Harry Potter The Surprise

Their whole night had crashed and burned in a matter of seconds, and so unexpectedly that everyone had been caught flat-footed. When Hermione had managed to focus Harry's anger away from the girl now lying stunned on the terrace, they broke their kiss but still rested their foreheads against each other.

"Thanks, love - you might have saved a life tonight. You too, Ron. My spell would probably have blasted Ginny over the cliff - something we'll need to look at warding against."

Nodding, Ron was more concerned with a crying Mille in his arms. Hermione tried to help.

"Millie, I told you Ginny was obsessed with Harry. Look around you, listen to Ron - none of us believed a word she said. That goes for what she said about Susan, Hannah and Luna too. We didn't want Ginny here, purely because of the way she behaves around us - around Harry. Her mother wouldn't let Ron come on holiday without Ginny being included too. Fred and George, I was going to say our school will open with only first to fourth years - sorry guys. Ginny would have qualified for a place..." Hermione found herself being interrupted by an angry Pomona who, like the rest of the adults, had made her way over to join them.

"Miss Granger, if I am Headmistress here, there will be no invitation for Ginerva Weasley. We all spoke earlier about the behaviour we would expect from our students, her behaviour just now crossed way over any line acceptable to me."

Having a student hit with a stunner saw Poppy swinging into action, her wand had been assessing the damage while they spoke. Her first conclusion was that the girl was merely stunned when she picked up on something else. After triple-checking the result she was seeing, Poppy needed to tell someone.

"Harry, we might have a major problem here. Her reactions were just so bizarre tonight, and with our recent experiences, I scanned for compulsions. I'm afraid I've found some, and need permission to do more."

A worried Ron was first to react. "Who would do something like that, and whose permission do you need?"

While a number of people around the table had their suspicions as to the first part of Ron's question, Remus dodged it in favour of answering the second.

"Ginny's here as a guest of Lord Potter, her parents' signature gives him the right of 'in loco parentis'. You can give Poppy permission to treat her."

It was a shocked Harry who answered. "I almost cursed her, I was about to throw Ginny out of my home. Poppy, do everything you can for her. Anything you need, any help is yours for the asking."

"This is not my expertise but I'll see what I can do. Maybe Remus could get in touch with the nearest mind-healer?"

Nodding, Remus made to rise. "There's a magical hospital in Naples. Will I head there now?"

"Tomorrow should do, I want her to sleep tonight. I haven't even got my infirmary picked, never mind set up..." Dobby appeared next to Poppy with her medical bag.

"Dobby has put an extra bed in healer's room, Dobby knows healer likes to be close to her patients."

As Poppy conjured a stretcher to take Ginny to her room for tonight, Harry and Hermione joined their friends sitting at the table. "Guys, do you know if your parents took Ginny to a mind-healer last summer?"

There were blank looks coming back at Harry from the three Weasley brothers before Fred asked a question of his own. "Why would they do that?"

Hermione couldn't keep the anger from her voice. "Perhaps because Ginny spent most of last year being possessed by Lord Voldemort. If ever anyone needed a reason to see a mind-healer, I would say that one was right up there - wouldn't you."

While the rest of the table were flabbergasted at that news, Poppy was now casting more scans. "I was sure I could see at least two magical signatures here. Surely Molly isn't stupid enough to let Albus try and fix something as complicated as a possession?"

A still angry Hermione couldn't help herself. As Harry had said earlier, they'd had quite the day. "Molly thinks Dumbledore farts rainbows, of course she would let him do anything he said he could. Dumbledore wanted the whole Chamber of Secrets kept as just that - a secret."

"He wouldn't want a mind-healer examining Ginny in case awkward questions were asked - like how a first year walked about Hogwarts with the darkest object imaginable on her person and Dumbledore didn't know anything about it."

All could see the truth in Hermione's conclusions, leaving Harry no choice but to ask her brothers another question. "If what we suspect has happened, sending Ginny home won't get her the care she needs. You know your mother though, I won't be able to keep Ginny here indefinitely. Your dad did nothing last time, I don't see him helping now. We need another option here..."

The three brothers answered as one. "Bill."

Ron still had Millie in his arms. She had long ago calmed down but neither wanted to move. It was Ron who clarified their answer. "Bill is Ginny's favourite, and he dotes on her. Anyone harming Ginny is in a world of trouble from Bill."

Having been Head of House for all the Weasleys, Minerva of course knew the eldest brother. "Contacting Bill is a great idea. I think we should wait until we have more information however. Ginny really needs to see a mind-healer before we find out exactly what the problem is, and the extent of it."

With Remus confirming he would go first thing in the morning, Poppy levitated the stretcher and followed Dobby as he led the healer to her room. Having just arrived today too, Poppy didn't want to get lost while taking a patient along with her.

Slouching back in his chair and closing his eyes, Harry let out a groan borne of frustration and weariness. "Hermione, can we adopt Ron's method and put our watches forward until it's tomorrow? I just want today to end."

Knowing he didn't expect her to answer, Hermione turned her attention to their friends. "Luna, Neville, Susan, your family know what we're doing here and are mostly supportive. At the moment all we've got is the idea, the people staying with us are going to be working like mad to make that idea a reality. Susan, your aunt's visiting us on Monday. It's for a totally different matter but I can't help feeling she'll become involved with Ginny's case too."

The twins were all for that happening. "Whoever did that to Ginny needs to pay.."

"Dumbledore, mum - even dad. If their meddling, or doing nothing, made Ginny act like that then they need to pay."

Still holding onto Millie, Ron agreed with his brothers. "That was like watching mum's evil twin. I didn't recognise Ginny in there at all, and she was bang out of order with what she said."

Noticing Luna was clinging onto Neville's arm almost got a smile out of Hermione, almost. "Remus spoke with your dad and gran, both will be coming here in a couple of weeks. We hope at the very least to have some plans and a timetable of work to show them by then. Both will wait until they see what's happening here before even thinking about committing to send you here."

"Hannah, we didn't have time to contact your parents. Millie, we had even less time with you. We're kinda playing everything by ear at the moment, so I suggest a day spent relaxing at the beach for all of us tomorrow. We'll need Remus to take us shopping the first time, I have no idea where the shops even are. After that, I'm sure we'll find our own way."

More than anything, that promise of shopping cheered up the four girls who had publicly suffered under Ginny's tirade. Harry congratulating Hermione over their bond for a job well done cheered her up no end too.

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