CHAPTER 17

Finding Truth

"No, seriously, did he just say Potter? Is that just a coincidence… is your last name Potter, James?" Jack asked, frowning. Harry looked at him for a moment; Jack squinted at his face, searching it. "Why didn't I see it before?" He said, "it's you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Am I the only one who didn't know? … did you know, George?" George glanced up briefly, then nodded,

"Yes, I knew… sorry mate." Jack scoffed,

"Brilliant, just brilliant… thanks George, after all I've done for you…" George looked guilty. "And Ginny," Jack muttered, looking at her as if he saw her in a new light, he shook his head and stood, storming off. George leaned forward slightly,

"That went well," he muttered sarcastically, Harry snorted,

"Yeah." He pretended to be concerned but just quietly he was feeling a small sense of victory. He hated himself for feeling that way, it didn't feel right to bask in the pain of others – yet here he was sitting in the dark, trying to hide a smirk that continually snuck across his face. Ginny didn't seem to notice Jack's quick appearance and disappearance, her eyes remained on the Death Eater as she questioned him, her voice full of menace. Multiple Aurors had stopped to watch now, some fiddled with their wands wanting to get their piece of a wanted criminal, others just watched pensively.

The Death Eater apparently hadn't given her the answer she wanted as she soon pounced, placing her sword on his throat, forcing him against the tree. Blood seemed to bead on the blade, and it trickled down the hilt to Ginny's hand, where it stained red.

"Okay!" The Death Eater said, his voice strained, pleading, "I'll tell you, just gerrof me!"

"I make the rules here," Ginny said, pushing the blade just a little harder, the Death Eater whimpered, "you tell me now, then I'll leave you alone."

"Yes okay, yes! We're tracking him." Harry felt his blood run cold,

"How?" Ginny asked. The Death Eater looked around nervously. "Are they here?" The Death Eater seemed to be staring at something behind George and Harry. Harry turned around and noticed he was staring at Jack, who was making small wisps of light come out of his wand.

"No," said the Death Eater, "only me." Harry frowned suspiciously, looking between the two.

"How are you doing it?" Ginny asked, still staying in the same position. The Death Eater was fidgeting against the sword, "I wouldn't move if I were you, I'm very close to an important vein, I cut it and you're dead." The Death Eater stopped moving,

"When we first got Potter and the other two there we did … a spell. It helps us track prisoners if they escape…" Ginny loosened the pressure slightly, Harry saw the Death Eater sigh slightly in relief.

"Can you remove it? The trace?" The Death Eater shook his head,

"No!" He shouted, looking more terrified than before. "I won't, they'll know who did it, I'll be a dead man!"

"You're a dead man if you don't remove it… and believe me, you have a better chance of escaping them." Ginny pushed the sword against his neck again,

"Okay, okay!" He yelped, "I'll teach you how to, just stop!"

"Good," Ginny muttered, putting her sword back into her belt, "we'll get started as soon as we can." She turned to Harry and smiled slightly, Harry couldn't help but smile back. Ginny walked up to him, Harry saw the Death Eater slump slightly, as if exhausted and relieved.

"You up for it?" She asked,

"Getting rid of the trace? Absolutely… having him perform a spell on me? Not so much." Ginny laughed and shook her head,

"We're not going to have him perform it on you silly… we have a group of fantastic spell casters here, he can tell us how to do it – they'll know if it's right or not," her eyes suddenly darted to Jack, Harry followed her gaze. "What's up with Jack?" She looked back into Harry's eyes,

"He knows," he muttered.

"What? How?" She asked, unable to hide the slight fear in her voice.

"The Death Eater," answered George, "he said Potter a couple of times, didn't think to perhaps make sure no one could hear what he was saying?" Ginny swore under her breath,

"This is my fault," she whispered, "I should've told him earlier…"

"Yes, you should have," replied Harry.

"Thanks heaps, appreciate your support." Harry shrugged in response.

"You'll need to talk to him," George muttered, "work things out, this isn't worth fighting over." Ginny looked between Jack and Harry,

"You're right," she replied, "just give me a second Harry, then we'll work on your trace – you should be safe when you're in the camp anyway." Ginny walked off, Harry watched her go, wanting to stop her but having no reason to. Jack seemed to see her coming as he glanced up, then looked back down. Harry could hear everything they were saying,

"Hey," Ginny muttered, her voice uncertain, Jack didn't reply. "Okay, I'm sorry alright? I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how."

"Didn't know how?" Jack repeated then laughed, "try just telling me… that's usually a good start."

"I know, I should have, I'm sorry… can we just forget about it?" Jack stood up and went to walk away "hey, what are you doing?" Asked Ginny,

"I don't know, I guess I was hoping we would run into more of your old boyfriends." He replied sarcastically, eyebrows raised. Harry could tell that Ginny was trying to keep her anger in check.

"What is the big deal?"

"Look forget about that, just forget about it! I'm just a little thrown, that's all." He said, waving his hand around vaguely "I thought you told me about things in your life, I thought this would be the kind of thing you –,"

"We have, we do!"

"Well clearly we don't because you didn't tell me about that!"

"Jack, come on! Overreaction much?"

"I'm sorry I'm angry that the girl I love has been lying to me. Hell, you've been all secretive ever since Potter showed up!"

"…wait, do you think something is going on?" Harry shifted uncomfortably, knowing he shouldn't be listening, yet unable to stop himself.

"I hope it isn't."

"It's not!"

"Is it going to?" Ginny hesitated for a moment,

"No!"

"You hesitated,"

"No I didn't. Harry is over me anyway," Harry felt his heart sink slightly,

"Yeah, right," Jack was fully facing Ginny now, using his hands to argue his point "think about it from his side Ginny, he leaves and he has you all love hearts in the eyes, a freaking hallelujah chorus… then he gets kidnapped, comes back and sees you with some other guy, do you really think he doesn't have feelings for you anymore?" Ginny stepped towards him,

"But it's me you don't have to worry about it because it's me!" Jack snorted,

"Do you think you are going to be strong enough to turn him down if he comes onto you? I know for a fact how much you cared for him."

"…You don't think I'll be strong enough? Are you listening to yourself? You are ranting to me about something that happened before I even met you! That I got over because of you, that I will not go back to because of you!"

"Don't you realise Ginny? It's freaking Harry Potter, the boy you loved for so many years; you don't just get over that!"

"Don't just get over that? I didn't just get over that! I got over it with time!"

"And then he returned! You got over him when he was dead, and now he isn't! He wants you for God sakes! It doesn't take a genius to notice it."

"You never would have said that if you didn't know who it was! You only suddenly realised that when you found out it was Harry."

"No, I noticed it before I found out it was Harry but I figured, hey, it wasn't that big of a deal because this guy is some stranger, and Ginny would never do that to me. But, well, now he isn't, and now I'm not so sure." Ginny and Jack stared each other down for a moment,

"You don't trust me?" Ginny asked.

"When it comes to Harry? No, I really don't." The silence that came after these words sat between the couple like a boundary. Jack frowned,

"I'm going for a walk," he muttered. Ginny watched him go, her mouth forming over the words Harry was sure she wished she had said, she glanced over her shoulder at Harry, as if she knew he had been looking at her the whole time. George sighed next to Harry, it was obvious that he had heard the argument as well. Ginny walked back over to them, her arms crossed in front of her, George offered her the flask and she grabbed it with a small sad smile, and drank. Harry wanted to console her, but he didn't move, he didn't know what he would say. The thing was, Jack was right, he did still love her – and a part of him always would, no matter who she was with.

"Alright," Ginny said, passing the flask back. "Let's get you sorted," she muttered, not making eye contact with Harry. She walked back to the Death Eater and Harry timidly stood and followed; putting his feelings away where they wouldn't cause trouble anymore.

A really short chapter and a really quick update!

I like writing arguments, they flow out of me like I'm the one having them haha.

I'll post the next chapter soon. Thankyou so much for all the reviews – I absolutely love reading them! I get all excited when I see them in my inbox :)

Have a great Easter, eat lots of chocolate.

Pheonixxsong