Problems Multiply
The past few weeks had gone by in a blur for Harry, but it felt like he had never had a life outside of these weeks. Things were so up in the air that Harry had no idea where he stood anymore, on anything in the world. The search for the Horcruxes seemed a million years away, he couldn't bring himself to even think of Voldemort at the moment, when he heard of attacks and plans all he could manage to do was shrug. He just couldn't bring himself to care what was happening outside of St. Mungos, where he was waiting day and night for Ginny to open her eyes for the first time since the attack.
His guilt was overwhelming him, there was no certainty that she would ever wake up, she was under constant surveillance as she often was often nearly dying at any point of the day. Harry spent everyday and a lot of nights just sitting by her bed holding her hand, praying that she would once more open her beautiful eyes. The healers still hadn't worked out why she was still in a coma, the large cut that had produced so much blood had been closed easily, but she looked perfect, unharmed as she struggled to stay alive. He wished he was there instead of her, he had only broken them up as to protect her from harm, now he had to accept the fact that he had hurt her anyway. That by breaking up with her he had hurt her, and that she was lying close to death all because of a stupid kiss with Hermione…
He had barely seen Hermione since kissing her, he couldn't bear to look at her. He knew it was unfair but he blamed her as much as himself for Ginny, she shouldn't have kissed back. If she hadn't kissed back Ginny wouldn't have ran from the pub, straight into an attack. If she hadn't kissed back then Ginny wouldn't be fighting for her life. She was sure doing a good job of avoiding him as well, he couldn't remember Hermione even coming to the hospital once after the first night, something of a blessing for Harry.
Here he was now, midnight, sat in a chair by the side of a girl he loved dearly, and there was no way he could help her. The room was barren and empty, all visitors had left for the night, the nurses had given up asking him to leave, as they knew by the look in his eye that visiting hours meant nothing to him.
`Ginny…open your eyes…please…' He said softly, holding her small soft hand in his, tracing his thumb along the length of her smooth palm `Please…I'm so sorry…for everything…'
A tapping came from the door, Harry's mind acknowledged that someone was there but the only thing he cared about was lying in the bed in front of him.
`Harry, can I have a word' came the soft caring voice, he heard the words but he cared so little for them that his mind didn't even put a name to the voice, it just wasn't important. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he still didn't look or care, his concentration taken solely with looking into Ginny's closed eyes, holding her hand so she knew he was there for her. The hand was removed and Harry was once again left alone in the cold stale hospital room filled with flowers. Flowers for a girl he loved, sent by those that loved her.
Hours passed as Harry sat there, slowly his eyes drooped and he fell into a quiet sleep, away from the problems of life.
He was walking through a house, his bare feet making no sound on top of the carpet as he crept slowly through a room towards a large mahogany door. He couldn't help but realize how strange this was, he was in a house he seemed to know well that was modern, but with a large mahogany old fashioned door. He let out a laugh, almost instantly catching it in his throat, he had to be quiet. He was now right out side the door as he paused, his hand resting softly on the door, every inch of him wanting to push it open. But something held his hand firm, a foreboding of what he would find.
`Hurry up Harry, I don't have all day!' Came a woman's voice he recognized from the other side of the door, it was cheery and filled with joy. He pushed the door open and instantly recognized the woman.
`Mum?' He asked, slightly bewildered. She was stood up and Harry found out she was slightly shorter than him, her flaming red hair made her beautiful, and when he looked into his eyes it was like he was looking into a mirror. He wasn't ever quite sure how much to believe about that old fable he'd heard so many times, how his eyes were identical to his mothers, but it had been proven. The eyes identical to his own beamed at him in pride
`Mum, mother, Lily, I go by all these names' She said walking purposefully up to him and enveloping him in a huge hug. And to think Harry had thought that Mrs. Weasleys hugs had been motherly, they didn't even compare to the feel of being in his mothers' arms. She pulled apart reluctantly after giving him his first motherly kiss on the cheek. By the tears threatening to come from her eyes he knew that she had been waiting a long time to give that hug, as long as he had been waiting to receive it. She sat down on a near by chair and beckoned him to join her
`I can't believe you're here…' Harry said in shock, still unable to take his eyes from hers.
`Well believe it Harry, because we don't have the time to do the whole `prove it' thing. And to be honest if I have to do that to my own son I shall be mightily insulted' She said laughing softly looking at him `I'm so happy to see you finally Harry, I want you to know that I'm sorry…' she said sincerely, but Harry interrupted her.
`Don't say sorry, it wasn't your fault it was Voldemorts' fault, he killed you!' his words, although honest and heartfelt were met with laughter.
`I'm sorry Harry…shouldn't have laughed' she said righting herself and trying to wipe the grin from her face `I wasn't talking about the whole dying thing. Anyway I was the one who actually died there, I think that was unpleasant enough in itself without having to feel guilty for it!' She said jokingly causing the two of them to laugh loudly. He had never thought of his mother as having a sense of humor before, in his mind she was the careful strict one. Evidently she seemed as `bad' as James. `I meant for not doing in Petunia while I had the chance!' She said and the two shared another big laugh.
He was just sat there staring at his mother, the mother he had never met but already knew fully. His mother. He couldn't stop himself from lunging at her to get another hug, he wanted to make up for lost time. After several long moments he pulled away from her and sat back down and grinned. He couldn't remember ever being happier. She pulled two mugs from a table he hadn't noticed and handed him one while taking a sip from her own.
`Hot chocolate? And Sirius didn't give me anything!' He said jokingly.
`Sirius has never been the best of hosts' She said sighing slightly `don't get me wrong, Harry, I love the man but he's always coming around now. James practically thinks their teenagers again. You can guess how much trouble their getting in now!' she spoke like they were her troublesome children but her eyes let her down, Harry could tell how much they meant to her and how happy she actually was.
`So, Harry, I'm not really allowed to do this but being here with you I now realize why Sirius did what he done. Let's have a little chat, they'll wait. Is there anything you want to talk about?' she asked cheekily raising an eyebrow at him `A certain Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley?'
Harry blushed, for a moment he couldn't believe his mother was asking about his love life. This thought quickly disappeared as he realized that he was talking to his dead mother, anything else compared to that must be mundane. `Well, how much do you know?' he asked cheekily back.
`Cho, covered, dating Ginny, covered, kissing Hermione, covered' she said ticking a finger each time like she was counting down a list `I can't believe that poor girl though, hurt so terribly…' Harry froze for a moment, he didn't want to think of Ginny right now when he could be talking with his mother and he banished the thought of her from his mind `You know I use to work in St. Mungos', I was a top healer.' She said proudly, Harry didn't know this but wasn't shocked by the news, the job seemed perfect for her. `I spent my fair share of time here, not nearly as much as you have been these past few weeks.' She said strictly, clearly showing that disapproved of his behavior. She suddenly reminded him of Hermione in her scorning, `So, what's happening between the three of you?'
`I though you said you knew?' He said interested in how much she actually knew.
`Yet again I'm going to take a marauder path and answer your question even though I shouldn't!' she said laughing, obviously the marauders had rubbed of on her quite a bit `we can see, and we know certain things, but no mind reading. So I'm asking how do you feel?' She said matter of factly in a very Hermione-ish kind of way.
`I don't know…' he said lamely but by the look in her eyes he knew he had to give a better answer `With Ginny, I want to kiss her all the time and Hermione's my best friend… Actually that's pretty simple isn't it?' Harry said amazed at the situation, although the strange tingling sensation told him that that might not be the whole truth `What do you think?' he asked
`Well, Ginny's beautiful. Me being a red head naturally adore the red heads. If I was a few years younger at school and… well, alive… I'd of crushed out on Ron majorly. And I know how much the whole quidditch thing means to you. I simply adore Hermione though. I know she's in Gryffindor, but she belongs in my house, Ravenclaw. Being myself ever so bright, I love that in her. On your… adventures we'll call them… she's my favorite. I know just how she feels with you and Ron, I got pulled around along with the marauders often enough!' she said cheerfully `But in the end you'll make your own choices, although I'm pretty sure I know what it'll be, mothers intuition and all.' She said proudly.
Harry found this a little weird. Looking at his mother he did notice the similarity between her and Ginny, this was a little cringing for Harry. And Hermione did seem to be a lot like her. Dam, if he put the two of them together they'd probably be his mother. The one saving grace was that he hadn't known his mother was like Hermione, having never spoken to her. He worked quickly to banish all though of this from his mind, it wasn't a course of thought that was very nice.
`But when I, you know…kissed… Hermione, you saw what happened, Ginny got hurt. How could I do that to her now?' He asked sincerely. His mother just looked back lovingly at him with a small grin on his face.
`Even if you want to be with Ginny you can't blame Hermione, you kissed her and Ginny ran out. It wasn't your fault and it sure as hell wasn't Hermione's!' she said in her strict mode again. Harry knew this to be true, he didn't blame Hermione, and it wasn't her fault at all.
`Thanks…mum' he said softly, and with that the lights started to dim slowly. He knew what this meant, having had it happen with Sirius, he hadn't much time left. The look on Lily's face showed that she realized it too and the two stood up from their chairs as Lily pulled him into another hug.
`Your being awoken by someone who needs you, Harry.' She said softly, a little sob coming from her letting him know tears were now falling from her eyes. A laugh broke from her as she pulled away from him `Sirius is never going to let me live this down, me breaking the rules and keeping you here as long as he did!'
Harry looked at his mother, this was his first time he had seen her for 16 years and would be the last for, hopefully, many more years to come. He felt tears rolling silently down his cheeks, falling slowly into the corners of his mouth `I love you' he said quietly, her tears now falling in great flows from her eyes.
`I love you too, Harry, now go' She said. Harry turned and walked towards the mahogany door, he knew all he had to do was push it open and walk through, he heard Lily's last words as he opened the door and walked through `being in love…it's how you know your alive'
Harry felt the soft chair underneath him telling him he was back in the hospital room. He felt a tear on the side of his face, he didn't care to push it away, it was a tear for his mother, for once not because of sorrow but of joy. He felt a hand on his shoulder and moved his hand up to it and held on. The hand melted in his grasp, the warm softness of it incased in his made him feel safe. He blinked his eyes open and looked at who the hand belonged to. He was brought eye to eye with beautiful brown eyes, Hermione's eyes. He smiled softly at her to tell her everything was ok, a smile he didn't receive back. He realized his other hand was holding onto Ginny and he looked at it.
For a moment he sat hand in hand with the two girls in his life, both of who he knew he loved, each differently, but each total.
`Harry…you're…here' came a small dry voice. He looked up from Ginny's hand and saw her eyes open, looking straight at him in love.
*
Sorry for long time between update. Sorry it's a little shorter than the rest, the next chapter is a monster though so that'll make up for the length (I hope). Hope you liked it, and I hope Lily was ok. Well please review, quicker you review the quicker I write…fact. I want to say thank you to everyone who reads it this time, not just the reviewers (although I do like you more than them!). Hope you enjoyed it!
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