Forgotten Memories

Ginny was amazed at the amount of dust that had accumulated under the bed since the last time she had cleaned. She stretched her arm forward in an attempt to reach the shoe that had managed to migrate its way all the way to the back wall. Unfortunately, all this accomplished was stirring up the dust around her and causing her to cough.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, finally grazing the heel of the shoe with her fingertips. "I've found your shoe. I just can't get it. Oh, this is silly." She reached down, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "Accio shoe!"

The shoe flew into her hand and she wriggled out from under the bed. "You are wonderful," Harry said, taking the shoe from her hand.

Ginny was knocking dust off of her jeans and her T-Shirt. "It's a part of my job description."

Harry tossed the shoe in his suitcase and then snapped the case closed with a flourish. "I am done packing."

He reached out and took Ginny's hand. "I'm going to miss you, you know," he said.

"You're only going to be gone two days," she said, laughing as he pulled her up against him.

"Two long, lonely nights," he said. He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers gently. Then his hands encircled her waist, eliminating any space that had remained between them. Ginny ran her fingers deftly through his unruly hair.

When he pulled away she was left breathless, resting her head against his firm chest.

Harry had become quite built over the three years that had passed since he had graduated from Hogwarts. It was a combination of Auror training and endless missions from the Order of the Phoenix. The war against Voldemort had been raging steadily since her fourth year of school and no headway had been made for either side. The war could also be blamed for the slightly deadened quality of his green eyes. They looked nothing like the eyes she had fallen in love with the first day she met him.

"I have something for you," Harry said. Extricating himself, he walked over to the dresser and pulled out a long velvet box.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"Because I knew you'd like it," he said, snapping the case open.

Inside the red satin lined box was a silver necklace. Formed out of the same silver as the chain, was Ginny's proper name: Ginevra. And the dot of the eye was made out of a brilliant ruby.

"Harry, it's wonderful," she exclaimed. She ran her fingers across the chain, smiling.

He removed it from the box and fastened it around her neck for her.

"Thank you."

Harry pulled her into a tight embrace.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"I know. I love you, too. But you are going to be late for the train if you don't go."

"Shit." He kissed her quickly before grabbing his suitcase. "Keep the door locked. If anything happens feel free to Floo me at Ron's. Don't go out alone."

"I'll be fine," she said, laughing. "Now go."

"I love you," he repeated, before vanishing with a pop.

=====

It was well past midnight when Ginny finally fell asleep. She was curled up on Harry's side of the bed, hugging his pillow as if it was a Teddy bear. She didn't hear the click as the door to their flat swung open and two hooded figures stepped in.

They tip toed across the living room. Crept down the hallway. And slipped silently into her bedroom. She slept soundly as the two figures stood over the bed conferring. One took out a phial of a bright pink potion while the other one poised himself to pounce.

It happened so quickly that Ginny hardly realized what was happening. The Death Eater grabbed her around the shoulder, hauling her up into his arms. He clasped a hand tightly over her mouth to keep her quiet.

Her eyes were wide with fear, they darted from the phial in the other Death Eater's hand to the mask that hid his face.

"Give her the potion," one voice commanded, sounding annoyed.

"Move your bloody hand," the other yelled.

Her mouth was freed and before she could collect a breath to scream with the death eater had funneled the potion into her parted lips. She nearly choked, but she caught herself and managed to stop herself from ingesting all of the liquid, holding the remainder in her cheeks.

"Mors Mordre!" A burst of green shot from the Death Eater's wand, soaring up as if there was no ceiling. And though she could no longer see it, she was sure the Dark Mark was now hovering above her apartment building.

"We're done here, time to go."

And before she had even registered what she was doing, Ginny, bent her knees and brought both her feet down hard into the groin of her captor right in the middle of his attempt to disapparate with her.

Her bedroom vanished to be replaced with a wet, dark alleyway.

"Damnit, where the hell are we?"

The Death Eater threw her against the wall to their left. She could almost hear the crack as her head met brick. She sank to the ground, vaguely aware that she was bleeding. She spit out the leftover potion that she still had in her mouth. The last thing she remembered was the sound of footsteps running towards her from the other end of the alley and a faint pop that meant the Death Eater was gone.

=====

"Gone? That's all you can say is that she's just gone?"

Ron was so angry that Hermione thought for a moment that his head might just explode. He was pacing madly about Dumbledore's office flailing his arms and yelling.

"They don't have her. They came for her late last night and she was taken, but something happened and Ginny was lost. Voldemort does not have her, nor does he know where she's at," Dumbledore explained.

"How do you know all of that?" came a small voice. Harry had sank, dejectedly, into the armchair near Dumbledore's fire. "That they lost her?"

"Professor Snape was summoned last night. He reported everything he found out to me, just before you all arrived."

Harry was staring into the fire now, the dancing flames reflected in the lenses of his glasses. "And you don't think he's lying. Not Snape, Voldemort. Maybe he has her hidden somewhere and just doesn't want anyone, even the Death Eaters to know where."

"But that wouldn't make sense," Hermione said, before she could catch herself.

Harry didn't move. "I know. None of you are saying it, because you are afraid of what it will do to me. But you all know as well as I, that the only reason Voldemort had for taking Ginny was to get to me. He wouldn't hide her, he'd want me to know. He'd want me to come after her. And I would go after her, - no. I will go after her. We just have to find her."

There was a moment of silence after this proclamation. Ron was still pacing.

"Have you tried any tracking charms?" he asked, finally.

"Yes. Nothing came back. Which could mean three things: she's dead, she's hidden by some sort of magic, or she's just too far away to find," Dumbledore explained. "I do not believe she is dead. Killing her would have done no good for the Death Eater."

Harry still had not moved, but tears were spilling down his pale cheeks.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione threw her arms around him. "We'll find her. I bet she's just in hospital somewhere and when she wakes up she'll come home."

=====

The first thing she saw when she woke up was a wall, tiled entirely in white. She blinked, sitting up. She was in a hospital room. And, she was relieved to see, that the instruments in the room seemed to be magical. Therefore it was not a Muggle hospital.

A cheerful looking witch, wearing a white cap, opened the door. She had a clipboard in one hand, and the other hand was fishing through the pockets of her white medi-robes in search of a quill. She looked up and started.

"You're awake!"

"Where am I?"

"You are at the Manhattan Memorial Wizarding Hospital," the witch answered. She had gone into warp speed checking all the equipment. "And how are you feeling, Ginevra?"

She blinked, looking over at the witch.

"That is your name right? Ginevra?" She pointed to the necklace Ginny was wearing.

Suddenly panic was setting in. "I don't know. I don't know." Her hand had flown up to the necklace, running her fingertips across the name.

"Can you tell me anything about yourself? Where you were from? Your birthday? Anything...."

Ginny's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, dear, don't cry," the witch said. "I'll go get the Healer."

=====

Ginny was seen by a crowd of Healers, all poking at her and asking her odd questions that she didn't know the answers to. She had suffered them all. She had listened to them exchange theories. She watched them consult Muggle medicine books.

And in the end there was only one explanation...

"Amnesia," the old healer said. He had introduced himself as Healer John Stanton. "You received some sort of blow to the back of your head which is a common cause of Amnesia."

"Is there a cure?" Ginny asked, but she didn't sound too hopeful.

"Unfortunately, no. In 70% of cases, patients regained pieces of their memory the more they surrounded themselves with familiar people and places. But not knowing who you are, or where you are from, that's a difficult thing for us to help you with."

"So I may never get my memory back?"

John looked at her for a moment, his old eyes full of pity and sadness. "I'm afraid the only way we'll ever know is to wait it out."

"But where will I go? What will I do? I haven't got anything put some pajamas and a necklace."

He sat on the bed next to her, sliding his glasses off his nose and pocketing them in the breast pocket of his white medi-robes. "As to that, I may be able to offer you some help."