Vendetta

3 - St. Mungo's/Ginny Returns Home

They got her to St. Mungo's straightaway and reported what had happened as best they could; the Healers examined her and were pleased to report that there was nothing worse than some cuts and bruises, not to mention minor vaginal and anal tearing ... nothing they couldn't repair. The physical injuries weren't the problem; it would be the mental and emotional ones they would have to deal with--and not only Ginny's.

They gave her a mild sleeping potion upon treating her wounds, some of which required minor surgery. Upon finishing, Hermione and Ron discussed the matter with the Healer in charge while Harry sat a vigil beside Ginny's bed, holding her hand, just watching her sleep, sometimes putting her hand on his cheek after kissing it tenderly, eyes closed in pain and brimming with tears. He seemed to be taking this worse than she was, at least at the moment.

When was he going to realise not even he couldn't prevent everything bad from happening to those he loved best? He would simply have to learn to trust that they could handle whatever was thrown at them. (They frankly couldn't be involved with him and not be able to.) He was unlikely to believe it, of course; just the same, all they could do was their best to convince him of the fact.

After about an hour of discussion, Ron and Hermione returned to Ginny's bed to find Harry still there and in the same position as he had been when they left. "Harry?" Ron put a tentative hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mate, you've done all you can do. Let's go get some sleep. We can come back and see Gin in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep now, Ron. You two go on ahead," came the almost mumbled and pain-filled reply.

"Harry, Ron's right. There's no point in your staying here. Ginny is being cared for. We can do no more for her, and you need some sleep. You won't help her by making yourself sick or beating yourself up for not being able to make it before she was ... assaulted." She put her arms around his shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze.

Harry once again closed his eyes in pain. Leave it to Hermione to cut to the heart of the matter. He reached up to pat her hands with one of his own. "I ... appreciate your concern, my friends, but I can't leave her. Especially not now. If I'm not here for her at any other time, I'm determined to do everything in my power to see her through this, even if I have to pay for her medical care myself and look after her once she's released."

Hermione sighed, knowing that Harry wasn't about to budge, whatever they might say. "Suit yourself--but we'll be back tomorrow."

"Fine," he returned absently. "See you then. I'll be here. Oh - and Ron, when you come back, would you be so kind as to bring me my bag of gold, a few changes of clothes and my toilet articles?" With that, Harry resumed his vigil, seeming to forget his friends were there. A short time later, Hermione whispered to Ron and they Disapparated out of the room.

It was the middle of the night, Harry still keeping his vigil, that Ginny moaned in her sleep and tugged at his hand, then her eyes fluttered open. "Harry? Is that you?"

"Yes, Gin. I'm here," he crooned back to her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired ... and sore," she confessed. "But that's to be expected, after what ... we did."

Obviously the suggestion Draco had planted was still working on her. "Well, I won't work you that hard again," he assured her, speaking as soothingly as he could, deciding it was best to humour her, at least for the time being, in an attempt to minimise the trauma of her double sexual assault. "I ... didn't mean to hurt you. Just ... forgot myself."

"I ... forgive you, my love," she replied. "I know how hard it must have been for you to wait on me."

This was almost more than Harry could take, Ginny blaming herself--even unconsciously--for her own assault. "It wasn't your fault, Gin. I don't blame you ... not for anything. I just want you to get better ... and to assure you that I will be here if you need me."

"Thank you, Harry. I ... think I'll ... sleep now. Good night."

Harry truly hoped she had meant what she said about forgiving him for her assault, even if he hadn't been responsible, and wasn't saying what she thought he wanted to hear or simply talking in her sleep. He wanted more than anything to lie down beside her and hold her, but wondered if he dared--or even had the right any more, after the ordeal she had been through.

Just the same, he knew that simply holding her hand wasn't going to be enough. Finally he realised that the only way he was going to be able to sleep was if he did something like that, however it might look to anyone passing by. He finally decided he didn't care and carefully manoeuvred himself onto the bed with her, resting his cheek on her back and entwining his arms around her.

He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the honeysuckle fragrance, smiling despite his sadness and anger at himself for being unable to prevent it from happening. But one thing was for sure, he was going to do everything he could to see that both Malfoy and Dudley were punished for what they had done, both in the wizarding and Muggle world.

Once she was up to it, he would take her to the Muggle doctor his aunt and uncle went to and have him examine her ... his report would be one weapon Harry would use in his efforts to see that his cousin was punished for assaulting the girl he loved so brutally. He was thinking he might even have the doctor testify on his and Ginny's behalf should the matter come to trial.

He would also speak to the Wizengamot at the Ministry at the earliest possible time, see if they could help him in regards to seeing to Draco's punishment. It probably wouldn't be easy, and even if he managed to pull it off and they were willing to help him pursue the matter, it would take time and lots of it ... and most likely engender considerable publicity, both positive and negative, in the process.

Not to mention Lucius Malfoy doing everything he could to paint Harry in a bad light and his son in a good one, however much money he had to spend. He would also likely do everything possible to make Ginny seem promiscuous, probably even claim that she had seduced the two young men in question rather than forcible sexual assault (i.e., rape) having occurred.

Harry truly wished he'd had something like a Muggle tape recorder to tape Draco's original confession; neither his memory or his word would be enough, and he doubted he would be able to get him to do it again. He could only hope that the doctors' reports from both the wizarding and Muggle worlds would convince the jury of the truth of the situation.

Meanwhile, all that mattered was the fact that Ginny was alive, in his arms, and snuggled close to him. Knowing that, Harry was finally able to fall asleep, not knowing that an hour later, the Healer Ron and Hermione had talked to went by on her rounds and smiled indulgently as she saw Harry with his arms around Ginny, holding her protectively as he slept, his glasses having slid most of the way down his nose. She carefully manoeuvred them off and put them on the bedside table so he could easily find them in the morning.

Young people these days ... all the same, she was unable to help being impressed at the young man's devotion to the young woman. For both their sakes, she hoped that devotion would remain, for both would need it in order to survive the next few months following her assault, which were usually the toughest to endure, for both the victim and those closest to her.

As it turned out, though, Ginny was able to go home after only two days in the hospital, although she was given a week's supply of painkilling potion. After that, due to her youth and sturdy constitution, she shouldn't need any more. And when she did, Harry went with her--although he stayed in Fred and George's old room, which fortunately was close by Ginny's so he could keep a close watch on her. He had even insisted on flying her home on his Firebolt but in front of him this time, suggesting she hold on to him that way so he could concentrate on flying, loving every moment of the feel of her solid, perfumed warmth against him.

He also contacted the Muggle doctor and managed to obtain an appointment to take her in for an examination, specifically requesting a follow-up report after telling him what had happened to her. Later in the week he contacted the Wizengamot and got an appointment to speak with them about what had happened, what would be necessary to press charges against Draco, not only for kidnapping Ginny but actively participating in her rape, along with an accomplice, who had also raped her.

He intended to have such a rock-solid body of evidence in his favor that not even Lucius Malfoy or his in-serious-denial relatives could refute. That would take some doing, of course, but for Ginny, he was willing to make the effort.

He also thought it would be best to see if St. Mungo's had taken any DNA samples from Ginny's body, and if they had, he would need them as evidence too. The best of all possible scenarios would be if he could manage to get samples of both assailants' bodily fluid, and if necessary, be prepared to submit a sample of his own, if only for the sake of comparison ... as well as obtain reports from both the St. Mungo's Healers and the Muggle doctor as to the differences between same. Not to mention have them testify that they had found no evidence Harry had ever been in sexual contact with her. (Not that he didn't still want to. In fact, he did, but could control himself if necessary, although it wasn't easy, especially not since he was spending so much time with her.)

With luck, he might even be able to officially deny that he had been in any way responsible for the rape, both publicly and privately, whatever hypnotic suggestion Draco had made to the contrary. He would also suggest that Draco be made to submit to a test with Veritaserum, intending to make sure it was legal to do so before making a formal request ... and give Dudley sodium pentothal which would force him to tell the truth of his own involvement in the crime, also making sure that was legal in order to offset any countersuits either way.

It might even prompt an investigation into the possibility that he had been involved in other sex crimes in the Little Whinging neighborhood ... maybe even get a search warrant to check Dudley's room for torn knickers, condoms and such, and with luck, even actually get his criminal bully cousin behind bars, where he belonged--and there to stay, no matter what appeals his parents tried to make, however hard they tried to trash Harry and everything he had come up with, evidence-wise.

Best of all, however, would be to see Draco actually get convicted, despite his father's best efforts, and have him cool his heels in Azkaban, see how he liked it. It frankly wouldn't surprise Harry if Lucius had been instrumental in getting Sirius framed too, but since the latter had been cleared of all wrongdoing shortly after his death, it wasn't so urgent a thing as pressing the rape charges. He also suggested that Neville come in and testify before the Wizengamot as to what he had seen the day of Ginny's disappearance. Perhaps even Ron and Hermione if they were willing, if only as character witnesses for both him and Ginny. If not them, then perhaps at least one of the senior Weasleys.

In the midst of all this, of course, he spent time with Ginny, seeing to her every need and taking it upon himself to tell her family what had happened to her and his intention to see that Draco and Dudley were punished to the fullest extent of the law--both in the wizarding and Muggle world. The senior Weasleys were understandably furious, with Molly frankly ready to kill both perpetrators, which Harry fully understood and empathised with, but advised her not to pursue it.

He would be content if they could both be convicted of the crime in question and serve time in prison for it, and so would she have to be. She was still reluctant to back down, but refrained from any further talk on that score for Ginny's sake ... at least in her daughter's hearing.

Harry also advised the Weasley family to inform Ginny's other five brothers what had happened and get their thoughts and feelings on the matter. He would sit in on the discussions if necessary, but believed it best that Ron and Hermione gave them the details, since other than himself and the perpetrators, they were the only ones who knew the full details of the crime.

He hadn't mentioned anything about the cost of Ginny's medical care, both inpatient and out, and had no intention of doing so, fully willing and able to cover the costs himself. They were going to go through enough without having to worry about medical expenses. And if Gin should need any psychological counseling as a result, he would pay the costs for that, too. He had no intention of making her testify unless absolutely necessary.

It was truly fortunate that he had been able to take care of Voldemort once and for all over the summer between the sixth and seventh years, so he wouldn't have to be away from Ginny any more than absolutely necessary. Even at that, Harry still intended to pursue his original vocational choice as an Auror, and for that, it would be necessary for him to return to Hogwarts for his seventh and final year, since much of the seventh-year curriculum and classes covered things he would need to know in his chosen future career.

It was now about two months before they would need to return to school. As much as Harry wanted to go, there was just as much of him that didn't, since it meant leaving Ginny. He even seriously considered taking home study courses, which she would be doing since she wouldn't be emotionally up to the regular classes because of her ordeal. Of course, if the worst-case scenario came to pass and his request for home study courses was denied, he could only promise her that he would owl her often to keep her up-to-date on what was going on in his classes and at the school.

Ron and Hermione would also likely be returning to the school if Harry did, however reluctantly, mainly because they wanted to be there to give Harry moral support, both in class and out. They also promised to keep in touch with Ginny, if not Molly, but all knew that even under the best of circumstances, Ron was, by his own admission, not the best of correspondents, to put it mildly. It was more likely that Hermione would be the one to do so, with Ron most likely to add a postscript or something to her letter. Even Harry hadn't gotten but maybe a handful of letters from Ron the entire time they had known each other, over six years.

So far, Harry had been pleased to note little change in Ginny's attitude toward him, but couldn't be sure how long it would last. Just the same, he was hesitant to try anything more intimate than holding her hand or kissing the top of her head in farewell, even as much as he hungered to kiss her lips again, hold her and feel her close to him once again. It had been months, and if he had to leave, it would be even more months, but he wasn't about to rush her.

However, if he did have to leave her, he would make it a point to hold her and kiss her goodbye, in public if necessary, just as their first kiss had been ... and declare his feelings for her in gentle, undemanding ways over the ensuing months. The one thing that would keep him going would be hearing from her, particularly if she declared she still loved him and always would, no matter what he had supposedly done.