A/N: Ahoy! There be shaggin', although it's all in the first half. Thanks to respitechristopher and Sara Winters for reassuring me this first section's decently written. Rated M for sexual themes (though nothing outright explicit), provocative imagery and language.
Chapter 38: Lovers' Dance and Luna's Goodbye
It was the night before they were to depart for the holidays.
The Room of Requirement looked very much like the Ravenclaw common room. Daphne had mentioned to Michael that being surrounded by small galaxies while they snogged made her feel, "Out of this world. Literally!" The biggest difference was that instead of a couch in front of the warm fireplace, there was a bed, one that resembled Michael's from his dormitory.
And he and Daphne were making good use of it. Or, at least they were trying to.
She lifted her head up right as he was undoing her bra. "Wait! Michael?"
"What is it?" He was a little breathless; after all, Daphne's hand was still on his crotch. His jeans were unbuttoned and her top was falling off. Her bra had loosened from her body.
"Did you hear that?" She struggled to sit upright. "It sounded like someone screaming."
"I didn't hear anything." Michael kept a hold of her arm. "Come on, it's okay. The others know where we are, and we have our Galleons."
"But—"
"Stop. Take a breath."
Daphne fell back on the bed, pressing her hands against her eyes. "I hate that Slytherin's so close to the dungeons. I can hear screaming even if no one's around."
He stroked her face and kissed her forehead. "I hate it too."
"There were five this week alone. They each got ten lashes. And that's not even counting the ones that they cursed." She shook her head. "I can hear screaming, even in the middle of the night. Millicent and I sleep with a lamp on. Drives the other two mental."
"Screw them," Michael whispered, grazing her cheeks with his lips.
Daphne sighed. "I wish I could stay with you or Ginny."
"I've got an idea. Do you trust me?"
There was no mistaking the little mischievous glint in Michael's eyes. It was something Daphne could never resist.
"I do."
"Right then. Close your eyes."
She complied, and she felt Michael's hand cover them as well. She couldn't see him, but she could sense he was leaning forwards; his breath tickled her right cheek.
"Your eyes are closed, right?"
"Michael your hand's covering them."
"Just want to make sure you're not trying to cheat by peeking through my fingers."
She grinned and smacked him playfully on his arm. "Not a cheater!"
"Course you're not." She felt him kiss her ear, and then her neck. "This is something I used to do when I was scared about something, or I was nervous or stressed—"
"You'd snog half-naked girls with their eyes closed shut?"
He laughed quietly. "I'm adapting my old methods. Now, do you want to crack jokes all night or do you want to let me work my magic and take you to a happy place?"
She rolled her eyes, not that he could see them. "Work your magic, Corner." Daphne couldn't stop smiling as she talked.
He kissed her ear, nibbling it gently. "We're lying in a field. Nothing but grass and flowers beneath us. The sun is high in the sky and it's warm, but it's not too hot because there's a breeze that's keeping us cool."
She felt his breath tickle her skin as he kissed around her collarbone and back up her neck. Daphne sighed with pleasure; she could feel him smile against her body.
"I'm with you," he continued, and she could feel him move his head down, past her collarbone this time. "And we're having a lot of fun."
She felt him remove her bra.
"Doing what?" she asked smiling, letting his lips elicit little gasps from her as he swirled his tongue and mouth over her sensitive skin.
"Hmm," he hummed. "Whatever you want. Use your imagination, Greengrass."
She laughed, and he continued to explore her body with his mouth. Michael removed his hand from her face, and brought it back down to her chest, caressing one breast as he kissed the other.
Daphne moaned, arching her back a little bit, making sure he knew that he shouldn't stop what he was doing.
"Michael," she moaned; he was continuing to touch and lavish her skin with his mouth and it was beyond amazing!
"Mmm." One hand had left her chest and was now hovering on her inner thigh. "Yeah?"
She raised her head. "I want to . . . uh."
This was a little awkward. She had never really had to mention or ask a boyfriend what she was about to ask Michael. How, exactly, did one phrase the question?
"Would you like to have some nice sex, Michael old chap?"
"Mister Corner, I would like to invite you to the very great honour of being inside me. Please R.S.V.P. if you would like to attend."
"Mike, would you be a dear and shag me until I can't remember my name?"
Her voice caught in her throat.
"What do you want, Daphne?"
Michael's hand gently stroking her body below was not doing anything to help her use her words.
"Sex. Michael. With you." Her voice was strangled and the delivery was more than a little off.
But his hand had stopped stroking her.
"Sex?" he whispered, nervous, but excited.
Daphne nodded and reached up to run her fingers through his soft brown hair, falling in layers around his face and past his chin. It was getting longer since he hadn't had a proper cut in so long. There was some stubble on his chin and cheeks; she liked him clean-shaven, but she couldn't help giving him a little scratch and feeling the coarse hair on her fingertips.
"I want to. But I don't know if you're okay—"
"Yeah. I want to. I've sort of wanted to for ages." He stared at her, a slightly dizzy smile growing on his face. He seemed not quite sure if she was being serious.
So Daphne showed him just how serious she was.
She pressed her lips against his, letting her tongue glide across his mouth, grinning when he drew her even closer to him. Their mouths tangled as they moved their heads every which way, deepening their kiss. It grew more intense with each passing minute.
She kept snogging him as her hands fell to his unbuttoned jeans; she started pushing them down his body. He pulled on them as well, speeding up the effort and soon they were off, doffed onto the floor like a dark blue puddle. With two thumbs hooked around the elastic band, Michael pulled her knickers off completely and she removed his shirt, her hands and arms returning to feel the skin of his bare chest, pressing hers against his.
They were naked.
Starkers.
Completely unencumbered by any clothing.
They stopped snogging and looked at each other, the realization hitting them at the exact same time.
"We're—"
"One-hundred percent naked."
They took a moment to look at each other's bodies . . . and then they smashed their faces together.
Daphne fell backwards, as Michael put his tongue to good and enthusiastic use.
Her mouth. Her neck. Her chest. Her—
She whimpered, grasping his hair with just enough force to tell him "Keep doing whatever it is that you're doing and dontstopfortheloveofMerlin!!" This was amazing, her skin touching his, feeling him everywhere — his lips and mouth all over her body,
It was fantastic! His soft hair touched her flesh and she trembled, overwhelmed as he swirled his tongue. She clenched bed sheets, trying desperately not to grab him and disturb what he was doing to her.
Daphne had never realized the pure pleasure of bare skin touching bare skin, the awareness of the slick roughness of his tongue, the soft pads of his lips as he lavished her and embraced her with slender arms and nothing at all between them. It felt so good, so real . . . .
It was time.
"Michael," she panted. "Now!"
"Now?"
"Godric yes, now! Please!"
He lifted his body back up and hovered above her. "Oh, uh, isn't there a charm—"
She nodded swiftly. "Did it before I got here. Been doing it the last couple of times we've met."
His eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Hell yes! Always be prepared."
"Oh-okay." Michael breathed in deep. "Right," he said breathlessly. "Should I?"
She nodded.
He kept his gaze steady, making sure her hips were directly below his. Michael gave her a kiss and smiled as he dipped below and lifted up—
There was a flash in her mind, and she could hear a small voice crying out, "Don't do it! What if he has his way with you and it's just a mere shag for him? He'll leave you. You're vulnerable. He's taking advantage of you!"
But in that split second, in that infinitesimal moment that was the space dividing "everything as it was" from the frightening, unknowable future, Daphne answered that voice, her mind clear, her thoughts unambiguous and resolute.
(Stop.)
(Trust him. He loves you.)
(Believe that it's real.)
And he thrust his hips forward. Instinctively, she thrust hers toward his.
"Oh!" she moaned. She felt it. Him. Not Zabini or Nott.
But Michael Corner.
She trembled as the powerful shock of giving him full, unhesitating access to her heart and body rippled through her core.
(He's inside me.)
Daphne sucked in a breath as she felt her body surround him. There was only a moment's pain, as it had been a while since she had last done this. But it was fleeting. And when it was gone, all she could feel was—
(Amazing!)
It was good. So, so bloody good!
Her eyes found his, and she smiled, realizing she saw it, she sensed it — their connection. It was deep and strong. And real.
"Wh-wow!" Smiling in disbelief, Michael looked down at her. "Daphne," he whispered breathlessly. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"No. How does it feel?"
"Amazing."
"Happy Christmas, Michael." She bit her lip as he laughed.
"I can barely think," he said, kissing her. He smiled tremulously as his body reacted to their new physical bond.
"Don't think. Move."
He nodded, and he did . . . .
And two minutes and twenty-five seconds later, it was all over.
Michael Corner lay flat on his back, his eyes glassy and his body covered with sweat.
"I never, ever thought anything could top, y'know, that day in the Astronomy Tower," he whispered into the air. "But this? We – had – sex!" He ran his hands over his sweaty face and propped himself up on his arm. "Was it good? Did I do all right? Daphne—"
He leaned over to her. "Did you, y'know, feel it? Did you have one?"
She turned her head and gave him the biggest grin.
Too big.
(No questions. No questions. No questions.)
(I am not going to be Little Miss Bringdown!)
"Fabulous Michael! You were great. Spectacular even!"
Michael's face fell. "You didn't, did you?" He flopped backwards onto the bed.
She gave him a mollifying expression. "It still felt good."
"But both of us should have had one!"
"Michael," she said, hoping to placate him, "it's your first time. We might have to do it a few times and build up your stamina, eh?" She playfully poked him in the stomach, but he continued to pout.
"Stamina? But we did it for what? Ten minutes, right?"
She couldn't help it. She let out a hearty guffaw. "Ten?! Are we counting in dog years?"
His mouth dropped open. "Dog years?" He bounded on her, and Daphne giggled when he growled, nudging her with his head, tickling her between her shoulder and neck.
And then he reached down beneath the bed, grabbed his wand, and performed cleaning charms on her before Daphne could say another word.
"Er, Michael?"
He dropped his wand and gazed at her. "It's your turn."
"Oh? Are you sure?"
"Uh-huh."
"I mean, if you're tired—"
He shrugged. "Maybe," Michael kissed one cheek and then the other, "I should tell you," he kissed her forehead, "what I was thinking about doing to you." He grinned, leaned down and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened.
He gazed at her with fiery eyes. Slowly, his hand travelled back down her body, finding her legs, her inner thighs. Her—
(!!!)
She moaned again as he began touching her with a slow rhythm. She lifted her hips into the air and shook with ever increasing heat.
"Daphne, one thing you should know about me," Michael murmured, kissing her before his head made its slow progress down towards utter bliss, "is that I'm a thorough bloke."
Afterwards, Daphne found herself agreeing with him. Thoroughly.
Ginny never thought she would be so happy to see King's Cross. In years' past, there had always been a lingering pang to leave Hogwarts, to say good-bye to her friends and her boyfriends if she had one.
This evening, the beginning of Christmas holiday, Ginny was the first to step off the Hogwarts' Express. And she started running.
She felt her feet pounding on the concrete. She ignored the rows of Ministry "officials" dress in Death Eater garb standing with their wands pressed to their forearms. She didn't see anything in front of her, but she ran and she didn't look back, letting her trunk fall on the floor of Platform 9 ¾.
She threw herself right into the arms of her father.
"Dad!" Ginny didn't try to stop the tears of relief, of happiness from falling. She closed her eyes and smiled as Arthur Weasley, in an obvious state of relief himself, picked her up off the ground.
"Gingersnap," he whispered and kissed the top of her head. He pulled apart from her and took hold of her shoulders. "You're all right," he sighed, his hand pushing back her hair, checking her face and her arms for scars and bruises. And then he smacked his head. "Oh, for the love of Merlin! Security questions. I forgot!"
She chuckled. "What is your dearest ambition?"
Arthur smiled. "To find out how airplanes stay in the air."
She felt a tap on her shoulders and she turned around. Her face exploded with happiness when she spied who it was.
"What was the name that Fred and George gave your stuffed bear when you were five years old?"
Ginny bounced on the balls of her feet, desperate to throw her arms around him. She answered the security question in a rush, managing to get out the long-form answer in one breath. "Ronald – McPoopyPants – Terwillikers – Bear – also – affectionately – known – as – Ronnie – McPoopyPants! Bill!" She jumped up as high as she could, clinging onto her eldest brother and squeezing the life force out of him.
"Merlin, Gin. When the hell did you start hugging like Mum?"
He let her go and she swatted him. "Stop it."
"Hey, don't I get some love too? Y'know, as your favourite brother?"
Ginny gaped at the stockier, brawny redheaded man approaching her, his arms extended. She could just make out his large dragon tattoo on his right arm.
"No! Charlie?" She barely gave him a chance to speak before stampeding towards him and hugging him until he choked. "What the hell're you doing here?" She broke the embrace and stared at him, hardly believing she was standing here, on the platform, surrounded by Weasleys.
Charlie cocked an eyebrow at his dad. "Are we just ignoring the whole security question thing now?" He looked at Ginny and sniffed the air above her. "'Cause this one smells like a Death Eater!'" He winked and she gave him a playful smack.
Arthur looked at him flatly. "We are not giving up the security questions, although I'll let it slide, Ginny. Just this once. Charlie was never out of our sights. But you need to remember to ask those questions from now on."
"Yes Dad," Ginny said, smiling more broadly than she had in ages. She felt another pair of eyes on her.
Xenophilius Lovegood peered over his pince-nez and smiled broadly at her. "Hello young Miss Weasley!" He held out her hand for her to shake. "I am so glad to see you, my dear! And my!" He bobbed his head, his red fez balanced precariously on top of his mound of frizzy hair. "It's a relief that the school has not brought down your zest for life!"
He pumped her arm so hard, Ginny thought he would shake it right off.
"Well, I'd thank your daughter for that, Mr. Lovegood."
"Please call me Xenophilius or Xeno! Our families are practically neighbours, and we've known each other now for quite some time. I know Luna considers you her best friend."
She responded with a wide grin of her own. "Luna is the best!"
"Mr. Lovegood and Luna will be travelling with us back to Ottery St. Catchpole." Arthur said. "Xeno, I wish we could invite you over for dinner at some point, but Ron's condition—"
Xenophilius waved his hand. "Tut tut, Arthur! Spattergroit can be a nasty affliction. Luna's Uncle Filibert had a nasty bout that lasted for over a year. I do wish young Ronald the best!"
Arthur looked at his two oldest sons; Ginny noticed a subtle wink passed between all three wizards, although for reasons unknown to her, Bill and Charlie blushed furiously.
"Ah! Young Charles," Xenophilius said. "Might I inquire a moment about a matter that I've been curious about?"
Charlie was about to nod but Xenophilius, far too excited to wait, asked him, "When you're working on the dragon reserve, do you encounter much trouble with Flame-Retardant Ferrets? I know they're particularly pesky creatures and can be quite the pest during dragon mating and egg-laying seasons."
Ginny and Bill both had to stifle a hearty guffaw as Charlie struggled to say something. "I've got absolutely no idea how to answer that, Mr. Lovegood."
Xenophilius patted him on the back. "It's a difficult situation, Charles. A difficult one indeed!"
"Oh, Mr. Lovegood, sir," Ginny said, tapping on his arm. "I see Luna coming now."
Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom were both stepping out of the train. Neville stayed back, searching for his gran, but Luna spotted them instantly. She gave them a big wave.
"Ah, my little Luna-beam! She looks so happy."
And she did indeed. Luna had shared a compartment with the rest of the Gryffindor D.A. members and after setting up several Privacy Charms, they managed to work out on some strategies, as well as an ever-growing list of football and Quidditch cheers adapted to support Harry Potter. Daphne had managed to stop by during her patrols to join the discussions, albeit briefly. Although Ginny had noticed she seemed loopier and far more giggly than she was normally.
(For that matter, Michael seemed to be in a similar state of bliss.)
(Ew!)
"Never give up!" Luna had said, right before the train came to a stop at King's Cross. "No matter how dark things get. And always smile. That's something my mother told me when I was nine, and I've kept it close to my heart ever since."
Ginny waved right back at her, spying Neville just past Luna's shoulders as he pointed somewhere to his right, apparently having spotted Augusta Longbottom.
She cupped her mouth like a bullhorn. "Luna! You're coming—"
Suddenly, a dark robed sentry stepped right in front of her, holding a piece of paper in his hands. "You are Luna Lovegood." It was not a question.
Ginny stopped breathing. Behind her, she heard Xenophilius move.
"What's going . . . why is that man talking to my daughter?" It was the first time she had ever heard Xenophilius sound frightened. There was a growing current of anger in his voice; subtle, but Ginny did not miss it. He shoved past the Weasleys and started walking towards his daughter.
Everything seemed to stop on the platform, except for sentry and Luna. Neville turned back around, fury building in his eyes. Augusta, too had joined him, and she watched the scene unfold, a mix of horror and disgust crossing her face. A stream of older Ravenclaws, including Michael, Terry, Anthony, Padma and Morag MacDougal, looked on, helpless as the Death Eater grabbed Luna roughly by her shoulders. More students poured out of the train as a chorus of yelling drew the crowd.
"Sir, please! I'm not sure what I've done—"
The Death Eater smacked her across the face. "Shut your mouth!"
Ginny gasped. Arthur, Bill and Charlie all mobilized and started moving forward. Arthur, however, turned around and pointed at his second oldest son.
"Charlie, take your sister back to the Burrow! Bill, come with me."
Charlie nodded and he returned to Ginny without argument, picking up her trunk.
"C'mon, Gin! You heard Dad."
"Dad!" Ginny yelled at him. "I'm not leaving you here!"
"Not now, Ginevra!" The look on Arthur's face killed any response she might've had. "Go with your brother!"
"Gin, he's not going to be swayed," Charlie had a hand on her arm and was pulling him along with her. She hissed in frustration, but she kept her eyes and ears open as long as she possibly could.
Just as they were about to depart the train station, she could hear the booming voice of the sentry who had hit Luna, "Miss Lovegood, you are hereby ordered to accompany us to the Ministry of Magic to be interrogated and detained."
She saw the figures of her father and Bill talking fast, pleading with the Ministry officials. And as Xenophilius approached them, another sentry came up from behind and whacked him across the shoulders. People shouted and gasped and yelled as they started binding Xenophilius' hands behind him, in front of his daughter's silvery eyes.
Almost three hours after Ginny and Charlie arrived home, Arthur and Bill finally made it back with Daphne in tow.
"They've arrested Luna and Xeno." Arthur said solemnly, as he removed his winter robes and accepted a big embrace from Molly Weasley — as well as a bowl of stew, freshly made that evening.
"On what grounds are they holding Luna of all people?" Molly asked him, horrified.
"On the grounds that Luna 'has engaged in and/or assisted with seditious activities in opposition to the Ministry'. They think she's been helping her father by providing him material for The Quibbler."
Ginny and Daphne gave each other looks; they lowered their heads and focused on their respective stew bowls.
"Xeno was arrested under the actual Sedition Decree. He's always thought it was a matter of time before they finally got him. But he wasn't expecting them to actually take Luna as well."
Molly shook her head as she placed glasses of pumpkin juice and hot chocolate in front of Arthur, Daphne and Bill. "Merlin bless that man! He's the only one of the whole wizarding press who has the courage to write the truth."
Charlie had shovelled a large amount of bread and stew at the same time into his mouth. "'E's publish' th' 'nonymuses 'ticles—"
"For heaven's sake, Charlie! How old are you?" Molly swatted him with her big wooden spoon. "Swallow your food and then talk!"
Charlie did and he opened his mouth again. "He's been publishing those 'Nonnie Mouse' articles. You know, The Sedition Act." He snorted and laughed.
Daphne and Ginny both slurped their stew broth very loudly.
"They're drop-dead hysterical, but those articles, along with all the pro-Harry Potter material — it's a wonder that they didn't get to him before." Charlie chuckled again as he drank his pumpkin juice.
"I honestly don't know how he managed to either," Arthur sipped his chocolate. "Xeno told me that, as editor, he could modify some of the more incendiary pieces by removing words like 'fact' and replacing them with 'in this writer's opinion', or 'it's possible'." Arthur shrugged. Xeno also played up some of the humour of the pieces; if the Ministry pressed him, he could say that the articles were meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. Very few have ever taken The Quibbler seriously, although its readership since the coup has skyrocketed."
"Those Sedition Acts were some of the funniest things I've ever read." Bill said, raising his mug of cocoa.
Daphne blushed but remained quiet.
"Not to mention accurate, from the looks of it," he continued. "There's been a really good response to it on Potterwatch."
"You're still broadcasting that?" Ginny's eyes alighted. "We caught one of the broadcasts. When you were on!"
"Yeah. We about lost it when we heard your voice, Roar," Daphne said, winking at him.
It was Bill's turn to blush. "Yeah. That was one of the twin's brightest ideas to date. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control," he said, coughing, "I've been unable to participate in other broadcasts. Hey Dad, do you have any theories about why the Ministry's arresting Xeno now? And why they'd take someone as harmless as Luna?"
Ginny peered at her eldest brother; there was a flush creeping up his neck. She got the distinct impression that he had just changed the subject.
When she looked over at Charlie, he was furiously glugging his stew. And turning as red as an apple.
Something was going on, and whatever it was, Bill and Charlie were keeping it from the family.
"I believe the Ministry took Luna," Arthur offered, "to put pressure on Xeno to stop publishing things like The Sedition Act and the paper's constant defending of Harry Potter. The Quibbler's been highly negative regarding the Ministry and Minister Thicknesse too; on more than one occasion, they've insinuated that Thicknesse is under the Imperius Curse."
Daphne snorted, but her blush still hadn't receded. "Well, that would explain a lot."
Arthur gave her a rueful smile. "It would indeed."
"Dad, Mum, I've got to get back to Shell Cottage."
Molly set her fork down on her dish. "Oh, Bill! Can't you stay for a little longer? You and Fleur have been spending an awful lot of time there—"
"Mum, the place is a bit of a fixer-upper. And we're just . . . sort of, er . . . we're enjoying the married life."
Charlie spluttered on another bite of his stew. Bill flashed him a wide-eyed, annoyed expression.
"Careful there, Charlie. Don't choke on your food."
Charlie smiled shakily. "Yeah . . . no. Wouldn't want to choke on this wonderful stew Mum's made."
Ginny watched the exchange, tapping her fingers on the table.
(Right. That does it!)
She got up and gave Bill a hug and kiss on the cheek. Daphne shook Bill's hand and after more goodbyes and well wishes, Bill departed for Shell Cottage.
"Mum, thank you so much for this amazing feast!" She faked a big yawn. "Oh my! I didn't realize how exhausted I was! I would stay and help clean up, but Daphne and I have had a long day—"
"Actually, Ginny, I'm not that tired—"
"And," Ginny said loudly, speaking over Daphne, "I'm not sure we can get our belongings upstairs by ourselves. Charlie, would you mind, my dear, sweet brother, helping us with our things?"
Daphne cocked her eyebrow; Charlie, however, wiped his mouth and doffed his napkin on the table. "Sure! These muscles've been aching for a little workout." He grinned and winked at both of them, flexing his arm for emphasis.
Ginny rolled her eyes. She flipped around and started up the stairs, Daphne just behind her.
Once they entered her bedroom, Charlie placed Ginny's trunk on her bed and Daphne's on hers. He was about to leave when Ginny slammed the door shut on him, locking all three inside.
"Hey! What's going—?"
"Oh, I could ask you the same thing, Charles Septimus Weasley! You and Bill both changed subjects whenever Bill started talking about anything having to do with Shell Cottage. And you were choking on your food."
Charlie gaped at her. He crossed his thick arms. "I . . . I've got no idea what you're talking about."
"Holy—!" Daphne snapped her fingers and pointed at his neck. "You're turning into a strawberry, Weasley."
"Telltale sign." Ginny grinned at Charlie smugly. "Fred and George always loved playing card games with Bill and Chuckles. They have the worst straight faces in the world. Can't bluff their way off a broomstick."
"Can too!"
"Can not! So spill. Something's up with Bill and Fleur at Shell Cottage, and it's more than just 'married life'."
"Ginny," he said, pointing at her with one very serious finger, "don't. Just don't, all right? It doesn't concern you. I shouldn't even know about it—"
He cringed and did a little angry hop. "Dammit! Just shut it." He balled up his fist and patted it rapidly against his mouth. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
"Charlie, is it Bill and Fleur?" Daphne asked. "They're doing all right, aren't they?"
He nodded. "Oh yeah. They're doing just fine. Great actually." This time, he wasn't blushing.
"Okay, so if not them, then what . . . wait! Fleur's not pregnant, is she?"
"No. Nothing like that. But, just trust me. Leave it alone."
Ginny ignored her brother's grave expression. "You're telling me to leave it alone?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine. You leave me no choice."
"No choice about what?"
"I didn't want to resort to this, but if you're not going to tell us, then it's time for—"
She held her hands up in front of his chest, crooking her fingers like they were claws.
"No."
"Yes! It's Nipple Knobbing time." She flexed her fingers, her grin practically bloodthirsty. "And to think, my fingers were feeling rusty!"
He covered his chest with both his hands and gave her a wild look. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me." She stepped closer to him and he backed away.
"I hate Nipple Knobs!"
"I know! So 'fess up, Weasley." She kept walking towards him, her fingers curling around like little moving daggers.
"What's 'Nipple Knobs'?" Daphne asked, her eyes glued to the cowering Charlie and the advancing Ginny.
"You'll see." Ginny said — and she lunged, digging her skinny fingers into Charlie's chest, and twisting as hard as she could through his shirt. Daphne watched, laughing in horror at the scene.
"Nooo! Ow! Ouch! Ginny . . . Gin! St-stop! Gah- . . . dammit! Fuck! FUCK! I hate this! I hate this! I HATE NIPPLE KNOBS!" Charlie yelled and howled as Ginny continued to pinch and twist.
"Had enough, Weasley?" She clung onto a chunk of his chest.
"I'm . . . still . . . not . . . telling you!" Charlie's face was growing red, and it looked like he was holding his breath.
The siblings stared each other down, Ginny still grabbing Charlie's chest and pinching him with all of her might and Charlie slowly turning purple and blotchy, his eyes starting to water. He couldn't pry her off of him; she was hurting him far too much.
"You three! What's going on up there?" Molly's strident voice yelled from downstairs.
"NOTHING!" They shouted at the same time. Ginny still had a vice-like grip on Charlie.
Finally, she released him, and he fell backwards against the wall, rubbing his chest.
"Bollocks!" he exclaimed breathlessly, pulling his collar out so he could get a look at himself. "I'm gonna have bruises there in the morning!"
Ginny glared at him. "Well, maybe it'll serve you right for keeping secrets from us."
He stared at her, his face growing more and more red. But this time, he was angry. "Do you think I want to? I don't, all right? But I have to, because sometimes, there is a greater reason not to say things. Especially when everything's going to hell!"
Ginny just looked at him, angrily, for a few moments.
"And don't think I didn't notice the furtive glances, the blushing both of you did at the table tonight, every time Luna's name was mentioned . . . or when we started talking about The Sedition Act."
Ginny and Daphne flashed each other anxious expressions.
"See?" Charlie wagged his finger angrily at the two girls. "I know you two know a helluva lot more than you're letting on, but am I beating you up to get the answer?"
She pulled her mouth to the side. "No," she mumbled humbly.
"That's right, I'm not. And I'm not going to, because I don't hit girls . . . or little runts like you."
Ginny smacked him. "Not a runt. Still managed to knob you good."
Charlie glared at her, rubbing his chest. "Believe me, I'll find a way to get you back for that. So, we're square, right?"
The girls looked at each other and nodded. "We're square."
"Good. Now that I know you won't try to attack me, give me a hug before I go to bed."
He spread out his arms and Ginny embraced him. "You're staying careful, right?"
"Of course! It's me." He waved goodnight to Daphne and made for the door. Ginny unlocked it so he could leave them alone.
She finally stretched herself out and collapsed on the bed. "Think maybe if I shut my eyes and wake up tomorrow, everything that has happened since Dumbledore died might have turned out to be some horrible dream?"
Daphne snorted as she rummaged around her things. "I wish we could be so lucky." She brushed off a book from the bottom of her trunk.
"What've you got?"
Daphne held it out for her. "It's just that book about Dumbledore."
Ginny raised her eyebrow. "The thing Rita Skeeter calls a book about Dumbledore?"
"Er . . . yeah," Daphne scratched her head awkwardly. "I started it, but with all the crap that hit us this term, I stopped reading it. Maybe over the holidays I'll pick it back up."
"Is it any good?"
"Well, it's highly sensational. But I wonder if there's any truth to it. How much is honest and how much is bollocks." She gave it one last lingering glance and set it on Ginny's desk. Then she reached into her robes and pulled out her D.A. Galleon.
"What d'ya reckon? Think that we can send people messages on these coins from here?"
Ginny moved over and sat next to Daphne on the spare bed. "Might be worth a shot. Go for it."
She and Daphne sent out a message to the rest of the D.A. that Luna and her dad had been arrested. However, they didn't receive a response after a few minutes.
"Well? Why don't we call it a night, eh?" Daphne asked.
"Sure."
The girls got ready for bed. And just when Ginny slid into hers, she reached up to turn off her light.
"No!"
She stopped, her wand in the air, the tip pointed right at the glass of the old-fashioned lamp. Daphne was staring at her with rounded eyes, her own arm outstretched.
"No?"
"It's, um. . . ." Daphne struggled with something. However, before she could get it out, the Slytherin threw the bed sheets off of her.
"N-never mind. I'll just go sleep in Percy's bedroom. Like before."
It dawned on Ginny that Daphne didn't want to turn out the light. She scrambled out of her bed and slapped her palm against the door.
"Daphne, do you want to leave the light on? While we sleep?"
She looked at Ginny, not saying anything at first.
"I don't mind if we leave it on. I'll dim it a bit."
"W-well, sure. Okay." Daphne nodded vigorously. "If you need to have it on, that is."
Ginny cocked her eyebrow. "If I—"
The look in Daphne's eyes told Ginny that the Slytherin didn't want to admit that she needed a light to sleep, even at the Burrow. As far away from Hogwarts, the Carrows, and Snape as one could get. But she clearly needed something to get through the night.
With the way things had been going, so did Ginny.
She smiled at Daphne and nudged her head towards the empty bed. "No problem, Daff."
Once Daphne had reached her bed and tucked herself in, Ginny tapped her wand on the lamp. The light in the room dimmed, until a soft glow filled the space between the girls.
They fell into a fitful night's sleep.
