The Time of Destiny

Abraxan

Story Summary:
Complete. Sequel to "The Refiner's Fire." Harry's Seventh Year, complete with adventure, training, snogging, hospital visits, etc. Watch for ficlets to be added from time to time to fill in missing scenes in the epilogue. Canon-based through OotP. HP/GW, RW/HG, RL/NT

Chapter 31 - "Harry Lends a Hand"

Chapter Summary:
Harry and his friends are healing as well as they can, but there are, of course, some difficulties along the way. Morgue workers get a surprise. Harry does what he can to help Ron. Harry learns a huge secret about his own past.
Posted:
02/07/2006
Hits:
6,954
Author's Note:
Many thanks to my brilliant Brit-picker, Kelpie, and my fabulous beta team, Blakeavich, Starfox, Iris and Asad!


Chapter 31 - Harry Lends a Hand

Harry was on his new Firebolt Excalibur zooming high over the stadium filled with screaming fans, looking everywhere for the Snitch. The other players were a blur below him. The only one recognizable was Ron, whose red hair flashed in the sunlight as he covered the three goal hoops. Suddenly, Harry saw the small golden ball and darted after it, sliding smoothly between players from both teams on his way to capture his prize. The other Seeker was nowhere in sight! Harry had just started grinning, excited to be on the cusp of winning a professional Quidditch game, when he gasped, the pain excruciating. Both Bludgers must have caught him full in the stomach - what else could it be? But he hadn't seen or felt them coming! Whatever the cause, he was falling off his broom, holding his injured stomach as tightly as he could, not caring how or when he hit the ground. The pain increased as he fell and he found himself moaning, his breath coming in short, tormented gasps.


Something moved. His shoulder felt lighter, his side suddenly cold, but his belly still burned in agony. He groaned and writhed in his bed, finally opening his eyes to see Ginny's worried face above his.

"Marcus is on the way," she told him. "You must need more potion."

"What . . . where . . .?" he muttered between moans.

"You're in St. Mungo's, remember? You killed Voldemort - do you remember that? You're injured, but you're getting better, Harry," she said insistently. "You're getting better!" Ginny prayed she was right. His face was flushed and pale at the same time, his cheeks hot, and he seemed to be in tremendous pain. She had sent a frantic Adfero to Marcus, wherever he was, as soon as she'd realized Harry needed help.

* * * * *

Marcus Pomfrey was checking on another patient in the ward when he heard Ginny's anxious voice, as clearly as if she were standing beside him, say Harry's in terrible pain. Come quickly! He turned around, expecting to see her.

"Did Ginny Weasley come in here?" he asked his nurse in confusion as he finished updating his patient's chart.

"No, but there was a silvery light that seemed to touch your head a moment ago," the nurse said with a puzzled frown while staring at the spot where the light had touched him.

"Oh, it must be one of their message spells," he said, glad he'd sorted that out. "I'm finished here. Harry Potter needs me. Come to his room as soon as you've tidied up here, all right?" he told the nurse with a tired smile. She nodded, already picking up empty potion flagons and putting them in the proper bin to be washed and refilled as he hurried out of the room.

* * * * *

"What's going on?" Marcus said a few minutes later as he strode into Harry's room. Ginny filled him in as he examined his patient. "Harry, where does it hurt?" the healer said as he passed both his wand and his crystal over the young man's writhing form.

"Stomach," Harry moaned piteously. "Hurts."

"All right, we're changing pain potions," Marcus said briskly to the nurse who'd followed him into the room. "I'll have you feeling better in a few minutes, Harry. Hang on."


Harry nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, curling into a pain-wracked ball of misery.

"What happened?" Ginny asked anxiously. "He's healing, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's healing. He was in such bad shape before that I had to use a mild pain potion that wouldn't put him too deeply asleep so we could wake him to check on him. It doesn't last as long as the one I'll be giving him now. I was about to come see how he was doing when you contacted me. He'll be more comfortable with this new potion, but he'll sleep a long time, and very soundly. I think he's doing well enough now that it shouldn't be a problem." He straightened up from his examination and chose three potions from the tray the nurse offered him. "Yes, these will do. OK, Harry, let me help you sit up a bit." He waved his wand over the boy's trembling form and Harry was rolled gently onto his back and his head raised off the bed enough for him to swallow without choking. "Open up, this won't take long."

Harry opened his mouth and took his potions with a minimum of grimaces. He was in too much pain to care much if the potions tasted bad. Within minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back on his pillows, his face and body gradually relaxing as the pain left him. He was soon sound asleep.

"Will he wake up in pain like that again?" Ginny asked anxiously.

"It's possible, of course," Marcus replied, "but we'll do our best to get his next dose into him before this one wears off completely. We're a bit overwhelmed with patients due to the battle, but we're getting things under better control now, so we should be more able to stick to a schedule. Thanks for letting me know he needed me."

Ginny nodded, her eyes big and dark with worry. "Did I injure him by lying down with him? He insisted I rest with him. He nearly hurt himself trying to pull me onto the bed," she said anxiously. "I was as careful as possible, but . . . ."

"No, I don't think what happened had anything to do with you, Ginny," Marcus said kindly. "And I'm sure your being there was a comfort to him. He's in no pain now, and you look exhausted. You need to take care of yourself. If you want to rest with him again, it won't hurt him, as long as you're careful."

"Thanks," Ginny replied quietly. "How's Ron doing?"

He debated how to answer her question. She was a strong girl and expected honesty from him, and she was planning to be a healer. He decided to be open with her about Ron's options. "We still haven't been able to get the bone fragments back where they need to be, and there's a tremendous amount of other damage involved. We could try Skele-Gro to help heal the broken bone, but if we did that at this point, he could wind up with something like a bone and a half in there, which would always be painful for him. We could try removing the bone entirely and then using Skele-Gro, but that could make things worse because of the extensive damage to his tendons, muscles and nerves. It's complicated and technical and would take a long time to explain in detail, but the bottom line is, if we can't get those bone fragments to align properly soon, we'll have to decide if we should remove the existing bone - if we can, without causing further damage - and go the Skele-Gro route, or amputate. Those decisions need to be made in the next twenty-four hours. We can't let it go on to the point of getting infected."

Ginny bit her lip but nodded silently. After a moment, she swallowed hard and said, "Thanks for telling me the truth."

"I thought you could handle it," Marcus replied. "Don't tell your mum, though. She's too fragile just now. We'll discuss those options with her and your dad when we have to, not before."

"I understand."

"Try and get some rest," he said, patting her shoulder kindly as he finished making notes on Harry's chart.

"OK." Ginny sat in the chair beside Harry's bed and tried to relax there, but her heart was aching too much for her to sit quietly, all alone with no one comforting her. She wiped her eyes and climbed carefully onto the bed, lifting Harry's arm and wrapping it around herself as she nestled into his shoulder once more. She smiled a bit as he sighed, tightened his arm in a brief hug, and contentedly rested his cheek against her hair. The warmth of his body next to hers was as much comfort as she could hope for just now.

* * * * *

A few hours later, Harry woke up feeling a bit better. At least he wasn't as stiff or achy as he had been, and the pain in his belly was a minor murmur at present. He turned his head and looked at Ginny, who was still sleeping soundly on his shoulder. He sighed happily, feeling as if a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders with the death of Voldemort. Things were going well for him now. Ginny was all right. Voldemort was dead. He might live after all. And Ron and Hermione . . . . Wait! He hadn't asked anyone about them! Nor had anyone volunteered any information on them! His sudden tension woke Ginny.

"Hi," she said sleepily. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said, but there was worry in his voice. "Where are Ron and Hermione? How are they? How's Remus?"

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said sadly as she pushed herself upright and slid off the bed and into her chair. "Hermione's fine, physically. She's beginning to get past the stress of the battle and back to grieving over her parents' deaths. Remus is holding his own. Tonks really is pregnant, you were right about that. She's about two months along, isn't that great?"

"Ron. What's wrong with him?" Harry insisted. "You wouldn't be hesitating unless it was bad."

"He . . . his leg was shattered in a million pieces. They haven't been able to reassemble it properly. They aren't sure it will heal right. They . . . they may have to . . . to . . ." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"To what, Ginny?" he pressed.

"To cut it off," she said, her face taut as she fought the tears that wanted to escape again.

"Where is he?" Harry said, trying to get up.

Ginny stood up. "You will NOT get out of that bed!" she said sternly. "You are still recovering from life-threatening injuries!"

"Then bring him to me," Harry said firmly. "I may be able to help him."

"No," Ginny said stubbornly. "You're not strong enough."

"Where is he, Ginny? Don't make me start shouting to find him," he warned very seriously. He thought about sending an Adfero to his best mate, but it was entirely possible Ron would be as clueless about where he was located within the hospital as Harry was. He had the feeling, though, that Ron wasn't too far away. "Where is he? RON! RON, WHERE ARE YOU?" Harry yelled at the top of his lungs. He started coughing, moaning in pain between coughs. He was still much too weak to be yelling that way.

"Calm down! He's across the hall. He probably can't hear you. They've been keeping him heavily sedated," Ginny said anxiously.


Hermione opened the door. "What's wrong? Are you two all right?" she said in concern.

"He wants to know where Ron is, how he is," Ginny told her friend.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione said with a tired smile. "He's . . . he's OK."

"Is his leg mending, or not?" Harry demanded. "Tell me the truth!"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "They've just checked him. It's . . . it's not going well at all," she said, trying not to sniffle.

"Where is he, exactly?" Harry said as kindly as he could.

Hermione turned and looked over her shoulder. "Just there - straight across the hall."

"Move, Hermione," Harry said sternly.

"What?" she said, confused.

"MOVE!" he said, holding his hand out toward the wall. The instant she stepped aside, he Vanished the wall between his room and the corridor, then the wall between the corridor and Ron's room. "There you are! Hi, mate!" he said with false cheer as he studied Ron's too-white face and his cast leg held in a frighteningly complex metal framework. Ron moved slightly. His eyes were barely open, but he did look towards Harry when he heard his voice.

"What are you going to do?" Ginny said nervously.

"Move, Gin," he snapped. "Accio!" he cried, groaning a bit as he held his hand out toward his best mate. Ron's bed rolled out of his room, across the corridor and into Harry's, ending up with Ron's leg next to Harry's head, the beds close together. Harry turned on his side and put his hands around Ron's leg, sensing for what was wrong with it. "Bloody hell," he breathed.

"What?" Ginny said anxiously. "What are you finding?

"Lots of tiny bits of bone nowhere near where they need to be," he said, grim-faced. "Torn muscles, tendons and nerves. Lots of things where they shouldn't be." He grunted with effort as he struggled to hold his hands where he needed them. "Ginny, help me!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Hold my hands here. I can do the magic, but I can't hold my arms in this position for long." The tendons in Harry's neck were standing out, the muscles in his jaw locked as he fought to maintain a gentle, light contact with his best mate's horribly damaged leg.

"OK," she said, deciding it was easier to help him than to fight him.

"Hermione, come and help Ginny," Harry gasped after a few more moments' effort. "Hold my arms still where I have them."

"I never thought your arms were this heavy," Ginny said with a wry grin, grunting with effort as she struggled to help him.

"Sorry," he said, groaning as his strength failed him.

"This is silly," Hermione said practically. She pulled out her wand and cast a Hover Charm on Harry's arms, making them suddenly weightless to both him and Ginny.

"Wow, thanks, Hermione," Ginny said with relief, stepping away from Harry. Hermione held her wand steady, supporting Harry's arms as he did what he could for his best friend's shattered leg.


A few minutes later, Harry said, "That's all I can do for now." He was covered with sweat and gasping for breath. When Hermione released the Hover Charm holding his arms up, they fell heavily to his bed with no resistance from Harry at all.

"You overdid it, didn't you?" Ginny said with a sigh. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Sorry," he panted.

"Do I need to call Marcus?" she said, growing more worried. His face was grey and exhausted.

"I'll be fine," he growled.

"I'll go and get him," Hermione said, heading for the wide-open wall where the door used to be. "He should probably check Ron's leg anyway."

A nurse with her arms full of charts stopped and goggled as she noticed the two missing walls and Ron's bed in Harry's room. "What's going on here?"

"They wanted to see each other," Ginny said dismissively. "Everything's fine. We'll replace the walls when my brother goes back to his room. All right?"

The nurse shook her head and stalked down the hall, muttering to herself about teenagers and the things they got up to.

"What's going on here?" Marcus Pomfrey echoed the nurse's words when he saw the huge gaps in the corridor walls and Ron's bed in Harry's room.

"Harry wanted to try to help Ron," Ginny said quickly. "He's done what he could. Could you check Ron's leg, please?"

"That's what Hermione was telling me," Marcus said with a bit of amusement as he walked through the opening where the wall was supposed to be and looked at the neat job someone had done of removing it. "Who did this?"

"Harry," Ginny said, smoothing her boyfriend's hair off his sweaty forehead.

"Oh, bloody hell," Marcus said when he saw Harry's grey face. Despite his best efforts to hide his symptoms, it was obvious that Harry was both completely worn out and in great pain again. "What did he do?"

"Vanished two walls, Summoned Ron's bed from there to here, then worked on Ron's leg for several minutes," Ginny said morosely. "We tried to stop him, but it was easier just to help him. You know how stubborn he can be. Hermione put a Hover Charm on his arms when they got too heavy for me to hold for him."

"Harry, you just never learn, do you?" Marcus said, shaking his head as he examined the young man.

"You will not chop off his leg," Harry panted.

"That's the last resort," Marcus said soothingly, trying to calm the boy. "He's doing fairly well so far."

Harry turned infuriated but exhausted eyes on his healer. "I worked on his leg just now. I know how bad it was! It's better now. I'll need to work on it at least one or two more times to get it right, but it's a lot closer now. I can do the magic. I just can't hold my arms up that long."

"Harry, your arms were being held by a Hover Charm and you still exhausted yourself," Hermione reminded him with a sigh. "I'm glad you're trying to help Ron, but you need to take care of yourself too."

Harry growled in furious frustration. "I'm sick and tired of this!"

"Of what?" Marcus said mildly as he finished examining Harry and made some notes on his chart.

"Of being so weak. Sick. Hurt. I want to get out of here!" Harry snarled. "I need to help Ron and Remus. I want to visit my friends. I have--" A coughing fit interrupted him.

"Just be quiet and do what Marcus tells you," Ginny instructed him tartly, sounding exactly like her mother. "You overdid it. You need to rest."

"Harry?" Marcus said with a slight smile. "I wouldn't cross her if I were you. She's right. You need to rest."

Harry glared at Marcus, a stubborn glint in his eye. "How's Ron?" he demanded.

"I'll tell you that when I finish my examination. And then he's going back to his room, and you're going back to sleep. Deal? Otherwise, I won't tell you what I find," the healer cautioned when he saw the obstinate set of Harry's jaw.

"For now," Harry said after a moment's resistance.

"That's good enough for me," Marcus said with a cheerful grin. He turned to Ron and bent over his leg. He passed both his wand and a crystal over it, going over the length of the young man's leg several times before straightening up and turning to Harry.

"You did a marvellous job! His leg is much better. You seem to be able to work more sensitively with your magic than we can with normal healer spells. I wonder if you can teach someone else how to do that?"

"Dunno," Harry said, finally giving in to his exhaustion.

"Perhaps some time you can try to explain it to me," Marcus suggested as he made some notes on Ron's chart. When he finished, he moved to the locked cabinet on the wall and got out two potion flagons. He opened them and leaned over Harry. "Here, drink this. It's a Strengthening Solution. And this one is more Blood-Restoring Potion. It was about time for your potions anyway."

"How's Remus?" Harry asked when he'd finished his potions and settled back on his pillows.

"Still holding his own, Harry. I won't lie to you. He's in bad shape, but so are you. You are not going to help either of you by trying to heal him while you're so weak. We're making progress with him. It's just going to take some time."

"He's not going to die, is he?" Harry said anxiously.

"We're doing all we can for him, lad," Marcus said sympathetically, then turned back to the cabinet. "One more potion for you."

"What is it?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Dreamless Sleep. Open up."

"No, I don't want--" Harry began fiercely, but Marcus dripped the potion into his mouth as he spoke. A few moments later, Harry was sound asleep.

"That should hold him for a while. The next time he wakes up, he should be a good bit stronger. Rest is the most important thing for him right now," he told the girls. "Come on, Miss Granger, let's take Ron back across the hall."

Hermione followed him quietly, then turned and looked at Ginny, still standing by Harry's bed. She burst into giggles suddenly.

"What?" Marcus said in surprise.

"Harry Vanished the walls. He's the one who has to put them back," she said, laughing madly now.

Marcus smiled, glad to see the girl doing something more cheerful than crying or worrying. "Well, at least you can see each other now," he said philosophically.

"Yeah," Hermione said, more glad than she would have believed to be able to see Ginny and Harry not that far away.

* * * * *

In the basement of St. Mungo's, two young workers were processing the bodies of those who had died in the battle. They moved from body to body, removing clothes, tying a tag on the toe, washing the body, bagging the robes and pocket contents for the deceased person's loved ones, and writing out death certificates for healers to sign later.

"At least they didn't lose as many kids this time," Andy Durer told his co-worker, Kevin Aldwinckle. "Just a few. But still, it's sad. They were so young."

"Yeah," Kevin replied, bagging another set of robes. "And the older ones are only a few years younger than us." He worked finished labelling the bag of robes, then uncovered the next body. "Oh, no. Look here, Andy. It's the flying teacher, Madam Hooch. She taught me to fly when I was just a nipper."

"Yeah, me too," Andy replied. "She went down fighting, I hear."

"Yeah, they all did, bless 'em."

"Have you ever seen Harry Potter fly?" Andy commented after a bit.

"No, have you? I heard he was recruited by the London Lions, him and that Weasley boy, too."

"Yeah. I went to a game at Hogwarts with my brother and his kids last term. Potter makes it look so easy. I never was much shakes at flying, but I do love to watch someone who's good at it. He flies like a bird, he does."

"I bought season tickets to the Lions' games when I heard Potter and Weasley were going to be on the team next season," Kevin said sadly. "Now I wish I hadn't. Have you heard how bad they're hurt?" Andy shook his head. "Potter was dying the last I heard, and Weasley's leg was about to be chopped. I wish someone would keep us up on the news down here."

"Yeah," Andy agreed. "Be a damned shame if Potter dies, with him just defeating You-Know-Who and all."

Kevin nodded and sighed heavily. He'd been looking forward to taking his girlfriend to see the famous Harry Potter fly right here in London! And now the boy was dying. He sighed again, wishing things were different.

Finally finished with Madam Hooch, they moved to the next trolley.

"Blimey, if it isn't the Potions Master," Kevin said when he uncovered the body. "What a git. He was a horrible teacher. He always treated everyone but Slytherins like they were dirt."

"Don't speak ill of the dead, Kevin," Andy reminded him. "It could come back to haunt you."

Kevin just grunted. He started removing Snape's robes, revealing stark white skin that looked as if it had never seen the sun. "Greasy git," Kevin grumbled as he Levitated Snape's body to pull his robes out from under him. "AHHHHHH!" he cried, dropping the man back on the trolley with a thud.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Andy grumbled, looking up from the death certificate he was filling out with Snape's name.

"His . . . he . . . look!" He pointed at Snape's face, where two black eyes glittered malevolently.

"He's dead, you silly wanker," Andy said patiently, leaning over the body. The eyes moved to follow him. Andy gasped and jumped back, his hands clutching his heart. After a moment, he finally caught his breath. "Cor! That about gave me a heart attack!" He took a deep breath, locked his shaking hands on the edge of the trolley and forced himself to lean over Snape solicitously. "We'll get a healer for you, Professor Snape, never you mind. You'll be fine. You're just here through some mistake, that's all," the man said, hoping Snape hadn't heard the ugly things they'd been saying about him when they thought he was dead.

A healer rushed to the basement when he was told there was a live one among the dead. If the person had been sent to the morgue from the battlefield, he must have been near death. The Healing Squad had made very few mistakes. They'd sent several dead people to the healers, hoping they were mistaken about the person being gone, but they hadn't sent any live ones to the morgue before this.

"Who sent him here?" the healer asked as he examined his patient.

"Here's the Portkey - they put the squad members' names on 'em so they could track who sent which patient where," Kevin said, pulling the Portkey out of the bag. "Neville Longbottom sent him here."

"Get a message off to Longbottom and find out what happened to this man," the healer snapped to Kevin. "You," he said to Andy, "get this trolley upstairs. This man needs attention!"

* * * * *

The next time Harry woke up, he felt better. The rest had done him a world of good. He looked around the room, surprised to see it filled with flowers and towering stacks of sweets covering the tops of the various tables in the room, with more sweets and various gifts stacked neatly on the floor. He pushed himself up in his bed, grabbed his glasses, put them on and looked around. "What's all this?" he said in wonder.

"Hi, sweetie!" Ginny said, looking up from the book she'd been studying.

"What's all this?" Harry repeated, looking at her, then gazing around the room again, a bemused smile tickling the corners of his mouth. Chocolate frog boxes were piled everywhere, supported by boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, cases of Fizzing Whizbees, Sugar Mice, Sugar Quills, and every other kind of treat imaginable. Huge baskets of flowers filled the air with a heavy fragrance. Wrapped presents crowded the floor.

"Just a few tokens of appreciation from your many admirers," Ginny said with a grin.

"Huh?"

"The news about you defeating Voldemort was in the Daily Prophet, along with photos and everything," she explained. "That big basket of flowers with the red and gold ribbon is from the London Lions. Mr. Murphy stopped by earlier to see how you and Ron are."

"How is Ron?" Harry asked, looking across the hall at his best friend's bed. Ron appeared to be asleep, but his room, too, was full of flowers, sweets and gifts stacked everywhere.

"Marcus says he's better. You did a good job on him," Ginny said, standing up and kissing him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," he said with a dazed smile. "He's better?"

"Yeah."

"How's Remus?"

"A bit better," Ginny said cautiously.

"Help me get to him, Gin. I need to see if I can do anything for him," he said determinedly, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He gasped in pain and nearly fell off the bed. Ginny shoved on his shoulders just in time to rock his weight back over the bed, where he collapsed.

"What . . .?" he gasped.

"You are not well enough to be doing that kind of thing!" Ginny snapped. "Lie down!"

"K," he muttered, still panting in pain.

"So now you must need more pain potion, right?" Ginny said, looking very frustrated with him. He just nodded. "What am I going to do with you, Harry? You are your own worst enemy sometimes!" she said as she stalked out of the room. She glanced up and down the corridor, then called, "Nurse? Harry needs some pain potion, please."

"Why can't you just give it to me?" he whinged when she came back to his bedside.

"Because you're in a hospital and they're using stronger potions than we do in the Healer Squad," she said reasonably, "and they're trying to track your progress."

"K," he said, sounding despondent. He opened his mouth obediently so the nurse could give him his potion. He and Ginny were quiet until the woman finished making notes on his chart and left the room. When she was gone and the potion had eased his pain somewhat, Harry said, "How am I going to help Remus?"

"He has a whole crew of healers working on him. The problem is the lycanthropy cure - it's interfering with some of the potions he needs. You can't fix that, can you?"

He thought for a long moment. "No, I suppose not." He looked at her curiously as she helped him get straight in the bed and tucked him in. "Are you angry with me?"

"No!" she snapped.

"Then why do you sound angry with me?" he said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Ginny fell back into her chair, her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I just can't think straight anymore. I'm so worried about you, and Ron, and Dad and everything. . . ."

"We're all doing OK, aren't we?" he said, getting more and more worried. Ginny wasn't acting like herself at all. It would take something horrible to make her snap at him that way, wouldn't it? Then again, he supposed he'd nearly died again, and here he was trying to disobey the healer and get up. Maybe she was justified in snapping at him.

"You're much better, so are Dad and Ron from what I hear. But that doesn't mean you can go wandering around the hospital!"

"Have you seen the rest of your family recently?" he said cautiously. Maybe she was just anxious about them, if she hadn't seen them in a while.

"No."

"Then go and see them. I'll be fine," he urged her.

"No. I won't leave you alone," Ginny said stubbornly.

Just then, Mad-Eye Moody strolled in. He looked at the flowers, gifts and candy overflowing the room and smiled. "Got yourself some admirers, eh, Potter?"

Harry smiled a bit and shrugged.

"Don't mind if I help myself, do you?" Moody said, perusing a stack of sweets.

"No, please! Go ahead," Harry urged him. "I certainly can't eat all this!"

"Thanks! How are you feeling, laddie?" Moody asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Not nearly as strong as I'd like to be, but better."

"Good. As long as they keep plenty of potion in you, you'll be fine, right?" Moody said knowingly.

"Yeah," Harry said, chuckling. He glanced at Ginny, who looked so exhausted and sad it was breaking his heart. "Mad-Eye, can you stay a while?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Ginny hasn't had a chance to check on her family for hours. If you could stay, she could go and see them."

"Be glad to," Moody agreed. "I just stopped by to see Arthur myself. He's much better. He says they're going to let him get up and walk around a bit today."

"That's good to hear," Harry said. He glanced at Ginny, who was listening to them talk but hadn't got up yet. "Go on, check on everyone. And tell them I said 'hi' and that I'll see them as soon as I'm able to."

Ginny got to her feet slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go on, I'll be fine. Mad-Eye can tell me what's been going on outside the hospital," Harry assured her.

"OK," she said hesitantly. "Don't let him get up, Mad-Eye, no matter what he says!"

"Right you are!" Moody agreed.

"All right, then," she muttered. "Thanks." She patted Harry on the shoulder and wandered sadly out of the room.

"Poor kid," Moody grumbled.

"Yeah. She wasn't this way when I went to sleep. I wonder what happened to change her attitude?" Harry mused.

"Her mum told me they've made arrangements for the lads' funerals. I expect that's what's bothering her," Moody said.

"Why wouldn't she tell me that?" Harry had heard about Bill's death earlier that day. He would miss Ginny's oldest brother, who he'd always admired. He knew Bill's death was hurting Ginny terribly. She'd always felt close to him. And then there was Percy. Harry sighed, wishing he knew how to comfort his girlfriend.

"She probably thinks you have enough on your plate as it is," Moody grumbled.

"Yeah, that's probably it," Harry muttered. He looked at the old Auror, noticing bandages here and there. "How are you?"

"Fit as a fiddle, however fit fiddles are," Moody said with a rumble that could be considered a chuckle. "I've been much worse, Potter. This is nothing," he said, gesturing to the bandages on various parts of his body.

"Yeah, me too," Harry replied. He was glad he didn't have to deal with the open wounds from Voldemort's whip as he'd had to do the previous year. "So tell me the news. What's going on?"

"The most interesting thing I've heard in a while is about Severus Snape," Moody said with his rumbling chuckle. "Absolutely amazing."

"What about him?" Harry said. He hadn't heard anything about the man at all.

"You heard he fell defending D.A. Healer Squad members, didn't you?" Moody said. Harry shook his head. The old Auror launched into the tale, only stopping when Harry gasped after hearing Snape had taken the Killing Curse from Malfoy.

"Oh no! So he's dead, then? At least he was fighting for the right side when he died," he said sadly.

"Yeah, he was. But that's not the most interesting bit," Moody said, an odd gleam in his good eye, while the magical one rolled wildly. "Imagine this. Severus is in the morgue along with a lot of other bodies. They're going through and putting tags on the toes as they remove their clothes. When they start to undress him, his eyes open!"

"What?" Harry gasped.

"Yeah! They thought it was just a muscular reaction that sometimes happens when someone dies. Then he moved his eyes, following the worker. The poor blokes working in there nearly passed out when that happened, from what I heard!"

"So he's alive, then?" Harry said, amazed at how his heart lifted at this news.

"Yeah, just barely."

"How can that be?"

"Malfoy was not only a git, he couldn't do the big spells well, apparently," Moody said with satisfaction. "He didn't cast it right."

Harry grinned. "That sounds like Malfoy, all right," he agreed. "So is Snape going to recover?"

"I don't know. They put him in a room down the hall from here, actually, next to Remus. I tried to get in to see him, but they're not allowing visitors yet."

"Did you see Remus? How is he?" Harry asked anxiously.

"He's holding his own, lad," Moody said kindly. "He has a long way to go, but he's tough. He'll be all right."

"I hope you're right," Harry said darkly. "Hang on - you said Malfoy 'was' a git - is he dead?"

"Right in one!" Moody said with a chuckle. "Ask me how he died."

"OK. How'd he die?" Harry said, smiling at the old Auror's obvious amusement.

"Those two little ladies, Ginny and Hermione? They hexed him good! He tried to attack you when you were injured at the end of the battle. Ginny turned him into a cow pat, and Hermione gave him explosive boils. I don't know what other hexes they may have used, but those were the ones people saw. Then they decided he was dirt and needed to be 'cleaned.' Well, when two witches as powerful as they are do a Scouring Charm together, it can have remarkable results."

It took Harry a moment to grasp what Moody was saying. "They killed him with a housecleaning charm? How is that possible?"

"He was a cow pat at the time," Moody said casually, shrugging as if it made perfect sense. "That's how Dumbledore got rid of Voldemort's body after he died, as well."

"I didn't know you could do that with a Scouring Charm," Harry said, shocked that a simple charm like that could be so powerful.

"Never underestimate the power of a simple charm, Potter - or the clout of two very powerful witches in complete agreement about doing something," Moody said, chuckling a bit.

He lay quietly for a while, thinking about Malfoy and how appropriate it was that Ginny and Hermione were the ones to finish him off. He was so proud of both of them! "I wonder why Ginny didn't say anything about it?"

"You haven't exactly been good company," Moody teased. "You're asleep most of the time - which is how it should be until you're stronger."

"Yeah, I guess," Harry agreed. He thought about what he'd just heard and then his mind turned to Ginny, as it so often did. He looked at Moody again. "Could you do me a favour?"

"What's the favour?" Moody said suspiciously.

Harry smiled. Mad-Eye was as cautious to agreeing to favours as Harry himself had become. "Would you go to my room at Headquarters and bring me something from my trunk?"

"What is it?"

"It's . . . you have to keep this a secret, I haven't told anyone yet. OK?" Harry said anxiously.

"OK."

"It's Ginny's engagement ring. It's time I proposed to her properly, and I want to give her the ring when I do it," Harry said, blushing a bit.

Moody's battered face split in an ear-to-ear grin. "Well, now, that sounds like the kind of dangerous mission I relish! Yes, Potter, I'll bring it to you."

"Thanks! It's in the front right corner in the bottom, in a red and gold bag with a gold ribbon. Don't let anyone see you with it, OK?"

"I am fairly good at sneaking around, you know," Moody said in a teasing tone. "Don't worry, I won't let your secret out. Congratulations in advance and all that."

Harry beamed. "Thanks!"

Ginny returned a short time later, full of news about her family and their friends who were injured. Moody left, winking his dark, beady eye at Harry as he waved goodbye. After a while, Harry tired and fell asleep. Ginny was curled up in the armchair by his bed, trying to study for exams. Professor McGonagall had brought her and Hermione's books on one of her visits. Ginny tried her best to keep working, but soon fell asleep too.

Some time later, Moody stood outside Harry's room and put a Silencing Charm on his wooden leg, then tiptoed in, not wanting to wake either of them. He lifted Harry's covers a bit and slid a small package under them next to the sleeping young man's hand, where he'd be sure to find it when he woke up. Smiling at the success of his mission, Moody left as quietly as he'd come in, leaving the two young warriors sleeping peacefully.

* * * * *

"Ron, I have to go and take care of some things," Hermione said, trying not to cry. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Your mum said she'd sit with you while I'm gone. She should be here soon. I'll leave then."

Ron was still sleeping most of the time, but was improving steadily. He forced himself to wake up fully when she said she was leaving. "Where are you going?"

"I have to make arrangements for, erm, my parents', um. . ." she said, then was unable to continue.

"Oh," he said, a confused expression on his face. His mind was still a bit muzzy. His blue eyes widened suddenly and he sat up straighter when his brain finally clunked into gear. "Oh, 'Mione, I'm so sorry! I wish I could go with you," he said sincerely.

"Me, too," she said, sniffling. Tears began to streak down her face. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she moaned. "We . . . I . . . I've stayed with your family over holidays so often, and I've loved it, I really have! But I wanted to live with my parents while I was in college, to get to know them again, you know? We were all looking forward to it. Now I don't know what to do. I don't want to live in that house alone."

"Harry will let you live in his house," Ron offered. "He has loads of room."

"I know, but it wouldn't be right. Your mum would object to me being there with you two, the three of us alone." Hermione shook her head. "That just won't work."

"Well, you can live at the Burrow, then," Ron said with a smile, but then his smile faded. "Oh. I forgot," he said softly.

"Oh, Ron. I'm sorry about the Burrow," Hermione said, cupping his cheek as the realization of the loss of his home hit Ron.

"Well . . . it was a bit run-down anyway," Ron said dismissively after a long moment, but his heart wasn't in it. He'd lived there all of his life. They'd all grown up there. That odd, funny, ramshackle house was home. He sighed heavily and blinked hard, determined not to cry over a house, of all things. But it was the Burrow! He swallowed hard and looked at her, determined to ignore his own problems and find ways to help his girlfriend.

"Well. Harry's house is huge. He offered to let all of us live there while the Burrow's rebuilt. You can live there with us while the family's all there. Once the Burrow's finished, you can live there while Harry and I stay at Grimmauld Place. I guess it won't be Order Headquarters anymore, with Voldemort gone."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Hermione murmured. "That will be nice for you and Harry."

"Yeah," he replied, patting her hand. He'd lost his home and two brothers, but had a place to go to and still had most of his family. She had a home but no family at all. Voldemort had caused so much pain and loss to so many people. He looked up at her and saw the grief and uncertainty in her brown eyes. "I'm sorry I can't be more help to you right now, 'Mione."

She took a deep breath and forced herself to act like the normal, businesslike, efficient Hermione. "You get better. Having you whole and healthy again will be the best help I can think of," she said stoutly, getting to her feet with determination. "The Aurors should be here to take me . . . erm." She stopped and cleared her throat, then went on determinedly. "Your mum should be here soon." She swallowed and shook her head hard, resolving to be strong for the impending nightmare of arranging the funerals of both of her parents.

"Hi," Fred murmured as he stepped into the room, acting uncharacteristically subdued. "I, erm, understand there's a young lady here in need of an escort?" He smiled hesitantly at Hermione.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione said, confused. "I thought an Auror was taking me."

"Ron thought someone from the family should go with you, so he asked me to do it," Fred replied. "We want to help you in any way we can, Hermione. Ginny said she wanted to go with you, but she's afraid to leave Harry. Mum's not willing to leave Dad, Ron and Charlie, and, well, since George is on the mend now, I'm the one who's most available, so you're stuck with me. Just tell me what you need me to do, and I'll have a go at it, OK?"

Hermione blinked back tears, more profoundly touched than she would ever have believed by Fred's words. The cheeky, silly, always-manic twins didn't seem like people you'd be able to count on in troubling times, yet here was Fred, strangely solemn, offering to help her though her coming ordeal. She gave him a tremulous smile and held out her hand. "Thank you," she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, thanks, Fred. I really appreciate this," Ron said, giving his brother a wan smile.

"Always happy to be of service, little bro," Fred replied with a bit of his normal impishness as he sketched a butler-ish bow.


"How's George doing today?" Ron said.

"Much better. I'll bring him by later, all right?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ron replied.

Molly Weasley, followed by an Auror Hermione recognized by sight, appeared in the doorway. Hermione knew it was time to go. She bent down and kissed Ron briefly, then stepped to the doorway, gave Molly a hug and a word of thanks, and disappeared down the corridor with both Fred and her Auror escort.

Ron waved briefly at the Auror, accepted his mother's kiss on the cheek, and then watched Hermione go, his heart in his eyes. What could he do to help her through the coming ordeal? How could he help her in the future? He had a lot to think about.

* * * * *

Some hours later, Arthur Weasley tottered into Harry's room and sat heavily in the chair vacated by Moody earlier that day. Harry was awake and trying to study using some of Hermione's books. Ginny was revising for exams, still seated in the chair by his bed.

"Hi, Dad!" Ginny said, obviously glad to see her father.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Weasley," Harry said with a smile. "Up and around, eh?"

"Hello, both of you! Yes, they say it's good for me to start moving now," Arthur replied with a tired smile. "I think they'll let me out of here soon."

"That's great," Harry said happily. He glanced across the hall and saw Molly Weasley sitting with Hermione, who'd recently returned from arranging her parents' funeral. Ron was asleep again, despite his best efforts to stay awake. "Ginny, do you want to chat with your mum and Hermione? They're together over there now. Your dad can sit with me for a while, can't you, Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes, I'd be happy to, Harry," Arthur said with a weary smile. "I do need to rest a bit before I try walking any more."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Ginny said, eying Harry suspiciously.

"No! But your mum and Hermione are just over there, and you didn't stay to chat long when you went to visit earlier. Hermione would probably enjoy the visit - your mum, too. You can see me from there, and your dad's here. I just thought . . ." he ended, giving her his best innocent face.

Ginny knew him too well to be fooled, but went along with him. "OK, I'll be over there if you need me. It will be nice to chat to them without having to rush, you're right."

"I love it when you think I'm right," Harry teased, a cheeky grin flashing across his face.

"Ho-ho," she teased him right back, glad he was feeling a bit playful. She stroked his cheek gently and walked across the hall, where she, Molly and Hermione soon got into a quiet chat while Ron snored loudly beside them.

"Mr. Weasley," Harry said as soon as Ginny was settled and involved in conversation, "I need to ask you something."

"What is it, lad?" Arthur replied with a smile.

"I'm so sorry about Bill and Percy. I wish I could've warned you earlier, but. . . ." He shook his head, impatient with himself. There was no way he could have warned them earlier, and there was on point in dwelling on that now. "I wish I could do something to comfort you and your family. What I need to ask you - well, the timing could be better, but I just need to do this now. I hope you'll understand," he said uncertainly.

Arthur took a deep breath, determined to listen to the young man and not give in to his grief. "Go on," he urged.

"Erm . . . you know I love Ginny. She loves me, as well. I was going to wait a bit longer to do this, but I don't want to wait anymore. I'd like to ask you for her hand - and the rest of her, of course - in marriage," he said with a nervous laugh and a blush worthy of a Weasley. "I can't wait to ask her anymore. I almost waited too long as it was."

"What do you mean, you almost waited too long?" Arthur said, stalling for time as he pondered Harry's request.

"I've had the ring since the Christmas break. I didn't know how long it would take Mr. Joyero to make it, so I ordered it then. I'd planned to ask her at the end of the school term, but during the battle, after we sent Remus to the hospital with Tonks, I realized how little time we might have together. I proposed to her on the battlefield and she accepted. But I want to do things the right way, so I'm asking your permission before I propose to her properly." He looked at the man hopefully.

"Well, Harry," Arthur began slowly, "I have to say your question isn't unexpected. And I understand your eagerness to get on with the good things in life. You've had a rough go so far in your life, and I know you want to settle down with a home and family of your own. I do understand that. And I know you'll take the best possible care of Ginny."

"Do I hear a 'but' coming?" Harry said, his stomach roiling with nerves.

"Well . . . she's very young. When did you plan to marry?"

"I know you and Mrs. Weasley want her to finish Hogwarts. I thought we could marry then. We'd talked about waiting until we were both finished with our studies, but I can't wait that many more years, and I don't believe Ginny wants to wait that long, either." Harry watched the other man seriously, wishing he could read his mind, but knowing it would be rude to do Legilimency on him. He held his breath, waiting to see if the Weasleys were going to be happy for them and give them their blessing, or if he'd have to defy their wishes and marry Ginny without their blessing.

Arthur studied the serious young face, so pale and weak, burns and cuts still vivid mars on the boy's handsome visage. Harry's body might be frail from his injuries, but his spirit blazed bright within him, his eyes glowing with a determined emerald fire. "It sounds as if you and Ginny have thought this out quite thoroughly," Arthur began. "That's good. I wouldn't want either of you rushing into something so serious without being certain you were making the right choice." He bit his lip uncertainly. Molly would skin him for not talking to her first, but Arthur knew in his heart what the right decision was. His decision reached, he smiled at the young man whose nervous state showed in his unconscious, anxious plucking at his bedspread.

"Yes, Harry. You may ask Ginny for her hand, and the rest of her, as well," he said with a chuckle, "with our blessing."

Harry's face lit with joy. "Thank you, sir! You won't regret it! I'll take the very best care of her," he promised sincerely.

"I know you will," Arthur said with a fond smile. He held out his hand. "Welcome to the family, Harry. It's nice to have you as an 'official' member, at last."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, shaking the man's hand with a firm grasp. "I couldn't possibly pick a better family. Thank you."

Arthur sat back in his chair, surveying the young man's elated but tired face. "When will you ask her?"

"Today," Harry said, both weary and relieved as he relaxed against his pillows. "As soon as possible. I don't want to wait a minute longer."

"All right, then," Arthur said, grinning at him. "I'll help you out." He got up and walked into Ron's room. "Ginny? Harry would like to see you," he said, beaming at his daughter.

"Is he all right?" she asked in concern.

"He's fine. Just missed you, I think," Arthur said, pulling her into an unexpected hug as she passed him.

"What was that for?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"I'm just so happy to be up and around and able to hug my family again," he said with a warm smile. "Go on, he's waiting for you."

Molly was looking at him suspiciously. Ron had awakened when he'd heard his father's voice. Hermione looked between Arthur and Molly curiously. Something was going on, but she didn't know what.

"Arthur Weasley, you're up to something. What is it?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"I wanted to see my youngest son, and I couldn't be happier to be able to just walk from one room to the next," Arthur said benignly, sitting in Ginny's vacated chair and making certain he blocked Molly's view of Harry's room. "How are you, son?"

* * * * *

In Harry's room, Ginny hurried to his side. "Dad said you wanted to see me. Are you feeling all right? What's wrong? Do you need more pain potion?"

"No, I'm fine," he replied with a warm smile. "Just a bit tired," he said. He fought his way back into a sitting position, gratefully accepting Ginny's help. "That's better. How are you?" He took her left hand in his and drew her toward him, so she was sitting on the edge of the bed facing him.

"I'm fine," she said in confusion. He'd wanted to see her to ask how she was? What was going on?

"Ron OK?"

"He just woke up," Ginny replied. "His colour's improved, but I haven't talked to him yet. What did you want? Dad said you wanted me."

Harry laughed. "That's an understatement," he said, grinning wickedly, his eyes twinkling as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making her giggle. "But seriously, I do want to talk to you," he said, his expression changing quickly from playful to earnest.

"What . . . what's wrong?" she said, suddenly uneasy.

"Nothing! Nothing at all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," he said quickly. "Oh, I knew I'd get all wrong-footed. Bloody hell!" He grumbled to himself for a moment, then took a deep breath and got down to business. "Ginny, I love you. I know you love me, too. I know I did this on the battlefield, but it's time I did it the right way. You'll have to excuse me for not getting down on one knee, but this is the best I can manage for now." He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak slowly, not wanting to rush the most important question he'd ever asked in his life. "I want you to be my wife so we can live together forever. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

"For real this time?" Ginny said, her eyes bright as a tremulous smile tickled the corners of her mouth.

"It was real for me the last time, but yeah, this one's official," he replied with a warm smile. "I asked your dad for your hand and the rest of you as well, and he agreed."

"He did?" she said in delighted surprise.

"Yes! He agreed, but you haven't! What are you trying to do to me?" Harry said, sounding wounded, but his eyes crinkled as he fought to keep a silly grin off his face. He wanted to be very serious about this whole thing.

"YES!" Ginny cried, throwing her arms around him, bracing herself just before their bodies collided. "I'm sorry, are you OK?"

"Never better," he laughed, pulling her close and kissing her soundly.

When they came up for air, she sat up and gazed into his eyes, unable to believe that the moment she'd dreamed of for so long had finally arrived. "I love you," she said simply.

"I love you too," he said, raising her left hand and kissing it. "This has to go, though." He picked up his wand and said the sizing spell, which released the promise ring from her finger.

"What are you doing?" she said in confusion.

"This is on the wrong hand," he said, acting much calmer than he felt as he slid the promise ring onto her right hand ring finger and sized it to stay there. Then he pulled the small, gaily wrapped package from under his covers and held it out to her. "I think this might make a nice replacement. But if you don't like it, we'll get something different, no problem."

"Oh, Harry," she breathed, her hands shaking as she untied the ribbon and opened the bag, spilling a ring box out into her waiting palm. "I . . . I can't do this. You do it," she said, handing the unopened box to him.

Harry took the box and opened it, showing her what was inside. She gasped and held out her trembling left hand expectantly, tears springing to her eyes as he slid the gorgeous ring on her finger. A one-carat perfect blue-white oval diamond rose like a crown above eight rubies bezel-set in the band. "Eight rubies for the eight years we will have known each other before we get married," he said as he slid it on her finger. "Do you like it?"

"It's . . . I . . . eight years?" she said, suddenly cottoning on. "Next year?"

"When you finish Hogwarts, if you'll agree," he said hopefully.

With her head tipped to one side, she studied his face seriously, her eyebrows drawn together in a puzzled frown. "Why not now? I don't care about school. I want to get married!"

"I do too. But your parents have been through a lot recently," he said, equally serious. "Your mum . . . well, she only has one daughter. Don't you think she'd want to plan a beautiful wedding for you?"

"I just want to be married. We could get Dumbledore to do the service for us right here, today," Ginny protested.

"Ginny," Harry said patiently. "Your mum's not the only one who wants to see you in gorgeous white wedding robes. I want to marry you with everything perfect, so we'll never wish we'd done anything differently. We need to have our friends there. We need a big cake and lots of punch. The twins can do fireworks! Our wedding should be something we will remember happily forever, not something we did in haste. Don't you agree?"

"You really want a big church wedding? You, Mr. Shy Potter who doesn't like the spotlight?" She sat away from him and watched his expression carefully, an intrigued smile playing around her lips.

"Yes. I want Ron to be my best man and Hermione to be your maiden of honour - if that's all right with you, of course. I want Remus and Tonks to sit in the seats for my family, and your side of the church filled with Weasleys. Loads of flowers! A big party. I'll even wear my dress robes, or get new ones if you want. Or I'll wear a Muggle morning suit or dinner jacket, if you'd prefer that. You and your mum can plan whatever you want and I'll go along with it . . .well, I will as long as you don't ask me to sing to you or something like that," he added with a cheeky grin. "OK? And by the way, you never officially gave me your answer about waiting until next year to marry," he added, chiding her gently.

"I didn't? Oh. All right, then," she said, frowning and putting her finger on her chin as she pretended to be thinking very hard. "YES! Next year's fine," she said, leaping into his arms again, once more remembering just in time to brace herself so her full weight didn't hit him hard. She kissed him as if she'd never let him go, which was exactly how she felt. When they finally parted, she turned and cuddled into his arms, holding her hand out and admiring her new ring. "I've never seen anything so beautiful, Harry. Thank you!"

"I told Mr. Joyero what I wanted, and he made it," Harry said quietly, tilting the ring this way and that so it caught the light. "This was the most perfect diamond he had. I told him you couldn't have anything but an absolutely perfect one."

"I love it! I love you! Oh, baby, we're engaged! I'm so happy!" she said, turning her face up to his for another kiss. Raised voices across the hall caught their attention after a few moments. "Uh-oh. Sounds like Dad just told Mum why you asked to see me," Ginny said darkly.

"I hope she's going to be happy for us once she gets used to the idea," Harry said wistfully.

A few minutes later, Arthur, Molly and Hermione came into the room, Hermione and Arthur both wreathed in smiles and Molly tearful.

"Oh, Ginny! Your dad just told me!" Molly said, sniffling hard and trying to control herself. "And Harry! I was hoping . . . well . . . welcome to the family, you dear boy!" she said, enveloping both of them in a warm hug.

"Mum, look!" Ginny said, holding out her hand so her ring caught the light.

"Oh, my! That thing nearly blinded me!" Molly joked through her tears. "It's beautiful!"

"Harry designed it," Ginny said with obvious pride. "Isn't it gorgeous?"


Harry just smiled and enjoyed the happy family scene before him, delighted to be a part of it. Ginny got off the bed and showed her ring to Hermione, after which the two girls held on to each other, laughing and crying excitedly. Hermione moved to the bed and hugged Harry, then sat in the chair by the bed as Ginny moved back into Harry's arms.

"What's going on in here?" a passing nurse asked, her attention caught by all the happy voices talking at once.

"They just got engaged," Arthur said proudly, nodding toward Harry and Ginny.

The nurse said, "Congratulations! Now try to celebrate a bit more quietly," smiled tolerantly and went on about her business.

"What's going on over there?" Ron called plaintively. "Sounds like I'm missing quite a party!"

"Oh! I have to show Ron!" Ginny said with a grin. She gave Harry a quick kiss as she got off the bed, then ran across the hall and showed her brother her ring as she told him the news.

"Welcome to the family, Harry!" Ron cried after a moment, then coughed from trying to make his voice carry. His coughing fit lasted a while but he was laughing through most of it, thanks to a liberal and recent dose of pain potion.

"Thanks, mate!" Harry called back, then groaned a bit at the pain caused by the effort.

Hermione went back to Ron's room to keep him company while his parents stayed with Harry and Ginny to celebrate their engagement.

Molly sat on Harry's bed and took his hand in hers. "I . . . I can't tell you what it means to me to have such a wonderful event to look forward to, with all the sad things in our lives right now. Thank you, dear. I'm so happy for both of you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," he said sincerely. He'd been worried she would balk at the idea, but she seemed to be taking it well.

"Have you set a date?" Molly asked warily.

"When I finish Hogwarts," Ginny said firmly, smiling at Harry. "We want a nice church wedding. You're going to be so busy helping me plan it!" she added, giving her mum a hug.

"Oh, what fun!" Molly said sincerely, tears streaming down her face. She had two dead sons, but life went on. In just over a year, she'd have a new son as part of the family. She willed herself to look forward to that and to try to get past the agonizing weight of grief she'd been under since Percy died . . . and then Bill . . . no, she was going to get through this awful time, she was! She had a wedding to plan for her daughter. She released Ginny and kissed her on both cheeks. "Where do you want to have it? What plans have you made?"

"Nothing yet, except Harry promised he won't sing," Ginny said, teasing him.

"Sing?" Molly said, confused, as Harry and Ginny laughed.

"I told Ginny I'd be as cooperative with the wedding plans as possible, as long as she didn't ask me to sing or anything like that," Harry explained.

Molly was still confused, but smiled bravely, wiping her tears away and doing her best to get into the spirit of things. "Tell me everything. What do you want to wear? Who will you invite? Who will be in the ceremony?"

* * * * *

Across the hall, Ron and Hermione could hear the happy sounds of celebration and excited conversation floating over from Harry's room. Hermione was still smiling from celebrating the news with Ginny. Ron gazed at her, his love for her shining in his eyes. "Hermione?"

"Yes?" she said, turning to him. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, I do, actually," he said, glad she was giving him an opening to help him get started.

"What do you need?" she said, rising from his bedside, ready to call the nurse.

Ron held her hand, stopping her movement. "I need you," he said, then stopped and cleared his throat before going on, "as my wife. Will you marry me?"

"What?" she said in shock. "No, Ron, just because Harry asked Ginny--"

"That's not it at all. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I just realized what a prat I've been to wait so long to ask you. I mean, I did ask you at Christmas and all, but you weren't ready, and I kind of sprung it on you. . . ." He shook his head, trying to say what was in his heart. "I didn't ask again after that because I was afraid you'd say no. I know you want to go to college and to travel. I have no problem with you going to college, and I'll be travelling with the Quidditch team anyway, so you'll have a chance to travel with me if you want, and I'll travel with you on our breaks, if you want to travel more. I love you, Hermione. I can't imagine living without you. I'll be making good money with the Quidditch team, and I've got the money the Ministry gave me with that award last term, so I can support us. We can stay with Harry, or live in your parents' house, if you'd rather, until you finish college and I finish Auror School. Or we can get our own place, if you'd prefer. It could all work out really well."

He gazed at her, his bright blue eyes hopeful and trusting. This was a big step for him. He'd thought it all through and couldn't see any flaws in his plan. He just hoped she wouldn't be her usual stubborn self about it.

"You have thought about this, haven't you?" she said with a small smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes. How many times do I have to ask you to get an answer, though?" he said a bit plaintively.

"Erm . . . I love you, Ron, you know I do," Hermione began carefully, "but if we marry for the wrong reasons, it won't last. Marriage is forever. We need to be sure."

"I am sure," he said emphatically. "What wrong reasons?"

"If you're just asking because you feel sorry for me, so I won't have to live alone or at the Burrow while you and Harry live in his house--"

"That's not why I asked," he said a bit sharply. "This has nothing to do with Harry's house or me feeling sorry for you or where you live or any of that. It has to do with me loving you. I don't want us to be apart ever again. I love you, Hermione. Isn't that enough for you?"

Hermione stood there, her mouth hanging open in shock. He was serious! She studied his face, which now looked both hurt and angry. "I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I don't know why I thought you might actually answer a simple question without giving me the third degree," he said with an unhappy sigh. "That isn't your style."

"No, it isn't," she said tartly. "You know I analyze everything and don't make serious decisions lightly." Tears sparkled in her lashes suddenly. "I'm so flattered you asked. I do love you, Ron, I really do. I'm just in such turmoil right now . . . ."

"Yeah, I understand," he said in a low, sad voice. "I shouldn't have asked you yet."

"I'm not ready to hear that question yet," she agreed. "But I'm glad you asked."

"When do you suppose you can give me an answer?" he said, resigned to wait until she was ready.

"Soon. Let me get through my parents' funeral first. I think I need time to deal with that." Tears glistened in her eyes. She blinked hard, trying not to cry, but wasn't having much success.

Ron's heart ached to see her tears. He hadn't meant to add to her pain. He sighed and gave in. "OK," he agreed. "But then you'll agree?" he said, pressing his luck.

"It's entirely possible," she said with a watery smile.

"OK, that's good enough for now, I suppose," he said, opening his arms to pull her into an embrace. "I do love you, you know."

"I know," she said, settling into his arms, "and I'm glad. I love you too. Thanks for being patient with me."

* * * * *

"What's all this, then?" George Weasley said with his usual good cheer as his twin wheeled him into Harry's room.

"George! How are you?" Ginny cried, rushing to hug her brothers.

"Spiffing, simply spiffing! They have quite a lot of cute nurses on this floor, did you notice?" George said with a wink at Harry. "No, I suppose you didn't, since you're now off the market! Welcome to the family, little brother!" He held out his hand, which Harry shook cheerfully.

"We fully expect you two to provide us with loads of nieces and nephews to corrupt," Fred added, shaking Harry's hand as well.

Harry blushed, then laughed and said, "We'll do our best!"

"Harry!" Ginny chided him, blushing madly herself.

"Well, it will be fun trying, anyway," Fred said philosophically. "When's the wedding? We heard we're doing the fireworks!"

"As soon as Ginny finishes Hogwarts," Harry said, smiling at his fiancé and taking her hand.

"Oh, look at that, Fred," George quipped, "aren't they precious?"

"Simply darling," Fred agreed with a simpering grin as Harry and Ginny laughed, delighted to hear the twins doing their normal twin-conversation-routine again. Suddenly, Fred turned quite serious. "Now, we do need to have an important discussion with you, Harry."

"Yes, we do," George said, equally grave.

"What?" Harry said, surprised. They'd been so playful just moments before. What could have changed their attitude so quickly?

"We," George began, "that is to say, Fred and I, owe you our lives. We don't take that kind of debt lightly."

"No, we don't," Fred agreed.

"We've talked about this quite thoroughly, actually," George went on. "We have made a decision and you cannot talk us out of it."

"Nope, no way," Fred agreed. "We have decided to make you a full partner in our business. We have no other way to repay you for what you did for us, and for our business, as well. If the warning had come even a minute later . . . well, we won't go there."

"Right," George said, overriding the objection Harry was trying valiantly to voice. "At least half of Diagon Alley would have blown up if we'd been attacked in the shop, and a lot of people would have died."

"Including us, which would distress us greatly, I assure you," his twin added.

"Exactly! Now, then. We know you have pots of money anyway, and will soon be an internationally famous Quidditch star--"

"As well as being handsome and rich," Fred quipped.

"But it's the best thing we can come up with. We know you won't have to work with us, although if you want to pop in and give us ideas from time to time, that would be welcome. We'll even let you slice daisy roots if you want! But the main thing is, you'll get loads of money in your account each month, to use however you want. If you want to give it to charity, that's fine. If you want to make it your wife's pocket money, that's fine too," he said with a wink at his sister, who giggled. "In return, we expect to be invited to dinner at your house regularly, to be allowed to play with your children until they start crying--"

"At which time we'll hand them back - same with nappy changing time," Fred added.

"And generally treated as the 'favourite uncles' we expect to be," George concluded. "How's that?"

Harry was laughing. "All of that will happen anyway, without my having a share of your business."

"We know that," Fred assured him. "We're just making certain we have all the bases covered."

"I'm flattered - honoured, too. But I don't want you to split your company with me," Harry protested.

"You don't get a vote. Did we tell him that, Fred?"

"I believe we left that part out, George."

They looked at Harry very seriously and said together, "You don't get a vote."

"You're our partner whether you like it or not!" Fred declared.

"And you should like it! This is a rare honour--"

"One many would kill for!"

"And one we have not offered to anyone else!"

"Nor will we!"

"OK! Fine! If that's how you want it," Harry said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Thank you. But you didn't have to--"

"Yes, we did," George interrupted.

"No, we didn't," Fred countered, "but we wanted to."

"Now, as the newest partner, you do realize you have to clean the cauldrons every night," George said with a cheeky grin.

"But you said--" Harry protested, laughing hard now.

"Bless him," Fred said fondly. "He's so precious, isn't he?"

"Absolutely delightful," George agreed. "He might actually have started cleaning cauldrons once he got out of the hospital. Such a nice boy."

"And now he's family!" Fred chortled. He leaned over and wrapped his arm around Harry's neck, rubbing his knuckles hard on Harry's head.

"What's that for?" Harry said, laughing, as Fred released him.

"I just made you an official Weasley brother," Fred declared.

"Ron did that when I asked him about the promise ring," Harry said, lying back on his pillows and grinning. "I didn't know it needed to be done again."

"Oh yes," George said, "and by each brother in turn!"

"That was Bill's turn, actually," Fred said, suddenly solemn. "Charlie will come and do his when he's able. In the meantime, George and I can take Percy's turn and ours."

"No, that's OK," Harry protested, holding his hand up in surrender again.

"Boys!" Ginny snapped, "leave him alone! He's still healing!"

"Yeah, we know, or we would've been a bit rowdier," George said, smiling. "You're OK, aren't you, Harry?"

"Yeah, fine," Harry said, grinning at them.

"Good! As soon as we're all up and around, we'll have a go at doing a proper Weasley Brother Initiation, then!" Fred chortled.

"I'll look forward to it - I think!" Harry replied with a snort of laughter.

"Right! We've spread enough cheer here for now!" George declared. "On to Ron's room!" With that Fred turned George's wheelchair around and pushed him out of the door, both of them waving gaily as they left.

Harry watched them go, a smile lingering on his face. "It's good to see them together again," he said softly. He looked at Ginny. "George looks good, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I hope they didn't tire you too much."

"Nah, I'm fine," he said, glad he'd had a good dose of pain potion before they'd arrived. All that laughter would have made him quite sore if he hadn't already been dosed.

Marcus Pomfrey walked in just then. "How's my favourite patient?" he said with a smile. Harry was still smiling and flushed from laughing at the twins. He looked much improved.

"I'm fine," Harry replied. "Marcus? May I get up now? I'm tired of being in bed."

"It's too soon for you to be walking around, Harry," Marcus said cautiously.

"What about a wheelchair? George Weasley has one. Could I have one too?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"Out of this room! I want to visit Ron and Remus and see how the others are."

"What others? All of the Hogwarts' students who were injured have been discharged now, or sent to the school's hospital wing," Marcus said as he examined Harry.

"Who's left, then?" Harry said. He hadn't heard that the students were all gone now except for him and Ron.

"Remus and Professor Snape, and you and Ron are the only ones left here from Hogwarts," Marcus replied, "and Ron will be discharged tomorrow, I think."

"Really? Wow, that's great!" Harry said. "His leg's going to be fine, then?"

Marcus stilled, then looked at Harry seriously. "He may always limp, but his leg is nearly healed now. You did a marvellous job on him, Harry. You saved his leg. I didn't want to worry any of you at the time, but it was only a matter of hours before we would have been forced to amputate."

"Can Healer Litteken fix it so he won't limp?" Harry asked. Litteken had repaired the damage Voldemort's whip had done to Harry's body the previous term.

"He's already worked on Ron's leg several times now. There's nothing else that can be done. Some of the muscle tissue was damaged beyond repair or replacement, so that leg will always be a bit stiff. It won't affect his flying, though, so he'll be fine for Quidditch," Marcus concluded, knowing that was one of the things Harry was worrying about.

"Oh," Harry said quietly. "Well . . . I guess that's good, then. Will it hurt him?"

"No, it shouldn't be painful once it's completely healed. It will just get in his way a bit when he's walking, and he won't run well at all." Marcus made some notes on Harry's chart, then said, "You're not strong enough to have a wheelchair right now, but this evening, you may be. I'll check you again later, and will write on your chart when you're allowed to be up. You'll have a few days of using the chair, and then you'll be ready to start walking, probably with crutches at first. You're making excellent progress, Harry. Take care of yourself. See you later, Ginny - oh, and congratulations, by the way!"

"Thanks," she said, blushing prettily.

"I hear he got you quite a rock," Marcus said with a grin. "May I see it?"

Ginny held her hand out and Marcus inspected her ring quite seriously. "Hmmm. Yes. I can see why the nurses are all a-dither about this ring! It's beautiful!" He straightened up and smiled at Harry. "Well done!"

"Thanks," Harry replied, blushing.

"See you later, then. Get some rest, Harry."

"OK," Harry replied, sliding down into the bed gratefully. Between his efforts at studying and the fairly constant flow of visitors this afternoon, he was just plain knackered. Within minutes, he was asleep.

* * * * *

Very late that evening, Harry awoke with a start, not certain what had wakened him. He looked around his room and gasped when he saw a tall man's shadow just inside the door.

"Calm down, Harry, it's only me," Dumbledore said as he approached the bed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Harry relaxed against his pillows, a sigh of relief escaping him. "Hi, Professor. How are you?"

"Much better, now that I've seen you, dear boy. You have improved a great deal since I was here last," Dumbledore said, settling into a chair comfortably.

"What?" Ginny said, sitting up in her chair and pulling her wand while she tried to get her eyes to focus. "Who's there?"

"It's Professor Dumbledore, Ginny," Harry said calmly. "Go back to sleep."

"Oh, OK," she said, yawning hugely. "'Night."

"'Night, sweetheart," Harry said tenderly as he reached over and pulled her blanket up over her shoulders.

"I hear congratulations are in order," his headmaster said with a smile.

"Yeah," Harry said, smiling warmly as he put his glasses on and sat up straighter in the bed.

"When is the wedding?"

"Next year, after she finishes Hogwarts," Harry replied. "You'll come, won't you?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Dumbledore replied happily. "I look forward to it."

"Great!" Harry said. "What have you been doing while you've been gone?"

"Checking on everyone, getting Hogwarts back to normal as much as possible, helping Madam Bones with her Cabinet problems . . . that kind of boring stuff. Nothing so exciting as getting engaged to be married!"

Harry laughed. "If you do become engaged, I want to be invited to the wedding!"

"And so you shall, dear boy, and so you shall," Dumbledore said, chuckling along with his protégé.

"Ginny told me you gave me some of your blood, Professor," Harry said, suddenly serious.

"Yes, I did," Dumbledore agreed. "I was happy to do it."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "I'm curious, though. Muggles go to all kinds of trouble to try to match blood types before giving transfusions. What's different about wizard blood that means you don't need to match it perfectly?"

"Oh, in ordinary circumstances, healers would do similar tests to those Muggles do to match blood types," Dumbledore explained. "In this case, I had good reason to think we'd match well."

"I don't understand. Why would you think we'd match?" Harry said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Because, dear boy, I . . . well, let me preface this a bit. I have something to tell you that I should have told you many years ago. The reason I didn't was that I thought it might be dangerous for this secret to be revealed. And I was keeping a promise made long ago, as well. But the time has come to break that promise and reveal that secret, I believe."

Harry sat up straighter. Dumbledore was being very serious. Whatever he was about to disclose was of great importance, Harry could tell. The old wizard licked his lips, then rubbed his hands together a bit nervously, Harry thought, a strange gesture in a man who was usually so confident. What kind of horrible secret was he about to share? Harry swallowed hard, trying to brace himself for whatever his headmaster was about to say.

"Well, then," Dumbledore said finally, "I suppose there's nothing better to do than to simply get on with it. I thought our blood would have a good chance of matching, Harry, because I'm your great-great-grandfather. And I did do a small test, which seemed to indicate--"

Harry gasped. "Wait . . . you're . . . what?"

"Your great-great-grandfather, which means I am your closest living relative."

"I thought all my relatives were dead?" Harry said in confusion. "I don't understand. How can this be? Did my dad know? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Alas, no, James did not know. Let me tell you the story, Harry. It will answer all of your questions, I believe."

"OK," Harry said, thoroughly bewildered, but willing to listen. He rested against his pillows again and gave the old wizard his full attention.

"Many, many years ago, Harry, I was married to a lovely woman. She blessed me with one child, a daughter we both treasured. That daughter grew up and married a wonderful young wizard. She adored her husband, and we loved him, as well. Such a bright, intelligent, funny young man." Dumbledore sighed. "They had a beautiful baby girl during the war. Grindelwald found out about my daughter and thought he'd be able to get to me through her. He tried to kidnap her and her daughter, and her husband was viciously murdered while giving them time to escape. She never, ever forgave me for it. She denounced me, told me to never contact her or her baby again, and to never tell anyone that we were related. She then took her baby and emigrated to New Zealand, trying to get as far from me as possible."

"I'm sorry," Harry breathed when Dumbledore stopped to sigh heavily.

"No matter, Harry. These events all happened long ago."

"But they still hurt you," the young man said, his heart aching in sympathy for the grief he could see on the old man's face.

"Yes, they do," the old wizard agreed, sighing heavily again. "Well, back to my tale. The grief over their leaving killed my wife," he said sadly, "and nearly did me in as well, but I still had a war to win. I managed to defeat Grindelwald, and hoped my daughter would bring my granddaughter back and be reconciled with me, but alas, that was not to be. Eventually, she met a British wizard on holiday in New Zealand and fell in love with him. He brought her and my granddaughter back to England, but she still wouldn't see me, and when I tried to contact her, she told me her daughter had no idea we were related. My daughter thought it safest for her child if the girl never knew I was her grandfather. She told me if I ever revealed this information to her daughter that she'd take the child and move away again and never come back, and she certainly wouldn't let her attend Hogwarts. So I left them alone, as she wished. When the child was eleven, she came to Hogwarts and I was able to watch her grow up at last, even get to know her a bit. But I never told her I was her grandfather.

"She grew up to be a lovely young witch, powerful and especially skilled in Transfiguration and Charms. She married a young wizard named Potter - your grandfather, Harry. I liked him very much. He'd always been a good student, and was an intelligent, pleasant fellow with a wonderful sense of fun. I was glad she'd chosen so well. But still, her mother's edict kept me from telling her about our relationship.

"I heard they had a son they named James. I kept watch over him at a distance, but never revealed to him that we were related. James, as you know, was the smartest young man in Hogwarts, and a rascal who got detention on a regular basis as well. I loved him so much - but I couldn't let him know that. I wanted to take him on as an apprentice, but it just wasn't meant to be. My daughter was still alive and every so often would send me a warning - never a greeting, just a warning to stay away from her and her family. I abided by her wishes throughout your dear father's life, and yours, as well - until now.

"My granddaughter and her husband died not long before your parents did, and my daughter shortly after, but I realized that, with Voldemort after you already, the knowledge that you were my grandson - well, great-great-grandson - would make Voldemort even more determined to destroy you. So I kept my secret and did my best to keep my distance from you. But you, dear boy, wormed your way into my heart the instant you arrived in Hogwarts. When I saw your dear little face, so frightened but so resolute while you waited to be Sorted, I saw the depth of your courage and your heart, and was moved by it. I've watched you grow and develop and could not be more proud of you in any way, not at all.

"Now that Voldemort is gone, I think it's safe, at last, to reveal our relationship. I hope you can forgive an old man his many failings, especially this tremendous one of not telling you we're related." When he finished speaking, Dumbledore sat quietly in the chair, his hands in his lap, his fingers interlaced, his face grave but hopeful. He waited patiently for Harry's response.

Harry sat absolutely still, stunned into silence. Finally, he tried to speak, but found he couldn't. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Erm . . . you're my grandfather?"

"Great-great-grandfather, actually, but yes, I am," Dumbledore agreed.

"My dad didn't know?" Dumbledore shook his head. "You're my . . . my family? I have family?" Harry was staggered. He had family? And it was Dumbledore?

"You do have a bit more family than just me," Dumbledore admitted. "My brother, Aberforth, who I've mentioned before, is your great-great-uncle. And Professor McGonagall is your distant cousin. Let's see, if she's my second cousin, then . . . ." He pondered for several minutes. "Hmmm. These relations have always flummoxed me," he said amiably. "I think she's your third cousin twice removed? Possibly. Well, call it a 'distant cousin' and you'll be right, anyway."

"Does she know?" Harry said eagerly. "Does your brother?"

"My daughter changed her name and appearance when she left for New Zealand. No one who knew her before would have recognized her, so no, no one knows but you and Miss Weasley if she's awake enough to have heard us talking."

Harry glanced at Ginny's still form. Her breath was whistling slightly through her nose. "No, she's asleep." He glanced up at the man he now knew to be his grandfather - some kind of grandfather, at any rate. "May I tell her?"

"You may tell anyone you wish," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I imagine it will be in the Daily Prophet within a week, since such things rarely stay quiet no matter how hard one tries to keep them private."

"And you're all right with that?"

"Absolutely. I can show you the family bloodlines in the Hogwarts Register, if you want confirmation. That's the book that magically records the birth of all wizarding children. No matter how people try to hide their ancestry, it's recorded properly in the Register.'

"So it shows your daughter is my dad's grandmother and my great-grandmother, then?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, glad Harry seemed to be taking the news well.

"Then why didn't Professor McGonagall or some of the other staff know?"

"Because only the headmaster has access to those records," Dumbledore explained. "If you wish, I can arrange for you to see them. Just let me know."

Harry nodded, then was quiet for a long moment. "What shall I call you?" he finally asked with a shy smile.

"Whatever you like, dear boy," Dumbledore assured him.

"What did your granddaughter call you?"

"She hadn't learned to talk before my daughter whisked her away," the old wizard said sadly.

Harry gazed silently at his headmaster - his professor - his mentor - no, his grandfather, for several minutes, pondering all he'd just learned. Finally he took a deep breath and smiled. "Grandfather?" he said, testing the sound and feel of it. "Granddad? Grandpa?" He snorted with laughter. "No, you're not a 'grandpa,'" he said. "Is 'Grandfather' all right with you?"

Dumbledore smiled beatifically, wiping a sudden tear from his eye. Hearing Harry call him "Grandfather" touched his heart more deeply than he could ever explain. "'Grandfather' would be lovely, Harry."

"Grandfather," Harry said experimentally. "Grandfather! I have a grandfather!" he cried joyfully, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Ah, there's that grin that makes me smile," Dumbledore said fondly. "You do have the most charming smile."

"Who did I get it from?" Harry asked, eager to learn all he could about his ancestors.

"Your grandfather Potter, I believe," Dumbledore replied promptly.

"So you can tell me all about my family?" Harry said, bubbling over with excitement. "I wanted to ask Sirius so many things, but didn't have a chance. Remus has told me a lot, but he didn't know my dad's family as well as Sirius did."

"I can certainly tell you a great deal about your family, Harry, since I had them as students," Dumbledore said with a smile. "And we will have plenty of time to discuss such things now that Voldemort is no longer a threat."

Harry leaned back against his pillows, a huge grin on his face. "Wow. That's . . . that's just great!" He gazed fondly at the old wizard, amazed at his good fortune. A grandfather, after all these lonely years when his heart ached for someone to call "family," and that grandfather turned out to be his beloved headmaster.

Dumbledore cleared his throat quietly. "I believe there's one rather important thing I haven't told you yet, Harry."

"What's that?" he said, his eyes eager and bright.

Dumbledore studied the young man who was looking at him so trustingly. The old wizard's heart filled, as did his eyes. He blinked hard, determined not to mar the moment in any way. He took a deep breath and said, "I love you, Harry. I always have. You're more precious to me than I can ever tell you. Training you to fight Voldemort and then having to let you face him was torture of the most horrible kind. I would gladly have taken your place. I would happily have given my life for you, if it would have saved you from having to deal with him, but it wasn't my fate - it was yours. Having to leave you with that awful Muggle family, and seeing the horrible way they treated you - I hated the necessity of it, but there was nothing else I could that would safeguard you as well as the protection you had by living with them. I hope you'll forgive me for that and for all the other ways I've failed you, all the things I should have told you sooner--"

"There's nothing to forgive, sir - I mean, Grandfather," Harry said, blushing a bit. "And that's all in the past, anyway. I . . . you've . . . erm . . . ." He dropped his eyes, blushing even more brightly. "I've always loved you, sir - erm, Grandfather." He raised his eyes, his smile lighting his whole face. "I always wished you were my grandfather. I never thought . . . I can't believe . . . ."

"It's all true, though, dear boy," Dumbledore said, patting the young man's hand tenderly.

Harry turned his hand over and squeezed his grandfather's hand gently, gazing into those twinkling blue eyes. Dumbledore moved to sit on the side of the bed and drew Harry into his arms, hugging his great-great-grandson like the long-lost child he was. Harry thought his heart would burst with joy.

Ginny sat up and saw the two of them in a tight embrace. "What's wrong? What's happened?" she asked fearfully.

The two men broke their embrace and turned equally jubilant faces toward her. Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded.

"Professor Dumbledore just told me . . . Ginny, he's my grandfather! Can you believe that?"

"No," Ginny said hesitantly, looking at the ancient wizard next to her handsome young fiancé.

"Great-great-grandfather, actually," Dumbledore corrected with a smile, "but we can leave out those 'greats' when we're among family and friends."

They spent a happy time explaining the situation to Ginny. When they were finished, Dumbledore said, "Harry, you're beginning to droop. You need to get some rest."

"You'll come back soon, won't you?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes, of course I will," Dumbledore said, getting to his feet and patting Harry on the shoulder. "Snuggle down in that bed now, and I'll tuck you in. That's something I've always wanted to do. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all!" Harry said with a beatific smile. He slid down in the bed and got comfortable, beaming as his grandfather made quite a production of tucking him in and making sure his pillow was properly fluffed. Dumbledore leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, ruffling his hair gently as he straightened up.

"Rest well," Dumbledore said as he turned to go.

"See you soon, Grandfather," Harry said happily.

Ginny sat with tears streaming down her face. The tender, loving, joyful expressions on both Harry's and Dumbledore's faces touched her deeply. She sat quietly absorbing everything she'd learned as she tried to memorize the transcendent joy on Harry's face. This was a picture she never, ever wanted to forget - Harry discovering he still had living family, and that family was someone he already loved and respected. This was a memory both she and Harry would always cherish.

* * * * *

Early the next morning, Harry was finally allowed to leave his room in a wheelchair. He promptly went to visit Ron, who was being discharged in a few hours.

"How are you?" Harry said brightly as Ginny rolled his chair into Ron's room.

"Hey! Are they letting you out soon?" Ron asked eagerly. He was sitting on the side of his bed, a cane leaning against the headboard. He'd been learning how to walk with the cane, which the healers believed he'd only need for a week or so before he regained his strength.

"No," Harry said in disgust. "I'm not getting well as fast as you."

"You didn't have the famous Healer Potter working on you then, did you?" Ron said cheekily. "Seriously, mate - Hermione told me what you did for me. I was too woozy to understand what was going on at the time. Thanks for saving my leg, Harry. If I can ever--"

"Just stop right there," Harry cut in. "You and Hermione and Ginny came to help me with that Sphere Shield Charm. I couldn't have done that without you. So I owe you, not the other way round."

"How about we call it square?" Ron said with a grin.

"Works for me," Harry said, reaching out to shake his best mate's proffered hand. "Where is Hermione, anyway?" Harry asked, looking around the room.

"Her parents' funeral is this morning. Mum, Dad, Charlie and the twins went with her. The hospital wouldn't let me out, and the funeral home had so many services to deal with from the train crash, there was no way to work things out so I could be there," Ron said sadly.

"How's she doing?" Harry asked quietly.

"She's . . . she's doing better than I would have expected," Ron said, his face quite serious. "The way she took it so hard at first, I honestly didn't know if she'd survive all this, but she seems to be doing OK now. I'm just glad the family could go with her, so she wouldn't have to be alone."

"Yeah, me too," Harry agreed. He glanced at Ginny, Hermione's best girlfriend, and realized Ginny had chosen to stay with him rather than go to the funeral with Hermione. What a choice she'd had to make. He saw the sadness in her eyes and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently, then lacing his fingers through hers. Hermione was his best friend too, and he wished he could have been there for her.

Ron saw his best mate and sister starting to get gloomy and decided to change the subject. "That's quite a ring you gave Ginny," he said with a smile.

"She deserves it," Harry said, moving the ring on her finger so it caught the light.

"If you say so," Ron said in a teasing voice. "I think she's a bratty little witch, but if you think she's worth that - HEY!" he squawked as Ginny tossed a pillow at him, making all of them laugh.

"So are you going to skip the N.E.W.T.s for the classes you've been taking?" Ron asked once the laughter quieted.

"I've been trying to revise for them, but it's tough without you and Hermione to help. I don't know how I could have got through school without you two dragging me along," Harry said with a grin.

"Us, dragging you?" Ron said with a snort of laughter. "More like you and Hermione dragging me!"

"Or like Hermione dragging both of us," Harry countered cheekily. "Yeah, I want to take them, if I can get out of here in time. They start in just a few days, can you believe it?"

"Nah. I'm doing my best to convince myself - and Hermione - that we have a month left before they start," Ron said, chuckling.

"And how well is Hermione accepting this idea?" Ginny teased.

"Not well at all," Ron admitted, sighing dramatically.

"It's great to see you looking so well," Harry said, looking at Ron seriously.

"And you," Ron agreed. "I loved the Vanished walls! That was great! It was fun to be able to wave to you two when I was awake. Too bad the nurse made you replace them."

"Yeah. Maybe next time we both wind up injured, they'll have enough sense to put us in the same room!" Harry quipped.

"You two are not going to spend any more time in hospitals!" Ginny declared.

Both boys laughed. "We're going to be playing professional Quidditch in just a few weeks, Ginny," Harry reminded her. "I suspect St. Mungo's will give us rooms with our names on them, we'll be hurt so often!"

"You make that sound like something you're looking forward to!" she said, astonished.

"All part of the professional Quidditch player mystique," Ron said dramatically, placing his hand on his chest for effect. He posed various ways, tossing his hair out of his eyes, ruffling his hair as if it was windblown, squinting as if he was flying in a stiff wind, making Harry and Ginny laugh with his antics. "Can you believe it, Harry? In a few weeks, we'll be flying Firebolt Excaliburs for the London Lions in real league games! I still don't believe it!"

"I'd say that jersey you're wearing ought to be a clue," Harry teased.

"Well, yeah," Ron said, grinning, his face suffused with a pleased blush. "Hey, Mr. Murphy gave the whole family season tickets! He got us a family box! Isn't that great?"

"Cool!" Harry said. "He gave me tickets for Remus and Tonks, too. I guess I'll have to ask for some for Grandfather."

"Who?" Ron said, his eyes popping in surprise.

Harry smiled with absolute delight. "I just learned last night that I have a grandfather! Well, a great-great-grandfather, anyway."

"You're kidding!" Ron said, completely astonished. "Who is it? Why didn't he tell you before? Is it someone you know?"

"Oh, yeah!" Harry said, his eyes sparkling. "Dumbledore."

"What?" Ron cried. "OK, what potion have you been over-doing?"

"It's true!" Harry went on to tell Ron the whole story. Ron was, as usual, a wonderful audience, gasping in all the right places, grinning when he should, and as happy for Harry as anyone could hope.

"Wicked! That's so cool, Harry! I'm really happy for you!"

"Yeah, me, too," Harry grinned. He glanced at his watch. "Rats. I'm only allowed to be up for an hour or so, and I want to see Remus. I guess we'd better go. But you're up and around now. Come see me when I get back to my room, OK?"

"Yeah, Fred and George brought me some Exploding Snap cards - we can play when you get back."

"Great! See you later, then," Harry said, waving as Ginny turned his chair around and pushed him out of the door.

* * * * *

"Wotcher, Harry! Hi, Ginny! It's great to see you!" Tonks said with a smile as the two teens entered Remus's room.

"Hi, Tonks! How are you feeling?" Harry asked with a gentle smile. The idea that he'd been the one to discover her pregnancy still amazed him.

"I'm fine. Remus is doing better, and that's all that matters to me right now," she said seriously.

Ginny rolled Harry's chair next to his godfather's bed. Remus's face was still a bit grey with fatigue and pain, but his eyes were brighter than the last time Ginny had seen him.

"Hi, Remus," Harry said. "It's good to see you."

"Harry," Remus smiled, lifting a hand to grasp his godson's arm. "You OK?"

"I'm fine," Harry said with a smile. "I would have come to see you sooner, but they wouldn't let me out of bed until this morning."

"Then you're not fine, you're 'improving,'" Remus teased.

"I guess," Harry admitted. He was getting tired and he was afraid it showed. "Do you want me to see if I can help things along?"

"No, I don't want you to tire yourself," Remus protested.

Harry cheerfully ignored his refusal. "I'll quit when I get tired, OK?" he said reasonably. "I need to open your pyjama top." With Ginny's help, he was soon seated on the edge of Remus's bed and scanning the man's body with his magic. "I think they're doing a good job on you, Remus," he said at last. "I can't find anything that I can fix. Everything in there seems to be healing well, compared to how you felt to me on the battlefield."

"I'd be dead if you hadn't helped me there, Harry," Remus said seriously. "Thank you."

"Hey, the little one needs his or her daddy," Harry said, grinning. "I couldn't let you miss out on all the nappy changing and middle of the night feedings. I've heard they're such fun!" He buttoned Remus's pyjamas and continued, "And Tonks needs her husband, and I need my godfather. You're just going to have to stick around because all of us are so needy!"

"I'll do my best," Remus said with a weary smile.

"We don't want to tire you, Remus. And Harry's been up longer than he's supposed to be this first time anyway," Ginny said, standing and grasping the handles of the wheelchair. "We'd better go."

"Come back and visit again soon, OK?" Remus said hopefully.

"I will! I have loads to tell you!" Harry said, the excitement showing in his eyes.

"Like what?" Remus asked, intrigued in spite of his exhaustion.

"You heard we got engaged, right?" he said with a grin.

Remus's eyes lit up, sharing Harry's joy. "Oh yes, and Ginny showed us that beautiful ring! Congratulations!"

"I want you and Tonks to sit in the row reserved for my family," Harry said seriously, but then his eyes twinkled, "along with my grandfather."

"Your . . . what?" Remus said in shock. "Who?"

Harry told him his news as quickly as he could, because Ginny was wiggling his wheelchair in a not-so-subtle hint that they needed to go.

"Albus was James's grandfather? So many things make sense now!" Remus said with a grin. "He was always going out of his way to catch us in the hall and just speak to James for a minute, usually about nothing important. Amazing! I'm so happy for you, Harry!"

"Me, too!" Harry grinned. "Oops, apparently my chauffer has decided it's time to go. See you!" he called laughingly as Ginny determinedly pushed his chair out of the door.

"See you, Harry!" Tonks called after him. "Bye, Ginny!"

"You're going to bed, Mr. Potter," Ginny said resolutely as she rolled his chair next to his bed.

"And you're coming with me, right?" he said cheekily.

"You are entirely too cheerful!" she said with a grin as she helped him into bed and tucked him in.

"Why shouldn't I be? I'm engaged to a beautiful woman who loves me! I have a grandfather! My best mate and my godfather are getting better! My arch-enemy is GONE! And I don't have to take N.E.W.T.s if I don't want to! That's a lot to be happy about!" he said with a delighted smile.

Ginny studied his face for a long moment. How long had it been since she'd seen him this happy? The haunted look that had been in his eyes for years was nearly gone. His grin was wholehearted; his body, although drooping with fatigue now, exuding a lightness, a joy that had never been there before. He seemed relaxed and at ease with his life for what, the first time ever? Maybe so. He no longer had the threat of Voldemort hanging over his head. He'd met his predestined fate and conquered his enemy. Why shouldn't he be cheerful, even giddy? She smiled and bent to kiss him. "You be as happy as you want, sweetheart. You've earned it," she said at last. "But you also need to rest, so be happy lying down, OK?"

"By myself?" he teased, but then a yawn overcame him, making his jaw crack, which made both of them laugh. "Oh, sorry," he said when he could speak again.

"You've been a busy boy for quite a while. You need to get some rest. Go to sleep."

"Join me?" he said, his eyes sparkling.

"I have to study for exams, sweetie," she said regretfully.

"OK," he sighed. "I'll just watch you, then." With that, he rolled over on his side and watched her every movement, staring at her until he had her laughing and blushing. "What's wrong, Gin? I'm just watching you!"

"I'm going to take your glasses off if you don't start resting right now!" she threatened, but her chuckle ruined the threat's effect.

"Then I'll just see you in a fog," he said dreamily. He yawned again and finally removed his glasses himself, tucked his hand under his cheek and lay gazing fondly at her for a while before his eyes finally drifted closed in sleep.

* * * * *

When Harry woke up a few hours later, he was surprised to see a beautiful red fox sitting in the chair by his bed. He put on his glasses and smiled at it, then glanced around the room. "Ginny?" He sat up and peered through the door to see if she was in Ron's room. No Ginny. "Ginny?" he called quietly. He was surprised when the fox stood up in the chair and put its front paws on his bed.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" he asked the fox, leaning a bit away from it. If it was truly a wild fox, it might be dangerous. He looked at it more seriously, and then saw something on its hip that made his eyes widen in shock. "No. Ginny? Is that you?" On her hip was a small patch of hair in a slightly different shade of red, shaped a bit like a heart. It was an image of the birthmark Harry loved to kiss. "That's wonderful, Ginny! When did you learn to do that? You've kept it secret really well!" He held his hand toward her and smiled when the vixen bowed her head and rubbed an ear against his palm. She looked up at him hopefully, her tongue lolling out in a foxy grin.

"Are you stuck?" Harry asked suddenly. She bounced around in the seat of her chair, running in a tight circle and then turning to smile at him again. "OK, I'll change you back," he said, reaching for his wand.

The fox gave a startled yip and jumped off the chair, moving toward the door.

"What's the matter?" He saw her looking toward Ron's room, then back at him. "Oh, you don't want me doing magic, is that it? Ron can turn you back. I'll call him. He'll want to see you anyway," he said with a grin. He sent an Adfero to Ron and smiled as the fox leapt up into the chair again, smiling at him and offering her paw. He rubbed her paw lightly with his thumb as he waited for Ron to enter the room.

"What's up, mate?" Ron said as he hobbled into Harry's room, his cane in his right hand. "Whoa! Who let that in?" he said when he saw the fox.

"Your sister, that's who," Harry said cheekily. The fox growled at him in response, making him laugh.

"Ginny let a fox into the hospital?" Ron said incredulously. "Why?"

"Look at her rump, Ron," Harry prompted.


Ron complied, then straightened suddenly when he saw the image of the heart. "What's that?"

"Maybe you don't know about it, but your sister has a birthmark shaped like that on her beautiful little bum," Harry said, grinning.

Ron grinned. "I remember that! I haven't seen it in a long time, mind, but when she was little and wearing nappies, I'd see just the edge of it peeping over them."

The fox gave Ron a disgusted look, making both boys laugh. "She's stuck," Harry said. "She doesn't want me to change her back. I'm supposed to be resting, y'know."

"Yeah, so I heard," Ron agreed. He squatted next to the chair, studying the fox closely. "This is pretty cool, Ginny! You'll be able to run with Remus on the full moon! Congratulations! Dad will be so proud! Two Animagi in the family!"

"Yeah, that's wonderful, isn't it?" Harry agreed. "I'm proud of you, Ginny." The fox sat up and smiled at both of them, wrapping her luxurious tail around her front legs and flipping the end of it coquettishly. "Ready to change? The more you change back and forth, the more confident you'll be." The fox blinked at him, then looked steadily at Ron.

"Ready, then? OK," Ron said as he pulled out his wand. He tapped her three times and suddenly, there was Ginny grinning madly at both of them.

"Thanks! I've been trying to do that for months, and while I was revising for the Transfiguration exam, I thought I'd just try it again. I wanted to have it for extra points! And suddenly, there I was! And then I couldn't change back. Isn't it cool? Is she beautiful? I just love foxes!"

"She's gorgeous," Harry assured her. "Now try to do it again."

"Oh, no, I should--"

"Do what the man says, Ginny," Ron insisted. "That's the only way to become good at it."

Ginny struggled with the change for the next few minutes, then suddenly, with a small "pop," she turned into the fox.

"Do I pop when I change?" Ron said curiously.

"No, but you did when you were learning how," Harry replied. "Change back now, Gin."


The fox looked thoughtful and then began to snarl as she tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Ron said, glancing around.

"I think she's just nervous about it," Harry replied. "Go on, you can do it," he encouraged her. Finally, Ginny herself occupied the chair. "Well done! Now do it again!" Harry said.

"Slave driver!" she protested, but she transformed again. A few minutes later, she became herself again. "Wow, that's so cool!"

"Don't tell Hermione for a while, OK?" Ron warned. Hermione still had never gone beyond the paw stage in her Animagus transformation attempts.

"Don't worry, I won't," Ginny said, grinning. "I'll wait and show Dad when we're back home." She hesitated. "I mean at Harry's house while the Burrow is being rebuilt."

"I thought you'd forgotten about that for a minute there," Ron teased gently.

"I had. It's so odd to think of it being gone," she said with a shrug.

"Well, now Mum and Dad can build a house that suits them, instead of making do and adding to the house as needed," Ron said philosophically.

Harry yawned suddenly. "You need to rest, Mr. Potter!" Ginny insisted, pushing him down in the bed and tucking him in again.

"If you insist," he said. He really was tired. "I'm so happy for you," he murmured, kissing the fingers that she was trailing down his cheek. "Hey, Ron? Thanks for helping her out."

"No problem," Ron said. "Now go back to sleep before someone comes and yells at us for keeping you awake!"

"OK," Harry said sleepily. He took off his glasses and snuggled into his pillow, and was soon fast asleep.

* * * * *

"That was a good nap," Ginny said when she saw Harry awake again a few hours later. "How are you feeling?"

"Bit sore. Is it time for my potion?" he said, stretching carefully, obviously in some pain.

"Yes, the nurse should be here soon," Ginny assured him. "You overdid it when you were up earlier, didn't you? I knew you were staying up too long."

"No, really, I'm fine!" he insisted. He'd just been allowed up for a brief time. He certainly didn't want to be forced to stay in bed all the time again!

"You're not fine - but you're getting there," she said with a smile. Her smile faded as she continued. "I've had a message from McGonagall. She wants me to go back to school when Ron leaves this afternoon."

"Why?" Harry said, frowning. He didn't want Ginny to leave him.

"I've missed a lot of classes from being here, and it's time I went back to school so I'll do well on my exams. Or so she says," Ginny said with a sigh. "I don't want to go. I'd be happy to drop out of school today and marry you, you know."

"I know you would," Harry replied with a sad smile, "but you shouldn't do that. I'll be all right. Maybe they can put Remus and me in the same room. Then Tonks can baby-sit both of us. She'll need the practice, with a baby coming, don't you think?" He was trying to make the best of the situation, but the idea of waking up in the hospital without Ginny there beside him, looking after him, cheering him up when he was down . . . he didn't want to think about it.

"Did you tell McGonagall about the fox?" Harry asked her, hoping a change of subject would cheer both of them.

"Yeah, and I showed her, as well. She's over the moon about it," Ginny said. "I'll get extra points on my exam because of it."

"That's great," Harry said sincerely. "I'm happy for you."

"Oh, look," Ginny said, hearing a noise in the hallway. "Hermione's back. Mum and Dad are with her."

"How's she look?" Harry asked. He couldn't see through the door from the bed.

"As if she just came from her parents' funeral," Ginny said sadly. She laced her fingers with Harry's, worried for Hermione, but more worried because she knew that her parents were here to take her, Hermione and Ron back to Hogwarts. Harry didn't know they'd be leaving so soon. She hadn't had the heart to tell him. She looked at him now, as he strained to see Hermione through the door, and sighed. "I have to tell you something," she said quietly.

"What is it?" he said, realizing her tone of voice didn't bode well for him somehow.

"Mum and Dad are here to take us back to school - Ron, Hermione and me," Ginny said quietly.

"Oh," Harry said, unable to think of anything else to say. He looked up at her and tried to put on a brave face, but oh, how he was going to miss her! "Ron and I didn't get to play Exploding Snap yet," he said plaintively. "Maybe they can wait?"


Ginny smiled at him. "We can ask, but I think they're pretty much ready to go."

"Hi, Harry," Ron said, hanging his head apologetically as he clumped into the room with his cane. "Did Ginny tell you?"

"You have to leave now, yeah," Harry said in a flat voice. "How's Hermione?"

"Pretty fragile, I think," Ron replied, glancing over his shoulder. "Mum said she did really well, but she's been given a Calming Draught now. They're going to take her back to Grimmauld Place for as long as she can bear being out of class. Knowing her, she'll be back at Hogwarts in a day or two."

"How are you feeling now?" Harry asked, glad to see how well Ron was managing with his cane.

"Pretty good, actually. They gave me some potion to take to keep the pain manageable, and a list of exercises to do to get my leg working as well as possible," he said with an attempt at cheerfulness. He'd just seen his leg unwrapped for the first time an hour before and was still in shock from the change in it. He kept reminding himself that he could have ended up with a wooden leg like Moody's, and that he should count his blessings that he still had his own leg and could walk on it at all. Ron sighed and swallowed hard. He was going to be strong through this, even if it killed him to know how horrible his leg looked now. At least it worked, and they said it would look better eventually.

"I heard you'll be able to fly again soon," Harry said, trying to be supportive.

"Yeah, that's what they told me. They said it won't even affect my balance," Ron said with a sickly grin, doing his best to be positive about everything.

"Well, that's good then." Harry pushed himself up in the bed, Ginny arranging his pillows so he'd be comfortable sitting up, just as Hermione entered the room. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied.

Harry had never seen Hermione so sad. He held his hand out to her wordlessly and she took it, sitting on the side of the bed facing him. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

She just nodded, then lifted heartbroken eyes to his. "All this time . . . I've known you for years and I've never understood . . . I'm sorry, Harry." She sniffled, then sobbed, and tears streamed suddenly down her face.

Harry pulled her gently into his arms and let her cry herself out. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, Hermione," he murmured. "I wish I could help you somehow." She buried her face in his shoulder and cried harder. Harry looked up and saw Molly wringing her hands, tears streaming down her face.

"She was so strong at the service," Molly said quietly, shaking her head and looking a bit lost. She'd buried two of her sons only a few days earlier and was still in shock from that. She had no idea how to help Hermione, or herself, through this dark time in their lives.

Harry held his best friend close, understanding her pain, but also knowing that she would always have fond memories of her parents. For that, he thought she was fortunate. He rubbed Hermione's back, soothing her as well as he could. He glanced up at Ron, who looked lost. Harry understood. Hermione had gone to Harry for comfort instead of Ron. But Ron had his parents, and Hermione was just beginning to understand that she, like Harry, was an orphan. Harry turned his eyes to Ginny, who had gone to her mother and now held her, both of them crying now. When was this pain going to end?

Finally, Hermione quieted and sat up. "I'm sorry. I got your pyjamas all wet," she said, shaking her head ruefully.

"No problem," Harry said, waving his wand and doing a quick Drying Charm on his pyjama top. "You're going to be all right, Hermione," he said, looking at her seriously. "You have loads of friends. We're all going to look after you. You can stay at my house if you want. You know there's plenty of room."

She nodded. "Thanks, Harry. I can't bear the thought of going back to my parents' house. I don't know how I'm going to . . . I don't know what . . . ." She stopped speaking and fought to control her emotions. "Thanks. I'll be happy to stay with you. You're sweet to offer."

"Whatever you need, I'll do my best to help you. You do know that, right?" he said, bending down to see past the curtain of dark curls that hid her face.

"Yeah. Thanks." She sighed heavily, then tried to put on a happier face. "I heard you're doing a lot better. Will they release you soon?"

"Not for a few more days," Harry told her. He didn't know what else to say. If he mentioned studying for exams, she might get upset again. If he mentioned them returning to Hogwarts . . . he couldn't think of a safe topic of conversation.

Arthur came to his rescue. "We're going to have to leave soon, you lot," he said, looking at his two children and Hermione. "Gather up your things and say your goodbyes, all right? We're going to stop in and see Remus and Tonks before we leave."

"Right," Ron said dully, getting up and hobbling back to his own room to gather up the bags of sweets and gifts that hadn't already been sent to Hogwarts for him.

"Shall I take some of this back to Hogwarts for you?" Ginny asked Harry, looking at the numerous get-well cards, presents, sweets and flowers that filled his room.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, doing his best to be cheerful. Ginny's eyes met his for a moment and both of them had to look away.

"I'll help you, Ginny, since Ron's nearly finished," Hermione offered.

"Thanks," Ginny replied quietly. They gathered up as much as they could carry and put a temporary Sticking Charm on everything, then did a Shrinking Charm so the pile could be carried easily. They repeated the process several more times, until all of their pockets were full, then made two more bundles to carry in their arms.

"I guess that's all we can take for now," Ginny said, her eyes brimming with tears when she looked at him again. She heard her parents come in the room again and the tears started to fall.

Harry held his arms open and Ginny sank into them gratefully once more, snuggling her head into his shoulder, then lifting her face for his kiss.

"Don't cry, baby. It's only for a few days," Harry whispered as he gently rubbed noses with her. "I'll be all right. I love you."

"I love you too," she said, sniffling hard as she tried to stop her tears.

"Give me a kiss to remember," Harry breathed, lowering his lips to hers.

The Weasleys and Hermione all found other things to do as Harry and Ginny kissed, giving them a bit of privacy.


Finally, Ginny rose from Harry's arms, but didn't let go of his hand until she'd moved out of his reach. "Just for a few days, OK?" she said. "Don't do anything silly to make it longer."

"I'll be careful," Harry agreed.

"Wait, we can't go!" Ginny said suddenly. "Where's Tonks? She's supposed to be sitting with you now."

"She went with Remus to physical therapy so she could see how to help him," Harry told her. "She'll be here soon. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?" she said. "You shouldn't be left alone."

"I'm sure. The hospital staff has all been checked. No Death Eaters here. And Merlin's here with me. I'll be fine," he replied, but his heart wasn't in it. He blew out a breath, then did his best to put on a cheeky grin. "Have fun revising, you lot! And tell everyone I said hello."

"We will," Ron said, poking Harry gently in the shoulder.

"Bye, Harry," Hermione said, looking sad and lost.

"You take care of yourself, dear," Molly said, bending to kiss his forehead. "We'll all be together again soon."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, holding his too-cheery smile until they'd all disappeared through his doorway. He bit his lip and told himself quite firmly that he would be just fine for a few days by himself, and they were moving Remus into his room in a little while anyway. Holding tightly to that thought, he slid down in his bed and went to sleep.