Chapter three: Revelations
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
Frederick Douglass
"Bloody unbelievable." George repeated again, now casually leaning against the door frame.
Harry and Ginny quickly dropped their arms, and took a step back even for good measure, but the damage had already been done. Ginny tried not to look guilty; and why should she? It's not like they were snogging or anything. She was simply giving support to a friend. She tried listening to George's rampage.
"Here I get intell that our dear Harry is perilously fighting for his life after some vela vamps, and lo and behold, I come in to check on my favorite investor, and he's making moves on my little sis." George dropped his arm languorously across Harry's shoulder's. "Now if you were me, what would you do?"
"There's been no 'moves'!" Snapped Ginny indignantly.
"Vela vamps?" Harry asked attentively.
"R--right. You haven't talked to anyone yet. And so you didn't hear that from me. But I think we are straying from the central issue here."
"No, I think that's exactly the issue. He's just been attacked --"
"Pretty damn convenient timing if you ask me." George looked contemplative for a second, "Sounds like something I would do actually…"
"You should get back to be Harry." Offered Ginny softly.
"Sure, sure. Now he should get back to bed." George made for the door, "Seemed fine a second age. Yea, I got your number Potter. Perhaps I'll go tell the Order that Harry's awake, though I believe that was somebody else's task."
Harry and Ginny watched George leave. "You know he's never going to let us live that down." Ginny said a after a moment.
"Most definitely." Harry let his body relax in the bed and closed his eyes. The apprehension from before was slowly snaking it's way back into him. George was going to get someone form the Order. They were going to have questions. He was going to need answers. Soft smooth skin slid into his hand. Offhandedly he casually clutched Ginny's hand, for once glad to have someone understand.
He knew who walked in before they even had said anything. Even with his eyes closed, is brain submitted the mental image of what was happening to his subconscious. He saw Dumbledore stand at the doorway for a few moments, taking a clandestine careful check of circumstances for himself. Harry knew it was him, felt his gaze and felt Ginny's hand tighten in his own. The air seemed to crackle as he progressed purposefully into the room towards Harry's bed. Harry heard him sit down.
"Are you still in pain?" Spoke a soft steady voice.
"Nothing new sir." Harbored Harry dully, finally opening his eyes and meeting the antediluvian ones.
"I would think getting brutally attacked in you own home would constitute something new."
"Would you?" Harry held his gaze steady; palpably feeding into Ginny's strength from her hand that was still clasped tight in his. Harry saw him contemplating his words meticulously.
"Perhaps you could excuse us for a few seconds Miss Weasley."
"Yes, please Ginny, leave while the headmaster feeds me just enough to keep me going, while trying to disclose everything that's really happening; feeds me one more piece to some puzzle I'll have to fight, while they have the whole picture sitting right in front of them."
"You're lucky I take Muggle Studies Harry." Ginny grumbled getting up, "It's the only way I can tell you're not completely crazy yet. Puzzles indeed." She shut the door behind her.
"You're not alone in this Harry. I hope that you can realize your allies."
"How can you believe what you just said and the prophecy? They're exclusive to each other! I'm alone in this fight! I have the bloody scare, I'm the lucky one linked to his mutilated mind, my blood brought him back!"
"I can have faith. I can have faith that a 16 year old boy doesn't have to face this evil alone."
"Or rather you have me believe that, then when that final day comes, when my blood is being shed, and I find myself in a battle alone; in a fight I prepared to have allies in, what then? What then if I face a fight totally unequipped? Where in my mind there's dozens, but in reality there's two? And what has to happen to show you I'm not a boy? Or am I to die a boy in the eyes of the only friends I have?"
"I apologize. I look at you, and see a tiny driven body, and my mind wants to scream child. But nothing you have ever done has suggested that. Not even in the beginning."
Harry closed his eyes and half heartedly tried to get a grip on himself. He remembered in first grade they had to make mini tornadoes inside two two-litter bottles connected at the spout with water inside. They would shake it up and the spiral of water would form and swirl around inside. He felt exactly like that. Everyone just kept shaking the bottle and he couldn't stop spinning.
Some part of him didn't want to stop spinning. Some part of him didn't even want to talk to Dumbledore calmly and logically. He wanted to shout, and have stuff to throw again. He wanted to let all his emotions explode out so they didn't keep circling around and around inside his little bubble with no way of stopping. But another part of him, which sounded sneakily similar to Ginny, reasoned with his hazardous half and asked precariously what exactly would that accomplish? What would yelling yield? In the end, Harry still had to fight a losing battle. He'd still have no help. Why alienate and decry other people in the process?
"So how did they get through the wards?" Harry asked monotonously glancing back at him.
"There's an allowance for combined species to pass through." Harry found himself slightly amused at how Dumbledore seemed to launch into an explanation quickly, forgoing to even comment on his abrupt mood swing in order to fall upon a safe topic, "Three or four Auror members wouldn't be able to pass through if it weren't so, and the enemy was entirely human. What death eater was going to be half human? They're a tri-breed; vela, vampire, and human components. The wards picked up upon the human, but there was enough animal species for the new face to pass through…"
"I see. Where will I be carted off to now?"
"It had yet to be determined."
"You still think telling me posed a threat." Realized Harry instantly.
"I am hesitant at taking you away from your blood relatives.
Harry laughed suddenly. Of coarse he was considering not removing him from the Dursley's. Why not? What's a few cracked bones?
"I'm sure Voldemort will be happy." Harry harbored evenly.
"The wards will obviously be reinforced."
"Obviously."
"Unless there is something else?" Dumbledore asked simply.
Harry felt rage start to simmer as he realized the elder man's intensions. His first coherent thought was how could anyone be that daft? Quickly he attained that Dumbledore was trying to blackmail him into telling him what had happened. If he didn't explain in detail what had happened, he would be forced to stay at the Dursley's. Well, he wouldn't be played.
"Just as long as you figure out how to reinforce it. Some protection when those creatures can manage to almost kill me in three minutes flat. Voldemort himself couldn't even manage that."
Harry divulged Dumbledore seemed to pause for a second, then slowly nod. "Of coarse. It is being done as we speak."
"Then I suppose we're done here then, aren't we Sir?" Harry asked innocently.
"If there is nothing else…." He tried again, slowly rising.
Harry almost spluttered out a laugh. He managed to control himself somehow.
"What else is there for me to know?" Challenged Harry suddenly, still trying to reining himself in. Oh, the things he wanted to say.
"For what more can you risk Voldy hearing?" The last bitter statement seemed to break through as Dumbledore left.
Ginny seemed to immediately stream in. She stopped halfway to him.
"What's wrong?" She demanded.
Harry tried shaking his head and shrugging one shoulder nonchalantly. Suddenly Ginny had his head in her hands. "We're passed that. If he said something… headmaster or not, I know quite a lot of good hexes that will make him apologize for weeks."
"I'm just a bloody weapon to him." Harry whispered distantly, barely listening to Ginny.
"I see. Well, I'll let you pick which one I use then."
Harry tried to smile at her attempt to lighten up the mood, but his throat seemed to clog up. Suddenly he couldn't breathe. He took a gasp of breath in recovery. He felt Ginny maneuver herself behind him. Her warm hands touched his shoulders slightly, delicately, and started moving in slow circles. At first he thought he should protest because his shoulder was still sore, but he quickly assessed that her ministrations were helping it immensely.
"Shh, take it easy." She lulled.
He shivered as he felt her soft voice wrap around him and her lips touch the base of his neck. It felt deliriously delightful, sinful and innocent all at once. He wasn't sure if he should be letting this happen, but right now he really didn't care. Dumbledore was using him, but Ginny was loving him; or at least the closest thing to that he had ever felt.
"Is this to much for you?" Her voice gushed out in a melodically murmur next to his ear.
His head immediately shook no, as his throat seemed to become more closed. His body shivered as he felt her mouth open on his skin. A moment or two latter he groggily grasped how much Ginny was giving, and he wanted to reciprocate. He arched around in a sudden, jerky move, that was ridiculously categorical of Harry.
"Sorry." Ginny offered, assuming she went too far.
He wrapped his hands around her hips and hauled her closer. He let his lips fall on hers without thinking in a deliberate delicate action. They touched and it was like coffee and cream coming together. He broke away abruptly, discerning what he had just done. "Sorry." He uttered immediately.
Ginny reached out and cradled his head in her hands and let her lips touch his again. Her tongue escaped her mouth and ran along his lips. "Sorry." She gasped, pulling back momentarily.
Her resolve melted away and she let her lips roam down the hollow of his throat. He repeated the act eagerly on her. Her skin tasted like grapefruits and frosting and he loved it. He rested his forehead against hers dazed.
"Want to try to tell me again?"
"How about you just kiss me again instead?"
"That bad?"
He ran his thumb distractingly in smooth strokes against her hips. "I'm staying at the Dursley's."
"No, you're not. My mom's outraged you're here right now… I think everyone knows," She paused slowly watching him, "Subconsciously at least, what happened."
"I asked where I was going. He said they're working on the wards… unless there was something else."
"You're not staying here."
"I'm not giving in to his bloody manipulations."
She smiled crookedly. "You've been hanging around Ron to long. In any event." She affirmed finally getting back on topic, "I'm going to inform my mom. She'll at least start something."
Harry opened his mouth, about to say that all she'll do is cause a fuss, then eventually cave in to the all knowing Dumbledore; but he finally managed to completely control his mouth and he just thanked her.
"I'll see you latter."
"What about Dean?" Harry asked suddenly.
"What about him?"
:On the train," Harry elaborated worry starting to overcome him, "You said--"
Ginny laughed and it hypnotized his worry away somehow. "I was just saying that to get a rise out of Ron."
"Oh.."
He heard her laugh again, and saw her come back over. "Why Harry? Are we dating?"
He felt himself blush, and he couldn't fathom why he could be able to snog her earlier without a twinge of red or remorse, but then one simple word could send his emotions spiraling out of control.
"Yes?"
"Yes? Have you asked me?"
"You're really going to make me ask?" Harry iterated incredulously.
"No special boy-who-lived waver Potter. You have to endure the same rigorous expectations as everyone else."
"I see." Harry took a gulp of air.
'It shouldn't be this hard.' He reasoned rationally through his thoughts. 'She already said yes.' He knew the answer already was in the affirmative. They had just kissed! So why was he so nervous?
"Would you go out with me Ginny?"
He watched her lips draw up into a sly smile similar to an expression he had witness the Weasley twins adorn on a few mischievous occasions. He knew he was in trouble.
"Out where?" She asked, seemingly innocently.
"Anywhere you want." Determined Harry quickly.
"Anywhere?" She repeated, drawing the word out, and changing it to make Harry think he didn't want to agree to the whole encompassment of the word anymore.
"Within reason." He clarified, settling himself comfortably to a more moderate ground.
"That's a whole different story. Where would you like to take me?" She challenged.
Instantly the stuffy, hideously pink and heart shaped propaganda filled café cluttered his mind. Holding back a grimace he replied, "Madam Puddifoots."
"Wow, you must really like me. When are you going to take me?"
"First chance that I'm released from this barracks."
"I'm going to hold you to that Potter." Her lips came down on his once more. "I'm going to see what's going on as to how fast and where we're loading you."
"I'm going to hold you to that Gin."
She laughed and lightheartedly left, looking for cohorts. Harry laid back, a large smile across his face for no reason at all, and finally let himself submerge into unconsciousness.
A/N
Thanks to anyone who has been reading this so far. Triple majors stink something rotten: note to anyone seeking this-- don't try it if you wish to have any life whatsoever. That being said, all my exams/labs/projects/papers are now officially complete and I should be posting relatively quickly from now on. If nothing else, just to ease my guilt about how slow the first three came out. Off to write some more...
