Forever Family

Chapter 7

Publish Date: 9/30/18

"I think I'm gonna go to St. Mungo's today." Ginny and Harry were eating breakfast, before Harry went to work. Ginny had no practice today, so she had the day off. Harry looked up from his mug of coffee.

"For the nightmares?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded her confirmation. "I really wish I could be there for you, Gin. Let me know how it goes."

"Of course. It shouldn't be to serious, I'm sure I'll be fine with some Dreamless Sleep for the bad nights." It had been a few weeks since Ginny's first nightmare, and they had been coming since then.

"How often do they happen?" Harry asked, to get a sense of the severity. Ginny shrugged.

"Once every few nights, or so," she replied. "I want to know how to stop them. That's why I'm going."

"I've got to go, Gin. I'll see you after work, and good luck at Mungo's," Harry quickly packed up his stuff, and kissed Ginny goodbye.

A few minutes after Harry left, Ginny got ready to go to St. Mungo's. She Apparated there with a sharp 'pop'.

The waiting room in St. Mungo's was a busy place. It was bustling, full of energy and people. Ginny made her way to the front desk, hoping to see a healer. A woman was at the desk, bent over a pile of paperwork.

"Hello, how can I help—oh, Miss Weasley!" Being a chaser on a professional Quidditch team and engaged to Harry Potter had to get her recognized, she supposed. The receptionist continued to talk. "I'm sorry, Miss Weasley, I didn't see you there. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi, I'm here to see a healer," Ginny informed her.

"Alright, I think Healer Parker is free right now. Go ahead and wait in the waiting room, and she'll be out to see you in a moment."

"Thank you." Ginny walked back over to the waiting room, and sat down in a chair. A moment later, her name was called.

"Weasley?" Healer Parker was a petite woman, with short brown hair and a kind smile. A few people looked up at Ginny as she was making her way over to Healer Parker.

"Hello, Miss Weasley, I'm Healer Parker." the woman led Ginny to a room with a hospital bed and a few chairs. The room was sterile and clean, and bright white. "So, what brings you here today?"

"I've been having nightmares," Ginny said. "About the war. The war ended a few years ago, so I don't understand why I'm having them now."

"I see. And have they been going on since the war ended, or have they just started up recently?" Healer Parker asked earnestly.

"They just started a few weeks ago. They're continuous, though, that's why I'm concerned." Healer Parker nodded thoughtfully. After a few more questions, she came to a conclusion.

"I think you're experiencing what Muggles call PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It typically occurs when someone has gone through a traumatic event, such as a war, and is feeling stress or anxiety because of it. I'm not sure why yours is delayed, but it might have something to do with an object or person that sparked those memories. Is there anything that has changed recently that may have started the nightmares?"

"I don't think so. Is there anything else that may have caused them?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not sure, since I don't specialize in the mind. How often are the nightmares?"

"Once every few nights, or something like that," Ginny responded. Healer Parker frowned.

"I see. I'd give you some Dreamless Sleep to take before bed, but if they occur that often, it's probably safer to avoid that. We wouldn't want you to get to dependent on it," the healer said. Ginny nodded in response.

"Okay, Miss Weasley. I'd recommend seeing a Mind Healer, something like a Muggle therapist. They can help you deal with the nightmares in a healthy, and maybe even non-magical way. I can schedule an appointment for you, if you'd like. Thanks for coming in today."

"That'd be great, Healer Parker. Thanks for your help," Ginny replied. She waited a moment while Healer Parker wrote some things down. After a few moments, she looked up again.

"Alright, Miss Weasley. I know a Mind Healer who is free one week from now. Her name is Healer Matthews. If you just go up to the desk and say you're here to meet with Healer Matthews, they should let you in. The appointment's at 2 PM. Any more questions before you leave?"

"No, thank you," Ginny said goodbye to the healer, packed up her things, and Apparated away.

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A few hours later, Ginny was visiting Hermione while they waited for Harry and Ron to get back from work.

"She told me I should go see a Mind Healer. What do you think, 'Mione? You know more about this kind of thing than I do."

"I think it's a good idea," Hermione said. "It seems nice that their able to find Muggle solutions for problems as well. I think seeing a Mind Healer will certainly help." Hermione said, wrapping her curly brown hair into a bun. Ginny smiled at her friend's response.

"Do you know when Harry and Ron plan on coming home?" Ginny asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Not sure. Hopefully not to late, though. Want some tea?" Ginny nodded, and Hermione grabbed two mugs and poured them both some warm tea.

The two chatted for a while, about weddings and family and work and anything else that they could come up with. It was so nice to just sit and relax and talk. Pretty soon, the door opened, and Harry and Ron walked in.

"Hey, Gin! I didn't know you were here," Harry grinned and pulled Ginny in for a hug. "How was Mungo's?"

Ginny took note of Ron's confused look at the mention of St. Mungo's, and proceeded to explain the situation to both Ron and Harry.

"It seems like everything went well, then. I'm pretty tired, though. Do you mind if we go home, Ginny?" Harry asked. Ginny shook her head.

"I'm pretty tired too, actually. We should probably head home. See you guys later." The two said their goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, and walked out the front door.

Once they were gone, Ron wrapped Hermione in a hug.

"Hey." Hermione smiled.

"Hey." Ron kissed the tip of her nose. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ron." Hermione laughed. "But what's this for?"

"Does there have to be a reason?" Ron asked playfully.

"With you, yes," Hermione smirked. Ron just grinned.

"I adore you, 'Mione. And I don't tell you that enough," Hermione started to protest, but Ron cut her off. "But I want to."

"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"

A/N: Here's chapter 7! I had a hard time writing the engagement part, because it was hard to have Ron propose without it sounding weird and abrupt. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! 💛
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