Needing You Here
a Harry Potter story
by Lady_Gallatea_Ravenclaw
Chapter 1
"Huh-XXT!" sneezed a black haired young man, as he walked down the grounds to the Gryffindor Quidditch Locker Rooms. He was of a smaller than average stature with messy raven hair, and brilliant green eyes. He was thin and had lightly tanned skin, as if he played outside often.
"Huh-XNT!" he sneezed again, but each time, he stifled them into his shoulder, and surprisingly made no sound.
The five boys and girl ahead of him did not even notice their comrade's discomfort, as they chatted and joked with each other. They did not seem to notice the rain that drizzled on them, or the occasional flash of lightning in the distance.
Soon, the seven bedraggled Quidditch players reached the locker room, and began changing for the match. The black haired young man, also known as Harry Potter, quietly escaped into the bathroom for a few quick sneezes and nose-blows before the usual pre-game talk.
Harry slipped into a stall, and pulled out his wand. He cast a Silencing Charm around the stall and a Locking Charm on the door. Then, he pulled out a handkerchief, and let out a volley of sneezes.
"Hah-CHOO! Hah-CHUMM! Hah-SHHH! Hah-CHOO! Sniff! Sniff! Ugh," he sneezed. He deftly blew his nose until it was clear and ceased dripping.
He sighed heavily, sat down on the covered toilet seat, and rested his head on the coolness of the walls for a moment.
He felt absolutely ill. He had caught the sniffles the day before during an impromptu snowball-and-Quidditch-fight, where he ended up falling in the lake. He had dried off quickly, but not quickly enough, it seemed. He had woken up this morning with a runny and stuffed up nose, a sore throat, exhaustion, coughing, sneezing, a headache, and was developing a fever from the rain and illness. He felt horrible and wanted to go to bed, but he couldn't let the team down.
He was Head Boy, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, and a high-ranking Order of the Phoenix member, which meant that he was the busiest of all the students. He supposed he had gotten sick because he was so run-down, but he couldn't let that stop him. Harry had missed the last game due to an urgent Order meeting, which no one blamed him for, but the team lost because even though Ginny substituted as Seeker, the Hufflepuff seeker caught the Snitch first. Lavender wasn't a very good Chaser. So, if the team didn't win this match, they wouldn't qualify for the final match, and Gryffindor had to win, at least while he was captain.
Anyway, Harry got up slowly from his seat on the toilet, a bit lightheaded, and left the stall. He canceled the charms, made sure his Concealment Charms and charms to make his voice sound normal and to make his coughs, sniffles, and sneezes silent, were still on and functional. Then, he went into the locker room and addressed his team in the pre-game talk, a legacy passed down from Oliver Wood.
"We have worked hard and trained hard, to come to this day. We will beat the Ravenclaw team, and we will qualify for the Quidditch Cup. We went over all of our moves yesterday, and I believe that we are ready. So, if you are ready to win and to show the school the pride of Gryffindor; then let's go out and kick some Ravenclaw butt!"
Harry said emphatically as he paced the floor of the locker rooms. The other team members let out a cheer, and the seven of them filed out of the room, ready to begin the game.
Harry strode behind them, silently praying to God that he would make it through the game, as he felt his fever rise and his legs weaken. The seven players mounted their brooms and listened as Dennis Creevey announced the players.
"For the Gryffindor team we have, Weasley, Thomas, Creevey, Sloper, Kirke, Weasley, and Potter!" the Gryffindor house cheered as seven red and gold blurs flew out on to the field.
"And for the Ravenclaw team, we have Fawcett, Patil, Corner, Goldstein, Smith, Edgecombe, and Chang!" the Ravenclaw house cheered as seven blue and bronze blurs flew to their places.
The Hufflepuff house cheered for both houses, while the Slytherin house booed for both, though quite a bit more for the Gryffindor team.
Harry flew to the top of the arena, waiting for Madam Hooch to start the game, so he could begin searching for the Snitch. The rain was pounding by now, and he was already soaked and shivering like crazy, his fever raising somewhat. He continually snapped forward with sneezes and his coughs began to hurt his chest with their deep, hollow, rough, and hacking sounds. He started to get worried that his cold was settling in his chest, but ignored that feeling as he saw the game start.
Immediately, his attention was focused on finding the Snitch, even though he kept sneezing and coughing. Harry was glad that he had used the charms, since no one suspected that he was ill; if they had, the game would be stopped and he would be taken to the hospital wing. Harry scanned the skies, while keeping his ears open at the game. When Gryffindor was ahead by fifty points, he saw a glint of gold near the ground.
He concentrated, and dived, stretching out his hand towards the little ball with wings. Right before he hit the ground, he pulled up, holding the struggling ball in his outstretched hand.
The Gryffindor house burst into cheers as they realized that they had won the game, and they qualified for the final match. Harry laughed triumphantly and landed, watching the rest of the team cheer and join him on the ground. The Chasers, Beaters, and Ron patted his back, and congratulated Ravenclaw on a good game, before heading back to the tower in order to celebrate.
Harry walked behind most of the school, relishing in the fact that he would be able to shower and hopefully sleep when he got back to the school. He carried his broom, and let his shoulders slump a little in exhaustion.
When he finally made his way to the dormitory, he was frozen, ill, and had a high temperature due to the icy halls and the cold rain. As quickly as he could, he had a hot shower, which loosened up his sore muscles and eased his sinuses. Then, he changed into his warmest pair of pajamas, two Weasley sweaters, two pairs of socks, put tissues in his pockets, and pulled his robes over his bedroom attire.
He made his way back to the common room, making sure that he didn't jostle anyone, number one, because he was achy, and number two, because he didn't want anyone to feel how warm he was. Harry sat in an armchair near the fire, but away from most of the people, enjoying the warmth and concentrating on keeping his eyes open and the smile on his face.
Even though he felt warm, his head still hurt, he felt incredibly achy and weak, his nose was itching, running, and stuffed up, his body was heavy with exhaustion and congestion, his throat and chest hurt, and his head was heavy and felt like it was stuffed with cotton. All in all, he was tired and very sick. Harry decided to wait an hour before he would go to bed, since by that time, he could go without suspicion.
Harry watched as his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley came over and sat next to him.
"Hey Harry! Do you want to join us? We are having a butterbeer drinking contest," said Ginny, her eyes sparkling with happiness and excitement. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was bouncing a little.
"No thanks, Gin. I am a bit tired. I think I'll go up to bed in a little bit," said Harry weakly.
He could sense her cursory glare/glance as he closed his eyes and shivered a bit as a cold wind passed by. He rubbed his face a bit, and opened his eyes, and found a very worried Ginny kneeling in front of him.
"Harry, are you feeling all right?" she whispered. It seemed as if her eyes were looking past the concealing charms and at his exhausted and ill form, "Tell me the truth."
Harry looked around to see if anyone was watching, and looked back at his girlfriend. He just felt so ill, and just wanted to be in bed to sleep and get better. He wanted her to take care of him and make him feel better; all of a sudden he felt so ill and needy. Harry shook his head almost unnoticeably, though for Ginny, that was all that she needed.
She sat on his lap and discreetly felt his hot, dry forehead, feeling Harry lean into her cooling hand. Ginny was shocked and felt shaken inside, though on the outside, she pretended to kiss her boyfriend. She knew how much he hated attention.
"Harry, I am going to pretend that we are going to have a snogging session upstairs, so we can get you into bed. Just follow along," she whispered into his ear.
The two got up from the chair, and she led him up the stairs making sure that Harry was close to her. He acted like he was cuddling her, when he was actually leaning on her so he wouldn't fall.
"Easy Harry. Just wait a few more moments," said Ginny as she opened the door to the seventh year boys' dorm.
She helped him take off his robes and one sweater. She pulled down the blankets and settled him into bed, helping him take off his glasses and putting pillows under his head to help him breathe better. When he started shivering, she pulled some extra blankets from a cupboard in the bathroom and covered him up. Lastly, she put five boxes of tissues on his nightstand, opened one, and put a glass of water there too.
"Sweetie, I need you to sit up a moment and stay awake. I need to take your temperature," coaxed Ginny.
When Harry weakly tried to get up, she helped him and supported his back with pillows. She gave him tissues to blow his nose, so he would be able to breathe through it, and went to the bathroom to get a thermometer.
She came back after finding one in the cabinet and sat next to her boyfriend on his bed.
"Hey sweetie," said Ginny, as she ruffled his hair and stroked his hot forehead. He had leaned on her and closed his eyes when he had felt her presence on the bed, "I need you to open your mouth. We're going to put this thing under your tongue, okay?"
She felt Harry's head nod in consent; he opened his mouth and lifted his tongue. She giggled and stuck it under his tongue. He closed his mouth and waited while Ginny supported him. After a little bit, she withdrew it and looked at the reading.
"Harry, this isn't good. You have a fever of 103.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?" asked Ginny. She was very worried, and wanted the best for him, but if he didn't want the nurse she couldn't do much about that.
"No," said Harry as he tried to lie back down. Ginny set the thermometer down and helped him back onto his back. Then, she got a basin of cold water, dipped a cloth in it, and started bathing Harry's hot forehead.
"Harry, I know you don't want to go to the Hospital Wing, but can you cancel the concealment charms? I want to be able to check on you once and a while, or I might need to call Madam Pomfrey, and she or the rest of the boys will wonder what is wrong when you look healthy, yet you are not," Ginny whispered.
Harry nodded, grabbed his wand and canceled the charms. Ginny gasped quietly when she saw how pale he was, yet how red his nose, cheeks, and eyes were. Harry coughed weakly and winced at the sound. Ginny helped him sit up again and he drank slowly from the glass of water. After he drank, she handed him a few tissues so he could blow his nose, as it seemed to irritate him.
Harry accepted the tissues and blew heavily, wincing at the soreness of his nose, and at the gurgling, wet sound he made when he blew. He looked at Ginny for a moment, and when she nodded in acquiescence, he blew until his nose was relatively clear. Harry threw the tissues into a wastebasket, and let Ginny help him lay down again.
"Go to sleep Harry. I'll tell Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus that you don't feel well, and make sure that they leave you alone," said Ginny.
"Okay, but don't leave me, please? And, don't tell them how bad I am. Just say that ... Hah-CHOO! Her-SHOOO! Hah-CHOO! Sniff! Sniff! Cough, Cough, Cough!" said Harry, but after his sneezing, he fell into a coughing fit.
Ginny helped him sit up and sip some water until he quieted. He was exhausted and laid down, closing his eyes. Ginny thought he was asleep until he continued in an extremely croaky voice,
"I had a headache, and wanted to go to bed early. If they ask why you're here, just say that you didn't feel like going down or that I asked you to stay. You don't have to stay, but I would really appreciate it... YAWN! ... if you would..."
"I'll stay here and care of you the best that I can, but if your fever gets worse, or it doesn't leave by the time you wake up, I will call Madam Pomfrey."
Harry nodded in acceptance and let himself sink into the comfort of his bed. Before he fell asleep, he croaked a brief thank you to Ginny. He fell asleep so quickly after that that he didn't hear her reply.
His only thought was that he loved Ginny, and that he felt secure now that she was watching over him while he slept.
Chapter 2
Harry woke up to a pounding in his skull that seemed to fill his heavy head. He groaned in pain as he sat up in bed.
If he felt awful yesterday, then he felt worse today. While he wasn't as cold or achy, which meant that his fever had gone down, he still felt the rest of his symptoms, such as heavy and tired limbs; a sore throat; headache; sore, stuffy, runny, and tickly nose; a hurting chest; a hacking cough; feeling achy; congestion; and a fever.
Harry turned his head towards his bedside table, from which he took his glasses and put them on. Harry looked to his side and saw Ginny asleep in a chair.
He was touched at her thoughtfulness in staying with him the whole night. He saw an extra blanket on the side of his bed, and quickly covered her with it. He also took a pillow that he hadn't used and put it behind her head.
Once she was settled, he saw a box of tissues, which he grabbed and used to blow his blocked nose in order to relieve the pressure gathered there. He was glad that he had charmed the bed in the beginning of the year so his nightmares wouldn't disturb any of his dorm mates.
Harry pulled off his sweater, since he felt too hot in it, and immediately covered himself properly with his blankets. He pushed his pillows behind his back and leaned against them. He just wanted to rest a little before he got up for classes.
Harry waited ten minutes before he pulled back the covers and rose out of bed. He slowly got up to avoid getting too dizzy, and relaxed against the bedposts as he caught his balance. Harry then walked to the shower, carrying his robes and clothes to have a hot shower.
When Harry went inside, he saw himself in the mirror and gasped. He looked terrible! His face was pale and seemed thinner than normal. His eyes had a glazed, fevered, and reddish look to them, and his cheeks were pink. His nose was a bright red that stood out, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messier than normal.
Harry grabbed his wand and did a few concealment charms that made him seem tired, but not sick. He also did the charms that kept people from noticing his sneezing and coughing.
Then, he had his shower and made sure to have a cooling charm done on his skin, so he would not feel cold, but other people would.
He wanted to go to classes, even though he felt awful, and if he had a fever Ginny wouldn't let him. If he tried to protest she would just call Ron and Hermione who would act like mother hens. At worst, they would call Madam Pomfrey, which he definitely didn't want.
Harry had to go to classes since he was already behind because of Order meetings, which they had often; battles, which got him stuck in the Hospital Wing for at least three days; and training, which often had him so exhausted that he couldn't do his homework or go to his classes, even though he tried to go.
Most of the time, after practices with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Lupin at the same time, he was so tired out that his teachers forced him to rest and not go to class. He must be really tired, since Snape excused him!
The only two things he wasn't behind on were Quidditch and Head Boy duties, since Ron helped him out. Harry made sure that he shared all of his Quidditch plans with him, so in case he was incapacitated Ron could do the work. They were sort of co-captains and they switched off places for things like pre-game speeches and things like that.
His Head Boy duties were always in the evenings and he was able to do that since it didn't take up as much time as other things usually did. Hermione was Head Girl, and was very understanding about his Order obligations.
A lot of the time she did some of his work, voluntarily, so he would have more time to sleep and study. Harry really appreciated his friends and he made sure to let them know that constantly. He didn't want to seem ungrateful.
Anyways, Harry got out of the shower and quickly changed into his clothes. He made sure that he wore a light sweater over his normal shirt and pants, and that he stuffed his pockets with tissues or handkerchiefs. Harry went back to the dorm where he packed his bag for that day's classes.
Then Harry woke Ginny up so she could go to her dorm and get ready for the day, since it was nearing seven o'clock.
"Gin? Hey Gin? Wake up!" said Harry as he prodded her shoulder. Ginny woke with a start, and saw Harry sitting across from her, all ready for school.
"Harry! What are you doing out of bed? You were really sick last night, and you should be going to classes so soon!" said Ginny at a whisper.
She didn't want to alert the others unless it was necessary, in such cases that Harry refused to stay in bed even though he had a fever.
"I'm fine Gin! ... Hah-CHOO! Hah-CHOOO! Hah-SHOO! Hah-CHOOO! Sniff! Sniff! ... Anyway, even if I am sick, I need to go to class. Sniff! I am already incredibly behind, and if I miss more school than I have to I will not be able to pass my classes. Cough! I am already just getting an Acceptable in all of them, and I am close to a Dreadful in Potions! ... Hah-CHOO! Hah-CHOO! Sniff! Sniff! Cough!" argued Harry, as he tried to quiet his cold.
He blew his nose with some tissues and drank some water from the glass on his side table. He threw away the tissues, and put on a puppy-dog face for Ginny, and watched as she softened her features, though she still seemed stubborn.
"But, Harry, if you go to class, you will make yourself worse, and it would be better to miss two days of classes, resting in the Hospital Wing, than spending a week in there because you were too stupid to take proper care of yourself," argued Ginny.
She didn't want to be mean, but she was concerned about Harry. He had a tendency to push himself too much and end up really hurting himself.
"Look, how about we compromise. ... Hah-CHOO! Hah-SHOO! Sniff! Sniff! ... I'll tell Ron to supervise Quidditch practice, and I won't play if it is raining or incredibly cold outside. Sniff! If it is, I'll stay inside. I'll take naps in between classes when I have time or sleep in my free periods.
"Cough! Cough! I'll take it easy and avoid doing too much in Order training, and I won't go to any battles until my fever is down. Also, I'll spend the weekend in bed. ... Hah-SHHH! Hah-SHHH! ... If by feber does ub toob mudch, ... Hah-SHHH! Hah-CHOO! Sniff! Sniff! ... or I'b feelig doo bad, Id'll do to Badab Pobfreyd. Oday?" said Harry in a congested voice.
Even though his concealment charms made Ginny hear him in a normal voice, they weren't enough to hide his congestion. He sneezed a few more times and blew his nose until it was clear. His sneezes were wet and medium-loud, while the nose blowing sounded wet, gurgling and full until he finally got most of the mucus out. Then, it was dry and honking. He was already feeling too tired to argue, and just wanted to sleep. He tried not to seem tired, but he just wanted to appease his girlfriend.
"Okay, but I want you to remove the cooling charm. I want to be able to check your temperature since I don't trust you to take care of yourself," said Ginny. She wasn't happy that he was going to classes, but she couldn't do much else.
"Yes, mum ... Hah-CHOO! Huh-SHOO! HUH-SHOOO! Sniff! Sniff!" teased Harry as he removed the charm. Ginny knew him too well, it seemed.
When the charm was removed, Ginny felt his forehead, and made him sit against the pillows on his bed. She let him blow his nose, and then she stuck the thermometer in his mouth and made him wait patiently while she took his temperature.
"Harry, it's really too high. 102.7. I really don't approve of you going to classes. How can you feel well enough to get out of bed?" asked Ginny sternly.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and relaxed against the pillows. He tiredly let go of himself and rested on the pillows, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He occasionally pulled out a tissue to wipe his runny nose or blow it when it stuffed up.
Ginny looked worriedly at him as he rested. He seemed so tired after being up for a half hour! She didn't want him to get sicker, but he had to go to classes. She knew as well as he that he needed to get his grades up.
"Harry, I want you to skip the Order meeting today," said Ginny abruptly.
Harry's head snapped up and looked at her in astonishment, "What? Sniff!"
"You heard me. You are running a fever, and those meetings run hours! Look at you! You are exhausted from being up for a half hour! You have a horrid cough that makes you shake, and you have been sneezing constantly! You won't be able to make it," said Ginny.
When Harry opened his mouth to protest she said, "No, I won't allow it. You will tell Dumbledore that you are not feeling well, and that you are only going to classes and doing your Head Boy duties because you have to. If you don't, I will. If I don't see you in your bed during the meeting, I will owl my mum and tell Madam Pomfrey. I am serious."
Harry slumped his shoulders in defeat. He didn't want to get on the bad side of Ginny Weasley. Harry nodded his head, and got up to go to breakfast. Ginny kissed him on the cheek and followed him out of the dormitory.
Harry went downstairs to the common room, and sat in an armchair to wait while Ginny had a shower and got ready for classes. He rested against the chair back, trying to relieve the pounding in his head.
His head, chest, throat, and body hurt from aches and congestion. His nose was stuffed up and runny, and both his nose and throat were tickly like he had to sneeze and cough. He was already shivering slightly in front of the fire, and his nose felt like it would fall off. He felt completely awful.
It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 3
"Harry?" asked a soft, soothing voice.
Harry jerked from a doze and found Ginny peering worriedly into his eyes. Harry groaned in pain and reluctantly roused himself from the chair. His legs shook as he put weight on them, but after some time steadied somewhat.
Harry coughed weakly and let Ginny help him to the portrait hole. When they reached it, Harry steadied himself and put on a "happy and healthy" face. Ginny opened the portrait and both of them climbed out. Harry shivered heavily as the cold air struck his fevered limbs, and his nose began to run.
He furiously swiped at it with a tissue and put a light warming charm on himself to beat the nasty winds. Ginny waited patiently albeit worriedly as Harry stopped shaking and resumed walking with her.
The two made it down the seven flights of stairs and to the Great Hall when Harry sneezed softly. He quickly blew into a tissue and then walked in for breakfast.
Ginny and Harry sat at the end of the Gryffindor table that was nearest to the Head table. The two students ate in silence, Harry having some soup and crackers, Ginny having the regular toast, eggs, and sausages.
Ron and Hermione joined them about ten minutes into their breakfasts, talking loudly; or so it seemed to Harry. Not wanting to know that he was ill, Harry asked them to quiet down a little because he still had a headache.
His friends were obedient though they exchanged curious and worried glances when they caught Ginny's worried face and Harry's slumped body. Hermione and Ron also noticed Harry's meal, but said nothing about it, quietly agreeing that Harry had something more than just a headache.
Harry made his way to his last class of the day, Transfiguration, feeling utterly exhausted and miserable. He was right in presuming that it would be a long one.
His first class had been Potions, unluckily and luckily, and he had been lucky not to blow up his potion. Surprisingly he had only made two mistakes. One was because he had to stifle a sneeze, and the other was because he had accidentally stirred the potion 20 times instead of 19.
Snape seemed surprised at the blue potion that Harry handed in, it should have been pink, because Harry had gotten a lot better at making potions since he joined the Order. Harry gave him a tired and sheepish smile before going to his desk to clear up his ingredients.
The next class was History of Magic, where he took a most-needed nap, and let Hermione take notes. She seemed to be worried about him, and he had no doubt that she had found out that he was sick and running a pretty high fever.
His suspicions were confirmed when she woke him up after class. It was only the two of them in the classroom, even Binns was gone, and she felt his forehead before he got up.
"Harry, your fever is really too high. Shouldn't you go to bed and rest? Ginny, Ron, and I are all really worried. Even Professor Snape seems to have noticed something," said Hermione as she felt his forehead.
"I'll be okay Hermione," said Harry in a tired voice. Actually, he was incredibly congested and hoarse, but the concealing charms did their job, "I promised Ginny that I would go to bed after classes and Head Boy duties. I'll take care of myself. She even forbid me from going to the Order meeting."
"All right, but let me know if you need something. If you want help, I'll help you with your homework tonight," offered Hermione. She understood that he was behind in classes and wanted to help her friend as much as she could.
"Thanks. Let's go to lunch," said Harry.
Harry had then proceeded in going to lunch and having some soup and water, before heading off to Charms. There, they took notes on various complicated charms and charm work. Harry was relieved that they weren't doing a practical class where he would have to stand.
At the moment, he was heading to McGonagall's class, exhausted and extremely sicker than that morning. When he went in, he headed to his usual seat and sat down heavily, and rested his head on his desk, not caring who saw.
When the class started, Harry struggled to stay awake and seem alive, though it was obvious to the professor that he was not feeling 100% fine. After class, Harry went up to Professor McGonagall to tell her that he would not be going to the Order meeting when Fawkes appeared in front of her in a flash of fire.
Fawkes trilled to Harry, briefly relieving him of his pain, before disappearing again, leaving Minerva with a note.
Minerva, Collect as many Order members as you can find. There is an emergency meeting right now at Headquarters. All must come; NO EXCEPTIONS. -Albus
"Mr. Potter, hurry up and come with me. We need to collect Professors' Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, and Lupin. There is an emergency Order meeting right now at Headquarters," said Minerva.
Harry forgot about his illness and immediately began worrying. He followed her to get the professors, even though he felt worse by the second. After around twenty minutes of walking, all the professors were collected and they Floo-ed to 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order headquarters.
They all made their way down to the basement and sat in their respective chairs, awaiting the rest of the group. Albus was there, as well as Moody, Jones, Tonks, and Fletcher. Many other members were there and Harry relaxed in his chair, shivering slightly at the cold of the basement. He leaned against the chair back and rested his heavy head on the top of it.
He felt miserable. His head was heavy, stuffy, and thick with pain and a fuzziness he couldn't get rid of. His nose was about to fall off, or so it seemed, since it was so sore, stuffed up, runny, and congested. His cold seemed to focus more on his chest where he felt pain when he coughed or sneezed, and his throat was aching, sore, and rough.
His whole body felt heavy with fatigue, fever, and pain. His fever was high, but not deliriously high, and due to that he felt cold and achy. He was fully congested and slightly queasy, which hinted that he might have the flu.
When everyone finally arrived, Albus started the meeting, and Harry tried to pay attention and concentrate on the words that were penetrating through his foggy head.
"I have called this emergency meeting because we have just received word that Voldemort is planning to attack St. Mungo's Hospital within the week. I want all of you to fight, so you must be ready at any time to fight.
"All right, I want to break everyone into groups. Some will plan the various strategies, some will plan who is on the defensive team and the offensive team, and the last group will take care of alerting Order members and organizing able Healers to come to the base for healing during the battle. Before you join your groups, I want the inner circle to meet with me. All right, spilt up!" ordered Dumbledore.
All of a sudden, noise broke out as people moved to their respective groups. Harry stood and waited while the rest of the group arrived, so they could talk with Dumbledore.
"I will let you all know as soon as I hear word of the battle. You will each contact your set group of people to alert them to the battle. I want three Hogwarts teachers to guard Hogwarts, three Aurors to guard the Ministry, and we will have other people situated at different locations around England to prevent a diversion. All right? Good luck," said Dumbledore.
Before Harry could go to his group, he felt his headmaster's hand on his shoulder.
"Harry, is everything all right? You don't seem like yourself this evening," whispered the man kindly.
Harry turned around and looked in his teacher's eyes. At the moment, he felt to ill to pretend to be healthy. He sighed and said, "No, I don't feel well at all Professor. I've been coming down with something for the past few days."
Dumbledore worriedly made Harry sit down and felt his forehead. He gasped and exclaimed quietly, "My god child! You are burning up! I want you to go back to Hogwarts and go straight to Madam Pomfrey. I don't want to see you at the battle if you are not well enough, understood?"
Harry nodded to his mentor's stern words and thanked the man before heading towards the fireplace. He left without attention and went straight to the hospital wing after arriving at the school.
He removed the concealment charms and let the overzealous nurse tuck him into a bed and force-feed him potions. After the matron left, Ginny came into the wing, looking frantic and worried.
She saw Harry in bed and sighed in relief.
"Harry, I got so worried when you were missing. Thank god, you had the sense to come here. What happened?" she asked.
"There was an emergency Order meeting, and I had to go. Dumbledore was worried about me and sent me back after he gave the important announcements," said Harry, sleepily. His eyes were closing and he was on the brink of sleep.
"Well, at least you can get better now. I can see that you are tired. I'll come back in the morning, okay? Try not to anger Madam Pomfrey too much," said Ginny before she kissed him on his forehead.
Harry nodded gently and curled up more in bed. Ginny watched as the man she loved fell asleep, looking like an angel. She kissed him again before leaving the hospital wing quietly.
The End