Chapter 21 - Ginny, I love you

Harry was jumping from border to border without thinking or stopping. Guards shouted in his direction trying to halt him, but they were only a flicker in the corner of his eye soon disappeared as he was throwing some other floopowder in the fire shouting the name of the following country, there was only the next border in front of him, and the next, and the next in an interminable succession of countries and outraged shouts of protest in foreign languages he couldn't comprehend.
He was mildly aware all this hectic transportation was rendering him sick, but it seemed as though it wasn't him the one getting sick but another person sharing his body. The real him was only focused on one goal, get to Ginny.
He hadn't halted to reflect on what to do or what he was going to do once there, he only must get there. His mind was engulfed of ghastly visions with the same tint of his graveyard-nightmares. He had lived so many times this moment he couldn't count, the same powerlessness was there, like swimming against the tide, all this borders, all this time lost while the awareness of what was happening there was giving him no respite. Every second it weighted on him like an hour and yet he couldn't move any faster. Ginny was screaming in agony, and he was still so far. His nightmares were mingling with reality terrorizing him with the notion that in not even one of those he had managed to save her.
Blindly he strode through a border more, somebody got hold of him yelling something, he soaked a face to get free and he was shouting the name of the next country.

'Leave your wand on the floor and push it toward me'
854 was in the middle of the room. Signs of a fight were surrounding him. Piece of furniture smashed or overturned and traces of blood here and there. Ginny had clearly putted up a fight. 854's garments were torn, and he was sporting a broken nose and scratches on his arms and face, but he was standing with his wand pointed toward Harry and Ginny's one in his pocket. He had lost Harry's features and exactly the same face as the foe glass was staring at him.
Ginny was some feet from him sprawled on the floor. Her face was covered by untangled hair, and she was bleeding, but it was difficult to understand from where; her nightshirt was stained and dishevelled and her skin was covered with red bruises and scuffs.
She was completely still and seeing her so emaciated Harry found himself petrified by shock, quickly followed by terror.
'Leave your wand on the floor and push it toward me' 854 repeated.
His expression was stern, but it was possible to detect a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes looking at Harry's shocked expression.
The sound of the wizard's voice awakened him and with a tone barely audible he asked, 'What did you do to her?'
854 hearing this question affected a laugh 'Use your imagination. Think the worst and make it twice as bad. I always found that imagination works so much better than a boring recital' And turning back serious he added 'Now, I don't want to repeat this again. Leave your wand on the floor and push it toward me' he ordered marking every word concisely 'Otherwise somebody is going to get even more hurt' and saying this he moved his wand from Harry to Ginny 'If you try any funny business, if you give me so much as a scrape of reason, I won't hit you but her. Is that clear?'
Harry nodded and without any other resistance, dropped his wand on the floor and pushed it to him. He didn't think for a moment to do anything else; he couldn't risk it with Ginny in that condition. He was reflecting on a way to prevail on the wizard without a wand, not because he was a Death Eater, nor because he was dangerous, nor for revenge; to him that wizard was invisible, he was only a barrier that forbidden him to get to Ginny. His gaze was continually moving on where she lay trying to understand if she was breathing, hoping to see a slight movement that would mark her as alive.
854 stooped down to pick Harry's wand. He inspected it interested 'Nice' he said brushing his fingers on it 'It must be Olivander. They were good wands. Mine was from there too I believe. The wizard I got it from seemed well off' he remarked pocketing it beside Ginny's one 'Shame I need to use this one now. It seems the friendliest' he frowned nodding to the wand in his hand.
Harry wasn't listening to him but was observing each and every of his movement trying to detect a soft spot any lowering of his guard. Although his mind was obfuscated by the impulse of running to Ginny, every second was vital. He couldn't waste any.
'Unfortunately, mine is still in Azkaban' the wizard continued 'Shame... It was…'
'Is she alive?' Harry interjected frustrated. He had no intention whatsoever to listen to his stupid ranting while Ginny was bleeding on the floor.
854 seemed for a moment irked at being interrupted but then smiled shiftily 'I'm sure I have no idea. Shall we check?' he asked moving some steps toward her.
'Don't touch her!' Harry snarled all his body contracting in an effort not to spring but at the same moment ready to spring anytime.
854 halted and then, slowly, arching his eyebrows smirked 'Are we jumpy, are we? I don't think you are in any position of telling me what I can or cannot do. Anyway, since I feel particularly well disposed and I touched her enough for today, I won't' and tilting his head on one side and booming in a broad smile 'You can thank me now'
Harry felt a searing hate gutting him and he knew at that moment that he could have killed the man. Mercilessly, no pity standing in the way. He could have killed him, and he would have relished the act. For the first time in his life, he was sure that having the use of his wand the Avada spell would have spurred from it strong and without impediment, because you must mean an Unforgivable curse and he meant it whole heartedly.
854 not receiving an answer sobered and steading again his wand toward Ginny repeated darkly 'I said you can thank me'
'Thank you' Harry muttered quickly clenching his fists.
The wizard, hearing it, brightened 'No problem. I've always been kind of noble at heart… You know, once the Dark Lord gave me a mission…' Harry had barely the patience to listen to his rant, but the attention of the wizard was diverted from him in the recounting giving him an opportunity that Harry decided to seize.
He sprinted and lunged on 854.
The wizard, surprised by Harry's sudden physical attack, staggered for a split second giving him time to give him a nudge against the broken nose strong enough, he hoped, to make him lose consciousness. He stooped on him crawled on the floor to get his wand but as he was about to seize it from his pocket, 854, who hadn't lost consciousness at all, shouted 'CRUCIO'.
Harry winced ready to feel that excruciating pain, but it didn't arrive. Instead, a red gossamer hit Ginny straight in the chest and a prolonged piercing scream left her lips as she crouched on herself, all her body twitching.
That scream shattered in Harry everything: his control over himself, his hate for 854 and his power of thinking. Yelling her name, he darted toward her. The wizard didn't try to stop him, still crawled on the floor, keeping the free hand on his bloody face, only laughed heartily without lowering his wand from where the red light was fading.
Harry dropped on his knees on her side, scooping her twitching body up. He freed the bruised face from her hair, her eyes were closed. She wasn't responding to his touch. Her face, her hair, that moment, reminded him so much of another similar event of three years previously that rendered him numb with dread, but, unlike that time, he perceived with some relief her breathing, weak but nevertheless there.
'I'm here, Ginny. Don't worry, it'll be fine' he murmured, his voice slightly shaking, kissing her forehead.
The wizard hearing this, despite still keeping a hand on the nose, clearly in pain, burst out laughing. He advanced keeping his wand pointed on them 'You are funny! What make you think that? It's so obvious it won't be. At least not for you, nor for her' He continued shrugging his shoulders insouciantly 'You have been really stupid, but I've been even more stupid, I grant you. However, I've learned my lesson as you have learned yours, I guess. You don't mess with me. Now stand back'
But Harry didn't budge, he was not going to stand back whatever it took. He only kept her pinned in his arms crouching to shield her as much as possible with his body.
The wizard repeated his injunction and not seeing Harry complying, he folded his arms and grunted 'Why must you force me to be nasty? We could enjoy ourselves so much better if you stood back'
Harry didn't answer, all his mental efforts focused on protecting Ginny. He knew help was going to come, he didn't know when, but it must come. He only needed to find a way to keep Ginny safe until then.
854 walked to the table where there was a bottle, he poured some of the content in a glass and then slouched on the couch observing them coldly. He toyed with glass making the golden liquid in the inside swaying circularly.
'I don't care about your bitch of a wife. It's you I want to see dead' he said after a while taking a sip of the glass' content 'Ten years I spent in that shithole!' he growled 'Nothing will make amend for that!' he yelled angrily smashing the glass on the floor.
Harry hadn't moved, he was only slightly caressing Ginny's head as to reassure her. But she was unconscious. And all he was actually doing was trying to reassure himself. He was on cue for any noise, for any chance to escape, carefully weighting every possibility.
Desapparition was impossible and no noise could be heard from the outside. The wizard had done everything properly. It was the first thing realised getting in the house. Even the fire had been barred to avoid the entrance of any other wizard but him.
When he had seen his doppelganger in Ginny's room from the fire in his office, it had taken him a few seconds to grasp the meaning of it and when finally, it got through, the sheer panic that took possession of him didn't even give him the chance to plan something concrete. He only wanted to go to her.
The Auror in him strove to form a plan in the confusion, trying to placate the impulse to jump into the fire straight away. He must warn somebody, it was unthinkable to go without doing it despite the injunction received. But the office was empty, Elisabeth somewhere in the Ministry and every other Auror out. A Patronus would have been the best solution, but he found utterly uncapable to cast one, the clock was ticking, and Ginny surely being tortured, he didn't have the time to concentrate on some happy thought, there were none in his head. He must go, there was no time, nor concentration enough for a plan. The Auror was only strong enough to make him grasp a paper, write the address and only one sentence 'He has got Ginny', it was left on the floor close to the fireplace.
That was the only thing he had managed to do before to step into the fire. Hopefully Elisabeth would have passed by his office to bide goodbye before to go home and hopefully she would have spotted the paper.
Every of his hope was standing on this shacking ground.
He only needed to find a way to keep Ginny safe until then. To overcome the wizard seemed impossible. He had burnt his chance and now he had Ginny in his arms couldn't contemplate to let her go. He couldn't relinquish that fragile body that nestled unconscious against him, it was unthinkable. He ought to protect her. He couldn't run the risk of her receiving any other curse. She was already too weak to bear it. Never, like at that moment, it struck him how small and frail she was, disappearing almost completely in his arms.
He was keeping her tightly trying to transfer to her some of his strength, trying to gather some more for himself sure of what it was about to come.
854 had slumped back against the sofa with a sullen expression 'I can console myself somehow though. I'll be famous for one thing. Everybody will fear my name after I've killed you. I will be mentioned in any textbook as the powerful wizard who killed Harry Potter'
He paused in consideration 'But you'll agree with me that I still deserve some pay back for those ten years of life lost, don't you think?'
He had spoken those words almost lazily, the hand with his wand laying listlessly beside him. Concluding his speech, he raised it only slightly 'We can start I dare say. A Crucio for every year to start with and then we will see. I can heal you enough to keep going for a while or at least to witness what I'll do to your bitch once you won't be able to move any more. What do you think of it? You can beg me any time to stop though, and I'll consider it' he said and, without waiting for an answer, he imparted the wand a little flick.
Harry felt a spasmodic pain trespassing all his body; his bones seemed on fire, his muscles snapping, his brain swelling on the verge of explosion. It was an annihilating pain that made him contract against. It was a torture he had experienced before, however, he could remember very well the memory of the pain but not the actual pain, hence it hit as strong as ever, exactly as when fifteen he had confronted Voldemort in the graveyard. It was that moment all over again.
When it stopped, Harry was wheezing heavily endeavouring to build a barrier to be ready for the next.
'Are you going to beg me now?' 854 asked without changing his affected boredom and, not receiving any answer from Harry, heaved a deep sigh 'Alright, you asked for it'
And another flick marked another shattering torture, always the same but always different in the devastating effect over his body. This time it lasted so long than brought up a strong retching that made him throw some yellow bile out on the floor, fits of cough and vomit gave him no respite, heaving heavily he was trying to stop it to get back straight away in his armour, to be prepared for the next.
The wizard stood up and walked slowly toward them. He stopped far enough no to be grasped and stooped down to be on their level reclining his head on one side.
'You know, it is rather stupid of you not to do as I asked. I'll kill you alright, but you are making it long and painful with your stubbornness. What's worse, when you are out, I'll be so pissed off by your refusal to comply that I will take it on your whore, and I'll do my best to give her an excruciating death. Is this what you want?'
He paused while Harry was trying to master his coughing clenching Ginny tightly.
'If you beg me now, I'll kill only you. She doesn't need to die you know…'
Harry wasn't that naïve; he knew he couldn't trust him. If he let go of Ginny now, he was sure 854 would have tortured and ultimately killed her under his eyes because the goal of the wizard was clear; he only wanted to see him suffer as much as possible before to finally kill him. It was like Voldemort in every of his nightmares with the only difference that now he wouldn't have let anything happen to her. Never, in his slumber, he had the power to protect the loved ones, now he could, and he wasn't going to stand back. However, it was also true he was nevertheless about to die leaving Ginny to his mercy. But he would have died protecting her and that made all the difference.
The wizard sighed melodramatically 'As you want. Have it your own way. It is also mine anyway, in the end'
And the agony started again and again, long, excruciating; his brain frying, his bones cracking, his muscles melting, and it would stop for a second to start again even stronger and Harry was endeavouring with all his might not to pass out. He must not, otherwise Ginny would have been in danger. He must die. He must cling on to consciousness forcing himself to die. To protect her. It was the only way to save her. Only by this mean the wizard wouldn't have been able to touch her after his death. She would have been safe from him.
That piece of old magic had worked for his mum and now, he was sure, it was going to work for him.
He only needed to be strong and bear it consciously until the very end.
The wizard was chatting away between a curse and the other, but Harry was barely hearing him, all his focus on remaining vigil. Shaken by retching, his stomach was empty, there was nothing else to vomit. A repressed cough was quaking him, but he kept his mouth clenched not to scream, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing him screaming, it was going to be a silent passing.
He could hear like from very far away 854 offering him an Avada if only he'd beg to be killed.
It would have been wonderful to get one, having it over quickly and painlessly, it seemed a blessing, but he wasn't willing to give in only to make him gloat some more. He was dying at his terms.
And it hit again, triggering the umpteen retching but he kept his mouth shut that filled with a liquid ferrous taste, he gulped it down, but it was to no avail, it would pour again in it. Lukewarm, sticky rivulets were trickling down from his ears and nose. Perhaps somewhere somebody was laughing, he wasn't sure, he couldn't stop trembling.
His limbs were getting numb not allowing him to keep a grip on Ginny who slipped from his arms and sagged on the floor, he did the same but tried to keel over her in a last attempt to shield her.
And he knew the end was coming, he could feel it. He knew the next curse was going to be it. He knew that the last seconds of his life were sliding away; he had no strength left, no power over his own body, his mind confused. But there was something floating over the confusion, a last thing was surviving strenuously.
He parted his lips letting the blood, that was filling his mouth, gush out, and opened his eyes to be able to look at Ginny. He wanted to caress her, but his hands wouldn't respond, his sight was blurred allowing him only to discern her red hair, so what he couldn't see, he pictured it and saw a pretty, cheerful Ginny with her golden cat eyes, her freckles and the cupid arch on her upper lip. She was smiling at him, and it was to her that he dedicated his last waking thought.
'Ginny, I love you' he murmured with all of what of his voice was left, hoping she would hear.
And then it was only a searing pain and nothing more.