Chapter 11: Roses & Thorns


"You know," Ginny said as she packed her overnight bag. "We should really introduce Roisin to my parents so that they can take care of her while we're off traveling. I feel bad that we keep leaving her behind."

She glanced over at where Harry was sitting. He was packing as well, although what he was packing were the kitten's favorite toys for her "trip" to Mr Cosgrove's office and private rooms. He looked up at her and pursed his lips.

"Do you think Ron and Hermione could watch her?"

Ginny shrugged. "Hermione would in a heartbeat, but I am not sure Ron would enjoy it. He's kneazle-wary since Crookshanks."

"They made up, though, I thought."

"Ron tolerates Crookshanks, and Crookshanks most definitely tolerates him. Let's not upset that whole Hermione and Ron equilibrium by stacking it all on her side with another half-kneazle."

Harry snorted. "Good point. Hmm. Do you really think we're harming her by leaving her alone so much?"

He stretched his arm out and called to Roisin, who had been cleaning herself in her bed. The kitten yawned and then trotted over to Harry, leaning her head out for neck rubs and ear scratches. Ginny shook her head; that cat had all the men in the palm of her furry little paw.

"Well, no, she's pretty clever, and she probably understands we'll be back. But still, I feel as though we're terrible parents."

"You two have a kid?" Brogan said as he entered their bedroom, lightly rapping his knuckle on the door. He was carrying a box marked for them both. "Dylan just dropped this by, and it looked important."

Since meeting with Sid and recalling the first time he'd ever met them, a silent truce had been called between the three of them. The sleeping draught Sid had prescribed for Brogan had helped a lot too – he was no longer up before them and staring morosely into the fire in the sitting room every morning. It had done wonders for all of their morale. Also, since they were starting phase one of Sid's plan, everyone seemed to be in much better spirits all around. Ginny assumed it was because they felt they were finally doing something to help Brogan get his memory back and not just sitting around wishing it to happen.

Ginny took the box and recognized her father's scrawl, although she noticed he had sent it from the Ministry and not their home. Frowning, she started to open it as Brogan joined Harry and Roisin.

"No, we don't have a kid, thank God," Harry said in a scandalized voice. When Ginny raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly changed his tone. "I mean, not that we don't want some in the future. Someday. Far far away day." Brogan chuckled under his breath as he started playing with the kitten.

"Nice save, Harry. Are you sure you're not a keeper instead of a seeker?" Ginny said as she used her wand to pry the box open. She had an idea about what this could be and wasn't surprised when her suspicions proved correct. Her mum must have got after her dad to get it sent right away.

"Getting tired of the same old things to wear?" Ginny asked Brogan. He stood up and came to look in the box.

"Hey, these are mine!" he exclaimed happily. Ginny handed the box to him as she took out the letter her father had slipped on top of everything.

She sat down next to Harry on the bed, and they read the letter together. Ginny could immediately tell which parent had written which part.

Ginny, and of course, Harry –

Here is the box you requested. Your Mum luckily hadn't yet stored it in the attic, so the ghoul hasn't touched them. We heard from Ron that you can now receive floo calls, and we would like to schedule one to talk to you. We are happy about Brogan being back, of course, but the fact that you didn't tell us you were throwing yourself into some potential danger to make that happen has us worried.

We have allowed the two of you great leniency, Ginny, and while we know we have no legal say over what Harry does now, we also include him in this. We care about the two of you and want to know what your plans for the future are. Ireland has had you long enough. Please contact your father at work as soon as you receive this to schedule a call and so that can be a discussion amongst the four of us.

And yes, we know you are both 17 now and do not have to do what we say, but I would implore you to communicate with us about your futures. After all, we have a parent's right, however small that may be since the two of you are already bonded. (And when shall we expect the second bonding to be scheduled, Ginny, dear?)

Much love –

Arthur and Molly

"Real subtle, Mum," Ginny muttered as Harry sighed next to her.

"Do you two mind if I take this back to my room to figure out if I want to pack any of it? I mean, I have one pair of trousers to my name, so most likely I will be, but some of these shirts I don't recognize. Unless they're uh…." Brogan's voice ran off, and his cheeks bloomed pink as he looked at Harry.

"I can help you sort it," Harry said, standing up. He glanced at Ginny. "I'll let you figure out what you want to say to them."

"Thanks a bunch," Ginny said, folding the letter.

"What are world-saviors and boyfriends for if not to cut and run when the going gets tough?" Harry said with a cheeky grin. Brogan merely looked back and forth between them as though lost. Ginny waved her hand at them.

"Go then and leave me in my hour of need, oh, brave Chosen One."

"Brilliant. Come on, Brogan, er, well, let's, um, go for a walk first so she can use the floo in private. Let me show you the bench I made and other touches that were mine on the new part of the Abbey."

Brogan still looked confused but left with Harry, leaving the box of clothes behind. Ginny sighed. She should have known writing home for his things would have repercussions. Thinking she may as well get it over with, she made her way to Brogan's study to use the floo. Her dad answered his office floo right away, and she had the feeling he'd been sitting there, waiting for her call. He grinned a little bit too broadly when he saw it was her.

"Hello, favorite daughter, how are you?"

"Good. Well, this is me, checking in. Do you want a list of what I've been eating so you can reassure mum I'm getting all my vitamins?"

"Now, Ginny." Her father frowned at her in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," Ginny quickly said before he could comment on her sassiness. She forced herself to be calm and even. "Is later tonight an okay time to call? Only, we're leaving tomorrow, and I am not sure I'll be able to use a floo any time soon."

"And where are you going? Are you and Harry coming back to England or…?"

"In a manner of speaking. I'll explain more later, but as you know, we got Brogan back…and he can't remember the last year, Dad. His healer wants us to visit a few places to see if we can nudge the memories back that way. We'll be going to Thorn Rose Cottage, first, and then Dumbledore's Library after that."

"I see. And why those two places specifically?"

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment and tried to come up with an answer that made sense. She finally settled on a half-truth. "They're important places to Brogan, and we're hoping he sees or senses something when he's there. You know he's an Empath, and each place has emotions attached to them for him."

"And coming back to London to visit with his father isn't emotional enough?" Her father asked, rather shrewdly, Ginny thought.

"Erm, well they have a combative relationship, or well, they did before this last year, you know that. The healer wants Brogan to, um, experience positive and happy memories."

"I see. Well, your mother will ask more questions later, Ginny, so I suggest you and Harry work on your story a bit more."

"Dad! It's not a story, and it's the truth. We're going for him, and he needs to try this first. It's awful, Dad, until he spoke with the healer, he didn't even remember meeting Harry and me! It's been a whirlwind of emotions around here. Harry and I had planned on telling you what we'd done when we got back, but…we just haven't had time. We're very sorry."

Ginny tried to look penitent, but she wasn't sure it translated via the floo. Her father was still giving her a skeptical look, but he finally seemed to sigh, and he nodded at her.

"All right. I will try to calm your mother down for later. But she's fairly upset, and I have to say I'm siding with her on this one. Mystical portals and powerful magics! Merlin's beard, Ginny, you're going to cause us both to go grey before the year is over. How is Harry then? He's scarpered, hasn't he?"

Ginny grinned at her dad. She had missed her parents, after all. They chatted for a bit more, and Ginny promised to call later at around half-past 7 and said goodbye, letting her father get back to work.

A piece of her wanted to let Harry deal with her mother later, as punishment for ditching her now, but only a tiny part. He had other ways he could make it up to her, after all.

o-o-o-o-o

"So, I would imagine I know Ginny's family fairly well?" Brogan asked him as they walked around the far side of the Abbey.

Harry nodded. "They like you, have no fear."

Brogan frowned. "I reckon I could tell that when I met George, but…how many are there again?"

Harry grinned at the other man. "Quite a few. And they can be quite intimidating." He paused as a worried expression filled Brogan's face, and he decided not to take the piss. "Only kidding. The Weasleys are the nicest family in the whole world. It's mild chaos when they are all together, but they love fiercely and quite loudly. I wouldn't be me without them. There's Ron, my best mate, there's Fred and George, they're twins, in case that didn't come up. There's also Percy. He's a bit of a black sheep. Er, well, he was. He's come back to the fold after pretending to be a Death Eater. He was working for Dumbledore and the Order, by the way. Um, there's Bill, the oldest, and there was Charlie, but…we lost him during the war. It'll be a year in October, I think."

"Wow," Brogan said. They stopped as they reached the edge of the property. Harry stared at where he knew the Abbey gate was and was tempted to visit it but stayed where he was. Instead, he sat down underneath one of the nearest trees to get out of the mid-day sun, and Brogan eventually joined him.

"Then there is Mrs and Mr Weasley, who have pretty much been my surrogate parents since I was ten. Molly and Arthur. The love in that family comes directly from them. They're fantastic parents, really. Arthur is a good man, loves all things Muggle. Molly can be a bit…protective. But like her daughter, she's fierce and will fight to the death for you if she cares about you. I didn't understand that when I was younger. She and my godfather, Sirius, they fought a bit when it came to me. But I can see now that they both thought they were doing what was best for me. They just disagreed a lot about how to go about it."

Harry smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he'd thought of the summer of his fifth year and an even longer time since he could look back on it without the sting of losing Sirius. It felt like a bittersweet memory now, if anything. He wondered what Sirius would say about the man Harry felt himself becoming now, three years later. He also wondered if his godfather would be proud of him. Harry hoped so.

"Do they, um, well, her parents, do they know about…." Brogan let his sentence run off and cleared his throat. He gave Harry a look full of apprehension.

Harry shook his head to bring himself back to the present. "Her parents? No. I mean, they know the three of us are close, but no, Ginny has never told them. Not because she was embarrassed or anything, I don't think." Harry frowned briefly and then looked at Brogan. "Most everyone close to me does know, though. But don't worry, that's not that many people. Look, we were never ashamed of…anything that happened between the three of us. Before you…before you closed the portal, I think I was…." Harry paused, trying to find the right words. "I was getting quite ready for the world to know, but we kept it private because it was just that special to us."

Brogan nodded, but he still looked perplexed, and Harry studied him as the other man stared off into the distance, lost in thought. He'd missed Brogan so much, and he was thrilled that he was back with them, regardless of his current state. But Harry would be lying if he didn't sometimes admit wishing that things were different. He'd had imagined reuniting with Brogan in many different ways, and now…now that idea felt so far off that it broke a small part of his heart to think it might never happen. It was maddening to know the person sitting right next to you in every single way there was to know a person, and yet, they were still lost to you and utterly untouchable. Harry started pulling at the grass under his fingers just to have something to do, more than anything. He wanted to remain positive and not dwell on what he didn't have.

"Can I…" Brogan eventually broke the slightly awkward silence that had sprung up and turned towards him. There was a sheepish look in his eye as though he felt embarrassed. "Can we share a memory? A good one? Something small, maybe? Sid suggested I use my Empath abilities to sort of open up to them and see where it takes me." He gave Harry a flustered sort of smile as though half-expecting Harry to say no.

"Sure," Harry said, trying to control the hope that had suddenly sprung up inside him. "What do I do? Should we get Ginny? She's brilliant at this sort of stuff."

"Um, just…" Brogan stopped and held out his hand. "Let's just try it with you and me for now. Um, sorry, we have to hold hands. Or at least be touching somewhat." Two bright spots of pink had appeared on Brogan's cheeks, and Harry resisted the urge to tease him. He took a deep breath and held out his hand.

"I've held more interesting things than just your hand," he said now, suddenly feeling shy himself. But he knew he was giving Brogan a cheeky grin, regardless.

Brogan rolled his eyes slightly, and after only a brief pause, he joined his hand with Harry's. It felt warm and dry, surprisingly. Brogan nodded at him.

"Now think of a memory that we share and try to just focus on the smallest aspect of it. Don't try to remember too much at once; slowly let it build and then try to remember the emotion behind it." He closed his eyes, and Harry watched him for a moment, eyes lingering on the other man's lips. It'd been a while since they had sat this close together. He couldn't help it and felt his heart start to beat faster. Brogan opened his eyes, frowning.

"Erm, could you try not to get distracted with how fit you think I am?"

Harry burst out laughing. Brogan scowled at him, but after a moment, he managed a weak chuckle, blushing again. He pulled his hand away and nodded. "You know what? Use your Occulmency and center yourself, and I'll just sit here and try not to be so attractive."

Harry snorted and then sobered, determined to behave. "Sorry, I'll control myself."

Brogan didn't say anything but merely pursed his lips again. Harry closed his eyes and started putting his Occlumency shields in place. When he finally felt more grounded, he started thinking of the memory he wanted to share. He held out his hand to indicate he was ready and after a moment, felt the warm sensation of Brogan joining with him.

They were at Thorn Rose Cottage, and Ginny was taking a bath. They had just left her – she had terrible cramps, and Brogan had done something to ease her pain and discomfort, which Harry was grateful for. He asked Brogan how to do the spell he'd just done, and they sat on the bed as the other man taught it to him, laughing together. They lounged on the bed, totally at ease, and talked about nothing and everything. Brogan grabbed the Irish Folktales book from the side table and started flipping through it. Harry scooted next to him and rested his head on the other man's shoulder.

"Anything good in there?"

"Hmm, there's a story about a satsuma, naturally. All Irish folktales begin with satsumas."

Harry chuckled and nudged Brogan. "Well, go on then. Read to me, please."

Brogan smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "Read to you? Seriously?"

Harry nodded and took Brogan's hand into his, giving it a squeeze of encouragement.

"You're a strange bloke, Harry Potter."

"And you're stalling. Go on then."

So Brogan began to read, his warm voice washing over them, and Harry sighed as he listened. He felt cozy and comfortable, and it was silly, really, but he also just felt loved and most importantly, he felt safe.

They both came out of the memory together, and Brogan blinked at him, a bemused expression on his face. Harry realized they'd moved closer together during the memory, their foreheads almost touching. The blue of Brogan's eyes matched the sky around them, and Harry was suddenly compelled to close the short distance between them and try a more direct approach; maybe Brogan just needed to be snogged within an inch of his life to remember how much he liked them. Harry felt as though he was up for the job, but Brogan pulled away, an apologetic look in his eyes at the last moment. Harry tried to hide his disappointment and sighed as he rested back on his hands.

"That was…that was a nice memory," Brogan said, glancing away. "Thank you for sharing it with me. It felt very…relaxed."

"Did it help at all?" Harry asked, looking at his shoes.

"Yeah, I…I think so," Brogan said softly. "Erm, do you mind if I walk around a bit on my own?"

Harry nodded, and Brogan stood. He seemed as though he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he only mumbled something and then headed past Harry as though going to the river. Harry stared at the sky and the outline of the Abbey in front of him, not watching him go. He waited until his heartbeat had slowed down, and then he swore. He sent a message through the link to Ginny to come find him and slowly stood up.

Harry felt as though he needed a hug.

o-o-o-o-o

Traveling to Thorn Rose Cottage this time was much more manageable, Ginny thought. Since they didn't have to hide who they were, Harry had arranged with the Irish Ministry (and with Solace, of course, since it was his house) to travel by floo from the Abbey. Looking around, it was just as homey and as lovely as she remembered. She glanced at Brogan as he took in their surroundings, his eyes, of course, landing on the wall of books. She smirked at Harry, but he only shrugged and grabbed her bag to carry it upstairs to their old room.

Harry had been melancholy the day before and most of the morning today, and while he'd told her he thought he'd made progress with Brogan and they'd shared a good memory, both men had been a bit tight-lipped around each other since then. The easy truce between the men seemingly coming to an end.

The discussion she and Harry had had with her parents the evening prior had not improved the mood either. Everyone had been very cordial, of course, and her mum had been her usual take-charge, no-nonsense self. She'd managed to get Harry and Ginny to agree to consider their coming home plans. They hadn't exactly said when, but Ginny knew her mother meant soon. After ending the floo call, she and Harry had both felt a bit unsettled. As though they were doing something wrong even though they both knew they weren't. Her parents just didn't understand how important Brogan was to them. Ginny knew she would have to be upfront with them, sooner rather than later, at least in some regard. But it did't feel right to Ginny to talk about a relationship that might not ever continue, the way things were currently going.

Pushing the thoughts of her parents out of her head, she went to stand next to Brogan. She nodded towards the bedroom door across from them.

"You stayed in this one, originally. For the first month or so, then you rather secretly moved into ours. Does anything look familiar?"

Brogan shook his head. "Not really. There's a…there's a feeling that I should know this but…no, nothing. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Brogan. We've barely just arrived. Why don't you grab a book and sit down, and I'll see what's in the pantry. Would you like some lavender-blackberry and rosehips tea? Made just the way you like it. I'll even put an extra mug on the tray." She took his bag from him and walked it to his old bedroom, leaving it just inside the door.

Brogan seemed surprised at the mention of his favorite blend and merely nodded his head, looking a bit stunned. She gently shoved him over towards the historical fiction he usually enjoyed and then made her way to the kitchen to see if Solace had had a chance to get their pantry well-stocked, and of course, he had.

Harry came into the kitchen as she was getting the tea tray ready with various things to nosh. He wandered into the pantry and gave a low whistle.

"Solace knows we're only staying for a few days, right?"

Ginny smirked. "He likes to be prepared. He left us a note." She nodded at the parchment sitting on the counter, just as the kettle started to whistle. When she turned back around to pour the water into the teapot, Harry was shaking his head.

"I'm glad he decided not to let us starve."

"Yes, he's feeling magnanimous, no doubt," Ginny said with a smile. She found some packaged biscuits, dark chocolate-flavored, and added those to the tray as well. She used her wand to levitate it out before her but paused and touched Harry on the arm.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're both very…."

"We're fine. Nothing happened," Harry said. He sounded so morose that Ginny had a feeling that nothing happening was precisely what had him so down.

"And what about our plan to just give him some time?"

Harry sighed. "I know, I know. I just…he was so different after remembering that memory with Sid the other day, I just…."

"You wanted his memories to come flooding back the moment you shared something with him, I know."

Harry shook his head. "Am I that transparent?"

"Only to me," Ginny said, and she kissed his cheek gently. "Besides, I think I thought the same."

"I'll be there in a moment," Harry said. Ginny nodded and floated the tray ahead of her, knowing that he just needed a few minutes to calm himself.

After they'd all tucked into the sweet of their choice, Brogan lit a small fire, and the hearth was soon crackling with life. Ginny had noticed it was cooler here near the coast than the mainland of Ireland.

"I can't believe you have this blend of tea," Brogan said, his voice full of awe as he poured his second cup. Ginny exchanged a look with Harry.

"You told us about it. Introduced us to it one late, interesting night, actually," Harry said.

"We know it was your Mum that used to make it for you," Ginny added softly.

"Oh," Brogan said, frowning into his cup. "I don't know why I keep feeling shocked when you two tell me things like that."

"Are you more shocked we know you so well or that you shared so much with us?" Ginny asked, wondering. Brogan gave her a startled look but then shrugged.

"A bit of both, I reckon. The first part is like we're all reading the same book, but you two are four chapters ahead of me, and no matter how hard I try, I can't keep up. The second part is just…well, that's harder to explain."

When he didn't continue, Harry gave her a hopeless sort of look and took a drink of his tea. He tilted her head at her to indicate that she should have a go at him this time. Making her mind up, Ginny stood and held out her hand to Brogan.

"Come with me," she said.

Brogan glanced at Harry, who nodded. "I'll just work on my drawings for the house. I left them upstairs, hang on." Harry concentrated, and a moment later, Ginny felt something whoosh by her past the foot of the stairs. She smirked at Harry as he started unrolling his magical drafting paper.

"Show off."

Harry gave them a cheeky grin, and then Brogan stood as well. After only a moment's hesitation, he took Ginny's hand with little to no fanfare, and she felt as though they had just made progress.

They were silent as they made their way upstairs, but it was a comfortable one. She led him all the way to the third floor, straight to the training room door. One part of her wanted to explain why the room was so special; another part of her simply wanted to see if he had any reaction at all. Ginny decided to compromise a bit. She nodded at Brogan to open the door.

"My life changed in this room. All of our lives did, and I like to think…it was for the better, no matter what."

Brogan raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Ginny waited a moment and then joined him, watching him closely. After a minute of looking around (his eyes had focused on the cushions quite a few times, she'd noticed), he gave her an apologetic look.

"There's something here…but…no memories. I'm sorry, Ginny. God, this is so bloody frustrating! I hate disappointing the two of you! You two look at me with these wide, hopeful eyes, and you're both so…so earnest about loving me, and I…."

"Shh," Ginny said, reaching out. She placed her fingers against his lips, seeing that he was working himself into a tizzy. She took hold of his hand again and led him over to the cushions, and she sat them down so that they were facing each other, knees touching.

"Just relax, Brogan. Take a deep breath. Just sit here and be with me. Not in the past, just in the present. All right?"

He sighed but nodded his head. Ginny smiled and tried to take her own advice and relax as well. She let her eyes flutter closed and tried to just be. She could feel Brogan shifting across from her. Then the sharp intake of his breath and the slow release as he finally started to de-stress.

They sat there for some time, just being silent together. When Ginny opened her eyes, she was unsurprised to find him studying her. He blushed slightly but held her gaze. Having learned a great deal about the man across from her even before they'd become lovers, she could tell that he had decided not to fight his attraction to her.

"Share a memory with me," he murmured as he held out his hand. "Something just between us."

Ginny took his hand and nodded, and tried to think of something. She felt hot and rather keen suddenly and raised an eyebrow at him, unsure if that was his doing or hers. Deciding to be a bit risqué, she wanted to see what sort of memory he wanted. "Do you mind if it's…sexy? Is that okay? I don't want you to experience something you're not ready for."

"If it was Harry, I'd probably beg off," Brogan admitted. "But…if you want to try. Sex usually has strong emotions tied to it, and those do seem to work the best."

Ginny understood. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She thought of her birthday and their moment together - Harry had gone to shower, and they'd all just had the most fantastic time… the two of them had given her so much pleasure that day. She remembered laying in bed with Brogan, snuggling with him. Touching and stroking him while watching his reaction. It had felt so intimate, on so many levels. It had been just the two of them and their growing feelings. She could feel it again now – how fragile everything had felt – how unsure they still were with each other. And yet, the depth of their emotions had always been more astute than either of them. She gave herself over to her feelings now to see where they could take them.

As more memories came to mind, Ginny heard herself moan as Brogan gripped her hand tighter, and she felt his mutual response through the link. It was almost as though someone had flipped on a switch in her head – suddenly, various other moments – sensual, loving moments - popped into her memory, causing her body to react. It was a full moment before she realized the images in her mind were of her and not of Brogan, as though she was the receiver and not the one sending. Which could only mean one thing.

She opened her eyes, and Brogan was close to her with his eyes still shut, handsome face frowning in concentration. Ginny felt her heart racing, and before she could stop herself, she leaned forward the last few inches between them and kissed him. His response was instantaneous – instead of pulling away as she'd feared he would, he leaned into it and kissed her back.

Much like the first time they had ever snogged, this one was full-on, and she gave herself to it, wrapping her arms around him. It felt right – it felt good to hold him once again, and she tsked at herself, somewhere in the back of her mind. She had told Harry she may not want to return to their old relationship, but the hard truth was that she'd missed kissing Brogan. And she put all of that into her kiss, letting him know how very much she'd desired this. How very much she still wanted him.

They moved back until they were horizontal, Brogan's hand cupping her face as he settled in between her legs, not even fumbling as though his body still knew the way. Ginny wrapped one leg around him, moaning with pleasure as their bodies finally made contact. He shifted, his hips and erection rubbing almost painfully against her, and she drifted her hand downward. She slipped her hand underneath the rim of his trousers and stroked him exactly how she knew he liked it. The contact of her skin on his was enough to jar him back to reason, apparently. His eyes opened as though astonished, and she arched against him, whispering his name.

"We…can't…" he breathed out after a long moment, and then with what appeared to be a colossal amount of self-will, Brogan sat back, pushing himself away from her.

Ginny was dismayed at the deprived sound she made at the loss of contact but was too far gone to care. Memories, or maybe it was just the pure emotion of lust itself, washed over her in a wave. She reached for him, determined to have him. He'd remembered something – she knew it. She'd felt it.

"You've remembered, I know you have," she murmured, pulling him to her once more. Brogan's eyes were the color of a dark, stormy sea, and he was breathing harshly. Ginny couldn't tell if it was due to sexual excitement or fear. She captured his lips again, wrapping her arms around him. She moved her mouth to the side of his neck, where she knew he was particularly sensitive, and whispered what she wanted them to do to each other. Brogan moaned in response, and it was like music to her ears. Ginny felt full of lust and desire, and she wasn't sure what was happening, but she kept pushing ahead, needing more of him.

"Ginny," he mumbled, voice rough. When she continued moving her mouth around his neck, he repeated it with much more force. Somewhere past the lust-induced fog of her brain, Ginny's common sense realized she needed to stop.

She was the one who sat back this time, and they stared at each other, and she was not quite sure what had just happened. Her heart was racing, and she had felt so…needy. So terribly, terribly needy. Yet so full of all of her desire for him, the memories they'd shared seeming to crescendo inside her. And then Ginny understood. All the times he'd touched her before to help her feel closer to Harry- in Aberforth's shack and then later at the library. Ginny realized with a jolt that she had just done the same thing to him. And she'd lost her head during it, getting just as caught up in it as he had once done. She suddenly understood how foolish Brogan had felt in the shack.

"I fouled it up, didn't I? You told me about this thing once. You've used it on me —emotional transference, oh my God, I am so sorry, Brogan. Oh, I'm, oh. I'm so embarrassed." Ginny crumpled her face in her hands, suddenly not wanting to feel his eyes on her. She was utterly ashamed. She'd lost control like a wanton Jezebel. A scarlet woman. She'd practically thrown herself into his pants for pity's sake! Ginny didn't realize she was crying until she felt the hot sting of her tears on her face.

Just then, the door to the training room opened, and Harry was there. He apparently understood the scene in front of him in two seconds because he crossed immediately to where she was and put his arms around her. Ginny realized belatedly that Harry had probably felt it all through the bracelet link and had been giving them their privacy, hoping she'd have more luck than he had. She sobbed even harder at the thought.

A moment later, she felt another set of arms around her, and she knew that regardless of whatever had transpired, Brogan's first thought was always to comfort her. For some reason, that made her feel even worse, and she cried harder still. She cried for all of them.

o-o-o-o-o

"It's not your fault," Brogan said to Ginny for what felt like the 100th time. They had moved down to the kitchen, with more cups of tea and coffee. The coffee was mainly for him, as he needed something strong. He thought it was a pity the cottage didn't have a well-stocked bar. He could even go for some of his father's prize whiskey at this point. Harry had made sandwiches, although none of them had eaten much. It pained him to see such misery on Ginny's face for what had happened between them. And it embarrassed him to know that Harry had somehow known when exactly it had turned sour. His eyes glanced down at his bracelet tattoo, and he frowned. He really needed to ask Sid about it the next time they met.

Ginny snorted miserably at him and still didn't look convinced. Harry was rubbing her back gently to console her, probably. He hadn't said much, and Brogan had the idea the other man was using his Occlumency to keep himself impassive. Someone needed to keep a level head, after all.

"Harry told me you got some Empath abilities from the bracelet, and I didn't even…I didn't even consider that would happen between us. It's just as much my fault as yours. We just got carried away a bit. Nothing happened, Ginny." Brogan said the last bit for her as much as for Harry. He didn't want the other man thinking he'd tried it on with his fiancé after all. Even though he knew that was probably a ship long sailed, judging what he'd experienced in the training room. He ran his hand over his face, blocking himself from the light and their eyes for a moment. Brogan felt exposed and exhausted, all the way down to his toes. He just didn't have the fortitude of spirit to do this. He doubted he ever would.

"Why don't we go to sleep and get some rest?" Harry said then, looking across the table at him with an expression Brogan couldn't read. "We can all talk about it again in the morning if we need to. With clearer heads."

Brilliant, just what I want with my breakfast, Brogan thought sarcastically, but he forced a smile on his face, even though he knew it probably looked pained. Ginny finally nodded in agreement, and Brogan released a low breath, glad he could escape for a bit. He knew that was an uncharitable thought, but part of him didn't care, and he knew that was yet another sign of how tired he was.

The couple finally went upstairs, and he went to the room Ginny had put his bag in earlier. Brogan sat down on the small bed and sighed. He didn't have the energy to get his kit off and sank into the softness of the sheets and pillows almost immediately. He knew he needed sleep, but as soon as he closed his eyes, the scenes from before – everything Ginny had shown him — were there, and by God, he couldn't shake them. They were erotic and powerful, and he knew he recognized (no, remembered) one or two of them, even. But they were foggy, distant sensations, and his frustration had returned ten-fold because he felt no connection to them. It was like watching a muggle movie of his life, except it was out of focus, and the sound was dodgy. It was a downright bizarre feeling to see himself doing things with Ginny and with Harry (oh, yes, he'd caught a few of those memories too) that he had never, ever dared or believed (hoped?) he would do.

He actually wasn't sure how he'd been able to look either of them in the eye most of the night.

Brogan knew Ginny felt terrible because she felt like she'd forced herself on him, and a part of that was legitimate, but he knew himself. He knew he'd been willing, on some level, to let her do it because he had started to remember. And there was some part of Brogan that wanted that more than anything, common decency be damned. Also, Ginny was soft and pretty, and she smelled fantastic, and no matter what his inner, moral self liked to think, Brogan knew he'd initially indulged himself with his reaction.

He was beginning to understand how his previous self (Merlin, it felt weird to think of himself like that) had become involved with the couple. They definitely had chemistry, apart and together, and Brogan got a sense that their connection had been emotionally profound, judging by what he'd seen so far. Sex for empaths could be a powerful thing, or so the books said. He'd never personally experienced it that way, but he thought that perhaps, with Ginny and with Harry even, that it had finally been proven true in his case. Just his luck. He couldn't remember a damn thing.

But maybe he wasn't supposed to remember. Perhaps, as the saying went, nothing good ever lasted, and this was fate's way of keeping him in his miserable, little place. True happiness was not meant for him. He'd learned that when his Mum had died at the age of ten. Life was often a shitty, terrible place, and though he knew he was a good person, he also knew he was weak. And he could see his future before him getting bleaker and more joyless until he became someone he wasn't. Maybe next time he'd let Ginny do things to him; maybe next time he'd even enjoy doing things back. The possibilities were endless. Eventually, perhaps, Brogan could even come between the couple and force himself into the middle of them in the worst, most selfish way possible. Because he'd sensed without being told that the couple would do almost anything he asked of them, and on some level within Brogan, the idea was titillating.

Brogan knew that even for him, that was a dark thought and an even darker place to visit, and he tried to push it all out of his head. He had more self-worth than that, surely? The silence of the cottage seemed to be his only answer.

He drifted in and out of turbulent sleep after the dark thoughts finally rolled away, and it was just coming on daybreak when he finally forced himself to get out of bed He was doing nothing for himself here. He was doing nothing for anyone. And he knew he was bringing sadness and misery to the couple upstairs. He didn't know them. Well, not much – but he knew enough to know that they would be better off without him. Perhaps not at first, and maybe they'd even convince themselves for a while that they still needed him. But eventually, Brogan knew, they would continue on without him and live their lives. And that was all he wanted for them. And, if he ever did remember everything one day, well, perhaps that too was for the best. Brogan would rather be a fond memory for them than someone that had caused them pain.

He knew then what he had to do. He got up and thought about showering quickly but didn't want to linger, knowing that the longer he stayed, the more courage he'd lose. He grabbed his bag and looked around for some paper. He had a letter to write, and then he had to make his escape. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going to go. Most likely, the Abbey to get the rest of his meager belongings, but after that? The world was an open book, and the idea of it excited him in a small way. To be by himself and not have to worry about hurting anyone just by existing? It sounded like paradise right now, and he would gladly take it.

Besides, Brogan knew it was for the best. Perhaps not the best for him, but for the couple upstairs, it most assuredly was.

Harry and Ginny had their lives stretched out in front of them, and they did not need him around, mucking it up with his issues and lack of memory. No one had ever needed Brogan before they'd come along, and no one truly needed him now. And perhaps that was precisely how it was meant to be.

o-o-o-o-o

"We need Caley. Are they still holed up at that blasted Abbey?" Sean growled again at Michael. Neither Potter nor Weasley had been seen in town since Caley had been returned to them.

"We checked in this morning with the member of staff we have planted there. Potter, Weasley, and Caley all left yesterday for some mini-holiday they're doing," Michael said, not looking up from his book. This was a fact Sean had already been told, after all.

"I need him, Michael. I…I need to figure out why the bracelet became a part of him. Once I know that I can figure out how to extract it."

Michael did stop reading for that. He blinked at Sean. "I thought you said it could possibly kill him if we did that, and since killing him wouldn't change anything, it was a no-go."

Sean shrugged. He didn't care anymore. It was true; all of their research had seemed to point them in the same direction. The bracelet, now a part of Caley's essence, would no longer be useable until the trio was no longer a trio. And it didn't just mean physically, either. Even after death, if a triad such as Potter's still existed in some form, it was still strong as long as the feelings remained. So even Caley's death would not return the bracelets to their previous state, so Sean had initially dismissed the idea of killing the Empath. But if he could find a way or even a ritual to remove the bracelet from Caley, then Sean thought it was all fair game after that. And if the ritual (as most were wont to do, what with the bloodletting usually required) killed Caley…well, oh well.

He reckoned he could kill all three of them, and that would do it, too. But Sean, while no stranger to extinguishing human life when he needed to, also knew that killing three people just for something he wanted was Very Much Not Good. He wasn't Voldemort for Merlin's sake, or any other megalomaniac-come-lately, nor was he insane. He did not just kill because he felt like it. Because Sean understood that life, as well as magic, had a way of getting back at what was taken - a leveling of the scales, as it were. And killing three innocent lives for his greed was not a debt Sean wanted right now. Or ever. He'd been down that path once before, and it was not a great place to wallow.

"Have the member at the Abbey be on sharp lookout, then. As soon as Caley returns, have them alert you immediately. I think it's time I speak to our Empath and see what he knows."

Michael nodded and closed his book. He pursed his lips and stayed in his seat, and Sean felt annoyed suddenly.

"What?" He asked the other man, feeling his temper start to grow.

"It's just…if what we heard was true and the Empath doesn't remember the last year…."

"Oh, I have my ways, you know that, Michael. Now go, do as I said." As Michael stood, Sean stopped him. "Wait. Come here."

Michael stood in front of him, and Sean entered his follower's mind, briefly erasing the conversation about killing Caley out of his head. No need for Michael to start growing a conscience if he thought Sean was dangerous. It was best to keep it all academic.

"Thank you, Michael. You are a true servant of Taranis," Sean said softly after he was done. Michael grinned rather aimlessly back at him.

"Of course, Sean. Anything for you."

The man left to do as Sean had instructed. Oh, they'd get their hands on Caley eventually, and then he'd explore the Empath's mind at his leisure. The answer had to be there. It just had to be.

o-o-o-o-o

Author Note: Oh dear, someone is feeling a bit sorry for himself as the outside danger grows ever closer….will they sort themselves out in time, one wonders?