Act of Contrition

Ginny closed her eyes, then inhaled and exhaled as she traipsed up and down the second floor hallway. Ever since she had left the den, she was trying to concern herself with other things. As much as she wanted to barge in to Harry's room, row him out, slap him and then kiss him like a madwoman she had to let him be. Everyone she talked to had told her the same thing – to give Harry his space so he can figure things out.

'Do they not know how bloody hard that is??'

Ginny sighed and then rolled her eyes at the all too familiar sound. She had been doing that far too much lately for her liking, sometimes without even realizing she did. She didn't know when she became such a worry wart and sour sap but it was really starting to irritate her. She was a woman of action; a woman who always managed to remain strong in the face of adversity but here she was trying her best to console herself.

She had to get her mind off of Harry and back on track. They were, after all, trying to put a stop to the war. Ever since Lily's death, they had fallen behind on finding information. Ron had only managed to sway Fred, George and maybe Charlie to their side but nothing else. They were at an impasse where the only thing they knew was that Lucius Malfoy was involved and that both families were being pinned against each other for the sole purpose of destruction. Even though that was a step, they still had a long way to go.

Ginny finally stopped pacing and smiled, deciding that strategizing was the perfect distraction. She could find out what else happened during Ron's meeting with their brothers and possibly talk to Hermione about what other measures they could take. She walked to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the last bedroom. She knew that this was where Hermione had slept and was hoping that she was still in there. She knocked once and a soft voice replied, 'it's open'. Ginny opened the door and entered.

Hermione was perched on the bed, flipping through what looked like a Quidditch magazine. When Ginny walked in, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Ginny. What's up?"

Ginny sat on the bed. "Nothing much, I just came to talk to you and Ron. But I see he's not even here," she added, looking around the room.

Hermione pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "He's in the bathroom."

"Oh," Ginny said with a nod.

"What did you come to talk to us about?" Hermione asked, flinging the magazine aside. "Harry?" she added as an afterthought.

Ginny shook her head. "No. I'm trying not to worry about him right now."

"True. I guess it's best that you wait for him to come around, anyway."

Ginny shot her a look. "Can we not talk about Harry?"

Hermione lifted her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, I was just saying."

"Yes, well," Ginny started as she stood up, "I've had enough of people telling me to wait. What I actually came to talk to you about is what steps we're going to take now. We've kind of veered off course with the war and I think it's time we get back on track."

Just then, Ron walked into the room. He was wearing a pair of track pants, no shirt and was ruffling his hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it. When he spotted Ginny he gave her a little smile and then sat on the bed in the same spot she had vacated.

"Could you at least put on a shirt, Ron," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at her brother's pale torso.

"And hide this sexy body?" Ron asked, shaking his shoulders playfully. Both Ginny and Hermione let out loud laughs which earned Ginny a swat with Ron's towel and Hermione a slight pinch on her side. "Only because it's you two I won't do anything worse."

"Right," Ginny replied, rubbing the spot on her leg where Ron had hit her. "So, yeah, did you hear what I was telling Hermione?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah I heard. And right now I think our best bet is to try and get in touch with dad and see if Harry can get to his father. If we can convince them of the truth and get them on the same page, then the fighting should stop and we can go after the real culprit."

Hermione looked at Ron. "Those first two steps are going to be quite difficult."

Ron sighed and placed the towel across his shoulders. "I know. I'm pretty sure Harry's father isn't too keen on being pals with dad."

"Far from it actually," Ginny added, remembering how Harry's godfather had revealed Mr. Potter's desire to hunt her father down. "But hopefully," she continued, "If we persuade them good enough their hatred for one another would converge into a hatred for Lucius and who ever he's working for."

"That's another thing we have to figure out," Ron said, standing up and walking over to a bag in the corner of the bedroom. "We should make up possible names for who Lucius is working for."

"We have no clue where to start on that one," Hermione said, folding her arms.

"But if we have a list," Ron said, pulling a shirt of his head, "then we'd at least have a starting point. And maybe we'll have some luck and actually stumble upon some useful information."

Ginny nodded and sat on the bed. "Good point. Alright, so, how about I try and find dad? Lord knows he's been trying to get me back in the family for years so he might be a little more receptive."

"Good idea, sis. And, now that that's settled…" Ron rummaged through his bag and started taking out a few clothes. He removed a few shirts, a pair of black trousers and a jacket.

"Moving in?" Ginny asked, watching as he pulled out even more clothes.

Ron shrugged. "In a sense. I just didn't want to have to keep going back to the house for clothes. Gin, could you hang that up for me?" he asked, flinging the jacket at her.

Ginny just thought it best to let the coat drop on the bed instead of trying to catch it. Unfortunately, it landed directly on top of her and something hard knocked against her knee.

"Shit!" She yanked the jacket off of her leg and rubbed the spot that had been hit. "What the hell do you have in here, Ron?"

Ron looked at her as she searched through his pockets. A few seconds later, she pulled out a discolored box that was covered in caked dirt and illegible writing. For a second, he was a little confused about what it was but then he remembered that day he had found it.

"I forgot about that," he said, walking over to them and picking up the box.

"Ok, what the hell is it?" Hermione asked, standing up to get a better look.

"I don't know actually," Ron said. "I found it that day I went to talk to dad. I think someone tried to summon it but couldn't get it because it was trapped in some magical fortress. I had to blast away the floorboard it was under to get it."

"How come this is the first we're hearing of this?"

"Because it was the same day we found out where you and Neville were and, shortly after, Lily got killed. It just slipped my mind."

"What do you think is inside it?" Hermione asked, taking the box from Ron.

"No idea."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly as she examined the box. Apart from the chipped words, there were also a few symbols embedded in the surface that were almost unreadable because of the discoloration. She spotted a latch on the side and tried to flick it open but it wouldn't budge. Taking out her wand, she tried every unlocking charm she could think of but it still refused to unlatch. Whatever was inside the box was well-protected.

"It won't open," she finally conceded.

Ginny stood up. "I guess we'll worry about that later. I'm going to change and see what information I can get out of dad."

Ginny waved goodbye to the pair and then exited the bedroom. For the first time in days she was not worried about Harry. She was more concerned with helping her father see the truth. She had no idea how she was going to do it but she knew that she had to at least try. Maybe she'd even get in a bit of scolding for his brazenness and sheer evilness. How someone could kill another human being was beyond her and yet her father had taken more lives than she'd like to think about. It was high time it all stopped.

Just as she was about to ascend the steps that led to the floor with her bedroom, she found herself rooted to the spot. Standing on the landing was someone she had not seen in what felt like forever. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, white trainers and a light blue button-up shirt. His untidy hair was brushed as neatly as possible and looked slightly wet to the edges as if he had just washed it. From where she was standing, Ginny could smell the faint scent of soap and conditioner and she had to admit, the overall look was quite endearing. Obviously her body thought so, too, because her heart started beating rapidly inside her chest, her knees almost gave out and her lips begged to be touched by his.

"Ginny?" Harry said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" Ginny blinked her eyes a few times and then looked up at him. She must have zoned out because Harry was now standing on the step in front of her. "Oh, er, Harry, h-hi."

"Hi," he replied with a nervous smile. "H-how are you?"

Ginny shrugged in response. "You?"

"I've been better," he said, putting his hands in his pocket. "Er, Ginny, is it ok if we…talk?"

Ginny looked at him. He appeared apprehensive, almost nervous. He was biting his lip and kept bouncing on the balls of his feet. His emerald-green eyes were pleading with her and, without even thinking about it, she nodded and followed him upstairs, all the while praying that what they were about to talk about was something good. She didn't know if she could handle anymore bad news.

Percy trudged back and forth, his brow furrowed in concentration and his shoulder tense. He had never been this worried before. Never. Then again, his plan was never in as much jeopardy as it was now. Things were spiraling out of control and far too quickly for his comfort. His sister and the rest of her friends had already surmised that the war had been a distraction all along; they already knew that someone was after both the Potters and the Weasleys and they already discovered that Lucius was somewhat behind it all. Even though they didn't know about him, they were far too close to figuring out everything and spoiling his plans. He could not let that happen. He had worked far too hard to be stopped now. He was going to have everything he was after. No one was going to deny him of that.

He turned to face the occupants of the room. He had called together his entire team for this. They all needed to know what had occurred and what actions needed to take place. Every single person watched him anxiously, eager to finally get back to work.

Lucius Malfoy sat directly beside Percy; his fingers were pressed against each other and perched under his chin. His son, Draco, sat next to him, his eyes darting back and forth around the room. He was bouncing his leg up and down and scratching his knee absentmindedly. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable. The maniacal look on Percy's face was scary and the whole atmosphere in the room gave him the creeps. He never did like the darkness the room was kept in or the scent of murder on the many men who gathered there. He tried his best to remain composed but he really did not want to be there.

"Perhaps we should rethink our idea to remain on the sidelines," Percy finally uttered. "My lovely sister and her friends are proving to be to be quite a force to be reckoned with. They have discovered far too much and need to be stopped. I will not have anyone ruining my plans." He began pacing again. "I'm not going to assign any specific person to this job. I want all of you to monitor their actions. Anything that indicates they may be getting closer to the truth I want you to report it to me and I will decide what actions need to be taken. If you are given the opportunity to attack or capture, by all means do so. But, do not kill. I want to dispose of each one of them myself."

He finally stopped walking and waved his hand, indicating that they all should leave. One by one, they men began to file out of the room. After a few moments, Percy, Lucius and Draco were the only remaining inhabitants.

"I have a special job for you, Draco." He continued when Draco looked up, "Luna has proven to be a risk and she must be taken care of."

"Do you want me to go after her?" Draco asked a little unsurely.

"I want you to get Greyback and inform him that his services are once again needed."

Draco froze. For some reason, he was not comfortable with the idea at all. Greyback was far too ruthless and blood-thirsty. Luna would not last one minute against him and Greyback would take delight in draining her of every drop of blood. Draco shuddered at the thought. Wait, why the hell do you even care?

"Getting rid of Luna would be like killing two birds with one stone," Percy said, drawing Draco from his thoughts. "We will destroy one member of Ginny's team and also punish her for her treason."

"But…are you planning on killing her?" Draco asked before he could stop himself.

Percy looked at him with raised eyebrows. "She no longer deserves to live. She's proven herself to be an enemy and must be destroyed. Surely you don't think she should live? Think of how she embarrassed you."

Draco remained quiet. Had Luna really embarrassed him? He wasn't so sure anymore. Luna was never weak; and she was, after all, a Malfoy meaning she possessed a great deal of skill whether it was honed or not. Even still, he did not love the idea of his sister being a target.

Percy smiled snidely. "Do I sense hesitance in you, Draco?"

Draco looked at him and then quickly averted his gaze. "No."

"I'm afraid you're not very good at lying to me." Percy took a seat across from Draco. "I sense it in you. A little fear layered on top of concern. Are you worried about your sister? Or perhaps that little witch I sent you after? Are you worried about her as well?"

Draco, still avoiding Percy's gaze, shook his head. "I'm not concerned about anyone."

"Better no. In this game, Draco, there is no room for caring."

Draco nodded and stood up. He exited the room and slowly made his way to his bedroom. Sinking onto his bed, Draco closed his eyes, feeling uneasy about everything. Percy was right. He was a little worried and concerned. To tell the truth, he had never truly been alright with things from the get go. When he had tried to poison Hermione, he was a little skeptical about it. The girl was good company and he really did hope they could see each other again. Then there was the fact that he had hesitated when he tried to prevent Luna those from escaping. They may have thought he was stalling, biding his time until reinforcements came. But the truth was that he was tentative about it, unsure if he could handle the weight of killing someone.

And here he was again, faced with the charge of having someone murdered, this time his own sister. Could he actually do something that vile? Was he really as cruel as Percy and as blind as his father to go after someone who was only trying to escape the harsh life she was forced to live? Right now, as bad as things had gotten, he wasn't sure if he was.

'This is no time to rethink your position, Draco'. He was in far too deep and there was no turning back, especially if he wanted to make it out alive. Percy would undoubtedly have him killed if he even tried to pull out. His very life depended on whose side he took. Unfortunately, he was starting to think that everyone else's life was just as valuable as his own.

The room was uncomfortably silent. The only sound that could be heard was the hint of their breathing. Not one of them talked nor did one of them move. They both just stood on opposite ends of the room. Harry stood staring at Ginny but she was adamantly avoiding his gaze.

'God, she looks so beautiful,' he thought as he looked her over. She was dressed in a pair of torn jeans and a tank top; her hair was pulled into a high, messy ponytail and she had her arms folded across her chest. There was nothing spectacular about her appearance but Harry still found himself drawn to her, desperate to hold her against him and kiss her. 'All in due time,' he said to himself as he took in a deep breath, ready to start the conversation he had been dreading ever since Neville had talked to him.

"Ginny," he said tentatively.

"Hm?" she replied, still avoiding his gaze.

'Great,' he thought, 'she won't even look at me.' "Er," he said out loud, "I-er-"

"Will you just spit it out, Harry?" She looked at him sternly and he visibly stepped back even though they were standing far apart. She didn't mean to be so snippy. She was grateful that Harry had finally decided to talk to her but apart of her was still angry at him. She sighed and said a little more softly, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about…us." He paused, trying to figure out what to say. "I know I told you that it wasn't such a good idea for us to be together because of the war and who are fathers are and I know you probably hate me because of it but-"

"I don't hate you," she interjected, finally looking up at him. "I was just hurt that you could allow something to stand in the way of us being together. And I was even more upset that you didn't talk to me about any of it. You just pulled away from me and then dumped it all on me without even considering my position on it."

"Ginny, I-"

"No, Harry," she said, her anger flaring. "You listen to me. It's not fair. What you did to me was not fair at all! I cared for you. I did everything I could to comfort you and all you did was withdraw. You pushed me aside like I was nothing! You slept with me and then you turned around and left. How do you think that made me feel? Huh?" She turned away from him as she felt hot tears surface.

"I'm really sorry, Ginny" he said, chancing a few steps towards her. "I was just so bloody confused. The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt."

"Well, I was hurt, Harry," she said, turning back to face him. "And I was angry. I was hurt and angry yet I couldn't stop worrying about you. I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to comfort you but everyone kept telling me that I just had to wait until you figured out what you wanted."

"They were right, Ginny." Harry took a few more steps towards her. "I needed time to figure things out."

"I know you did, Harry," she whispered, wiping away a few tears that escaped.

"And I did figure things out. Like I told you, I want you, Ginny." Harry, stopping in front of her, took her hand in his. "I always knew that I wanted you. And I realize know that I was just scared. I didn't know what to do about anything and I just felt that if I stayed with you, it would make going after your father even more difficult than it already is." He sighed. "Do you know how messed up it is for me to go after the father of the girl I'm falling in love with? I just didn't feel right with myself but now, I don't care. I don't want anything to come between us."

"Falling in love?" she asked, looking up at him.

Harry smiled, nodded and cupped her face in his hands. "Yes. Do you know how insane it was driving me not to have you there to touch and kiss?"

"How-"

"I couldn't stop thinking about you and how much I wanted to be with you." He pressed his forehead against hers. "When you were kidnapped I was scared out of my mind; I was willing to die to make sure you were safe. When we made love, everything felt perfect and felt so right. You are beautiful and such an amazing person. How could I not be falling for you?"

He touched her lips with his and gave her a soft peck that sent shivers down his spine. It was only a small kiss but it felt so good to have her lips against his again. And Ginny felt the same way. Harry finally understood that there was no reason to allow her father or anything else for that matter to come in between them. They could be together and, after all this was over, they could hopefully spend the rest of their lives together as well.

"Harry," Ginny said, putting her arms on his waist. "I know how hard it is for you to know who my father is. But I'm with you. We are going to work together to put a stop to this. And if things go right, you won't even have to fight my father because he'll be working with us to destroy whoever's behind all of this."

"So, that's the plan? To get him on our side?"

Ginny nodded. "Hopefully it works."

Harry nodded. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Right now, I want to make up for what I did."

Ginny lifted her forehead from his and arched her eyebrow. "How exactly are you going to do that?"

Harry smiled suggestively and then gently pressed his lips against hers before she could say anything. Then, he slowly ran his tongue along her lips before deepening the kiss. Ginny pressed her body against his as they continued, their tongues dancing in unison. Harry slipped his arms around Ginny's waist and then took hold of her hips so to lift her up.

As Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, she couldn't stop thinking about how great it felt to be in his arms again. All her concerns seemed to slip away. She didn't know how she managed without having him close to her but she was just glad that he was now. She needed him in her life, she realized that now. After all, she was falling in love with him, too.