The Power Within

Chapter 4: Healing Rain

There he stood. Harry Potter, savior to the wizarding world and definitely the last person Ginny Weasley wanted to see when everything in her life had turned upside down. Yet there he stood, staring at her, obviously awaiting an answer to his question. Ginny, not trusting her voice to work at this particular moment, just ducked her head, watching through her eyelashes as Harry rushed by. He went straight to Ron, who began to replay the incident loudly.

Ginny sighed. Any other week of any other year she would have been ecstatic to see Harry Potter standing in the doorway. But not this particular week. She felt stupid being so concerned with herself, but then again, hadn't Harry Potter been the center of her universe for far too long? However, Ginny had to admit, with those eyes, that messy hair and the whole "I'm a sad boy who has lost everything, not to mention the darkest wizard that ever lived is after me" thing, it was hard for him to not be the center of her world.

Ginny watched Harry sink down into the chair that Ron had vacated when he had taken up pacing again. He was still shaking his head, as though everything Ron had told him had been a dream, or some kind of joke, and that at any second Fred and George would jump out and scream "Gotcha!". Ginny could not tear her eyes away from him. He looked pitiful. He had grown taller since last she'd seen him, and he looked as if food was the last thing on his priority list. Sirius' death must have hit him harder than she thought.

Damn Harry Potter! He always did have to find his way back into the center of things didn't he? Ginny thought she had her own problems, she thought she wouldn't be able to pay a speck of attention to what Harry was going through until she sorted herself out. But there he was, sitting in a chair in the middle of the St. Mungo's waiting room, looking worse for the wear, and unknowingly wriggling his way into her heart again. If it wasn't enough for all of this to be happening, Harry picked this moment to turn his head and meet Ginny's eyes. What Ginny saw in them, even from thirty feet away, was enough to make her want to cry. They were filled with despair, worry, pain and grief. Their emerald depths contained no traces of hope, only admitted defeat. A tear trailed down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away, this was not the time for Harry Potter to see her crying, and crying for him no less. Ginny was immensely relieved when Harry broke his steady gaze and turned it back to the floor.

Ron had sat down again, and had both hands tangled in his ginger hair, his elbows resting on his knees. Ginny didn't know what to make of his off behavior that night. He had a reason to be upset about what happened, but he was acting as if the incident had hurt him just as bad as it was hurting Hermione. Ginny reflected that maybe it had, if what she had been observing between Ron and Hermione for the past two years was true.

The double doors swung open, causing them to look up at a woman wheeling a cart of strange looking vials and tubes down the hall. Ginny saw Ron's shoulders move with his inaudible sigh. The doors opened again, but this time the Healer that had talked to them earlier stepped out.

"I wanted to inform all of you that Miss Granger has been moved to the third floor and is now allowed to have visitors. She is located in room 112," the Healer said, before continuing on with some business further down the hall. Ron jumped up and immediately ran for the lifts, closely followed by Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Remus, and lastly, Harry.

As Ginny watched them all head for the lifts, she thought it would be best if she visited Hermione apart from the initial rush. After all, Hermione would have enough to deal with when Ron got there, or so Ginny had inferred from Ron's behavior in the hours they had waited.

So Ginny leaned her head back, hoping to rest a little before they had to Floo back to Grimmauld Place. Rest, however, was not to be part of her agenda that night. Harry, who had observed that Ginny was not joining up with the rest of the team, had ambled over to where Ginny sat.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked dully.

Ginny just opened one eyelid and peered out at him from underneath it.

"No, assuming I was actually alive enough to get up and walk, I would just have to witness more asinine behavior from my brother. I'll wait until he leaves the room before going in," she replied, "It's not like she'll know I'm not there, what with Ron obstructing her vision."

"He's just worried," Harry said.

"Yes, just worried," Ginny said, winking slowly at Harry, who had just sat down in the chair next to her.

"You don't think he..." he said.

"Oh, yes, I think he does! You can't possibly be so dense as to say you haven't seen it!"

Harry sent a blank look at the carpet.

"I have too much on mind without observing the behavior of my friends," he said plainly.

WHAM!

There it was, Harry Potter had officially thrown himself back into her heart. She almost groaned out loud. She didn't want this! She had worked too long and hard convincing herself that she was over him, for all the memories to come back now! But oh, how she wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, that she would shield him from the heavy blows the world had to offer.

Instead she settled for placing a hand on his arm, in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. His eyes traveled to where her hand rest, and then his emerald orbs met her gaze.

He was hiding, she knew he was. He had learned to mask the pain in his soul when he wanted to. She knew what was there; he had let her see that earlier from across the room.

"I'm sorry," she offered, hoping that it would help him open up if he knew that she cared.

The reaction she received, however, was not what she had expected. He shook her hand off of his arm and stood up, glaring down at her.

"I don't need your pity, Ginny," he said angrily.

"I don't pi ..." Ginny started.

"Yes you do! Everyone does! I don't want to hear about it okay!" he yelled at her, earning a few curious glances from some of the rooms occupants.

"Harry, all I wa..." she was cut off again.

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"

With that said, Harry James Potter, hero of the wizarding world, stormed to the lift and disappeared inside.

Ginny groaned. This was going to be harder than she thought!

The people that occupied the waiting room were still staring at her, no doubt wondering what she had said to make the freaking "Boy Who Lived" so angry. She stared at them before sighing.

"What are you lot looking at!" she screamed, causing everyone to resume the activities they had been engaged in before Harry's little outburst.

Ginny groaned again, and leaned her head back, squeezing her eyes shut.

It had been a very interesting night indeed.

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The next day, Ginny found herself in St. Mungos yet again. They had gone home after visiting Hermione, which hadn't been an easy feat, seeing as Ron had refused to leave and had to be run out of the hospital by the staff because visiting hours were over. Molly had playfully hit Ginny in the back of the head when she had suggested that Ron just sleepover in Hermione's hospital bed if he wanted to stay so bad.

She had awoken that morning to Ron shaking her, and telling her to get her "lazy arse" up because they were going to go visit Hermione. Ginny had rolled out of bed and proceeded to take a steaming hot shower, but when she had opened the door to exit, she ran right into Harry, who was acting like nothing had happened, and then pushed past her into the vacated bathroom. This caused Ginny to become even more furious than she had been the night before. And an angry Ginny Weasley was not someone to be tangled with.

Now she sat in the third floor waiting room. It wasn't quite time for visiting hours, so they were waiting to be let into the main hallway of the ward. Harry sat on one side of Ron, head tilted back, apparently sleeping. Ron was eating something that he had bought in the gift shop earlier. Ginny had one leg crossed over the other and was picking at the sole of her shoe. She glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes until visiting hours, she would finally see Hermione.

"Want a chocolate, Gin?" Ron asked, holding out the pink box to her.

"No thanks, Ron, I'm not hungry, and if I was I wouldn't be eating chocolate!"

"It's all they had in there okay!" said Ron, shrugging his shoulders and proceeding to stuff even more chocolate into his already full mouth. Ginny looked away in disgust. Boys were disgusting when it came to food.

"I wonder if Lockhart is still tucked away in here somewhere?" Ron asked, breaking the silence that had settled around them.

"I would guess he is," murmured Harry, eyes still closed.

"I'd hope so! I wouldn't want that lunatic roaming the streets again!" Ron said before getting up and pretending to be holding a pen and some papers, "Do you want my autograph? I can connect all my letters now! Oh, please let me sign this beautiful picture of ME for you... Do you want my autograph?"

Ginny simply glared at her brother. Frankly, she had had enough of his silly antics, she didn't know why the boy couldn't control himself in public, and the event, that normally would have made her laugh, caused her to roll her eyes instead.

"Are you sure you don't want some chocolate Ginny? You look a bit miffed!" Ron said.

Ginny just sighed loudly.

"Attention all St. Mungos guests, the time is now ten o clock, visiting hours have begun and will last until eleven tonight."

The hospital workers voice filled the room. And the doors leading into the ward swung open.

"I hope Mum heard that," Ron said while standing to his feet

"Ron, she's a big girl, she can find her way to Hermione's room I'm sure!" said Ginny.

The three teenagers made their way through the open doors and down a large hallway. It was lit dimly with bluebell flame filled sconces on the walls, giving the hall an eerie feel.

78...80...82...84...

They had already passed by at least fifty rooms before arriving at Hermione's. Ron was the first to go in, and Ginny followed close behind. The room was occupied by two beds, both with white curtains wrapped around them. Ginny paused in the doorway, blinded by all the bright white that surrounded her. Ron made the "white" situation worse by walking over to the window and drawing back the curtains, letting a stream of morning sunlight into the room.

"Which one's hers?" Ginny asked, looking between the two beds.

"This one," Ron said, walking toward the bed on the left side of the room.

"Hermione?" he whispered softly as he approached.

A slight noise came from within the curtains.

Ron slowly opened them to reveal the bed. What Ginny saw shocked her. There lay Hermione, breathing heavily and looking horrible. Her eyes had no light and were lined with black circles.

"Did you get any sleep?" Ron asked, concerned.

Hermione gave him a weak smile.

"Barely," she answered.

Ginny was surprised to see Ron so calm, no silly antics there, just a sincere, caring Ron. Ginny felt bad to interrupt the moment between the two but she walked over to the bed.

"Hey Hermione! Are you feeling any better?"

Hermione barely smiled.

"No," she said weakly, "But isn't that a good sign? The faster I get worse, the sooner I get better."

"You have a few days yet!" Ron replied as he sat at the foot of her bed.

Hermione's eyes quickly scanned the room and came to rest at the door where Harry stood.

"Are you going to come in?" she asked breathily.

Harry walked slowly in, looking as if he was trying to not be noticed.

"That's better," Hermione said, a small smile gracing her lips.

Ron picked up the box of chocolates that he had laid on her bedside table and held them out to her.

"I bought you some chocolates," he said quickly, the trademark Weasley blush creeping into the tips of his ears.

Hermione gingerly took the box out of his hands and untied the pink ribbon. She lifted the lid and stared inside for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

"Ron, I think they sold you a bad box! Almost half the chocolates are gone!" she said smiling.

Ron looked at his feet

"I...I...I...well you see... they wouldn't let us in until ten and...I...I...I got hungry!" he stammered.

Hermione was giggling as she took his hand and pulled him over for a hug.

Ginny had only seen the two of them hug a few times, and the few she had seen had been awkward on Ron's part. He would only half heartedly hug her and then turn red. But the hug that Ginny was now observing was genuine and real. Ron was holding on to Hermione as if he would never be able to hug her again.

"Ron..." Hermione breathed, "Ron...Ron...I...can't...breathe..."

Ron pulled back and looked ashamed.

"Sorry," he said.

Hermione just smiled and popped a chocolate into her mouth.

"MMM, strawberry! Thank you Ron, it was really sweet of you!" she said.

Ron smiled and resumed his position at the foot of the bed. He looked up at Harry.

"You alright mate?" he asked.

Harry didn't say anything, but instead plopped down in a chair near Hermione's bed.

"Harry James Potter! You stop sulking this instant!" Hermione said as loudly and forcefully as she could in her weakened condition. "How many times will I have to tell you, this isn't your fault! It could have happened to anyone, I was just simply at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Or friends with the wrong person," Harry mumbled.

Hermione sent him an incredulous look.

"Harry, you are an idiot." She stated plainly.

" Am I? Am I an idiot to care about what happens to everyone? You can't sit around and deny that what happened to Sir...er...YOU is because of me!"

Hermione looked at him pointedly.

"This isn't even about what happened to me is it? It's about what happened to Sir..."

"Don't say it Hermione!" Ron said through clenched teeth as he stood in between her and Harry, "This is not the time nor the place!"

Ginny watched as Hermione sighed and blew a strand of hair out of her eye. She then turned around to find that Harry Potter had yet again stormed out of the room.

"That boy has more mood swings than a pregnant werewolf at the full moon!" Ginny mumbled before exiting the room to look for him. After all, someone had to follow the nutcase to make sure he didn't hurt himself!

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It had been over an hour since Harry had left Hermione's room. Ginny had searched every inch of the hospital, but it was hopeless. Finding Harry was like finding a piece of leprechaun's gold a day after you had received it. When Harry didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping an orderly as she stepped off the lift on the third floor, "have you seen Harry Potter go by this way?"

The orderly just shook her head and continued pushing her cart down the hall.

Ginny sighed and headed back to Hermione's room. When she walked in, she found Hermione lying in bed sleeping soundly, Ron was sitting in the chair next to the bed looking as if he were about to doze off as well.

Ginny ran over to him.

"Ron, has Harry come back?" she asked.

Ron shook his head.

"Nope, it's just been me and Hermione, who went to sleep about fifteen minutes ago! Not very good company that girl! There I was, in a very animated discussion with her about quidditch and she just starts snoring!"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"A one way conversation I'm sure! And Ron, you talking about quidditch could put anyone to sleep. I'm going to look for Harry again," she said as she turned to the door.

"Ginny, he'll come back sometime," Ron said, trying to stop her from leaving.

"Ok I'll wait awhile, but if he isn't back in an hour, I am going to look for him again. He doesn't need to be running around alone," said Ginny

The room fell into silence. Ron leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It was then that Ginny noticed that his hand was resting in the edge of Hermione's bed, right next to her pillow. She smiled at the gesture, her brother was growing up.

Ron looked up and noticed her smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing really, you just seem relieved and calmed down is all."

"I am, now that we know that everything is going to turn out alright." He said softly.

Ginny continued to smile.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Ron asked.

"No reason," Ginny said with a laugh.

Ron rolled his eyes.

"Girls!" he muttered.

**********************************************************

Ginny woke with a start when she heard a creaking old cart being pulled into Hermione's room.

She must have fallen asleep while waiting for Harry's return.

The white of the room had turned to navy blue and silver when night had fallen. A Healer was tending to someone behind the curtains of the bed opposite Hermione's. Ginny looked down at her watch, visiting hours would be over in an hour. She hastily let her gaze sweep the room. The Healer, Ron asleep in the chair next to Hermione who was asleep in the bed, and the doorway. Her eyes stopped at this particular point because there was Harry, standing in the doorway, staring at her.

"You came back," she said, and was disappointed to find her voice was raspy and sleepy sounding.

"Yeah, I came back," he said sullenly, "didn't have much of a choice did I?"

The Healer that was attending to the room's other patient turned around and shushed them.

"SHHHH, these patients need rest, take it out into the hall would you!"

Harry stepped out into the hall and Ginny followed close behind.

"Harry, do you want to talk?" she asked, hoping against hope that he would not mistake her offer to listen as pity.

"Not right now, no," he answered.

"Well how about a walk then?"

"Alright," he said.

They began to walk through the blue corridors. Their footsteps not making a sound on the hospital's carpet.

Harry walked slowly with his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his jeans. He was staring at his worn out sneakers as he walked.

Ginny walked beside him, hoping that he was enjoying the monotonous silence that surrounded them, because it was killing her.

She knew that he didn't trust her, and it made her angry. He didn't trust anyone anymore. The only person Harry had ever really trusted was Sirius, and he had been taken away from him. Ginny physically shuddered at the thought of what this war held in store for Harry. How many people would be taken away from him before it was all over. How high was the possibility that Harry could be taken away from THEM. Then what? What would the death of Harry Potter signify for the wizarding world's existence? She had the gut feeling that it wouldn't be good, almost as if Harry were the only one that could bring the wizarding world justice, and if he failed, the consequences would be detrimental.

She continued to ruminate about the endless possibilities the war could bring, but had to halt in her walk when a sharp pain shot through her body.

She stiffened.

The pain was nearly unbearable, it seemed to originate at her heart and shoot forth through all her limbs, before turning in its path and making it's way back to her heart.

She backed up against the wall and slid slowly down, breathing heavily as the pain shook her every muscle.

Harry paused mid-step and turned to look at her.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" he asked as he kneeled beside her.

Ginny was desperate to make the pain stop and managed to bring her hand up to her throat and grasp the leather cord. She yanked it over her head and threw it on the ground.

And the pain stopped.

"GINNY!" Harry said. He had her by the shoulders and was shaking her gently, trying to get a response.

She met his eyes.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked.

"No.. nothing... really, I don't know!" she said. "I'm alright now!"

To be honest, Ginny really hadn't a clue as to what was going on. From what she had inferred from the medallion, she was only supposed to sense Remus' pain and emotions whenever he transformed. But a month hadn't gone by since his last transformation... and Ginny was utterly confused.

She carefully picked up the medallion and pocketed it.

Harry reached down a hand and helped her to her feet and they continued their walk.

"Are you sure you don't know what happened back there?" He asked, glancing sideways at her.

"Positive." she answered, "Look Harry, lets just forget about it okay? I mean I was asleep in that chair for hours...it could have been due to that."

"Alright."

They kept walking in silence until they reached a dead end in the hallway. There was a glass door looking out onto what seemed to be an open garden.

Ginny peered out before drawing in a deep breath, it was now or never.

"Harry," she said, "Why did you leave today?" she asked.

He stared at her.

"I would rather we not talk about this!"

"Harry, if you don't talk about it now you never will! All you have done this summer is bottle everything up! You won't let anyone in, Harry. All we are trying to do is help you get over Si...er... what happened. Why won't you trust us? I want to try to understand!" Ginny spat out quickly.

Big mistake.

Ginny didn't know what she had said wrong, but she obviously had. She could see anger building up in Harry's eyes, he was about to lose it... and anyone within a ten-mile radius would hear what he had to say.

She waited with clenched fists and eyes for the outburst, but none came. She looked up at Harry to find that his face was turning a violent shade of purple, and he was breathing in heavy, gruff and forced gasps.

He stood there before her like that for only a few more seconds before turning on his heel and storming through the double glass doors and into the night.

Ginny stared after him, unsure about what to do. On the one hand, she wanted to dismiss the boy forever; he was driving her absolutely mad! Yet, on the other hand, she wanted to go find him and help him in any way she could.

She was a torn woman.

After standing there for a few minutes, she resolved to go after him, completely unsure of what she would say and do when she found him. A gentle pounding began to resound in the hospital and Ginny looked outside to find steady raindrops starting to fall from the sky.

She gently pushed the doors open and stepped outside; she was greeted with the smell of wet earth.

It was almost as if Harry's anger was currently flowing freely from the sky, taking assault on the earth.

She took a few steps further into the garden and she spotted him.

He was standing next to a rosebush, face upturned to the sky, letting the rain cascade freely over his face and shoulders.

She dared to move closer.

"Harry," she whispered, but the wind quickly carried it away.

The anger she had seen on his face had now turned to anguish and she saw his shoulders heave. He lifted his hands to cover his face before finally losing all strength and sinking to his knees. His body was shaking violently at this point.

She stepped up close behind him and her eyes began to fill with tears.

He was letting out long strains of wracking sobs. And this moved Ginny to the very core.

Harry Potter was crying.

She couldn't bear to let him suffer alone and was soon on her knees beside him, rubbing a soothing hand over his back.

He turned and looked at her, tears streaming from his eyes, and then he did something she never expected... he clung to her.