Trigger Warnings:
Schizophrenia-like symptoms
References to paedophilia

Ginny sat curled up on her bed ecstatically reading and re-reading a letter from Bill. She didn't know how he had managed it but he had persuaded Mum and Dad to allow her to stay with him in Egypt again this summer. Apparently, Egypt was the best place for her after the trauma of this year. Trauma was definitely one word for finding out that your brother's pet rat was a homicidal paedo... She could hardly disagree that she needed the sands of Egypt but it meant that she wouldn't see Luna or Colin until September. At least it was better than the Burrow. There was no way she could manage to live under her Mum's suffocation for a whole summer and not lose her shit.
Colin and Luna were as understanding as ever. They had been inseparable over the last few weeks of term. Ginny was the first to admit that she hadn't put as much thought into the theoretical side of her studies as she should have and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't quite get a handle on transfiguration. Colin was ever patient though, guiding her through both movement and theory, and by the time the exam rolled round she was pretty sure she would be able to manage a passing grade.
In fact, all the exams went relatively well, save Astronomy and History of Magic which she barely glanced at. Colin and Luna fared well too, and it was with a sense of ease that they took a picnic out to the lake to celebrate their presumed pass into third year. The dementors had been called away shortly after the night of the rat's capture and, in the summer sun, the castle had warmed once again. The bitter chill had been lifted and with it some of their worries. Ginny enveloped her friends in a long and almost tearful goodbye before stepping off the train. Bill stood next to her parents waiting to greet her. She ran to engulf him in a hug. Things always felt a bit more ok from the safety of her eldest brother's arms. The tension was almost palpable between Bill and her parents, Mum especially. Ginny gave Bill a questioning glance which he answered with an easy smile. They must have been reluctant to let her go again. Ron was complaining loudly to Mum that it just wasn't fair how she got another holiday. Scabbers was his rat too. Ginny had to admit that he had a point. Why did she deserve such special treatment? Fred and George looked at her with a slight coldness in their eyes and she flinched back. Percy was completely disinterested, nose in the air, and talking to Dad about how he must hurry home.
"It's about time we get going, don't want to miss our portkey" Bill noted.
Ginny nodded and gave some stilted goodbyes to the rest of the family. Her Dad the only one showing her any real warmth. It was with a sigh of relief that she passed through the barrier. Egypt was just as she remembered it. It was scorching hot, vibrant and sandy. It felt like home. Not home like the Burrow, a real home where she was welcomed, accepted and allowed to be herself. They were greeted with smiles and hellos as they walked through the camp. Bill adding some commentary on the new faces.
She was once again given Bill's spare room and unpacked her trunk quickly. After a quick shower and change into some pyjamas she padded out into the shared area to the smell of food. Bill had cooked up some of her favourites while she was unpacking and she tucked in with glee at the dinner table. Bill filled her in on some of the tomb explorations that had happened while she was at school including a story of how Mike had found himself stuck upside down and was forced to sing to Akila before she would release him. A story which left Ginny laughing with glee.
Once the plates were clear, Bill swept her onto the sofa, bundled her up in a blanket with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. She leant into him enjoying the warmth and comfort.
"How are you, Gin?" He asked gently.
That was a good question, she thought. How was she? Spending time with Luna and Colin, and seeing Bill were both lovely distractions which made everything feel ok but she wasn't really, was she?
You're a fucking mess. Tom kindly added.
Ginny shook her head and burrowed deeper into the blankets.
Bill kissed the top of her head. "I thought so. I heard that it was you who took down Pettigrew. Do you want to tell me more about that?" He prompted.
Ginny wasn't sure how she would find the energy to tell him everything that happened. She felt the tears welling up behind her eyes.
"I...I can't talk about it, Bill. Can you look?" She choked.
"If you're sure".
Ginny nodded and felt Bill move from her side. He crouched down in front of her and met her eyes with his own. His eyes were like gentle pools of water and she felt reassured. Ginny guided him through everything that had happened. The dementor attack, how malicious Tom had been since, her struggles with the patronus, the incidents with Black, the trail of Buckbeak, the prank on Malfoy, the attempted rescue operation of Buckbeak and the capture of Scabbers. She took a deep breath and focused on being awoken by McGonagall, about finding out Scabber's identity and her attack on him. She showed him snippets of Luna and Colin pulling her back together, and Black's letter. When she reached the part where she saw Bill's face at the station she felt him carefully leave her mind.
"That was one hell of a punch and curse combo, Gin. Black's right".
She let out a wet chuckle.
"I wish I was there to see it. Though, I probably would have killed the rat so maybe it's for the best..." He trailed off.
A moment of silence passed between them before Bill spoke up again.
"You're had another year and a half, haven't you? If it's any consolation, I think I know how to help with your patronus".
That would be great but she wanted to learn to fight better. She wouldn't be taken advantage of again.
"Help me get better at fighting too?" Ginny whispered.
"Of course".
"I...I just don't want to be caught off guard like that again. I... he...".
She explained how it made her feel sick that the rat had seen her in various states of undress and used to hide in her laundry. Knowing the rat's true identity made those light hearted jump scare moments much, much more sinister. Bill held her close as she verbally poured her feelings out.
"I promise you, Gin. One day you will be unstoppable and nobody will even think of messing with you again" Bill whispered pulling her into a tight embrace. The next day she started training with the curse breakers again and it seemed as though she had never left. Akila sauntered over to her, took Ginny's braid in her hand and said she was glad that Ginny hadn't removed it. Ginny felt the her cheeks heat up though she wasn't sure why. Mike on the other hand, took the opportunity to welcome her with a surprise attack from behind.
Ginny heard the spell and dropped to the floor. In one fluid motion she rolled back onto her feet and cast Colin's paintball spell. The practice with Luna and Colin had increased her speed and accuracy. She cast it non-verbally and she barely needed to move her wand. Mike managed to block but a flicker of surprise flashed across his face. Ginny gave him no time to think further though, and followed up with a wind spell, enhanced by her affinity, to kick up sand into his face. He blasted through with some water, which she dodged. They circled each other Ginny dodging ever spell that he cast instead of blocking. Mike started to tire and approached, backing her into a corner against one of the buildings. She chastised herself for the lack of situational awareness. He blocked the spells she threw at him and pointed his wand at her throat.
"It's over" he gloated.
In response, Ginny kneed him in the balls, snatched the wand out of his hand and cast petrificous totalus.
"It's over when I say it's over" she retorted at his still form.
Bill's laughter broke the tension as the other members of the group shook their heads at their antics. Akila was bending down over Mike openly mocking him for not learning. Bill eventually took pity on Mike and freed him. Mike grumbled as he got to his feet. Stalked over to Ginny and shook her hand.
"Good to have ya back. Speaking of, you better watch yours".
Ginny rolled her eyes and swatted his arm playfully. She missed this. It was good to be a part of the team again. The tombs she was allowed in this time were more dangerous and more fascinating than last year. Mike's grudging respect held but didn't prevent him from attacking her out of the blue. They had many fights and she only lost a handful.
Her patronus was also coming along in leaps and bounds. Now free from the oppression of the Dementors and able to receive some actual tuition her spell her form had began to get clearer. Bill also helped with occlumency again and with his support Tom had quietened some more.
Akila had also started training her in hand to hand combat. Which meant a lot of time on the floor wondering exactly what had happened. One time, Akila pinned her down by straddling her chest and Ginny felt a little breathless. It wasn't from the fall but Ginny wasn't entirely sure what it was. Akila was so undeniably cool. She fought with wand in one hand and dagger in the other and Ginny imagined that she would eviscerate everyone in her path. She taught her how to throw opponents larger than herself, disarm people physically without magic and how to correctly use a dagger. It was enthralling and Ginny found herself excited to go to her lessons, despite the caning she received each time. Bill listened in good humour as Ginny prattled on about Akila after every lesson.Things were going extremely well, Ginny thought. Until she was showering after a long combat session with Akila and she noticed that she was bleeding. The blood dripped down her leg. She washed it off and checked her leg for cuts and found nothing. There was a sharp ache in her stomach and she sank down to the floor. She took a couple of deep breaths and it eased but the blood was back again. Tinting the water. Oh Merlin, what was happening to her? Was her stomach punctured somehow? Tom seemed to find her dilemma increasingly hilarious as she continued to panic. Bill would know what to do. She shuffled over to the door and called for him.
"Gin, what's wrong? Did you fall?" She heard him reply from the other side of the wall.
"No. Umm... but I'm bleeding. I don't know from where but it keeps coming and my stomach hurts!"
"Ah... Did Mum...?"
"What's Mum got to do with this!?" She practically yelled back.
"You don't need to worry, Gin. Trust me. I thought Mum would have explained but...well... it's not really my area of expertise. Will you be ok if I get Akila to explain?"
"Akila?"
"It's something that only happens with women you see, I can help and know the basics but I won't really be able to answer some of the questions you might have".
Ginny put her head in her hands. What in Merlin's name was going on?
"Fine!".
Ginny felt her face flush with embarrassment as Akila explained what was happening. She should have known! Someone should have told her sooner. Tom's laughter made a lot more sense now. Of course he thought it was hilarious, she had been panicking over nothing! Akila explained how there was a charm she could teach her to make her underwear vanish any blood. It was a variant of the charm healers used on bandages. Unfortunately, they were in an awkward situation where Ginny was reluctant to leave the bathroom to learn the charm until the bleeding stopped (which apparently could be days) and the only other solution was for Akila to charm a pair of her underwear for her.
Seeing no other choice, but burning with embarrassment, Ginny gave her instructions to the correct draw of her dresser. Akila was back in minutes and said that she had left the underwear and some pyjamas just outside the door. Ginny opened it a fraction and pulled them inside.
Within a few minutes she was cleaned and as ready to face Bill and Akila as she could be.
Was she imagining it or was Bill trying not to laugh?
"You will go and entertain yourself elsewhere" Akila instructed Bill. "We have many things to discuss".
Bill came over, plopped a kiss on her forehead and headed out.
"Akila will come find me in the hall when you're done".
Akila sat Ginny down on the sofa and patiently talked her through the charm. She was right, it was simple enough. She then explained that it would happen for about a week once a month. There were potions that could lessen it or even stop it completely if you were compatible but they were not given to anyone who hadn't reached magical maturity as it could affect their development. Ginny was not thrilled to hear that side effects included mood swings, headaches and stomach pain though she was glad that the symptoms could be treated and she would just need to pop and see the school nurse.
Ginny wasn't sure how to feel about this being her body signalling that it was able to bear a child. She definitely didn't want to think about that. She was far, far too young and not even sure whether she wanted children in the first place! What a great bloody signal, let's just bleed uncontrollably for a week to show you can have kids. What a mess. Of course, she understood the reason for the bleeding once Akila had explained it but that didn't make Ginny any more happy about things.
Ginny had presumed that was the end of the conversation but Akila steamrolled straight into the mechanics of becoming pregnant (gross!), contraceptive charms and potions (easy but not necessary!) and sexual preference (!). Ginny's head was spinning. She had previously taken it for granted that there were boys or girls and that they ended up in relationships and had kids. She had no idea about any of the other kinds of gender that Akila explained though it made perfect sense to her. Akila herself explained that she was what's called transgender. She was born with a male body but she learned that it wasn't the right one for her. Ginny tried to picture Akila as male and failed miserably. She was just so feminine! Not just her body, but the way she held herself, the way she practically floated as she walked, the way she spoke and laughed.
Akila interrupted her thoughts with gentle laughter.
"You see my body was wrong for me just as much as I did. There are people who disagree with my transformation but if I am happy and not causing harm to anyone then what is the reason against it?".
"People disagreed?!" Ginny spluttered in outrage. That was like someone disagreeing with you eating pasta just because they didn't like it. It made absolutely no sense.
"Mmhmm... though I see you don't seem to mind at all".
Ginny shrugged "There's nothing to mind".
Akila then went on to explain sexual preferences. Ginny stared determinedly at the floor it was a lot more complicated than she anticipated.
"The most important thing for you to remember is that you like who you like, little sand warrior. You may want to give it a label. You may not. As long as you respect others' wishes and don't force yourself on anyone you can't really go wrong. And of course, it's ok if you don't like anyone in that way. Lots of people feel the same. Though many people start to find out who they are when they reach their teenage years. I expect you will learn a lot about yourself in the next few".
Ginny met her amber eyes filled with warmth and breathed a sigh of relief. Things didn't have to change. She could stay as she was, not liking anyone. That seemed a lot less complicated to her.
"Thank you, Akila. For explaining everything".
"Anytime" Akila replied with a wink and stood to leave. "I shall see you in the morning".
A few minutes after she left Bill came in and joined her on the sofa.
"Everything ok?".
"Yeah. Thanks for getting Akila, I learned a lot".
"I got you some potions for the pain if it comes back. I'll leave them in the kitchen".
"Thanks, Bill" Ginny murmured leaning into him and yawning deeply. Ginny continued the lessons with Akila for the remainder of the summer and successfully defended most of Mike's attacks. At one point she threw him over her shoulder causing Akila to actually squeal in delight. The lithe warrior sprinted over to her and span her round in celebration while Mike grunted on the floor. Ginny lost herself in Akila's laughter and was elated for the rest of the day.
Her occlumency and patronus practice had also been coming along nicely under Bill's tutelage. Bill had found it increasingly more difficult to break into her mind and she had managed to cast a corporal patronus a handful of times. According to Bill it was a Tasmanian Devil. A small creature often underestimated but with a ferocious bite. They were usually solitary but some had been known to form strong connections and fight tooth and nail for those they cared for. It was perfect. Bills patronus was a honey badger, something Charlie had mocked him relentlessly for until his own patronus was revealed as Komodo dragon, or in other words, a Muggle dragon. Bill admitted that he laughed himself breathless at that revelation.
Her birthday was a happier affair than the previous year. The whole curse breaking team had set-up some kind of mock tomb as a surprise and she had to break her way through the defences to reach her presents. It was ridiculous but a lot of fun. Akila pushed Mike into one of the traps which, instead of causing him any real harm, gave him a realistic pair of antlers which refused to disappear for several hours.
Her gifts were anything but disappointing. The team as a whole gave her a matching set of wand and dagger holders inscribed with runes to prevent her weapons from being summoned and Akila presented her with a couple of new metal beads for her hair. She gently undid Ginny's braid and wove them in. "This one is for clarity of mind and this one is for strength" Akila explained.
Ginny smiled brightly at her in thanks.
Bill and Charlie's gift was a beautiful, ebony dagger with a dragon bone hilt.
"It has charms to stay sharp so make sure you keep it covered unless you intend on using it. I recommend you strap the dagger holster to your thigh and keep it close" Bill advised.
Ginny nodded in agreement. It would be good to have a backup if she were disarmed and in real danger.
Finally, Bill presented a birthday gift from the rest of the family. They had been given tickets to the quidditch world cup! It wasn't a birthday gift, as such, but a promise that she could pick out any piece of merchandise that she liked (within reason) as her gift. Bill advised that they would be arriving the night before and stay with the Lovegoods and Creeveys who were camping out together for a fortnight. They would then meet with the family, Harry and Hermione at their tent late the next day before heading to the match. Afterwards, they would spend the night with the family before getting an early portkey back to the burrow. She simply couldn't wait!So that's the end of the Prisoner of Azkaban! Thanks for sticking with the story. There's still lots to come. I have got a few things planned right up to the aftermath of the battle of Hogwarts.
Thank you for taking the time to review That Other Coin! Thank you too, Brick88. I'm glad I managed to surprise you with the capture of Scabbers!
Take Care
~Fiona.