Chapter 21

Crys ran from the Hospital Wing crying. Harry didn't follow her, he was still trying to process what Ron had said. Zabini, that's a Slytherin, isn't it?

Crys wiped away her false tears and headed across the school in search of Zabini. She found Blaise in a dark corner near the dungeons, looking at a piece of parchment. He shoved it into his pocket when he heard footsteps.

"Ah, Blaise," Crys said as she slowly walked towards him and began to stroke his cheek, "How good to see you."

If she wanted to know where he was so bad why did she go off running when she saw him again? Harry thought as he sat in a chair by Ron's bedside. And all of a sudden it hit him; the veela-touch, what she did to escape the Malfoys, how angry she would be now, and he knew, that where he found Blaise Zabini, he would find Crys.

He ran out of the Hospital Wing with Madam Pomfrey shouting something about being more careful around the patients behind him. He needed to find her before she did something stupid, but where would they be? Zabini was a Slytherin, the Dungeons. Harry walked as quickly and quietly as possible and he found what he was looking for.

He peered around a corner and saw Crystal pressing Blaise up against a wall, her head bent down and doing something to his neck.

"So tell me, Blaise," she whispered, "Why did you do it? What caused you to do something so, courageous?"

Harry saw her fingers working their way down his back. He ran forward and seized her by her upper arms, pulling her away from the Slytherin. Harry quickly stunned Zabini with a Stupefy! spell and spun Crys around.

"Look at me!" he snapped at her, "What the Hell do you think you are doing?"

"I was getting the truth." she said firmly.

"You were hurting yourself. You were hurting us all. Ron, mainly. Why would you do something like that? You know if he found out about that he'd be crushed."

"Or what about if he found out something like you sleeping with Hermione?" Harry flinched, "But don't worry, " she continued bitterly, "He already knows about you and Ginny. In fact he saw you, at the Burrow, but don't feel bad, it didn't crush him too much."

Harry's eyes were wide, "But that wasn't anything serious. It was just..."

"Oh good. Then I can tell him that. I'm sure he'll find the fact that you were using his kid sister for sex reassuring."

"I wasn't using her!" he practically yelled.

"Uh-huh," Crys said quietly, "and I wasn't using Zabini."

They tied Zabini up to a nearby suit of armor. He was still unconscious. They set off down the hallway in search of Dumbledore. There was an angry sting to the air and they didn't speak. Approaching a nearby corner they heard an angry voice ranting.

"...I heard Potter and your brother's girlfriend talking, Ginny. I know what you did while you were home on holiday. Did you really think you could hide this from me? You really think that you'd get away with this?" They heard a smacking sound and they saw Ginny's limp body fling backwards towards a wall. She sat up weakly without seeing Harry or Crys around the corner.

Dean's voice came again, "Now you stay here and think about what you did, Ginny, I'm going to go find your buddy."

Ginny whimpered, "Dean, no! Don't hurt him! It wasn't his fault! It was all mine. I pressured him into it!"

"I'm not going to believe anything you say." he said and stepped over her in the direction of Crys and Harry.

Harry shouted, "Potrificus totalus" and waved his wand at Dean.

Dean fell flat the same way Neville had in their first year, and they ran to Ginny's side. They each grabbed an arm and pulled her to her feet. She kept an arm over each of their shoulders and slowly limped to the hospital wing.

Ron was stunned. He couldn't beleive it. How? Dean? No. Dean was the quiet boy, the one who wouldn't hurt a fly. Not that Ron was comparing Ginny to a fly.

"Ron," Crys said quietly, "Are you okay?" She adjusted the blankets on his hospital bed, pulling the covers up and tucking them closer to him.

He just nodded, still in shock.

"Will you be okay for a minute?" she asked him, "I'm gonna go check on Ginny."

He nodded again.

She walked away and shut the curtains around his bed behind her. She walked to the next bed over. Ginny was lying asleep. Madam Pomfrey had healed her wounds from Dean but Crys could see scars from other times when Madam Pomfrey hadn't been around. Ginny's golden-red hair was flowing out on her pillow like spilled fire. Crys bent down and kissed her forehead in a motherly way before she adjusted the sheets the same way she had on Ron's bed. She turned quietly to go back to Ron but Ginny spoke.

"Don't go." she whispered.

Crys turned back towards her, "I won't," she said, "I thought you were sleeping."

"I was." Ginny stared at the white curtains around her bed intensely.

Crys sat down next to her and took her hand, "Are you going to be okay?"

"No." Ginny started to cry, "I love him. I love him, Crys. I love him more than anyone else I've ever loved. I don't think I'll ever stop loving him." The tears streamed down her cheeks and in the moonlight looked like streams of mercury. Crys hugged her tight and the curtains behind them, "And it's all my fault, too. I had to sleep with Harry, I had to ruin everything I had with Dean."

"Gin, it was already ruined." Crys said softly, "Look at yourself. That's not a good thing."

"But he loved me," Ginny said between sobs, "And I don't know if he ever will again."

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley screehed, "Oh, dear, are you all right?" She hadn't heard them speaking, thanks to the silencing charms on the curtains.

"Yes, Mum." she mumbled through her mother's tight grasp.

Crys slipped out throught the curtains so they could be alone. She walked over to Ron's bed. He was sitting up now. She walked over and he moved slightly to his left so she could sit next to him. She laid her head down on his shoulder and sighed.

He tried to lighten the mood, "So what're you doing this summer?" he asked. The summer was only two weeks away and he had already asked her to come stay with him.

She gulped. "Ron," she started cautiously.

"Yes?" there was a hint of worry in his voice.

"I...I'm...I think I'm going back to America this summer." she said quickly.

"Wh-what?" he pulled away to look at her.

"I know. I want to come stay with you at the Burrow this summer, but, " she was uncomfortable, "I haven't seen Steffie in a long time. Or Jenna. It's only two months. I'll be back before you know it. I'm going to buy an owl so we can write everyday."

He looked grave. She kissed him on the cheek and they slid down so they were lying on top of the covers together.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

"Don't be." he said so hoarsely she could barely make it out.

"No. I am. I should have told you sooner." her head drooped tiredly.

Neither of them spoke. They slowly drifted to sleep, arms wrapped around each other.