Title: Good Intentions but Strange Situations
Author: Emeric Switch
Summery: AU Post OotP. What would you do if you wanted to make sure the world was kept protected in times of extreme need? What would you do if you were stranded far from home with no way back? Would you seize the opportunity, or panic? That is the choice Harry must make if he is to save the world from a disastrous fate. Join Harry and Ginny as they face the weirdest challenge they have ever faced. The question is, will they survive long enough to get around to banishing Voldemort, or will the insanity that is life finish them first?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters, settings and situations created by JK Rowling, and anything you recognise is owned by JKR, various publishers and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: And after seven long months, I have free time once more. Yay! So I gift you, dear readers, with a shiny new chapter. Even better, it's a lot more exciting than the last few I've posted… Well, if you find a bunch of necessary (but rather boring) filler info exciting then this one might be a mite disappointing. But… FIGHT! To those of you who reviewed last time, thank you kindly for your encouragement. Please can more of you let me know what you think. I don't want to sound like a review-hog but I genuinely would like to know what people think of this story. Likes, dislikes, constructive criticism, random ideas. Does my dialogue flow? Are my characters in character? It is a large ambition of mine to be an author one day. It would help if I know whether people like what I'm writing… I'm feeling a bit sheepish right now after that spiel. But yes, onto the chapter. I really hope you enjoy reading it. It was quite fun to write! :D
Chapter 6
A Foraging We Will Go
Harry and Ginny stood at the mouth of their cave. It was the night of the full moon and the time for them to harvest Fluxweed was upon them. Earlier in the week, they had surveyed the woods and found several patches that were likely candidates. The pair was looking forward to a bit of excitement even if it was as mundane as a Herbology lesson. Merlin had continued to focus on Wandless Magic and the teens were looking for a bit of variety, especially because neither of them could do much of anything in that area.
Looking down at the expanse of woodland below them, Harry felt a prickle travel up his spine. The woods were smaller than the Forbidden Forest on Hogwarts' grounds but still as magical by far. It gave off a vibe that Harry realised was similar to Hogwarts; he had just never felt it before. Wondering why that was, he scanned the ground for any sign of Merlin. The old man had not appeared yet and the moon was steadily coming into view. Harry sighed and looked at his wrist, where his broken watch still sat from habit. One of the main problems with the olden days, it had been discovered, was the lack of punctuality. Or any concept of it. After all, it was very hard to be punctual when there was no precise measure of time to be on time to.
The witch and wizards had located several likely patches of Fluxweed. It was hard to distinguish this plant from the commonplace herbs that grew wild along the forest floor. Harry and Ginny were no great shakes at Herbology, despite Harry being able to get Exceeds Expectation in the subject. So when wandering around on their own, they had not had Merlin to ask for confirmation. The flower that made the plant so unique would only blossom at the full moon, when it would be easily distinguished from the rest. Harry supposed it did not matter. Their task was to collect as much of the plant as they could manage. If that meant they were wandering around from bush to bush all night then so be it. This potion was far too important not to put the effort into making.
When the older man finally appeared, it was the precise moment the full moon emerged from behind the clouds.
"Well," he said, studying the land. "Have you all you need for this task?"
The teens nodded. Their waist pouches were stocked with their Dragon Hide gloves and other Herbology equipment, their knives were strapped to the inside of their boots and their wands were already in their hands. Ginny even had her Herb and Fungi book with them.
"Then let us away."
The group made their way down the slope and into the collection of trees. Merlin had decided that they should split up, he alone and Harry and Ginny together. When they parted, Harry let out an exasperated sigh.
"We could have started before he got to us, rather than waiting," he said with a shake of the head.
"Leave him be, Harry," Ginny said with her head buried in the book. "He said he hasn't been a teacher before. He just wants to be in control of his class." She grinned at her companion.
Harry grunted, not wanting to agree. The fact was Merlin was a decent teacher, able to prompt ability from his students. Not brilliant but not Snape-like either. But when he wanted to explain something he did it in a very convoluted way that Harry and Ginny found difficult to comprehend. He also needed to be the 'Master' to his apprentices, like tonight were they had to wait until he showed up to do anything. Harry hoped Merlin would settle down comfortably into his new role eventually.
The woodland shifted in the breeze that swirled around them. It was a calm night. The pair had little trouble finding their way from one plant cluster to the next by the light from the moon. They had managed to harvest a fair amount of the weed but had also found that some of the areas they had marked were not what they were looking for.
Harry and Ginny steadily wandered further into the woods, looking for their plant.
It was around midnight when an expedition to gather ingredients turned sour. Harry had stopped to harvest some Fluxweed. Whilst he was doing this, Ginny had wandered further on in search of some more. Harry had gone to look for her after completing his task but she was nowhere to be seen.
That was half an hour ago.
Harry was getting worried. Ginny should have known not to go too far from where Harry was. To make it worse, they had no way of contacting each other or Merlin; and as he frantically searched for Ginny, Harry disoriented himself. He did not have a clear image of where the cave was.
So, he was lost, Ginny was lost and Merlin was lost. Fantastic.
Harry continued wandering forward, or what he hoped was forward. He kept on picking the Fluxweed when he saw it. And his worry steadily grew.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Harry was taking a breather. The moon was shining brightly overhead; few clouds marred its ray. From his spot on the ground, he could see the night sky through a gap in the tree canopy. But he was not enjoying the silvery glow and the calm of the night. He wanted Ginny back. He missed her offbeat comments and aura of fun, but mostly he wanted her safe by his side.
Even if he was angry at her for getting lost.
He would tell her what-for and then he would never let her out of his sight again.
And she would undoubtedly get that very attractive indignant look on her face.
Before Harry could properly think through what direction his thoughts were going in, he was jolted from his reverie by a gruff voice. It was close by, drifting closer in the gentle breeze. Harry got to his feet and, as silently as he could, he followed the noise. He could ask whoever the voice belonged to if he had seen Ginny; but he would check for any dangers first.
What Harry found as he peered into the clearing sent a chill down his spine and put a lump in his throat. Ginny was tied to a tree. Her face was bruised and scratched and her mouth was gagged. Her tunic was torn and muddy, in a way that made Harry's blood boil. Looking to the other side of the clearing he saw two men sat together, heads bent in hushed conversation. One of the men was developing a black eye and had a bloodied lip; the other had no discernable injuries. That was until he stood up. It was in a hunched, limping sort of way. Harry eyes widened; low blow! Ginny definitely was not someone to get on your bad side.
Harry filed this information away for a later date.
Right now though, Ginny was in trouble. Any ire he felt directed towards her had dissipated in a flash. The men were advancing on Ginny. Harry hung back, waiting to get a good line of sight on the both of them so he could stun them.
"Do you here that, girl," the black-eyed man said. "You heathens are going to hang! Foul beasts."
The other man laughed; a gritty sound full of malice. "Not without us having some fun first." He roughly grabbed Ginny's clothes and pulled her towards him. Harry could see the rope surrounding her small frame dig into her arms as they fought to get free of the bonds. He felt rage burn through his veins. Abandoning any thought of magic or subtlety, Harry rushed to Ginny's rescue, barrelling into the man that had grabbed her.
The man let out a surprised growl as he was forced to the ground. Harry quickly scrambled up and placed a few hard kicks into the man's stomach before he was wrestled down by the other attacker. Harry's nose exploded with pain as a fist connected with it. His head slammed into the ground. He saw the man take another swing at him through the pain and he thrust his foot out in the man's direction. His leg jarred as it hit the stomach of his enemy sending him reeling backwards. Harry forced himself upwards, just to see the other man descending on him. He fumbled around his belt for his wand but could not find it. He frantically glanced around, seeing it on the floor near where he had originally been hiding. As quickly as he could, Harry bounded to his feet and made a dash towards it.
But he was roughly grabbed by the hair from behind and yanked down to the ground. Stretching out, Harry's fingers inched towards the piece of wood. Rolling it towards him, he grabbed it and shoved it down his boot just before a fist collided with the back of his head and all he saw was blackness.
Harry groggily lifted his head. It throbbed with pain and he felt a warm, liquid trickle running down from his right temple. His nose was sending spasms of pain through his face and his vision was blurry, despite his glasses still being on his face. To his left, he could make out a red blur.
"Harry," the blur whispered. "Are you awake?"
The boy let his head drop. "Yeah," he croaked in reply. His eyes drooped. The voice sounded nice.
"Harry!" The next whisper was harsh. His head jerked back up, eliciting a groan to escape his mouth. His head felt like it was going to explode.
"Listen Harry, you have to stay awake. That git clobbered you a good few times around your head. You might have a concussion or something." Harry's head drooped once again.
"Harry!" There was a note of urgency in the voice now. "Fred fell off his broom years ago and landed on his head. Mum was beside herself, wouldn't let him pass out or anything. Head injuries are tricky, she said. And you know my mum, she knows these things. Come on, Harry. Stay awake, please!" Harry renewed his efforts to stay awake for the nice voice. Come to think of it, it sounded a bit like Ginny.
Ginny. In trouble. Tied to a tree. Being harmed by those men.
"Ginny," he groaned. "Got to…" He struggled to get up but found he was strapped down. "Save…" The bonds were tightening as he struggled; his panic about being tied up had sunk into his damaged head. "Ginny."
He heard a snort from his left.
"You aren't going to be doing much in that condition."
Harry was steadily becoming more lucid and aware of his position. Along with the injuries to his head, his midsection ached. He supposed he had been kicked by the brutes whilst he had been unconscious. There were thick ropes wrapped around his torso, tightly pinning his arms to his sides and strapping him to the tree.
And Ginny was to his left. In the same position.
"Ah," summed their predicament up.
After a few minutes of struggling, Harry remembered something. "Ginny, where's your gag?"
She barked a laugh, "What, sick of me already, Harry?"
He shook his head, sending more pain shooting from his temple. "I just wondered how you managed to get out of that."
"They took it out. Said they had knocked you out quick enough that such a plan could happen again," Ginny said, sighing. "They wanted me to act the damsel in distress, screaming for her rescue."
Harry grimaced, but with a secret smile. Ginny really did pull off the indignant look.
"So of course I kept quiet. I wasn't going to lead Merlin into this too!"
"Where are they now?"
"They went off to hunt for Merlin themselves," Ginny growled. "Not before giving me a good walloping, mind."
"What?" Harry yelped. "Are you hurt? What have they done to you?"
"I'm fine, Harry," came the reply in a monotone. "I'm more worried about you."
They lapsed into silence as they pondered their situation.
"Why have they gone for us?" Harry asked. "They mentioned heathens…"
"Magic," Ginny said. "It is a sin or something to do magic."
"But how do they know we are magic?"
"They're after Merlin most of all, I think," replied Ginny. "They picked us off as easy targets, knowing we were associated with him."
Harry groaned.
"Where's your wand?" he asked.
"In my boot." His companion sighed. "I knew I was done for, so I shoved it somewhere safe so I wouldn't lose it."
"Yeah, so is mine. Have you tried Wandless Magic?"
Ginny shook her head. "Its ruddy useless!" She snarled. "I'm stuck here fearing for my life and yours and I can't produce even a spark!"
Harry tried, and tried again, and again, but he had the same problem. "Maybe it's because we've been in worse situations. We know life-threatening and this isn't it!" He joked wearily. His head dropped towards his chin, pain and tiredness creeping up onto him.
"Harry, stay awake!" Ginny said, desperation entering her voice. "Come on, we've got to keep trying. Bring your magic to the fore."
The pair tried again to produce anything that could help them escape. They worked at it, attempting to do what Merlin had told them in each of their lessons. However, it was just as futile now as it was then.
They abruptly stopped when the two men re-entered the clearing. They were empty handed, no Merlin in sight.
"Then they will tell us where he is hiding!" snarled the black-eyed man, gesturing towards Harry and Ginny. They had obviously been arguing on the way back. Making their way over to the teens, the limping man grabbed Harry's neck with one of his hands. Harry gasped as his head thumped the tree and a light flashed behind his closed eyelids. The voices sounded very far off; he could hear Ginny half yelling, half pleading with their captors to leave him alone.
Then he heard her scream. Pure terror.
Harry's head was once again free as his attacker was forced away from him. A feral growl ripped through the air and the bandits screams joined with Ginny's. Harry desperately looked around the clearing; his eyes back in focus, adrenalin coursing through him. What he saw terrified him.
A werewolf.
The huge, hulking animal was mauling the once black-eyed bandit. Any noise he had been making had abated; he was dead. The other had shrunk back in terror; a huge bloody gash across his stomach stopped him from fleeing. The wolf turned back to him and advances. Tearing his eyes away from the scene, Harry focused on Ginny. She was pale, shaking in horror as she watched the werewolf stalk its prey. He needed to break out of his ropes so he could get Ginny out of hers. Alternately, he switched from trying to reach his boot to get his wand and performing some feat of Wandless Magic.
He glanced up when there was an eerie silence. The wolf had finished with its main course and was heading towards them. More specifically, towards Ginny.
Harry felt a surge run through him. Fear that Ginny was going to become the werewolf's next victim coursed through him, anger that she was the target and not him, annoyance at Merlin for getting them into this situation. There was a flash and suddenly Harry was free.
Without trying to decipher what had happened, he stood as quickly as he could. Grabbing onto the tree to abate the wooziness he felt spread over him, Harry reached down into his boot and retrieved his wand. Casting the Impedimenta spell at the beast, he halted its progress towards his friend. Harry then severed Ginny's bonds and urged her to her feet.
"Quickly, run," he cried as she staggered to her feet. But luck was not with him, it seemed. Harry stumbled as they tried to escape the wolf's rage. His head injury and blood loss made him feel faint; he staggered and fell to the ground.
"Go!" He shouted at Ginny, who had stopped and come back to him. "Get away!"
"Not without you," she said, tremulously. She bent down to heave Harry to his feet, but suddenly she was gone with a scream. The spell had worn off the werewolf and it had pounced at Ginny.
Harry levered himself up, groping the ground for his wand. Ginny was in battle with the wolf; she was firing off spells but failing to get much of an advantage over the beast. Harry's attack earlier had sent it into a fury; its yellow eyes glinted with malice, saliva flew from its mouth as it howled.
With a blow from its paws, the towering animal had knocked Ginny's wand from her hand. The claws had gouged deep scratches into her arm which were now bleeding copiously. Undeterred, Ginny felt around her for a weapon, any weapon. Her hands found her Herbology book, which the bandits had casually discarded on the forest floor. She whacked the werewolf about the head with the book, over and over, until she was back on her feet and able to reach her wand. The momentary lull in which the attack on the beast had stopped was enough for it to lunge once more at Ginny. Harry tried to get a shot on the animal but was wary of hitting Ginny instead. Whilst he was sure he would be forgiven if he knocked her out with good intentions, he did not want to leave her vulnerable to the beast that was currently on top of her.
So Harry joined the skirmish.
Harry knocked the wolf off course propelling into it and forcing it away. The wolf was incredibly strong though; it in turn pushed Harry to the ground stunning him again as his head was jolted. Its lethal claw swooped down to deal a deathly blow to the boy but it encountered Ginny's Herbology book. She used the battered tome to parry the attack. The werewolf lunged its head down to tear into Ginny but once again met her shield. The parchment shredded easily in the beast's mouth, the sharp teeth destroying the book with a few bites. It was all the distraction Harry needed.
Recalling the rush of emotions that ran through him earlier, he pushed his hands out towards the hulking werewolf. A bright blast, silvery and pulsing with magic rushed towards it. The beast was forced backwards through the air and smacked against a tree. There was a loud crunching noise. The wolf fell on the ground and twitched a few times. Then all was still.
Harry grabbed Ginny's arm and roughly dragged her along with him. She seemed to be in a state of shock, just staring at the animal that had nearly killed her.
"Come on, run," he hissed at her. "I don't want to see whether it gets back up or not. Move it!" The pair ran as fast as they could towards higher ground. Finally, after a trying experience made worse with their numerous injuries, they made it to their cave and collapsed onto their beds.
"Just a simple forage in the woods," muttered Harry, wearily closing his eyes. "Yeah, right."