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Author: Velvethope Story: From Answers to Questions Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 12 Words: 201,438
“Geeze, Weasley, you look pale. Are you certain you’re okay? I only just found out about the attack at the Leaky Cauldron,” Dex said as he stood at the door to the stairway. “Well, the Wizard Wireless Network must be slipping. I’d have thought you’d have known by now. And I’m a redhead, Dex. We’re born pale.” Ginny brushed past her partner and headed up the stairs to where they were keeping Mandy. Dex hurried after her. “Weasley, if I’d had known what happened I would have never asked you to come in to work. I could have handled things myself.” Ginny stopped and looked at him. “If what you said in your note is true, then it’s a good idea I be told what’s going on, don’t you think?” Dex nodded reluctantly, but folded his arms. “What does Harry say about all of this? And I can‘t believe your family let you out without a chaperone.” Ginny shook her head and continued up the stairs. Dex’s hand on her back stopped her and she tried to shake it off, annoyed. “Ginny.” Dex’s voice was low and his use of her first name made her sigh in frustration. “Harry doesn’t know I’m here, no one does. I snuck out. They’re out there trying to find Malfoy and I’m supposed to sit tight. But this is more important than me. You and I both know that. Remember what Winifred said? If someone is attacking girls because of something I’ve done or because of me, then I owe it to them to figure it all out. Before someone else gets taken.” Ginny hadn’t realized she was pleading until she heard the note of it in her own voice. Why can't anyone see that I need to do something other than just sit around and wait? Dex looked as though he was going to tell her to go home, and Ginny held her breath, waiting for the lecture that never came. He smiled at her when she met his eyes. “I could never talk you out of doing something you wanted to do, Weasley. Come on,” he said as he pushed past her, “Sarah is waiting for you in Mandy’s room. She’s really upset, so you’ve been warned.” Ginny smiled gratefully at her partner and followed him. Finally, someone who understood. *** Hermione knocked on Harry’s bedroom door softly. When she received no answer, she was hoping that meant that Ginny had taken the Sleeping Draught Mrs. Weasley had made for her. But all such hope faded as soon as Hermione opened the door to check and found the empty bedroom and the doors to the balcony standing open. Hermione half-cursed the Weasley name and walked over to the bed as a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. She picked it up and read it, her eyes growing wide. Damn that girl. Hermione took the note with her and walked back out to the sitting room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were not going to like this at all. But when Hermione entered the room, Mrs. Weasley was talking to a very upset looking Neville at the door. Neville’s eyes widened when he saw Hermione and he pushed past Molly to walk over to her. “Hermione, where’s Ginny? I really need to talk to her.” Molly shook her head. “I tried telling him about what happened but I don’t think he was listening. Neville, Ginny’s resting, I told you.” “Actually, Molly, she’s not,” Hermione interrupted. She handed her the note she’d found. “Seems Ginny has decided to go to work.” Molly stared at Hermione and looked down at the note. She gasped and then went into the kitchen to show Mr. Weasley. Neville looked after her and then ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair. He looked very agitated. “Neville, what’s wrong?” Hermione asked him. “It’s...Susan. I can’t find her anywhere. We were supposed to meet and she’s never late and she never misses and now I can’t find her. And...and I found this in her flat...." Neville held out a small bundle of greenery that had dark pinkish flowers at the end of each stem. They reminded Hermione of poppies, the petals were long and drooping, except there was something odd about the shape of the buds. As she took one from Neville’s hand, she turned it over and realized that held the right way, the bloom took on the appearance of a pink heart and at the bottom tip of each heart the colour exploded into dark red. It was as though the bloom was bleeding. She supposed that had Neville not seemed so agitated by the appearance of the flower, she might have thought it was pretty, but for some reason she felt a shiver instead. “What is it?” “It’s a flower that doesn’t grow around here, that’s what it is. It’s called a Bleeding Heart. And it...it means death. I think something has happened to Susan. I need to show this to Ginny, to see if she can get any impressions from it. Susan‘s Aunt mentioned something about girls disappearing and....” Mr. and Mrs. Weasley chose that moment to come out of the kitchen, arguing. “You should have made sure she took the Sleeping Draught!” “And you should have made sure your daughter had more sense.” Hermione shook her head and looked at the Weasleys. “I reckon we need to go after her, don’t we?” she asked them. Mr. Weasley nodded. “I know you can’t Apparate yet Hermione, so if you don’t mind seeing Molly....” “Seeing Molly where? I’m going to the hospital to give my daughter a nice talking to, Arthur Weasley, something which you should have already done.” “Molly, I was merely suggesting that you two go to the Ministry, since it’s closer so that someone can let Harry know there have been some new developments with the case he and Ginny have been working on. Neville and I will pop over to St. Mungo’s and get Ginny back here.” Before Molly could argue, Hermione took a hold of her future mother-in-law and grabbed their cloaks by the door. “I think it sounds like a very sensible plan, Arthur,” Hermione said, hoping to avoid an elder Weasley row. “But what about Susan?! What if she’s been nabbed? A friend of mine was out looking for Mandy Brocklehurst earlier and -” The closing door shut out Neville’s panicked voice. Hermione realized she was still holding the Bleeding Heart she’d taken from Neville. Stuffing it into her pocket she pretended to agree with Molly as the elder woman started going on about irresponsible children. It was true that Hermione didn’t put much stock into ‘feelings’ or intuitions about things - that she preferred logic and facts to guesses and maybes - but as she wrapped her cloak closer around her as they made their way to the Ministry, Hermione had a very bad feeling indeed. And something told her to trust it. *** They’d received notice of Draco’s whereabouts almost immediately after reaching Auror Headquarters. So Harry and the Weasleys, as well as almost everyone else who had been in the office, including Remus and Tonks, had headed out straight away to a small shopping district along the water front. It reminded Harry too much of the evening that they had found Winifred for some reason. Probably because it was almost the same area, except they were definitely in non wizard-friendly territory, which meant no one could really keep their wands out in front of them. But Harry wasn't worried; he’d seen everyone work fast and quick under worse conditions than this and if any Muggles saw anything odd or strange, he had no doubt a few Memory Charms would go a long way. All Harry cared about was getting Draco and getting back to Ginny. He tried to push the anxiety he felt to the back of his mind. He didn’t know why he was anxious, but ever since he’d left her...but no, his nerves were just on overkill, that’s all it meant. He glanced over at Ron, who had a very determined look on his face, his eyes moving left to right. His expression matched Bill and Charlie’s as well. Harry had to curb an urge to chuckle. Merlin, Malfoy, you’re a fool. Not only do you have me after your arse, but you’ve got the full arsenal known as the Wrath of Weasley just itching to pummel you into nothing. Remus moved beside him and raised his hand so that everyone would stop. They were spread out in a strategic position, with George and Fred and a group of Aurors bringing up the rear. Harry knew they all looked a bit conspicuous, what with the famous Weasley red hair shining bright in the setting sun, but it couldn’t be helped. Remus turned and nodded to an old woman with a shopping cart. She winked at Harry and then walked forward a bit, looking for all the world like a tottering old Muggle, on her way home from the store. Harry had to hand it to Tonks; she could certainly disguise herself better than anyone he knew. His mind wandered and he reflected on the other person he knew that could change their appearance so well and an idea popped into his head. “Remus, listen, can Tonks change into Narcissa, do you think?” Remus blinked at him. “Narcissa? Well, not an exact copy, but from a distance...perhaps. Isn’t that how you trapped Draco in America, by making him think you had his mother? Do you really think he’d fall for that again?” “Yeah, Harry,” said Bill as he moved next them. “Malfoy’s an idiot, but he’s not that thick. He’d probably laugh at her.” “That’s what I want. I want him to come out laughing. Malfoy can’t resist telling me how stupid I am. He’ll see Tonks and want to let the world know how pathetic I am.” Bill and Remus looked doubtful. Harry tried to explain it more. “Look, you know how Draco can’t resist showing me up. This is perfect; he’ll just love to put his superiority over me and come out to play.” Harry didn’t add that the man probably missed his mother enough to want to get a good look at Tonks, for old time’s sake. Harry knew the extent of Draco’s mother worship, and he knew there’d be some force within Draco that would want to believe it was true, even if most of him believed it wasn’t. “Well, I suppose we can try it, for a little while. Of course, Draco may no longer be in this part of town and we’re just wasting time,” Remus said, sounding as though he wasn’t convinced the plan had any merit. “Just walking around is wasting time too,” Bill said, and Harry nodded. “All right, let me ask her.” Remus turned and headed after Tonks. Harry used his wand and tried another Locator Spell. The wand still buzzed, so that was a good sign. It meant Draco had at least been in the area recently. Harry didn’t have time to wonder why as Ron came up to him and Bill. “What’s going on?” Ron asked them and Harry started to explain his plan. Bill moved off to tell the others. “You really think he’ll make an appearance?” Ron asked sceptically. Harry nodded. He didn’t know why, but his gut instinct told him Draco would. He just hoped it was soon. The anxiety about Ginny came back again and Harry pushed it away. She’s fine; she’s probably asleep in your bed. Stop worrying. The inner voice did nothing to soothe his anxieties. Harry just couldn’t shake the idea that Ginny had done something stupid and not taken her sleeping potion like she’d promised. *** Ginny stared in revulsion at Mandy’s back. He, whoever it had been, had carved Ginny’s name into the pale pink skin, just below the other woman’s shoulder blade. She tried to swallow but found that she couldn't. Sarah wasn’t looking at her and neither was Dex. “Is she...?” Ginny couldn't finish the sentence and thought her voice sounded hollow and empty. She closed her eyes to block the view from her mind but it was too late. The image of someone being branded with her name was already burned into her memory. “She’s asleep. As far as I can tell. Just like...like Winifred was,” Sarah said softly. “So that‘s good then, right?” Dex said, his voice also sounding odd to Ginny, “She’ll wake up...eventually, right?” Sarah just looked at him and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Ginny willed herself to look at Mandy again and moved closer to the bed. He had carved it perfectly. The slope of the G was almost generous as it cut through the skin. The small i and double n’s connecting. The wide expanse of the y...Ginny had never hated her name before but in that moment she did. She bit her lip as she noticed how deeply Mandy had been cut. She took in the redness of Mandy’s hair, dyed or charmed to be just like her own. Ginny felt her stomach drop to her feet and suddenly couldn’t stand it anymore. She bolted from around the bed and barely made it to the loo before she got sick, retching up whatever she’d had for lunch. Someone was out there hurting women because of her. What else could it mean? Ginny fell back and felt herself slide down the wall. The loo seemed to turn and swirl around her and she didn’t realize she was moaning until Dex was saying her name in her ear. She looked up at his concerned face and couldn’t understand what he was saying. In fact, Dex didn’t even look like himself anymore, his face was darker, the features stretched. Ginny felt something pass through her consciousness as he touched her and she gasped as she realized what it was. Ginny whispered one word before she blacked out and she said it so softly that almost no one would have heard. But Dex did hear it and something inside of him seemed to snap. Oh no, this wouldn’t do at all. *** “Ron! Now!” Harry shouted as Ron threw a Stunning Spell towards the alleyway they’d just seen Draco run down. True to Harry’s instinct, Draco had been unable to resist the urge to taunt him. He had appeared shortly after Tonks had managed to make herself look like her least favourite Aunt. Laughing and full of taunts, Draco had given himself away and the Aurors, led by Fred and George, had pounced on him. It was just a matter of time now. Harry shared a look with Ron and they took off after Malfoy, knowing full well that Remus and Bill were on the other side waiting. Draco was as good as dead. They could hear him up ahead, breathing heavily. Harry knew the game was up when he found a piece of the invisibility cloak Draco had been hiding under sticking off a nasty piece of broken concrete he’d obviously run into. Draco could now be seen. They ran into a small clearing between the two buildings and stopped as they saw Remus and Bill enter from the other way. They all looked around and their eyes settled on a small group of boxes and bins that had been dumped by some lazy shop cleaner. Draco had to have hidden in amongst those, somewhere. “Let us at him!” George was saying in his ear, and Fred growled his plea next to Ron. Harry held out his hand and stopped them. “Let’s flush him out instead.” Fred and George exchanged smiles of glee as Harry aimed his wand at one of the large boxes. “Oh, Draco? Are you home?” A crack of green light filled the alleyway as Harry blew the box away. “Yeah, you big git, show yourself and we might not hurt you.” “Too much.” George said and he used his wand to blow up the next box. “Let me have a go,” Ron said excitedly and aimed his wand at the next largest box. But before he could utter the spell, it moved and they heard Draco’s voice calling out to them. “Watch it Weasley, if you kill me here you’ll never know what I know about your sister.” Harry put his hand out to stop Ron. “What do you mean, Draco? What about Ginny?” They heard a strange sound, and Harry realized Draco was laughing at them very hard. So hard in fact that it sounded as though the man was having problems breathing in between chortles. Feeling anger again, Harry aimed his wand and the box around Draco disappeared. Draco’s eyes widened and then he stood up, his eyes flicking over them. He knew he was caught and yet he still had the ability to look at them as though they were beneath him. Harry had to admire the ego it took to do that. “Tired of playing, Potter? You never did have much patience.” Remus moved forward but Harry stopped him. “No, Remus. This is between me and Draco.” Harry moved forward and knew Ron, George and Fred were right behind him. Bill eyed Draco and also moved closer. Charlie and the other Aurors hung back in case Draco had something planned. “What do you know about Ginny, Draco? Tell me now and I might let you live.” Draco smirked. “Idle threats, Potter. You’d no more kill me now then you would when you caught me in America. You’re an eternal do-gooder.” “Yeah, but we’re not,” Fred said from behind him. Draco paled a bit but Harry could still see the arrogance in his eyes. “You, Weasley? And which one are you anyway? Oh, it doesn’t matter, once a Weasley, always a Weasley, that is, a scum blood traitor. I hardly doubt you’d want your fat mother to worry about you getting sent off to Azkaban for killing the likes of me.” George made a growling noise, and Ron and Harry had to hold him back, to stop him from charging the other man. Draco backed up a bit, but still stared defiantly at them. Harry looked at Draco. “Times have changed Draco. Arthur Weasley is the Minister of Magic now and he has personally given us his okay to take you out in any way possible. Of course, should things go awry here and we’re forced to...harm you in any way, I’m sure the rest of the party will back us up when we say you were wounded while trying to escape.” Finally Harry could see some of the arrogance wear off of Draco, and he was surprised by the haunted expression the man wore. Azkaban had been hard for Draco to endure. His confidence was a shaky thing it seemed. “Be that as it may, Potter, you still won’t know what I know, and believe me... it’s something very interesting. That girlfriend of yours; I watched her today. She’s quite a piece of something, isn’t she? I would have never guessed, seeing as how she comes from a family of traitors but...yeah, I can see why you’d like that next to you in bed,” Draco paused, his eye glittering dangerously, his confidence obviously returning, “How is she in bed, by the way? Did she enjoy the Stunner I gave her? Bet it was the first time she felt a real flash of power from a real man, you know what I mean, Harry? I bet she loved it.” The force of the spell that hit Draco surprised even Harry, and he’d been the one to cast it. He’d only meant to propel Draco back against the wall; instead, Malfoy had it the wall hard, his body cracking as it made contact. Two things happened at once, Fred and George let out a loud yell of happiness and clapped Harry on the back, and Remus and Bill both said his name in warning tones. Harry looked down at Draco and felt no remorse. The blonde haired man stared up at him, a strange expression on his face. His eyes met Harry’s. “Is she as good as all that, Potter? Guess it’s a shame I won’t live to know for myself....” Draco’s voice trailed off and his face flashed with pain. Harry knew then that Draco was dying. Dropping to his knees over him, Harry used his wand to prop Draco up. Draco coughed and blood came out of his mouth. He looked at it in wonder as though he couldn‘t believe it was his. “About time you finished me off, Harry,” Draco said quietly. “But just remember this moment, when you realize what’s gone. When you realize I had things to tell you about Ginny, and what’s going to happen to her. Remember that you killed me too soon. Live with that when you find her dead. He’s going to take her from you Harry and there’s nothing you can do....” Draco’s body shuddered and then his head lolled forward, his eyes going wide. His body went slack and it was only because of the spell Harry still had him secured under that he didn’t crumple to the ground. Remus reached out and checked the man’s pulse. He looked at Harry. “He’s dead,” he said simply, and Harry nodded. He felt numb, as though he had been watching himself from the outside. It was always that way when he fought. He released the spell, and Remus caught Draco’s body as it fell downwards. He lowered him to the ground and stood up. Not looking at Harry, he turned to Bill who nodded and went to get the others in their group. “He was bluffing. He didn’t know anything to do with Ginny,” Ron was saying, out loud. “It was just another one of Malfoy’s bluffs. You did the right thing Harry. The git deserved it.” Harry nodded again and yet...something about the look in Draco’s eyes. Harry realized that with the death of Draco so too had died the answers of how he had escaped to begin with and who, if anyone, had helped him. Again the anxious feeling rose up in him and Harry looked at Remus. “I’m going,” he said simply, and Remus nodded at him, because he too had seen something true in the look that Draco had given Harry. Harry Apparated to his flat. *** Harry knew something was wrong as soon as he appeared on his balcony. The doors were wide open for one, and as he looked into the room he saw that the bed was empty. He also noticed the untouched Sleeping Draught as well. Damn it, Ginny. Harry moved through the room quickly also noticing that the dressing gown she’d had on was tossed carelessly across the bed and the clothes she’d had out before were gone. Harry walked into the living room, expecting to find at least Hermione, but the flat was empty. Where had they all gone? Had something happened? Turning around again, Harry made his way back to his balcony and Apparated again. Hopefully, they’d all be at the Ministry waiting for him. *** Hermione was the first to notice the Aurors returning, as she and Molly waited in Ginny’s office, having had no luck with finding anyone to talk to. She saw a familiar red head walk by with them and called out to him. “Charlie!” Charlie Weasley stopped and popped his head in through the open door. “Mum, Hermione, what are you two doing here?” “Your sister left Harry’s flat, on some work business. We were hoping to run into one of you here, but you’d all left already. Tell me, did you get Malfoy?” Charlie nodded enthusiastically and filled them in. Hermione gasped when Charlie explained how Draco had died. She couldn’t believe Harry would let himself get that angry, but then she supposed that if anyone had had it coming, it would have been Draco. Charlie was just about at the end when Ron and Bill went walking by and Hermione pulled away from where she’d been standing to stop them. “Hermione, why are you here?” Ron started to ask her, but she interrupted him. “Where’s Harry?” “Harry left the scene early; he wanted to check on Ginny. I’m assuming he popped back to his flat.” Ron looked in and saw his mother and Charlie talking. “Why are you and Mum here? Why isn’t someone staying with Ginny?” “Ginny left and didn’t tell anyone, that's why. She got a note from Dex about Mandy Brocklehurst. Your father and Neville went to get her. Your mother and I thought we’d catch you before you left, but...” “So after Harry, Dad and Mum all told Ginny specifically not to do anything except rest, she popped out to do some work?” Bill asked, incredulously. Hermione nodded and Bill shook his head. “There’s more, Neville thinks Susan Bones is missing and....” Hermione paused and pulled out the note Ginny had left. “Dex told Ginny that whoever had kidnapped Mandy had left a clue for her specifically. Which of course - ” “Made my little sister run right out to sort it all out,” Ron said, exasperated. “Brilliant. Well, hopefully Dad gives her a serious talking to.” “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you caught up with Draco as fast as you did, really. Now at least we don’t have to worry about anything happening to Ginny,” Hermione said, logically. “Except the row she’s going to have with Harry when he realizes she went out without anyone with her. I don’t fancy being around for that one,” Ron said as Bill nodded, chuckling. “Hermione!” They all turned to see Harry heading fast down the hallway. He looked angry and didn’t say hello when he reached them. “Where’s Ginny?” “She’s gone into work; she received a note from Dex about the case they’ve been working on.” “So she’s in her office?” Harry said as he made to push by them. “No, she’s at St. Mungo’s. I know you’re mad at her, we all are, but at least now that Draco’s out of the picture....” Harry cursed and took off down the hallway again without explaining himself. Hermione stared after him and then looked at Ron, waiting for an explanation. However, it was Bill that spoke. “Draco said a few things, before he ah...died. I think Harry’s just trying to get a bit of peace of mind about the whole thing. He’ll feel better as soon as he finds her, I’m sure. Come on bro; let’s go do our bit for the Auror report. The quicker we do that, the quicker we can all go home and eat.” Ron nodded at Bill, and gave Hermione a quick hug before they headed back down the hallway. Hermione frowned in unease. Harry had seemed much too agitated, and the bad feeling she’d had when she’d discovered Ginny had left came back to her. Hermione turned and followed Ron and Bill to the Auror Department. She wanted to know exactly what Draco had said. *** Harry arrived at St. Mungo’s and was inquiring at the front desk about where he could find Ginny and Dex when he saw an upset Neville and Mr. Weasley coming down the stairs. “Neville, Arthur...where’s Ginny?” “Harry! What are you doing here, has Draco been caught?” Mr. Weasley asked him. Harry nodded impatiently. “We found him in an alleyway, out by the docks. I’m sure Bill or Remus can fill you in with the specifics. Draco’s dead though. He....” Harry paused, not sure how to explain it. He shook his head and decided to just tell the truth. “I used too strong a spell on him and he was hurt internally. I take full responsibility for it, sir. But all I really want to know right now is where Ginny is.” “We were wondering the same, Harry. She left the flat after she got a note from Dex and came here to check on the girl that had been missing. The girl’s sister says Ginny became ill, and Dex sent her out to get a potion to help her and when she came back they were gone. I’m assuming Dex took her home.” “No, I just came from there. They weren’t there. Unless we just missed each other. Why was Ginny sick? What’s happened?” “Well, apparently, whoever kidnapped Mandy Brocklehurst is the same one who took the Eaton girl. And they left a little...souvenir on Mandy’s back. I’m afraid there seems to be some connection between the girls disappearing and Ginny.” Harry felt all the blood turn to ice inside of him. “What?” Neville nodded, and Harry noticed the other man looked pale. “He carved Ginny’s name into her back, Harry...it’s...awful. And...he dyed Mandy's hair red and....” Neville stopped, biting his lip. Harry watched as Mr. Weasley put a shaky hand on Neville’s shoulder. “Neville thinks Susan is missing. We were just about to check with Amelia, to see if she’s seen her niece.” Harry nodded absentmindedly at them, his thoughts already racing. Maybe Dex had taken Ginny home. Harry felt scared suddenly as he remembered Draco’s words.... He’s going to take her from you Harry and there’s nothing you can do. Harry met Mr. Weasley’s eyes and saw the other man was worried too, and he didn’t even have the knowledge of Draco’s voice in his head, taunting him, like Harry did. “I’m going to go back home and see if she’s there. Maybe I just missed her.” “Okay, Harry. Come on, Neville. Let’s go see Amelia.. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions about things, right? Harry you’ll let us know anything as soon as you can, right?” Harry nodded and once again, found himself heading home. He hoped this time he found what he was looking for. *** Ginny felt herself falling. Maybe it was through time; maybe it was just in her mind, she wasn’t sure. Her head felt as though it had been pried open and she had a bad taste in her mouth. The darkness pressed against her eyelids and she twisted away into it, feeling herself let go. A strange nausea overcame her and she felt weighted, as though she were being held down by something. But something kept her conscious. Maybe it was force of will or some sort of inner mechanism that just refused to do what the poison wanted. But the longer Ginny held on, the more aware of things she became. She heard noises, like heavy breathing and then whispers that her mind strained to understand. But the heaviness of something else would flood out her control and she’d be floating again...she felt something moving over her and she knew it was the reason she felt lost. Her skin prickled and she tried to move but knew it was pointless. She couldn’t seem to hold onto one coherent thought for too long and so she just let herself drift away.... But she was becoming aware of the slightly warm sensation around her hand, more specifically, around her finger. It was coming from the small wooden ring that Harry had given her and although Ginny didn’t know it, it was this that would eventually bring her back to herself. It was the ring that would allow her to be awake within the hell that she had somehow found herself in. *** Louis could hardly believe it as he watched her sleeping. Twisting as the rope worked its way around her. Something close to pure happiness snaked through him; she was his. Of course, it was ahead of schedule and he’d had to adjust everything, but in the end what did it matter? Ginny was within his reach again and he could almost feel his heart beat quicker at the prospect. Oh what he would do...oh what he would feel again. He had been angry when his partner had brought her round. So angry in fact that he had beaten the other man, but in the end he’d realized that he should accept this for what it was - a gift. So he had more time with Ginny, this was a good thing, yes? Louis gazed at his love again and smiled to himself, unconsciously licking his lips. Yes, it was a very good thing. *** Harry found Dex almost immediately. The man was lying face down in front of the opened balcony doors, a huge bump already starting to swell on the back of his head. Harry turned him over and noticed his face was bruised as well. Harry used his wand to try to wake him. A few moments later, Dex was blinking up at him, his eyes unfocused. Harry looked around for the man’s glasses and found them under the bed. He sat Dex up and handed them to him. “What happened? Where’s Ginny?” he asked, his voice controlled. Dex blinked rapidly and looked like he was struggling with thinking. Harry felt frustration eating away at him and it took all his self-control not to slap Dex in the face to snap him out of it. “I...was putting her in the bed and someone hit me from behind...I don’t - ” Dex broke off and looked around, his eyes wide. “She’s not here, is she?” Harry frowned and stood back up, heading out into the sitting room, but already knowing the answer. Ginny was not to be found. Harry marched back into the bedroom and squatted down again in front of Dex. “Dexter, I want you to tell me everything that’s happened. Starting from the first moment you saw her today. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how insignificant you think it is.” Dex nodded and eyed Harry with a strange look. Before Harry could question it, Dex began to tell him his story. *** Dex’s story was such that had Ginny actually been around, Harry may have strangled her. Or at least, had a few choice words about the lack of information she’d shared with him. Ginny had never told him that Winifred had awoken and become frightened at the mention of her name. Of course, he reckoned in retrospect that they’d had other things to deal with, but still. Didn’t she think he would want to know if someone was going around nabbing girls with red hair and calling them Ginny? Hermione and Ron showed up sometime after Dex was finished, and Harry made him tell them what he already knew. Ron’s reaction was much like Harry’s own. “Damn it, why didn’t she tell anyone about this?” “Ron, she just found out about Mandy today, and you were all out looking for Draco. I’m sure in normal circumstances she would have said something eventually,” Hermione said, matter of fact. Harry and Ron both snorted at her and she shook her head. “Regardless, we now have two missing girls, both of them friends - ” Dex popped his head up. “Two? Who else?” “Susan Bones. Well, at least Neville thinks she’s missing. He just hasn’t been able to locate her.” Dex seemed to pale at the thought, which Harry registered as an odd reaction, he didn’t think Dex knew who Susan Bones even was. “What I want to know,” said Ron, interrupting Harry’s thoughts. “Is how whoever took Ginny knew that you’d be bringing her back to Harry’s flat and how he got in to begin with.” Harry shook his head in embarrassment. “The balcony. It was left wide open and er...I never set up any Anti-Apparation or Permission Spells around it. Anyone can pretty much come and go as they please.” Harry turned away from the watchful eye of Hermione, self-conscious because he really should have been cleverer about the whole thing. But then he hadn’t expected Ginny to be the target of anything either, had he? Yeah, but as soon as you knew Draco was out and about you should have done it first thing, you git. Harry really hated it when the little voice in his head was right. He shook his head to make it shut up and tried to concentrate on what Ron was saying. “...right, Hermione...yeah, okay but...this must be a person who was watching Ginny then. Someone who was watching the flat,” Ron said as he walked over to the balcony and looked out. “Maybe it’s someone who lives across the courtyard. Otherwise how would they know your doors were open?” Harry admitted Ron had a point. From the front of the flat you would never know the balcony doors were open. He looked at Dex suddenly. “Was Ginny conscious when you brought her back?” Dex blinked up at him, his hand still rubbing his head. “Yeah, a bit. She told me she’d left the balcony doors open. I was going to take her to her place, but....” Dex’s voice ran out quietly. Harry felt anger and frustration going through him again. This was pointless. Who really cared how the person got in...the only thing that mattered was getting Ginny back. With that in mind, Harry whirled around and started to head towards the front door when Hermione stopped him. “Where are you going?” “Out to find her.” “And exactly where is that?” “I don’t know, but it’s better than standing around here talking about things. Every moment she’s gone is another moment she can be hurt.” “Harry, let us get Dad and the rest of the Aurors and everyone out there, looking. He can’t have taken her far. She was sick, right Dex?” Ron asked the other man. Dex nodded. “She had a reaction to seeing her name on Mandy’s back. I think she sort of...I don’t know, maybe she had a psychic reaction. Like she did in Winifred’s apartment the other day, except stronger.” “Then why didn’t you leave her in the bloody hospital to be looked after,” Harry said quietly, narrowing his eyes at Dex. Dex shook his head. “She didn’t want to stay, Harry, I told you. She insisted I bring her home. To your bed. She wanted to be here when you came back.” There was something accusatory in Dex’s voice that Harry didn’t like and he wasn’t going to stand for it. If anyone was in the wrong here, it was Dex. He was the one who’d been stupid enough to get his head bashed in. Hermione must have read a bit of what he was feeling on his face because she reached out and patted his hand. She turned towards Dex. “Dex, come with me into the loo, let me look at that bump and put a cold washcloth on it. Are you feeling dizzy at all still?” Dex mumbled something, and Hermione led him away from Harry. Harry cursed and kicked the bed. “Harry, come on, it’s not really his fault,” Ron said after a moment. “Oh yeah? Don’t you think one of us would have made her be looked at by one of the Healers instead of bringing her back here?” “Yeah, probably, but we’re just as stubborn as Ginny is. Dex isn’t like that. Besides...you know he’s sort of...well, he let’s her get away with a lot of things, mostly because of his feelings for her.” “And what? I don’t have feelings for her?” “I didn’t say that Harry - ” “Just because I don’t let her walk all over me doesn’t mean - ” “Harry!” Ron raised his voice, breaking through to him. “Would you just let it go? Blaming Dex isn’t helping us find her. She’s my sister; don’t you think I’m about half way to chucking him out the door, myself? Right now he’s the last person to see her and we need that. He also knows more about the case probably than either of us put together. I don’t bloody well fancy watching you take your anger out on him because you’re feeling guilty. It‘s a waste of time.” Harry stared at Ron in anger and shock. He then felt embarrassed again. Draco had taunted him with this very thing; he could hardly believe it. Even dead, the git was probably still laughing at him. Hermione came out of the lavatory and looked at Harry, who had his hands in fists at his sides. She approached him warily. “Harry, Dex needs some medical attention. We should see him to St. Mungo’s. Then we can contact everyone else and start a plan of action. Dex says you should probably start with the Eaton girl, since Mandy is still asleep.” Harry nodded silently. Hermione led Dex out of the room and Ron followed them, glancing at Harry. Harry stared at the bed. Just this morning he’d woken up, secretly engaged and very happy. The thought of someone harming Ginny felt like a knife twisting in his heart. He didn’t know how long he could remain in control of his feelings. He didn’t want to think about what the other girls had been put through; he didn’t want to think about Ginny going through that as well. If one hair on her head was harmed, Harry knew he wouldn’t need a wand to kill whoever it was that had taken her. He’d be able to do it with his bare hands without a second thought. *** Getting everyone together to start looking for Ginny didn’t take as long as Harry thought it would. Still pretty much keyed up because of the Draco incident, the Ministry’s Auror Department responded without delay. Something that Harry was grateful for, considering he’d left the group for five years. It was a testament to Ginny and to the Weasleys in general that everyone got immediately to work. Remus and Tonks joined him now at St. Mungo’s, waiting for the okay to talk to Winifred. They had moved the girl to the third floor and the medi-witch on duty was being a bit tetchy about the whole thing. Harry flipped through the notes that Dex had given him and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Dex and Ginny had started to question Winifred and the girl had become emotional, which was understandable. Harry hoped someone somewhere could forgive him for what he was now going to put the poor girl through. Harry wanted some answers about the person who was doing this and he wasn’t going to shy away from getting them. Lupin saw the determined look on Harry’s face and cleared his throat. Harry eyes met his. “I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this,” he said after a moment. Remus nodded. “Good, because for a moment there I was worried you were about to go into her room and demand she tell you everything.” Harry swallowed hard and didn’t say anything. Remus sighed. “Harry, I know you’ve got a hundred and one different emotions inside you now, but remember, Winifred Eaton has been through something terrible and she’s in a fragile mental state. Forcing her is not going to help matters." “She can probably help find Ginny with what she knows, I’m not going to demand anything of her but I will push her if I think she might know something I need to know,” Harry said stubbornly. “Then you’re no better than the man that put her in that bed in there,” Remus said simply, his eyes showing disappointment. Harry snapped his head up. “How can you say that? I’m trying to help her! I’m trying to catch the person who did this....” “No, you’re trying to find your lover and you’re thinking that every second she’s missing is another second that whoever did this is hurting her. Your concern isn’t with anyone other than Ginny. My concern is with making certain you don’t make Winifred even more of a victim here.” Harry threw the parchment he’d been reading at Remus’s feet. He turned around and pushed past Tonks, who had been listening. He heard her call after him but heard Remus tell her to let him go. Harry wasn’t certain who he was angry at, himself or Remus or Ginny or.... He entered one of the empty rooms and slammed the door shut behind him, the noise echoing through the ward. Harry realized with a start it was the same room he and Ginny had been in the other day, kissing, laughing.... Harry didn’t even realize he had punched the wall until he felt the pain in his hand. He groaned and slid slowly down the wall, holding his hand. At least the pain cleared his head a bit. At least he could think straight. It was true all he was thinking of was Ginny. What did Remus expect? For him to remain calm and collected? Yeah, of course he does, because you’re a better wizard than that and you know it. He didn’t want to hurt Winifred, he just wanted answers. He wanted to know everything she could remember about the place she’d been taken so that he could go out and find Ginny. Why was that a bad thing? Ginny’s face flashed in his mind, and Harry banged his head against the wall. He should have made certain she’d taken that Sleeping Draught. He should have protected her more. He should never have let his anger get away from him and allowed himself to hit Draco with such a strong spell. He should have forced him to tell them what he knew about someone wanting Ginny. He should have.... Harry reckoned he could go on like this all night and in the end, the result would be the same. This wasn’t helping his cause any, was it? This wasn’t getting him anywhere. “Harry?” Harry looked up and saw Tonks looking at him, her face concerned. She dropped down beside him and looked at the hole in the wall above his head and then at his hand. She shook her head. “Did it at least make you feel better?” “No.” “Let me see,” Tonks took his hand into hers and unclasped the fingers. Harry winced and she clucked her tongue. “Well, I don’t think you broke anything, but have a medi-witch look at it.” Harry nodded and tried to pull his hand away but Tonks held on. He met her eyes. “Don’t be too cross at Remus, Harry. He loves you, you know. And he loves Ginny. He wants to find her as much as you do, believe me. But he has such...he has a big heart when it comes to other people and he doesn’t want anyone to hurt anymore than they already have.” Harry looked away. He felt ashamed now and felt his eyes water. Tonks hugged him, awkwardly, her body trying to pull his forward. Harry welcomed the softness and relaxed for the first time in hours. A moment later, Tonks pulled away and smiled at him. “Better now?” “Yeah. A bit. I’m...I’m sorry.” “You don’t have to apologize to me, Harry. I’m not the one you just threw a fit at.” Harry nodded. “Good point.” He tried to stand up and she helped, making sure not to grab his injured hand. He really did feel better. Calmer. He looked at Tonks and gave her what he hoped was a smile. “Come on,” she said. “Winifred is ready to see us. Let’s hope she’s ready to talk as well.” Harry nodded and used his wand to repair the hole in the wall his fist had made. His hand gave a dull throb of pain as he tried to flex his fingers. Harry hoped Winifred Eaton could help them or he might just run out of body parts that he could hurt in frustration. *** Ginny felt pain at first and groaned as she tried to move her head. Her arms were away from her body and she wasn’t sure why at first, until she tried to move them and realized they were tied to something. Wincing and squeezing her eyes shut tighter, she took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. The bright light shocked her, and it took a moment for her eyes to focus. When what she was seeing finally did register in her mind, she gasped, despite herself. There were dozens of paintings hanging on the walls. Most were like the ones she had seen at Maltilda Bowering’s. Except for one small fact. They were all of her. Ginny’s eyes moved from painting to painting in fascination. There she was sitting at a desk in a peach collared dress, deep in thought, a half-empty potions bottle next her. There she was sitting at a loom, hands behind her head, her expression vacant as she stared off into something not seen from the angle of the painting. Each painting was done in that same style. If it wasn’t so incredibly creepy to see your own face staring out at you from different views, Ginny might have thought they were beautiful. Until she saw the last painting that had been placed against the wall almost carelessly and she knew that whoever had painted these had left it there for a reason. It was so she wouldn’t notice it at first. It was a painting of a woman, her hair long and red. She had her back to the viewer’s eyes, but it didn’t matter because she was gazing into a long ornate mirror. Her hands were behind her ears as though she had just finished primping her hair. She wore a light gossamer gown over a tightly woven bodice the colour of lilacs. The face in the mirror was not Ginny’s, although she did sense some sort of recognition when she gazed at it. From the pose of the woman you would assume her expression to be one of self-admiration or self-awareness, but instead the painter had put an almost dream-like quality to her face as she watched herself. It was a look that said she was in love with what see saw. It was a look that made Ginny uncomfortable and she wasn’t certain why. There was too much in that expression- too much to just be seen in a mirror. Ginny tore her eyes away from it and tried to figure out where she was. Other than the paintings, the room was nondescript. She was on a small bed, with dark blue sheets and blankets. They had been pulled up over her, almost as though someone had tucked her in. She pulled again on her arms and almost cried out when she felt the ropes move tightly around her. She glanced up and realized the ropes were moving as she struggled. As she moved her finger across the surface of the rope it tried to coil around her even more. The ropes appeared to be alive. Her legs were not tied down, but they were immobile and she knew that he had probably put a spell on her to keep her from thrashing around too much. Ginny tried to think back to the last thing that had happened, but her mind was blank. In fact, her mind was too blank. Ginny frowned and tried to concentrate on what she had been doing before she had ended up here. She didn’t know. She felt the heaviness of the stone still around her neck, locked away safely in its pouch and cursed. She’d love to be able to meditate now, to try to make some sense out of everything. The only thing she could do was to get one of her arms untied, somehow.... “Well, well, look who’s awake. You’re fast; I have to give you that. Much faster than any of the others. But then you always were special, weren’t you, my love?” Ginny lifted her head to peer at the door and what she saw made her heart beat wildly in her chest. She was in a lot of trouble. *** After Louis was finished with Ginny, he closed the door, smiling to himself. He removed the mask he’d worn, whistling softly. He made his way into the room he’d turned into a small kitchen and frowned as he saw the darkness. Before he could light one of the wall sconces, he heard the flare of a match and one of the candles on the table were lit. “What have you been doing, Louis?” Louis smiled and walked over to the table. He stared at the man and shook his head as he sat down. The other man merely looked at him, the light of the candle reflecting off of his glasses. “Why nothing at all, partner. Just welcoming Ginny home the proper way.” The other man blinked at him in anger. “You said I was going to have her first.” Louis sat back and put his hands behind his head. He sneered at his partner. “That, my friend, was what mother used to call a pie-crust promise, easily made and oh, so easily broken. Surely you must be used to disappointment by now? But anyway, I merely welcomed her home. Didn’t have time to do anything else just yet. I must say she seemed quite disappointed - ” “What have you done with Susan?” the other man interrupted him. Louis blinked and then shook his head. “I’d almost forgotten about her. Aye. She’s in the other room. I barely had time to put the rope around her, before you interrupted me with your gift.” He shrugged and sat forward in his chair, a grin breaking across his face. “I don’t need her now; you can have her if you want.” The other man made a movement as though to strike him, but Louis was too quick. With a flick of the wand he’d managed to get in his hand, he uttered 'Lumos,' and the room flared into bright light. The other man blinked in confusion and cursed as Louis aimed his wand at him. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just try to hit me...Dexter.” Louis’s voice said his name softly. “After all, you did bring her to me. I’m sorry if you feel as though I’ve reneged on our promise. You should have known it was coming. When have I ever played fair?” Louis grinned at his friend again and then smiled. Before Dex could protect himself, Louis was uttering another spell and this one was much more damning than bright lights in a darkened room. “Obliviate,” Louis said softly, and the surprise on Dexter’s face was replaced by one of calm. “Now listen to me, brother, and listen well, you’ve been bad again. You’ve been taking girls and doing all sorts of miserable things to them. You need to hide the truth, Dex...you need to make certain they don’t find out about you....” Louis’s voice carried on as he filled in the memories he’d just erased from Dexter’s mind. When he was satisfied, he stunned the man in front of him, just to be sure and watched with some small joy as Dex slumped forward onto the table. Humming again, Louis got up from the table and plucked three hairs from Dexter’s head. Going over to a bubbling cauldron, he dropped them into it and then poured some of the mixture he’d been brewing into a small flask. Just a bit of Polyjuice, to make sure that Dexter hadn’t done anything detrimental like tell anyone anything about him. He smiled after he changed into Dexter and walked over to the man, plucking the glasses off his face. He transfigured his clothes to look like Dexter’s and then used his wand to make the bruises along his face appear. Satisfied that everyone would think he was who he said he was, Louis paused outside of Ginny’s door, listening. No sound came from within. ‘That’s my girl,” Louis said softly to himself. “No crying for you, is there? You’re made of stronger stuff.” When Louis got back, perhaps he’d be able to finally make her cry. At least a little. ***
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