Hey, another update. Still trying to get back into the story properly, but I'm getting there, but it's still a little short. Still, better than revision for AS exams, I s'pose. Anyway, sorry for any spelling mistakes - I was on a roll and my spell-checker's broken.

Redemption

Chapter Six

Ginny leant in the corner of the sitting room as Harry and Ron placed Reggie onto the worn out old sofa. She was frowning so hard that it was almost painful, but it was the only way to stop herself exclaiming as she watched Reggie's head roll horribly on his slack shoulders.

As soon as Harry had seen to him, he turned around slowly, sinking his hands into his pockets and peering at her through a mass of ruffled black hair.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, his green eyes boring into her. Unsettled, Ginny nodded.

"Fine."

"You don't look it."

She shrugged. "I'm fine."

Harry wouldn't stop staring at her. "Ron, I need to talk to you," he said, his gaze still trained on her.

"I'll go--" she began to say, but as she made to sweep past Harry out of the room, he caught her arm.

"Go to your room. Stay there, okay?"

She shrugged again. "Okay."

As soon as she got into the hall, a dull anger tugged at her. Harry clearly was keeping something important from her, and had sent her to her room. Sent her to her room? What was she, three? She twisted, intending to head back the sitting room. She paused when she heard Harry's heavy sigh from inside the room.

"Harry, you don't think it's happening again, do you?" Ron was saying. "I thought you'd sorted this years ago."

"So did I!" Harry retorted. Ginny jumped back from the door slightly, surprised by the volume, then pressed her ear to the door.

"What are you going to do?" said Ron at last, after a very lengthly pause.

"I don't know, I just don't know," she heard say. She could almost see him running a tireless hand through his hand in her mind's eye. "I guess I'll have to leave again, then, won't I?"

"But you just got here! There's got to be something else you can do--"

"Ron! If there was, don't you think I'd have done it by now? I thought I'd finally given this... curse of mine the bloody slip, but no... every time I come back, everytime I get anywhere near her--"

"Harry, you can't think that this thing specifically searches out you and--"

"Yeah, Ron, yeah I do. Look at what happened last time."

There was another long pause. Ginny swallowed, having realised that her throat was dry and sticky. She heard three loud thumps, and felt a terrible shiver for a moment as she thought one of them might be coming to the door. She realised that however it was, though, was moving away from the door.

"Harry, don't... don't do this. For Merlin's sake, you've got to try."

"I know, I know I should, but there isn't time. If I stay, how long will it be before someone else ends up like Reggie, and she isn't safe. All it needs is a two-second gap, three clear inches, and there's skin-to-skin contact. It's not possible."

"But..." Ron said, almost too quietly for Ginny to hear. She pressed her ear closer to the dor and released a breath she hadn't realised she's been holding. "But, you belong together Harry. You've always known it. You always will. Just because she's too stubborn to see it, it doesn't mean you--"

"Ron! It doesn't matter! If I stay, Ginny dies. I can't let that happen."

There were a couple of quiet knocks at her bedroom door. She heard them blurrily though, as if she were submerged under water. She stood up, straightened her pyjama trousers, and stalked towards the door. The handle was cold to her hand, but that might have been because of the hot flush creeping down her back.

"Ginny?"

Opening the door a few inches, she leant on the door frame.

"What?"

"Can I come in?" Harry asked, looking at her reservedly through the gap. His eyes glinted coolly, his hand resting around the door frame, looking as though he was prepared for the eventuality of her trying to slam the door in his face. She seriously considered it - even with his fingers at stake - for a moment. After a few minutes eyeing him though, she pulled the door wide open and turned her back on him, returning to the comfort of her bed in the corner.

"What can I do for you, Harry?" she asked, sitting cross-legged on the mattress and glaring up at him.

"Er... can I sit down?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably. As much as she knew she shouldn't be, Ginny was thoroughly enjoying seeing him relatively devoid of self-centred importance.

"No. Talk first, sit later."

He blinked. "Um. Right. Er, okay then. Well, Ginny--"

"What is it, Harry?" she asked, adopting a softer tone of voice. She attempted to project an aura of calm openess. "I know it's important. What happened to Reggie?"

"He... he wasn't well."

"Despite the fact he was standing and looking perfectly healthy?"

Harry nodded. "Er, yeah."

She laughed gently, sighing. "Sit down Harry, you'll have to do better than that." Harry perched cautiously on the edge of her bed, staring at the floorboards. "How is Reggie now, Harry?"

"He's... fine. He'll be fine. He'll be okay, anyway, eventually. He's... got to recover."

"From his illness?" Ginny smiled gently, and raised her hand to stroke Harry's back, rubbing the space between his broad shoulders. Surprised, Harry looked up questioningly. She smiled again. "Just tell me what you know, Harry."

He nodded again. "The truth is," he said, "I don't know. I have no idea what's wrong with him. I know it's Dark, Ginny, though, and that's why I've got to take him away."

"Away where?" she asked, maintaining the circular motions over his back. She felt anger prickling at the back of her mind - he knew more than he was telling, judging from his conversations with Ron.

"Just... away, Ginny. For a while."

"A long while?"

He paused. "Maybe, yes." His eyes wandered helplessly down her neck.

Ginny slipped her hand underneath his shirt, and felt him start. "Then I might not see you again for a long while, Harry?"

He looked at her, swallowing several times. Finally he shook his head, dropping his eyes to the ground. "No. Maybe not."

Ginny's hand paused, and she leant her head on his shoulder. "Have you told Ron?"

"Yeah. He's fine with it."

"Good. Then he won't be coming up here to bother us." Ginny felt Harry jump again, and he looked around. Just as he did, though, she pressed her lips to his.

For a moment all she felt was his surprise. Then suddenly he was kissing her back, and turning to shove her back into her pillows, his hand moving smoothly on to her leg and gliding upwards, his mouth wet and heavy and shockingly gentle. With the air of someone starved of oxygen he breathed her in, seemingly taking every second to savour it intensely.

Moving firmly, Ginny pushed him over, rolling him onto his back, straddling him. She could feel him straining in his jeans, and reached over him towards her bedside table, her mouth closed securely over his.

She pushed her wand to his throat, and he gurgled, before spluttering.

She tugged her mouth from his with a crisp, damp parting. His eyes were tilted in confusion.

"Gin--"

"Shut up, Harry!"

He did, gasping as she forced her wand tighter to his neck.

"Tell me everything you know! Now," she snapped. She twisted her wand so Harry felt the tip turn again his skin.

"Everything, Gin, 'cause I know I lot of stuff..." he said quietly. He was frowning - clearly she'd offended his pride. She realised - he'd really cared, before. To him it wasn't just a kiss, it was a kiss with her... He actually liked her, and she'd used it against him...

Anger burned in her chest, and some of it erupted in hot, pink sparks from the end of the wand. They crackled close to Harry's face, and he turned away from them. She had his arms clasped to his body with her knees.

"Is that your wand, Harry, or are you just pleased to see me?" she laughed, as she rummaged through his pockets. Pulling his battered-looking wand from his trouser pocket, she threw herself back off him, pointing both wands at him. Gingerly Harry sat up, rubbing his elbows where they'd been crushed against him. "Okay, now that we've established that you are in no position to play comedian, I think I should know that I heard everything you and Ron were talking about downstairs." Harry's eyes widened. "I'm going to die if I get to near to you," she shrugged. "Yet it didn't stop you getting pretty close a few minutes ago, did it, Potter? Was that part of the plan, or what? What was that?" she added, realising she'd quite like to know.

Harry looked shakey. As well he might, she thought cruelly. Although she probably had caused him considerable embarrassment by remaining more truely detached than he had on this occasion.

"That... that was nothing, Ginny. Nothing." She watched him grasping for an explaination. "I haven't had sex in a very long time. I'm desperate."

"Yeah, okay Harry," she said gently. "Whatever you say." She straightened her arms slightly. Harry's green eyes darted between the two wand tips.

"You wouldn't hurt me, Gin," Harry said. "Haven't got it in you."

She tilted her head to the side slightly. "Is this right?"

"Of course."

"Hmmm. Well, maybe you're right," she conceeded, lowering the wands.

"Well, then, Ginny, if you could give me my wand back?" Harry held out his hand.

Ginny flung out her wand hand, and Harry was thrown off the bed into the wall on the other side of the room. He slumped to the ground, his head lolling on his shoulders.

"Well," Ginny breathed quietly. "I did say 'maybe'..." She shoved the wands into the pyjama pocket, and rubbed the back of her neck, trying to suppress the hot feeling on her mouth and neck where Harry's lips had grazed her.

Comments? Yes please.