A/N: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter Three: Binding
Harry watched the Weasley's go about their daily routine as he sat on a tree branch outside the bounds of the Burrow's protective wards. The sun was high; it was probably noon. He had cast a powerful listening charm the night before, and had been listening to the conversations between members of the redheaded clan.
The talk mostly consisted of how the Order of the Phoenix had gone to pick Harry up from his relatives and found them murdered. Now that he was missing, they were fretting over themselves to think of places he could be or who could have taken him. Truth was, for the past few days since his conversation with Hermione, he had been at Godric's Hollow. The place had been in dire need of repair and, with a few alterations, would make an excellent home and base of operations. A renewed Fidelius charm would see that he and his allies remained undisturbed while there.
He had also felt the need to visit his parents' graves. It had been uncomfortable as he stood there not really knowing what to say. So, he simply contemplated his life and theirs before placing a wreath of various purple and white flowers in between their headstones. With his state of mind being what it was, he decided to visit Ginny and hopefully find solace in her.
Which brought him to watching the Burrow for a chance to catch Ginny by herself. He listened as they discussed what the Order planned to do with what little of Harry's possessions remained at Private Drive. He felt a pang of shame when they mentioned that Hedwig had been outside his window, waiting to be let in. She had been out hunting and, with everything that had happened that night, Harry had forgotten about her.
Ginny had apparently put her foot down when they had wanted to take his snowy owl. She now had Hedwig in her room, waiting for when Harry would be found. He was grateful to her for that.
He perked up when Molly and Arthur stated that they wanted to take the family to Diagon Alley; both for school supplies and to take their minds off of the possible whereabouts of their 'honorary' Weasley. Then he became even more interested when Ginny said that she would rather stay home. The family debated back and forth with her, but she would not budge. She insisted that she needed time alone and would not be much company since she was distraught over Harry's disappearance. Eventually, after some screaming and crying, the Weasley family relented and soon Ginny was alone.
Burgundy eyes watched curiously as Ginny made her way over to a tree stump at the edge of the property. She tapped it three times with her wand and the stump opened like a chest. Inside was a small stack of books that she lifted out and set on top of the stump. Then, she conjured a training dummy and opened one of the books. As she read, she practiced several wand movements before turning to the dummy with a look of determination.
She fired several spells and the dummy was torn to shreds before reforming. Harry's eyes widened. Those were dark curses!
"How interesting," Harry whispered, smiling. He slid off the branch and landed soundlessly. He approached the wards and they allowed him through as he did not intend to harm any of the Weasleys. Unless, of course, they gave him reason to.
Thankfully, wards did not protect against counterfactuals.
Ginny was focused on her exercises and did not see Harry approach. He watched her with some appreciation for her technique; unrefined as it was. He looked through the stack and recognized a couple of titles as books that Voldemort had read when he was a student at Hogwarts. He picked up the book that she was using and read the entry she had marked. He grinned.
"Well, you have been quite naughty Ginny," he stated. He stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a curse. He glanced up and the redhead gasped.
"Harry?" Ginny asked breathless. "I'm so sorry, I thought..."
Then she noticed his skin, his eyes, lack of glasses, and lack of scar.
"You thought what, Ginny?" Harry asked. "Had I been one of your family members, how would you have explained yourself?"
"I..."
A shriek cut her off and Harry turned to look behind him. A garden gnome had been hit with the curse intended for him; its flesh dripped down its face until only a skull remained. The gnome's body fell and its skull rolled away, stopping at Harry's feet. The dark wizard gave the young Weasley a blank stare. She had the decency to blush.
"Well," Harry said. "That happened."
"Sorry,"
"No need, I am unharmed and I admire your ability to cast such a spell. Speaking of which, when did your flirtation which dark magic begin?"
"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours," Ginny replied. "What happened to you?"
"Perhaps this conversation would be better had over a light lunch and some tea," Harry reached out and offered his hand to her. She hesitated and he smiled. "I would never harm you Ginny. It is me and if you will allow me, I may be able to put you at ease...or not. I am unsure how you will respond to what I have to say," she took his hand.
"So am I,"
"Then we will be unsure together," Harry laughed and Ginny smiled.
They made their way inside and Ginny quickly fixed them a couple of sandwiches and a kettle of tea. As she moved around the kitchen, Harry admired her beauty. He felt a small tinge of red grace his cheeks. He scowled at himself. That would simply not be becoming of a future dark lord. So, he waited until she was finished and hummed in contentment as she sat at the table.
Ginny smiled at the young wizard across from her. She had noticed his embarrassment and was glad to know that, whatever had happened to him, he was still her Harry on some level.
"Thank you for keeping Hedwig for me," Harry shook his head. "I'm sure she is furious."
"She'll just be glad to see you again," Ginny said. "So, why don't you tell me what happened?"
Harry proceeded to relate to her everything that had happened. He briefly considered omitting the murders of his relatives and his blackmailing Hermione, but he simply could not bring himself to lie to her. If she was to love him, then she would love him as he was. She had sat in silence as he spoke; deep in thought. When he finished, she sighed and doodled on the table with her fingernail for a couple of minutes.
"I've been practicing dark magic since my first year at Hogwarts," she admitted. "Well, the end of my first year anyway."
"After I saved you in the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes," Ginny's lips tightened. "You know that I was possessed by the diary. It was my first taste of dark magic. After I was released, I wanted more."
"How did you satisfy your need?" Harry asked. "I can't imagine that Molly and Arthur would be supportive of your new found hobby."
"No," Ginny replied. "As I said, I wanted more of the feelings I had when Tom possessed me. So, I slowly started researching. I used Fred and George as a distraction so I could get into the Restricted Section in the library. They never knew what it was that I was really doing. They just thought I was looking for a thrill, which they were happy to accommodate."
Harry smiled at that.
"They were probably just happy to wreak merry havoc," he chuckled. Ginny giggled.
"Soon, opportunities to sneak into the Restricted Section became scarce, with Sirius escaping, the Triwizard Tournament, Umbridge's Inquisition, dating you, and plan ol' lack of time. I had to keep up with the regular classwork as well. It got pretty grueling sometimes."
"I can imagine," Harry said taking her hand in his. She blushed, but continued with her story.
"So, in between school years, I would get the twins to help me sneak off when we went to Diagon Alley. I'd take what little I could get up and buy one book on dark magic from Knockturn Alley's various bookshops," She frowned. "That is why my collection is still so small."
"Small, yet impressive," Harry commented. "A few of your books are books that Voldemort himself read while he was still learning."
"It's almost maddening," Ginny said, looking into his eyes. "I crave dark magic. There are times where I think of nothing else."
Harry smirked. He pushed a little bit of his aura toward her and watched in satisfaction as she trembled slightly. A little more and she grabbed the edge of the table.
"Is something wrong?" He asked innocently. Her breathing had become unsteady and she shook her head in confusion.
"That feels..."
"Yes?"
"That feels like Tom," Ginny groaned as her body was flooded with Harry's aura. "Harry...please...I'm baring my soul to you."
"Indeed," Harry said, rising. He closed the distance between the redhead and himself, embracing her to his chest. She looked up at him in awe, as if seeing him for the first time. Dark magic swirled around them, causing a rush of electricity to shoot through Ginny's body. Her hair stood on end and goosebumps ran across her skin.
"What are you doing?"
"I am claiming you," Harry brushed his lips against hers. "You are mine Ginerva Weasley. Now and forever. I was afraid of you being hurt before, but I am more powerful than I could have imagined. You crave dark magic? I can give it to you. I can train you to use the blackest of curses and you can aid me in this war that is to come."
"I refuse to be anyone's puppet," Ginny said defiantly.
"Puppet?" Harry laughed. "No, certainly not that!"
Their lips met again. This time the kiss deepened and Ginny gave herself over the power that raged through her. A million thoughts rose up against what Harry was doing to her, but as quickly as they rose, they were crushed in a cascade of darkness. Then images and thoughts flooded her mind. Harry was pouring the whole of himself into her!
On Harry's end, Ginny's thoughts, feelings, and memories were flowing through his mind. Their spirits were becoming intertwined and their souls touched. They heard the sound of glass shattering and wood splitting apart. Ginny clutched at Harry's robes. He pulled her tighter against him.
Soon, the vortex of darkness encasing them dissipated and they were left in a simple embrace. Ginny rested her head against Harry, not daring to move for fear that she would fall. Harry ran his fingers through her hair. A new level of awareness now existed between them.
"I know you...I mean...I really know you," Ginny said breathlessly.
"As I said, I claimed you as my own," Harry replied, smiling. "I didn't just want it to be one sided though, so I opened up the channel between our essences. Now, I am yours as well."
"I've never felt anything like this," the redhead laughed. "I feel...words cannot describe what I'm feeling right now, but I do know that I love you Harry Potter, more than anything."
"Words are superfluous," Harry kissed her and she melted. "You know I love you, Ginny."
"That is what separates you from Tom," Ginny said. "Even as dark as your emotions are, they are pure and sincere." She closed her eyes. "You've ruined me, Harry. If there was any chance I could be cured of my addiction to darkness..."
"Does this trouble you?"
"No, part of me just wishes that I had a choice,"
"I'm sorry, my dear," Harry stroked her cheek and smiled sadly. "but once you revealed that particular side of yourself to me, I had to exploit it; you do understand though. I made sure of that."
"That you did,"
A pleasant silence settled between them. Ginny looked around them and sighed. The windows were shattered. Glass and wood were scattered around them like a halo of destruction. She did not know how much damage was done to the Burrow, but she knew that it would take some time to repair, even with magic.
"I have no plans to leave you here," Harry stated.
"I know," Ginny grinned. "Still, I feel bad about leaving my family like this."
"Come," Harry approached the stairs. "Let's get Hedwig and make our way to Godric's Hollow. They will be fine without you, at least for now. We will see them again, I assure you."
Ginny gathered her supplies. There was no need to let her family know about her hobby yet. She thought that she would allow them to believe in their daughter's innocence until it became absolutely necessary to reveal herself to them.
When she made it to her room, Harry had Hedwig on his arm, stroking her feathers soothingly and whispering something to her. The owl hooted softly, pleased to be with her master once again. Harry looked at Ginny and for a brief instant, it was as if things were back to normal. The dark wizard's smile was infectious and Ginny returned it full force.
"I am sending Hedwig to Hermione to wait for her answer," Harry said. "Hopefully, she will respond soon. Until then, there are plans that need to be put into motion."
"I will help in anyway I can,"
"You will have your part to play, my love." Harry gave Hedwig one final stroke of his fingers before sending her off to Hermione. "Ginny, I have to make sure you understand what will be required in this war that is to come."
"I am ready, Harry."
"Are you? Are you ready to have to murder those who oppose us? I'm not just referring to Death Eaters. I'm talking about our friends who we either can't persuade or refuse to be persuaded. The people we've known and loved...including your own family if it should come to that. I've connected you to me without your choice, but I am giving you this choice. You do not have to participate in that way if you do not think you can."
Ginny huffed and narrowed her eyes at Harry. She folded her arms across her chest.
"Harry, you should know through our bond that I am prepared to kill and die for you. Would hurting those I love be indescribably terrible? Yes. Will I if necessary? Also, yes. For you and because I cannot resist the call of the darkness. Not just the darkness that you placed in me, but that I had already given into long before this. So stop being so noble; it doesn't suit you, not now."
Harry seized her into his arms and kissed her with all the passion he could muster. Electricity passed between them once again and an exchange of emotions neither would have been able to describe flowed through them. They separated and shared a knowing look. There would not and could not be secrets between them. Everything they were was laid out on the table.
"I am sorry if I upset you, but some parts of me have refused to die, including a certain nobility in my character; at least, in regards to you."
"This bond we share. It was not established out of nobility, but out of your own desire to have me. If you can, cast that part of you aside. I do not need it. I am yours in every sense, so you do not have to ask me anything. All you have to do is say it and it will be done by my choice. Even without the bond, I would have chosen this and I do choose it."
"Binding you to me certainly made it an easier choice to make, I am sure," Harry laughed, returning to himself. "Thank you."
"You're most definitely welcome, Harry," Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Now, all that is out of the way. Take me away from here. It's time to move on and I'm ready to begin this new life."
"As you wish," Harry closed his eyes and smiled. A black mist began to form around their feet. It slowly encircled them, caressing Ginny lovingly as it rose. Soon they were encased in it and it lingered for a brief moment before suddenly vanishing them away.
When the Weasleys returned later that day, they found the Burrow broken and empty.