Survivors - 11

"Is he okay?" Ginny asked, feeling extraordinarily proud of her friend.

"Yeah, he was fine. I saw him with a blonde girl. I think she might have been hurt, though. She looked very confused," Charlie said.

"No, that's Luna," Ginny said, giggling. "She always looks that way."

"All the DA really performed splendidly," her dad said.

"Someone will have to tell Draco about his mother," Ginny said, feeling uncomfortable. She was surprised to find she actually felt bad for Draco. "If he survives, that is. He was hurt really badly."

Hermione's compassion and quick-thinking had saved Draco's life. By Petrifying him, she'd kept his entrails from being entirely expelled, and the Healers were able to patch him back together. Vaguely, Ginny wondered how the Slytherin would feel about owing his life to Hermione.

"Since when do you care what happens to Draco Malfoy?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Since he helped Harry beat Voldemort," Ginny replied, shrugging.

"He helped, you say?" her father asked, his eyes opening so wide that his glasses slipped down his nose.

"Yeah, he did. He was upset that Voldemort killed Pansy, so he offered to help. It was a good thing too, because Harry couldn't have done it alone, particularly not in the condition he was in at the time," Ginny said.

"He killed Pansy?" her father asked, wincing. Although her dad had grown accustomed to all of them actually saying Voldemort's name, and he no longer winced when he heard it, he still couldn't bring himself to actually say it.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked. "What happened, anyway? I heard Harry killed him with his bare hands."

"He killed him with a wand," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

She met her father's eyes over Harry's bed and knew he understood what that meant and which curse Harry used. She hadn't really thought about it at the time, but she couldn't imagine Harry would get in trouble for it since everyone knew Voldemort had to be stopped. Besides, it wasn't as if there even was a Ministry to enforce the rules at the moment. Her dad blinked and waited for her to continue. He obviously wasn't going to make a fuss about it.

"Pansy tricked him into disarming her, and her wand was a Portkey. Voldemort was waiting at the other end," Ginny said, wondering if she should just wait for all her family to be together so she wouldn't have to keep repeating this story. Then she thought that if it meant that the rest of her family could all survive, she'd gladly repeat it every time. "Harry got away, but not before Snape poured a phial of the Draught of Living Death down his throat."

"What?" her family shouted together, causing Hermione to sit up straight, blinking groggily. She stared in confusion at the mass of Weasleys who had infiltrated the hospital room while she slept.

"There was no time to get the full story. Harry said he spit it out, but he was obviously unwell. He couldn't sit still or the effects became worse," Ginny said, shuddering as she remembered how pale and sickly Harry had looked when he first appeared in the Death Room. "That's why he's still covered in bruises. The Healers said they won't disappear until the potion is completely out of his system."

"Sweet Merlin," her mother said, raising her hand to her throat. She jumped from her chair and proceeded to unnecessarily straighten the blankets covering Harry.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, finally awake. "You're all right! Ron will be so happy to see you all here and safe. He was so worried."