Ginny sighed and collapsed back on the bed, her mind and heart still racing. She knew she should get up and go after him; Harry was hurting, and she didn't want him to think that she was afraid of him. But she felt sluggish and out of sorts. She shook herself and sat back up, forcing her head to clear.
Getting up from the bed, she picked up their dirty towels and then grabbed her knickers from their pile of clothes. She slipped them on and, instead of putting a robe on, she reached into Harry's bag and grabbed one of his jumpers. Settling herself, she walked to the door and opened it.
Harry was sitting on the sofa, facing the fire, his jeans on, but his back still bare. His hands were on his head as though he was in pain, and Ginny immediately went to him. He jumped when she touched him; he must not have heard her open the door.
Ginny gasped when she saw the wetness of his eyes and immediately pulled him into her arms. He sat still against her, his body feeling as cold as marble in her hands, and Ginny had to pull away to see his face.
"Harry?"
"Go away, Gin."
Ginny put her hands on his face. "No."
Harry pulled out of her grasp and then shook his head, his breath coming fast. Ginny felt frightened, but she was not going to let him push her away.
"What is it, Harry? I'm sorry I reacted the way I did...I was surprised...I didn't mean that you scared me..."
Harry's eyes flashed at her, and then he looked away. His voice came out sounding choked and rough. "I feel him, Ginny. I feel him now. I haven't felt him this strongly in a long time. I think...I think he knows what's going on between us."
Ginny sucked in a breath, realizing who he meant. By instinct, she tentatively reached out her hand to touch his head and was startled when he grabbed her wrist, jerking it out of the way.
"Ginny, just...go. I have...I have to get my mind straight. I need to concentrate."
Ginny nodded and backed away. She'd seen Harry have moments like this before all through his sixth year, and she did not doubt that he would be able to keep Voldemort out of his head. What frightened her was that it hadn't happened in a long time. Not like this, anyway...not as though Harry was fighting with every inch of his body and soul to remain in control.
His eyes pleaded with her for a moment, then he looked away into the fire. Ginny stumbled, feeling as though her heart had been wrenched out of her. She swallowed and then turned, heading back to the bedroom.
She closed the door again and then fell against it, a sob threatening to tear out of her throat. She couldn't bear the thought of Harry in pain; she couldn't bear the thought of Tom controlling him. She knew that feeling all too well.
She took a deep breath and tried to feel like herself again, deciding to unpack Harry's things. She stared at the bed, wondering where all the good feelings she'd been feeling had gone to. Hadn't she and Harry just made love? The glow of their union had faded so quickly, and now her body felt empty and raw. Opening the doors to the wardrobe, Ginny tried to push her thoughts away and ignore the tear that had fallen. Everything is fine. It's just Voldemort. It's just...what life with Harry is like. Ginny stubbornly hung up the clothes, taking her frustrations out on the hangers and shelves.
When she was done, she paced. She wanted to run out into the living room and make certain that he was okay, that nothing crazy was going on, but then she reckoned that since she didn't hear things being broken or smashed, Harry was probably succeeding in pushing Voldemort out of his head. She knew from experience that he needed to go through his Occlumency techniques by himself. She finally lay back on the bed, her mind troubled. She pulled Harry's jumper closer to her body and then closed her eyes.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
When Ginny awoke, it was the middle of the night, and a headache was beginning to throb between her eyes. She moved and then felt Harry's arm move tighter around her middle. She released a breath she realized that she must have gone to sleep holding. She turned and faced him, knowing that he wasn't asleep.
"Harry," she said quietly. He frowned, but he slowly opened his eyes.
His expression seemed haunted, but it was unmistakably Harry in his eyes, and so she reached out to touch his face with her hand.
"Everything okay?" she asked him, noticing from the pale light of the candle he'd kept lit that his eyes were bloodshot.
He nodded, and she moved her head closer to his, kissing him softly. He sighed, and they moved closer together, fitting themselves into the other.
"I can't talk about it right now," he said softly when she looked expectantly at him. She scooted upwards and then pulled his head to her chest, cradling him to her body. Harry moaned softly as her hands moved up and down over his arms, caressing him. She wanted to take all of the pain away if it were possible.
"Get some sleep, Harry," she whispered as she lowered her head down to his. "I'll watch over you."
He sighed and then twisted again, wrapping his arms around her, holding onto her as though he were falling, or worse, drowning. Ginny started humming a tune from her childhood underneath her breath, stroking his hair. Eventually, she felt his body relax and his breathing deepen as he allowed himself to sleep.
She didn't know what was happening, and she didn't think she could even begin to understand why Harry had been able to release himself from the Binding Spell she'd placed on his hands, and why that simple act of power had caused Voldemort to come steam-rolling back into their lives. She remembered Harry saying once that Voldemort was the strongest inside of him whenever Tom was feeling a powerful emotion. Maybe Harry's flare of power had caused a door between them to open. A door that just wouldn't close completely until the other had died, no matter how many techniques of Occlumency Harry mastered. She shivered with the thought, the words of the Prophecy echoing in her mind.
Ginny continued holding him until the first light of dawn made its way across the floor of their bedroom. She watched Harry sleep until she could no longer keep her own eyes open. Sleep took her away from her vigil, but her hand was wrapped tightly around his as she drifted away, still thinking the same thought over and over again...no one is going to take you away from me.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Harry awoke, amazed that his head didn't hurt. Usually, after any time spent fighting Voldemort, his head would still throb with a dull sort of ache, making his thoughts cloudy. He moved and heard Ginny sigh as she turned, still asleep. He extracted himself from the bed and reached for his glasses, taking them into the loo with him. He padded into the loo and stared at the fuzzy image of himself in the mirror. Even without his glasses on he could tell he looked pretty bad...in fact, he thought, as the little voice in his head piped in, I look like death.
Frowning, he splashed some cold water on his face and then dried it off, breathing in the scent of the towel. He pulled his glasses on and confirmed his worst suspicions. Yeah, I'm a walking corpse, all right.
Harry noticed his toothbrush next to the sink and realized Ginny must have unpacked for him. Another thing he would owe her for. He knew she'd kept watch over him all night...he'd dreamed about it, actually. With an odd sense, bits of his dream came back to him, causing him to frown.
"Ahem. Can I use the loo before you make that toothbrush pay for what it's done to your teeth?"
Harry snapped his head up to see Ginny standing sleepily in the doorway. She came to him, still in his jumper, her hair mussed and full of static. She reached up and touched his face.
"What's the matter?" she asked him, her eyes concerned and sharp.
"I was trying to remember my dream," he admitted.
"And your toothbrush played a big part in this dream I take it?"
"Er...no..."
"Well, the way you were staring at it...I thought maybe it had done something horrible like given you cavities or some such thing."
Harry realized she was teasing him, trying to get him to smile. He put the toothbrush down and then wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off of her feet slightly.
"Ginny, I love you," he whispered, meaning it with every part of his soul.
"And I love you, Harry."
She sighed, and he felt her relax against him, wrapping her arms around him. He used his hand to smooth her hair and then pulled back to look at her. If he looked like death, then Ginny looked even worse. Her eyes had dark rings underneath them. He cursed at himself for being so selfish.
"I know I look ghastly, Harry, but it's not polite to stare," she said pulling away from him, her cheeks turning pink.
"You look beautiful."
She shook her head at him and then turned to face the mirror. Her eyes met his.
"We both look a bit worse for wear," she admitted.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, lowering his head and kissing her cheek.
"I'm sorry I woke you up; you should go back to sleep," he said, nuzzling her neck.
"Well, actually," Ginny said lightly as she leaned back against him, "it was the call of nature that made me wake up. I really do have to use the loo. And brush my teeth. Bleh."
He smiled and then released her, grabbing his toothbrush again. He pushed her towards the door. "Go use your loo, okay? And then I'll meet you back in bed?"
Ginny nodded, and he closed the door behind her, feeling better then he knew he should. He'd had a particularly rough time with Voldemort in his head the night before; it had almost been as strong as it had been in his fifth year before he'd had enough proper training.
It hadn't even been anything that he'd witnessed or seen. Voldemort seemed to be very angry about something regarding Ginny and himself, of that much he was certain. He wondered if Voldemort had found out that they had left England. He knew he would have to have Cosgrove contact Dumbledore sometime today and tell him what had happened.
He finished up with brushing his teeth and ran some warm water through his hair, dampening it. Harry usually didn't have to do more than that in the mornings; his hair would stand up regardless if he washed it or not. He knew he should probably shower or take a quick bath, but he didn't want to be bothered. Besides, his skin still smelled faintly of jasmine from the last bath he'd taken.
He entered the bedroom, surprised to see Ginny coming in the other door with a tray floating in front of her. He noticed she had flattened her hair with water as well, and her face looked slightly less pale than before.
"I wasn't in there that long was I? Did you go and get breakfast?"
Ginny shook her head. "What? While I'm still in my knickers and your jumper? Hardly. Cosgrove or someone slipped a piece of parchment under the door, letting me know that the tray was outside."
She floated the tray over to the foot of the bed with her wand and then gently sat down, already pouring the tea. He joined her on the other side, and she handed him the cup. Harry noticed they had thick slices of dark toast and marmalade, along with scrambled eggs and bits of bacon rashers and sausage. Ginny had removed the lid off a sliver tureen and brought the serving spoon up to her nose. He looked at her expectantly.
"It's black pudding," she said, making a face.
"Don't care for that, much," Harry agreed as she put the lid back on the container. "Reckon we'll have to tell them not to be so typical in their breakfast fare."
"Definitely. This tea is good though; it's nice and strong."
They managed to eat on the bed without making too much of a mess, and Ginny soon moved the tray to the floor. Harry noticed she had grabbed the last slab of toast and was munching on it as she settled back down.
"How do you stay so small? I don't believe it, but you eat more than Ron."
"Weasley metabolism," she said with a wolfish smile.
Harry shook his head. He knew they needed to talk about the night before, but everything felt so fine now, in the light of day, that he didn't want to be bothered.
He wondered if they could just pretend that it hadn't happened.
"You can get that thought out of your mind, Harry," Ginny said as she finished off her toast, licking her fingers. He looked at her, surprised.
"What thought?"
"The thought that said we're not going to talk about what happened last night."
Harry frowned and lay back against the pillows. A moment later, Ginny was wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his chest.
He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry I pushed you away."
"And I'm sorry I said you scared me," Ginny said, watching his eyes.
"But I did, didn't I?"
She bit her lip and then nodded. "But it wasn't a bad scare, I mean...I hardly had time to react. I was more surprised than anything. Have you ever done wandless magic before?"
Harry thought about it, not certain of what she meant. He didn't think he had. At least, not like he had last night. He shook his head.
"No."
Ginny looked like she was deep in thought, so he wrapped a hand carelessly into her hair, playing with it absentmindedly.
"Well," Ginny said after a moment, "I reckon we're just going to have to...keep our wits about us when we make love."
Harry laughed at the matter-of-fact look on her face. "Keep our wits about us? I don't know, Ginny...I sort of like losing my wits...with you."
Ginny turned pink, and he pulled her part-way on top of him, kissing her gently. He felt so bad for everything he had put her through the night before that he wanted to make it up to her. Ginny was soon completely on top of him, and he was slowly edging his jumper off of her when she pulled back, breathless and flushed.
"We have to talk about...Voldemort."
Harry groaned, and his arms fell useless to his sides. Well, ifthatisn't a mood killer, I don't know what is.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but that part last night really did bother me. I haven't seen you like that in a long while."
He nodded and let her sit back, off of him. She stared at him, her concern evident on her face.
"I know. It...scared me too. But...I made him leave."
"You think he knows about us?"
Harry cursed inwardly. He had told her that last night, hadn't he? Way to go, you idiot; now she'll be worried.
"He was angry, which, of course," Harry paused, shrugging, "isn't that unusual, but he wasn't angry at some abstract thing, I knew for a fact that he was angry at me. And at you."
"Because we left England?"
"No. Because we're together. Because he didn't see it happening."
Harry paused and knew that what he had said was true. That had been what Voldemort had been upset about the most. More specifically, Voldemort had been upset about Ginny and him making love, a thought which made Harry both upset and worried. It wasn't any business of Voldemort's if Harry was shagging a pair of socks, let alone Ginny. What if every time he and Ginny were intimate, he had to fight Voldemort? Harry sighed in frustration.
Ginny reached out and touched him. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Harry said forcefully. He looked at her. "It's none of his damn business what we're doing. I don't care if I have to Floo Professor Lupin every day for refresher courses, that bastard isn't going to get into my head again. Especially when I'm with you."
Ginny nodded, and he held open his arms, and she went to him, fitting into his embrace. Harry remembered the thought he'd had about making it up to her and lifted her head, tenderly parting her lips with his tongue.
"Harry," Ginny said as she finally pulled away. "We should be getting ready and going to the library."
"No, we shouldn't be." He slipped a hand under the jumper and grazed her nipple with his finger, causing it to harden. He pulled her close to him again.
"But everyone will wonder what took us so long to get ready..." Ginny's voice trailed off as he continued to run his fingers lightly against the side of her breast. He worked his mouth over her neck and then stopped to look at her, seeing the torn expression on her face.
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
"I think we should tell everyone that they can sod off if they ask."
Harry pulled the jumper upwards again, and after a moment, Ginny lifted her hands. He threw the jumper to the floor and looked at her, suddenly feeling very determined. She was wearing nothing but the same blue knickers as before, and Harry didn't even want her to be wearing those. He reached out and slightly pushed her backward. His hands strayed to her stomach, and he worked the underwear down over her hips, pausing to look at her body.
She sighed when he had removed her knickers completely and looked at him. "I can tell it's just easier if I let you get your way this morning."
Harry smirked and nodded. He moved his hand over her sex and parted it with his finger, finding her already wet.
"Looks like you weren't that concerned with getting ready, either."
Ginny flushed pink as she smiled. She opened her legs wider and Harry lifted one in his hands, kissing the inside of her thighs. She tried to reach out, to touch him, but he stayed out of her grasp.
"No, this is for watching over me last night and every night...this is for everything that you've always done for me."
Ginny's expression softened, and Harry was overcome with that same, overwhelming feeling he always experienced whenever they were like this. He knew then that he loved her like nothing else in this world. He didn't know how he even knew what love was, but he knew that she had taught him what it could be.
Harry kissed his way up her legs, still slowly moving his fingers over her center. Ginny writhed underneath his touch, trying to make him move faster but Harry kept his movements unhurried. Eventually, Ginny gave up, and he realized she had relaxed, watching him love her body with a wondering expression on her face.
He kissed every centimeter of her skin that he could reach without moving, and then he switched positions, kissing the other part of her. Every now and then, he would speed up his fingers, causing her breath to hitch and a sweet moan to escape her mouth. Ginny's body was responding to his attention, and his fingers were dripping with her need. Finally, he lowered himself to her middle and kissed his way to her. He pulled her into his hands, fumbling slightly as he lifted her body upwards. He rested her legs around his shoulders and then removed his glasses, tossing them to the side, not caring where they landed.
She moaned as his tongue met her body; by now he thought he knew what she liked, and slowly swirled it over her, from the top to the bottom, pausing slightly to nudge her opening with it, causing her to shake in his hands. He gripped her tighter as his mouth finally closed over her center. He heard her calling out his name, and at long last, he stopped his careful movements and began to lick at her in quick motions, dragging his tongue across her. Ginny's climax came suddenly, wrenching a throaty cry from her, her body rising in his hands. He didn't release her and only moved his tongue faster, until he felt her body let itself go again, a heated cry of passionate words exploding from her mouth as she bucked against his face.
Harry lowered her legs and then lay back, his chest rising and falling. He thought he actually might have forgotten to breathe. It was worth it though, just to know he had made her feel such intense pleasure. He squinted at her, suddenly too tired to look for his glasses.
After a moment, Ginny moved and came into sharper focus in front of him. She held something out to him.
"Looking for these?"
He took the glasses from her and put them on, smiling. "I sort of just...threw them, didn't I?"
Ginny nodded and moved up his body, until she was resting on top of him, her breasts rubbing against his chest. "You threw them at me. You nearly dented my forehead."
Harry laughed. "Did I? Sorry. Reckon I thought there were more important matters at hand."
She propped herself up slightly and looked at him, her face glowing. Her eyes were filled with an emotion that he wasn't certain he understood.
"What is it?" he asked softly, pulling her hair away from her face.
"I love the way you love me, Harry."
He didn't know what to say. Her voice so sounded choked with emotion, he knew anything he could say would never be able to match what his heart understood, so he answered with his body. Ginny lowered her head down, kissing him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her, and they turned, rolling gently on the bed until she was underneath him. She wrapped a leg around his waist and brushed a hand against the hardness they could both feel through his jeans. Harry closed his eyes and held his breath as she slowly unzipped them, sliding her hand around him as she did so. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was watching him, her eyes full of desire and love. He bent his head down and kissed her, his mind dazed and racing. He needed release, but he wasn't certain if they should make love again...not after what had happened. Not until he was certain that Voldemort couldn't come back into his head every time he lost control of his senses.
He pulled his lips away from her and whispered her name against her throat. She continued stroking him while using her other hand to pull his jeans haphazardly down his hips.
"Ginny," he said again, louder this time, to get her attention. She gazed up at him, questioning. "Could you...I mean... could we just continue...with your hand?" He traced her cheek with his finger.
Ginny smiled and nodded, blushing slightly. They turned again, and Harry lay on his back, moving his legs so that she could lower his jeans for him. She moved gracefully back up, her skin caressing his, and he shuddered, his arousal aching to be inside of her. She kissed him and then worked her mouth around his jaw, moving downwards.
He settled against the pillows and watched her, her hair tickling his skin while she moved. She ran her tongue across his chest, and he sucked in air as her teeth lightly grazed him, causing his nipples to harden.
Ginny rubbed her breasts against him, and Harry sighed, closing his eyes. Soon, she was making a wet trail down his stomach, her hand teasing him in light circles. She bypassed his erection, and he felt her soft tongue on the inside of his thigh. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was gazing at him in adoration, and he felt his heart break at the yearning he saw there. She moved upwards, slightly hesitant.
"What's wrong?" he breathed, his voice sounding oddly hoarse.
"I want to be good at this," she said softly.
"What you've done so far feels amazing, don't worry."
"Tell me what you want me to do, Harry."
"Take me in your...um...hand first..." he said as she gently reached for him. He closed his eyes briefly as she stroked him. Oh yes, she was definitely good at that. He wanted to feel himself between her breasts, to feel her tender skin around him. He opened his eyes again and exhaled.
"Gin...move...um...your body...oh...um..." Harry moaned as she moved forward, accidentally doing what he'd been trying to say. She gazed at him and seemed to understand what he wanted and rubbed herself against him again, teasing him.
"Now what, Harry?"
He wondered how he was supposed to tell her what to do exactly when she was the only person he'd ever done this with. He searched his feelings and realized he wanted her to take him into her mouth; the brief times she had her mouth around him had been amazing, and he wanted to feel what it felt like to come inside of her like that again. She continued to move her body over his, the softness of her skin feeling like fire against his arousal.
"Mouth..." he hissed out softly, unable to form sentences. He groaned as the next moment, her mouth covered his tip, her hand stroking downwards. He watched her head move and felt his release rolling through him. He tried to focus his mind on the sensation she was causing to flare through him and realized that was the wrong thing to do. He was close; his body wanted to let go, but he also wanted to enjoy what Ginny was doing. She licked her way slowly down his shaft and then took him in her mouth again, the wetness driving him crazy. His body thrust upwards, and he forgot to control himself, a cry escaping his lips as he came. Ginny must have been expecting it, because he felt her mouth around him still, her hands on his stomach. She sucked at him until he rubbed his leg against her side, unable to ask her to stop. She pulled back and looked at him, slowly moving back up to his face. She looked pleased and awed at the same time. She touched his cheek with her hand.
"Good?" she asked him simply, and he nodded, not trusting his voice.
She lay back against the pillows with him, and Harry felt his body return to normal, his breathing becoming less shallow. He turned to her and watched as she bit her lip, deep in thought.
"What's the matter?" He reached out and grabbed her hand into his, their fingers linking.
She blushed but turned to meet his eyes. "I think I like doing that a little bit too much. I love it when you let go, Harry. It...it turns me on, I think. I...like knowing I can do that to you. I would have never guessed that about myself."
Harry snorted, despite the seriousness of her statement, and she frowned at him. He smiled. "I'm sorry, but...Gin. Come on, you like beating me at chess and Exploding Snap and you love it when you feel like you can get away with something. You're not exactly a wilting wallflower unaware of her power. And I know you're more than aware of what you do to me."
Ginny smiled slightly but shook her head. "Okay. Some of that is true - most of the time...but...not deep down. Sometimes...sometimes I feel like that little girl you never noticed."
Harry brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. He rolled over and pulled her to his mouth, kissing her tenderly.
"I always noticed you. You have bright red hair and freckles, for goodness sake. And you have four rather loud, obnoxious brothers. At least, you did the first time I saw you. How could I not notice that?"
"Oh, nice, Harry." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he smiled.
"You remember the first time you saw me, then?" she asked him, her voice curious.
Harry nodded. "Of course. Platform nine and three-quarters. First day of my life. It's only fitting that you were there. If I recall, you begged your mum to let you come look at me on the train. I believe she told you that I wasn't some animal in the zoo." He raised his eyebrow at her, and she flushed a bright red color.
"Oh, yeah...that...sorry about that." She glanced away from him, and he laughed.
"It's okay, I was as fascinated by you lot as you were by me."
"You're too generous about that, Harry," she said softly, gazing at him.
He sat up and shrugged. "Yeah, probably." He looked around and realized the morning had drifted away from them rather quickly. "I suppose we should get dressed now and do something with our day? Well, besides doing each other, that is."
Ginny frowned, and then she understood his meaning and shook her head, laughing. "Yeah, I reckon you're right. I should put some clothes on. I'm forgetting what they feel like."
Harry laughed and realized that they had both been in states of undress for the better part of the night and morning. And just last night we had still been shy,he mused. He watched as she got out of bed and picked up the jumper he'd tossed to the floor. Sensing his eyes on her, she glanced at him, a smile on her face.
"I don't know though, that hungry look on your face is a good enough reason to never get dressed again."
Harry felt his skin heat but continued looking at her, the meaning in his gaze clear. Ginny chuckled and tossed the jumper at him. "Put my pajamasaway for now, okay, Harry?"
She walked across the room to the door, Harry marveling at her unabashed confidence. She paused at the door and looked back at him, winking, before she left the room.
Harry lay back on the bed, feeling oddly exhilarated and light. He frowned slightly when he remembered he would have to tell Dumbledore about Voldemort and the discussion that would invariably come with it. Nothing in his life ever went too well, did it?
o-o-o-o-o-o
After finally locking their doors behind them, they made their way to Cosgrove's office but found that he was out doing Abbey duties. Ginny wasn't certain what that would consist of exactly, but as Harry didn't seem too keen to contact Dumbledore any time soon, she reckoned it was for the best. She knew she should make him find Cosgrove and have him contact Dumbledore immediately, but some selfish part of her, the part that wanted to pretend that everything was fine, was louder than the rest of her, and she didn't push him.
They made their way to the library, running into Kieran and Angus leaving, arguing about something. The two men nodded at them and then kept talking without missing a beat. Ginny shook her head as Harry raised an eyebrow at them. It did seem as though Kieran just liked to argue for argument's sake.
Brogan and Elizabeth were both in the library, chatting amiably by the front desk. There was no sign of Sioda, which suited Ginny just fine. A young man, with long auburn-colored hair, was sitting at the desk next to them. He looked up as they entered, his pale skin coloring slightly before turning back to the papers in front of him. Ginny reckoned that this was the infamous Garrett.
"Morning, you two! Dylan told me to send in the Wizard Patrol if you didn't surface before lunch." Brogan smiled at them, seeming to enjoy the embarrassed looks on their faces.
"We had a rough night," Ginny murmured, and Harry nodded, after flashing her an odd look.
"Oh? Something wrong with the rooms?"
"No, the rooms are fine," Harry said before she could answer. "We just er...had a hard time getting used to our bedrooms. Away from home and all that, you know."
Brogan nodded but looked as though he didn't believe him. Elizabeth excused herself and picked up the stack of books that sat next to her, muttering something about Galangal roots gone wild, her brown hair swinging behind her as she left.
Brogan nodded to the young man at the desk. "Harry, Ginny, I'd like for you to meet Garrett Spencer, librarian and researcher extraordinaire. Garrett, this is Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley."
Garrett stood up awkwardly and shook both their hands, barely looking at them. His skin had turned that odd colour again and Ginny felt an immediate kinship with him for some reason. She smiled widely at him.
"Mr Cosgrove told us that you're going to be our best friend in this place; he reckons you'll be able to help us immensely with our research. I have a list of books I need to read...would you mind helping me find a few this morning?"
Garrett looked startled for a moment but took the sheet of parchment she had pulled out of her jeans pocket. He glanced at it, and Ginny could have sworn she saw the briefest flicker of somethingin his eyes before he nodded.
"Certainly," he said quietly, his voice soft and indistinct. He stood up and tilted his head to indicate that she should follow him. She turned to Harry, squeezing his hand.
"Harry, see if Brogan can help you with your list, okay? And see when Mr Cosgrove is coming back so you can use his Floo to contact Dumbledore," Ginny nodded at him pointedly. He may want to pretend everything was okay, but she didn't want Harry to get too carried away with it.
Harry pursed his lips and nodded at her. She smiled at Brogan before following Garrett down one of the library aisles.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Thanks a lot for that, Gin, Harry thought to himself. He shrugged at Brogan and reached for his list of books.
"Do you need to find Mr Cosgrove now, Harry? I'm certain he's just in town, he's never gone for long," Brogan looked at him, concerned.
"No, no...I just need to talk with Dumbledore about a few...things...nothing that can't keep for a few hours. Do you think you can help me find a few of these?"
Harry handed the list to Brogan, who glanced down at it. "Yeah, I think I know where a couple of these are. These bottom five, Garrett will have to get them for you. They're back in our ancient texts section. There's some pretty old stuff on here. Do you know anything about what you're studying?"
Brogan led the way, the opposite of where Garrett had taken Ginny, and Harry followed him.
"No, not really. Do you? I mean, have you ever heard of this Aine person?"
Brogan stopped in front of a long row of books, his eyes skimming the first few titles. "Er...well, you could say that...ah ha...here we go, right this way, Harry."
Brogan paused a moment later in front of a shortened bookcase. It was piled high with books that hadn't been shelved, and Harry thought it looked as though it hadn't been touched in about a decade.
"Here," Brogan continued, as he bent down, "is where you'll find the first three or four on this list. There's a few in here that aren't on your list that you may just want to check out. Just bring back what catches your eye. We have study areas at the other end of the library. Garrett will probably set Ginny up there, once they find her books. Anything else I can help you with?"
Harry shook his head, and Brogan smiled lightly. He handed the list back to him and pulled the first book on the second shelf out. "I think that's a good starting point. Have fun. I'll let Mr Cosgrove know you're looking for him when I see him, okay?"
"Thanks," Harry said and the other man left him. Harry had to fight the urge not to follow him and make certain he wasn't going off to find Ginny. He'd noticed the way Brogan had looked at her as they'd come into the library; the way his eyes didn't seem to leave her face.
Harry didn't know why, but he wasn't certain he trusted Brogan Caley.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Ginny followed Garrett past many towering shelves of books. Each time she thought they had reached the end, he'd turn and lead her down another aisle. Finally, they reached a section that looked older than time, and he paused, bending down and settling on his legs. He glanced up at her, and she joined him on the floor. She gave him an encouraging smile.
"This library is huge; how do you keep track of everything?" she asked him.
Garrett shrugged. "It's easy to know where everything is if you're the only one putting it back."
"Doesn't Kieran help you?"
"He doesn't work on the stacks like I do. He er...likes to work on the more modern books. He likes to be in the front with everyone. I don't mind being back here; it's nice."
Garrett's face colored again, as though he was afraid he had said too much, and a silence settled over them as he began to pull out books for her to read.
Ginny noticed he was pulling out more than what was on her list and frowned.
"Er...I don't need that many books on the first day, do I?"
"This book on top, it's a volume of eight. And the second book is a volume of ten."
"Oh," Ginny said as she frowned, wondering how she was going to carry everything. Like an idiot, she'd forgotten her wand on the bedside table.
"I'll help you get them back to the desks," Garrett said after a moment, his eyes not meeting hers.
"Thanks," Ginny said, smiling. Garrett's skin turned pink as he pulled the final book out.
"That should be enough for now," he said, his eyes flicking up and down at her. He stood up and used his wand to levitate the books out in front of them.
"I reckon Harry and I will be a right pain in your arse about all this studying we're going to be doing," Ginny said as they made their way back to the front of the library. "I mean, I reckon you don't get too many calls for research into the old witches, like Aine."
Garrett didn't say anything as they turned a corner, but stopped and looked at her directly for the first time since they'd met.
"Brogan reads these books all the time. He's obsessed with the prophecy of Aine. It's sort of his hobby."
Ginny blinked at him, surprised. Garrett's face colored, and he turned away, making the books move in front of him at a faster pace. She trailed after him, her mind racing at what he'd said, wondering why Brogan hadn't offered this information to them himself.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Harry stared at the stack of books he'd lugged back to the tables he'd found and frowned. He suddenly wasn't in the mood to read. A noise startled him, and he looked up as Garrett and Ginny headed toward his table. Garrett floated a large number of books to the edge of the table and then nodded at him. Ginny took a deep breath and looked as though she'd been running. Garrett headed back the way they had come, and she plopped down into the seat next to him.
"This library is huge! Hermione would have a field day here." She fanned herself with one of the slimmer volumes and pushed her hair out of her face.
Harry smirked at her and nodded at the books Garrett had left. "See you found what you were looking for at least. I thought you said you were only going to read the first two on your list today?"
Ginny grumbled something under her breath and then folded her arms as she nodded towards the books. "These are the first two on my list. Apparently, they're volumes. Apparently, my list is bigger than I thought. Typical Dumbledore."
"Yeah, well...Brogan was kind enough to point out that there were some books I might like to read that wasn't on my list, so I was saddled with more than I thought as well."
Ginny frowned. "That's another thing; Garrett mentioned something while we were looking for my books. He said that -"
"Harry? Ginny?" A voice startled the two, and they looked up to see Dylan Cosgrove staring down at them from the level above. A moment later, Mr Cosgrove was at their desk, having Apparated down.
"I apologize for startling you, but I ran into Brogan on the way in. He said you needed to contact Dumbledore, Harry?"
"Er...yeah, but if you have other things to do -"
"Harry, just get it over with," Ginny whispered to him.
Harry sighed. Yeah, might as well. "Er, yes, if it's not too much trouble."
Mr Cosgrove nodded. "Well, I'm heading back to my office now, why don't you come with me? Oh, and Ginny, you may need these. To take notes."
Mr Cosgrove used his wand to conjure up some parchments and quills. Harry realized with a start that they hadn't bothered to bring their rucksacks with them and here they were, supposedly all ready to do 'research'. Ginny must have thought the same thing because her skin turned pink, and she murmured her thanks. Mr Cosgrove turned to leave the library, and Harry looked at her.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Ginny smiled at him. "I'm just reading, Harry. I'll be fine. I'm certain I'll be asleep...er...I mean, engrossed in one of these dusty tomes before you get back."
Harry smiled and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Well, don't work too hard. But take good notes. So I don't have to."
"Ha-ha," Ginny said as she pushed him away slightly.
Harry turned to go and then paused again. "What were you going to tell me?"
Ginny looked blankly at him. "When?"
"Just now, about what Garrett said about Brogan."
Ginny looked past him and then shook her head. "Oh, it was nothing. I'll tell you later."
Harry frowned and would have asked her more, but he heard Mr Cosgrove clear his throat. Ginny had opened one of the books and had already started to read, although he did see her start to yawn as well.
Shrugging, he followed Mr Cosgrove out of the library.
o-o-o-o-o-o
"Yes, well, I'm glad you Flooed me with this information, Harry. Any news of Voldemort, however slight, is important. Now you're certain he knows you are with Miss Weasley, but that he doesn't know where?"
Harry sat in front of Mr Cosgrove's fireplace and nodded. "I only got a sense of him, sir. I...I'm not certain if it was because the connection wasn't strong enough between us or not, I wasn't in his head, really, but...I don't know. He seemed angry about Ginny and I er...well..." Harry felt his skin heat and didn't finish the sentence. He didn't think he should tell Dumbledore exactly what had brought about this new sense of Voldemort in his mind.
"You and Miss Weasley...what were you doing directly before you became aware of Voldemort's anger?"
Harry knew he was blushing and looked down at feet, suddenly fascinated by his footwear. A moment later, he heard Dumbledore calling to him.
"Harry?"
"We were...er...relaxing. Um...on the bed," Harry spoke softly, as though his mere lack of vocal volume could somehow make this less embarrassing. He kept his eyes glued to his feet, not wanting to catch the headmaster's eye.
"Ah, yes, relaxing. I seem to recall how much fun that is when one is young."
Dumbledore's voice held more than a trace of mirth to it, but Harry just wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He knew there was a reason he hadn't wanted to rush out and contact Dumbledore. He'd rather face twenty Hungarian Horntail dragons, blindfolded, then to sit through this.
"Harry, please, I am an old man, this is true, but I am not dead, and I do remember what it is like to be young and in love. I can assure you that in my youth I spent a fair amount of time 'relaxing' as well. There is nothing wrong with the ah...physicalapplication of the feelings you and Miss Weasley have for one another."
Harry chanced a glance into the fireplace and saw that Dumbledore was smiling benevolently at him. In fact, he looked pleased about the whole thing.
"You're not angry? I mean, everyone seems to think we're too young to do anything," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Well, yes, you are that. But you and Miss Weasley both are mature and have, unfortunately, been through too much for your age. I trust you and she have been relaxing...prudently?"
Harry frowned not understanding his meaning for a moment. "Oh, you mean, are we...er...we...um...yeah. We've been um...safe."
Dumbledore held up his hand, as though understanding how uncomfortable Harry felt.
"As long as you both practice common sense, then I see no reason why the two of you cannot continue to ah...relax. I'm certain Molly would be most pleased to know that she won't be a grandmother anytime soon."
Harry stared at Dumbledore in horror. "Mrs Weasley? You're not...I mean, they don't need to know, I mean, Bill...I think he knows, but I mean...Mrs Weasley?" Harry suddenly felt as though he was choking.
Dumbledore smiled at Harry, letting his humor show in his eyes. "Only joking, Harry. Just an old man's attempt at levity. I'll leave the task of telling Molly how serious you and Ginny have become up to you."
Harry wasn't certain that was a better alternative, and he wanted to ask Dumbledore what he meant when the headmaster interrupted him.
"Now, unfortunately, I do need to know one thing. Have you felt Voldemort before in your head while...being with Miss Weasley or was this the first time?"
Harry bit his lip. "Um...do you mean the first time I felt Voldemort or the first time me and Ginny um..."
Dumbledore bowed his head, the amused look still in his eyes. "Voldemort, Harry."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "No, this is the first time I've felt him. In a long time, actually. I reckon I was...preoccupied before this. I -" Harry paused, wondering if he should tell Dumbledore about the flare of power he'd experienced, but then realized that would lead to a conversation he absolutely never wanted to have.
"Yes, Harry?"
"Nothing, it's...just weird to be talking about this with...you," Harry said, knowing his skin was still bright pink.
"Well, then, I appreciate you feeling secure enough to tell me. I will have Remus get in contact with you; perhaps the two of you can practice your Occlumency techniques. I do believe there is something written about this particular...problem. In times of great emotional release, whether it be negative or positive, the mind does seem to be more open to attack."
Harry nodded absentmindedly. He still had one thing on his mind. "Er...sir...does this mean that I...well, Ginny and I...should we...not um...relax together...er until we straighten this out?"
He expected Dumbledore to smile at him but was surprised when he saw a serious look come into the headmaster's eyes as he regarded him.
"Do you feel that Voldemort would hurt Ginny through you? I have been very proud of your mastery of Occlumency, Harry. Remus speaks of your force of will with the utmost respect, but if you feel as though Voldemort can enter your mind as he did before - "
"He won't," Harry said forcefully, already knowing it was true. He'd rather kill himself then let Voldemort use him to hurt Ginny. He knew it with every scrap of his being.
"Well, then, I see you have already answered your own question."
Harry nodded. He suddenly felt utterly drained; the previous night's emotions and this afternoon's stress of talking about sexwith Dumbledore seemed to be enough to wear him out. Of course, it could be because he hadn't exactly slept enough, either.
"Harry, I know you do not understand why I have sent you to the Abbey. Please, read the books for your research. Trust me when I say that the outcome of this month spent studying could give us the thing we need to stop Tom from achieving his desire. It is important for both you and Miss Weasley to work at this together."
Harry nodded that he understood. They said their goodbyes, and a moment later, the fireplace was dark again. Harry sat on the floor, staring at it, thinking of everything they'd talked about. He knew he should have probably asked Dumbledore to explain himself more thoroughly, but suddenly didn't care. He'd done his part; he'd told Dumbledore about Voldemort and that was all that mattered. Getting up, he opened the doors to Cosgrove's office.
He found the man himself waiting for him, standing in front of one of the magical stained glass windows. It depicted a nighttime sky filled with stars. Underneath the sky there was a unicorn, a horse with a coat of burgundy, and a rabbit, all staring upwards expectantly. They stood near the edge of a lake, and as he watched, a giant white swan joined the other animals, gliding into the scene over the water. Harry watched as the moon appeared in the glass, moving slowly across the sky. The animals followed it with their eyes, and the horse pawed the earth, as though anxious. Cosgrove caught him watching the scene and smiled.
"This is one of my favorite windows. It's called Drawing Down the Moon. It was made especially for the Abbey. If you watch it long enough, some swear you see the goddess take form in the middle of the circle."
Cosgrove nodded at the circle of stones that Harry hadn't noticed. They seemed familiar in a way, and he realized they reminded him of the set of stones he'd seen at Stonehenge when he was young. The Dursleys had been unable to find a minder, of course, which was the only explanation of why he had been allowed to go along with them. It had been for some paper that Dudley had to do for school; he had left it to the last minute, and Vernon thought a practical 'on-hands' enjoyment of the site in question would help Dudley with his research. All that had occurred was that Dudley had fallen asleep in the car and then whinged that there was nothing else to look at except stones and wide (Harry remembered Dudley had used the word 'stupid'), flat open land everywhere you turned. Harry always remembered the trip because he'd been allowed to enjoy the ride, despite Dudley's snores next to him.
"It's like Stonehenge," he said now, as he moved closer to the painting.
"Yes, a bit. This is based on a Muggle tapestry that the Friars had hanging, I believe it was simply called 'Lough Gur', based on the name of the place it depicts. It fell apart with age, I believe. I think it was my great-great-grandfather who commissioned this representation. He's responsible for most of the magical windows in the Abbey."
Cosgrove turned him away from the window, as the moon seemed to grow in its waxing. "Everything okay, Harry? Your talk with Albus go well?"
"Er...yeah. Quite."
They walked towards the library in silence for a moment, and then Cosgrove stopped and turned to him, seemingly appraising him for some reason.
"I want you to feel as though you can trust me, Harry. But I know that comes with time. Feel free to send Brogan to find me, if you ever need to talk about...things."
Harry didn't think he would need to be embarrassed to death twice but nodded his head. "Of course, Mr Cosgrove."
The older man smiled at him and then nodded toward the library. "Well, off you go then. Don't study too hard today, you and Miss Weasley both look a bit tired. Feel free to take the books back to your rooms, if you need to later. I can arrange for dinner to be sent to your rooms if you don't feel up to seeing everyone. I know it's hard to settle into a new place."
"Thank you. I'll see how Ginny is feeling. We had a rough night...didn't sleep too well," Harry offered as explanation.
Cosgrove smiled and then turned to head back to his office. Harry heard him start to whistle and stopped to watch him for a moment. Shrugging, he entered the library, wondering if Ginny would just want to say 'sod it all' and go back to the room and relax.