The Forgotten 7th Year

Recoveries

Hannah's POV

It'd been a few days since I'd come back, something was... wrong.

Neville was great: he'd been sweet and helpful all throughout my recovery. But... something wasn't the same. I didn't know what it was, but I felt strangely distant.

I kept thinking about how Jason hadn't visited me in the hospital wing yet. But it didn't bother me at all, not even a little bit. I just wanted to thank him for convincing the Carrows into letting him give me the painkillers. I was simply a little curious as to why he wasn't visiting.

Was he mad at me?? Does he not like me?? Did I do something wrong?? Did he even care??

I pushed all these thoughts down. It wasn't important. If he didn't like me, that was his choice I guess.

It didn't matter. Not at all. In fact, I didn't want him to like me. It mattered so little, that he might as well hate me.

It was stupid to keep thinking about him, especially since he didn't matter to me. He had no right to drift across my mind every time it started to wander. Besides I'm dating Neville. I shouldn't be obsessing over him like this.

But I was.

Besides... everything I feel for him is purely platonic.

But that was beside the point because I felt nothing for him anyway.

Ginny's POV

I told Fred everything. Everything about Hogwarts under the Carrows' rule, and everything I'd gone through.

It was a relief to get it all off my chest and I'd decided not to Obliviate him afterwards, even though he'd offered.

I remembered the first thing he said was,

"George and I can kill him if you want." His eyes had been hard, cold, and completely serious.

The next few nights the dreams were worse than ever. It was like the box I'd been shoving the feelings into had broken and now they were everywhere.

But after a few more talks with Fred they'd gotten better. I took this as a sign that the uncomfortable and painful talks weren't necessary anymore.

It was a whole month until the nightmares got bad again, and I was forced to start opening up to Fred again.

But I hated it. I hated feeling helpless. I hated remembering the cruciatis curse. But most of all I hated reliving the way he'd touched me.

So I steered away from the last one, talking about all the other things.

The night terrors got better, but they persisted. I desperately wondered if they'd ever leave for good.

It wasn't uncommon for my screams to wake the whole house. I could tell Mum and Dad were worried, but every time they asked me I pushed them away. Eventually they stopped asking.

After another few weeks of nightmares I couldn't take it anymore.

I went down to the kitchen, remembering the dreamless sleep potion Mum kept in our first aid kit.

There was only one. I couldn't make more. She'd notice it was gone. They'd be so disappointed.

I didn't care.

I crept silently down the stairs, skipping the creaky ones and trying not to wake anyone up. I made it to the kitchen without making a sound.

I rifled through the first-aid kit; finding the potion easily. Grinning in satisfaction I turned to leave, only to find a twin watching me with a look of disappointment.

At first I thought it was Fred but I noticed the ear. Fred might've let me take it, but there was no way George would.

I froze and stayed perfectly still. Several moments passed in complete silence.

He cleared his throat.

"You know I can still see you... right?"

"Damnit!" I set the potion down on the counter.

"So... what are you doing?"

"Nothing..." I stepped away from the potion as if the distance would disassociate us. "Just go away."

It came out less pleading and harsher than I meant it to. George flinched. He looked stung, but he persisted.

"Ginny... please. We're your family and we want to help you. Talk to us. Let us help you. All of us. Not just Fred. Everyone in this family cares about you."

I tried to scoot around him and up the stairs but he moved slightly to block me.

"Please don't shut us out." Then, he moved aside to let me pass. I hesitated.

"Thank you."

Then I'd left.

Luna's POV

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still planning.

Things at Shell Cottage were going relatively well. It was nice there. Peaceful.

Sometimes I just sat out on the porch and listened to the wind chimes. I tried to fill my head with their tinkling music; leaving no room for other thoughts. I could lose myself in the music for hours.

It was a good way to cope with the worry I could do nothing about. The worry for Neville and Hannah and Michael and Susan and Anthony and everyone in Dumbledore's army who I was leaving behind.

I even worried for Rolf, even though I told myself I was better off without him. But worrying for him and wanting to get back together were two completely different things.

I still missed him. But that was nothing special, I missed all of them.

I felt like I was abandoning them, even though I knew I wasn't. But it wasn't fair for me to be here and safe and for them to be there going to Nargles only knew what.

But I drowned out all of these thoughts with wind-chimes.