A/N thanks to everyone who has review, put on favourites or has otherwise shown thei love for this story... its fantastic to log into my email and find those notices waiting for me. 149 reviews is so wonderful i want to squeel haha. So thanks for bearing with me, and I'm sorry to say that this might be the only update I do before christmas, I'm on holiday next week with family, and then busy as hell when I come back. So enjoy and savour this haha and as always enjoy and review xx
Ginny paced across the garden her heart pounding in her throat, she could feel her connection to Harry in her mind, but it was strained which meant he was far away from her.
"Ginny calm down," Hermione said for the thousandth time but Ginny ignore her.
She could feel her cat pacing inside of her, feel her rubbing against her skin, annoyed at the fact that her mate had left her behind again. She growled as Molly tried to say something, her cat instinctively knowing that Molly had been part of the problem. She'd picked up Harry's unease the last couple of days whenever Molly had been around but she had pushed it to the back of her mind, determined to force her worlds together no matter how foolish that idea had been.
She knew she was paying for that now, but she was still angry at Harry, why hadn't he just talked to her. Whenever she took a step forwards with him she seemed to take two back, every time she thought she had him completely he seemed to throw up walls that she just couldn't clamber past. With another growl she turned on her heel and headed towards the house, Hermione on her heels.
"What are you doing Ginny?" she said as Ginny pushed into the kitchen nearly bowling over George in her haste.
"What's going on now?" he called as Ginny ignored the both of them heading upstairs.
She slipped into her room and slumped down onto the bed ignoring Hermione and George as they slipped into the room after her.
"Where's Harry?" George whispered to Hermione but Ginny did her best to tune it out.
"Slipped off again," Hermione whispered back and Ginny heard George sigh.
"Thought's he'd learnt his lesson last time," he said and Ginny opened her eyes to shoot him a dirty look.
The two of them fell silent as they watched Ginny settle back onto the bed drawing her feet up under her as she closed her eyes and concentrated. They had no idea what she was doing but inside her head Ginny was searching. She breathed evenly taking in the scents of Harry that were wrapped around her room. She'd come here because he spent most of his time here and thus his presence was the thickest here.
Tuning out everything else she concentrated on Harry feeling the thrum of the connection between them like a string being plucked the more she tugged the more she could feel. Soon her mind was filled with Harry, how his bare skin felt under her palms, the way his fur felt sliding over her skin, the smell of him when he wrapped himself around her, she was drowning in the taste of him. Pulling all of that to her she pushed out with her mind locking onto him and soon she began to smile.
Hermione watched as Ginny seemed to relax, and then she smiled, but it didn't calm the fears in Hermione's heart. The smile spoke of a predator catching sight of their prey. When Ginny's eyes snapped open they weren't human anymore, they were all cat.
"Ginny," she said her voice wary, "whatever your planning is not a good idea," she said as she moved forwards watching as Ginny slipped off the bed.
She slid to her feet and Hermione stepped back watching as grey fur slid along her arms and knew nothing good could come from this.
Ginny ignored Hermione as she moved forwards towards the window her mind completely locked on Harry. She could feel where he was, could feel their connection springing tight as she thought of him/ she could feel that he was trying to shield her from whatever he was doing. But it seemed he had underestimated her since she was able to break past the block he had erected.
"Hermione," she said taking a breath before turning to look at her, "I need to go find him. I'm sick of him doing this, he knows me better than anyone I have ever met and yet," she paused and Hermione caught a flash of pain in her eyes, "he still doesn't understand me."
Ginny knew she was not one to sit at home and be coddled, she had thought Harry understood that, and yet he kept blocking her from the world. But mostly he kept blocking her from his world, yes he had told her about what was happening, about the path at his feet, but he didn't seem to want to let her in further.
So instead of waiting for him to make his mind up and accept her, she was going to make him. Even if that meant causing some ripples in their relationship. If he was truly her mate then he was going to have to accept her for what she was, bull headedness included.
"Tell mum not to panic, I'll be back soon," before Hermione could say anything Ginny was striding for the door and slipping past George before he could even blink.
Hermione didn't even bother to chase her, she had seen how fast Ginny could move if she wanted to, not yet as fast as Harry could, but very close. She sunk down onto the bed and sighed scrubbing her hands over her face. How had things become the way they were, how was it the war had become a secondary focus to the drama that was Harry and Ginny.
She felt the bed sink next to her and George's warm arm slip around her shoulder. Without opening her eyes she leant against him and breathed out.
"She'll be back soon, hopefully dragging Harry by his ear. Even though we've only known him for a little while I know one thing, he worships the ground that my sister walks on, if he didn't I would have had a go at him by now."
Hermione laughed turning to look at the brother who had adopted her. She was a single child that had never really had many friends growing up. In finding Ron she had found more than just a person to love she had found a family to accept her, the older Weasleys had taken her in like a lost baby sister and she had willingly gone. Now more than ever she was glad that they had accepted her, for where could she turn since Ron really was being an idiot.
Ginny strode down the road following the pull of Harry feeling it growing more and more strong as she moved. Once or twice she had to stop to think about where she was being led, but she moved with a cool determined manor. She knew more than one person stared at her, the strange girl with no coat in the cold starring off into nothing, but she wasn't using any magic, just what she was so she felt safe.
She turned onto a side street and the sound seemed to switch off, suddenly the teaming masses of people were gone to be replaced by a quiet road with people hidden in the nooks and crannies. It reminded her of nock turn alley, and as she walked she eyed the people very carefully. More than one stepped forwards as she moved, their eyes scanning over her body but no one did or said anything. As she moved she could feel Harry's pull and knew he wasn't far now, she could feel the hum of his power across her skin and wondered if these people could as well.
Now without so many other smells to mask it, she could actually pick up his scent trail. The warm smell of him sending her mind spinning as it always did. She clamped down on the feeling pushing it deep inside of herself and squaring her shoulders marched forwards. She felt the tug end at the last building and knew he was inside. She stood for a moment looking up at its blank facade, a building that had seemingly been a shop at some point buts its large bay windows were now blacked out and the banner that had once hung above it telling you what shop had resided here was peeling and black.
Taking a breath she walked into the dark alcove of the doorway and instantly stopped as she bounced of the chest of a large man who hadn't been there a moment before. Blinking up at him she tried to get her bearings as he stared down at her his dark eyes piercing.
"Are you lost little one," he rumbled and she felt her skin tingle with annoyance.
"No I'm not, I'm following someone here," she looked around trying to gauge what to do, unsure of how to get past him.
"Is that so and who are we following little bit," she said making her even more angry.
Decided to hell with it she squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye letting him see the animal she held in side of her. something flickered across his face then, his mocking smile sliding from his lips as he realised she was no normal girl.
Biting her lip for a moment she realised she wasn't going to get past him without being blunt.
"Harry potter," she said simply and watched the shock that passed over him with a happy smile.
She made to move around him but his hand darted out lightening quick to grip her arm holding her in place. She would have said something in protest accept at that moment he leant forwards his nose brushing the top of her head as he breathed her in.
"Well I'll be damned," he whispered just audibly and then he let her go and was stepping back from her.
"Go on in little pixie," he said with a laugh and she shot him a look over her shoulder as she moved forwards biting back on the retort on her lips.
She had made it where she wanted so she wasn't going to push her look. Stepping inside she didn't even flinch as the door closed plunging her into almost total darkness.
Stalking forwards she ignored the unease that was settling into her and breathed evenly as she moved. It was only then that she was able to breathe past the scent of Harry to pick up the other scents underlying it, all of them shifters. That caused her to stumble in her stride and she paused a moment to process what that meant. Other than Harry she had only ever met one other shifter, a friend of the family that her mother had brought to her when she was a child to talk to her and explain what was happening to her. Now her mind was swamped with the scents of so many shifters she couldn't pick them out.
Shaking her head she moved forwards until she reached the end of the hallway where a heavy door blocked her path. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do at this point and she was just about to bang on the door when a slot slid open and a set of eyes scanned over her. She twitched as the person scanned their eyes over her obviously accessing her. Deciding what the person wanted was to know she belonged there, she let her eyes bleed to cat and the person stopped accessing her instantly. The slot slid shut and she could hear the sound of heavy locks being slid back. With a groan the door opened allowing her to pass.
She slide passed the heavy cold metal and into a cavernous room drowned in music. It took Ginny a moment to readjust her senses from the cool dark silent hallway to the warm deafening room. Lights flashed around her pulsing to the beat of the music that was being pumped out. She scanned her eyes over the crowds in front of her, feeling the pull to Harry dragging her across the room, through the crowd of writhing masses. Taking a breath she stepped down onto the dance floor and made to push her way through.
Instantly she was swallowed by the teaming masses, and she had to bite back a squeak the first time she felt a hand slide along her body. She quickly realised though that it wasn't her per say that was drawing their attention, it was simply the fact that she was a new shifter in a close community. One girl actually wrapped an arm around her waist and cuddled into her, making Ginny stop dead, but then the girl pulled her head back quickly as she caught a scent on Ginny's skin. The girl's eyes flashed an amazing clear blue before she smiled and slipped back into the crowd. Shaking her head she carried on through them finally reaching the other side of the dance floor with relief plain on her face. Taking a breath she let her eyes scan over the booths that were in front of her knowing that Harry was hidden in there somewhere.
Taking a breath she let her power flood out, let her touch reach across the skin of every shifter knowing it would draw him out. The second her power touched him she locked onto him and she turned to see him sat in a booth with a woman sat curled in his lap her head resting lightly on his shoulder as she laughed at what he was saying.
But he was no longer looking at her, his eyes having come up to lock onto Ginny. She could see the panic in his eyes as the anger rose inside of her and she felt him try to calm her through their connection but she pushed away his touch. She strode forwards feeling her cat moving up to the surface with the surge of adrenaline that had spiked through her body.
"What the hell," she growled and watched as Harry slid the woman from his lap and scrambled to his feet.
Holding his hands up he tried to calm her, "Ginny this really isn't what it looks like," he said but he could tell he was losing her to rage.
Just then the worst thing that could have happened happened, the girl unfolded herself from the booth and sauntered forwards to wrap herself around Harry, her fingers caressing along his chest. Ginny growled and Harry knew he didn't have any time as she dove for his companion her body shifting to her half state, her long nails aimed at ripping her eyes out.