Deatheaters' revenge, chapter seven.

Disclaimer:-

Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.

RECAP.

Fleur told Ron that Hermione is alive, but she doesn't know where Hermione and Ginny have been taken. Luna has taken Evanna and the other muggles to Hogwarts.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Professor McGonagall looked at the note left on the stairs to her office. 'Room of requirement. Ask for the way to Ginny. Tell Ron, come alone.'

Within an hour Harry and Ron had arrived, a team of aurors had followed them only minutes later. "It said come alone," argued Harry.

"Since when do we let kidnappers order us around?" Ron had retorted. "I'll go first, then Harry, then the aurors follow. Wands out. Ready?" Several of the aurors had said that if it was a trap, which it almost certainly was, they should go first, but Ron would have none of it.

Ron entered the narrow corridor and it disappeared, leaving the others nowhere to follow. Harry cursed at the bare wall, but it did nothing. Ron was gone. Alone. The trap had been sprung.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ginny had been sleeping fitfully. With no sign of light or dark, morning or night, just dark all the time, she'd found that her body seemed to have no idea when it should sleep or be awake.

The hard rock she was lying on hadn't exactly made sleeping any easier. She tried to explore the area by touch. It seemed to be a large cave of some kind and, her soaking feet told her, water at one edge. She wondered if she could swim to escape, but it was icy cold, and with no idea of where it went, especially as she couldn't see a thing, swimming was something she wouldn't bet on helping her survive. Besides, she could never help Hermione across whatever it was.

Hermione! She had forgotten her for a moment. Ginny made her way back to where she thought she'd started, but quickly realised she'd lost her bearings in the pitch darkness. She couldn't find Hermione.

Ginny began to shake with frustration. If only there was some light. If only she had her wand, even the light from the lumos charm would be enough to see by.

She sat down hard, feeling decidedly sorry for herself. Glad that Harry couldn't see her giving up, she began to cry herself back to sleep.

Seconds later she jolted herself back to a sitting position. "Come quickly. Harry needs you!" She heard it as clearly as she'd "heard" Evanna calling for her in her mind when Bonnie had collapsed however long ago that was.

What would Harry do? Giving up just wasn't an option. She felt ashamed of her attitude a few minutes before. She quickly searched for a stick, but she couldn't find one. A small rock then, it would have to do. That was easy to find, though she wasn't sure it would be effective.

"I hope I can still do this, Harry," she muttered. It had been a long while since Harry had made them practice wandless magic in the DA. "Lumos," she almost shouted at the rock. Nothing. Desperately trying to encourage herself with every happy memory to give her strength, she cried again, "Lumos."

As memory after memory came back to her, she could help but smile. "That can't work, it's impossible," she said aloud, then giving in to the ridiculous temptation, she cried out, "Expecto Patronum."

A feeble disc of light flew from her hand. She looked around the ground and saw Hermione. Her joy at finding her friend made the patronus, if you could call it that, brighter. It was still more like a weak torch than a patronus, but, looking up there was enough light that she recognised where she was at once and her shock immediately caused her patronus to fail. But her fear was gone, replaced by anger and determination. "You think you can beat me when even Tom had trouble?" she said aloud.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Evanna woke up with a start, her heart racing, and finding herself sweating. She grabbed the person sitting close her her without even noticing who it was. Professor McGonagall looked at her with concern. "Are you overdoing it?" she asked.

"The chamber of secrets."

"What?"

"That's where they are. I know it."

The professor actually ran to find Harry, still with the aurors, outside the room of requirement, not caring who saw her less than usually dignified progress. Evanna, still in her nightdress, ran after her, barely able to keep up.

Harry looked up, surprised. "Professor?"

"They're in the chamber of secrets," gasped Evanna.

"But nobody but Harry can get in there;" argued one of the aurors.

"If they used the room of requirement, it's possible," replied Professor McGonagall.

"But it won't let us follow."

"It doesn't have to," said Harry. "I can still get in there."

"Not alone," said the auror.

"Not alone," Harry agreed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hit by stunning spells from what seemed like all directions at once, Ron had quickly been overpowered. He came round to find his wand gone and himself tied up. A strange mist covered most of the area beyond him.

From out of the mist one of the death-eaters appeared. "Good, you're awake. Took you long enough."

"You try being stunned from everywhere at once," replied Ron, bitterly, determined not to show any fear of the man. "How many did it take?"

"I'm not stupid," the man replied. "I doubt any one of us could take you alone."

He waved his wand and the mist dissipated quickly to reveal Ginny and...

"Hermione!" Ron cried. "Is she?"

"She's still alive," said Ginny, weak and almost scared witless at the sight of her brother, without his wand and surrounded by the death eaters.

"I don't know how," admitted the death-eater. "She should be dead by now. And now you're here is the perfect time. Let's see if the cruciatus curse can wake her shall we?"

Ron swore and struggled against his bonds.

Hermione's body contorted under the effects of the curse but she remained unconscious.

"It's just not the same without the screams," complained the death-eater. "Here..." he turned his wand on Ginny. "Crucio!" ... "That's better."

Ginny's screams didn't seem to satisfy him, especially when he noticed that Ron was still looking with such concern at Hermione, almost ignoring his sister.

Ron turned to the death-eater. "So why have you brought me here? To kill me?"

"You, then Potter."

"Harry won't fall for the same trap. He'll come with aurors."

"The room won't let him. And he doesn't know where we are, so the only way he can come is through the room of requirement. He'll come anyway. But first. You and the mudblood."

"Kill me. Leave her alone."

"A true Gryffindor," the death-eater laughed. "Remember that nasty little curse that nearly killed her in the department of mysteries? I wonder how long she'd last now. And when you've watched the mudblood die, I'll kill you too. Don't worry. I'll make it short. You are a pureblood, after all, dirty blood-traitor or not."

For once, Ron couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't even hear the spell as purple fire came from the death-eater's wand heading straight at Hermione.

Suddenly everything happened at once. Ginny screamed loudly, "No!" and threw herself in front of Hermione, collapsing in agony as the spell hit her instead of the unconscious girl.

The great door at one end of the chamber opened and Harry ran in, firing green spells first at the torturer, then at the other death-eaters which Ron hadn't even noticed. He was followed by Ron's team of aurors, but the surprise advantage of Harry appearing when they didn't expect him to left the aurors with nothing to do. Ron stared at Harry for a moment, shocked that Harry had used the Avada Kedavra curse, killing the death-eaters instantly.

Even as Ron cried out, "Harry – Ginny", Harry was already running to Ginny, who was losing blood rapidly.

"Out of my way," barked Professor McGonagall. She was followed by some of the castle elves. "Take the girls to the hospital wing," she ordered and they disappeared at once with Hermione and Ginny.

"Are you okay?" she asked Ron. He nodded, still in a daze.

"You and Harry had better get to the hospital wing," she said, releasing Ron from the ropes still holding him although the binding spells had gone the moment their caster had been killed. Obviously the death-eaters hadn't been sure enough that their magic would be enough to hold him.

Once they arrived, Madam Pomfrey warned them, "Ginny will probably recover, but it will take time."

"And Hermione?" asked Harry, Ron being almost too scared to speak.

"She's suffering from the cruciatus, but also from a simple brain injury. There's a muggle doctor who specialises in such things. He's being taken to St. Mungo's now. With his skill and the magical techniques, we hope she can be cured. Then we worry about the cruciatus."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The operation had been one of the most unusual ever seen at St. Mungo's. A wizarding scan had shown the muggle surgeon what needed to be done and he directed the mediwizard, who used his wand for the delicate surgery needed to break down and clear the blood clots.

"She should have died from pressure in the brain," admitted the surgeon as they left the room. "You say two other girls cast healing spells the whole time?"

The mediwizard nodded.

"I wish we could do that. Well, that's all I can do. She should recover from the injury, but the curse you spoke about, that's your area. Call me again if you need me."

At that point Harry and Ron saw them and were quick to run to the surgeon. "Let me see...," he said. "You must be Ron. Don't look so surprised, I have read the books."

"How is she?"

"My part is done. The damage from the injury was kept to a minimum thanks to the healing spells cast on her. How they managed it I don't know, but they kept her alive by keeping the blood pressure in the brain from killing her. As for the curse, you'll have to ask the mediwizard here."

"Doctor. Thank you." Ron held out his hand.

The doctor shook it warmly. "As I said, I've read the books. It is I who should thank you, both of you, and that young lady in there."

Ron turned to the mediwizard as the surgeon walked away. "Well?"

"I don't know, Mr. Weasley. We think the fact that the head injury kept her unconscious most of the time may have protected her from the worst effects of the curse. I'm afraid all you can do is wait."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two days later, Ginny finally came round. Of course, Harry was at her bedside. So was George, the whole family taking it in turns to be with Harry at Ginny's bedside. "It hurts," Ginny moaned.

"That'll teach you not to jump in front of deadly curses," said George.

"I had to."

"I know, sis. That's why I'm not even gonna be able to tease you about it."

"Hermione? How is she?"

"Very sick," Harry answered. "Your healing spells saved her, now we have to wait and see."

"I want to see her," Ginny said, trying to get up.

"No. You mustn't move," said Harry. "It could still injure you further. If you promise not to move, I'll go and find out how she is."

He could see Ginny wanting to argue, but she lay back down. "Okay. Be quick."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was three nights later, as Ron was laying next to Hermione, holding her in his arms as he'd insisted on doing every moment he could, much to the consternation of the medics, that Hermione finally stirred.

"Hermione? It's me, Ron... Come back to me... I need you."

Nothing. The mediwitch encouraged Ron to keep talking to her even if he thought she couldn't hear him, so, feeling foolish, Ron continued to do so.

Another two days passed, with only the occasional movement from Hermione. Ron had refused to leave her side except to go to the toilet the whole time.

"Ron?" Hermione said in a weak voice. "Is that you?"

"Yes. Oh thank Merlin." Ron shook with emotion unable to speak again.

"Ron?"

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Ron. You need a bath."

It was almost two weeks later before Hermione was allowed out of the hospital, on the strict condition that she returned daily to be checked over and stayed quietly at home for a few weeks. It was nearly three weeks after that before they finally released Ginny, who still ached from the curse that had almost killed her.

Harry and Ginny, arrived first at the Burrow to welcome home party. Ginny looked around to see her friends, and among the muggle friends who had come for the celebration, she saw Evanna. She walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," she said simply.

Evanna smiled. "You're welcome."

"And how about this for a welcome?" George was saying, teasing Hermione, who had just arrived with Ron. "She wakes up, and the first thing she says to her loving Ron is he needs a bath."

"Well he did," laughed Hermione. "He stank. And they say the first sense to come back is hearing. I'm not so sure. I think I could smell him before I could hear him," she teased.

"I didn't want to leave you," said Ron, colouring up with embarrassment.

"I know," she said seriously. "And I love you for it."

She hugged Ron tightly, then walked over to Ginny. "Hi, Ginny," she said, suddenly shy.

"Hi," beamed Ginny.

"I never got the chance to thank you for what you did."

"Fleur taught me the healing spell."

"I didn't mean that, I meant taking..."

"We're even," said Ginny, interrupting her.

Hermione looked puzzled.

"Harry wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you and Ron being with him all those years."

"I'm not sure that makes us even," smiled Hermione.

"Well, I say it does. But if there's any other curses flying around like that one, you're welcome to keep it away from me. It hurt like hell."

"I remember."

"Let's just hope that's the last of the death-eaters," Ginny said.

"I'll drink to that," replied Hermione, as they were joined by Ron and Harry.

"Why would you drink about it?" asked Ginny, puzzled.

"It's a muggle saying. Don't worry."

"Mental, that one," said Ron, and they all laughed together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's note...

Well, I hope you like this short addition to the Ginny and the muggles story. Sorry I took so long to complete it. Thanks to my new beta klintz for help with this chapter. Please review.