: it was at Ginny's side.
He opened the door quietly and slipped through. The ward stretched out before him, the beds lined up in starched regiments. He could see Ginny lying in a bed by the window, bathed in a ray of sunlight, her hair spread out on the white pillowcase and her eyes closed. Harry started along the row of beds towards her.
"And where do you think you're going, young man?" barked Madam Pomfrey, accosting him as she came out of her office.
"I came to see Ginny."
"Miss Weasley is asleep. She mustn't be disturbed."
"I won't disturb her. I'll just sit with her."
The matron softened the slightest amount. "She's going to be that way for a long time yet. I'll send word when she wakes up."
For some reason this only alarmed Harry further. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?"
"She should make a full recovery, yes. She's young and strong, so there's no reason she shouldn't. But she needs time and rest for that."
"Let me sit with her," Harry said again. "Please."
For a moment it seemed as if the matron would protest further, but then she relented. "Go on with you, then."
Harry took a chair, set it next to Ginny's bed and sat down. For a long time he stared down at her pale face, the freckles, which dusted her cheeks, standing out in sharp contrast to her ashen skin. She lay perfectly still, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest so slight it was barely perceptible, and Harry noted the deep shadows under her eyes.
There was a goblet on the bedside table. Picking it up, Harry could see the purple dregs of dreamless sleep potion pooled at the bottom.
He looked back at her and swallowed. He wanted to touch her face, to trace her cheekbones and lips with a finger. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close and tell her everything was going to be all right now that they were all safe here at school. He couldn't risk Madam Pomfrey's wrath by waking her, though, so he simply reached out and took her hand. It was warm clasped in his hand, and that was encouraging.
At some point, he began to talk to her quietly, even though he knew she couldn't hear him, and he felt a bit foolish about it. He wasn't even aware of everything he was saying to her at first, but once he'd started it was as if a dam had burst inside him. He found himself telling her all that had happened to him since Saturday. How worried he'd been to find her missing. How difficult it had been not to just go haring off without a plan. How frightened he'd been for her. How peaceful he'd felt waking up in her bed this morning. How in the middle of all this he'd realised how much he'd come to love her.
He knew he was taking the easy way out by telling her when she wasn't in a position to hear or respond. He told himself it was just practice for when he'd tell her to her face.
After a long time he heard voices coming along the corridor, voices and footsteps. An instant later the door burst open to admit a number of people, including Professor Dumbledore, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred and George. The blonde woman from Zonko's had followed, but she hung back in the doorway for the moment.
Madam Pomfrey came out of her office to see who else had dared disrupt the calm of her domain. "What is the meaning of this? Headmaster, please. You of all people know how much my patient needs her rest."
"Poppy, you have my assurance the Weasleys will not cause a disturbance," Dumbledore replied. "They only want to see their daughter for a bit."
Mrs Weasley, in the mean time, had spotted Harry and didn't allow a protesting Madam Pomfrey to stop her from going straight over to Ginny's bedside. Harry stood as she approached and soon found himself wrapped in a motherly embrace.
"Oh, Harry, dear, I don't know how we'll ever be able to thank you for this."
Harry felt himself begin to go red. "Honestly, Mrs Weasley, there's no need…"
"But both Ginny and Ron…" She choked a bit here and was unable to go on.
Harry opened his mouth to point out that that he hadn't done it alone, that if Professor Snape hadn't been there to make them a Port Key, they might still be looking for a way home. But then he remembered he couldn't say anything about Snape. Mr Weasley had approached and was shaking his hand now. "Anyone else would have done the same in my place," he mumbled, reddening even further.
The twins came up and clapped him rather hard on the back. "Good going, Harry!"
Mrs Weasley was hovering over Ginny now, tucking the blankets more tightly around her, even though it was completely unnecessary. Madam Pomfrey came over to make sure her charge wasn't being disturbed, and Mrs Weasley began to barrage her with questions about Ginny's condition.
Harry slipped to the side. He didn't want to be the centre of attention, and in any case he'd had a brainwave. All this had occurred in part because Ginny had decided to go Christmas shopping Perhaps she'd mentioned this excursion to one of her brothers when they'd come up to the school last Friday.
"George, can I have a word with you for a minute?" he asked quietly.
George turned to him. "Sure, Harry, what is it?"
"Did Ginny mention anything to either of you about coming into Hogsmeade when you were both here the other day? Something that might have been overheard?"
George thought for a moment. "No, can't say that she did. Not in my hearing anyway. Why do you ask?"
"Someone knew she was planning to go to Hogsmeade. They were there waiting for her according to what she told Dumbledore."
"Sorry, can't be of any more help than that."
"It's okay. Even if she had mentioned it, you probably wouldn't have noticed who was around then anyway." Harry had known it would be a long shot before he'd asked, and in any case, there'd been so many people in the Entrance Hall that day, it would have been impossible to narrow anything down based on that information.
"Given any thought to what you're going to get her?" He nodded towards the bed.
"Erm, no. Can't say that I've had any time for that."
"Right. Listen, my offer still stands. I can arrange for something nice."
Harry hesitated. "George, it's not that I don't trust you…"
George laughed. "But you don't trust me. I don't blame you one bit. I wouldn't trust me either. I promise, though, no funny stuff. If you want we can ask Pauline to help." Harry followed George's glance over to the blonde who was still hovering by the door.
"Well, in that case…"
"Come on, let's go ask her about it. She mentioned seeing some fancy trinkets in a shop down in London. Between you and me, I think she was hinting for something for herself…" And George led Harry towards the door to discuss the possibilities with Pauline.
*
Harry went to the hospital wing early on Christmas morning and was relieved to find it empty of extraneous Weasleys. Mr and Mrs Weasley were staying with Fred and George at Zonko's, but they'd spent a good deal of time at Ginny's bedside, meaning that Harry had had very few chances to spend time alone with her. He was also happy to see she was awake. She'd been spending more and more time awake over the past few days and was becoming increasingly restless at having to keep to her bed. Harry took this as a sign her strength was returning.
"Happy Christmas, Ginny!"
She scowled at him. "What's happy about it?"
"Perhaps Madam Pomfrey will let you get out of bed today."
"I hope so! She won't even let me get up to use loo! I swear if I see another bedpan…" She broke off and reddened while Harry started to laugh. "It's not funny."
"I don't suppose it is, but if you could just see your face right now."
"Humph!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away. Harry sat down on the bed. "I've brought you your present, but I don't suppose you want it."
She rolled back over and faced him, a look of dismay replacing the embarrassed expression she'd had a moment before. "Oh, Harry, and I never had a chance to get you anything."
Harry shook his head and then looked straight into her eyes. "It's enough that we've got you back safely," he said quietly. "I don't need anything else."
He thought her eyes became a bit too bright at that, and he saw her swallow hard. But then she sat up and put out her hand. "Well, let's have it then."
Harry suddenly felt nervous. He hadn't actually seen what the small box in his pocket contained. It had arrived by owl yesterday already wrapped, and he hadn't wanted to undo the fancy wrapping. He knew there wasn't any way he'd get it put back properly if he opened it. He'd made his choice based on Pauline's description, and he could only hope that Ginny liked it.
He handed her the brightly wrapped box, and their fingers brushed. Harry held his breath while she undid the wrapping and opened the box.
"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful!" She held up a shiny gold bracelet with a small heart-shaped charm dangling from it. Harry tried to act as if he wasn't seeing it for the first time. At the same time, he let out the breath he'd been holding, relieved that she obviously liked her present and that it hadn't exploded when she'd opened it.
She was smiling at him, her eyes shining with joy. His heart turned over at the idea that he'd caused her to feel that way. "Aren't you going to put it on me?"
"Oh, erm, yeah, sure." He'd had no idea he was supposed to do that.
He took the bracelet from her, and it took him several attempts before he got the delicate clasp undone, but he finally managed to get it on her. He looked up and met her eyes again. She put her hands on either side of his face and drew him into a kiss. It began soft enough but did not remain so, as Harry's feelings for Ginny began to pour forth. They had to break it off, however, as the hospital wing wasn't exactly the ideal spot for this.
Ginny looked at him, dazed for a moment, before whispering, "Thank you, Harry. I really love it." She paused to catch her breath. "I still wish I'd had a chance to get you something. That's what I wanted to go to Hogsmeade for, you know."
It was the first time either of them had brought up their recent adventures. "Ginny, I know you told Professor Dumbledore that you never saw whoever it was who took you, but can you think of anything at all that might give us a clue as to who it could have been?"
She was shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I told Dumbledore everything I could. I never heard or saw a thing. I hardly felt anything. I was coming out of Honeydukes one minute and the next I'd blacked out. Next thing I knew I was in a strange room with Lucius Malfoy." She shuddered visibly.
"But who could have known you were going to Hogsmeade? Why did you even go to Hogsmeade? Your brothers offered to take care of my Christmas shopping for me. Why didn't you just ask them to help you?"
She looked at the bracelet sparkling on her wrist for a moment, and when she replied she seemed determined to ignore his outburst. "You mean those great gits helped pick this out?"
"George's girlfriend, actually."
"Anyway, they did offer to help me out. They sent me a note."
"What?"
"They sent me an owl on Saturday morning telling me to come to Hogsmeade."
Harry frowned. Something wasn't adding up here. "Dumbledore didn't mention that the other day," he said, as much to himself as to her.
"He didn't know about it. I didn't tell him."
"Why not?"
"There wasn't any point. It was legitimate."
"It couldn't have been! I asked George the other day if he'd known about your plans to go to Hogsmeade, and he didn't know a thing about it. And Ron, Hermione and I followed you into Hogsmeade, and we asked after you at Zonko's. If they'd expected you to drop by that day and you didn't, they would have mentioned it."
"I know what my own brother's handwriting looks like, Harry."
"Where is this note now?"
Ginny shrugged. "It might still be in my room. I dunno. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally save."
"It couldn't have been your brothers who sent it to you, Ginny," Harry insisted.
"Even if you did find the note, I don't know how you'd go about finding out who sent it. If it was a forgery, it was an extremely convincing one."
Harry didn't know what to reply to this. In any case, Madam Pomfrey came in with a breakfast tray for Ginny at that moment, giving Harry a very pointed look. Harry got up from Ginny's bed. "Suppose I should go down to breakfast," he mumbled.
"Can't you stay?" Ginny asked. "You can help me eat all this." There was easily enough food for two on the tray.
"You need to eat to get your strength back, young lady," pointed out Madam Pomfrey.
"I'm feeling much stronger, honestly," said Ginny, glaring at the matron. "Can't I at least get out of bed?" She'd taken Harry's hand and was holding it in a death grip to keep him there.
"We'll see a bit later. In the mean time, eat." Madam Pomfrey left without pronouncing judgement on Harry, and since Ginny still had hold of his hand, he decided he'd better stay.
"Have some toast," Ginny offered. "Help me eat all this. She's going to be back in half an hour with her damned bed pan, and I'll be buggered if I'm going to use it."
"I don't know how you're going to get out of it," Harry commented, before taking a bite of toast. "I mean eventually, you'll have to, erm… Right."
"You're going to help me get to the loo," Ginny said. Harry choked on his toast. "You don't have to come in with me," she hissed. "Just help me walk over to it. If I need help, that is. I might not, you know. Only Madam Pomfrey won't let me try. Here."
Ginny handed him her glass of orange juice to sip. Harry was having trouble getting his coughing under control. "If she hears that, she'll claim you're ill and try putting you to bed," Ginny said, nodding towards the matron's office. "Then we'll both be prisoners." She giggled. "Might be more fun that way, actually."
Harry had mixed feelings about that prospect. "Why don't I just keep visiting you until you're freed."
Ginny stuck out her tongue at him. "Spoil sport." And they both burst out laughing.
In the end, Ginny did have to lean on Harry to make the trek across the ward to the toilet. Harry had an arm around her waist and was helping her back to her bed, when Madam Pomfrey returned for the now empty breakfast tray. The matron was none too pleased with Ginny.
"If you're not careful, you're going to set your recovery back even further," she scolded.
Ginny stared stonily back. Then she surprised Harry by breaking away from him and stumbling the rest of the way to her bed by herself.
When Madam Pomfrey had left once more after a lot of grumbling about hard-headedness and a final few admonitions not to get out of bed again, Ginny turned back to Harry, her eyes overly bright. "I hate this," she grumbled. "I just want it to be over."
Harry thought she was talking about her weakened state. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Harry sat down with her and reached out to brush it away. Then he put his arms around her. He hadn't had a chance to do this since they'd brought her back from Wales, not while she was aware of it. He tightened his grip on her and rested his cheek on the top of her head.
"Ginny, I…" His voice sounded oddly raspy to him, and he swallowed before starting over. "I love you, Ginny."
He heard her catch her breath, but she didn't have time to respond. Voices could be heard coming in from the corridor. Ginny's family was coming back up to visit her. Harry pulled away from her, his face burning now. This was too new and private to share with anyone else. Ginny's eyes were still bright with unshed tears, but the anger and frustration that had burned in them before were gone now.
"Happy Christmas, Ginny," Harry whispered, as the door opened.
"It is," she said. "Now."
A/N: Huge thanks once more to my betas, especially Monique. They've assured me this isn't too high on the mushiness scale. I hope not…
Chapter 18