In short order, Rita Skeeter found herself revived with a spell from McGonagall's wand, bound to a chair, and surrounded by a gentle orange glow from a spell that Harry guessed was there to prevent Rita from changing back into a beetle. McGonagall then leaned down and studied Rita intently.
For her part, Rita's muscles twitched, but her eyes were dazed and clouded. She looked to be drugged, or perhaps...
'She appears to be under Imperius,' McGonagall announced grimly. She stood upright and pointed her wand at Rita again.
'Finite,' she said, and a jet of light struck Rita in the face, but Rita did not respond; her eyes remained unfocused.
McGonagall frowned. She sent a few more spells at Rita, but none of them erased the far-away, drugged look Rita wore on her face. The frown on the Headmistress's face deepened.
'If this is Imperius, it's been tricked,' she said, more to herself than to anyone else. 'I'll need help with this.'
McGonagall turned briskly to her fireplace; she scooped out a handful of Floo Powder, said 'Griselda Hopkirk's office' and then shoved her head into the green flames. It was, perhaps, the shortest communiqué by Floo Powder that Harry had ever seen; within seconds McGonagall pulled her head back into her own office.
She turned to Harry and the others. 'I want the four of you to return to Gryffindor Tower. Say nothing of this to anyone; I'd rather not broadcast that we have Miss Skeeter in custody.'
'What will happen to her?' Hermione asked.
'As Miss Skeeter appears to be under the influence of Dark Magic, I am hoping Professor Hopkirk can find a solution,' said McGonagall. 'I'd rather avoid sending Miss Skeeter to St. Mungo's; if she is being controlled by the Imperius Curse and has not been acting of her own volition, putting her in hospital might endanger her; the hospital isn't as secure as this school.'
McGonagall paused. 'No, I think Miss Skeeter must remain here for now, in the hospital wing, under Auror guard. At least we have solved the mystery of who the spy is. Yes, Miss Skeeter will be safe here, and I can always bring in a Healer if needed. Now, you lot, get upstairs, and remember, keep quiet about this.'
As it turned out, Ron did not go back to the common room. He went to his room, instead, to meditate.
'I've seen that sword tons of times already,' he said. 'I'm sure I can find it if I just try.'
'Don't hurt yourself,' said Harry.
'I won't,' said Ron firmly. 'I'll be careful.'
Meanwhile, Hermione announced she was going to her own room to go over some notes on the blood potion that Harry was taking; she mentioned in passing that she was hoping to have her formula--which allowed for a single, time-released dosage--ready in the next few weeks. Harry didn't know quite how to take this news. On the one hand, he had to admit the potion seemed to be working for him. On the other hand, the after-effects of it were so draining that he wondered if he could handle having such a long-acting dose in his system without keeling over. Fine good it would do him to pass out mid-battle with Voldemort. Hermione also mentioned making up revision timetables for the fifth and seventh years.
Harry and Ginny returned to the common room to find it about half-full with students. They seemed far less anxious now, given McGonagall's speech in the Great Hall. Neville Longbottom caught sight of them and hurried over.
'Hey,' he said, his voice low and conspiratorial. 'Where's Ron?'
'In his room,' said Harry. 'Er...studying.'
'Oh,' said Neville, and he looked slightly disappointed for a moment, but then he looked at Ginny.
'What?' Ginny asked.
'Well, I was sort of hoping to be able to tell you and Ron together, but...maybe you could pass this along,' said Neville. 'Although, maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you. You'd probably want to hear from your parents. I don't want to do anything out of place, maybe--'
'Neville,' said Ginny gently. 'Pass what along?'
Neville flushed. 'Can we go upstairs?' he asked. 'I don't want to talk about this in here.'
Harry and Ginny both looked at him quizzically; Harry glanced about the common room to see that both Seamus and Dean were attempting to study near the fireplace.
'Okay,' said Ginny, and the three of them headed upstairs to the seventh year boys' dormitory.
Neville turned to Ginny and took a deep breath. He looked fit to burst.
'I heard from Augustus a few minutes ago,' he said. 'He actually contacted me in the dormitory fireplace. Your parents will probably be owling you soon. It's about George.'
Ginny froze, and Harry took her hand.
'What about him?' Ginny asked, her eyes fearful. Harry felt waves of tension race through her and into him.
Neville hesitated, as though trying to figure out how to relay his news.
'Please tell me,' Ginny whispered, and her eyes went shiny with tears.
'It's good news,' said Neville quickly. 'George...he's talking.'
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand in hers, and clapped her other over her mouth.
'Really?' she said, behind her hand. Her tone was both achingly hopeful and frightened.
'Yeah,' said Neville, and he began to talk very fast as Ginny stared at him. 'Well...okay, it's really just a lot of babbling right now. Not too many actual words yet. But he did manage to say "Mum" and "Lee," and a couple other things...damn, I don't remember what they were, sorry...although Augustus said the words were pretty slurry, sort of as if George had been drinking. Anyway, I know it's taking a while and all for the potion to work but Augustus thinks this is a really good sign and...well, I do, too, actually. I mean, obviously I wish it would work faster, I'm sure it's really exhausting for your mum to go to hospital every day--'
Neville's recital was cut short as Ginny gave a sob and hugged him tightly. Harry grinned as Neville's eyes widened to saucers and awkwardly hugged her back.
After a long moment Ginny let go of Neville.
'Thank you,' she said, wiping her eyes. 'Thank you so much.'
Neville blushed. 'You're welcome.'
'I mean it,' said Ginny. 'You're...you're a hero, you know? Maybe not to everyone but definitely to me and my family. Honest.'
Neville was now so red Harry thought his head might burst into flames.
'Oh, well,' said Neville, looking down at his shoes and shifting nervously on his feet, 'it was...it was, you know...er...I'm just glad it's working...'
'Thanks, Neville,' said Harry sincerely. 'I still feel stupid you got in trouble for this.'
At this, Neville looked up and grinned. 'Actually, I didn't. Well, not really.'
'What do you mean?' said Harry.
'I got an owl this morning,' said Neville, and he went from grinning to beaming. 'I got in. To the Healer program. Early acceptance.'
Harry gaped at him, his mouth turning up. 'You're kidding.'
'Nope,' said Neville, his voice full of pride. 'Well, I am on probation. I have to do some work study thing for the first term to make up for sort of breaking the law a bit--probably means I get to scrub out bedpans the Muggle way--but I got some good recommendations from people here and Healer Smethwyck, he put in a good word, too. Of course if my N.E.W.Ts stink that would make a difference, too, but…I think I'll do okay there.'
'That's brilliant, Neville,' said Harry happily, and he clapped Neville on the back. 'Congratulations!'
'Thanks,' said Neville, and he blushed again. 'I still can't really believe it. I mean, I was sure with my shite Potions marks I'd never get in. It's a miracle I was in N.E.W.T. Potions at all, now I think of it. McGonagall must have leaned on Snape or something. Anyway, I think I almost gave Gran a heart attack. I haven't had a chance to tell Luna yet, though, I guess I can do that at dinner.'
'Congratulations, Neville,' said Ginny, smiling warmly at him. 'Nobody deserves it more than you.' She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he went red again.
'Er...well,' Neville stammered. 'I just wanted you to know, about George, I mean. You'll tell Ron?'
'Yeah,' said Ginny, 'that is if Mum doesn't get us an Owl fir--'
At that moment the door burst open and Ron and Hermione came in. Their eyes were wide and they both looked a bit winded.
'Just got an owl from Mum,' said Ron, staring at Ginny. 'George is talking.'
'I know,' said Ginny, beaming, even as her eyes filled with tears again. 'Neville just told me.'
'Neville...' said Ron, and then his eyes took in Neville. Ron swallowed, and Neville kept on blushing.
'I don't know what else to say,' said Ron, his voice sounding a bit strangled. 'Just...thanks, Neville. Thanks.' He held out his hand, and Neville, still blushing, shook it quickly and firmly.
'It was nothing,' he mumbled. 'It's still early and...well...it'll probably take a lot longer for George to...the Death Eaters really...'
'I know,' said Ron, 'but still...I saw him a few weeks ago and...I didn't think he'd ever...and now he's talking, and he recognizes Mum and Dad. That's something.'
Ginny sniffed and went to Ron, and they embraced.
Ron, still holding onto Ginny, cleared his throat; his eyes were a bit red-rimmed when he looked at Neville again.
'Thanks,' Ron managed.
'You're welcome,' said Neville.
Ron and Ginny held each other for a moment; Neville looked slightly embarrassed; Hermione bit her lip and Harry felt a lump in his throat. Neville shifted on his feet and half looked like he wanted to flee, but just then Ginny broke away from Ron and said, 'Neville got into the Healer program.'
Ron cleared his throat again and grinned broadly. 'Excellent,' he said, and he, too, clapped Neville on the back. 'You deserve it, mate.'
'Thanks,' said Neville.
'Congratulations, Neville,' said Hermione, and she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
Neville blushed some more, and after Hermione let him go, he stammered something about being hungry and hurried from the room. Harry smiled and shook his head.
Dinner was a relatively subdued affair. Harry was exhausted from the stress of the day, and sore from battling two Death Eaters, but he ate three helpings of everything all the same.
Ron muttered that he hadn't been able to get much from his latest meditation.
'I saw the Sorting Hat sitting on this table in a dark room,' he said quietly to Harry. 'What's that about, d' you reckon?'
'That's the hat the sword is in,' said Harry. 'That's all you saw?'
'Yeah,' said Ron grimly. 'I'll try again a bit later, but I definitely feel a bit rusty.'
Professors McGonagall and Hopkirk were not at dinner; Harry and the others guessed they were 'working on' Rita Skeeter. He wondered just how long it would take to lift whatever curse Rita was under. He supposed it ought to make him feel better that, by all initial impressions, Rita was indeed not working for Voldemort of her own volition, but it didn't. Who knew how long Rita had been spying on McGonagall and undermining her? Who knew what information Rita might have gathered, apart from how to break down the wards? Then there was Rita's whole ruse to begin with, which included not only hiding in her Animagus form and gathering information on McGonagall's protections for the castle and grounds, but in inserting herself into the school in the guise of a student. The more Harry thought about it, the more amazed he became, and the more confused.
Whoever had Rita under his or her control must be a powerful witch or wizard. Harry didn't fool himself that Voldemort was controlling Rita; if he really was weakened because of Harry's blood, Harry doubted he would have the strength to maintain that kind of mental control over Rita for any extended period of time.
But...Voldemort is strong enough to be able to block you from getting into his head at all these days. The only time he lets his guard down is when you're under the influence of that blood potion.
True, but could he be strong enough to do both? To keep up nearly constant Occlumency and maintain the Imperius Curse to the extent that Rita did so intricate a bidding?
No. He can't be. Someone else must have been controlling Rita.
Harry thought of Lucius Malfoy. He seemed the obvious choice; by all accounts, Malfoy was now Voldemort's top lieutenant. Malfoy was not only leading attacks, he was planning them, and he appeared to have taken on the top leadership role amongst the Death Eaters.
Dinner ended and Harry meant to go with Ginny to Ron's room, to commiserate with him and Hermione on these issues, but upon exiting the Great Hall, they were surprised to see Andromeda Tonks standing just outside the doors, deep in conversation with none other than her daughter.
Tonks noticed Harry and the others.
'Wotcher!' she said, grinning.
'Hey, Tonks,' said Harry, smiling back.
Mrs. Tonks gave a small groan. 'You have a perfectly lovely name, Nymph--'
'Thanks, Mum, that'll do,' said Tonks, through gritted teeth. 'Hi, Ron, Hermione. Ginny.'
'Hey,' said Ron. 'Have you been here all this time?'
'If you mean was I around during the so-called giant attack, no,' said Tonks. 'I was stuck in London writing some reports. Dead boring. I only came here because Kingsley wanted me to get the details on this latest attack from Kenneth, which means I get to write another exciting report when I get back. And since my mum needed to come here, anyway...'
Ginny spoke up hesitantly, glancing at Harry. 'Er...do we have a session, Mrs. Tonks?' she asked, keeping her voice low as various students passed by, Aurors flanking them here and there.
'No,' said Mrs. Tonks. 'Minerva McGonagall called me here for other business.'
'Ah, Andromeda.'
They all turned to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Hopkirk stride--or in Hopkirk's case, glide--up to Mrs. Tonks. The two professors gave only cursory glances at Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione, but otherwise were entirely focused on Mrs. Tonks.
'Minerva,' said Mrs. Tonks, in a low voice, 'I'm not sure how much help I can be if she's still under the influence.'
'We've managed to lift some of it,' said Professor Hopkirk. She, too, spoke in a low voice. 'It's a lot stronger than anything I've seen; my guess is it'll take me at least a week to break through completely.'
'We're not expecting any miracles tonight, Andromeda,' said McGonagall. 'I'm simply trying to determine whether she has at all acted of her own accord. She's not talking...well, it appears she can't at the moment...and we thought perhaps you could get through to her.'
'I see,' said Mrs. Tonks. 'Well, as long as you're not expecting miracles, I won't promise any. Won't you take me to her?'
'Yes, she's right this way...'
Harry and the others watched as the three women walked away, towards McGonagall's office. They talked in soft voices, out of earshot of the patrolling Aurors.
'They're working on Rita,' Hermione muttered.
'Looks that way,' said Harry, and the four of them started back to Gryffindor Tower.
'I wonder what Mrs. Tonks wanted to talk to me about,' said Ginny, frowning. She looked at Harry. 'It can't be our sessions, they're going really well.'
'Dunno,' said Harry. 'Maybe she has some new regimen for us or something.'
They reached the turn-off for the Head Boy and Girl rooms.
'Listen,' said Ron, 'I should probably head back to my room and, you know, try again.'
'Ron,' said Hermione, her eyes looking suddenly sharp, as they always did when she got an idea, 'I know McGonagall's...busy at the moment but maybe tomorrow you should ask her to pass you something of Gryffindor's, if there's anything.'
'Good idea,' said Ron. 'I'll do that.'
'Wait,' said Harry. 'I have a better idea. Use Fawkes.'
'Fawkes?' Ron repeated.
'Yeah,' said Harry. 'He's the one who brought me the hat in the Chamber.'
'I'm supposed to hold onto a bird while I'm meditating?' said Ron. 'He's not hyper like Pig, is he?'
'No bird is as hyper as Pig,' said Harry, grinning. 'Seriously, I think it's a good idea. You can even keep Fawkes in your room. I'm sure Pig wouldn't mind, he'd probably be thrilled for the company.'
Ron shrugged. 'All right.'
Getting Fawkes to Ron's room presented no more trouble than a lot of curious stares. Harry remembered that a lot of students had never seen Fawkes before; he was given Fawkes just after Christmas, and except for some hunting Fawkes did after dark, the phoenix stayed contentedly in Harry's dormitory, soaking up some of the admiration of Harry's dorm-mates and causing Hedwig the occasional fit of jealousy. Once Fawkes was happily settled in Ron's room, Harry, Hermione and Ginny left him alone to meditate. Harry only hoped Ron could find out something useful. His stomach hadn't stopped clenching since the fight with Malfoy and Nott in the fourth floor corridor; no matter how well the Ministry tried to protect the general public, Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he snatched some unwitting Gryffindor off the street in order to retrieve the sword from the Sorting Hat.
Harry and the girls stopped by Hermione's room to pick up several of her books and notes, and then headed back to the common room, to find it just less than half-full. Hermione found some chairs for them while Harry and Ginny fetched their own schoolbooks and parchment, and after a few minutes, the three of them settled down to homework, and in Harry and Hermione's case, revising for N.E.W.Ts.
After only fifteen minutes, Harry groaned. 'We don't really have to know all this stuff by heart, do we?' he asked, staring morosely at some of the Potions notes Hermione had prepared for him.
'Yes, we do,' said Hermione. 'It's all very important, especially for you, if you want to be--'
'Yeah, yeah, I know,' said Harry glumly. 'Aurors need good marks in Potions.'
Ginny smiled to herself as she scratched out an answer on her Herbology essay.
They worked steadily for the next hour, and the crowd in the common room slowly thinned out as many fellow Gryffindors retired early for the night, while others seemed to be buried in homework and revising. After another ten minutes, the portrait hole creaked open, and Ron entered the room.
'Hey,' he said, and he looked a bit tired, but very eager.
'What's up?' said Harry. 'How'd it go?'
Ron glanced over a clump of fifth years, who were all watching him. He leaned down.
'Let's talk about this in my room, okay?'
'So, what did you see?' Harry asked, after he, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were settled in Ron's room. 'Was Fawkes helpful at all?'
As if hearing his name, Fawkes gave a small chirrup from his perch.
'Yes and no,' said Ron. 'You want the good news first, or the bad news? McGonagall already knows everything, I stopped by her office.'
'The bad news,' said Harry, Ginny and Hermione.
'Bad news,' said Ron, 'is I can't figure out where Voldemort or his mates are hiding, or where they're keeping the hat. The good news is, they haven't been able to get to the sword.'
'I should think not, not without a Gryffindor to--' said Hermione.
'Oh, they've got a Gryffindor,' said Ron.
'They do?' said Harry, alarmed. 'Who?'
'Wormtail,' said Ron.
'Wormtail,' said Harry. 'That's...that's stupid. Wormtail's hardly a "true" Gryffindor. Voldemort would know that. What's he playing at?'
'Maybe Voldemort figured he had nothing to lose by trying Wormtail first,' said Ron, shrugging. 'If Wormtail could get to the sword, it would save the trouble of Voldemort having to find somebody else and abduct them.'
'They've already tried to use Wormtail?' said Ginny.
'Yeah,' said Ron. 'Worked him over pretty bad first, though, I suppose to teach him a lesson or whatever. Stupid bastard was a right mess, crying and everything. But he couldn't get the sword to appear.'
'Well, that's good,' said Harry. 'For us, anyway. Not so good for Wormtail, not that I'm too fussed about what happens to him.'
'Yeah, well, if you're thinking Voldemort's going to do Wormtail in, think again,' said Ron.
'What do you mean?' Hermione asked.
'I saw Wormtail escape,' said Ron.
'Whoa, what?' said Harry. 'Wormtail escaped Voldemort?'
'Yeah,' said Ron, 'or he will. And get this: he had or will be getting help on the inside, from a Death Eater.'
Harry gawped at Ron. 'Are you serious? From whom?'
'Couldn't tell,' said Ron. 'Whoever it was had a hood and mask on, and didn't say anything, or at least, nothing that I could make out. They have, or had, Wormtail in this dark room, all chained up. Well, this Death Eater goes into the room, probably in the middle of the night--I couldn't be sure about that but it was dark out and everything looked quiet--and unchains Wormtail and just leads him out of there like it's no big deal.'
'And Wormtail just...just walked away?'
'Pretty much,' said Ron. 'I can't put a time to it, mind. I'm guessing his great escape hasn't happened yet; if it hasn't it'll probably go down in the next few days, because it didn't look like Wormtail had been in there for too long. I wasn't able to figure out where he was, or where he was going--it just looked like he was in this forest--it didn't look like our Forest--and he ran and then Apparated.'
'Why would a Death Eater help Wormtail escape?' said Ginny. 'It makes no sense, unless we had a spy of our own on the inside of Voldemort's organization.'
'If we had a spy inside that group,' said Hermione, 'surely that person would have taken Wormtail into Ministry custody.'
'It's definitely weird,' said Harry, feeling uneasy. 'I don't like this, Wormtail being out there.'
'Me, neither,' said Ron. 'I guess I'll have to keep on this. I just hope I can figure out where they are soon.'
'So do we,' said Harry.
'What about Rita?' said Hermione. 'Did you see her, Ron?'
'Yeah,' said Ron, 'but McGonagall wouldn't let me see what Hopkirk and Mrs. Tonks were doing. I wasn't able to learn anything from McGonagall, either, unfortunately.'
'A week,' said Harry. 'At least. That's how long Hopkirk said it would be before she could lift all the curses.'
'It would be nice to know now what information she's kept,' said Hermione.
'Yeah,' said Ron, 'but on the other hand, she might not know too much that's useful. If she wasn't acting on her own, maybe Voldemort figured it was better for her not to have too much valuable information to pass along. Rita had to get caught sometime.'
'About that,' said Hermione, looking somewhat troubled, 'I can't help but think Voldemort must have wanted her to get caught. Why else would she just happen to have been in McGonagall's office? She had plenty of time to get away, especially if she knew how to get through that magical barrier. Or she could have just stayed in her beetle form and flown out and no one would have been the wiser.'
'You think she got herself caught on purpose?' said Harry.
'Not of her own volition, no,' said Hermione, 'but it just seems a bit too convenient, don't you think, how we caught her?'
'Voldemort must have decided she wasn't useful anymore,' said Ginny, shrugging.
'Maybe,' said Hermione, 'but doesn't Voldemort usually just kill whoever isn't useful to him anymore?'
'He or Lucius Malfoy could have wiped Rita's memory,' suggested Harry.
'True,' Hermione conceded, 'but I can't help thinking it's a bit strange that Voldemort would leave behind his spy, even if she did have her memory wiped. Memory Charms can be undone, even if it takes a while.'
'Where are you going with this, Hermione?' Ron asked.
'I just wonder if Voldemort didn't leave Rita behind on purpose to make us waste a bunch of time working on her,' said Hermione. 'Like you said, she might not know anything useful beyond what's she given to Voldemort. And we caught her much too easily.'
'You could be right,' Harry admitted. 'It is a bit weird, Voldemort leaving Rita alive if she's no longer useful.'
'So Rita is another distraction, then?' said Ron.
'Possibly,' said Hermione. 'But whether she is or not, Voldemort doesn't need a spy inside Hogwarts anymore, does he? He's already got the sword. All he needs now is a Gryffindor to get it, and he doesn't have to come to Hogwarts to find one. Even if the Ministry puts the public on the alert, it's only a matter of time before someone gets taken.'
The four of them talked a bit more about Rita, Wormtail and Voldemort's plans, but couldn't seem to make any headway. It would come down to Ron's meditations, more likely than not, to give them any further insights.
Harry and Ginny said goodnight to Ron and Hermione and started back to the common room; Aurors were moving through the corridors, looking serious and focused, but they gave only cursory nods to Harry and Ginny as they passed. Harry wondered that they weren't insisting on escorting him and Ginny back to Gryffindor, but then he guessed that the Aurors must have decided it was better to remain at their posts. Given how many Aurors there were, Harry didn't think escorts were even necessary. It wasn't terribly late yet, either, which meant older students were still allowed to walk through the corridors without getting into trouble.
As they turned the corner to the Fat Lady's portrait, Ginny suddenly halted in front of Harry; not paying attention, Harry walked into Ginny's back and she stumbled slightly.
'What…' Harry began, but then he saw the reason for Ginny's abrupt halt.
Draco Malfoy was sitting on the floor just to the left of the Fat Lady's portrait. He looked terrible: his normally sleek hair was disheveled and in need of a trim; his face was pale as chalk; his lips were chapped and there were deep bruises under his blood-shot eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
'Draco?' said Ginny, sounding wary.
He looked up at Ginny and in that moment, Harry wondered whether the Slytherin might break down in tears. Draco stood up shakily.
'Ginny…' he croaked. 'Can I…I need to talk to you.'
Ginny glanced at Harry, who immediately felt alarm bells ring in his head.
'Right now?' he said.
Draco gave Harry what might have passed for a nasty look, had he not looked so exhausted and woebegone.
'It doesn't concern you, Potter,' he said.
'If it concerns Ginny, it concerns me,' said Harry.
'Harry,' said Ginny, giving him a warning look. Then she looked at Draco. 'What's this about, Draco?'
'I don't want him to know--'
'Tough,' said Ginny. 'I'm really tired, Draco, and I'm not sure if I fancy getting into anything with you tonight. Whatever you have to say, say it here.'
Draco's grey eyes flashed with a mixture of hurt, defensiveness and anger, but when he spoke, his voice shook, and his ashen face flushed.
'I…I'm not sleeping, I keep seeing…her,' he finally said, looking partly appalled that he had to admit anything in front of Harry.
'I thought Madam Pomfrey had given you some medications,' said Ginny.
'She did,' said Draco, keeping his eyes fixed on Ginny. 'I stopped taking them, I got tired of feeling out of it all the time.'
'Draco, I don't know what you expect me to do…'
Draco made a choked noise in his throat and took two steps toward Ginny. Harry started to move closer to Ginny as well, but Ginny held up a hand, and Harry backed off, snaking his hand inside his robes to clutch his wand.
'Help me,' Draco said, holding out his hands. He was pleading, and he looked humiliated and desperate at the same time. Harry was torn between sympathy and disgust.
'I can't,' said Ginny. 'Mrs. Tonks won't let--'
'She will if you agree,' said Draco, and his eyes took on a slightly feverish look as he implored Ginny.
'How do you know?' said Ginny, folding her arms across her chest.
'She's my aunt,' said Draco feebly.
'You hate her,' said Ginny.
'She's my aunt,' Draco repeated. 'She might not like me but I know she wouldn't want me to…to…I keep seeing her, Ginny. I have nightmares every fucking night about getting that bloody shawl…they killed her…I can't…'
He swore under his breath, looking disgusted with himself.
'I wouldn't be here if…you think I want to be here, begging you like some fucking loser…' He glared daggers at Harry. 'I'm sure you're just loving this, aren't you, Potter?' he added savagely. 'Look how pathetic Malfoy is, can't keep his shit together, has to go crying to a girl to make it all stop…'
'I'm not enjoying this,' said Harry, shaking his head. Draco snorted in disbelief.
'Draco,' said Ginny, trying to defuse the situation, 'why can't you just talk with Mrs. Tonks about it? She is your aunt. Surely she can help you.'
'She can't,' said Draco, shaking his head. 'She doesn't know…you're the one who…'
'Draco, I'm really busy right now and--'
'Oh, come on!' Draco shouted, advancing on Ginny. 'Look at me, dammit! I'm humiliating myself here, the least you could do is--'
'Back off, Malfoy,' Harry warned, and he put a hand on Draco's forearm.
'Fuck you, Potter,' Draco bit out, shaking off Harry's hand.
'Stop it,' Ginny hissed, glancing nervously down the corridor at an Auror who was watching them.
'Everything all right?' the Auror called.
'Fine, we're just talking,' Ginny called back.
The Auror looked dubious, but after a moment he nodded. 'Fine, but you need to get inside your common rooms shortly, all right? Curfew's in fifteen.'
'Right,' Harry said, 'thanks.'
The Auror gave them all one last penetrating look before resuming his patrol, moving round the corner and out of sight.
Draco leveled a hurt, furious gaze at Ginny. 'Fine,' he said. 'I'm so sorry to have bothered you, Weasley. I thought maybe, being an Empath and all, you had a bit of compassion, but since you're too busy…'
'Draco, come on…' Ginny said, trying to keep her voice even. 'I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just…I've got to work with…with other people…'
'With whom, your boyfriend?' snapped Draco, throwing another hateful look at Harry.
Harry tensed; Draco shouldn't know about Harry and Ginny working together, but then again, what else was the Slytherin to think? He and everyone else had some idea by now that Harry was the one Voldemort was after first.
'Never mind,' said Ginny. 'I just…I can't…'
'Save it,' said Draco. 'I'm sorry I even came here. I hope the both of you have a good laugh over this. I'm out of here.'
'Draco…'
But Draco pushed past Harry and Ginny and began to stalk down the stairs.
Ginny bit her lip and watched him go, shaking her head.
They returned to the common room in silence; Harry could sense that Ginny was deeply troubled about Draco, and part of him couldn't help but be irritated by this. He knew it wasn't fair: Ginny was an Empath, she felt emotions more strongly than most people and she couldn't change the fact that she felt sorry for Draco. And yet Harry hated the way Draco always seemed to be hovering around them, trying to have a go at Ginny in one way or another. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that the scene of just a few minutes earlier was Draco attempting to manipulate Ginny into helping him, by playing on her gifts.
They sat wearily down onto the sofa in front of the fire; the common room was blessedly empty for the moment. Harry wanted to say something to break the uncomfortable silence, but there was a tension in Ginny that held him back. She was wrestling with something inside herself; he knew exactly what it was, and he forced himself to keep calm.
'He needs help,' she said finally. 'I know he was...he was trying to guilt me into helping him, but...he needs it.'
Harry fought back a frustrated sigh. Instead he took a deep, quiet breath and said carefully, 'Ginny, have you ever thought...maybe you can't help him?'
She looked at him tiredly. 'All the time,' she said. 'Part of me knows I can't.'
'But the other part...'
'Hates to just write him off,' she said.
'He hasn't done anything to deserve your help,' said Harry, keeping his voice even.
'He doesn't deserve a lot of things,' said Ginny.
'Ginny, he still wants you,' said Harry, still forcing his voice to remain even and smooth. 'I saw how he looked at you just now. Maybe he does want your help but that's not all of it; he wants an excuse to get close to you again.'
'I know,' she said, pressing her lips together. She sighed. 'This would be a lot easier if I didn't have...this.' She held up her hands, and Harry knew she was talking about her Empath powers.
Harry said nothing; she seemed to want to get things off her chest, and he knew the best thing was to just let her.
'Did you know,' she said, 'that fifteen percent of all Empaths go mad?'
Harry grimaced. 'No,' he said.
'No,' said Ginny. 'You wouldn't find any references to that in Hogwarts, a History, and Empaths never like to talk about it. Do you know why an Empath would go mad?'
'Because...you feel things more intensely,' said Harry, 'and having to deal with other people's emotions on that level, all the time...'
'Exactly,' said Ginny. 'Mrs. Tonks says it takes years for an Empath to learn how to tune out other people's feelings, but by that time, a lot of them have already lost their minds because of the strain.'
'That won't be you,' said Harry, sensing her apprehension. 'You're too strong for that.'
'Sometimes I think I am,' said Ginny, 'and other times...Harry, I know I shouldn't care about this at all, but...I think I should talk to Draco, at least one more time.'
Harry knew he should have expected this, but even so, hearing her say it struck him in the chest like a blow. He let out a breath and sat back against the sofa.
'I'm sorry,' she said quickly. 'I know you hate it...'
'Yeah, I do,' he said, unwilling to lie to her.
'I just feel like I have to do this,' she said. 'At least once.'
Harry let out another frustrated breath and ran a hand through his hair. 'Ginny,' he said, struggling not to get angry, 'what if by talking to him, all you're doing is keeping his hopes up?'
'He knows not to have any hope where I'm concerned,' said Ginny, a bit sharply.
'Logically, yes,' said Harry, easing his tone somewhat. 'He's seen us together, you've told him about us in no uncertain terms. Logically he should accept that.'
'But?'
'Logic doesn't matter much when you're in love with someone,' said Harry.
'I know, but...'
'Ginny, just let me finish,' said Harry. 'The last thing I'd ever want to admit is having something in common with Draco Malfoy but we do have something in common. A few things, actually. We're both in love with you, and it wasn't all that long ago that I knew how it felt to be in love with someone who didn't love me back.'
'You mean Susan,' said Ginny.
'Yeah,' said Harry. 'Those first few months after she dumped me, I knew it was over, I knew it, and yet there was still this ridiculous, illogical part of myself that wouldn't let go, that kept hoping against everything I knew that she'd come back. And maybe, back then, if she had given me any sign that she wanted to come back, I would have jumped at the chance. Back then I would have let her break my heart a dozen times over if it just meant a little more time with her.'
'But you moved on from her,' said Ginny.
'Of course I did,' said Harry, taking her face in his hands to emphasize his point. 'I'm with you now, and I love you, and I don't want anyone but you. What I had with Susan was important but it's past. But...look, Gin, you said it yourself: I'm stronger than Malfoy is. We've both had bad shit happen to us and I've come out of it, well, reasonably sane, anyway, because I had friends. I had you and Ron and Hermione, I had Susan last year, I always had people helping me. Malfoy has nobody anymore, remember? That's what you said.'
'It's true,' Ginny whispered.
'So he's messed up, Ginny,' said Harry, 'he's really messed up and you're the only person left for him. And he wants you really badly, and I don't like it. I'm not jealous, and I trust you, but I don't like the way he looks at you. I don't like that he's trying to manipulate your feelings.'
'I know he is, Harry--'
'Ginny,' Harry said desperately, 'what if by helping him you're just making it worse?'
Ginny looked at Harry sadly; her eyes were tired and filmed with tears. 'I know what you mean, Harry,' she said. 'I just...why does he have to hover around all the time? Why can't he just leave me...leave us alone? I don't want to feel sorry for him, but I do. I didn't even see Pansy get murdered, but I can only imagine... She was his only friend, and however fucked up their relationship was...it was all he had.'
'Ginny,' Harry said, clutching her hands in his, 'he's never going to let go of you if he thinks you'll be there to pick him up.'
'I know,' she said tearfully. 'I know. Why does it have to bother me so much, then?'
He started to answer, but she waved her hand at him. 'Don't answer that,' she said, sniffing bitterly. 'Rhetorical question.'
She wiped her eyes and looked down at their joined hands; her pain and confusion flooded into him, and he fought to reassure her.
'Maybe this sounds really, I dunno, corny or something,' he said awkwardly, 'but...I love that I can feel what you're feeling.'
She smirked at him. 'Even when it hurts?'
'Even then,' Harry said, and he blushed slightly. 'I've never been closer to anyone in my life than you, Gin. I'd do anything to make the bad part of this easier for you but...I'd never trade being close with you, like this.'
She reached up and brushed his fringe back from his forehead, tracing her fingertip along his scar.
'Blessing and curse,' she said. 'Your scar, my Empathy...'
'Something like that,' said Harry. 'Maybe...maybe that's what Dumbledore meant. That we have to take the bad with the good, so we don't take the good for granted. Or something.'
'That sounds positively philosophical, Harry Potter,' said Ginny.
Harry blushed again. 'I come up with good stuff every now and then,' he said.
'More often than not, you mean,' said Ginny, and she smiled at him. 'Thanks for that.'
'Anytime,' said Harry, his eyes locked on hers. 'Look, Ginny, if you still want to try and help Malfoy--'
'I don't want to talk about him anymore,' said Ginny, and she moved closer to him. 'Or anything else.' She kissed him.
The feel of her lips on his made him ache from the inside out, in the kind of longing way he often felt when they were alone like this. The kiss deepened and he pulled her closer, onto his lap. She wriggled slightly and he groaned at the friction and kissed her harder, his hands tangling in her luxuriant hair, before moving his mouth to the tender flesh of her throat.
They fell back onto the sofa, kissing heatedly, their hands exploring over clothing at first, then moving beneath. Her flesh was hot and supple.
'You feel so good,' he muttered, before kissing her again. She moaned softly as his hands caressed her breasts, and then she shifted beneath him, so that he sank between her thighs.
The heat of her was almost unbearable; without realizing he was doing it, Harry pressed against her, his own arousal straining against his clothes. He groaned again she moved with him, and suddenly it was too much to take, he had to stop, or else be inside her right then and there.
'Ginny...' he gasped, lifting his mouth from hers.
Ginny was panting and flushed and her eyes were dazed from kissing, her lips pink and swollen.
'What?' she whispered.
'We have to...' he murmured, but then she pulled him down for another kiss, and he forgot about thinking.
His fingers flew to her school tie and he loosened it and then pulled it over her head; then he found the buttons of her blouse. She sighed against his lips as he undid the first button, the second...
Just then the portrait hole creaked open. Harry flung himself back off Ginny and sat back, trying to nonchalantly smooth his hair. Ginny sat up quickly and was just crossing her legs primly at the knee and patting her hair as Neville came into the room.
'Oh,' he said, sounding startled. Harry looked up at him and fought to look casual, but the flush starting on his neck crept up to his face. He had just realized that his shirt was partly unbuttoned. Neville blushed as well and pointedly avoided looking at Ginny, who was covering her mouth with her hand.
'S-sorry,' said Neville, looking down at the floor.
'What for?' said Harry, shrugging and smiling with embarrassment.
'Hi, Neville,' said Ginny, her silent giggles subsided. She smiled warmly at him. 'Where were you? It's after curfew.' She paused and then shook her head, looking slightly appalled. 'I can't believe I just said that, I sound like my mother.'
'It's okay,' said Neville, and Harry saw that the other boy was still blushing quite spectacularly; Harry also noticed that Neville looked rather a bit disheveled himself.
'I was just, er, with Luna,' Neville mumbled. 'Lost track of time.'
There was an awkward silence, and Neville finally looked at Ginny and flushed again.
'I'll just turn in,' he said quickly, and he hurried up the boys' staircase.
After he'd gone, Harry and Ginny looked at each other, and started laughing.
'I guess Luna kept him busy,' Ginny giggled.
'I guess so,' said Harry, and he stopped laughing and brushed a lock of her hair from her eyes. 'We were sort of...busy, too, before he came in.'
Ginny's eyes softened. 'Yeah, we were.' Harry took the look on her face as a sign to lean in and kiss her, so he did, but she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.
'Harry...' she said slowly, and he felt nervousness pour off her.
'I'm sorry,' he said at once. 'Was I...did I...maybe...we don't have to, you know, anymore...if you don't want to...we can always go to bed...I mean, you and I could go to bed...separately...by ourselves...'
She bit her lip. 'Actually, I'm not really tired,' she said. 'I was just thinking...maybe we could...be alone some more.'
'Oh,' said Harry, and he grinned. 'Good.' He started to lean in, but she stopped him again.
'I mean, really alone,' said Ginny huskily, and the look she gave him was both shy and maddeningly sexy. Harry's heart caught in his throat.
'You...you mean...' he managed.
She blushed and nodded quickly.
'Now?' he asked hopefully.
Again, she nodded; she suddenly seemed incapable of talking. She looked terribly nervous, Harry could sense her apprehension, but something stronger overpowered that, and his pulse raced when he felt it, too.
Stay calm, Potter, you pervert. Be sure. Make certain she's sure.
'Are you sure?' he asked.
Ginny found her voice. 'Yes,' she said.
Harry grinned. 'Brilliant,' he said, unable to hide his eagerness. She rolled her eyes affectionately at him just as something occurred to him.
'But, er, where?' said Harry. 'I mean, there's...my room but that's not exactly--'
'No,' said Ginny. 'I...I know of a place, actually.'
'Not the Astronomy Tower,' said Harry at once.
Definitely not there!
'No,' said Ginny.
'The Room of Requirement?'
'Too obvious,' she said.
'Where?' he asked, aware that he was practically ready to go bounding about the room with glee.
Ginny giggled, and then she leaned in, trembling slightly, and kissed him. 'Fetch your cloak and your map and I'll show you.'
By the time they reached the room Ginny was referring to, both were out of breath. They climbed to the South Tower, a part of the castle Harry had never bothered exploring.
Ginny lead them into a corridor at the top of the tower; it was lined with bookcases. She pulled her wand from her robes and lit it, scanning the titles, until she found what she was looking for; giving the book a little tap with her wand, Harry watched as the book shelf slid neatly aside, revealing a small door behind it.
They crept through the door and Ginny shut it behind them; Harry heard the bookcase slide back into position behind it before pulling the Cloak off them.
The room they were in was large, but rather crowded with old furniture, books and crates.
'It's just a storage space,' said Ginny. 'Nobody ever comes up here.'
Harry nodded, but he noticed that for a room that nobody ever seemed to use, it was surprisingly free of dust and grime. Did the house elves keep even unused rooms spotless?
'How'd you find it?' he asked her.
'I didn't,' she said. 'Fred and George did. They used to come up here when they were younger and work on inventing joke stuff.' She smiled. 'I think Fred had his first kiss up here, actually.'
Harry smiled. 'And they told you about it?'
At this, Ginny blushed. 'Yeah,' she said, and she looked down at her shoes and began to twirl a lock of hair round her finger. 'It's a long story, but...I used to come up here a lot when I was younger, after...Riddle. I felt safer here than anywhere else. I guess Fred and George kind of gave me this room. I know it's not the most romantic looking place...'
'It's fine,' said Harry, taking her hands. She was trembling. 'It's better than fine,' he added. 'But...maybe I could...'
He let go of her hands and extracted his wand, and with a small wave, conjured dozens of candles. The golden flickering light caught the lights in her hair.
'Better,' she said, and she smiled, and then with a wave of her wand, she conjured up lots of soft, velvety cushions in the far corner of the room, beneath a boarded-up window.
They looked at each other for a long moment; it was as if each was waiting for the other to make the first move. And then something about the whole situation struck Harry as rather funny. They were both nervous, he realized, and he couldn't help but laugh. She laughed, too, and her brown eyes twinkled in the candlelight.
'Um...' she said.
'We don't have to,' he said.
'I want to,' she insisted. 'Honest.' She took his hands in hers.
'Okay,' said Harry, which seemed like a very dumb thing to say, but her eyes had the effect of making him forget about thinking. That, and her plump lips, which she had just wetted with a sweep of her tongue. That single gesture set a fire in Harry's body, and with a barely suppressed whimper, he crushed his mouth against hers, kissing her hungrily.
Ginny responded at once, parting her lips and sliding her tongue against his, and suddenly they were stumbling towards the cushions as a kind of frenzy overtook them.
Harry knew he should slow down. This was their first time, after all. She was practically a virgin; her one time with Dean was ages ago. He knew it was only proper for him to satisfy her first, given that the act of coupling would almost certainly hurt her.
But Ginny seemed to have other ideas. Indeed, she didn't seem to want him to go slow. They tumbled onto the cushions in a heap of limbs and panting and desperate kisses, and her small hands pulled at his robes, his school tie, his shirt. Harry pulled his mouth away from hers to breathe and was fully prepared to tell her he wanted to go slower, to draw out this experience, to savor it as it should be, but the pull of the Empath power was so strong it overwhelmed him. To be connected to Ginny completely, in body and mind and soul...and then he felt her fingertips brush across the front of his trousers and every thought in his mind fused to one all-encompassing need: to be inside her, now.
It was only another minute before their clothes were off completely. His glasses were somewhere; he never remembered taking them off. He saw the blue glow of a Contraceptive Charm surround their bodies, but he couldn't recall who had set it. He gave himself all of two seconds to admire her nakedness before she pulled him close, and he groaned again when she seemed to wrap her whole body around his. He was so close...
She tilted her hips up and he took the invitation, not trying to be gentle, unable to be gentle. She cried out, half in pain, and he felt her pain as his own as he stretched and filled her. The feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced. Pleasure so intense he wondered if he might die and not notice. Pain so palpable he winced and felt tears sting his eyes.
'I'm sorry,' he managed, hating himself for being so rough, hating himself even more when he saw tears streaming out of Ginny's beautiful eyes.
'It's okay,' she said. Her hands gripped his shoulders and then he sensed that she felt everything, too. The pain, but the pleasure, too, blinding pleasure. Nothing had ever been so much. He needed to quench it before his body burned up. Before both of them burned up.
'I have to move,' he gasped.
'It's okay,' Ginny whispered again, smiling at him, and he kissed away her tears.
'I love you,' he whispered, and he began to move inside her. She moved with him and he held her hands in his, pressing them into the cushions, and their eyes held each other as he moved deeper into her, harder, faster...
It was too much, too fast. The orgasm caught them both by surprise; she gasped and closed her eyes but he watched her, and it was that, as much as the way she felt, that sent him tumbling, and for a few seconds, as Harry's whole body shuddered against hers, he wondered if in fact he had died.
If I'm dead, that's not a bad way to go out...
Ginny giggled beneath him; she must have sensed what he felt in that moment, and suddenly Harry found himself laughing, too. It wasn't the slow, romantic, sweet first time with Ginny he had envisioned in his dreams; it wasn't even close.
'I'm sorry,' he said, lifting his head from the crook of her shoulder and looking into her eyes. 'I didn't mean for it to be so fast. I just...something happened...'
'I know,' said Ginny, smiling. 'It wasn't too fast. It was perfect.'
The look in her eyes, the soft, satisfied warmth of her emotions told him she was being honest with him. And he knew she was right after all. It had been perfect, because it was them, together, in every sense of the word.
They tried again a little later, and this time it was slow, sweet, and revelatory. Just as perfect, really, as it had been the first time.
Harry would have liked nothing better to spend the whole night with Ginny wrapped around him, but they both knew they had to get back to the dormitory. It was nearing dawn and they couldn't afford to be caught out of bed, and out of bounds.
The trip back to the common room was a silent, relatively slow one, given that they were under the Cloak. Neither of them could stop smiling. Harry was exhausted, but giddy, too. It didn't matter that night that there was a war going on. All that seemed to matter was what they had shared.
Once inside the common room, Harry pulled the Cloak away, and Ginny looked at him shyly, but with a smile of wonder on her face.
'Are you okay?' he asked, taking her hands in his.
'I'm fine,' she said. 'Better than fine. I'm tired but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep.'
'I'll definitely sleep,' said Harry, grinning.
'Typical boy,' said Ginny, shaking her head.
'I'll dream about you, though,' he said, shrugging and blushing slightly.
'Good,' she said, and she kissed him softly before heading to the girl's staircase. She was halfway up when Harry called out to her.
'What?' she asked.
'Tonight,' said Harry. 'It was...it was the best night I've ever had.'
She regarded him with soft eyes. 'Me, too,' she said, and she smiled one last smile before disappearing upstairs.
Harry watched her go, and then dragged himself upstairs, a smile still playing about his lips. He entered the dormitory to the snores of the other boys, and crawled into bed without changing into pyjamas. He fell asleep at once, visions of Ginny's brown eyes dancing in his head.
A/N: Thanks always to lina and to Buckbeaky for seeing me through this story. The storage room Harry and Ginny make love in was inspired by a similar room in Rising from Ashes by Arabella and JediB.
Next up...Ron's POV. Rita is interrogated...Ginny agrees to help Draco one last time...an unexpected visitor shows up at the castle...and something is stirring in the Forest...