A new begining - 9

"When am I getting out of here?" he murmured, delighting in the warmth of her body pressed against his own.

Ginny sighed, and he felt her stiffen. "I don't know, Harry."

He didn't like the tone in her voice. "What d'you mean? I thought I was getting the all clear some time this week?"

Physically, he felt much better and was beyond anxious to leave the hospital. He'd been up several more times since the original journey with Ron, and could even roam the corridors on his own. The nausea was virtually gone, and the bruises that had covered his entire body had faded to a sickly yellow.

The only thing still left uncertain was his arm. Repairing the nerve damage was a slow and meticulous procedure, and the Healers still wouldn't commit to a prognosis. They were encouraged by the fact that his shoulder felt sore and achy after each healing attempt. Harry suspected that only Healers would think pain was a good thing.

"That was the plan," Ginny said. "Mum is dying to get her hands on you and had your room all ready, but now…"

"Now, no one thinks it's safe enough for me to go to the Burrow," Harry said dully. He knew the routine. He'd been here many times before. Why had he really believed things were going to change?

"Don't you dare start brooding on me now, Harry Potter," Ginny said fiercely, her eyes blazing as she turned to grasp his shoulders. "If not the Burrow, then we'll go somewhere else…together. Do you hear me? It is different now, and you're not going back to the Dursleys alone to recover. Not now – not ever again."

Harry smiled, although his heart wasn't really in it. She somehow always managed to know exactly what was on his mind.

"All right," he said, "but soon. I'm tired of this place."

"Tired of this place, are you?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow at the vast splendor of the room. "This luxury isn't good enough for you, dear? Your pillow isn't fluffed just so, and the chocolates aren't to your liking?"

"Oh, ho, very funny," Harry said, pulling a face. "You wouldn't like being cooped up in here any better than I do."

"That's true," Ginny said, ruffling his hair. "Although I'm thrilled to see you with some color back in your face and feeling spunky, I knew it would mean we couldn't keep you tucked away any longer."

"I want to see what's happening – how everything is being put back together," he replied.

"I know. The Ministry is fully up and running. The first Death Eater trials are supposed to start in September," Ginny said. "Dad says everyone is really eager to put all the bad behind them and start rebuilding."

"What are they doing about Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said, shrugging. "Some of the Dementors returned and took up their old posts, but others are still roaming free. I don't think anyone really knows what to do with them."

Harry nodded, silently pondering. "How bad is the Burrow?" he asked.

He knew if there had been any serious injuries they would have told him, but he dreaded hearing about the damage to the Weasleys' newly-renovated home. Mrs. Weasley had proudly told him every minute detail of the work being done each time she'd visited him.

Ginny shrugged. "None of us were hurt, and that's the important thing."

Harry scowled and raised his eyebrows.

"All right, all right. There's a bit of fire and spell damage. Mum's kitchen is a mess, but nothing that can't be fixed," she said hurriedly, trying to calm his building eruption.