Chapter 75 - And Back Again
The Hogwarts Express slowed into Hogsmeade station and the students that had been on board slowly filed out. Ginny and Hermione got their things and headed off the train. The station was fairly empty by the time they got organised. Hermione had insisted on making sure all the younger students were off and on their way back to school before leaving. Much to Ginny’s surprise, the loud, lumbering gait of Hagrid could be heard coming towards them. She turned and saw him leaning menacingly over Draco, who had been standing to the far side of the station watching something in the distance.
Hermione saw Ginny’s eyes and turned, to see the confrontation starting. She hurried over and Ginny tried to keep up, her ankle aching more fully again. Hagrid was bellowing and pointing a big finger at Draco, ‘And you! You’re a Death Eater and Professor McGonagall ought not to have let you back on school grounds! So help me if you called those Dementors here?’
Hermione cried, ‘Hagrid! No! He didn’t call them, they just attacked the train! He tried to help fight them off!’
Hagrid looked dumbfounded at Hermione’s claim. ‘Malfoy? Helping? I’d sooner marry a dragon than believe that, ‘ermione! Even if you are as honest as all get out.’
She sighed. ‘It’s true, Hagrid. He helped…sort of…he tried to fend them off, but it was really Ginny’s Patronus that sent them away.’
‘Sent them away?’ Hagrid guffawed. ‘No, no, Ginny did more than that! The whole train was covered in her Patronus - I could see it from here! It was like Christmas all over again!’
Ginny stopped, having finally made it closer to Hermione, Draco and Hagrid. She looked stunned. ‘What? My Patronus did what?’
Hagrid smiled down at her, clapping his hands together. ‘Miss Ginny, you are much stronger than you realise. That Patronus of yours could have rivalled Dumbledore’s!’
Ginny took a step back. ‘That’s not possible. I can’t get that ‘strong’ that quickly.’
Hermione was staring at her friend thoughtfully. ‘I didn’t really see your Patronus clearly…’
She looked at Draco, who nodded. ‘It was massive. She pointed her wand past me, and her Patronus was normal…but then she turned back around, when mine sort of faded. She called it the second time, it was like the whole car was full of light.’
Ginny was beside herself. She was breathing rapidly and said, ‘That isn’t possible, is it? Hermione? To just, get that strong?’
Hermione gave her an uncertain look. ‘I’ll need to do some research.’
Ginny groaned. ‘Does this mean I have to as well?’
Hermione grinned. ‘It’ll be fun.’
Ginny shouldered her bag more closely and responded blandly, ‘Yes, of course.’
Hagrid helped them load their carriage, keeping an eye on Draco the entire time. He peppered him with questions, which Draco eluded easily. They headed to the castle in relative silence, Ginny feeling unnerved about her Patronus conjuring. She had only seen Harry’s full-bodied Patronus a few times, but never in a situation like the one they’d just gotten through. She couldn’t help but wonder why the Dementors would be after her. Both times she fended them off, but this time it was different. She was afraid, but more for Hermione, who had gotten the brunt of this last attack than anything and seemed to be still showing signs of it.
Once they got to the school, Draco stepped off of the carriage and didn’t waste a word on either of them. He headed off away from the main entrance of the school and into the growing darkness. Ginny was surprised by this, but Hermione hardly noticed. They moved their things magically and Ginny headed towards her room, trudging up the stairs at a slow pace, but told Hermione she’d fetch her before dinner.
Ginny took a quick bath, lamenting the fact that she once again had to share the space. She chided herself internally, realising she wanted very much to call Kreacher over for a soothing cup of tea. She was surprised that she’d already gotten used to the idea of having a house elf. She wondered about his age, Kreacher was getting on in years and Ginny didn’t think she nor Harry pushed him very hard, but house elves weren’t immortal. She hated the thought of him not being around and made a mental note to talk to Harry about it.
Once she emerged, she headed down the stairs, knocking lightly on Hermione’s door. The warm water had eased the ache in her ankle, but only slightly. She pushed the door open slowly and was surprised to not find Hermione within. Crookshanks looked up at her entrance, getting up, but not leaving Hermione’s bed. Ginny looked around the room once, noticing the darkness of the night outside. She stepped to the window, looking out and was surprised to see a pair of dark, cloaked shapes some ways away from the school. She could hear Crookshanks meowing at her, as if in warning. The Dementors seemed to be looking right at her, but she didn’t think they could see at all. Their cloaks blew in the wind and she could have sworn there were more than just two, but the others were hidden from her vantage.
She turned and started to head for the door, but stopped, seeing Hermione come through the door. Hermione smiled at her. ‘Feeling better?’
Ginny licked her lips nervously and said, ‘Do you think if I conjured a Patronus now, it would get across school grounds?’
Hermione looked at her curiously. ‘Why?’
‘Because there are Dementors outside,’ Ginny replied evenly, trying not to startle her.
Hermione balked and joined her at the window. What was a pair was now a trio of Dementors and Hermione fell back a few paces. She shuddered and whispered, ‘Why are they after you?’
Ginny shook her head. ‘I don’t know…you said they may not be after me…but something…’
Hermione, as if out of a dream, cried, ‘The locket! They must be after it!’
Ginny scanned the floor, replaying her conversation with Harry. ‘But what value would it have to them?’
Hermione grabbed her notebook off of her bed and flipped through it. ‘Here! The locket can be empowered with any emotion - you and Harry used love, but it could just as easily be used for something evil.’
‘I don’t think ‘evil’ is an emotion,’ Ginny replied with a smile, her eyes on the window again.
Hermione sighed. ‘You know what I mean, Ginny, don’t be obtuse.’
‘Obtuse? Merlin, you need to stop reading so much.’ Ginny laughed.
Hermione got up, still holding the notebook. ‘At least they don’t seem to be coming any closer. We should go tell McGonagall. Come on.’
Ginny nodded and followed. Hermione kept a decent pace and Ginny was beginning to have trouble keeping up. Hermione stopped, at the bottom of a flight of stairs. ‘Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey…you’re not moving all that well.’
Ginny sighed and nodded, grudgingly. ‘I wanted to know what McGonagall thought…and…’
Hermione grinned at her. ‘I think the Headmistress of Hogwarts can conjure a Patronus that is at least as powerful as yours.’
Ginny laughed. ‘That isn’t quite what I meant…but it does make me worry.’
Hermione took a step closer to her and said, ‘Let’s do some more research about the locket and also about magical reserves…I mean, there has to be a reason you were able to conjure a Patronus that could be seen from great distances. Especially considering the last time you conjured one it was a normal Patronus, and left you nearly depleted.’
Ginny nodded, uneasy, and felt her mind flying. ‘Is something wrong with me? This isn’t normal, is it?’
Hermione smiled at her reassuringly. ‘Ginny, you’re just as normal as the rest of us, but you’ve always been known to be strong, magically speaking.’
Ginny looked down. ‘But never like this…this is like…well, like Harry.’
Hermione said quietly, ‘I don’t think even Harry’s Patronus was this strong.’
Ginny gave Hermione a disbelieving look. ‘Harry’s one of the strongest wizards we know.’
‘Not counting actual adults,’ Hermione commented. ‘Look, let’s face it Ginny, if you both duelled, you’d have just as good a chance of winning on strength alone.’
Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘Duelling? Where do you come up with these examples?’
Hermione laughed and said, ‘I’ll come find you in the hospital wing. Send me a…no, don’t…I don’t want a massive, glowing horse after me!’
Ginny glared and rolled her eyes before turning and limping her way towards the hospital wing. On her way there, she ran into both Natalie and Dean. They were laughing about something and upon spotting her, came over.
Natalie was full of energy. ‘Ginny! It’s so good to be back - are you ready for the next match?’
Ginny started to respond, but Dean cut her off, ‘We’re going to win that Quidditch Cup!’
‘I certainly hope so,’ Ginny agreed. ‘But in the meantime, this ankle really hasn’t gotten a whole lot better.’
Natalie shot her a worried look. ‘I thought you were going to get it re-broken…and then you were supposed to take it easy…though I believe you didn’t do that either…’
‘I’m going to talk to Madame Pomfrey about that now,’ Ginny said quietly, mulling over Natalie’s words carefully. ‘So you two had best be ready for some tough practices if I can’t go at full strength.’
Dean smiled. ‘How was your holiday? I saw you in the Prophet…’
Ginny sighed. She should have known this was coming. This was most likely what Natalie was referring to. She laughed, trying to act nonchalant. ‘It was wonderful, and yours?’
Natalie was grinning from ear-to-ear and commented, ‘I don’t think any of us had a better holiday than you! That Harry Potter is mad about you!’
Ginny laughed and replied, smiling, ‘He is, and I’m mad about him, so it’s a good match for us both. Now before I go back on a promise I made to him, I’d better get over to Madame Pomfrey.’
Natalie nodded and smiled genuinely, while Dean looked at her steadily, as if working something out in his head. ‘Yeah, we’ll see you, Captain.’
Ginny hoped Dean wasn’t still harbouring feelings for her, but her ankle was protesting more than she would have liked so she couldn’t think on it more. As she reached the hospital wing, she felt her ankle giving way and almost fell through the doors. The hospital wing was empty, but she grasped the door firmly to keep upright. She started to call out for Madame Pomfrey, when the healer bustled past her. ‘Again, Ms. Weasley? Sit on your bed and I’ll be with you shortly.’
Ginny hobbled to the closest bed, knowing she couldn’t make it much further. She couldn’t figure out what was going on, but she watched anxiously as Madame Pomfrey grabbed a few bottles of a red and blue liquid and began to mix them, trying to make them turn a colour that wasn’t purple. Ginny watched her quietly for a few moments before the doors flew open again and Professor McGonagall came in, levitating Ernie Macmillan behind her. Hermione was following close and looked rather pale, again. Ginny sat up and called out to her, ‘Hermione! What happened?’
Hermione looked up, startled and said, ‘I don’t know…We were just in Professor McGonagall’s office and he just…fell over…’
Ginny motioned for her to come over and she did so reluctantly. Ginny scooted over a bit and Hermione sat down heavily next to her. Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey were ignoring them and Ginny said quietly, ‘Hermione, it’s going to be fine…are you okay?’
She looked at Ginny, her eyes wide. ‘What is going on? Harry can’t tell us this is nothing!’
Ginny sighed and nodded slowly. ‘Two attacks in one day is odd, but at least I wasn’t anywhere near this one…’
‘But you would have been if I hadn’t sent you here!’ Hermione exclaimed.
Ginny realised the truth of Hermione’s statement quickly. She was right. She should have been there. The attack was, again, most likely aimed at her. Hermione leaned close to her and whispered, ‘We need to figure this out…Ernie was changing colours in Professor McGonagall’s office.’
Ginny smiled. ‘Thankfully you’re the best at research, Hermione; you’ll be able to figure it out.’
Hermione laughed half-heartedly. ‘Right, I’ve been doing a great job so far. We’ve all been attacked and we’re no-where closer to the truth…You were right, I’ve got nothing. Just a few things that could be pieced together…’
Madame Pomfrey turned and looked at them, her eyes smiling. ‘Who’s next?’
Professor McGonagall patted her on the back. ‘I’m so glad you’re here to put these students back together.’
The healer nodded. ‘They do try my skills so, but I have yet to be bested.’
She looked at the two girls on the bed and said, ‘Why such sad looks? Mr. Macmillan will be fine in no time, just needs some rest.’
Hermione tried to nod, but her body was shaking again. Ginny wrapped an arm around her and said, ‘We were attacked by Dementors on the train, Hermione took the brunt of it…’
Madame Pomfrey shook her head. ‘Three beds tonight, then?’
Hermione shook her head, trying to control her body. ‘I’m fine.’
‘How long ago did this happen?’ Madame Pomfrey asked.
Ginny rubbed Hermione’s back soothingly and stated, ‘A few hours ago…I gave her some chocolate, but she’s still pale.’
Ginny put a hand to Hermione’s forehead, she was clammy and cold. Ginny gave Hermione a worried look and said, ‘Do you feel sick?’
‘No,’ she replied quickly, but Ginny knew she was lying.
Madame Pomfrey held a small glass out. ‘Drink this; it’ll make you feel better.’
Hermione took the glass with a shaking hand and brought it to her lips. Madame Pomfrey said, ‘Drink it quickly, it’ll be better that way.’
Hermione nodded and threw the drink back. She choked, almost dropping the glass. Ginny patted her on the back. ‘I’m sure it isn’t that bad, Hermione.’
Hermione glared at her then turned her eyes to Madame Pomfrey. ‘Was that Fire Whiskey?’
Professor McGonagall chuckled. ‘Some find that a better cure than chocolate for those attacks; you’re probably more in shock than anything, Ms. Granger. Just get some rest tonight and you should be fine in the morning.’
Hermione wiped her mouth and coughed. ‘There were Dementors outside earlier…we could see them from my window…’
Professor McGonagall looked at Madame Pomfrey and said, ‘I’ll take care of this; you two stay here with Mr. Macmillan.’
Ginny started to protest, but the Headmistress would hear none of it. Ginny looked up at Madame Pomfrey and commented, ‘She didn’t seem all that surprised by that piece of news.’
Madame Pomfrey came over to where Ginny was sitting, a tray in hand and waved her wand at table so she could place the tray upon it. ‘No, I don’t believe she was, Ms. Weasley.’
Ginny nodded and said leadingly, ‘So they’ve been here since I got attacked?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘They’ve been here for some time…we’ve kept them…at bay…but the train incident was concerning.’
Ginny nodded and then cringed, as she saw instruments that were clearly meant for her. Madame Pomfrey shook her head. ‘I’m re-breaking your ankle now. You’re here and I don’t want any argument about this and that is final.’
‘Can’t it wait until after the last match?’ Ginny pleaded.
Hermione sighed. ‘If you don’t get that fixed you won’t be able to play for a good long while.’
‘Thank you,’ Madame Pomfrey said to Hermione. ‘Listen to your friend. She’s right; you need to take better care of yourself. This is a disgrace. The captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team can’t stay in one piece…even your Mr. Potter was better than this.’
Ginny flushed slightly at the comment that Harry was hers, but continued her argument. ‘Please, Madame Pomfrey! I promise, I’ll be good, I just don’t want to…’
‘Be in that much pain?’ Madame Pomfrey asked, laughing. ‘I’m sure you’re in more pain now than you will be once I’m through with you.’
Ginny cringed. ‘But I don’t need it re-broken! It’s fine.’
‘Sit still or I will bind you to this bed!’ Madame Pomfrey scolded.
Ginny looked at Hermione, but the latter was clearly feeling the effects of the Fire Whiskey and was grinning dumbly at her. Ginny poked her in the arm. ‘Are you okay?’
Hermione grinned at her. ‘Yeah, better than you with your moping over Harry.’
Ginny rolled her eyes and Madame Pomfrey commented, ‘And think, that was a small glass, imagine if we gave her more.’
‘Let’s remember not to then…’ Ginny stated frostily.
Madame Pomfrey gave her a stern look. ‘You need to stay off of this ankle once I’m done, is that clear? I’m going to give you a crutch that’ll ease the weight on your leg, but you’d best not be running or flying for two weeks.’
‘Two weeks?’ Ginny asked sadly. She hoped that Dean would be able to help her lead the team, as their next match was coming up. Although, maybe she could fly without using her ankle, she’d have to investigate that further.
Madame Pomfrey started to work on her and Ginny did her best to not fuss as the pain continued to mount for what felt like hours on end. The re-breaking was much quicker than she would have expected, but setting it was rather unpleasant.
Madame Pomfrey gripped her knee firmly, waved her wand to numb the ankle, and then waved her wand a second time and Ginny felt a slight pull and pop that startled her. Then Madame Pomfrey wrapped her ankle heavily in something, dousing it with a clear yellow liquid and then covering that with a tougher fabric.
Ginny gripped Hermione’s hand, and the older girl was too tipsy to realise what was happening. Madame Pomfrey sent Hermione back to her room and Ginny spent the next few hours trying not to think about the pain emanating from her ankle. Madame Pomfrey had been right, it hurt worse than she’d expected, but at least it would stop being such a bother.