We're on the home stretch now. I not sure how long the story will keep going, but I know I'm way more than halfway done. Ron and Hermione wander the streets of New Orleans while Harry and Ginny sit in a cell, waiting for You-Know-You...
The last couple of chapters have been abnormally long; I just couldn't stop writing. I'll return to normal length with this chapter.
I'll be attending a wedding in Chicago for a few days, but I'll update as soon as I get back. Fucking nine hour drive...
Harry recovered his strength slowly. With Ginny's help, he was able to stand and eventually limp around their small cell. He walked over to the door and tested the handle. He didn't expect it to open, but when it didn't he felt his spirits drop slightly. "Damn it." he muttered.
He looked back to Ginny, who looked at Harry with a sense of anxiety. She hadn't said much since Susan had revealed her true intentions; she was worried how Harry was going to act.
Harry saw this and tried to ease her mind with a smile. "I'm over it, Ginny."
Ginny nodded, but Harry could see the doubt in her eyes. "Sure, Harry."
Harry was going to reiterate, but he realized that he probably wasn't over it. The anger he felt towards Susan helped replace the feelings of betrayal and injury. Susan had come to mean a lot to Harry over the course of their relationship. Harry had known that Susan was a fragile person. Harry often felt like he was dealing with glass when he had been around her.
But it was this fragility that allowed Harry to grow fond of her. It had been gratifying to protect her from her fears. She had appreciated him and, while he always felt like an idiot when he was around her, he felt needed.
Harry gazed fondly over at Ginny. There was a girl who certainly wasn't fragile. Ginny was as tough as nails. He knew that if most people were in their position, they would be screaming for mercy. But Ginny, though scared, wouldn't give the Death Eaters the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
Harry had meant what he had said earlier. He did love Ginny. That realization didn't hit him like a bolt of lightning. His love for her had grown slowly over the course of four years. It wasn't the paralyzing, skewed love that he had felt for Susan. It was comfortable. Their friendship had grown into something else, but there was no nervousness; no mad attempts to impress. They already knew everything about each other.
And now that he had come to terms with his love, it was going to be taken away. They both would be killed as soon as Voldemort arrived.
Ginny voiced Harry thoughts. "You'd think Voldemort would drop everything to come kill you. I mean, he's been trying for sixteen years, you'd think it would higher on his list of priorities."
Harry smiled and sat down next to her. "You might be in a rush to die, Gin, but as far as I'm concerned, Voldemort can take his time."
Ginny laughed. "You know what I meant."
Harry shrugged. "Voldemort rules his minions through fear. I'd imagine he can't just leave whenever he wants to. He knows that without his influence, the Death Eaters would probably turn on each other. He probably has to leave someone in charge while he's gone."
Ginny nodded and looked Harry in the eye. "I don't think we're getting out of this one, Harry."
Harry searched for something to say to bolster her spirits, but he couldn't think of anything. "Probably not."
Ginny's eyes fell to the metal floor, and she nodded sadly.
Harry marveled at Ginny's courage. She was going to die in hours, but she accepted it bravely.
Harry put an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "You really do belong in Gryffindor."
She smiled sadly. "Thanks." she mumbled. She laid her head on Harry's shoulder.
Her smell filled Harry's nostrils and he reveled in it. Mixed in with the dirt and grime, Harry could smell nutmeg and rosemary. It was wonderful.
Harry twirled a lock of her ginger hair between her fingers. "I do love you, Ginny."
Ginny lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and looked at him with tears in her eyes. It was really quite flattering. Death couldn't phase this girl, but his admission of love brought tears to her eyes.
Ginny tried to say something, but the lump in her throat prevented it. When she realized she wasn't going to be able to voice her feelings, she leaned in and kissed Harry. The kiss was deep and long and their surroundings dropped away while it lasted.
When they broke the kiss, Harry's knees trembled, even though he was sitting down. Ginny brought her hand to her flushed forehead and said, "Wow...they were right."
"They?" Harry asked, a little light headed.
Ginny looked Harry in the eye and said, "The girls you kissed in that club. They said you were a good kisser."
Harry smiled widely. "Naturally." he said nonchalantly.
Ginny laughed and buried her face in her hand. "Oh, God what are we doing?" she asked with a smile on her face. "We're in a cell, being held by Death Eaters and we're kissing."
Harry pulled her in tighter. "Well, it's kind of like our last defiance, right? I can't imagine they'd be too pleased if they knew we were making out."
Ginny smiled mischievously. "You call that making out, Potter? One kiss is not making out."
"We'll just have to try harder, then." Harry whispered.
Ginny smiled and leaned in, but stopped when they heard the door opening.
Silas swaggered in and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting, friends."
Harry stood with a growl. "Silas."
Silas nodded minutely to Harry. "James. Or should I say Harry? It all gets so confusing." he turned to Ginny and smiled. "How's the face, babe?"
Harry snarled and charged Silas. He was only a few feet away when Silas raised his wand. "I wouldn't, Potter."
Harry came to a halt. It was Harry's wand.
Silas smiled cockily. "I can't kill you. My master would be very disappointed. But I can cause you an amazing amount of pain."
When he saw that the threat was working, Silas got confident. "So, Potter." he said slowly. "I heard our young Susan duped you and all of your friends. I can't imagine. A Death Eater befriends Harry Potter."
Silas cackled dryly. "The worst part about it is that she really cares for you. You should have seen her leave this cell earlier. Bawling like a baby. It was pathetic."
"But don't worry, Potter. It's all for the best. You think I'm bad, but you don't know half of what there is to know about Susan. I know; I've known her a long time. At least I've never killed anyone. Susan has killed before."
Harry gritted his teeth. "She told us all of this."
Silas' smile widened. "She did? Did she tell you that she been casting Kindred Charms on her Headmaster for eight years, now?"
Silas saw the shocked look on Harry's face and laughed. "Oh, come on, Potter. Susan is smart, but she could never have become her Headmaster's right hand without a little help. She has been coaxing information out of that senile bitch for years and reporting back to us. Susan is a crafty girl."
Harry's eyes fell to the sword hanging from Silas' belt. "That belongs to me."
Silas looked down to the sword. "This? It's piece of trash."
Harry looked to Silas' right hand which had a thick bandage wrapped around it. He remembered something he had heard about the sword. "What's wrong, Silas. The sword didn't like you very much, did it?"
Silas stared at Harry with hatred.
"What do you want, Silas? Have you just come to gloat?"
"No, Potter. I have come to inform you that the Dark Lord has told us that he would be arriving before morning." He pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. "You have about...four hours to live."
Ginny stood up and yelled, "Why don't you just leave?"
"How about I knock you around some more?" Silas hissed. "Our encounter earlier was fun."
That's it, Harry thought. He charged at Silas.
Silas' eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly. He raised the wand at Harry's chest. "Imperio!" he hissed.
Harry felt his something trying to take over his mind. It was like something was breaking down the doors of his brain. He came to a halt a few feet away from Silas.
Silas smiled devilishly. "Kneel before me, Potter."
The words resounded in Harry's mind. (kneel before me, kneel before me, kneel before me)
The words seemed to make sense, but Harry knew better. He had been through this before.
He looked into Silas' face and forced a smile. "I've had a lot better wizards than you cast that spell on me, Silas."
Silas blanched slightly and said, "Crucio!"
Harry's body became engulfed in pain. But it wasn't the same as when Voldemort cast that spell on him. It was weaker, not as painful.
Harry resisted falling to his knees. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain, but it was slowly overcoming him. He could here Silas' dry cackle.
"Harry!" Ginny screamed.
Her screamed seem to freeze Harry's brain. It gave him perspective; it allowed him to concentrate on something other than the pain.
He opened his eyes and saw Silas laughing. Anger rose up in his mind. He felt his blood boil as he launched himself at Silas's knees.
Harry tackled Silas to the ground. Silas grunted and Harry's pain disappeared.
What began then was a very one-sided beat down. Silas was weak. Harry knew several girls that could have beaten him up. So it wasn't very hard for Harry to get on top of him.
Harry began to pound Silas' face. For the first couple of moments, Silas weakly beat his fist on Harry's chest, but Harry ignore it. Harry released all of his anger through his punches. Anger at Silas, at the Death Eaters, at Susan and the situation he and Ginny were in.
When Silas stopped fighting back, Harry rolled off of him. He reached down and grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor from Silas' belt.
"THIS IS MINE!" he bellowed and kicked Silas in the jaw. He heard a satisfying crunch and Silas passed out.
The door to the cell opened and four Death Eaters rushed in. They saw what Harry had done to Silas, and they pulled out their wands. They pointed them at Harry and said in chorus, "Crucio!"
The combined pain of four Cruciatus Curses were enough to make Harry lose consciousness.
Short chapter, I know. I know it was gratuitously violent but Harry was really pissed. I thought it was important to show that Harry's love for Ginny was genuine. Harry flipping out on Silas was important to show Harry defending Ginny's name. Plus, I think Silas has been up for an ass whipping since the banquet. We'll get to Ron and Hermione later. Unfortunately, I've never been to New Orleans, so I'll be making a lot of it up. Just because I'm gone doesn't mean I don't want reviews. I'll be back to check in on you...he he he. Time to go to the Windy City. Be back in a flash.
The last couple of chapters have been abnormally long; I just couldn't stop writing. I'll return to normal length with this chapter.
I'll be attending a wedding in Chicago for a few days, but I'll update as soon as I get back. Fucking nine hour drive...
Harry recovered his strength slowly. With Ginny's help, he was able to stand and eventually limp around their small cell. He walked over to the door and tested the handle. He didn't expect it to open, but when it didn't he felt his spirits drop slightly. "Damn it." he muttered.
He looked back to Ginny, who looked at Harry with a sense of anxiety. She hadn't said much since Susan had revealed her true intentions; she was worried how Harry was going to act.
Harry saw this and tried to ease her mind with a smile. "I'm over it, Ginny."
Ginny nodded, but Harry could see the doubt in her eyes. "Sure, Harry."
Harry was going to reiterate, but he realized that he probably wasn't over it. The anger he felt towards Susan helped replace the feelings of betrayal and injury. Susan had come to mean a lot to Harry over the course of their relationship. Harry had known that Susan was a fragile person. Harry often felt like he was dealing with glass when he had been around her.
But it was this fragility that allowed Harry to grow fond of her. It had been gratifying to protect her from her fears. She had appreciated him and, while he always felt like an idiot when he was around her, he felt needed.
Harry gazed fondly over at Ginny. There was a girl who certainly wasn't fragile. Ginny was as tough as nails. He knew that if most people were in their position, they would be screaming for mercy. But Ginny, though scared, wouldn't give the Death Eaters the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
Harry had meant what he had said earlier. He did love Ginny. That realization didn't hit him like a bolt of lightning. His love for her had grown slowly over the course of four years. It wasn't the paralyzing, skewed love that he had felt for Susan. It was comfortable. Their friendship had grown into something else, but there was no nervousness; no mad attempts to impress. They already knew everything about each other.
And now that he had come to terms with his love, it was going to be taken away. They both would be killed as soon as Voldemort arrived.
Ginny voiced Harry thoughts. "You'd think Voldemort would drop everything to come kill you. I mean, he's been trying for sixteen years, you'd think it would higher on his list of priorities."
Harry smiled and sat down next to her. "You might be in a rush to die, Gin, but as far as I'm concerned, Voldemort can take his time."
Ginny laughed. "You know what I meant."
Harry shrugged. "Voldemort rules his minions through fear. I'd imagine he can't just leave whenever he wants to. He knows that without his influence, the Death Eaters would probably turn on each other. He probably has to leave someone in charge while he's gone."
Ginny nodded and looked Harry in the eye. "I don't think we're getting out of this one, Harry."
Harry searched for something to say to bolster her spirits, but he couldn't think of anything. "Probably not."
Ginny's eyes fell to the metal floor, and she nodded sadly.
Harry marveled at Ginny's courage. She was going to die in hours, but she accepted it bravely.
Harry put an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "You really do belong in Gryffindor."
She smiled sadly. "Thanks." she mumbled. She laid her head on Harry's shoulder.
Her smell filled Harry's nostrils and he reveled in it. Mixed in with the dirt and grime, Harry could smell nutmeg and rosemary. It was wonderful.
Harry twirled a lock of her ginger hair between her fingers. "I do love you, Ginny."
Ginny lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and looked at him with tears in her eyes. It was really quite flattering. Death couldn't phase this girl, but his admission of love brought tears to her eyes.
Ginny tried to say something, but the lump in her throat prevented it. When she realized she wasn't going to be able to voice her feelings, she leaned in and kissed Harry. The kiss was deep and long and their surroundings dropped away while it lasted.
When they broke the kiss, Harry's knees trembled, even though he was sitting down. Ginny brought her hand to her flushed forehead and said, "Wow...they were right."
"They?" Harry asked, a little light headed.
Ginny looked Harry in the eye and said, "The girls you kissed in that club. They said you were a good kisser."
Harry smiled widely. "Naturally." he said nonchalantly.
Ginny laughed and buried her face in her hand. "Oh, God what are we doing?" she asked with a smile on her face. "We're in a cell, being held by Death Eaters and we're kissing."
Harry pulled her in tighter. "Well, it's kind of like our last defiance, right? I can't imagine they'd be too pleased if they knew we were making out."
Ginny smiled mischievously. "You call that making out, Potter? One kiss is not making out."
"We'll just have to try harder, then." Harry whispered.
Ginny smiled and leaned in, but stopped when they heard the door opening.
Silas swaggered in and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting, friends."
Harry stood with a growl. "Silas."
Silas nodded minutely to Harry. "James. Or should I say Harry? It all gets so confusing." he turned to Ginny and smiled. "How's the face, babe?"
Harry snarled and charged Silas. He was only a few feet away when Silas raised his wand. "I wouldn't, Potter."
Harry came to a halt. It was Harry's wand.
Silas smiled cockily. "I can't kill you. My master would be very disappointed. But I can cause you an amazing amount of pain."
When he saw that the threat was working, Silas got confident. "So, Potter." he said slowly. "I heard our young Susan duped you and all of your friends. I can't imagine. A Death Eater befriends Harry Potter."
Silas cackled dryly. "The worst part about it is that she really cares for you. You should have seen her leave this cell earlier. Bawling like a baby. It was pathetic."
"But don't worry, Potter. It's all for the best. You think I'm bad, but you don't know half of what there is to know about Susan. I know; I've known her a long time. At least I've never killed anyone. Susan has killed before."
Harry gritted his teeth. "She told us all of this."
Silas' smile widened. "She did? Did she tell you that she been casting Kindred Charms on her Headmaster for eight years, now?"
Silas saw the shocked look on Harry's face and laughed. "Oh, come on, Potter. Susan is smart, but she could never have become her Headmaster's right hand without a little help. She has been coaxing information out of that senile bitch for years and reporting back to us. Susan is a crafty girl."
Harry's eyes fell to the sword hanging from Silas' belt. "That belongs to me."
Silas looked down to the sword. "This? It's piece of trash."
Harry looked to Silas' right hand which had a thick bandage wrapped around it. He remembered something he had heard about the sword. "What's wrong, Silas. The sword didn't like you very much, did it?"
Silas stared at Harry with hatred.
"What do you want, Silas? Have you just come to gloat?"
"No, Potter. I have come to inform you that the Dark Lord has told us that he would be arriving before morning." He pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. "You have about...four hours to live."
Ginny stood up and yelled, "Why don't you just leave?"
"How about I knock you around some more?" Silas hissed. "Our encounter earlier was fun."
That's it, Harry thought. He charged at Silas.
Silas' eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly. He raised the wand at Harry's chest. "Imperio!" he hissed.
Harry felt his something trying to take over his mind. It was like something was breaking down the doors of his brain. He came to a halt a few feet away from Silas.
Silas smiled devilishly. "Kneel before me, Potter."
The words resounded in Harry's mind. (kneel before me, kneel before me, kneel before me)
The words seemed to make sense, but Harry knew better. He had been through this before.
He looked into Silas' face and forced a smile. "I've had a lot better wizards than you cast that spell on me, Silas."
Silas blanched slightly and said, "Crucio!"
Harry's body became engulfed in pain. But it wasn't the same as when Voldemort cast that spell on him. It was weaker, not as painful.
Harry resisted falling to his knees. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain, but it was slowly overcoming him. He could here Silas' dry cackle.
"Harry!" Ginny screamed.
Her screamed seem to freeze Harry's brain. It gave him perspective; it allowed him to concentrate on something other than the pain.
He opened his eyes and saw Silas laughing. Anger rose up in his mind. He felt his blood boil as he launched himself at Silas's knees.
Harry tackled Silas to the ground. Silas grunted and Harry's pain disappeared.
What began then was a very one-sided beat down. Silas was weak. Harry knew several girls that could have beaten him up. So it wasn't very hard for Harry to get on top of him.
Harry began to pound Silas' face. For the first couple of moments, Silas weakly beat his fist on Harry's chest, but Harry ignore it. Harry released all of his anger through his punches. Anger at Silas, at the Death Eaters, at Susan and the situation he and Ginny were in.
When Silas stopped fighting back, Harry rolled off of him. He reached down and grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor from Silas' belt.
"THIS IS MINE!" he bellowed and kicked Silas in the jaw. He heard a satisfying crunch and Silas passed out.
The door to the cell opened and four Death Eaters rushed in. They saw what Harry had done to Silas, and they pulled out their wands. They pointed them at Harry and said in chorus, "Crucio!"
The combined pain of four Cruciatus Curses were enough to make Harry lose consciousness.
Short chapter, I know. I know it was gratuitously violent but Harry was really pissed. I thought it was important to show that Harry's love for Ginny was genuine. Harry flipping out on Silas was important to show Harry defending Ginny's name. Plus, I think Silas has been up for an ass whipping since the banquet. We'll get to Ron and Hermione later. Unfortunately, I've never been to New Orleans, so I'll be making a lot of it up. Just because I'm gone doesn't mean I don't want reviews. I'll be back to check in on you...he he he. Time to go to the Windy City. Be back in a flash.