Ginny wiped her hands on her apron and proudly surveyed her handiwork. She wasn’t one for cooking, but she had to do it sometimes when Harry went out on some quest or another without her. This time it was steak-and-kidney pies”Harry’s favorite.
Ginny’s thoughts about Harry made her head spin and she had to grip the back of a chair for support. He’s coming back! she thought excitedly. She was so elated; she didn’t know how she held it all in her body. She truly thought she might explode. It was all in her heart.
A hand grasped Ginny’s shoulder gently and the woman twisted around, thinking it might have been Harry. She turned to find Hermione smiling at her. “Hey, Ginny,” she said softly.
Ginny hugged Hermione, biting back the disappointment that she knew shouldn’t be there. “I’m just so relieved he’s coming home; that he’s alright.”
“I know,” replied Hermione, squeezing back. “Oh, and I lifted the enchantments around the doors”so Harry can get in.” She cast a wary look at her friend, who had a mischievous grin plastered across her face. Hermione laughed. “Now, I know you won’t do that,” she said, then looked nervously at Ginny. “…Right?”
It was Ginny’s turn to laugh. “Of course not,” she said happily. “If I did that, then”” There was a sharp, sudden rap at the door, and Ginny interrupted herself by screaming in delight.
As Ginny raced for the door, time seemed to be in slow motion and she felt detached from her body, as if she were someone else watching this reunion. She saw the happy, beaming face of Hermione hurrying after her, and her brother bounding down the stairs two at a time with the same look of relief, happiness, and suppressed fatigue.
Ginny saw her hand turn the door knob, slowly, slowly…and then, the door suddenly swung wide open, and there was Harry.
Ginny felt faint again, but she was far too stubborn to let stupid little things like that get in the way of her reunion with her husband. She looked up into Harry’s eyes, prepared to kiss him, and”
“H-Harry?” she stammered, reeling back. A look of fear crossed her face.
Harry’s eyes were blank, and he just stood staring at Ginny…but no, not at her. Through her, as if she weren’t even there. She felt hot tears prick in her eyes, not understanding.
What have they done to you? she thought, taking a tentative step forward and reaching out to Harry. As she did, she heard a curse muttered from her brother. There was a flurry of movement behind her, and Harry raised his wand quickly, his mouth forming words that didn’t quite come out, and then she heard the words, “Petrificus Totalus!””but they were from Ron.
She realized what was happening and pulled her hand back, crying, “Ron, NO!”
Ginny rushed over to Harry’s still form, collapsed on the floor. She wrapped her arms around him as Ron came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her face contorted in fury, ready to curse and scream at him, make him pay. But then she saw the look on his face. Pain stretched across his features; he looked like he had just lost all of his limbs. The angry words died in her throat.
“Ron,” she began, but he turned away.
“Ginny,” said Hermione gently, coming up to her. “Harry”” she began, but the words caught. She took a deep breath. “He’s under the Imperius Curse,” she finished weakly.
Ginny was thunderstruck, but even as she turned to take a second look at her husband, she knew the words were true. How could I have failed to notice? she thought, disappointed. It’s so obvious!
“Ginny,” said Hermione sharply, as if reading her thoughts, “don’t even think about blaming yourself.” She glared at Ginny, knowing that her friend just needed the encouragement, and then she could come up with the reasons for herself.
Ginny sighed and then nodded, the fatigue from all the past days and more coming back to show in her pale face. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s move him to our room.”
As carefully as they could, Ginny and Hermione took Harry under his arms while Ron grabbed his legs. They could have Levitated him, but it seemed an insensitive and impersonal thing to do. However, with three of them, he was easy to carry, so they started slowly up the stairs.
When they reached the bedroom they set Harry gently on the bed. “I’m so sorry, Harry,” whispered Ginny miserably, looking down at him.
Ron was sitting in a chair next to the bed, frowning. “Even in our fourth year at school, Harry was so good at resisting that curse. How were they able to succeed?” he wondered aloud.
“Well,” said Hermione in a façade of her usual practical tone of voice, which was punctured by grief and worry, “I suppose they could have drugged him”that is, given him a potion.” She shook her head. “Of course, I’ve no idea what it was or what sort of dose they gave him, so there’s no way I can help him. Although.” She paused, thinking. Then her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. “That’s it!”
“What?” asked Ginny eagerly.
“Well”” Hermione faltered. She was gazing at the look of combined raw, vulnerable hope and strong, hard determination on Ginny’s taut face. “It’s not guaranteed to work,” she continued slowly. “But, I have some Veritaserum in my supply. Ginny, if you take his wand, lift the spell, and bind him, we might”might”be able to find out what potion he was given.”
Although it scared her, Ginny nodded. “Alright,” she agreed softly. As Hermione left the room, Ginny leaned over and plucked Harry’s wand from his grip and handed it to Ron.
Ron nodded curtly to show that he was ready and raised his wand. Taking a deep breath, Ginny muttered the countercurse, “Eximo statua,” and a split second later she heard Ron utter the words that would bind Harry in ropes so that he would be unable to escape.
Ginny felt a pang in her stomach as she saw her husband in this condition. As it dawned on her that she was the cause of it, she had to run to the sink and empty her stomach. Shaking, she righted herself and walked back into the room, where she saw Hermione waiting nervously with a vial of clear liquid in her hand.
Ginny looked over at the bed, where Harry was thrashing about under the ropes. She pushed back the tears in her eyes; she had already lost her compsure once, there was no way it could, or would, happen again. “Hermione?” she said, walking over to the bedside. Hermione jumped. “I”I’m ready.”
“OK,” said Hermione slowly. “Do…you want to do it? Or should”?”
“No,” said Ginny firmly, cutting off her friend. “I’ll do it.” Hermione nodded and silently handed over the bottle.
Ginny walked over, her legs still shaky, and stood over Harry. She forced herself to look into his eyes, and as she did, she thought she saw something flicker in them. “Come on, Harry,” she whispered so softly that only he could hear it. “You can pull through. For me.” But then the flicker was gone.
Ginny swallowed and carefully uncorked the vial. She held it over his mouth and managed to squeeze a few drops in through Harry’s slightly separated lips.
Then something peaceful seemed to sweep over Harry. He relaxed, his features calming and his rigidity fading. Ginny glanced nervously over her shoulder at Hermione, who nodded encouragingly.
Ginny turned back to Harry. She leaned closer to him. “Harry, we need to know how to cure you,” she said. When he gave no reaction, she continued: “Do you know what poison they gave you?”
“Yes.” Ginny cringed”the voice that had escaped from Harry was alien; it was not her husband’s, however similar it may have sounded. Out of her peripheral vision, Ron and Hermione looked disconcerted as well.
“What was it?” she continued, eager in spite of her pain. “What poison did they give you?”
“They…didn’t give me a poison.” Ginny saw startled looks exchanged between her brother and his wife. They were so certain? thought Ginny, frowning inwardly. But she turned her attention back to Harry.
“How were you overcome?” asked Ginny. Even though she had her doubts about Ron and Hermione’s surety, she herself still didn’t understand how Harry could have fallen under the Imperius Curse.
Something in Harry struggled. “They”,” he began, then choked off. The cloudiness in his eyes seemed as if it were melting. “I can’t say it, Ginny!” he cried, and this time his voice was entirely his own. Ginny felt elation…but the emotion was punctured as he looked into her eyes. “Please don’t make me say it,” he said, his voice strangled and pleading.
The ropes were falling away from his frame, and Ginny vaguely acknowledged that Ron or Hermione must have severed them. She was also distantly aware of their departure from the room. “I won’t, Harry,” she whispered, and leaned over to embrace him.
Harry’s strong arms wrapped securely around her, and she could tell he was shaking. He buried his face in her hair and squeezed her tighter. “I missed you so much, Ginny,” he whispered. “The things they said…that they threatened to do. I worried so much about you, Ginny.” He pulled back and held her away from him, drinking in her features. “Everything they said about you was so much worse than anything they could have done to me.”
Ginny didn’t know what to say. She knew that she would never make him tell her anything that had happened, however curious she was. She just kissed him, and the kiss went on into the night.
Imperius by Aytrianette
Chapter Notes: Ahem. I don't seem to remember my chapter names...so, clearly, new ones are in order! >< Sorry about that. Again...thanks for bearing with me!