Harry Potter: Just Because
Title: Just Because
Author: Serena-chan
Category: Books
Sub-category: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Harry Potter / Ginny Weasley
A/N: Another piece of mine that's been around for ages. Also, you may notice that the spell Ginny casts is a lot like the one Alanna performs in Tamora Pierce's wonderful book. That's where I got the idea. I don't own any of her work or that of J.K. Rowling.
Part One:
Harry was standing beside the lake in the Weasley's yard chatting with Ron. It was a quiet, peaceful day--hardly a cloud in the sky and the summer sun pouring warmly down on them.
Ron was chattering excitedly away about how the Chudley Cannons had just won a new match and wondering what tactics they would use for their next game.
Harry wasn't paying much attention to Ron, (which is understandable, considering that he had been going on for about an hour now...) instead, he looked out over the lake, his mind wondering.
Dumbledore had finally consented to let him visit the Weasley's over the summer holidays. Now, there was only one month until the start of school, and he and Ron were spending the days chatting by the lake, playing Quidditch, and discussing plans for their fifth year as a Hogwarts student.
"Harry!" Ron's annoyed voice jerked him from his thoughts. "You aren't even listening to me!"
"Sorry," said Harry. "But can't we talk about something else? You've been going on for about an hour now! Now, I like the Chudley Cannons as much as you do but--"
Harry's voice had gotten louder as he spoke and it apparently had gotten too loud because he was interrupted by an outraged voice above their heads shouting, "Will you be quiet!"
He and Ron turned their heads upward to find a very angry Ginny, perched up in a tree with her sketch book in her lap.
"Honestly, I don't know why you can't be quiet for more than one..." her voice trailed off as she noticed that it was Harry she was shouting at and not her brother. "Oh!" she cried in a strangled voice, "Was that you Harry? I'm so sorry for shouting! I was just working on a sketch when you startled me! I didn't know it was you! I thought..." She went rambling on, her face flushing redder than her hair.
"It's alright Ginny!" said Harry, stopping her stuttered apologies, "You didn't do anything wrong. We'll be quiet now. Promise!"
"A-Alright." Ginny managed to sputter as she hid her face with her sketch book.
"Stupid girl," muttered Ron softly. "She wouldn't be nearly that nice if it was me."
Harry looked up at Ginny who had resumed drawing. She looked really pretty, he realized. She was gazing intently at her hand gliding the pencil across the paper, making each little mark with such detailed concentration that she looked as though she thought it would blow up if one mark was out of place. Her red hair, which hung just below her shoulders, was pushed back behind her ear on one side with the other side spilling down around her face. Her light hazel eyes seemed to have the slightest glints of dark brown and light gold all at once.
Harry looked away quickly, wondering what had caused his heart to speed up at such an alarming rate. Is it because of Ginny? No, of course not. She's just Ron's little sister after all.
Ginny turned to a new page in her sketch book and quickly let her pencil fly across the page. She had to draw quickly, because if he moved it would be ruined. A few minutes later, she emerged from her state of concentration triumphant. She gazed at the paper before her. There sat Harry, gazing out at the lake with that thoughtful, dreamy look in his eyes that she loved so much.
Sighing happily, she turned her attention back to the real thing. It was then that she noticed the change that had taken place in him during the few minutes that she had been engrossed in drawing. Skin was a lot paler than usual. In fact, it was a strange grayish color all except for his cheeks which were very red. She leaned forward and watched
What's wrong with him? He seemed fine a minute ago...
Harry noticed suddenly that he was not feeling very well. His stomach was lurching around as though it were trying to figure out a way to separate itself from him. His head pounded and he felt extremely hot.
He fanned himself shakily with his hand remarking to Ron, "Awful hot out here isn't it."
"Not particularly, why?" asked Ron, turning to look at him.
"Nothing." murmured Harry, standing. This was a definite mistake because his head throbbed harder than before and everything began to swirl around him. The last thing he heard was Ron calling his name and Ginny screaming before everything went black.
Part Two:
Harry moan softly. He wasn't sure where he was. He felt that he was in a soft and warm place. He ached all over. His head was still pounding and he felt so nauseated that he could barely think.
Very faintly he thought he could hear someone saying, "I think he's coming to!" After several tries, he finally managed to open his eyes. He was laying on a makeshift bed on the Weasley's couch. Above his hovered the worried faces of Mrs. Weasley and Ron. He could see Ginny glancing at him some distance away. She looked like she had been crying.
"Harry, dear," said Mrs. Weasley in a very motherly voice. "Are you alright?"
"What happened?" he croaked out.
"You just collapsed!" shrieked Ginny, rushing over to him, "We were all by the pond and you just fell over! I was so worried! You've been asleep for ages! Do you feel all right? I..." she trailed off, suddenly realizing who she was talking to and how much she was saying.
"I'll be fine, Ginny." Harry said, trying to force a smile, "Don't worry."
Ginny nodded, went redder than her hair, and darted from the room mumbling something about homework.
"How long have I been asleep?" Harry asked, trying to sit up.
"Three days," Ron told him.
"Three days?! I've been out that long?!" exclaimed Harry, giving up on the idea to sit up and lying back down again.
"I'm afraid so, dear." said Mrs. Weasley sympathetically, "We've had the doctor here and he said that you had a case of the sweating fever." Seeing the confused look on Harry's face she continued, "That's a very rare and very dangerous virus. Don't worry though, dear, he gave us some medicine for you. You should be out of bed in three days, and he put a charm around you so that none of us will catch the sickness." Harry sighed and laid back on the couch, feeling very tired. He noticed Ginny slipping quietly back into the room.
"Oh, no!" Ron shouted suddenly, "The Chudley Cannons game was today! We won't be able to go!"
"I'm afraid not," Mrs. Weasly said, "Harry probably won't even be able to walk."
"You all go without me." Harry said, "You should have some fun. I'll stay here."
"I can leave you alone, you'll need someone to stay by you at all times." Mrs. Weasley said, "Ron, your father will have to take you."
"No you need to go and have fun." Harry persisted, "You deserve it after taking care of me for so long."
"Nonsense, I couldn't leave-
"I'll stay with him!" Ginny suddenly blurted. Everyone turned to look at her.
"No, the game is two towns over. I simply couldn't-"
"Mum, please! I don't like the Chudley Cannons as much as the rest of you, and I'll do just fine taking care of him by myself! Really! I'm not a little girl anymore!"
There was silence for a few moments while Mrs. Weasley thought. At last she said, "Alright, but if there's any trouble at all send me an owl. We should be back by dark. Now, I'll go get Arthur and the rest of the boys ready."
She and Ron rushed out of the room leaving Harry and Ginny alone. Harry didn't know quite how to react so he just said, "Thanks for volunteering, Ginny. I really appreciate this!"
Ginny turned very red and said softly, "Well, I'd better go and get some of your medicine ready." Turning, she headed for the kitchen.
Part Three:
Harry lay on the Weasley's couch reading a magazine article about Quidditch. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the twins, and Ron had left a couple of hours ago. It was just him and Ginny now.
Ginny was doing a fine job of taking care of him. She'd come in to check on him every half an hour, taking his temperature, tucking the blankets in around him, and changing the damp cloth on his head. Aside from blushing whenever he said something to her, and nearly upsetting the water pitcher twice, she wasn't very clumsy around him at all.
Harry, who had never had anyone to take care of him like a mother would when he was sick, felt sort of embarrassed at all the attention she was giving him. But, at the same time, he liked it.
Ginny was in the kitchen now, preparing supper. It turned out that his medicine was in powder form. So, she was making some chicken broth for him and mixing the powder in with it.
Ginny emerged from the kitchen just as Harry was putting the magazine down. She carried a tray with the soup and a glass of iced pumpkin juice on it. Her face had a slight pink flush to it from standing over the steaming hot pan of soup while she was cooking it.
"Well, here it is," she said, bring it over to him and helping him sit up. "I hope the medicine doesn't make it taste too awful."
Harry thanked her causing the color of her cheeks to darken slightly. He tasted the soup and assured her that he couldn't taste the medicine at all. The soup tasted very good to him. In fact, it was the best he'd ever had, and he told her so, causing her to go even redder.
After a few spoonfuls, however, the spoon seemed to get heavier and heavier each time he tried to lift it. Eventually, he began to shake and he found that he could no longer take steady spoonfuls without sloshing it everywhere.
"I'm sorry," he murmured to Ginny. "I can't..." He trailed off as Ginny nervously reached out and took the spoon from his hand. She filled it with soup. Trembling, though not enough that she spilled any, she lifted the spoon to his lips, feeding him.
Harry let her. At first, he felt very embarrassed about being so weak that he had to be spoon-fed, but after awhile, he realized that he liked it. He watched Ginny intensely. Her flaming hair was pulled back rather messily from her face with a hair clip so that several strands had fallen down, framing her face. She was blushing slightly, though not as much as she had been earlier.
Harry felt his heart began to pound and his breathing became heavy. Why did he feel this way? Was it because of Ginny? She had the most worried look on her face. Harry's heart ached to see her so worried and to know that he was the one causing it. He suddenly wanted to pull her into his lap and tell her that everything would be alright.
When Harry had finished eating, Ginny set the tray aside and began to get up to go, but Harry stopped her. "Thanks." he whispered. "Why did you offer to take care of me, Gin?"
She blushed at his new nickname for her. "Just because..." she trailed off as Harry, before he could stop himself, reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers slide down and linger on her cheek. She closed her eyes and brought her hand up on his, holding his hand to her cheek.
Harry felt himself trembling as he was swept up in emotions that he had never felt before. It both excited and scared him at the same time. He wished that they could stay like that forever, never moving, with only him and her in the entire world.
They were both startled out of their trances by an owl pecking on the window, demanding to be let in. Ginny reluctantly pulled away from him and went over to the window to let the strange owl in.
Harry had never seen this owl before. It was a rusty brown color with bits of red in it. He recognized by the badge it wore that it was one of the Ministry's owls.
Ginny unhooked the letter around it's leg and the owl flew off into the evening sunset. Ginny quickly opened the letter and read it. She let out a strangled cry and her face went white.
"What is it?" Harry asked in alarm.
"It's the death eaters!" Ginny cried, "They've attacked the Chudley Cannon match!"
Part Four:
"What?!" Harry shouted. Wordlessly, Ginny handed him the letter. Harry read:
Ginny,
There's been an attack by the death eaters. It was during the game.
They came in and started using curses. It's all over, now. Your father's been injured. He was trying to help a little boy leave the stands when a curse hit him in the leg. He's in the hospital now being taken care of. The rest of us are safe and fine. The ministry is here and they're taking care of things. So, we won't be home tonight due to your father's condition. I'm sorry to leave you for so long, but there's nothing I can do. Just take good care of Harry, and we'll be back as soon as we can. If anything goes wrong, send me an owl immediately!
Love you,
Mother
Harry put down the letter and looked over at Ginny, and his heart tore in two at what he saw. She was sitting quietly by the window, gazing out at the remaining sunset and early stars. Her eyes shone brightly with held back tears. She had the saddest look on her face. Harry would have given all his gold in Gringotts to see her smile again.
"Ginny." Harry called softly, not being able to take it any longer. When she looked over at him, he opened his arms out to her. She looked uncertainly at him for a minute before bursting fully into tears and rushing into his arms.
She clung to him and cried silently into his shoulder. He held her tightly to him. Whispering that everything would be alright. After a few moments of debating, he placed a light kiss on her forehead. She seemed to calm down considerably after that.
She pulled away from him slightly, still sniffing, "I'm sorry," she murmured, "now I've gotten your shirt all wet."
"It'll dry." He assured her.
He gazed into her eyes for what seemed like eternity. She had the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. Ginny found herself giving him stare for stare. Admiring his beautiful green eyes.
The clock striking 9:00pm snapped her back into reality. "Well, a fine job I'm doing." She said sarcastically, "I'm supposed be the one taking care of you!" Reluctantly, she pulled herself from his embrace.
"You're doing just fine, Gin." Harry said.
"Well, I'd better go do the dishes." She murmured, taking the tray and heading for the kitchen.
Later that night, Ginny lay asleep in bed. She was dreaming of her father, far away and injured...
Arthur Weasley was laying on a cot inside the hospital. His leg was bandaged, and his skin had a sick green cast to it. The only noise that filled the room was the beats on the heart monitor. They were steady. She walked over to the bed, tears stinging her eyes.
"Daddy," she whispered softly, "please get better!"
Suddenly her father's eyes opened and he was looking up at her. He smiled and took her hand. "Ginny," he said, "don't worry about me. I'll recover and be alright. You have much more important things to worry about."
"Your father is right." A voice behind her said. She whirled around to find Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway. "Your father will recover," He said slowly, "but Harry may not. It's all up to you. Harry will die if you don't help him soon."
"What?!" Ginny said in alarm.
"Harry will die," Dumbledore repeated, "if you don't help him soon. As we are speaking, his fever is rising, and he is in great danger. Voldemort will not give him up without a fight. You are the only one who can save him because your love for him is so strong, and love is the strongest weapon we can use against the Dark Wizard."
The Ginny in her dream shook her head, "I don't understand."
"You will." Dumbledore promised, "You must go to him now. Use every cure you know. If all else fails, you will find a black book on your bed. In it you will find a very powerful spell. Do not hesitate to use it, but only as a last resort. The book will not appear until you have no more options left. Do you understand?"
The dream Ginny nodded and everything seemed to melt around her...
She woke up shaking. It was still dark outside, and the clock on the table beside her bed revealed it to be 1:00am.
Was the dream real? Was Harry really in danger? Ginny tried to tell herself that it was just a dream and that Harry would be fine, but she couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Getting out of bed and pulling an old robe on over her pink nightgown, she ran barefoot down the stairs and into the living room. She drew her breath in sharply at what she saw. Harry lay there, his face flushed very red, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his covers tangled around him from tossing around.
He moaned softly as she approached him. She touched his face and drew her hand back quickly in surprise. He was burning hot. His fever was dangerously high. She had to do something.
Rushing into the kitchen, she refilled the water pitched with ice water and brought it back. Wetting the cloth, she wiped his face and placed it on his forehead. Going back into the kitchen, she prepared several ice packs and set them around him, attempting to bring his temperature down.
She felt the cloth on his head and discovered that in the few seconds it had lay there, that it had already gone hot. She dipped it into the cold water once more. She repeated this several times, but his fever continued to rise.
She felt panicked. She didn't know what to do. If she didn't do something soon, he would die! Then, a memory of her dream shot into her head.
She raced up into her room, taking the steps two at a time. Swinging the door wide open, she plunged into the darkness of her room and turned the light on. On her bed lay a tattered black book, crumbling with age.
Part Five:
She raced up into her room, taking the steps two at a time. Swinging the door wide open, she plunged into the darkness of her room and turned the light on. On her bed lay a tattered black book, crumbling with age.
She fell to her knees before her bed. Carefully, she opened the book. She scanned the page. It was a spell to cure a sickness put upon someone by a powerful wizard. The directions were very clear, but she still was puzzled. This magic was far beyond anything she had ever learned. It was so old, that it didn't even use a wand. How was she, who was just going into her fourth year of Hogwarts, going to manage a spell like this?
At the bottom of the page she found a warning written out in faded ink: To those who try this spell-This is a highly dangerous spell. It requires so much energy that the caster of the spell almost always dies. Only perform if you are willing to risk everything, including your life, for the person you love.
Ginny gasped as the realization hit her. She was going to die. She was a very inexperienced witch. She might not even have enough energy to perform the spell all the way through, let alone survive it. Was she willing to die so that Harry could live?
Yes! She answered herself immediately. She loved him more than her own life. If he were to die, she would never forgive herself. He could go on without her. She would perform the spell.
Ginny carried the book downstairs to where Harry lay, reading the spell over and over again as she went. The spell called for only two things: fire, a real fire made from a muggle match and wood, and dried vervain leaves. This last ingredient worried Ginny because she wasn't sure that they had any. Just as she was beginning to panic, some dry, crumbly leaves fell out of the pages of the book. She inspected them closely and, if the illustrations in the book were correct, these were vervain leaves.
Ginny rushed into the shed where her father kept all his muggle things that he liked to experiment with. Finding a box of matches on one of the shelves, she rushed back and built the fire.
Ginny looked at Harry to discover that he had a sick grayish tint underneath all the red, his heartbeat was very slow and irregular, and he was barely breathing at all.
Taking the vervain leaves firmly in her hand, she took one last look around the room. It would probably be the last time she would ever see it. She spun slowly, taking in every detail. Her father's books on muggles, her mother's knitting basket in the corner, some of the twin's joke wands laying around in hopes that some unfortunate person would pick one up, Percy's letter of acceptance to work in the ministry was framed on the wall, letter's from Bill and Charley lay scattered upon the table alongside Ron's quidditch magazines.
At last her eyes fell on Harry. Harry...she would never be able to tell him how she felt. She had lost her chance. She went carefully over to him and bent down, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Harry Potter."
She turned back to the fire, a determined gleam in her eyes. She knelt and flung the vervain leaves into the flames. Then, slowly, she lowered her hands into the fire. Her essence spilled from her palms into the flames turning them pink. She closed her eyes and whispered the words that she had read from the book.
Magic rose around her. Old magic. Older than time itself. Suddenly, power rammed into her palms and up her arms making her squeak in surprise. Raw, hot magic streamed into her. Filling her until she didn't think she could hold anymore. Still, it kept coming, pouring into her, filling her veins. It penetrated her physical form and went down deep inside of her. Down where her own magic lay, down into her soul. It merged with her soul, became one with it.
Pain worse than the crusiatus curse filled her. She could barely see with the fire that burned in her eyes. Tears of pain ran down her cheeks. She wasn't going to make it. All she could think of was Harry, lying there, dying, while she was helpless.
She could feel her love for him grow. She could feel it deep down in her soul. It was a very comforting feeling, so she concentrated on that. It seemed to spread throughout her entire body. It fought the pain back until it was just an unpleasant little twinge in the back of her mind.
She looked down at her hands. Her skin was burning with a pink shimmering fire. She stood and made her way over to Harry. Sitting down beside him, she took his hand in hers and she pushed her energy into him. Binding them to each other, making them one.
She could feel herself leaving her body. She was going to the place where Harry was.
It was dark all around. All she could see was Harry, standing beaten and hurt, before a man that she knew instantly was Voldemort.
"Well," said Voldemort in a voice that sounded more like a snake than human, "little Miss Weasley has arrived at last."
"Ginny!" Harry ran towards her, "You have to get out of here! He'll kill you too!"
"I'm not going anywhere." she said firmly.
"Why don't you listen to him, Ginny." Purred Voldemort, "You could save him, but are you really willing to do that? Are you really willing to die to save him? Why don't you leave now, and save yourself...it would be much easier."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, very confused.
"That little girl," Voldemort said, "has the power to break my spell right now. She has the power to rid me from your body and save you from the disease. However, if she does this, she will certainly die. It's really a rather fair trade if you ask me, one life for another."
"No, Ginny!" Harry cried, "You can't do this! I won't let you!"
"I'm going to go through with this, Harry!" she said determinedly, stepping in between him and Voldemort, "I won't let him hurt you."
Harry was crying now. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered through his tears.
"Just because..." she murmured, "...because I love you." Turning away from Harry before she could see his reaction, she aimed all her energy at Voldemort. She poured all the power from her body, she used all of her strength, all of her life energy, in one swift blow.
Then, it was all over...
Everything went black...
Harry awoke some hours later. The clock was just chiming 8:00am and sunlight was pouring into the room. His fever was gone. He didn't feel any pain anymore. Other than the fact that he felt weak and tired, he had no other symptoms of ever having had the fever.
His first thought as he opened his eyes was of Ginny. Where was she?! He looked around in alarm. She was laying on the floor beside the couch. Harry pulled her up onto the couch with him. She wasn't breathing.
"No!" Harry whispered, "No! This can't be happening!" Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he buried his face in her hair and sobbed. It had happened again. Someone he loved had died again to save him. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I never got to tell you anything! I never told you how I felt!"
As he wept, he didn't notice that a white light had spread from him to her and was now radiating around them. The light vanished just as Ginny moaned and opened her eyes.
"Harry?" she whispered.
"Ginny?! You're alive!" Harry flung his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him.
"How?" she asked in a strangled voice.
"I dunno." Harry whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Dumbledoor once told me that love was the most powerful magic of all...I reckon he was right."
"Harry," Ginny said, surprised that she was daring enough to ask him, "do you-"
"I love you, Ginny." Harry said firmly, cutting her off.
Ginny smiled, "I love you, too!"
"I know." Harry leaned foreword, and gently pressed his lips against hers.
Author: Serena-chan
Category: Books
Sub-category: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Harry Potter / Ginny Weasley
A/N: Another piece of mine that's been around for ages. Also, you may notice that the spell Ginny casts is a lot like the one Alanna performs in Tamora Pierce's wonderful book. That's where I got the idea. I don't own any of her work or that of J.K. Rowling.
Part One:
Harry was standing beside the lake in the Weasley's yard chatting with Ron. It was a quiet, peaceful day--hardly a cloud in the sky and the summer sun pouring warmly down on them.
Ron was chattering excitedly away about how the Chudley Cannons had just won a new match and wondering what tactics they would use for their next game.
Harry wasn't paying much attention to Ron, (which is understandable, considering that he had been going on for about an hour now...) instead, he looked out over the lake, his mind wondering.
Dumbledore had finally consented to let him visit the Weasley's over the summer holidays. Now, there was only one month until the start of school, and he and Ron were spending the days chatting by the lake, playing Quidditch, and discussing plans for their fifth year as a Hogwarts student.
"Harry!" Ron's annoyed voice jerked him from his thoughts. "You aren't even listening to me!"
"Sorry," said Harry. "But can't we talk about something else? You've been going on for about an hour now! Now, I like the Chudley Cannons as much as you do but--"
Harry's voice had gotten louder as he spoke and it apparently had gotten too loud because he was interrupted by an outraged voice above their heads shouting, "Will you be quiet!"
He and Ron turned their heads upward to find a very angry Ginny, perched up in a tree with her sketch book in her lap.
"Honestly, I don't know why you can't be quiet for more than one..." her voice trailed off as she noticed that it was Harry she was shouting at and not her brother. "Oh!" she cried in a strangled voice, "Was that you Harry? I'm so sorry for shouting! I was just working on a sketch when you startled me! I didn't know it was you! I thought..." She went rambling on, her face flushing redder than her hair.
"It's alright Ginny!" said Harry, stopping her stuttered apologies, "You didn't do anything wrong. We'll be quiet now. Promise!"
"A-Alright." Ginny managed to sputter as she hid her face with her sketch book.
"Stupid girl," muttered Ron softly. "She wouldn't be nearly that nice if it was me."
Harry looked up at Ginny who had resumed drawing. She looked really pretty, he realized. She was gazing intently at her hand gliding the pencil across the paper, making each little mark with such detailed concentration that she looked as though she thought it would blow up if one mark was out of place. Her red hair, which hung just below her shoulders, was pushed back behind her ear on one side with the other side spilling down around her face. Her light hazel eyes seemed to have the slightest glints of dark brown and light gold all at once.
Harry looked away quickly, wondering what had caused his heart to speed up at such an alarming rate. Is it because of Ginny? No, of course not. She's just Ron's little sister after all.
Ginny turned to a new page in her sketch book and quickly let her pencil fly across the page. She had to draw quickly, because if he moved it would be ruined. A few minutes later, she emerged from her state of concentration triumphant. She gazed at the paper before her. There sat Harry, gazing out at the lake with that thoughtful, dreamy look in his eyes that she loved so much.
Sighing happily, she turned her attention back to the real thing. It was then that she noticed the change that had taken place in him during the few minutes that she had been engrossed in drawing. Skin was a lot paler than usual. In fact, it was a strange grayish color all except for his cheeks which were very red. She leaned forward and watched
What's wrong with him? He seemed fine a minute ago...
Harry noticed suddenly that he was not feeling very well. His stomach was lurching around as though it were trying to figure out a way to separate itself from him. His head pounded and he felt extremely hot.
He fanned himself shakily with his hand remarking to Ron, "Awful hot out here isn't it."
"Not particularly, why?" asked Ron, turning to look at him.
"Nothing." murmured Harry, standing. This was a definite mistake because his head throbbed harder than before and everything began to swirl around him. The last thing he heard was Ron calling his name and Ginny screaming before everything went black.
Part Two:
Harry moan softly. He wasn't sure where he was. He felt that he was in a soft and warm place. He ached all over. His head was still pounding and he felt so nauseated that he could barely think.
Very faintly he thought he could hear someone saying, "I think he's coming to!" After several tries, he finally managed to open his eyes. He was laying on a makeshift bed on the Weasley's couch. Above his hovered the worried faces of Mrs. Weasley and Ron. He could see Ginny glancing at him some distance away. She looked like she had been crying.
"Harry, dear," said Mrs. Weasley in a very motherly voice. "Are you alright?"
"What happened?" he croaked out.
"You just collapsed!" shrieked Ginny, rushing over to him, "We were all by the pond and you just fell over! I was so worried! You've been asleep for ages! Do you feel all right? I..." she trailed off, suddenly realizing who she was talking to and how much she was saying.
"I'll be fine, Ginny." Harry said, trying to force a smile, "Don't worry."
Ginny nodded, went redder than her hair, and darted from the room mumbling something about homework.
"How long have I been asleep?" Harry asked, trying to sit up.
"Three days," Ron told him.
"Three days?! I've been out that long?!" exclaimed Harry, giving up on the idea to sit up and lying back down again.
"I'm afraid so, dear." said Mrs. Weasley sympathetically, "We've had the doctor here and he said that you had a case of the sweating fever." Seeing the confused look on Harry's face she continued, "That's a very rare and very dangerous virus. Don't worry though, dear, he gave us some medicine for you. You should be out of bed in three days, and he put a charm around you so that none of us will catch the sickness." Harry sighed and laid back on the couch, feeling very tired. He noticed Ginny slipping quietly back into the room.
"Oh, no!" Ron shouted suddenly, "The Chudley Cannons game was today! We won't be able to go!"
"I'm afraid not," Mrs. Weasly said, "Harry probably won't even be able to walk."
"You all go without me." Harry said, "You should have some fun. I'll stay here."
"I can leave you alone, you'll need someone to stay by you at all times." Mrs. Weasley said, "Ron, your father will have to take you."
"No you need to go and have fun." Harry persisted, "You deserve it after taking care of me for so long."
"Nonsense, I couldn't leave-
"I'll stay with him!" Ginny suddenly blurted. Everyone turned to look at her.
"No, the game is two towns over. I simply couldn't-"
"Mum, please! I don't like the Chudley Cannons as much as the rest of you, and I'll do just fine taking care of him by myself! Really! I'm not a little girl anymore!"
There was silence for a few moments while Mrs. Weasley thought. At last she said, "Alright, but if there's any trouble at all send me an owl. We should be back by dark. Now, I'll go get Arthur and the rest of the boys ready."
She and Ron rushed out of the room leaving Harry and Ginny alone. Harry didn't know quite how to react so he just said, "Thanks for volunteering, Ginny. I really appreciate this!"
Ginny turned very red and said softly, "Well, I'd better go and get some of your medicine ready." Turning, she headed for the kitchen.
Part Three:
Harry lay on the Weasley's couch reading a magazine article about Quidditch. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the twins, and Ron had left a couple of hours ago. It was just him and Ginny now.
Ginny was doing a fine job of taking care of him. She'd come in to check on him every half an hour, taking his temperature, tucking the blankets in around him, and changing the damp cloth on his head. Aside from blushing whenever he said something to her, and nearly upsetting the water pitcher twice, she wasn't very clumsy around him at all.
Harry, who had never had anyone to take care of him like a mother would when he was sick, felt sort of embarrassed at all the attention she was giving him. But, at the same time, he liked it.
Ginny was in the kitchen now, preparing supper. It turned out that his medicine was in powder form. So, she was making some chicken broth for him and mixing the powder in with it.
Ginny emerged from the kitchen just as Harry was putting the magazine down. She carried a tray with the soup and a glass of iced pumpkin juice on it. Her face had a slight pink flush to it from standing over the steaming hot pan of soup while she was cooking it.
"Well, here it is," she said, bring it over to him and helping him sit up. "I hope the medicine doesn't make it taste too awful."
Harry thanked her causing the color of her cheeks to darken slightly. He tasted the soup and assured her that he couldn't taste the medicine at all. The soup tasted very good to him. In fact, it was the best he'd ever had, and he told her so, causing her to go even redder.
After a few spoonfuls, however, the spoon seemed to get heavier and heavier each time he tried to lift it. Eventually, he began to shake and he found that he could no longer take steady spoonfuls without sloshing it everywhere.
"I'm sorry," he murmured to Ginny. "I can't..." He trailed off as Ginny nervously reached out and took the spoon from his hand. She filled it with soup. Trembling, though not enough that she spilled any, she lifted the spoon to his lips, feeding him.
Harry let her. At first, he felt very embarrassed about being so weak that he had to be spoon-fed, but after awhile, he realized that he liked it. He watched Ginny intensely. Her flaming hair was pulled back rather messily from her face with a hair clip so that several strands had fallen down, framing her face. She was blushing slightly, though not as much as she had been earlier.
Harry felt his heart began to pound and his breathing became heavy. Why did he feel this way? Was it because of Ginny? She had the most worried look on her face. Harry's heart ached to see her so worried and to know that he was the one causing it. He suddenly wanted to pull her into his lap and tell her that everything would be alright.
When Harry had finished eating, Ginny set the tray aside and began to get up to go, but Harry stopped her. "Thanks." he whispered. "Why did you offer to take care of me, Gin?"
She blushed at his new nickname for her. "Just because..." she trailed off as Harry, before he could stop himself, reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers slide down and linger on her cheek. She closed her eyes and brought her hand up on his, holding his hand to her cheek.
Harry felt himself trembling as he was swept up in emotions that he had never felt before. It both excited and scared him at the same time. He wished that they could stay like that forever, never moving, with only him and her in the entire world.
They were both startled out of their trances by an owl pecking on the window, demanding to be let in. Ginny reluctantly pulled away from him and went over to the window to let the strange owl in.
Harry had never seen this owl before. It was a rusty brown color with bits of red in it. He recognized by the badge it wore that it was one of the Ministry's owls.
Ginny unhooked the letter around it's leg and the owl flew off into the evening sunset. Ginny quickly opened the letter and read it. She let out a strangled cry and her face went white.
"What is it?" Harry asked in alarm.
"It's the death eaters!" Ginny cried, "They've attacked the Chudley Cannon match!"
Part Four:
"What?!" Harry shouted. Wordlessly, Ginny handed him the letter. Harry read:
Ginny,
There's been an attack by the death eaters. It was during the game.
They came in and started using curses. It's all over, now. Your father's been injured. He was trying to help a little boy leave the stands when a curse hit him in the leg. He's in the hospital now being taken care of. The rest of us are safe and fine. The ministry is here and they're taking care of things. So, we won't be home tonight due to your father's condition. I'm sorry to leave you for so long, but there's nothing I can do. Just take good care of Harry, and we'll be back as soon as we can. If anything goes wrong, send me an owl immediately!
Love you,
Mother
Harry put down the letter and looked over at Ginny, and his heart tore in two at what he saw. She was sitting quietly by the window, gazing out at the remaining sunset and early stars. Her eyes shone brightly with held back tears. She had the saddest look on her face. Harry would have given all his gold in Gringotts to see her smile again.
"Ginny." Harry called softly, not being able to take it any longer. When she looked over at him, he opened his arms out to her. She looked uncertainly at him for a minute before bursting fully into tears and rushing into his arms.
She clung to him and cried silently into his shoulder. He held her tightly to him. Whispering that everything would be alright. After a few moments of debating, he placed a light kiss on her forehead. She seemed to calm down considerably after that.
She pulled away from him slightly, still sniffing, "I'm sorry," she murmured, "now I've gotten your shirt all wet."
"It'll dry." He assured her.
He gazed into her eyes for what seemed like eternity. She had the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. Ginny found herself giving him stare for stare. Admiring his beautiful green eyes.
The clock striking 9:00pm snapped her back into reality. "Well, a fine job I'm doing." She said sarcastically, "I'm supposed be the one taking care of you!" Reluctantly, she pulled herself from his embrace.
"You're doing just fine, Gin." Harry said.
"Well, I'd better go do the dishes." She murmured, taking the tray and heading for the kitchen.
Later that night, Ginny lay asleep in bed. She was dreaming of her father, far away and injured...
Arthur Weasley was laying on a cot inside the hospital. His leg was bandaged, and his skin had a sick green cast to it. The only noise that filled the room was the beats on the heart monitor. They were steady. She walked over to the bed, tears stinging her eyes.
"Daddy," she whispered softly, "please get better!"
Suddenly her father's eyes opened and he was looking up at her. He smiled and took her hand. "Ginny," he said, "don't worry about me. I'll recover and be alright. You have much more important things to worry about."
"Your father is right." A voice behind her said. She whirled around to find Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway. "Your father will recover," He said slowly, "but Harry may not. It's all up to you. Harry will die if you don't help him soon."
"What?!" Ginny said in alarm.
"Harry will die," Dumbledore repeated, "if you don't help him soon. As we are speaking, his fever is rising, and he is in great danger. Voldemort will not give him up without a fight. You are the only one who can save him because your love for him is so strong, and love is the strongest weapon we can use against the Dark Wizard."
The Ginny in her dream shook her head, "I don't understand."
"You will." Dumbledore promised, "You must go to him now. Use every cure you know. If all else fails, you will find a black book on your bed. In it you will find a very powerful spell. Do not hesitate to use it, but only as a last resort. The book will not appear until you have no more options left. Do you understand?"
The dream Ginny nodded and everything seemed to melt around her...
She woke up shaking. It was still dark outside, and the clock on the table beside her bed revealed it to be 1:00am.
Was the dream real? Was Harry really in danger? Ginny tried to tell herself that it was just a dream and that Harry would be fine, but she couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Getting out of bed and pulling an old robe on over her pink nightgown, she ran barefoot down the stairs and into the living room. She drew her breath in sharply at what she saw. Harry lay there, his face flushed very red, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his covers tangled around him from tossing around.
He moaned softly as she approached him. She touched his face and drew her hand back quickly in surprise. He was burning hot. His fever was dangerously high. She had to do something.
Rushing into the kitchen, she refilled the water pitched with ice water and brought it back. Wetting the cloth, she wiped his face and placed it on his forehead. Going back into the kitchen, she prepared several ice packs and set them around him, attempting to bring his temperature down.
She felt the cloth on his head and discovered that in the few seconds it had lay there, that it had already gone hot. She dipped it into the cold water once more. She repeated this several times, but his fever continued to rise.
She felt panicked. She didn't know what to do. If she didn't do something soon, he would die! Then, a memory of her dream shot into her head.
She raced up into her room, taking the steps two at a time. Swinging the door wide open, she plunged into the darkness of her room and turned the light on. On her bed lay a tattered black book, crumbling with age.
Part Five:
She raced up into her room, taking the steps two at a time. Swinging the door wide open, she plunged into the darkness of her room and turned the light on. On her bed lay a tattered black book, crumbling with age.
She fell to her knees before her bed. Carefully, she opened the book. She scanned the page. It was a spell to cure a sickness put upon someone by a powerful wizard. The directions were very clear, but she still was puzzled. This magic was far beyond anything she had ever learned. It was so old, that it didn't even use a wand. How was she, who was just going into her fourth year of Hogwarts, going to manage a spell like this?
At the bottom of the page she found a warning written out in faded ink: To those who try this spell-This is a highly dangerous spell. It requires so much energy that the caster of the spell almost always dies. Only perform if you are willing to risk everything, including your life, for the person you love.
Ginny gasped as the realization hit her. She was going to die. She was a very inexperienced witch. She might not even have enough energy to perform the spell all the way through, let alone survive it. Was she willing to die so that Harry could live?
Yes! She answered herself immediately. She loved him more than her own life. If he were to die, she would never forgive herself. He could go on without her. She would perform the spell.
Ginny carried the book downstairs to where Harry lay, reading the spell over and over again as she went. The spell called for only two things: fire, a real fire made from a muggle match and wood, and dried vervain leaves. This last ingredient worried Ginny because she wasn't sure that they had any. Just as she was beginning to panic, some dry, crumbly leaves fell out of the pages of the book. She inspected them closely and, if the illustrations in the book were correct, these were vervain leaves.
Ginny rushed into the shed where her father kept all his muggle things that he liked to experiment with. Finding a box of matches on one of the shelves, she rushed back and built the fire.
Ginny looked at Harry to discover that he had a sick grayish tint underneath all the red, his heartbeat was very slow and irregular, and he was barely breathing at all.
Taking the vervain leaves firmly in her hand, she took one last look around the room. It would probably be the last time she would ever see it. She spun slowly, taking in every detail. Her father's books on muggles, her mother's knitting basket in the corner, some of the twin's joke wands laying around in hopes that some unfortunate person would pick one up, Percy's letter of acceptance to work in the ministry was framed on the wall, letter's from Bill and Charley lay scattered upon the table alongside Ron's quidditch magazines.
At last her eyes fell on Harry. Harry...she would never be able to tell him how she felt. She had lost her chance. She went carefully over to him and bent down, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Harry Potter."
She turned back to the fire, a determined gleam in her eyes. She knelt and flung the vervain leaves into the flames. Then, slowly, she lowered her hands into the fire. Her essence spilled from her palms into the flames turning them pink. She closed her eyes and whispered the words that she had read from the book.
Magic rose around her. Old magic. Older than time itself. Suddenly, power rammed into her palms and up her arms making her squeak in surprise. Raw, hot magic streamed into her. Filling her until she didn't think she could hold anymore. Still, it kept coming, pouring into her, filling her veins. It penetrated her physical form and went down deep inside of her. Down where her own magic lay, down into her soul. It merged with her soul, became one with it.
Pain worse than the crusiatus curse filled her. She could barely see with the fire that burned in her eyes. Tears of pain ran down her cheeks. She wasn't going to make it. All she could think of was Harry, lying there, dying, while she was helpless.
She could feel her love for him grow. She could feel it deep down in her soul. It was a very comforting feeling, so she concentrated on that. It seemed to spread throughout her entire body. It fought the pain back until it was just an unpleasant little twinge in the back of her mind.
She looked down at her hands. Her skin was burning with a pink shimmering fire. She stood and made her way over to Harry. Sitting down beside him, she took his hand in hers and she pushed her energy into him. Binding them to each other, making them one.
She could feel herself leaving her body. She was going to the place where Harry was.
It was dark all around. All she could see was Harry, standing beaten and hurt, before a man that she knew instantly was Voldemort.
"Well," said Voldemort in a voice that sounded more like a snake than human, "little Miss Weasley has arrived at last."
"Ginny!" Harry ran towards her, "You have to get out of here! He'll kill you too!"
"I'm not going anywhere." she said firmly.
"Why don't you listen to him, Ginny." Purred Voldemort, "You could save him, but are you really willing to do that? Are you really willing to die to save him? Why don't you leave now, and save yourself...it would be much easier."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, very confused.
"That little girl," Voldemort said, "has the power to break my spell right now. She has the power to rid me from your body and save you from the disease. However, if she does this, she will certainly die. It's really a rather fair trade if you ask me, one life for another."
"No, Ginny!" Harry cried, "You can't do this! I won't let you!"
"I'm going to go through with this, Harry!" she said determinedly, stepping in between him and Voldemort, "I won't let him hurt you."
Harry was crying now. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered through his tears.
"Just because..." she murmured, "...because I love you." Turning away from Harry before she could see his reaction, she aimed all her energy at Voldemort. She poured all the power from her body, she used all of her strength, all of her life energy, in one swift blow.
Then, it was all over...
Everything went black...
Harry awoke some hours later. The clock was just chiming 8:00am and sunlight was pouring into the room. His fever was gone. He didn't feel any pain anymore. Other than the fact that he felt weak and tired, he had no other symptoms of ever having had the fever.
His first thought as he opened his eyes was of Ginny. Where was she?! He looked around in alarm. She was laying on the floor beside the couch. Harry pulled her up onto the couch with him. She wasn't breathing.
"No!" Harry whispered, "No! This can't be happening!" Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he buried his face in her hair and sobbed. It had happened again. Someone he loved had died again to save him. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I never got to tell you anything! I never told you how I felt!"
As he wept, he didn't notice that a white light had spread from him to her and was now radiating around them. The light vanished just as Ginny moaned and opened her eyes.
"Harry?" she whispered.
"Ginny?! You're alive!" Harry flung his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him.
"How?" she asked in a strangled voice.
"I dunno." Harry whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Dumbledoor once told me that love was the most powerful magic of all...I reckon he was right."
"Harry," Ginny said, surprised that she was daring enough to ask him, "do you-"
"I love you, Ginny." Harry said firmly, cutting her off.
Ginny smiled, "I love you, too!"
"I know." Harry leaned foreword, and gently pressed his lips against hers.