Survivors - 14

"No, it's not," Ron said, beaming. "It's a way to remember. Everyone is saying that we'll never let anything like this happen again, but time will pass, and it will fade. This is a way to keep the memory alive. You can't push it aside if there is a reminder staring you in the face everyday."

Hermione stared at Ron with tears shining in her eyes. "I don't have one," she whispered.

"Don't worry, Hermione. When Ronnie here finally gets his act together and asks you to marry him, we'll just have to take you out and Curse you," Charlie said, grinning.

Hermione's eyes widened in alarm before Ginny burst into giggles.

"Charlie!" her mum said, slapping his arm although her eyes were twinkling.

"And you do have your own sort of scar, Hermione," Ginny said. "Your hair is different."

Hermione pulled at her less-bushy curls. "That is true," she said, smiling happily.

Her dad patted her mum on the hand, smiling fondly. "Now, if Fred would just walk through that door, and George and Harry would hurry and wake, we'll truly have something to celebrate," he said.

"Does anyone know where Fred was during all the fighting?" Hermione asked.

"George would've," Charlie said quietly, and a somber mood fell across the inhabitants of the room.

"Maybe he finally worked up the balls to kiss Iris, and she Hexed him," Bill said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Bill!" her mum said, scowling.

"Iris wouldn't Hex him," Fleur said, smiling knowingly. "Eets more likely she was ze one to jump him. You Weasley boys take too much time to take action in matters of ze heart."

All the Weasleys in the room stared pointedly at Ron, even her mum.

"What?" Ron said indignantly, his ears burning.

Her mother sniffled, rose from her chair and threw her arms around Ron. "Oh, my baby boy," she cried.

Ron shifted uncomfortably but patted her back nonetheless. "I'm fine, Mum," he said.

The door swung open and the final missing Weasley appeared, looking pale and grave and far too serious for Ginny's liking. It wasn't right to see Fred without a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Fred!" her dad said, rising quickly but freezing on the spot as he caught a good look at Fred's face. "What is it, son?"

"Katie Bell is working here; I saw her when I arrived. She said to tell you that you could see George now. They're just waiting for him to wake up," Fred said, his voice deadened. He had a long gash on the side of his face, and his arm was also in a sling.

"What aren't you saying, Fred?" her mother asked, holding her breath.

"They couldn't save his leg," Fred replied. "They had to remove it below the knee."

A chorus of gasps and startled exclamations sounded across the hospital room. Her father's loud clear voice rang out, silencing them all.

"But he's alive. We all are, which is far more than we expected earlier this morning. George is going to survive, and he has all of us around him to help him cope. Molly, let's go see our son."

Her mother nodded and grasped her father's hand. The two of them left the room in silence, their heads held high. Ginny took a deep breath. Her dad was right. The remainder of her family had survived the war, and that was reason for celebration. George could be fitted with an artificial leg that Muggles would be hard pressed to identify as a replacement.

She shook her head. She'd grown too accustomed to Mad-Eye's wooden peg leg. Her dad had told her that he only used that because he liked the effect. No, George would survive this, and they'd all help him adapt. Just like Harry would survive it. He had to – it wouldn't be right otherwise.