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SIYE Time:14:24 on 29th March 2024
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Comatose
By RwriterR

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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-DH/AB
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance
Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mild Language, Negative Alcohol Use
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 154
Summary: Harry Potter awakes from a coma into a new world built on foundations of lies and deceit. What happened to him? And why have his friends and family turned on him?

Harry Potter may have won The War, but can he win his life back?
Hitcount: Story Total: 64218; Chapter Total: 3589
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Hi everyone. This is the next installment. Some of Ginny's emotions towards Harry start to be revealed in this chapter-she is a bit conflicted. We also see a bit of Ross in this chapter too. I'd like to thank everyone who nominated my story for the DSTA's-it still means a lot :) I'd also like to thank Arnel for all of her hard work in her role as beta. That's all. I hope you like it.




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Ginny stood out in to the cool night air and sighed in relief as a pleasant breeze wafted over her, instantly making her feel cooler. Wiping a droplet of sweat from her brow, she glanced down at her watch. It had just turned midnight. The night was still young.

Ginny’s thoughts turned to the whirlwind that was the last few days. Ginny smiled ruefully at how shocked she was to see Harry standing in her kitchen after three years. He was always full of surprises was that Harry Potter.

“I dunno, Hermione,” Ginny said tiredly. They had been deciding on the colour of the tablecloths for the wedding for over an hour now, and Ginny wasn’t sure she could take much more. “Just choose one.”

“But I will remember this day for the rest of my life!” Hermione exclaimed, slightly panicked.

“I hope you’ll be paying more attention to your groom than the tablecloths!”

Hermione sighed and nodded. “You’re right, I’m being silly.”

The girls stopped talking as a man’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

“It sounds like Sirius is here,” Ginny said happily. “Let’s go and say hello.”

Hermione nodded and began to pack away her wedding planner when the sound of Molly screaming made them jump in shock.

“What the hell!?” Ginny exclaimed, jumping up and rushing out of the room and into the kitchen, right behind Hermione who still had her book in her hand.

Then Ginny saw him, and her heart jumped into her mouth. She heard Hermione say something to her mother, but ignored it as her brain processed the image that stood before her.

“Erm…hi,” Harry said awkwardly.

‘How dare he?!’ Ginny thought to herself. ‘How dare he come back after all these years and act like nothing had happened.’

Ginny watched on in silent fury as Hermione proceeded to beat Harry over the head with her wedding planner.


Ginny shook her head ruefully at her reaction. How wrong she had been.

“Ginny?” a voice called, barely audible over the heavy bass blasting in the background.

Turning toward the voice Ginny saw Ciara step out of the nightclub into outside area and walk towards her.

“Hey Ci,” Ginny said, smiling at her best friend.

“What are you doing out here?” Ciara asked before taking a sip of her cocktail.

“Just taking a break from dancing,” Ginny replied. “I’m exhausted.”

Ciara nodded but didn’t take her eyes off her friend. “Are you feeling okay? You’ve been a little subdued all night.”

Ginny shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie,” Ciara said, raising her eyebrows. “I can tell when you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!” Ginny insisted, “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Harry.” Ginny said simply.

Ciara nodded knowingly. “Harry being back has thrown you off balance.”

Ginny nodded.

“You had tried so hard to hate him and forget about him,” Ciara continued, “and now that he’s back, you can no longer forget about him, but you can’t even hate him because he didn’t abandon you, he was trapped in a hospital ward, completely comatose, by some all-powerful lunatic.”

Ginny grinned and looked at her friend. “It’s scary how well you know me, you know that, right?”

Ciara grinned back. “It’s my job to know you, I’m your friend. Are you scared you’ll like him again?”

Ginny stayed silent for a while before shrugging.

“Does he seem different than before?” Ciara asked.

“He certainly looks different,” Ginny remarked. “He looks pale and sullen, which is understandable I guess, in the circumstances. But he also looks more muscular than I remember.”

“I didn’t mean his looks,” Ciara said, smirking slightly.

Ginny blushed. “He seems quieter than before, more subdued. And sometimes he gets this look that makes my heart break. When everyone is talking about their lives and current affairs he looks…”

“…like a little lost puppy.” Ciara finished.

Ginny nodded.

“It’s not fair, Ciara,” Ginny said softly. “It was the hardest time of my life, accepting Harry had left me, had left us all. I cried endlessly and was depressed for months. And now I’m finally over him, and now everything in my life makes sense, I have two great jobs, wonderful friends and a lovely boyfriend, and now he’s back…I’m scared it will ruin everything.”

Ciara shook her head. “There are two things wrong with what you just said. One, the Harry you have told me about over the years would never set out to hurt you or ruin your life. And two, just because Harry is back doesn’t mean all these good things in your life will end.”

“He doesn’t know, though.”

“Know what?” Ciara asked.

“Know about Ross.”

“You never told him?! Why not?”

Ginny shook her head, slightly ashamedly. “It just didn’t seem the right time.”

“You have to tell him,” Ciara urged.

“I know, I know. He probably doesn’t even like me like he used to.”

Ciara shook her head and sighed. “C’mon, let’s go back inside. Maybe a few more drinks will help you solve your problems.”

Ginny shook her head ruefully at her best friend. “I doubt that,” she said and followed her friend back inside.

***


Ginny Weasley groaned into her pillow as she slowly opened her eyes. Her throat hurt, her eyes stung and she had the painful feeling that she had been hit over the back of the head with a heavy cauldron.

She turned onto her side in an attempt to glance at the clock on the wall, but that only made her feel worse, the movement unnerving her queasy stomach. Ginny took a deep breath as if to brace herself, before pushing herself up into a sitting position, the contents of her stomach swaying dangerously as she did so.

Grimacing at the stench of stale alcohol in the air Ginny glanced at the clock. It was 10am. She had had a total of five hours sleep. Regretting how much she had had to drink the night before, Ginny stood up and threw on her dressing gown, hoping there was some hangover potion hidden away in one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

She gingerly descended the stairs, trying her best to ignore how her head felt like it was about to burst, or how her vision swam. After what seemed like forever, Ginny finally made it into the kitchen when her stomach lurched, and this time it wasn’t the previous night’s drinking that caused it. Harry was sat at the table, peering over a large collection of letters piled on the table in front of him. He had obviously just had a shower, as his hair was still wet and shiny, his skin slightly pink from the heat of the water. Trying to ignore how her heart was fluttering slightly, and how awful she assumed she looked, Ginny walked in.

“Morning Harry,” Ginny greeted, her voice croaking slightly causing her to cringe as she began to search frantically in cupboards for hangover potion.

“Morning Ginny,” Harry replied, glancing up from his letters. “You look like hell,” he added with a chuckle.

“Thanks, Potter,” Ginny sniped, albeit with a wry smile.

“Have a good night?”

“Yep,” Ginny replied, sighing in relief as she pulled out what looked like the last of the hangover potions.

She grabbed herself a goblet and filled it with the green coloured liquid before sitting opposite Harry at the kitchen table.

“What are all those?” Ginny asked, gesturing at all of the letters piled in front of Harry.

“Letters from friends and well wishers. They obviously read about what happened.”

Ginny nodded. “I’m sure there are a lot of very shocked people. Any letters from anyone we know?”

“Yeah, loads. I got one from Luna, Seamus, Neville, even one from Professor McGonagall.”

“Really? What did she say?”

“She just asked if I was okay and said I could visit her in Hogwarts at any time.”

“That’s good of her,” Ginny remarked, finishing her potion and immediately feeling the better for it. “We should go and visit Hogwarts some time, before the start of term. It’s changed a lot since… well…you know.”

Harry nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I’d like to see it again. What’s changed?”

“They’ve built an extension onto the castle,” Ginny explained. “It’s a room purely dedicated to those who died defending the castle during The War. It’s a very special room.”

Harry nodded again. Seeing that he was getting a bit down-heartened, Ginny decided to change the subject.

“What did Luna have to say?”

Harry smiled. “She wrote all about her trip searching for Warglepuffs. She really hasn’t changed over the years, has she?”

Ginny giggled and shook her head. “Still as loony as ever.”

“It’d be good to catch up with them all again. To find out what they’ve been up to for the last few years.”

Ginny nodded when an idea suddenly came to her. Glancing up at the clock, she checked the date and made a mental note to talk to her mother later that day.

“What is this?” Harry asked, bringing Ginny back to the present. In his hand he held an ornate ivory envelope on which an elaborate lilac was engraved.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I can guess who that is from. Go on, open it.”

Harry opened the envelope and a sweet smelling aroma wafted from the card that was inside. Ginny watched on in mild amusement as Harry opened the card and read the contents, frowning in confusion.

“Bill and Fleur?” Harry asked, his eyebrows raised.

Ginny grinned. “I knew it. Fleur has been in her element ever since they moved to Paris, and she is intent on living the high life, whether they can afford it or not. She vows to only buy high quality products made in France, and I’m guessing this card is an example of fine French card making.”

“Your family is nuts, you know that?”

Ginny grinned and nodded. “And I wouldn’t change them for the world.”

Harry chuckled. “Neither would I.”

“Right,” Ginny said, standing up and bringing her empty goblet over to the countertop. “Now that I’m feeling human again, I’m gonna head up and have a shower. See you in a bit.”

Ginny left the kitchen and headed towards the stairs when she heard a shuffle from the laundry room. Assuming her mother was doing some cleaning she changed direction and walked in.

“Hi Mum, need some help?”

Molly whirled around, her eyes puffy and red, her cheeks tear stained. “Oh, Ginny, it’s only you.”

“Mum!” Ginny said, rushing forward and taking her mother’s hands. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing,” Molly dismissed, turning back to her pile of laundry. “I’m just being silly.”

“It’s obviously not nothing, Mum. C’mon,” Ginny urged, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I was just thinking about poor Harry, that’s all,” Molly replied, facing her daughter again. “That poor boy has been through so much.”

“I know,” Ginny said, nodding her understanding. “It must be hard coming back after three years to find everybody has moved on, but I have an idea that will hopefully help.”

“It’s not just that, Ginny,” Molly said. “I’d forgotten you had left dinner early yesterday before he told everyone.”

“Told everyone what?”

“He can’t do magic.”

“He what!?” Ginny exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

Molly nodded sadly. “Ever since he woke from his coma he hasn’t been able to perform magic, and nobody knows why.”

“But that’s impossible! He’s Harry Potter for Merlin’s sake!”

“I’m afraid it’s true. Now don’t make a big deal about it in front of him, Ginevra. He’s embarrassed enough about it as it is.”

“Of course I won’t!” Ginny retorted crossly. “Who do you think I am?”

“I’m just making sure!” Molly urged. “It’s just Harry must be going through a very difficult time, that’s all.”

Ginny nodded, mollified. “Actually, that’s what I came in to talk to you about. Its Harry’s birthday next weekend and I was thinking we should throw him a big birthday party. It would give him the chance to catch up with everybody he hasn’t seen in, well… years”

“That is a great idea,” Molly agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

“Will I start sending out invitations?”

“Yes,” Molly confirmed. “Hermione will be over later, you can get her to help you make up a list of guests.”

Ginny grinned and thanked her mother before heading upstairs to have her shower.

***


Ginny sat down at her desk, her long red hair still wrapped in a towel. She made to reach for a spare piece of parchment and grinned when she caught sight of her wrinkled fingers. Now that all of the Weasley children had moved out and lived in places of their own, Ginny could spend as long as she wanted in the shower, and the novelty of such freedom had yet to wear off.

Smoothing out the parchment in front of her she grabbed a quill and dipped it in the ink well beside it when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

“Yes?” Ginny called, turning in her chair to face her visitor.

“Hi Ginny,” Hermione said, opening the door. “Do you mind if I come in?”

“Of course Hermione, I was wondering when you were going to arrive.”

“I’ve been here for about fifteen minutes actually.” Hermione replied, taking a seat on Ginny’s bed. “I was just talking to Harry before he started his training session.”

Ginny frowned inquisitively at her friend. “What do you mean training session?”

Hermione gasped. “Of course! I had forgotten you left early yesterday. Did nobody tell you? Harry can’t-“

“…do magic,” Ginny interrupted. “Yeah, I know. Mum told me this morning. She didn’t mention any training session though.”

“Oh. Well, ever since Harry woke up he’s been getting training sessions from Dr Browne to try and help him recover his magical ability. Since Harry will be staying here for the next while, he will be training here.”

“Oh,” Ginny said, surprised by this new development. “Is this Dr Browne trustworthy? I mean, he was working for Snidefish not too long ago.”

“I know, but Harry and Sirius seem to trust him.”

“What about you?” Ginny asked.

“It’s too soon to say really,” Hermione replied. “He seems nice, though.”

“We should probably keep an eye out just in case though. Where are they doing the training? Outside?”

Hermione shook her head. “They’ve cleared a place in the living room to train. I think Dr Browne was planning to extend it magically for their session. Harry is very embarrassed about his…problem, so Dr Browne suggested they train somewhere private. He also asked that no one enter the room while they are training, and I agree with him. I can only imagine how Harry feels, losing his magic and these training sessions will be very personal and intimate to him. I’m not sure he would react well if someone were to walk in on him,” Hermione added, looking warningly at Ginny.

“I won’t interrupt, don’t worry.”

“Good,” Hermione said, satisfied. “Now who were you about to write to before I arrived?”

“Ross,” Ginny replied. “I haven’t actually seen or heard from him for the past week.”

“Really? Did something happen between you two?”

Ginny shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just he has been really stressed about work recently. The whole episode with Snidefish seems to have really affected him and his department. He’s been so busy recently that he hasn’t had time to meet up.”

“That’s awful,” Hermione said sympathetically.

Ginny nodded. “I feel really sorry for him. That’s why I’m thinking of inviting him to Harry’s birthday party next week.”

Hermione nodded. “Molly told me about your plan for Harry’s birthday. I think it’s a great idea. Harry will be delighted to see everyone from school again. But…”

“But what?”

Hermione sighed. “Well… I’m not sure inviting Ross is such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Well, you and Harry used to date. Harry might not react too well. You haven’t told him about Ross yet, have you?”

“No… but we dated over three years ago, Hermione. Things have changed.”

“I know, but…I just worry for Harry, that’s all. He’s been going through a very difficult time and I’m just worried that finding out you have had a boyfriend for the past year…”

Ginny shook her head. “I’m pretty sure Harry doesn’t think that way about me anymore. He broke up with me at Dumbledore's funeral, remember, not the other way around.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Why? Has he said anything?”

“No, but…”

Ginny tried to ignore the slight disappointment she felt in the pit of her stomach at Hermione’s answer.

“I’m inviting Ross, Hermione. I’ve moved on, and I’m sure Harry has, too.”

Hermione just nodded sadly.

Silence fell as Ginny finished up her letter and handed it to Pigwidgeon who hooted in excitement. Ron had given Ginny Pigwidgeon a few years ago, as all Aurors are given their own Ministry-approved owls, and Pigwidgeon hadn’t been quite up to that standard. He wasn’t the most reliable owl, but he had grown on Ginny over the years.

“Do you love him?” Hermione asked, breaking Ginny out of her reverie.

“Love who? Ross?”

Hermione nodded.

Ginny thought for a moment. She was definitely attracted to him with his bright blue eyes and long mane of blonde hair that fell to his shoulders. She loved being in his company, especially when he was in a good mood. But did she love him?

“I’m not sure,” Ginny said slowly. “I definitely care about him.”

In truth, Ginny thought to herself, she still had to get to know him better. Yes, they had been dating for over a year, but there was still a lot about him she didn’t know. When they first started dating Ginny quickly found out that Ross was a very private person. He was happy to listen to Ginny talking about her family all day long, but when she asked him any questions about his family, he would say a sentence or two, then change the subject.

At first this didn’t really bother Ginny as she respected his need for privacy. However, as the months passed and she opened up more and more about herself and her past, she began to get frustrated at how little he was giving in return. Ginny remembered how this had led to their very first argument.

“It’s not fair, Ross!” Ginny said crossly, trying to keep her voice down as she closed the door of her bedroom and spun round to face him. She didn’t want her parents to overhear her arguing with her boyfriend. “It’s just not fair. I’ve opened myself up to you. You’ve met my friends, you’ve met my family, you’ve even stayed at my house and still you won’t let me in!”

“I do let you in, Ginny! You know I do.”

“Do you really? You’ve never even introduced me to your parents. Are… are you ashamed of me?”

Ginny’s eyes fell to the ground as she unearthed one of her biggest insecurities. She had never been ashamed of her family or her upbringing, despite her modest means. However, ever since The Chamber, the words of a certain Tom

Riddle had still cut very deep:

“Harry Potter will never love you, silly girl. He is of noble blood and pedigree, while you… you are nothing but a poor peasant girl from a family of blood traitors. Why would anybody love you?”

Admittedly, Ginny was a much stronger person now than she had been all those years ago, and she was very proud of who she had become. Despite this, however, no matter how hard she tried to shake them; those words had stuck with her.

“Of course, I’m not ashamed of you, Ginny,” Ross said, closing the gap between the two of them and taking Ginny’s hands in his. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“My parents and I… let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye on many things.”

“How do you mean?” Ginny asked, placated slightly.

Ross sighed. “C’mon. Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

Ginny sat down on the end of her bed while Ross pulled out the chair from Ginny’s study desk.

“My parents… are very ambitious people. They might not have come from the old wizarding families, but they shared a lot of the old family ideals. Wealth, ambition, prestige; they are all very important to my family. More important than other things… like happiness… or their kid,” Ross added bitterly.

Ginny looked sadly at her boyfriend. “I’m sorry, Ross. I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, you were right to ask and I promise to be more open with you in the future. I just… I just don’t want to see my parents right now.”

Ginny nodded compassionately and kissed her boyfriend softly on the lips. “Thank you for telling me. It means a lot.”

Ross smiled then sniffed the air. “It smells like your Mum is making dinner. Let’s go down and give her a hand.”

Ginny nodded and smiled up at her boyfriend before taking his hand and leading him back downstairs.


“Ginny?”

Ginny looked up to see Hermione looking at her with a concerned expression on her face.

“Oh, sorry, Hermione. I just got lost in thought.”

“That’s okay,” Hermione replied. “Let’s get started on those invitations.”

***



Ginny stirred slightly before her eyes bolted open. Glancing up on the clock on the wall Ginny saw it was four o’clock in the afternoon. Groaning to herself she sat up and grabbed a nearby hair bobbin before tying her long hair into a basic ponytail.

She hadn’t intended on falling asleep after she and Hermione had finished sending the invitations, but the night before must have caught up with her. Ginny grimaced; her throat was parched. Jumping out of bed, still fully dressed, she walked down to the kitchen sink and filled a nearby glass with water, sighing in relief as the cool water soothed her throat. She was about to fill another glass, when a nearby shout stopped her in her tracks.

Frowning she placed the glass down and listened hard, reaching for her wand that sat in her back pocket. Then she heard the shout again. It was coming from the living room and was not of pain, but of frustration.

‘That must be Harry doing his training,’ Ginny thought to herself.

Ginny was suddenly filled with the urge to have a peek inside.

‘No,’ she thought to herself warningly. ‘Hermione was right. It would be wrong to intrude into something so personal.’

Turning back around she reached for her glass again, when there was another shout, followed by a crash.

‘It couldn’t hurt to have just a little look,’ Ginny thought, sneaking into the hallway and stopping outside the living room door.

She had always been an inquisitive soul.

Turning the doorknob slowly Ginny realised it was locked. A quick ‘Alohomora!’ solved that particular issue. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and slipped inside.

What met Ginny’s eyes nearly made her gasp. Hermione had made a big understatement when she said they had extended the room. It was more than five times the size it had been both in length and in width, with all of the usual furniture being pushed to the side. In their place stood a number of different contraptions, all of which looked rather dangerous to Ginny. They were a mixture of metal poles and rods, all of which were connected to what looked like weights.

Shrugging to herself she crept forward, still unable to see Harry. She could definitely hear him though.

“I CAN’T DO IT!” she heard Harry bellow. “I JUST CAN’T!”

“Harry, please calm down, shouting isn’t helping anybody,” she heard another, unfamiliar voice say.

Stealing a few more steps forward Ginny was clear of the strange metal contraptions that had been obstructing her view and could now see the source of all the noise. There stood a man dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt with a pair of glasses pushed high up on his nose. He stood with his feet apart, his wand held out straight.

‘This must be Dr. Browne.’

Opposite him stood a very irate Harry, his stance the same as Browne’s, but his wand, rather than in his hand, had just been thrown angrily to the ground.

“I can’t do it, Edward,” Harry repeated, gesticulating wildly in his frustration. “I don’t know why we keep trying.”

‘I shouldn’t be here,’ Ginny thought to herself. ‘Hermione was right, this is too personal.’

Keeping her eyes on Harry, hoping he wouldn’t notice her presence, she began to back up slowly when her heel caught a stray dumbbell on the ground. Her eyes going wide she swung her arms out in an attempt to keep her balance, but despite her efforts she ended up falling, rather comically, on her backside with a thump.

Grimacing to herself she glanced up to see both Harry and Dr. Browne looking down suprisedly at her.

Blushing madly, Ginny jumped to her feet.

“Er… hi,” was all she could muster.

If Ginny thought her presence would be well received, she thought wrong.

Harry’s look of surprise quickly turned to one of embarrassed fury. Without a word, Harry rushed from the room, brushing roughly past Ginny and slamming the door behind him.

With a helpless glance at Dr. Browne, Ginny sped after Harry.

“Harry!” Ginny called, running after Harry who had just sped from the kitchen and out of the back door.

“Harry, please! I’m sorry!”

Stepping outside she saw Harry storming down the garden towards the lake before stopping abruptly as if suddenly realising there was nowhere he could really go. Instead, he stood there and looked across the lake which was darker than usual due to the heavy clouds looming overhead.

Ginny approached cautiously behind him, slightly out of breath.

Ginny watched as Harry looked on, and her heart went out to him. He really has had the hardest life, and she had just made it that bit harder.

“I’m really sorry I snuck in like that, Harry,” Ginny said, looking down ashamedly at her hands. “Hermione told me you wanted privacy and I didn’t listen.”

It was Harry who didn’t appear to be listening, his green eyes staring straight across the water, which was now rippling slightly. It had started to rain.

“Harry?” Ginny asked, unsurely.

Harry turned around with an expression on his face that made Ginny’s heart melt. He looked broken, lost, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny said softly, closing the gap between them and wrapping him in a hug.

Harry stiffened initially at her touch, and Ginny thought he might even pull away, but he relented and rested his head on her shoulder, teardrops dripping onto her t-shirt.

Ignoring the shockwaves coursing through her body at Harry’s touch, she silently patted his back as he tried to control his sobs.

“It’s okay, Harry. It’s okay. Why don’t we sit down?”

Nodding Harry pulled away and sat down, turning his head away from Ginny to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Ginny sat silently, willing Harry to talk.

Having calmed somewhat, Harry turned to Ginny whose heart broke when she saw the torment in his green eyes.

“Where do I belong, Ginny?” he asked, his tears joining the tributaries of raindrops on his cheeks, falling steadily onto his jumper.

“What do you mean?”

“Where do I belong?” Harry repeated, turning to look across the lake. “I definitely don’t belong in the Muggle world. The Dursleys made that very clear over the years.” Harry sighed. “And I don’t belong here either, do I?”

Ginny frowned. “Of course you do. You belong here, with us. You always have done.”

Harry shook his head. “I did in the past. But things have changed. You all have your lives to live, while I… I don’t. I
can’t do magic Ginny! How can I belong in the Wizarding world when I can’t do magic!”

“You will get your magic back, Harry,” Ginny said, slightly alarmed at Harry’s thoughts. “You just have to believe, you just have to fight like you always have over the years. The Harry Potter I knew would never give up.”

Harry stood, water dripping off his jet-black hair and looked down at Ginny.

“I’m not the Harry Potter you knew.”

Ginny stood and looked on as Harry walked back towards The Burrow, his head stooped, and she shook her head.
She had to do something to improve Harry’s mood.

When she returned to the house she quickly dried herself with a drying charm before walking into the kitchen to find Dr. Browne waiting for her.

“Ah, you must be Ginny,” Edward greeted, offering her his hand.

Ginny smiled politely and shook it. “And you must be Dr. Browne. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Please, call me Edward,” Browne said, taking his cloak off the back of a kitchen chair and putting it on. “And I’ve heard a lot about you also. Harry talks about you a lot.”

Ginny blushed and tried to push down the whooping feeling that had erupted in her stomach.

“I was just about to leave,” Edward continued “but I wanted to talk to you first, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

“Harry, as you’ve realised, is really down at the moment. He finds the training exhausting and it’s especially demotivating for him because he is seeing no real progress in his magical development. I think he needs a break from training, he needs something, or someone,” he emphasised, looking at Ginny, “to distract him from his troubles. Otherwise I fear he will give up all together.”

Ginny nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I know it’s only our first training session in a while, but I’ve decided to give him a week off. Hopefully, the break will see him return to training rejuvenated.”

Ginny nodded again and showed Edward to the door. “Thanks for everything, Edward. See you in a week.”

With a nod goodbye, Edward walked out the door and Ginny closed it behind him.

Sighing to herself Ginny looked around the kitchen. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do with herself and whether or not she should go check on Harry. Deciding to let Harry brood for a while she headed towards the stairs intending to go back to her bedroom, when a loud crack from just outside the front door made he stop in her cracks. She walked back into the kitchen to see Sirius placing his coat on the kitchen chair.

“Hi Sirius,” Ginny greeted, sitting down at the kitchen table, glad to have someone to talk to, other than an emotionally troubled young man brooding in a room upstairs.

“Hey Ginny,” Sirius replied, walking over to the sink to make himself a cup of tea. “You look well for someone who had a rough night?”

Ginny blushed and faked ignorance. “What do you mean?”

Sirius smirked. “Well, from all of the retching that was coming from the bathroom at around 4am this morning I’m guessing you had a rough night.”

Ginny grimaced. “You could hear that? I was sure I performed some Silencing Charms.”

Sirius chuckled. “Can you be sure of anything in that state?”

Grimacing again Ginny quickly changed the subject. “So, where were you all day?”

Sirius smirked again, noticing the sudden change in topic. “I was over in Grimmauld Place supervising the renovation work. They’ve removed the damp and refurbished the kitchen and the living room, and hope to be finished the entire ground floor by the end of the week.”

“That’s good. Are you looking forward to moving back in?”

Sirius nodded. “Of course. Not that I haven’t enjoying staying here, but there is no place like your own home. I’m sure
Harry probably feels the same. Where is he, actually?”

Ginny frowned. “He’s been in a bad mood today. Training with Edward didn’t go so well and he… well, he got a bit emotional about the whole thing.”

Sirius sighed. “The poor lad. I knew it would be difficult for him, but I really thought spending time with you guys would really re-invigorate him, give him a new lease of life.”

“He was telling me how he feels out of place, like he doesn’t belong anywhere.”

Sirius sighed again. “I better go up and have a talk with him.”

Ginny nodded as Sirius left the room.

Looking aimlessly around the kitchen and realising she had nothing to do, Ginny was about to walk up to her bedroom when her mother suddenly barged into the room, ladened with shopping bags and soaking wet.

“Hi Mum,” Ginny greeted, taking a few precariously balanced bags off her mother, “where have you been all day?”

“Shopping in Diagon Alley,” Molly puffed. “Ron is coming home for dinner tonight with Fred and Percy so I had to go and buy extra supplies. You’ll help me start dinner, won’t you, Ginevra?”

“Of course, Mum.”

In the past, Ginny used to hate having to help her mum make dinner. She always used to complain how she was stuck in the kitchen while all of her brothers were allowed to play outside. Now, though, it was quite the opposite. It gave her a chance to catch up with her mum and spend quality time with her, something which she rarely had the time to do anymore.

“So did you have a good time last night?” Molly asked as she flicked her wand sending a few dozen potatoes flying into the sink.

Ginny rolled up her sleeves and began to wash them. “I did.”

“How is Ciara these days? Still as lively as ever?”

Ginny smiled. Based on what Ciara gotup to last night Ginny knew she was definitely as lively as ever. “She is… enjoying life,” Ginny put succinctly.

Molly frowned slightly and Ginny tried to hold back a grin. Ginny knew her mother liked Ciara a lot, they had met quite a few times since Ginny had first joined the Harpies Reserves almost two years ago. Ciara had been the one to put Molly at ease about having her only daughter pursue a career in Quidditch. Ginny also knew however, that her mum did not quite approve of Ciara’s very liberal minded approach to life… and sex.

“How was Harry today?” Molly asked, changing the subject.

“He was… okay,” Ginny put carefully. She didn’t think Harry would appreciate her telling her mum about his emotional breakdown. “I think he is tired after the training with Dr . Browne today.”

Molly nodded and the two women worked in silence for a few minutes when suddenly two large cracks sounded outside followed by the front door opening and closing.

“Hello everyone!” Ron said loudly, stomping into the kitchen and flopping onto the chair at the head of the table. “When’s dinner?”

Both Ginny and Molly turned to look at him, their hands on their hips.

“Ronald Weasley!” Hermione scolded as she too entered the kitchen, scowling at Ron before waving apologetically at the two women. “Don’t talk to your mother and your sister like that.”

“But I’m hungry,” he whined. “I’ve just finished work.”

“Dinner will be ready when I say it will be ready, Ronald,” Molly said, “and you can help us.”

“Help!? But I’m your dinner guest!”

Molly gave him a look that stopped his whining immediately and soon he stood beside Ginny and joined in in peeling the potatoes while Hermione set the table. After ten minutes of combined preparation the dinner was ready and soon they were all sitting at the table with Sirius appearing with a slightly cheered up Harry just in time.

Dinner was a rowdy one, with Ron taking it upon himself to provide the entertainment for the meal, regaling them with hilariously overdramatized stories of heroic missions he had taken part in. Usually, Ginny would take it upon herself to bring him down a peg or three, but a certain Harry Potter was finding Ron’s stories hilarious, so Ginny decided to let him have his moment.

After the meal, the group moved into the living room where they chatted idly, relaxing on the cushy couches and armchairs, drinks in hand. After a few hours, Ron and Hermione took their leave while Molly and Arthur went to bed, leaving Ginny and a content looking Harry alone.

“That was fun,” Harry said, breaking the silence.

Ginny nodded. “It certainly was.”

Silence fell between them again and Ginny suddenly felt a bit… awkward. Over the years, after she had gotten over her initial crush, she had always found it easy to talk to Harry, it was one of the reasons she had liked him so much. But now, she just didn’t know what to say. She faked a yawn and glanced at her watch.

“Well, Harry, I’m exhausted. I’m gonna hit the hay.”

Harry nodded his understanding. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Ginny nodded and headed towards the living room door when a thought occurred to her. “Hey Harry?” she asked, turning to face him again.

“Hmm?”

“Do you fancy going to visit Hogwarts tomorrow? You know, just for something to do?”

“Yeah!” Harry said, nodding agreeably. “That would be great.”

“Perfect. I’ll send Professor McGonagall a letter. ‘Night Harry.”

“Goodnight.”

Ginny walked upstairs to her bedroom, changed into her pyjamas before writing a quick letter asking for permission for her and Harry to visit Hogwarts the next day. After tying the letter to a bouncing Pigwidgeon, she turned off the lights with a flick of her wand and slipped into bed.

Twenty minutes later, she was still in bed, tossing and turning in an effort to find a comfortable position, her mind whirling.

Harry.

Ginny’s heart went out to him, but that wasn’t what was filling her mind at that moment, preventing her from sleep. It was how Harry made her feel, from his intense looks with his sparkling green eyes that made her heart flutter, to how her arms tingled when he accidently brushed against her at the table.

‘Uh oh,’ Ginny thought to herself. ‘Not good.’

Ginny clamped her eyes shut resolutely. ‘I will NOT fall for him again. I won’t do it. I worked so hard to get over him, I’m not about to relapse now.'

With her mind set, Ginny drifted off to sleep with the words of Dr. Edward Browne still swirling around her head:

“Harry talks about you…a lot.”



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