St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Harry awoke the next morning in a common room armchair with Ginny curled up in his lap, her head buried in his neck and a blanket over them both. On the couch across from them Ron and Hermione were laying together with Ron's arms around her. They were all still in their dress robes, he noticed, blinking away the bright light shining down upon his face through the frosted window.
Harry moved his arm slightly and Ginny awoke with a start.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
She yawned widely and sat up, looking around, slightly confused.
"We fell asleep here last ni–i–ght?" Ginny said, failing to stifle back a yawn.
"By the looks of it."
"Aww...that's kinda cute," she said, pointing to Ron and Hermione. "If you get past the fact that my brother is an ugly bigot."
"Go pack," Harry whispered in her ear.
"Why? Where are we–," She gasped, "To see Teddy? I can come?"
"Of course."
She jumped up. "Then we can meet Ron and Hermione back at the Burrow and maybe make it for Christmas dinner tonight!"
She gasped, staring at Harry, as though hit by a sudden thought.
"What?" Harry asked.
She jumped into his arms and kissed him fiercely, her hands pressed to either side of his face, her tongue trailing his bottom lip. After several moments she pulled away. They stared at each other for a timeless moment, trying to control their breathing.
"Not that I didn't like it or anything," Harry said breathlessly, grinning. "But what was that for?"
"Your Christmas present. I didn't get you one–since, well–"
Harry pulled her close and kissed her again.
"You forgot, too?" she asked, laughing.
"I wanted to, but I thought–"
Ginny nodded. "I'll pack quick!"
She lifted her skirts up to her thighs so she could run up the stairs to the girl's dormitories. While Harry went up to the boy's.
He threw his things into the trunk and slammed the lid. Neville awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in his bed. "NOT THE SLUGS!" he yelled frantically, looking around wildly.
"Happy Christmas, Neville! Have some Frogs!" Harry threw a pile of Chocolate Frogs at a befuddled Neville, who was rubbing his eyes with his fists. "See you after holiday!" Harry called. "Locomotor trunk!" he said pointing his wand as he made his way down the stairs.
Ginny was already there, talking to Hermione who looked disgruntled and out of place as she leaned back against Ron who was laying on his back, his mouth open wide and snoring loudly. Harry thought he saw a tiny bit of drool hanging at the corner of his mouth and he smirked.
"So, we'll meet you at the Burrow, alright?" Ginny was saying.
"Alright. Merry Christmas, Harry! See you later," Hermione said as both Harry and Ginny climbed through the portrait hole.
"So how're we getting there, anyway?" Ginny asked as they walked down the deserted corridors, holding their trunks in front of them.
"McGonagall's office. She'll let us Floo, won't she?"
Ginny shrugged and they walked hand in hand to the Headmistress' office. They came to the newly restored gargoyle and stopped.
Harry said, "Lemon drop," and nothing happened. "Chocolate Frog–Cockroach Cluster–Toffee Eclair–Fizzing Whizbee–," still the gargoyle did not leap aside.
"Peanutbutter Pixie–Exploding Bonbon–Ice Mice–," Ginny tried.
Then it hit Harry. Dumbledore was no longer Headmaster. McGonagall would not have chosen different kinds of sweets as a password.
"Damn," he muttered.
"Potter, Ms. Weasley–what do you think you're doing?"
They spun around, "Professor!" Harry exclaimed. "We came to see you. We–"
"Jubilee" McGonagall said to the gargoyle who, then, slid aside.
"Never would of guessed that," Harry muttered to Ginny as they followed McGonagall up the revolving staircase and into her office.
"Sit down," she gestured to the chairs.
"Professor," Harry said quickly. "Professor, we were wondering–could we–"
"We want to return home for the rest of Christmas break," Ginny finished and Harry nodded.
She looked at them over her square spectacles. "You two know very well the Hogwarts Express left three days ago. And I daresay you two chose to stay for the holidays?"
"Yes, Professor, but–"
"I'm sorry, Potter, you know the rules. You and Ms. Weasley, here, will stay at Hogwarts for the remaining ten days of holiday."
"But Professor, it's Teddy Lupin–he's–he's sick in St. Mungo's" Ginny pleaded.
McGonagall's face softened but she remained stubborn, "I really am sorry–"
"Let them go, Minerva," said a voice from behind McGonagall. Harry looked up and saw Dumbledore. He was no longer in the biggest frame directly behind the Headmaster's chair, Severus Snape was, but his eyes were twinkling at them from right next door.
"Potter," Snape sneered when Harry met his eyes.
"But, Albus," McGonagall said.
"I believe–just this once–we should allow these two to return home," he smiled down at Harry and Ginny. "I presume Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will be coming up here later today?" he said peering knowingly at them over his half-moon spectacles.
"Er, yeah," Harry said.
Dumbledore nodded knowingly.
"Albus–you don't expect me to–"
"Of course you, being the current Headmistress at this fine establishment, have the complete choice of whether or not these students are allowed to return home. And I, being a late Headmaster of this fine establishment, can do nothing but give suggestions."
"Alright Potter," McGonagall said after a moment, turning back to face them. "You and Ms. Weasley may return home just this once," she said sternly as Harry and Ginny beamed.
"And Ron and Hermione–?"
"Will be meeting you at the Burrow later this evening."
"You will let us come back to Hogwarts, won't you?" Harry asked.
McGonagall smiled, "Yes, Potter, you will be allowed to return."
"Oh, thank you, Professor!" Ginny exclaimed and ran around the desk and hugged her. McGonagall started in surprise and after recovering, awkwardly patted Ginny on the back. Harry had to laugh and even Snape's mouth curled into a sincere grin.
"Right, well you had better get going," McGonagall said, gesturing to the fireplace. "I'll send your trunks after you."
Harry and Ginny both grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and stepped into the huge fireplace hand in hand.
They threw the powder down and green flames burst all around them. "The Burrow," they said in unison.
Fireplaces flashed before their eyes, then suddenly they fell out onto the hearth rug of the Weasley's sitting room.
Mrs. Weasley screamed, jumping up from the couch, her knitting flying in every direction. "Ginny! Harry!" she shrieked.
Harry pulled himself up and helped Ginny to her feet.
"Morning Mrs. Weasley–Mrs. Weasley–George–Percy."
Ginny hugged a stunned Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, "Happy Christmas Mum and Dad!"
"Hey George," Harry said, "Hi Percy."
Mrs. Weasley was already fussing over them. "My goodness, what a wonderful surprise! Where are your trunks? Are you hungry? I must make us all some cocoa!"
"Oh no, not for us, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said quickly. "Ginny and I are headed for St. Mungo's."
Mr. Weasley stood suddenly. "I'll come too, I want to see Teddy."
"Yeah, me too," George said.
"Oh I wish I could!" Mrs. Weasleysaid. "But there's just so much to do for dinner tonightnow that we've got two extra."
"Four, actually, Mum."
"And five if I can help it," Harry said.
"What?"
"Ron, Hermione and hopefully Teddy too."
"Ron and Hermione, too? Goodness!" she hurried off to the kitchen where you would soon hear the banging of pots and pans.
"You coming, Perce?" George asked.
"Er, no, I think I'll stay and help Mum."
"Scared little prat," George whispered to Harry as they walked outside. "He never did like hospitals."
They walked outside and past the garden.
"Aah, this should be outside the boundary," Mr. Weasley said. "We made it smaller ever since we didn't have to worry about Deatheaters attacking us every two seconds."
Harry concentrated hard on his destination. He felt the now familiar, but not enjoyable sensation of being squeezed through a dark tube. Then, suddenly, the light shone brightly and he stood in the London street full of Muggle shoppers doing very last minute shopping.
"Aah, yes. Not far from here," said Mr. Weasley, starting to make his way through the mass of people.
They pushed through the crowd and came upon a large, old fashioned, red brick department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. The display window held a few chipped dummies, standing at random with their wigs askew, modeling fashions from some ten years previously. Mr. Weasley went up to a window displaying a particularly ugly female dummy wearing a green nylon jumper dress. "We're here to see Ted Remus Lupin," he whispered, his breath steaming the window.
The dummy gave a tiny nod and beckoned them forward. Mr. Weasley seized Ginny by the elbow, and stepped through the glass. Harry and George followed.
They entered the reception room, which was surprisingly rather empty. There was only a sleeping witch sitting in the corner, snoring with a purple bubble the size of a Quaffle protruding from her left ear. A Healer, who was dressed in sky blue, was trying to get her attention but it didn't seem to be working. In another corner an old warlock kept shouting random phrases that he didn't seem able to control. "You outta your tree?" he shouted as they walked in, making Ginny jump. "It's not my fault! The pumpkins flew out yesterday!" he exclaimed then slapped a hand over his mouth.
They walked up to the reception desk. The witch there had her head on her arms and was breathing slowly. "Hello," Mr. Weasley said cautiously, tapping the sleeping witch on the shoulder.
She shot up. "Huh? Oh, oh!" she said, looking frazzled. "I'm sorry–double shift–no time anymore. Can I help you?"
"Teddy Lupin?" Mr. Weasley asked.
The witch skimmed her finger down the long roll of parchment in front of her. "Yes. Well his circumstance isn't really contagious–but there really was not other place for him. Second floor. Third door on the right."
"Thank you."
"That dang flab mushroom keeps eating my oatmeal!" the old warlock shouted after them as Harry, Ginny and George followed Mr. Weasley through the double doors and down the narrow corridor. They climbed two flights of stairs and entered the Magical Bugs floor for contagious maladies.
"Here we are," Mr. Weasley knocked on the door.
"Come in," said a soft voice.
"You two go ahead. George and I'll wait out here," Mr. Weasley said.
Harry and Ginny entered the hospital room. It was colored in a bright yellow and small. There was a single crib sitting in the middle of the room.
"Harry!" said Andromeda Tonks rising from a chair in the corner.
Harry rushed over to the crib and saw Teddy laying there, seemingly lifeless. Harry's heart stopped. He rushed to pick the baby up–
"Harry, no!" Andromeda said suddenly. "He's just fallen asleep."
Relief rushed over Harry, "Oh–oh right."
"Hello, have we met?" Andromeda asked, peering questioningly at Ginny.
"Oh, sorry – Mrs. Tonks, this is Ginny Weasley–my girlfriend."
"Nice to meet you," Mrs. Tonks shook Ginny's hand.
Ginny nodded. "Is he–is he going to be alright?"
"Oh–yes, yes he will. They've given him a potion that will hopefully stop all this. They say it's in his blood and it's lucky we've brought him in this young. He's been taking this potion four times a day for the last five days, poor thing," she smiled sadly at Teddy. "Last night was his last dose and now they wish him to rest."
Just then a man in sky blue robes came in the door carrying a clipboard. "Oh, hello there. I'm Troy Knoxman, the Healer who's working on little Teddy here," he stuck out a hand.
Ginny shook it, "Ginny Weasley."
"Pleasure," Healer Knoxman said, nodding. He shook Harry's hand.
"Harry Potter," Harry said distractedly, watching Teddy.
"Good Lord, are you really? You're such a brave, brave man. Thank you," he said a little breathlessly. "Might I ask how you know Teddy?"
"He's my Godson."
"I see. Well he is getting along very well, the little tyke."
"We were wondering, could we–maybe , since it's Christmas–take him home?"
"Harry..." Healer Knoxmansaid, shaking his head. "Teddy needs resting, he–," he saw Harry and Ginny's faces fall. "How 'bout this–since Teddy is getting along miraculously well, you can take him home tonight, for Christmas, and I'll meet you tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron to have a look at him?"
"Oh yes, sir! Thank you!" said Ginny, hugging Harry around the middle.
"But, I must ask you to let him stay put for another hour or so, just for a rest."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said, smiling.
"Not at all," Healer Knoxman said, walking out the door. "See you tomorrow–three o'clock at the Leaky Cauldron.
He shut the door behind him and Mrs. Tonks stood up.
"I must be leaving myself. Lots of errands. Merry Christmas," she said.
She was almost out the door when Harry realized she would be spending Christmas alone; no husband, no daughter, and now, no grandson.
"Mrs. Tonks!" Harry said. "Would you like to come to dinner at the Weasley's tonight?"
A look of surprise shone upon her face. "Oh, that's very kind of you, Harry, thanks," she smiled softly. "But I have promised a friend to stop by tonight, so no thank you."
"Oh, alright."
"Happy Christmas," she said, shutting the door behind her.
Not a second later it was opened again by George, who was followed in by Mr. Weasley.
"What's up?" George asked sinking down into the chair Andromeda had just left.
"We can take him home in an hour!" Ginny beamed, looking over at Teddy.
"Excellent," George and Mr. Weasley said together.
"So," Mr. Weasley clapped his hands down and sat in the chair next to George, motioning for Ginny and Harry to do the same.
"We've got a bone to pick you," George said.
"Yes," Mr. Weasley said. "Now, we want you to be completely honest–"
"Otherwise I will be forced to hurt you," George said and Ginny gave him an I'd-like-to-see-you-try look so he turned to Harry.
"Er, alright," said Harry.
"Are you two–is there any chance–have you agreed–has it been decided–"
"What Dad is frantically trying to spit out is: Are you two married?"
Harry shook his head and Ginny said defiantly, "No."
"Pregnant?" George asked, staring at Ginny's stomach.
Ginny stood faster than Harry had ever seen, "Levicorpus!" she shouted, pointing her wand at George who was immediately hoisted up and hanging in midair as though a invisible rope was holding him by the ankle.
"What the–?" George shouted.
"What is it with this family thinking that I go around getting myself pregnant at seventeen?" she demanded, George still suspended above them.
"Ginny, George didn't mean it like that," Mr. Weasley said cautiously, just as afraid of his daughter's temper as he was of his wife's.
"Honestly," said George, his hair dangling below his head and his face becoming bright red from the blood rushing to his head, "it was just a question."
Ginny let him down, and not nicely either; her was jaw was set and she looked mutinous.
George got up, rubbing his knee, he sat back down. "Well," he said calmly, "now that we've got the curse-your-brother part out of the way, we can move on."
"Are you two," Mr. Weasley began. "Are you–are you getting married?" Mr. Weasley cried in exasperation.
"Er–"
"Don't even bother to lie, Harry," Ginny spat. "Yes, we are planning to get married."
"Someday," Harry added quickly with a nervous glance at George.
"What–but–but that's–you're young–you're not–highly ignorant–you can't pos–"
"Dad!" Ginny shouted. "Stop it. We're not getting married now! I've just promised him–promised Harry that I will marry him."
George sat there, stunned.
Ginny, breathing heavily, fell back into her chair.
"Well, that's–that's–you're growing up, aren't you?" Mr. Weasley said as if defeated. "I've tried for so long to stop you from growing up. But now it seems almost impossible after all you've been through."
"Yes, I have grown up and yes I do know how to handle things, but that doesn't stop me being your daughter. I love you all the same."
"Oh, Ginny," Mr. Weasley pulled her up into a big hug. "I love you so much!"
George pointed his finger down his throat and pretended to gag. Harry smirked.
"Well, Harry," Mr. Weasley said. Harry stood up. "Can't say I'm not glad you'll someday be an actual son of mine," he stuck out his hand and Harry shook it, "you're as good as one now." Mr. Weasley pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks," Harry said grinning.
"Well, Harry, guess this means I'll have another brother to torment," George said hugging Harry quickly.
"You guys are so stupid," Ginny said shaking her head.
The four spent the rest of the hour daydreaming about the feast that would come that night.
"Molly's probably gone all out," Mr. Weasley was saying just as Healer Knoxman walked in.
"Well, as I'm sure you've all been carefully counting down," he smiled at Ginny, who quickly put her hands in her lap which were holding Harry's watch, "you know it's been an hour."
He walked over to Teddy's crib and tapped a wire that had been attached to his wrist. Teddy immediately shot his eyes open. Healer Knoxman picked him up and handed him to Harry.
Teddy rubbed his eyes with his fists, then, realizing who was holding him, he gave a shout. "'Arry!"
"Oh, no!" Ginny cried. "Don't call him that! You're not French! We've already got enough Phlegm floating around the house!"
Harry grinned, "Hey, big guy," he said, throwing him up in the air.
Teddy howled with laughter. Harry handed Teddy to Ginny who he hugged around the shoulders.
"Thank you, Healer," Harry said shaking Troy Knoxman's hand.
"Anytime, anytime," he said, ushering them out the door. As they walked down the hallway he called after them, "Remember, tomorrow, three o'clock, the Leaky Cauldron. Happy Christmas!"