Um, so yes, I feel bad for not warning people of the darker nature of the last chapter. I'm glad that it was received well from the reviews you've all graciously given. Darker themes and elements - that's the type of stuff I actually write about with my own writing. I love romance, fantasy, and dark paranormal genres. Twisted up together - that's my writing.
I had been writing the next chapter to my vampire story I'm working on... and well, that dark and twisted nature came over to the next chapter of this story. Lol, I had an entirely different chapter in mind before. Anyways, I hope you all don't mind the darker elements and storylines, because I'm probably going to be add a lot more in.
*THANK YOU J.K. ROWLING for this amazing world and these characters, because they are 100% not mine.*
UNTIL I FIND A BETTER PART OF ME
Chapter Twenty
Charlie focused on his sister hovering in the air. He watched her shake uncontrollably then spurts of blood began to spit out of mouth. A horrifying gurgling sound alerted everyone that Ginny was choking on her own blood. Before any of them could react, Hermione flicked her wand out, causing Ginny's to sail upside down. It forced the blood to drain from her mouth and pool unto the floor. He sucked in a breath, watching the amount of blood leaving his sister's body.
We need a plan, Bill's voice whispered in his mind.
Charlie nodded. You remember the binding incantation, right?
The one we used that time—
Yes, he interrupted Bill with a simple response. His eyes cut to his older brother, who answered him with a nod. He looked about, catching everyone's eyes. His eyes rested upon his mum and dad. Molly nodded her head, awaiting for instructions. He looked to Harry and Ron, finding them staring at him. He felt Hermione's eyes upon him as well.
He sighed, taking a deep breath. We need to catch her by surprise. We need a powerful stunning spell—
Charlie heard Harry's voice interrupt: Hermione has always been the best.
He glanced to his left at the beautiful brunette. She gave him a nod. He gave her a smirk before looking to his parents and all his brothers. The stunning spell will only knock her down momentarily. I need you to secure her with the best of your ability. Bill and I will do the incantation. His eyes locked unto Harry. Harry, you have to go in there and hold her. It'll be tough, because she'll fight back. She'll be much stronger than you think. You need to go inside her mind and break down any barriers.
Harry nodded in comprehension. Everybody was now waiting in anticipation. Charlie watched Ginny's body go limp. Her eyes began to flicker shut. Oh, bloody hell, he voiced with wide eyes. Everyone frowned at his reaction. She was going to give up control. Hermione, now!
Without missing a beat, Hermione struck Ginny with a strong stunning spell that caused Ginny to go ramrod straight before flopping to the ground. His parents and his brothers launched out their best restraining spells. He watched chains, ropes, and shackles fly out and attach to Ginny. The roar that escaped from Ginny took everyone by surprise. He sucked in a breath when his sister's petite body lurched forward, forcing herself up to her feet with foreign strength. She thrashed against her restraints, causing his brothers and parents to shuffle about as they attempted to keep her restrained.
Both Charlie and Bill began to mutter the mantra of an incantation. Harry glanced at Charlie who nodded to him. Charlie watched the young man rush forward without caring for his own safety. Ginny struck out with Tom Riddle's scalding magic. Charlie grunted then hissed at the feel of electricity burning into him. It traveled up to his throat, hindering him from speaking. He eyed Bill who had faltered as well, but Hermione sprung forward as she put up a protective shield around Charlie and Bill. Impressed, Charlie watched Hermione in awe for a moment. He joined Bill chanting out the mantra, watching Harry cling to Ginny. Ginny continued to fight against him hissing, snarling, and digging her fingernails into Harry's flesh. Charlie and Bill began to concentrate the building energy to the couple in the middle of the room. The light engulfed them, causing them to become almost translucent.
Then, Ginny's face tilted upwards to the ceiling. The animalistic shrill coming from her throat began to morph into Ginny's actual scream. Her eyes had popped open wide and the darkness began to fade away from them. The moment the light gradually disappeared, Charlie watched Harry cradle a limp Ginny into his body as he knelt down to the floor. Ginny weakly snuggled up against his body. Her hands made small fists of Harry's robes. When she looked around the room, those familiar blue eyes peered into his and he felt the breath of air he was holding go.
Tears he had also been holding fell down Charlie's cheeks. He felt a warm body slid up against his and hold unto him. He buried his face into Hermione's bushy locks and held her tight. He pressed a kiss to Hermione's temple before his eyes found Ginny and Harry again. They were still on the ground, waiting for Ginny to catch her breath.
"Hermione," Harry whispered, looking up.
Charlie watch Hermione peer up at him and he gave her a quick peck on the lips. He watched her smile before walking towards the group already surrounding the couple. As Hermione knelt down and inspected Ginny's body, he quickly muttered the counter spell to sever the mind links. Then, he focused on Hermione as the tip of her wand glowed while she scanned Ginny. There were a few pulses that alerted Hermione and she hummed in understanding.
"She has a lot of internal injuries," Hermione informed them all. "She is weakened considerably It's going to be a tough road, but if she gets the right treatments, she will recover." She paused, frowning when her wand paused over Ginny's waist. She pressed a hand against her and watched Ginny suck in a breath. Fury flit across Hermione's face. "He raped you, didn't he?"
Ginny flushed, looking away. There was a choked gasp from Molly as she slapped a hand over her mouth. Charlie's eyes widened at that. When Ginny didn't attempt to deny it, dark curses began to float about the room in quick succession.
"I don't even know how it's even possible," she whispered, staring at her hands. "All I know is that he'd come to me in dreams and I'd be bleeding the next day. I'd have bruises and-and…" She trailed off as she broke into tears. "It stopped when Harry and I got together, but it started back up after Harry proposed."
Harry took Ginny into his arms, rocking her back and forth. "It's okay, Gin. You're safe now."
"She needs to be on bed rest under proper care," Hermione told them. "Tom Riddle had been animating Ginny's body. She won't be able to walk and the quicker we start the treatments the better. Would you like to head to Hogwarts? You will be under the care of Madam Pomfrey. I just figured you'd want privacy."
"Yes, that'll be great," Ginny agreed. She looked up at Harry. "I'm-I'm so sorry."
"Gin-"
"I know, but it's our wedding. It's ruined. My gown is ripped up and bloody. Everything is just-"
"I'd rather have you get well," Harry whispered to her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "We can get married at any time, but I… I-I can't lose you." He took a deep breath, attempting to blink back the tears that were forming in his eyes. "I need you here by my side, Ginny. That's all I ever wanted."
A weak smile crossed over Ginny's face. Then a look of surprise graced her face as she quickly turned to look over at Hermione. "I-I don't feel any guilt or shame believing that or wanting that," she gasped, letting tears escape down her cheeks. "It's gone. It's all gone. How-How is that even possible? There's no mocking voice. I don't feel his presence anymore-"
Hermione leaned forward, cupping Ginny's face in her hands and leaning her forehead into hers. "You're free, Ginny."
Both of the girls stared into each other's eyes for a moment until Ginny broke down freely into tears. The redhead buried herself into Hermione's arms, just letting all the pent-up emotions out. The tears that Harry had been attempting to keep in finally fell. Charlie swallowed, letting his own emotions get the better of him as well. He looked around the room and found he wasn't the only one to let down his guard. Ginny finally pulled away, looking around with a small from.
"What was the price?" she questioned suddenly. Charlie glanced at Harry, who looked a bit nervous now. "There's always a price paid, a sacrifice made… something." When she looked at Harry, her confusion deepened before she gasped. "Harry, what did you do?"
Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."
"Yes, it does!" she protested.
"Not now it doesn't," he whispered. "Right now, we need to get you to Hogwarts."
Ginny struggled slightly against Harry as he picked her up bridal-style. "You can't just not tell me, Harry. I deserve to know. I-"
"All in due time," Charlie interrupted, placing a hand on her arm. "You just need to get better, Gin. It will do you more harm to get stressed out right now. Just conserve strength. You're not out of the woods yet."
Harry gave Charlie an appreciative smile before looking down at Ginny. "I promise I'll tell you later on. We just need to focus on you getting better."
"Fine," Ginny huffed.
Charlie watched Harry carry her out of the room. The others followed the couple, leaving Hermione still sitting on the ground. She was looking down at the blood spattered over her and the ground. She took a deep breath before glancing up at him as he knelt down next her. He took in the exhaustion and fatigue on her face.
"Is it over?" she asked him.
He placed an arm over her shoulder, tugging her into him. "Yes, the battle for Ginny's soul is over."
"But she has a long, long road to recovery," she said with understanding. "It's probably a good thing now that Harry had accepted the position at Hogwarts. Ginny will definitely have privacy away from the drama. Somehow this will get out. It always does."
"Harry will keep her safe," Charlie told her. "We all will." He sighed, helping Hermione to her feet. "We should get you cleaned up. Get all this off of you." Hermione nodded in agreement as she looked down at herself. "While you take a shower, I'm going to owl Romania and tell the Reserve that we're pushing the trip to Romania a week or two later. I want to see Ginny settled in and a bit stronger before we take off."
Hermione kissed his cheek. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"Go on, Sweetness," he told her. "I'll grab you some of my old clothes to wear."
He watched Hermione disappear from the room. He looked at the blood and sighed. The memory of what he and all of them witnessed was another horrible vision that would never leave. Not wanting his mum to deal with the mess, he quickly lifted his hand. With a quick swish of his fingers, the entire room looked pristine and clean without any traces of blood.
1) Thank you for everyone who replied about the fanfiction debate! Someone had told me that writing fanfiction is a great tool to help your own writing. This IS in fact true! For example, I'm not crazy comfortable yet about writing sex scenes... even though I read romance novels like 24/7. And paranormal romance novels - trust me, that's some crazy stuff their sex scenes are mad of. I never knew what would be too much, what I was comfortable with conveying, and if less is more. Writing fanfiction helped me figure that out.
2) As for the continuation of this story, I was trying to figure out if I should split it and put it under two different titles for two different stories. However, I decided it's ALL going under this story title. So, think 3 book-length stories under one title... which means double? triple? the amount of chapters I have now.
3) I made the first post for the tumblr REGARDING actual HP fanfiction! Yay! The pairing was Draco & Ginny. So, if you like that pairing or at least find it interesting, the scene is below. I still haven't decided if it'll be a standalone or if I'll make something of it.
Draco/Ginny.
"I despise you."
The blond man smirked. "Your eyes tell me a different story, Weaselette."
The youngest Weasley glared at the blond man with the icy blue eyes. His infuriating smirk and hauntingly handsome features grated on Ginny's nerves. She gritted her teeth before taking a deep breath. An equally unnerving smile slanted on her lips, matching the blond's smirk. His eyes narrowed slightly before he arched his eyebrows at her.
"You don't know a bloody thing about me," she hissed at him.
She watched him yet again smirk at her. "I know a lot about you."
"Just the basics."
"I know you want me."
Ginny growled, snapping her head sharply to the side to level him with a dangerous glare. He remained calm and complacent. He just stared her down without a single ounce of fear mirroring in those eyes of his – those icy, unbreakable eyes. She moved towards him without thought. Driven by instinct, she stood with her shoulders squared and her face tipped upwards. He looked down into her face, still not fazed by her closeness.
"That's a lie," she bit out.
He tilted his head to the side, searching her eyes. "Is it, Ginny?"
"Draco, I wouldn't want you even if you were the last wizard or man alive," she declared with a stomp her foot. She paused for a moment, just looking into his eyes before she gave him a flippant smile. "Why would I want a sniveling, spineless shell of a boy? A boy without a direction, allegiance, or a purpose. At least Harry knew his destiny, he was man enough to deal with it."
"Harry Potter didn't choose his fate, Weaselette," Draco clarified, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't choose a side, an allegiance, direction, or a bloody purpose, because nothing bloody appealed to me enough to cause me to act."
"How can you—"
"Weaselette, contrary to belief, I didn't come to fight with you or anybody else. Yes, as a boy, I didn't know a bloody thing about anything. I followed my parents, because that is what was expected. It is still expected, but there is a difference now."
When Draco paused, Ginny watched his eyes flick to her mouth momentarily before they settled back on hers. She licked her lips nervously as he backed her up against the wall. She felt her back press against the cold stone. He placed his hands flat against the wall on either side of her face. He smirked at her as if he was the cat that cornered a mouse.
"I'm a man, Ginny," he whispered in her ear, leaning forward. Ginny shivered against the breath that fanned across her sensitive skin. "I know what I want now. I know what appeals to me."
Ginny gulped. "What do you want?"
"I think it is quite obvious."
With that, Draco fisted a hand into her fiery locks, cupping the back of her head. She gasped as he tugged her against him and slanted his mouth over hers. All logical thoughts melted from her brain until she was left a quivering mess grabbing at the body fitted against hers.
This can be seen as both a standalone or a possibly story idea to be explored.
Interesting? Interested? Not worth it? Boring?