Merlot: Part three
Jan. 23rd, 2005 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mhalachaiTwo more chapters after this one, and I can stumbit it! At which time I'll repost the whole thing, of course.
Title: Merlot (Part three)
Author: Mhalachai
Email: Mhalachai at gmail.com
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and these fine characters belong to J.K. Rowing. I am but borrowing the characters for a brief time and shall return them intact at the end.
~~~~~~~~
Percy was woken by the sound of screaming. Someone screaming his name through the fireplace.
"Percy!"
He slid off his chair and fell on the floor in front of the fire. "Who's it?" he asked woozily.
A head popped through the flames. It was Luna. "Percy! She's not waking up, I need your help!"
"What is it?" he asked, dragging himself back to consciousness.
"Ginny," Luna's head said. "She's not waking up. I don't know what to do, don't know who to call."
Percy shook his head, his heart pounding. "Move away from the fire, I'll be right there."
Luna nodded, then her head disappeared from the fire. Percy made sure he had his wand in hand, then grabbed a handful of floo power from the jar on top of the mantle. "Ginny and Luna's flat!" he shouted as he threw the powder into the flames.
As soon as the fire burned green, he dove into the fireplace. He came out the other side in a heap, skidding onto the hardwood floor.
He shook his head and tried to get his bearings. The room was dimly lit, but he could see enough.
Ginny was sitting up on the couch, staring off into space. Luna was on the floor in front of her, shaking her gently. But Ginny wasn't responding.
"What's happening?" Percy demanded, crawling over to Luna and Ginny.
"I came home and thought she was just thinking," Luna said. Percy saw dried tear tracks on her cheeks, but her expression was quite serious. "I was tired and went right into bed. Then I got a feeling, a shiver, and I came out here. She was still sitting here."
Percy took Ginny's hands in his. They were ice cold. "Ginny?" he tried. There wasn't even a flicker of a response. "Ginny, are you in there?"
"I didn't know who else to call," Luna said softly. "I tried everything, but nothing worked, nothing."
Percy brushed a stand of hair behind Ginny's ear with shaking fingers. "We should get her to Saint Mungo's," he said.
"Saint Mungo's?" Luna repeated. "What the bloody hell will they know about anything?"
"Well, what are you going to do?" Percy demanded. "What am I going to do? That's the way a society has to work. The teachers teach, the healers heal, the Aurors track dark wizards. Look what happened when you mess with that!"
He was breathing heavily, as if he had just run a mile. The screaming was back in his head, the screaming from that day. When they'd finally beat back Voldemort.
"You were there, too," Luna said softly. She moved up to sit beside the unresponsive Ginny on the couch. "You know what we had to do."
"I didn't know what I was doing," Percy whispered. "I didn't have any defence against the dark arts training, I didn't have a plan."
"There was no plan," Luna said. "There was no time for a plan. And the only reason that the rest of us had extra training was because Harry didn't trust anyone. It really didn't matter that Dumbledore was headmaster. Harry didn't trust a single one of them to get him out alive. Not really."
Percy looked up, confused. "How do you know this?"
"He told Ginny, and Ginny told me." Luna put her arm around Ginny. There was not response at all in the youngest Weasley, not even a flicker. "None of us knew what we were doing, Percy."
"I don't know what to do," Percy said softly. "I can't help Ginny."
Luna let out a ragged sigh. "Neither can I," she admitted. "Nothing of what I do is helpful any more."
Percy didn't know how to respond to her, so he did what he always did. He ignored it. "I'm taking Ginny to Saint Mungo's."
He met Luna's eyes for a second. "I'll go get our cloaks," she said.
A few minutes later, Luna had arranged Ginny's cloak around her shoulders. Percy picked his sister up. He was downright startled at how little she weighed. She was still heavy and awkward, no doubt, but shouldn't a girl of her age weigh more?
"Are we going to floo?" Luna asked, fastening the string on her clock.
"No, I'll drop Ginny. We'll apparate."
Luna frowned slightly. "Are you up to that? Apparating with her, I mean."
Percy nodded. "I'm very good at this." Then, with less pride, "I wouldn't do anything at all to risk my sister."
Luna stared at him for a moment. "Then we should go."
They apparated with two simultaneous pops, leaving behind the cold and empty flat.
Title: Merlot (Part three)
Author: Mhalachai
Email: Mhalachai at gmail.com
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and these fine characters belong to J.K. Rowing. I am but borrowing the characters for a brief time and shall return them intact at the end.
Percy was woken by the sound of screaming. Someone screaming his name through the fireplace.
"Percy!"
He slid off his chair and fell on the floor in front of the fire. "Who's it?" he asked woozily.
A head popped through the flames. It was Luna. "Percy! She's not waking up, I need your help!"
"What is it?" he asked, dragging himself back to consciousness.
"Ginny," Luna's head said. "She's not waking up. I don't know what to do, don't know who to call."
Percy shook his head, his heart pounding. "Move away from the fire, I'll be right there."
Luna nodded, then her head disappeared from the fire. Percy made sure he had his wand in hand, then grabbed a handful of floo power from the jar on top of the mantle. "Ginny and Luna's flat!" he shouted as he threw the powder into the flames.
As soon as the fire burned green, he dove into the fireplace. He came out the other side in a heap, skidding onto the hardwood floor.
He shook his head and tried to get his bearings. The room was dimly lit, but he could see enough.
Ginny was sitting up on the couch, staring off into space. Luna was on the floor in front of her, shaking her gently. But Ginny wasn't responding.
"What's happening?" Percy demanded, crawling over to Luna and Ginny.
"I came home and thought she was just thinking," Luna said. Percy saw dried tear tracks on her cheeks, but her expression was quite serious. "I was tired and went right into bed. Then I got a feeling, a shiver, and I came out here. She was still sitting here."
Percy took Ginny's hands in his. They were ice cold. "Ginny?" he tried. There wasn't even a flicker of a response. "Ginny, are you in there?"
"I didn't know who else to call," Luna said softly. "I tried everything, but nothing worked, nothing."
Percy brushed a stand of hair behind Ginny's ear with shaking fingers. "We should get her to Saint Mungo's," he said.
"Saint Mungo's?" Luna repeated. "What the bloody hell will they know about anything?"
"Well, what are you going to do?" Percy demanded. "What am I going to do? That's the way a society has to work. The teachers teach, the healers heal, the Aurors track dark wizards. Look what happened when you mess with that!"
He was breathing heavily, as if he had just run a mile. The screaming was back in his head, the screaming from that day. When they'd finally beat back Voldemort.
"You were there, too," Luna said softly. She moved up to sit beside the unresponsive Ginny on the couch. "You know what we had to do."
"I didn't know what I was doing," Percy whispered. "I didn't have any defence against the dark arts training, I didn't have a plan."
"There was no plan," Luna said. "There was no time for a plan. And the only reason that the rest of us had extra training was because Harry didn't trust anyone. It really didn't matter that Dumbledore was headmaster. Harry didn't trust a single one of them to get him out alive. Not really."
Percy looked up, confused. "How do you know this?"
"He told Ginny, and Ginny told me." Luna put her arm around Ginny. There was not response at all in the youngest Weasley, not even a flicker. "None of us knew what we were doing, Percy."
"I don't know what to do," Percy said softly. "I can't help Ginny."
Luna let out a ragged sigh. "Neither can I," she admitted. "Nothing of what I do is helpful any more."
Percy didn't know how to respond to her, so he did what he always did. He ignored it. "I'm taking Ginny to Saint Mungo's."
He met Luna's eyes for a second. "I'll go get our cloaks," she said.
A few minutes later, Luna had arranged Ginny's cloak around her shoulders. Percy picked his sister up. He was downright startled at how little she weighed. She was still heavy and awkward, no doubt, but shouldn't a girl of her age weigh more?
"Are we going to floo?" Luna asked, fastening the string on her clock.
"No, I'll drop Ginny. We'll apparate."
Luna frowned slightly. "Are you up to that? Apparating with her, I mean."
Percy nodded. "I'm very good at this." Then, with less pride, "I wouldn't do anything at all to risk my sister."
Luna stared at him for a moment. "Then we should go."
They apparated with two simultaneous pops, leaving behind the cold and empty flat.