Redemption.

"Is this goodbye?"

Ginny's POV.

It was hard to believe that, in a matter of minutes, the simple worries and fears had turned into something way bigger than all of them.

Ginny couldn't believe it. She had been worried sick, nonetheless she didn't thought, even for a second, that the morning she saw Stiorra as she went would have been the last time she'd ever see her again.

"She'll be alright," Harry had said as they went back on that fatal day, "she has to be."

"It's Stiorra," Hermione told them with a trembling voice, "if someone other than Harry can escape death, it's her."

"How can you say this?" Ginny asked them.

They were standing before the few last steps that led to the girls dormitories, and Harry, Hermione and Ron were staring at her with concern.

"We don't know what happened," she added, "we don't know if Madam Pomfrey can fix her, we don't know if anyone can."

Hermione and Ron shot a look at each other, but Harry came closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, with a hand on the back of her head.

"She'll be alright," he repeated himself.

Ginny sighed, and nodded. She needed to believe it. Her friend couldn't die.

Harry stepped backwards, kissed her goodnight, and climbed up the last few stairs towards the boys dormitories along with Ron. Ginny followed Hermione up to the girls' door and crashed in her bed, still careful not to wake the others up.

Her eyes lingered on Stiorra's empty bed. The image of her, sitting there and laughing, came rushing back to her mind, and Ginny went to bed on that bright note. She couldn't let herself think about her friend being as good as dead for now, so she focused on the good times she had with her.

The following morning, Ginny got dressed in a hurry and stormed out of her dormitory in a haste, only to find that Hermione, Ron and Harry had done the same. So, together then walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"You don't believe Malfoy had something to do with it, do you?" Hermione asked them.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Ron said.

Ginny picked up the nearest newspaper and hit her brother with it. Harry cleared out his throat.

"He would never hurt her," Harry said.

"How do you know?" Ron asked.

"We talked, and he wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Hermione and Ron were staring at Harry, but Ginny didn't. Stiorra trusted Malfoy, and so did she. After all, Draco had changed.

They carried on eating breakfast at a certain pace, and Ginny felt like she could throw up. She certainly had eaten too fast.

Professor McGonagall was walking up the grand alley in the middle of the Great Hall, and stopped before them.

"How is she?" Ginny asked.

"She's been transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital," their Professor said.

"Oh."

The Headmistress nodded, her lips pressed up together in a thin line.

"Can we go and visit her?" Harry asked.

"Not today, I'm afraid. But I will arrange for you to visit her tomorrow," the Professor said.

Another professor called out for the headmistress, so she left. A thick and choking silence had taken over their side of the table. No one knew what to say.