Survivors - 5

Several of the captured Death Eaters had claimed to be under the Imperius curse, but their claims were met with deaf ears, and they were either slain or packed off to holding facilities before they could be sent to Azkaban.

Ginny had yet to see anyone from her family, and she waited on tenterhooks for any news. She and her group had all been treated when they'd first arrived, but only Ron and Harry had been admitted. The curse that had struck Ron had done a large amount of internal damage. The Healers had patched him up and repaired his broken wrist, but they'd insisted.

he needed to stay in bed for a couple days. Everyone had agreed that it would be best to keep the boys in one room. This way, the Ministry could monitor their visitors, and Hermione and Ginny could keep an eye on both of them. Hermione had curled up in a chair by Ron's bed, and they'd both been sleeping peacefully for hours.

Ginny wished she could do the same. She'd managed to drift off at one point during the night, but her uneasy sleep had been plagued by strange dreams. Professor Dumbledore had appeared and told her it was down to her to save Harry. She supposed it was simply her anxiety playing havoc on her mind, but she still couldn't shake the dream.

She wrung her hands, staring at Harry's pale and bruised face. The Healers insisted that it wasn't the injuries that he'd received during the battle that kept him unconscious – although they were many and vast – it was the Draught of Living Death that he'd ingested that was keeping him from regaining consciousness. His vital signs all showed that he was alive, but none of their scans had picked up any brainwave activity.

They said it was a unique case, and they weren't entirely certain how long it would take him to wake up. Ginny suspected that unique casemeant they just didn't know. The side effects of the antidote they'd given him were nausea and fever. The potion forced his body to fight in order to expel the poisons, so even after he'd regained consciousness, Harry was in for a rough recovery. Ginny couldn't even bring herself to think about what the lack of brain activity could mean. It was simply more than she could bear at the moment.

The Healers still didn't know anything about the Horcrux that had resided within Harry's soul. Ginny had nearly blurted everything when they'd begun examining him, but Hermione held her back, insisting it was better not to reveal anything about the Horcruxes lest any other Dark Lord wanna-be's got any ideas. Ginny knew she had a point but would only agree to remain silent unless it looked as if they couldn't treat Harry. Hermione readily accepted this condition.

Although she'd known what was supposed to happen when Harry caught that Snitch and uttered the Killing Curse, Ginny had been completely unprepared for the sheer agony that Harry underwent. His scar, which had been extremely red and hot to the touch, literally burst as the dark piece of Tom's soul was expelled. It had bled profusely, but he hadn't even appeared to notice. And then Snape…

Ginny scowled as she remembered how her former Potions master had attempted to curse Harry when he was too weak to defend himself. Leticia had promised that Snape would be transported directly to Azkaban, but without the Dementors there, Ginny thought that was too good for him.

Her face softened as she glanced over the bed and watched Harry sleep. She was still having a hard time believing it was really over. She picked up his limp hand and brushed her lips across his bruised knuckles. His long, slender fingers seemed almost delicate despite his calloused skin. They suited Harry – something soft and vulnerable beneath a tough outer shell.