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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Fourth Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 2 Words: 35,779
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Bold Face Type indicates a direct quote from Chapter Twenty-Two, St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A/N This story is told from Molly’s Weasley’s point of view and parallels Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the summer after it. On December first, Professor Dumbledore sent word to Molly and Arthur that the security had been increased enough at the Burrow that it was safe for them to return there. Molly was delighted that they’d be home for Christmas. Sirius said that he’d miss them but that he that understood their wanting to go home. Molly decided to leave the bedding and towels that they had brought with them to Grimmauld Place when they had evacuated the Burrow. She had already put clean sheets on the beds the children had been sleeping in before Hogwarts started and she had an airing cupboard full of sheets and towels ready to put back in service at the Burrow. Professor Flitwick assured them that their house had been well cared for by house-elves. He said that they had even stocked the pantry so they need not even shop for food and other supplies on their way home. They had also cleaned it daily, fed the chickens, and harvested and preserved the vegetables from the garden. In addition, they had split enough wood for the winter and kept the Burrow warm and cozy as soon as the cold weather started. Arthur put all their clothes in a suitcase and shrank it. He tucked it into the pocket of his robes and carried and Errol’s cage. Molly decided to leave her favorite teakettle and cauldron at Grimmauld Place because she’d be back for the frequent meetings. She bundled up all the Christmas hand knits and trinkets. Then she and Arthur Apparated to the freshly cleaned Burrow. They celebrated being back in their own bed that night. Molly spent most of the first week home in the kitchen cooking and making biscuits to put away for the Christmas Holidays. Ten days before Charlie’s birthday, she gave Arthur his parcels so they could be sent with the Ministry’s International mail. She included a whole tin of holiday biscuits and his Christmas jumper along with the coffee and self-warming long johns that were for his birthday. After much soul-searching, she decided to send Percy’s Christmas jumper to Bill to see if he could deliver it. Arthur warned her that Percy was being very cold and hostile at the Ministry and not to be disappointed if he returned the parcel unopened. A strange owl tapped on the kitchen window the end of the first week of December. Molly gave him a treat and he joined Errol on a perch near the window. Molly wondered what news could be so important that one of the children would risk sending an owl that might be intercepted. The message was brief but was in Ginny’s round handwriting. I am going to do what my brother’s friend can’t do any more. I had to try out and everything. The girl who went to a ball with one of my brothers says she thinks I will be good. I am chuffed. I wish my friend could come home with me for Christmas but she’s going to strap boards on her feet and slide down mountains. The friend of my brother hasn’t said anything about Christmas. He’s invited, isn’t he? We are busy and learning a lot. You will be proud of us. ‘Oh my! So Ginny is going to be the Gryffindor Seeker like her father and Charlie before her. She certainly has the right build.’ Molly looked at the letter again. ‘She didn’t address it or sign it so I guess no one could figure it out who it was from if they intercepted it. Next meeting, I must remember to arrange with Minerva for Harry to come here. I’m sure I told Ron to invite him before they went off to school’ When Arthur read the letter that evening after work, he said, ‘Ginny- a Seeker just like I was! I wonder if Hermione and her parents are going downhill skiing. I’d like to ask them how they stop when they get going fast down the mountain.’ They were happy to see Sirius at the next meeting of the Order. The three of them conferred with Minerva. She said that she would arrange for Harry to spend Christmas with the Weasleys. He’d also be able to spend some time with his godfather. ‘No sense telling any nosy person with whom or where he is over the holiday,’ she said with a smile. Most of the meeting was about assignments to watch over an important part of the Ministry. Dumbledore was sure that some of the followers of Voldemort would attempt to break in and remove something that could be important in the battle against the Death Eaters. Molly and Arthur took their share of all night surveillance duty but were careful to be sure all of it was before the Hogwarts Express was due to arrive in London on Friday, December 20 On the morning of December 18, Arthur kissed Molly goodbye after breakfast and reminded her that he had the night watch at the Ministry and would not be home until tomorrow evening. Molly felt a shiver as he reminded her of that but thought maybe she was coming down with something. After midnight, when she was still trying to get to sleep without Arthur’s warm body next to her, Fawkes suddenly appeared in their bedroom. Molly knew that Dumbledore must need her immediately, so she threw on some warm clothes and grabbed her wand. Then she took hold of the Phoenix’s tail. She was instantly transported to a hall in what she was certain was St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She could see Healers coming and going in and out of the door of the room she was facing. Molly suddenly felt a strong arm go around her shoulder and looked up into the face of her oldest son. ‘Mum, come and sit down,’ he said, leading her to the benches along the sides of the hall. ‘Dumbledore sent word to me that Dad has been bitten by a snake.’ She gasped. ‘A snake? I don’t understand. He was at the Ministry. I was there last week. There are no snakes at the Ministry.’ ‘This was a magical snake that we think was sent by Voldemort.’ Molly felt like she was going to faint. She began to tremble all over. ‘And Arthur? How is your father? He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?’ Now Bill began to look a bit queasy. ‘We’re not sure yet. They’ve just brought him here. The Healers said they would do their best to save him. If it hadn’t been for Harry seeing what was happening to him, he might not have been found until he’d bled to death.’ ‘HARRY SAW ARTHUR BEING BITTEN?’ Molly was glad she was sitting down and that Bill was with her. ‘How could Harry see what was happening at the Ministry?’ Professor Dumbledore suddenly appeared in the hall. ‘That is a great mystery, Molly,’ He sat down on the bench next to her. ‘Harry must have some sort of strange mental connection with Voldemort. He could feel the great snake sinking his fangs into your brave husband.’ An elderly Healer came out of the room in front of them. ‘Professor Dumbledore,’ he said bowing. ‘I am Healer Smethwyk. May I assume that this is Mrs Weasley and her son?’ ‘Yes, I am Molly Weasley and this is our son Bill,’ said Molly. ‘How is Arthur? May we see him?’ The Healer looked gravely at the three of them. ‘He had already lost a great deal of blood when he was admitted but we have been giving him Blood Replenishing Potions. He has just had a Dreamless Sleep Potion so he should sleep for several hours. You may go in to see him but he will not be awake. One of you may stay with him until the Potion wears off.’ Molly, with Bill and Dumbledore trailing behind her, went into the room where Arthur lay in a high bed. He was very pale and breathing so softly that Molly put her head down near his mouth to listen to his breath. ‘Oh Arthur, my love! What are we to do?’ Dumbledore led her gently to the door. ‘Minerva and I moved your children and Harry from Hogwarts to Grimmauld Place tonight before Dolores Umbridge could stop us. Sirius is watching over them but I am sure that you will want to be the one to reassure them about Arthur.’ ‘Let me stay with Dad,’ said Bill. ‘You go to the children. They need you. Dad is going to sleep for hours. I’ll get in touch with Fleur so she can tell Gringotts that I need the morning off for a family emergency.’ He sat on a chair next to the bed. Molly nodded. ‘We just moved back to the Burrow a little more than two weeks ago. Sirius says he didn’t even have time to miss us since we were at meetings there all the time anyway.’ She hugged Bill and then bent and kissed Arthur. ‘I love you, Arthur Weasley. Don’t you dare die while I am gone!’ Professor Dumbledore took a cup from a tray on a table in the hall, mumbled “Portus’ and handed it to Molly. ‘This will take you where you need to go. I will watch here in the hall to be sure that nothing further untoward occurs.’ Molly felt the squeeze she associated with a Portkey and found herself on the cold snowy doorstop of number twelve Grimmauld Place. She tried the door and found that it was unlocked. She tiptoed across the hall and down the steps to the kitchen where Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry were sitting with Sirius, waiting for news. It was ten past five in the morning… as she entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but… when the children and Sirius turned to look at her, she gave a wan smile. ‘He’s going to be all right,’ she said, her voice weak with tiredness. ‘He’s sleeping. We can all go to see him later. Bill’s sitting with him now. He’s going to take the morning off work.’ Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly to their mother and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh… ‘Breakfast!’ said Sirius, loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. ‘Where’s that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!’ But Kreacher did not answer the summons. ‘Oh, forget it then,’ muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. ‘So it’s breakfast for- let’s see- seven… Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast. Harry hurried over to the stove to help… He had barely taken plates from the dresser when Molly lifted them out of his hands and pulled him into a hug. ‘I don’t know what would have happened if it hadn’t been for you, Harry,’ she said in a muffled tone. ‘They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he’s alive and Dumbledore has been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was, you’ve no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise, look at poor Sturgis…’ Molly let go of Harry to turn to Sirius to thank him for looking after her children through the night. Sirius said he was very pleased to be able to help, and hoped that they would stay with him as long as Arthur was in hospital. ‘Oh Sirius, I’m so grateful… They think he’ll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer… Of course, that might mean we’re here for Christmas…’ ‘The more the merrier!’ said Sirius with such obvious sincerity that she beamed at him, threw on an apron, and began to help with breakfast. After a hearty breakfast, everyone crawled back into the beds that they had been sleeping in before Hogwarts had started. It was noon before anyone came down into the kitchen, hungry for lunch. Their trunks arrived from Hogwarts while they were eating lunch, so they could dress as Muggles for the trip to St Mungo’s. Everybody except Harry was riotously happy and talkative as they changed out of their robes into jeans and sweatshirts, and they greeted Tonks and Mad-Eye who had turned up to escort them across London… The went on the underground to the stop nearest St Mungo’s, and entered through the glass window of a closed department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. They found a bustling hospital with green clad Healers and witches and wizards who had come for help. Molly led them to the information desk and spoke to the witch there. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘My husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us-?’ ‘Arthur Weasley?’ said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her. ‘Yes, first floor, second door on the right. Dai Llewellen ward.’ Molly thanked her and said, ‘Come on, you lot.’ And led them through some doors, down a corridor, up a flight of stairs, and into the ‘Creature-Induced Injuries’ corridor where the second door on the right bore the words ‘DANGEROUS’ DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES. Underneath this was a card in a brass holder on which had been handwritten Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck, Trainer Healer: Augustus Pye. Molly and the five children went inside to visit Arthur while Tonks and Mad-Eye waited outside, with Mad-Eye in ‘Constant Vigilance’ Mode. Arthur was in the bed next to the window reading The Daily Prophet when he spotted them. ‘Hello!’ he called, throwing the Prophet aside. ‘Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he’ll drop in on you later…’ ‘How are you, Arthur?’ Molly said, bending down to kiss his cheek and looking anxiously into his face. ‘You’re still looking a bit peaky…’ ‘I feel absolutely fine,’ said Arthur brightly, holding out his good arm to give Ginny a hug. ‘If they could only take the bandages off, I’d be fit to go home.’ ‘Why can’t they take them off, Dad?’ asked Fred. ‘Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try,’ said Arthur cheerfully. He conjured six chairs for his visitors and told them about the other two patients in the ward. Fred and George tried to find out what their father was doing when he was bitten and if the story was in The Daily Prophet. Molly kept changing the subject every time they asked about where he was or what he was doing. She finally lost her temper. ‘That’s enough,’ said Molly crossly. ‘Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, and they want to come in and see you. And you lot can wait outside,’ she added to her children and Harry. ‘You can come and say good-bye afterwards. Go on…’ They trooped back into the corridor. Mad-Eye and Tonks came in and they all began to ask Arthur what had really happened. He said that he had dozed off and woke when the great snake sunk his fangs into him. Tonks said, ‘When we got there and found you, Mad-Eye and I brought you here straight away while the rest of the Aurors cleaned up the blood. There was a big pool of blood! Anyway, they searched the whole area but they couldn’t find the snake anywhere, it just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur… But You-Know-Who can’t have expected a snake to get in, can he?’ ‘I reckon he sent it as a lookout,’ growled Moody, ‘ ‘cuse he’s not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he’s trying to get a clearer picture of what he’s facing and if Arthur hadn’t been there the beast would have had a much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?’ ‘Yes,’ said Molly. She sounded rather uneasy. ‘You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this…’ ‘Yeah, well,’ said Moody, ‘there’s something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that.’ ‘Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning,’ whispered Molly. ‘ ’Course he’s worried,’ growled Moody. ‘The boys seeing things from inside You-Know-Who’s snake… Obviously, Potter doesn’t know what that means, but if You-Know-Who’s possessing him…’ ‘Possessing him, like he possessed Ginny?’ Molly spoke in a choked voice. ‘Do you think he’ll make him do terrible things, like he did Ginny?’ ‘No Molly! Don’t even think that. Ginny didn’t know that writing in Tom Riddle’s old diary would allow him to possess her. Harry is aware of what he’s doing. He told Dumbledore what he saw. He saved my life.’ Molly nodded and said. ‘I’d better let the children say good-bye. We’re going to stay with Sirius until you are able to leave St Mungo’s.’ Tonks and Moody told Arthur that someone would be guarding his room and went out to tell the children that they could come in and tell their father good-bye. Fred and George kept making wisecracks to make their father smile while Ron and Ginny just held his hand or snuggled close to him. They didn’t stay long but told him they’d be back. Molly noticed that Harry seemed more subdued than he’d been when they first arrived at St Mungo’s. She wondered if he just didn’t like hospitals or if it was something else… something more troubling. Tonks escorted Molly and the children back to Grimmauld Place on the tube while Mad-Eye Moody stood guard over Arthur. It was not a terribly long ride but Molly noticed Harry hunched over, looking like he was almost in pain. ‘Are you all right, Harry dear?’ whispered Molly, leaning across Ginny to speak to him as the train rattled along through its dark tunnel. ‘You don’t look very well. Are you feeling sick?’ They were all watching him. He shook his head violently and stared up at an advertisement for home insurance. ‘Harry dear, are you sure you’re all right?’ said Molly in a worried voice as they walked around the unkempt patch of grass in the middle of Grimmauld Place. ‘You look ever so pale… Are you sure you slept this morning? You go upstairs to bed right now, and you can have a couple of hours before dinner, all right?’ Molly and the rest of the children watched Harry trudge slowly up the stairs. ‘Anyone want a cuppa before I start dinner?’ asked Molly in a whisper. The four Weasley children followed her down the steps to the kitchen. ‘Good thing I left the kettle,’ she muttered as she flicked her wand at it to fill it with water and start the hob beneath it. ‘Let’s see if there are biscuits left from before we moved back to the Burrow,’ she added as a tin lifted gently from a shelf and placed itself on the kitchen table. ‘I didn’t know you had moved back home,’ said Fred. ‘When did you get to go back?’ asked George. ‘Is everything still the way it was?’ said Ron with a worried expression. ‘Did the Death Eaters ruin the Burrow?’ added Ginny. ‘Everything is even better than ever. We went back on the first of December. The house-elves took very fine care of our home. They cleaned everything and even sorted out the attic,’ said Molly. ‘They mended the rug in front of the fireplace in the lounge and stocked the pantry with enough food for a month.’ ‘Mum, don’t tell Hermione about the house-elves,’ said Ron. ‘She thinks they are enslaved.’ ‘Enslaved?’ said Molly. ‘She just doesn’t know much about house-elves. They live to serve. Except, maybe Kreacher.’ Everyone laughed at that. No one had seen Kreacher do any work at all at Grimmauld Place. Molly started cooking dinner while the children went to ask Sirius what they could do to help him decorate for Christmas. He promised that they would get to work on decorating tomorrow. Molly sent Ron up to tell Harry that she’d leave a plate for him if he didn’t feel like coming down for dinner. Ron said that he must be asleep because he didn’t answer him so Molly made him a plate and cast a Warming Charm on it. The rest of them had a delicious dinner with lively conversation. Molly smiled at how much the twins and Ginny seemed to admire Sirius. Their host went out of his way to include everyone in the repartee but obviously favored Ginny, ‘his pretend niece’.
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