Until Death do us Apart - Part 10

A whoop of joy that unmistakably belonged to one of the twins filled the air and caused Harry to blink dazedly. Shouts of glee filled the night, and Harry became aware that his body was no longer chilled. He could find no trace of the dementors.

He lay on the ground, panting, for a moment, trying to summon the energy to stand. He could see Prongs cantering back towards him and running with a small Jack Russell terrier patronus that he knew belonged to Ron.

Ron was all right! He was somewhere in this chaos, and hopefully that would mean Hermione was all right, as well.

He recognized most of the faces remaining in the meadow and hoped that meant that Mrs. Weasley had managed to help the other guests escape. He fought against the dimness trying to encroach upon his vision, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. The motion caused his world to tilt alarmingly, and for a moment he thought he might get sick. He had just managed to control his nausea with a few deep breaths when Ginny appeared by his side.

"Harry!" she shouted, dropping to her knees beside him and cradling his head in her lap while gently running her fingers through his hair. "Are you all right? Oh, you poor thing. Bill said you'd be exhausted. You did it, Harry! You really did it. You were magnificent."

Harry grinned and leaned into her touch. "It worked then, yeah?"

"It worked splendidly," Ginny replied, her eyes bright with excitement. "Not only did you strengthen the wards, but you somehow pushed them even further back and forced the dementors out, as well. I literally saw one Death Eater's body being flung through the air. You were brilliant, Harry. Even Bill is impressed, and it takes a lot to impress him. I wouldn't be surprised if he offers you a job after you leave Hogwarts."

"Yeah? Harry Potter, Curse-Breaker, eh?" Harry said, managing a weak smile. "Maybe if being an Auror doesn't work out for me."

"Let's get you back to the house where you can rest. Do you think you can stand?" Ginny asked.

Harry tried to rise on his elbows but couldn't manage to make his body respond and flopped back onto the ground. "Right here is fine," he said, fighting to keep his eyes open. Suddenly, he felt his world tilt again as he was scooped up into thick, heavily muscled arms.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you out of here," Charlie Weasley said. "Ginny can say thanks by snogging your brains out later."

"She said I was magnificent," Harry said, slurring his words.

"Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head, mate. She said you were a hopeless idiot yesterday. She's always been temperamental, that one," Charlie replied, grinning.

"Hey!" Ginny cried, slapping her brother on the arm. "I'm right here, you know."

Despite his closed eyes, Harry could tell Ginny was smiling. He was too tired to care that Charlie was carrying him to the Burrow, so he just let his body relax, and the dimness on the edge of his vision covered his eyes completely.

The tinkling of glass, the drone of muted music, and the distant peals of laughter were the sounds Harry heard as he slowly drifted back to awareness. He was warm and comfortable and felt more secure than he had in quite some time. He wasn't willing to give that up by opening his eyes just yet.

"Exactly how long are you going to pretend to still be asleep, Harry?" Ginny asked.