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WIP

Disclaimer: This story was made without any intention of profiting from it. Only the original characters and the plot are mine. The rest of it belongs to JKR.

A/N: Well, here is the next one. I hope no one gets upset by what Ginny reveals of what she went through when she was possessed by Riddle. I have to acknowledge that another fanfiction story inspired me to put that in. I just can’t recall which one. I hope the author will forgive me, whoever he or she is. At any rate, I just paraphrased that part. Please review after reading.

        
When Harry and the others got back to the castle, they found Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall standing at the top of the stairs leading up to the front doors.

“Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said, looking worried at Rose on the stretcher, “what happened to your sister? Did she get hit by a spell in the village?”

“No, Professor,” Harry said. “She just collapsed a few minutes ago. We couldn’t rouse her physically and decided not to try any spells, just in case.”

“I see…” the Transfiguration Professor said. “Well, let me take her.” She took over guiding the stretcher inside the castle. You’re all probably tired from the battle.”

Harry moved closer to Professor Dumbledore. “Professor, Neville said she’s been looking tired more lately. I’m sorry to say I haven’t really noticed anything. Could this be a side effect of Astral walking? I remember that during the summer, after she went Astral walking, she seemed tired the next morning.”

Dumbledore looked gravely at Harry. “I am not sure, Harry. My knowledge of such things is not much greater than yours. I will have to contact Mrs. Thunderheart to ask.”

“Mrs. Thunderheart?” Harry asked. “The Canadian woman who was training her seer skills?”

“Yes,” Dumbledore answered, “she knows a lot more about it than I do. I do believe she warned Rose not to overdo it.”

Harry nodded. He was disturbed that their suspicions might be correct. He felt Ginny reach for his hand as he sensed her own worry through their bond.

McGonagall was now maneuvering the stretcher bearing Rose up the main staircase to the second floor where the Hospital Wing was. Neville was still beside Rose, not letting go of her hand. Ron and Hermione were a few steps behind.

Harry turned to Dumbledore again. “Professor, I was wondering. Were there any students lost in this battle?”

Dumbledore sighed. “Fortunately, Harry, no one was killed. There were several serious injuries but none that needed the student being brought to St. Mungo’s. However, I am considering sending Miss Pipper there.”

Ginny’s attention was caught by that. “Where is she, Professor?” she asked.

Dumbledore sighed again; the twinkle had vanished from his eyes. “She is in the hospital wing. Though Madam Pomfrey managed to heal her physical injuries, her mental state does not appear good.”

Harry could feel the distress mount in Ginny. He felt her pain. Another of her roommates had been harmed in the war. First Lisa McDougal had been Kissed by a Dementor the previous year. Now, Melinda had been brutalized by a Death Eater.

He placed his arms around her, trying to offer comfort. “Do you want to go to her, Gin?” he asked.

“I-I’m not sure, Harry,” Ginny replied.

“Miss Weasley, I think it would be good for Miss Pipper to see that her friends support her,” Dumbledore said.

“All right,” Ginny said. “Come on, Harry, we need to see about Rose anyway.”

Leaving the Headmaster, they walked up to the hospital wing. They arrived in time to see Madam Pomfrey settle Rose into a bed. The others were standing at the foot of the bed.

The matron began waving her wand around Rose. She frowned as she observed the faint glow over Rose’s body.

“Madam Pomfrey,” Harry said, “do you know what’s wrong with her?”

“Well, Mr. Potter,” Poppy said, “I think your sister has a severe case of magical exhaustion. Her magical energy is only down to five percent of its full potential. I can’t understand how that is possible. Even dueling does not cause such a drastic reduction.”

“What if she was already down on her magic reserves before today?” Harry asked. “Could all the dueling put a further tax on it?”

“Yes, that is possible,” Poppy replied, “but what could do that in the first place?”

“I have an idea but I can’t tell you about it without her or my parents’ permission,” Harry said.

“Well, you better contact one of your parents,” Poppy said. “I’ll need to know what caused it in order to gauge how fast she will regain her magic.”

Harry pulled out his mirror and called his father. It took James over a minute to answer.

“Oh, Harry,” James said over the mirror, “it’s you. Sorry for not answering immediately but I was getting Sirius’ report of the attack. I assume that’s the reason you’re calling, to find out if we captured any Death Eaters.”

“I’m afraid not, Dad,” Harry said. “Dad, Rose collapsed right after the battle. We brought her to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey says it’s from magical exhaustion. It seems she’s only got a tiny bit of magical energy left.”

“Is she all right?” James asked before grimacing. “Of course, she isn’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t have called. I’ll get hold of your mother and we’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Harry said, “We’ll see you…Over and out.” The mirror cleared and Harry looked up. Rose was now under the covers of her bed with Neville and Ginny sitting on opposite sides of her. Ron and Hermione were now seated at the foot of the bed.

Harry came up to them. “Dad and Mum will probably be here soon.”

“Yeah, we know,” Ron said quietly, “Ginny told us.”

They saw Madam Pomfrey step out from behind a curtained-off area. They caught a glimpse of a bed.

“Madam Pomfrey,” Ginny said, “is-is that Melinda behind the curtains?”

“Miss Pipper?” Poppy asked. “Yes, I’m afraid it is; poor child, to have to go through such an experience.”

“How bad were her injuries?” Ginny asked.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “She had bruises over much of her body, including her private parts. Her attacker was very rough on her, a real brute. She was no longer bleeding when Miss Lovegood and Mr. Creevey brought her in. I managed to heal most of the bruising and the…other injuries to her privates. I found no sign of semen in her so there’s little chance for her to become pregnant but she’ll feel sore for a few more days. What I’m worried about is her mental state. She refuses to drink the Dreamless Sleep Potion which would let her get some much needed rest and hopefully prevent any nightmares.”

“Is she awake?” Ginny asked. “I can talk to her, get her to drink the potion.”

“All right,” Madam Pomfrey said, “You can give it a try.”

Ginny moved to the curtained off area and went inside, making sure the curtains were in place. “Harry,” she spoke into his mind, “could you please let me close our connection for a while? This conversation may reveal some things I’m not ready for you to know yet. Please?”

Harry sighed. “All right, Gin. Just let me know when you’re done.”

“Thanks, Harry,” she answered. She paused before continuing, “I’m sorry, Harry but I guess there are some things we don’t know about each other even with the bond.”

“It’s all right, Ginny,” Harry said. “Just remember, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. Even if you don’t, I won’t let it drive us apart.”

Ginny didn’t answer verbally but Harry could feel her relief at his statement. He shook his head and, in order to prevent himself from thinking about whatever secret Ginny had, turned his attention to Ron and Hermione.

“So, guys,” he said, “what happened to you earlier? Were you together when the attack started?”

“No, Harry,” Hermione began and she and Ron told Harry and Neville what had happened to them during the attack.

When they were done, Harry asked, “So Malfoy saved you from a spell cast by his father then the bugger used an Unforgivable on him? Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Hermione said, looking annoyed. “I just don’t know what spell Mr. Malfoy cast at me but Draco assured me it’s pretty nasty.”

“I’m sure he’d know,” Ron said. “I bet he knows loads of Dark magic, probably uses them, too.”

“Ron!” Hermione said. “You can’t accuse him without proof. What matters is that he protected me from his own father. Oh my God, Harry, did Sirius say anything about taking Lucius Malfoy into custody? Remember, I Stunned him to save Draco from the Cruciatus and then tied him up.”

“Sirius didn’t say if they captured any Death Eaters,” Harry said. “I can call him on the mirror later to check.”

“I hope he didn’t get away,” Hermione said. “If he did, Draco’s going to be in so much trouble. He might even get disowned like Ti did. Speaking of Ti, I wonder where he is.”

“Oh no!” Neville suddenly cried, standing up. “Maggie! I don’t know what happened to her. Mum and Dad are going to kill me.”

“If they do, can I watch?” they heard someone say.

Turning around, they saw Maggie standing at the entry door of the hospital wing, looking quite put out. Neville rushed to her and embrace her.

“I’m sorry, Maggie,” Neville said as he pulled back. “I should have gone off and looked for you.”

“Never mind, Neville,” Maggie said. “I’m fine. I’m not six anymore. I can take care of myself. After all, I was the second-year dueling champion last year.”

“This is different, Mags,” Neville said. “Fighting Death Eaters is not like dueling in that tournament.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Maggie said. “Dennis and I managed to get a couple of Death Eaters before we escaped to the castle.”

Neville looked at her in surprise. “Well, that’s good, Maggie.”

Maggie smiled then her face fell as she looked over at Rose. “What happened to Rose, Neville?

“She somehow magically exhausted herself,” Neville said. “She collapsed just after the battle.”

The door of the hospital wing opened again and Lily came in. Harry quickly walked over to her and gave her a hug which his mother returned with one worthy of Molly Weasley.

“Are you all right, Harry?” Lily asked after they pulled apart from each other. She ran her eyes over her son. “Your father said something about you and Ginny fighting Voldemort.”

“Just a few bruises, Mum,” Harry said. “We were lucky.”

“Yes, you were” Lily said sternly. “What were you thinking, fighting that monster? I know what that bloody prophecy said, but not until you’re of age.”

“It can’t be helped, Mum,” Harry said. “He came looking for me. Rose saw it in a vision just before the attack.”

“Oh Merlin,” Lily said as she embraced Harry again. When she released him, she said, “I guess we’ll just have to make sure you’re ready for him.”

“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that, Mrs. Potter,” Neville said. “He had Voldemort matched almost spell by spell but with Ginny, well, they kicked his arse.”

“Yeah,” Ron said enthusiastically. “They hurled old snake face twenty feet away, right into a tree, practically knocked him out. I bet they would have finished him off if some of Voldie’s minions hadn’t got in the way.”

“Oh, I don’t know if we could have done that then, Ron,” Harry said, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise from his two friends. “We still don’t know how he survived that Halloween night.”

“I’m sure Professor Dumbledore will find out,” Neville said.

“Yeah, mate,” Ron said, “especially if he has Hermione helping him.”

Hermione’s face turned red and playfully slapped Ron’s arm. “Ron! I’m not that good.”

“Yes you are, ‘Mione,” Ron said. “You’re the smartest witch of our generation after all.”

Hermione blushed again and just shook her head.

“So, exactly what happened to Rose?” Lily said as she sat down on the seat beside Rose’s bed that Harry had previously occupied. “Your father said she collapsed after the battle.”

“Well, Madam Pomfrey said she’s exhausted magically,” Harry answered. “Her magical core contains a mere fraction of its normal power. We think she may have been Astral walking since we got to Hogwarts. Neville noticed her being more tired and sleepy than could be explained by studying and revising.”

“Oh Merlin,” Lily said. She gently brushed Rose’s hair from her face with her hand. “I know James had warned her not to. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, she is a Potter. Stubbornness seems to run in this family.” She turned back to Harry, “Harry, where’s Ginny? I thought she’d be here with you and Rose. She isn’t hurt, is she?”

Harry sighed. He looked toward the curtained off area where Ginny and Melinda were. “You remember Melinda Pipper, Mum?”

“Isn’t she the other Gryffindor girl in Ginny and Rose’s year?” Lily asked in turn.

“Yeah,” Harry said, looking uncomfortable. “Well, something terrible happened to her during the battle. She’s over there now and Ginny’s with her to comfort her.”

The others had fallen silent when Lily had asked where Ginny was and Lily seemed to notice that. “Exactly what happened to her?” Lily asked. “Did they torture her?”

“I-it’s worse than that, Mum,” Harry said. “They r-raped her, at least one of them did.”

Lily gasped. “No, they didn’t.”

“We c-came up just as they were doing it,” Harry said, his voice soft and distant, “One of them was on the ground over her and four others were gathered around just watching. She was screaming and all they were doing was laughing. It filled me with such anger watching something so horrible. I blasted the one doing it off of her and his head cracked open on a rock. I wanted to kill them all for being such monsters.”

He felt tears starting to fall down his cheeks. He looked around to see Hermione and Maggie were also beginning to cry, the younger girl with a look of horror on her face since she probably hadn’t known that. Ron and Neville had uncomfortable looks on their faces.

Lily embraced Harry again and began stroking his back as he broke down into sobs. After an unknown amount of time, his tears had slowed down and he looked up. “I wanted to kill them. I didn’t care if it landed me in Azkaban. Does it make me a bad person, Mum?”

Lily stroked his cheek gently. “No, Harry. It shows you’re a decent person. You felt outrage and anger over such a brutal act, unlike those wizards. Never think that makes you bad. What would make you bad is if you enjoyed killing them.”

Harry shook his head. “I just wanted for them to pay for what they’d done. Before I knew who they had r-raped, I was shocked seeing that Death Eater dead.”

“That’s one of the things I love about you,” Ginny’s voice came up in his mind, “You don’t really want to hurt people but you do it to keep them from hurting others and you feel bad when others are hurt.”

He felt her as she sat down beside her. Pulling away from his mother, Harry quickly wiped his eyes with a sleeve of his shirt then looked at Ginny. She looked tired but gave him a weak smile when he took her hand.

“How is your friend, Ginny?” Lily asked.

Ginny sighed. “She’s asleep now. We talked a bit and I got her relaxed enough to take the Dreamless Sleep Potion. But I have to agree that she needs some professional help to get over this.”

Lily grimaced. “Well, I know there are some very good mind healers in St. Mungo’s. I hope they can help her but it will take time. I do hope she doesn’t have to leave Hogwarts for that.” She looked at her watch. “It’s already dinner time. Why don’t you all go to the Great Hall and get some food? I’m sure you’re all hungry and thirsty. Don’t worry about Rose. I’ll be here and James should be here after a while.”

“Are you sure, Mum?” Harry asked. He did feel hungry and his throat was dry but he felt uneasy about leaving his sister’s side.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Lily said. “We’re all still safe here in Hogwarts. Go on, the lot of you. That goes for you too, Neville. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as she wakes up.”

Reluctantly, the six Gryffindors left the hospital wing, Neville bringing up the rear and looking forlornly at Rose’s sleeping form before the door closed behind them.

“Come on, mate,” Ron said, pulling him along, “just let her rest. You’ll see her in a bit.”

Neville didn’t answer but walked on with them. They made their way to the Entrance Hall and the doors to the Great Hall in silence. When they entered, they saw that most of the students and staff were there but were struck by how quiet the Hall was. Everyone seemed to be picking their food or talking in whispers.

The six Gryffindors sat down at their table. Reluctantly, they served themselves some of the wonderful food on the table but, like their fellow students, they found that they didn’t really have the appetite.

Harry looked up at the table and saw that the staff was also eating sparingly, even Snape. The Potions professor looked a bit tired as well.

After a half hour, Dumbledore got to his feet. Everyone turned their attention to him.

“My dear friends, once again, this school have been tested against the forces of the Dark. And once again, we have managed to emerge victorious. Luckily, none of you were killed in this attack. In fact, many of you were able to hold out against the followers of Lord Voldemort either overcoming them yourselves or until help arrived to defeat them. I am very proud of you. I believe thanks for this remarkable performance should go to the group of people who have helped prepare you for an event such as this. I speak of Harry Potter and his friends. Harry, please stand up, along with your friends.”

Harry reluctantly rose to his feet, followed by Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville as Dumbledore led the rest of the school in a rousing round of applause. Cheers broke out as most of the students rose to their feet as they continued applauding. It was more than five minutes before Harry and the others were able to sit down.

“Thank you,” Dumbledore said. “Now, I think it best if we retire for the evening. Prefects, please make sure everyone returns to their common room.”

No one protested. All the students moved quickly out of the Great Hall and separated for their respective common rooms. Harry looked around for Draco and found him walking among his fellow Slytherins, headed for the dungeons, seemingly without a care in the world which was strange since he had openly challenged his father during the battle.

As they reached the main staircase, Ti approached Harry. “Harry, where’s Rose?” the younger boy asked.

“She’s in the hospital wing,” Harry answered. “Don’t worry. It’s just a case of magical exhaustion. Mum is there with her and Dad will probably be along.”

Ti breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin. I thought she got injured during the battle.”

“Just where were you during the battle?” Ron asked, looking more curious than suspicious.

“I was still inside the Three Broomsticks with Romilda and her friends when the attack started,” Ti answered, a grimace forming on his face. “I wanted to go out and fight but Romilda insisted I stay and protect her. So we stayed there while most of the others went out to fight. After a few minutes, some Death Eaters came by and started attacking the pub. That got Madam Rosemerta really mad. Together with her, we managed to hold them off until some Aurors showed up who chased them away.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, Ti,” Ginny said.

“Um, did you hear what happened between your father and Draco?” Harry asked.

Ti nodded. “Yeah, I heard. I talked to Draco before you guys got to the Great Hall.” He turned to Hermione. “I’m glad he saved you, Hermione. I’m also glad Draco took a stand against Father but I couldn’t believe Father would torture Draco. It’s a good thing he and Mother are safe from him.”

“Do you think Draco will be safe in the Slytherin dorms?” Harry asked. “I doubt the other kids of Death Eaters will be happy with him.”

“I don’t know,” Ti said. “Hopefully, Professor Snape will keep him safe. After all, he is Draco’s godfather.”

“Well, I think a little difficulty will be good for old Draco,” Ron said.

“Ron!” Hermione said. “How can you say that? Someone like Crabbe or Goyle could hurt him badly.”

That started another round of bickering between Ron and Hermione as they got to the Portrait of the Fat Lady. Ginny kept Harry back from the group then grabbed his hand, pulling him back down the corridor.

“I don’t feel like sleeping alone tonight, Harry,” Ginny whispered, “let’s go to the Room of Requirement.”

“All right, Gin,” Harry said.

Harry’s eyes widened when he caught a bit of Ginny’s thoughts as she paced in front of the blank wall. Once inside the room, he was taken further aback by the king sized canopied bed in Gryffindor colors that was there.

Ginny pulled him to sit on the bed and curled up against him. To Harry’s surprise, she started to cry. He began to understand as images flitted through their link, images of a teenage Tom Riddle with teenage girls in compromising positions. Through his feeling of disgust, Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and started to send assurances of love and affection to his bondmate.

After almost ten minutes, he felt Ginny’s tears slow down as she began accepting his love. Finally, she looked up and muttered, “Thank you.”

Harry bent down to kiss her on the lips. “Ginny, is that what Tom was talking about?”

Ginny nodded. “That’s part of it, Harry. When his memory in the Diary possessed me, he’d send me memories of what he was up to during his time here in Hogwarts. He’d abuse or even rape girls in his House then heal their injuries and Obliviate their memories. He enjoyed using them, Harry. It was so terrible. It wasn’t just physical. There was one time when he was Head Boy when he had a sixth-year girl enter the first-year boys’ dorm to give herself to the five boys there as her detention. He even Disillusioned himself so he could watch as the poor girl had sex with those eleven-year-olds.”

“That’s terrible,” Harry said. “He was sick even then.”

“There’s more, Harry,” Ginny said, steeling herself for this. “There were times I woke up after he had possessed me and I found myself touching parts of my body that I wouldn’t have normally touched at that age. And the worse thing is it felt so good. Then I’d feel so ashamed of what I was doing.”

Harry embraced her tightly while sending reassuring thoughts to her. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed, Gin. It was all Tom’s doing. It’s not your fault.” He looked down at her and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad that, in spite of that, you can still be intimate with me.”

Ginny burrowed deeper into his arms as she continued. “I buried those memories behind that door we created in the place our minds share. You know the closed one that we agreed never to look behind? But now, after talking with Tom and Melinda and seeing what she suffered, that door was thrown open and the memories are running around in my head.” She pulled back a little and looked up at him. Harry was struck by the pain and sorrow he saw in the chocolate brown eyes he loved so much. “Harry, help me get rid of those memories,” she pleaded.

Harry bent down to kiss her again. “Of course, Ginny. I’ll do whatever you want to do that.”

“Then make love to me, Harry,” she said.

Harry looked down in shock at her. “B-but, Gin, are you sure? Is it the right thing to do now? We’re not even married yet. I promised Dad we wouldn’t do this until we’re married.”

Ginny smiled up at him. “But we’re already married, Harry. It seems that Miss Know-it-all Hermione Granger didn’t tell us about the passage that says acquiring the Bond is like a marriage ceremony, so we’ve been married already for more than three years.”

“H-how did you find this out?” Harry asked, his mind trying to accept the concept that he had been married since he was twelve.

Ginny gave him a smirk as she said, “Would you believe it was my own mother who told me? She told me when you were unconscious from Tom’s anger after the attack on the Grangers. She even said she wouldn’t stop me from helping my husband as long as we didn’t make her a grandmother for a few more years.”

“Wow!” Harry said, surprised at Molly’s acceptance. He looked down at Ginny with nervousness. “Are you sure, Ginny? Once we do this, there’s no going back.”

Ginny broke free and stood up. For a moment, Harry thought she had changed her mind and felt a twinge of disappointment he quickly suppressed. Then, to his surprise, Ginny reached down to grasp the edge of the shirt she was wearing and pulled it over her head. Then she undid the button of her jeans and pulled it down, stepping out of it.

Now only in her knickers and bra, she took hold of her wand and passed it over her abdomen, muttering a spell that caused a soft blue light to illuminate that part of her body for a moment. She then moved back to Harry who was sitting on the bed, staring at her in awe. It was the first time he’d seen so much of her unclothed and he was struck speechless by her beauty.

He didn’t protest as she sat in his lap and helped him remove his shirt. Then, toeing off his shoes, he allowed her to remove his trousers as well. Once he was only in his boxers, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him as they fell on the bed with Ginny on top. He returned the kiss and rolled them over so that he was on top.

Their kissing soon became more passionate. Before they knew it, bra, knickers and boxers were gone and they lay naked in each other’s arms. They took their exploration of each other’s body slowly and gently. The sensations that elicited in them were beyond anything they had ever experienced, magnified by the bond between them. Soon, they were lost in the sensations of making love for the first time. Afterwards, they fell asleep in each others’ arms.

Hours later, Harry opened his eyes and was mesmerized by the sight he beheld. Lying beside him looking like an angel was Ginny, her hair splayed around her on the pillow like a curtain of fire. Harry could clearly see each freckle on her face, neck and shoulders which gave him an idea how to wake her up. He started gently kiss each little freckle starting with her shoulder until he reached her face.

“Mmm, that feels good,” Ginny said groggily as she became aware of what was happening. She opened her eyes and gave Harry a smile that made her light up like the sun. “Good morning, Mr. Potter.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Potter,” Harry said. “I hope you like being called that since you said we’re already married because of the Bond.”

Ginny smiled and kissed him firmly on the lips. “I love it,” she replied. “After all,  it’s been my dream to be called that since I was eight.”

Harry frowned for a moment. “I thought you were nine when you started to dream of marrying me.”

Ginny giggled. “You were nine and I was eight.”

“All right,” Harry said then added, “I’m glad your dream’s come true, Gin.” He then began to kiss her firmly on the lips.

Ginny returned the kiss and began running her hands through his hair and over his back and legs. This aroused Harry and his hands started their own roaming over her body which inflamed Ginny. Soon, they were again experiencing the wonderful sensations of physically coming together. Once their passions were sated, they again fell asleep holding onto each other.

Some time later, Harry felt Ginny’s breath on his ear. “Harry, we’d better get up.”

“Don’t want to,” Harry groggily answered her. “Let’s just sleep, Gin.”

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say because he then felt a sharp pain in his chest as Ginny poked him there.

“Hey!” he said as he sat up. “What was that for?”

“Harry, we need to get up and get out of here,” Ginny said. “It’s past seven in the morning. Rose is probably still in the hospital wing. Your parents are probably with her. Don’t you want to make sure she’s okay? Plus, there’s the matter of my dear brother, you know, your best friend? If he sees you didn’t spend the night in your dorm and learns I didn’t either, he just may be able to put two and two together. It won’t matter to him that we’re married because of the Bond. He’ll try to tear you limb from limb.”

That got Harry to sit up with a panicked look on his face. Ginny smirked and gave him a kiss on the lips. “Thanks for helping me create new memories, Harry.”

Harry grinned. “Why don’t we make some more?”  He then reached out to draw her to him but Ginny jumped off the bed, pulling some of the bed sheets around her.

“Not now, Harry,” Ginny said, grinning at him. “We can’t do that now unless you really want Ron to come looking for us. Don’t worry. After last night, I can’t wait for when we can sneak off again.”

“Oh all right, Gin,” Harry replied. “I hope we can do it soon.”

Ginny gave him a smile as she began dressing. “Me too, Harry, me too.”

*******

Rose groaned as she slowly woke up. Her body felt sore all over. She didn’t want to open her eyes but there was a bright light shining behind her eyelids, preventing her from falling asleep again. She shifted in the bed to get away from the light, eliciting another groan as her muscles protested at the movement.

“Rose, sweetie,” a familiar voice came into her consciousness, “are you in pain?”

She blearily opened her eyes and looked up at her mother’s face, full of concern. Rose was confused why her mother was hovering over her in her dorm room. She slowly looked around and was surprised to see that she was not in her dormitory but rather in the Hospital Wing. She was even more surprised to see her father, Professor Dumbledore and Martha Thunderheart seated around her.

“Mum?” she began. “What’s going on? Why am I in the hospital wing?”

“Rose, don’t you remember what happened in Hogsmeade yesterday?”

Then the memories of the battle hit her. She sat up quickly but lay back down as a wave of dizziness hit her. She groaned again. Then the entirety of what her mother had said reached her.

“Yesterday,” Rose asked.

“Yes,” Dumbledore spoke up, “the battle happened yesterday. You’ve been asleep for more than twelve hours.”

“Twelve hours?” she asked, stunned. “H-how could I have been asleep for so long?”

“Well,” Dumbledore said, “we have a theory.” He looked directly at her, “Rose, have you been doing your Astral Walks at night while here at Hogwarts?”

Rose gulped. Her mouth opened but nothing came out of it.

“Rose Lily Potter!” James yelled as he jumped out of his seat. “How could you do such a stupid thing? I told you not to do it while at school. Now, your magical core is down to a fraction of its usual power.”

Rose felt the tears hovering on her face as she turned to her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I just wanted to help in the war. Harry and Ginny have fought Death Eaters. I was just tortured by one. I wanted to be of use.”

Rose felt her mother embrace her as she started to cry. James stood still, his face showing his shock. Rose turned her head to sob against her mother’s chest. After a while, she felt fingers caressing her hair. She knew without looking that it was her father who was stroking her hair gently. It had been his way to comfort her when she was younger.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Rose,” James said. “I know you want to help and I’m so proud of you when your visions help us to stop the Death Eaters. But it was dangerous for you. Your getting hurt is too high a price to pay for that.”

“Rose,” Martha said, “I told you that Astral walking drains a lot from your magical core, especially if done for hours or days without rest. That’s why we limited doing it to a couple of hours every time we did it during the summer.”

“I’m sorry, Martha,” Rose said. “I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything, especially after the attack on Hermione’s parents. At least I didn’t miss the carriage attack.” She looked up in horror as she realized what she had confessed.

“Rose!” Lily said. “You told us that was a vision. Where you Astral walking that night before you woke us up with the warning?”

“Yes,” Rose answered quietly.

Lily sighed and Rose saw her exchange a look with her father.

“All right,” Lily said, “at least with your reduced magical core, you won’t be able to do that for a while.”

“For how long?” Rose asked.

“Long enough,” James said. “Even if your magical core returns to full power, please don’t go Astral walking anymore. We’re doing fine without them. Of course, you can tell us whenever you have a vision. I’ll make sure Albus checks that it’s really a vision.”

“All right,” Rose said with a sigh.

Madam Pomfrey then came up to them. “All right,” the matron said, “I’d like check up on our patient. Everyone please leave except for Lily; yes, you too, James.”

James had a hurt look on his face but Madam Pomfrey just gave him a look and he caved in. After the three wizards and Mrs. Thunderheart left, Rose had to endure twenty minutes of Madam Pomfrey’s attention before she nodded.

“All right, Miss Potter,” the matron said. “You’re healthy except for your magical core. You’ll have to refrain from doing any spell casting other than regular school work for at least two weeks.”

Rose groaned. “Two weeks? That’s so long.”

“It’ll take that long for your magical core to regenerate,” the nurse said severely.

“Don’t worry, Madam Pomfrey,” Lily said. “Harry and the others will make sure she doesn’t use her magic beyond school work. That includes the dueling club.”

“Mum!” Rose said.

“Don’t 'Mum' me, Rose Lily,” her mother said. “You can’t tax your magic more than necessary.”

“That’s right,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Remember, if your magical core goes to zero, you may lose your magic forever.”

Rose gulped. “Oh yeah, I remember that from first-year Charms. All right, I’ll do only magic for school work until you say so, Madam Pomfrey.”

“Good,” Madam Pomfrey said then she smiled. “You know, you’re more cooperative than your brother.”

Rose laughed. “I’m glad I do something better than him.”

“I’d better let the others back in,” the matron said.

When she opened the door, not only were James, Professor Dumbledore and Mrs. Thunderheart there but also Harry, Ginny, Neville, Ti, Maggie, Ron and Hermione. Seeing them, Madam Pomfrey sighed. “I guess you can all come in.”

The adults allowed the seven teenagers to sit around Rose’s bed. James and Lily didn’t say anything when Neville sat right on the bed beside Rose and took hold of one of her hands.

“Madam Pomfrey told us you confirmed what we suspected about how your magical core got so low,” Harry said. “How could you be so stupid, Rose?”

“I know, Harry,” Rose said, looking down with shame. “Mum and Dad have already given me a dressing down for it. I just wanted to help in the war. I thought that finding the attacks before they occurred would be just the thing.”

“Rose, you’ve already done a lot during the summer,” Neville said, stroking her hand. “You’ve got nothing to prove by putting your life and magic at risk like that. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Neville’s right, Rose,” Ginny said. “We care about you. We don’t care whether you’re helping in the war by fighting Death Eaters or having visions of their plans. We don’t want you to take any unnecessary risks. I want you as my maid of honor when Harry and I get married once Tom is gone and this war is over.”

Rose grinned. “Don’t tell me you’re planning the wedding already. Has Harry proposed already?”

Harry gulped. “P-proposed?” he sputtered. “No, I haven’t. We aren’t even of age yet.”

“Calm down, brother dear,” Rose said, grinning at him. “I’m just taking the mickey out of you. You are so easy.” She turned to Madam Pomfrey. “So, can I get out of here, Madam Pomfrey?”

“All right, Miss Potter,” the matron said. “You may leave the hospital wing but you must take it easy for the next week. Go to sleep early and no heavy physical activity for the next week, especially flying.”

“What!” Rose shouted. “But we have Quidditch practice on Tuesday. The first match is in two weeks.”

“One week will be plenty of time to practice,” Madam Pomfrey said. “I’ve seen you play, Miss Potter; with your talent, one week will be enough to get back into shape.”

“Don’t worry, Madam Pomfrey,” Ginny said, “we’ll make sure she gets plenty of rest.”

Rose glared at her but was calmed down by a gentle squeeze of her hand by Neville. She decided that it was best to get out of the hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey changed her mind in order to make sure she rested.

She slowly got to her feet then noticed a curtained off area of the room. “Madam Pomfrey,” she said, “who’s over there?”

Madam Pomfrey’s face became somber. “Your friend, Miss Pipper, is behind those curtains,” she said.

Rose paled as she remembered what had happened to Melinda. “I-is she all right?” she asked.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “She is physically healed,” she said. “However, mentally, she is badly scarred. Thanks to Miss Weasley, she accepted a Dreamless Sleep Potion and is still under its influence. Professor Dumbledore has asked a mind healer from St. Mungo’s to visit her today once she is awake. That healer will determine if she can recover from her ordeal here or needs to be moved to St. Mungo’s.”

Rose exchanged a glance with Ginny. The look she got from Ginny told her that Ginny had talked a bit with Melinda. She’d learn about it later.

“Please let us know when she’s awake,” Rose said. “Ginny and I want to spend some time with her.”

“Of course, Rose,” Madam Pomfrey said, a small smile forming on her face.

The four adults and eight teens then left the hospital wing. As they walked toward the ground floor, Mrs. Thunderheart had a short talk with Rose to remind her about taking care of her gifts as a seer. When they reached the Entrance Hall, James and Lily took their leave after hugging their children and their children’s friends. The Headmaster accompanied Mrs. Thunderheart to his office from where she would head for home. The eight Gryffindors then headed to the Great Hall to join the rest of the school for breakfast.

Though they were still a bit subdued during the meal, the students seemed to have more appetite. Rose surprised herself with the amount of food she ate. Colin managed to give Harry’s Cloak back without attracting any attention to it. After the meal, Harry and his friends decided to go to the Room of Requirement to discuss the battle and help each other get over the bad memories from it.

*******

That night, Dumbledore called a meeting of the entire membership of the Order of the Phoenix. In spite of James’ election as Minister for Magic, Albus and James had decided to keep the organization active and underground since no one could predict what the future would hold. There was still a chance that Voldemort would succeed in overthrowing or taking control of the Ministry.

During the meeting, both Lily and Molly had expressed their anger at allowing the students to go to Hogsmeade just six weeks after the Death Eater attack on the carriages. Albus admitted that he had thought the risk was acceptable for the benefit of allowing the students a day free of the castle and had hoped the Aurors would provide adequate security for the students.

Unfortunately, Voldemort had come up with a brilliant plan to counteract the Auror security and even use it to his advantage. It was fortunate that the students had been well trained by Harry and his friends in the Dueling Club and managed to hold off the Death Eaters until Sirius and his Aurors had arrived. However, with this attack and the damage it had caused to Hogsmeade, there would be no further visits by the student body to the village for the duration of the war.

James then reported that twenty-three Death Eaters were captured by the Aurors, including the twelve who had impersonated the Aurors assigned to Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, none of them were in Voldemort’s inner circle. Lucius Malfoy had managed to escape after being captured by Hermione and his eldest son.

Snape reported that Voldemort had been angry at his followers for taking him away from the battle and used the Cruciatus on many of them. However, it proved prudent that they had since the Dark Lord found his spells weaker. Hopefully, he would lie low while he regained his strength. Albus and the rest of the Order shared this hope.