Wizards of the Caribbean Chapter 21, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter 21: Of Manhandling and Consequences

Mrs. Weasley had seen many things in her life. After all, you don't raise seven children without getting your fair share of all kinds of experiences. Her eldest, William, was a very well-adjusted and smart boy from the start. He was brave and calm. Two years later came Charles. Her Charlie was a sweet boy with surprising skills in dealing with magical beings and animals of all kinds. As Charlie had been a handful, Molly and Arthur waited three more years to have another child. Her Percival was different. He had always acted as if he was in competition with his older brothers, especially William, who was not only smart and thoughtful but also athletic and very social as he grew up. As Percy got older, his insecurity increased, and he started to distance himself from his siblings.

Two years later came the twins. Molly had not been expecting to ever have twins. They didn't run in her or in Arthur's family. That pregnancy had almost killed her. She went into labor early and hemorrhaged. Her friend Poppy Pomfrey took a leave of absence as she insisted to come to see to her personally. She was at the Burrow for two months. When she left, Molly was able to get up and walk and see to the now healthy twins. Poppy had been shocked when she heard that Molly was almost 8 months along. Most twin pregnancies would last 7 months at best.

Ronald... Molly sighed. Ronald was born two years after the twins. They had been hoping they would be blessed with a girl, but it didn't happen in that pregnancy. Molly wondered how she didn't see all the red flags in her son for what they were. She had found her son extremely capricious. He was very envious. He had always wanted what his siblings had. When he befriended Harry, it should have surprised no one that he wanted everything Harry had, Hermione's love included. Molly was so heartbroken and disappointed. Ronald would have never even looked at Hermione in that way.

Hermione was too focused, disciplined, smart, and goal-oriented for her and Ronald to ever work out. They would have fought every day as they always did during the break. Ronald wasn't the kind of person who was willing to make a significant effort. He wanted the things others had, but he expected those things to fall into his lap. Ronald expected everything to revolve around him: what he wanted, what he needed, what he felt entitled to have. When Ron's taking of the Dark Mark was known to them, they had gotten together as a family, without Ginny, unfortunately, as she was still in school. Each of her children told her things about Ronald that had made her question if even she who pushed Ron out of her body truly ever knew him.

Molly stared at Harry and Hermione as they slept. They had been side by side holding hands. Sparks came out of their joined hands. Their bodies shifted in their sleep, and Hermione's head ended over Harry's chest. Harry wrapped his arm around her waist as soon as this happened, and his peaceful expression turned into one of calm joy, as did hers. Their whole bodies started to light up with a golden glow. A few runes appeared over their cores, and Molly took more notes. She was glad her kids -because she really did see them as hers- had found each other. They were so well-matched. Harry was benefiting from Hermione's love and care as she was from his. He calmed her down. She pushed him in the right direction. They kept each other level-headed and strong. Mrs. Weasley sighed. Seeing the kids reminded her of her marriage and her husband. She forced herself not to feel alone. Her husband had died as he lived: for her family.

The clock read 3.45 am. Molly noticed that their glow intensified the closer Harry and Hermione were. They were such calm sleepers. They had only shifted once to be closer to each other, but that was it. Even Harry's very light snore had quietened entirely when Hermione's head went over his heart. Molly smiled. The kids were fortunate to have found each other early enough to enjoy their love... unless... No. They will not die. I will not allow it, Molly thought. The Prewett and Weasley grimoires were at Gringotts. If it is the last thing I do, I will find whatever rituals I can use to protect all my children. If I die, I will be comforted in knowing that they are all safe and healthy.

An alarm started to ring, and Molly got up. It was 3.50 am now. Their training started at 4 am.

"Harry," Molly caressed his head.

"Wh-What?" Harry looked around.

"It's me," Molly smiled and handed him his glasses. "I took the notes. We can go over them later..."

"Yes, t-thank you."

Hermione groaned as Harry tried to move her.

"Hermione, dear," Molly shook the girl's shoulder.

"Mum?" Hermione opened her eyes and blushed. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione sat up and shook her head.

"Shh... It's okay, darling. Don't fret. I just don't want you to be late for your training."

"Training? Oh, right," Hermione groaned again.

"We can talk later. I will be researching the runes I saw with the kids," Molly offered.

"That would be so helpful, Mrs. Weasley," Harry smiled.

"Thank you," Hermione gave her a sleepy smile.

"Good, now up you go. Dobby wanted me to tell you that your bottles and energy bars are ready downstairs," Molly smiled, and she left the room with her notes.

Hermione rushed to the bathroom, and Harry changed in the bedroom as fast as they could.

Everyone who wasn't up already, except for the pregnant ladies who had been warned to place silencing wards on their doors, and the Infirmary, which was permanently warded, were awakened by General Xu, Mrs. Xu, Lord and Lady Chang, Longwei, Chyou and even Tony as they marched around the house and sang. General Xu would sing a line, and everyone else would repeat it.

"Up in the morning at the break of day!" the general chanted

"Up in the morning at the break of day!" was the reply.

"Work so hard we never play!" General Xu continued.

"Work so hard we never play!" the rest of the group repeated.

"Run through the jungle where the sun don't shine!"

"And all I do is the double time!"

Harry and Hermione had rushed downstairs when the cadence began. They had been treated to the military awakening that Longwei loved before, and they refused to go through it again. The Lieutenant Colonel loved punishment, and he would dump a whole bucket of icy water on those who woke up late. Harry and Hermione grabbed their bottles and ate their bars, chewing as quickly as they could as the chant progressed. They could hear screams, cursing, and bodies thumping down out of beds when Longwei had for sure done his second favorite method. He would use a spell to quickly turn the mattress and toss the sleepers off it and to the cold floor.

"Up in the morning and out of the rack!" the general continued leading the cadence.

"Up in the morning and out of the rack!" the reply was annoyed and grumpy.

"Grab my clothes and put them on my back!"

"Run thru the swamp and up in a tree!"

"First sergeant chasing after me!"

"I like whiskey and I like wine!"

"But all I do is double time!"

Harry and Hermione joined everyone else in chanting as they jogged outside. Many had very angry expressions, but they also looked determined. Some of them were furiously chewing on their energy bars. Ginny's hair was soaking wet, and she looked ready to murder Longwei.

"Up in the morning before the break of day!"

"I don't like it no way!"

"Eat my breakfast too darn soon!"

"Hungry as hell by noon!"

"Went to the mess sergeant on my knees!"

"I said mess sergeant, mess sergeant, feed me please!"

"Mess sergeant said with a big old grin!"

"If you want to be airborne, you got to be thin!"

"STOP!" General Xu commanded.

The group came to a halt, and several gasps were heard. Harry's eyes widened as he looked down the hill. Bloody hell. It was like the Triwizard Tournament all over again. At some point during the night, the military men had created an obstacle course that looked like it had a high potential to kill... anyone. More concerning than the course were the several armed soldiers in different areas of the course. They had arrived two nights before and hadn't been seen at the house. They put up their own tent and ate there. All of them had been vetted by the General, Lord Chang, and Madam Bones, and they did the appropriate oaths and vows, but they looked significantly more intimidating now in their full tactical uniforms and war paint.

"Ladies to the right, Gents to the left," Lord Chang commanded.

"What you see here is a battlefield obstacle course. You will go through it keeping in mind that everything goes," Lady Chang smirked, and Harry felt genuinely scared of her by her expression alone.

"One of the biggest problems you have is that you love each other," Mrs. Xu said with a frown. Before anyone could protest, she continued. "Now, that wouldn't be a bad thing normally, but this is war. Your priority is to take care of yourselves first. You can't help anyone if you're dead or incapacitated, am I right?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the group replied in unison.

"For the obstacle course, you will be going into it in separate pairs at the same time. In this scenario, you don't know if the lady or gent next to you is with you or the enemy. The goal is to make it to the other side of the course without too many serious injuries that incapacitate you," General Xu explained.

"Wands, weapons, and physical confrontation are all allowed. No Avada Kedavras or Exsangues because that would rapidly decrease our numbers, and they are irreversible. We will be practicing with real people today beyond the dummies and each other. However, bear in mind that the soldiers down there, to the best of your knowledge, want you dead, and they will not hold back because of your age or your inexperience."

"Leave your bottles here. You won't be able to hold onto them," Lady Chang motioned with her hands.

"You have 10 minutes to get across. Anyone who doesn't manage will... well... you will see later if you are unlucky," Longwei smirked.

"You will not be able to help the other person with you in the course unless you can get them to swear an oath or identify themselves first. Only then can you go back inside the course to help them," General Xu added.

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, Potter, Granger, you will not be working with each other. It would be an unfair advantage," Lord Chang said.

Harry and Hermione shared a frustrated look but nodded their acquiescence.

"Malfoy, Potter, you go first. Malfoy, you are late. Drop and give me twenty, right now," General Xu demanded.

"Twenty galleons?" Draco blinked, perplexed. His coin pouch was by his bed.

"No, dumbass, pushups!" Ginny snapped as she put her wet hair in a tight ballerina bun.

Draco looked very confused at her.

General Xu snapped his fingers at Harry, "Potter, show him how it's done!"

"Me? But I was up early!" Harry complained.

"Potter! Never talk back to your general! Drop and give me twenty, NOW!"

Harry huffed, but he obeyed. Malfoy started after seeing him do five. Once the blonde finished, Lady Chang was at the very beginning of the course with a whistle.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

Draco looked at Harry, a bit confused. "What are we doing?"

"You have 10 minutes to get to the other side. Everything but AKs and Exsangues is acceptable. All of them want to kill you," Harry said rapidly and ran into the course.

"What? Oh, bloody hell! I knew I should have worn something else!" Draco took off the robe over his pajamas and ran to the course too.

Harry and Draco collapsed on the other side of the course. Both were drenched in sweat and covered in sand, mud, and even algae. Harry was doing better than Malfoy, who, other than Quidditch, had never done any physical activity before. Most soldiers had focused on Harry merely because he was obviously stronger, but those that attacked Malfoy seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. His nose was bleeding, and his bare feet were covered with blisters. His whole body would be covered in bruises soon enough.

Harry had some cuts from barbed wire on his forearms. A nasty burn down his back, and he twisted his ankle as he jumped over a goat that somehow was on the island. Other than that and being winded, he felt in his element. He had been surprised by Draco's magical knowledge and endurance. As Harry never said anything about not helping, Draco did try to protect him. This earned him more vitriol from the soldiers.

"That should show you, Malfoy!" Longwei exclaimed as he helped Draco up.

"No helping anyone until you are safe!" Lady Chang admonished the blonde. She handed him a green smoothie. He looked at it with disgust, but in the distance, he saw his mother drinking one. He schooled his features and thanked Chyou's mother.

"It will not happen again, Lady Chang," Draco nodded. He took a sip and was surprised that it didn't taste as bad as he was expecting.

Harry got up and gulped down his green smoothie. He looked at Hermione, who was next with Dudley.

"General! You can't have Dudley do this too. He is not a wizard!" Harry yelled angrily.

Dudley looked at Harry with shock. His cousin was defending him. He had definitely been promoted.

"Don't worry. He will be given muggle weapons and will only be attacked muggle style," the General replied.

"But what if an errant spell hits him?" Harry insisted with a frown.

Dudley looked worried.

"Here, lad. Put this on," Mrs. Xu handed Dudley a dragonhide vest. "This will protect him. Anything else, we can heal."

"No. Dudley, you don't have to do this," Harry offered.

"I do, Harry. It's fine. Nothing they can't heal," Dudley tried to smile.

Harry threw his arms up, "Fine, but I did warn you!"

Dudley nodded.

"3,2,1, GO!"

Hermione ran downhill without looking back at Dudley, who ran while crouching down.

Dudley dragged himself out of the course with his elbows while Hermione knocked out two more soldiers. She ran out and landed next to him, out of breath and in pain but invigorated. She felt like a kickass fighter. Mrs. Xu helped Dudley up and began administering first aid. Harry had Hermione up and in his arms almost as soon as she landed next to his cousin. Draco began doing healing spells on Hermione, and Harry joined him. He had felt like a ghost of the pain Hermione felt and was feeling very guilty because that meant she felt a ghost of his pain too, and his pain tolerance was higher from years of abuse.

Mione, I am so sorry. I didn't think you would be feeling what I felt now too, Harry thought to her.

It's okay, love. It wasn't so bad, Hermione replied and smiled.

Next were Tobias and Luna. Harry frowned. It wasn't that he didn't think Luna was capable. She was just too much into peace, quiet, and kindness for Harry to think she would be ruthless.

Harry was dead wrong. Luna was a bloody badass. She had been, he thought, holding back at first. Harry had seen her during the D.A. meetings, and she was more powerful than that. But then, midway through the course, a soldier broke Anthony's leg, and he fell face-first into the sand with a scream. All he could do from the pain was hold a protective spell. Luna's face transformed into one of wrath. She had mercilessly cut, burnt, and kicked her way to the end just so she could come back, without identity oaths, and rescue Tony, throwing two soldiers several feet away with a nearby bombarda. She had carried Tony, who was almost twice her size, with an ease that had shocked everyone.

Draco had rushed to relieve her of Tony, who had looked at the girl like she was insane for picking him up like that. Tony was taken to a small tent the soldiers had put up for more complex medical fixes, and Draco had carried Luna to the same tent after Neville nodded at him in the distance. Back at the beginning of the course, Susan was confused.

"General Xu, she didn't do an identity oath," Susan said in a questioning tone.

"She's a seer. She doesn't have to. Her father has been helping her strengthen her eye, and she can read magical auras, so... She has that advantage," the general said. "And this team is stronger for it."

Watching Longwei go across the course was a sight to behold for the audience. He was fast, flexible, and strong, and he could impeccably combine his sword with his wand work and his martial arts knowledge. He went across the faster out of anyone. At the three-minute mark, he was on the other side, and he had barely broken a sweat. He waited patiently for Chyou to finish. He knew his sister would be furious if he intervened, and she was proving that war was indeed the family trade. He was very proud of her. While she was very angry, her awareness of self-preservation was permanent. She never risked her safety to hurt the soldiers.

Chyou had attacked the soldiers that broke Tony's leg with a vengeance. Both ended up with at least one broken limb and several cuts. She had inherited her mother's dance-like skills on the battlefield and left limping but feeling very proud of herself. She had managed to leave with minimal injury. Every inch of her body hurt, but it felt good to get back at the soldiers. She hadn't been able to defend herself at Malfoy Manor, but now... Now she felt stronger and more confident in her skills. The Death Eaters were in for a surprise from what she had accomplished so far.

Neville went across with Susan. Both were good friends and had trained together significantly during the D.A. and then during P.A. Susan had done the soldiers dirty by throwing sand at their eyes with a spell from her family grimoire. Neville had to punch a soldier at some point and tackle another. He left the course limping. Susan had left the course spectacularly by doing a cartwheel between two spells and avoiding getting hit. This impressed everyone. Especially because she did this with only one arm as support while her protective spell was done with her wand arm. Neville helped Susan up and walked her to the tent, helping her with her arm. She had managed the cartwheel, but her arm popped out of place as she landed a bit skewed.

The adults that did the course were a bit slower to get to the other side, but the fight was a better teaching experience for the teens. The stakes went up when Sirius and Percy got into the obstacle course. Sirius was on full beast mode. Now that he had a custom-made wand and had recovered from his resurrection, he was going to show everyone that Harry had killer support ready to die for him at any point. He took out three soldiers and got across in under five minutes. Percy ended up pretty banged up fifteen seconds before the time was up. He wasn't much into fieldwork. Padfoot had to drag him out in dog form once Percy did an identity oath.

The twins' way through the course was the most entertaining one by far. They were using their creations which had taken the soldiers entirely by surprise. They weren't too violent, but they were just annoying enough to slow down any real progress that the soldiers were trying to make. In the end, they got by with just a few scrapes and bruises. The right side of George's hair had been burnt off, as was the left side of Fred's hair. Both were limping by the end, but they healed themselves and sat down to watch their remaining siblings.

Charlie went in with Ginny as Lavender was refusing to do the exercise. Her remaining injuries from the previous training session hadn't healed entirely, and she had just come to watch. The general ordered her to go to the other side of the course through the beach to watch. She had feared his fury and walked as fast as she could while the soldiers rearranged and healed themselves for the next pair. Ginny went in without any care for her safety. She was so enraged at life that all she had to do was pretend every soldier was anyone who wronged her. At some point, she had been physically caught by a soldier, and she had stepped on him harshly, elbowed his solar plexus, and kneed his nose without any thoughts of protecting herself. He landed on his stomach with a grunt, and Ginny then jumped on his back and started punching him with all her strength. She had a blade in the back of her pants, and as she reached for it, Longwei jumped in and peeled her off the bloodied soldier, throwing her out of the course.

"Enough, Weasley!" Longwei yelled.

"You said everything was fair game, arsehole!" Ginny tried to tackle Longwei. It was her favorite move to use against her brothers, but the trainer wasn't related to her, and he wasn't one to allow insubordination at his fighters' peril. As soon as she rammed into his body, barely moving him at all, he grabbed her by the belt loops on the back of her pants and threw her over his shoulder. She landed behind him with a grunt, and he immediately turned and twisted her arm back harshly, making it pop out of place and pressing it in that painful position with his body. She screamed, but he wasn't done. Longwei grabbed her by the bun and pulled her head back. This exposed her long neck, he pressed Ginny's own blade flat against her neck. The soldier that had been under her managed to get up with the help of another soldier and walked slowly toward the healing tent.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU BRUTE!" Ginny struggled in vain. Longwei was significantly taller and stronger than she was. Harry and Hermione shared a look and began walking toward them.

"NO! While things are fair game, you don't get to work out your frustrations and many issues with our soldiers. They owe you nothing! Worse still, while you were attacking him thusly, he did so many serious spells on you that once this adrenaline you are now feeling wears off, you will be in pain for weeks. You exposed yourself to being killed too many times for me to count, Weasley."

Ginny growled, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

"CONTROL, Weasley. It doesn't matter how strong you might be if you cannot master your own reactions and anger. You have risked your life and well-being today, and the whole point of this exercise was to make it to the other side as alive and safe as possible, not to vent your feelings on the field and potentially get yourself killed many times over! This blade is not a practice blade! You could have really killed him!"

Ginny fell with a groan as Longwei let go of her. Mrs. Xu, who had been quietly watching, stepped toward Longwei.

"Mrs. Xu, please attend to Ms. Weasley. She will need a lot of help in the coming days," Longwei commanded.

"Yes, sir... Come here, you reckless child," Mrs. Xu motioned for Ginny to follow her, but when the redhead tried to stand back up, she couldn't. She stared up at Longwei with hatred.

"I told you so, Weasley. You will not come back to training until you have dealt with your emotions appropriately," Longwei frowned at her eye roll. "I will not allow you to disrespect me or to risk your team by acting like a spoiled brat. Your lack of control endangers lives. You," Longwei looked at Charlie. "Good work using all your little minions."

Charlie was so shocked at the whole scene that he didn't say a thing. He had used many magical creatures to help him across. The twins rushed to pick up their sister and followed Mrs. Xu before things got worse. Charlie took off after them, seriously considering sending anything venomous the trainer's way.

Harry and Hermione reached Longwei with a scowl, "Trainer! A word!"

Longwei did a privacy ward around them. "Yes?"

"Why the hell did you do that?" Harry asked with a deep frown.

"She deserved it," Longwei replied.

"She's a girl that is less than half your size!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.

"No one will care about her size or her age on the battlefield," Longwei replied with a shrug.

"You... You manhandled her!" Harry snapped.

"And just what do you think would have happened if I had been a real Death Eater? I wouldn't have gone easy on her," Longwei replied as he healed the punched soldier.

"Of course not, but this is an exercise!" Harry exclaimed. "Chyou was ruthless too, and you didn't stop her!"

"It's an exercise meant to imitate real life!" Longwei replied. "Chyou stopped herself. She was raised to know better. I know my sister's bloodlust, and that wasn't it. That was calculated payback, and that is precisely why I didn't intervene. She left the course almost entirely uninjured."

"Ginny's heartbroken and in mourning. Her brother betrayed their family and cost them their father and home!" Hermione pressed.

"She was about to stab my soldier. A soldier that was unarmed at the moment and on his belly being pummeled by her. The blade was a real blade. Not a practice blade. It was hers, not mine, and she brought it here without permission!"

"What?!" Hermione gasped. She hadn't seen that.

"I am sorry for her loss. Truly. But what happened is not my soldier's fault nor mine, and I will not have one of my best elements stabbed because she has no self-control," Longwei shrugged. "Listen to me. She needs professional help. There is something seriously wrong with her, and whatever it is... it is the kind of thing that gets people killed."

"I appreciate your advice about Ginny, Longwei, and I am very aware that you are the boss during training, but I still think your response was both excessive and unnecessary. Once you had dislocated her arm, there was no need to keep going," Hermione said in an icy tone.

"She attacked me, her trainer. I will make no apologies for how I choose to deal with insubordination and disrespect that endanger others, Hermione. This is a fucking war. If you want me to train all of you nicely, I will, as you are literally paying me for my work, but that will NOT prepare her nor anyone else for a real fight with fucking terrorists," Longwei lowered the privacy wards and yelled "Next!" Longwei yelled at the stunned adults remaining on the other side.

Harry and Hermione stayed in the privacy wards.

We need to talk to Mrs. Weasley. Ginny needs help.

Agreed.

Fleur Delacour looked down to the training area with a scowl that would have made Voldemort himself proud. No one got to treat her sister-in-law like that. Fleur didn't particularly like Ginny. She found her vapid, superficial, and obsessive. Ginevra had a horrible temper, and she had little to no self-control. The redhead had always tried to break up Fleur and Bill, and she had been wrong in pummeling the soldier and even worse when she attacked Chyou's brother. Ginny had been very vocal in her hatred of Fleur, but still, no man got to manhandle her like that. Bill was coming home today, and Longwei would have to understand not to mess with a werewolf's sister. She took off to see her mother-in-law. Homme lâche. Tu vas payer pour ça, Fleur thought. [Coward man. You will pay for this.]

Harry and Hermione were approached by Charlie Weasley after he was healed. Out of all the Weasleys, Charlie was the one they had spent less time with (him and Bill). Charlie fidgeted for a while, but then he spoke.

"I know that we are just guests here, Harry, Hermione," Charlie began.

"You are all family," Hermione shook her head at him.

"Thank you... I just... I don't like the way the trainer treated my sister."

"Neither did we. We are going to talk to her later," Harry replied.

"That being said... I... I need to tell you something," Charlie looked very conflicted.

"We are listening," Hermione encouraged him.

"I love my sister. I really do... But someone needs to stop her."

"Stop her?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It hurts me to say this. Since I have been living away from the family for a few years, I had hopes she finally grew up and matured... But no, I don't think she has. She's still a menace. Our whole lives, she has been able to get away with so much just because she's a girl and she's the youngest. We were taught to be patient and protective of her. But she has used that against us her whole life," Charlie said this while looking down. He was trying not to cry.

Hermione looked at him with concern, "Charlie... Has she hurt you?"

He looked up with wide eyes.

"Since you guys have been here, has she hurt you?" Hermione asked.

Charlie sighed and looked away. "I know it sounds ridiculous for a man like me to say this as she is tiny in comparison, but she has."

"It's not ridiculous, Charlie. Abuse doesn't depend on people's size," Harry placed his hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"The other day, I asked her to get off the balcony rails because... well, she can fall and break her neck, you know?"

Harry and Hermione nodded. Dobby had mentioned that to them. Ginny would walk over the rail or sit dangerously close to falling over.

"I promise you I was talking to her in this same tone. I wasn't angry. I wasn't mean. I grabbed her arm gently because when she told me to 'fuck off and mind my own business,' she almost fell as she turned away."

"What did she do?"

"She grabbed my arm with her other hand and buried her long nails into it. I told her to stop because she was drawing blood, but she just held on harder," Charlie paced. "I looked at her, and she... I have never seen a face so full of hatred and scorn. It was as if... Merlin... I don't want to think about it..."

"She was enjoying every second of your pain?" Harry asked, remembering Petunia's expression when she used to burn him.

Charlie looked at Harry, and tears fell from his eyes. Harry gave him a tight long hug.

"How do you know?" Charlie asked.

"My aunt abused me for a long time. She used to burn me with cigarettes. That was the expression on her face as I was writhing away in pain," Harry squirmed at the memory.

Hermione held Harry's hand and squeezed. She was so proud that he could now talk about what he had suffered. She was sure it would help him heal.

Sirius took a deep breath to calm himself. Longwei had handled Ginny as if she was nothing but a mere inconvenience. He wanted to berate the man for it, but Mrs. Xu had him in a vice grip. He would have to speak with the man. Nothing excused handling a woman like that.

"I know what you are thinking, Lord Black. Don't do it."

"Really?" he lifted a brow at her.

"Yes."

"What am I thinking?"

"You are looking at Longwei with scorn. That girl he disciplined is a nightmare. She came at me while I was training by the lake with the general's soldiers only because I told her she should start pulling her own weight."

"Came at you?" Sirius asked her.

"She threw a curse at me and tried to scratch my face," Mrs. Xu explained.

"That didn't end well, I imagine?" Sirius raised a brow.

"She ended up literally eating sand, obviously. It was just like today. She attacks with fury and doesn't think of self-defense," Mrs. Xu frowned. "That can kill her. Worse still, it can kill others. Would you be comfortable knowing that, if push comes to shove, she will have Lord Potter's back? I really wouldn't be..."

"I see... Thank you for telling me. I will talk to Harry about this," Sirius sighed. He understood loss, but this was clearly a bigger problem than they originally thought it was.

Remus closed the door to his and his wife's room as quietly as he could. She was still furious at him for going on an intel-gathering trip. He saw Andromeda rushing through the hallway to the Infirmary, levitating an unconscious Ginny Weasley. What the hell happened? He apparated down by the beach and saw Sirius, Harry, and Hermione talking at a considerable distance from everyone else.

"Remy!" Sirius went to him and gave him a tight hug.

It hurt as he was still tender from the full moon, but it also felt good to see someone happy to see him as Tonks was definitely not.

"Pads, kids," He hugged them all.

"How are you doing?" Hermione asked, noticing fresh injuries on his face.

"I am okay... I need to update you on something later. Bill and I went on a little intel-gathering trip while the full moon was still up," Remus replied.

"What?!" Sirius frowned deeply. "If I agree that I won't do suicide missions without you, you must agree not to do them without me, Moony. What the hell?"

"Bill was with me. I wasn't alone," Remus shrugged.

"You see how it is, kids? You raise them. Teach them all they know. Feed them. Love them... and they exchange you for any other animal just like that. You wound me," Sirius sighed dramatically.

Harry and Hermione chuckled at his antics. Remus just rolled his eyes and pulled Sirius against him and messed with his hair, "Such a drama queen!"

Sirius moved his head away but looked at Remus with affection, "But I am your drama queen."

"Yeah, you are... Now, one of you tell me. What happened to Ginny Weasley? I just saw Andi levitating her to the Infirmary. Was today's training that bad?" Remus sat next to Harry, who had plopped down by Hermione. Sirius sat down next to Remus.

"It was grueling, but no," Harry sighed. "Ginny..." He couldn't finish that. He was very conflicted. So was Hermione, as she didn't finish his sentence either.

"She needs help," Padfoot looked down.

"What do you mean? What do you know, Sirius?" Remus asked.

Sirius retold what Mrs. Xu told him. Then, Harry and Hermione told him what happened with Longwei and mentioned that even her siblings were being hurt by her without giving any specifics.

"I think Longwei knew what she did to Mrs. Xu, and that's why he was so rough..." Hermione grimaced. "He may know a lot more than we do about this."

"I don't care what his reasoning was. The way he manhandled her doesn't sit well with me," Harry frowned.

"Me neither," Hermione agreed.

"It was probably quite shocking to you. You haven't yet seen that level of battle where your opponents will not give a damn about decency or morals or rules. They will do things like that and worse, and there is nothing we can do but prepare for it and avenge anyone who does things like that to one of us," Sirius shrugged. "I don't like it either, but I have seen that and worse before."

"We are going to need to talk to Molly and then to Ginny. Her anger issues are a liability to all of us, and we cannot afford to have any lose cannons. It can get us killed and-" Remus was interrupted.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

They all turned to see an irate Bill Weasley pouncing on Longwei at a distance and punching his jaw.

"Shit!"

All of them apparated next to the fight. Longwei had twisted his body and was sitting on Bill's chest after punching and breaking his nose, which started bleeding profusely. Bill hit Longwei on the chest with both hands throwing him off his body and making him land almost in the water. Longwei got into an offensive position on the wet sand and unsheathed his sword.

"WHOA!" Remus jumped between them, as did Sirius.

"STOP!"

"He attacked me!" Longwei yelled.

"You manhandled my sister!" Bill yelled back.

"She deserved it!" Longwei roared, trying to push past Remus while never letting go of his sword.

Both Harry and Hermione had to hold Bill back. When Dudley saw this and the potential risk to Hermione's safety, he ran and took over, maneuvering his body in between hers and Bill's. This could get really ugly, really quickly. Hermione nodded at him gratefully, apparated away, and went to get Molly.

"I DON'T CARE, COWARD! You don't treat girls like that! EVER! You are more than twice her size! You could kill her without breaking a sweat! Fight ME! Fight someone your own bloody size! If you need your ego stroked by overpowering someone, EARN it by overpowering someone who can defend themselves and has a chance to win!" Bill spat as he kept trying to reach his wand.

"Remus, Sirius, step out of the way. Let me have at him, then. Apparently, it's not just the anger problems that are a family trait. The stupid gene runs in his family as well!" Longwei spat blood.

"Longwei! That's uncalled for!" Sirius exclaimed, upset for the Weasleys.

"LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHANG!" Lord Chang reached them. "What the bloody hell is the meaning of this!?"

"He attacked me! He is as unhinged as his sister! Let us settle this the old-fashioned way, father!"

"NO! AT EASE, CHANG!" Lord Chang roared.

"FATHER!" Longwei roared back.

"That's an order! Don't forget I outrank you!" Lord Chang pressed. Longwei didn't reply to that, but his expression got angrier.

Molly Weasley landed softly on the warm sand with Hermione. "William, family room, now."

Bill turned to his mother, outraged. "Mom, I-"

"That wasn't a question. Go," Molly said with a frown. "As for you," Molly turned to Longwei with an expression that terrified everyone around them. "The next time you dare disproportionally hurt any of my children like that, regardless of the reason, I will make sure you don't live to see the end of the day. You have been warned."

Longwei was about to reply when General Xu stepped closer and stared him down without a word.

"Lieutenant Colonel, family room, immediately," Lord Chang commanded.

"Yes, Lieutenant General," Longwei spat and walked away angrily. His sister Chyou hot on his heel, pulling Tony behind her.

Harry and Dudley let go of Bill, who walked away without a word. He was also furious at his mother for not letting him settle the score. Molly left after Bill. Hermione was ghostly pale. They had never seen Mrs. Weasley angry like this. This quiet, calm, collected, and cold anger was more Mr. Weasley's kind of anger. Lord and Lady Chang left quietly behind Longwei. Lady Chang looked absolutely mortified.

"Should we intervene?" Hermione asked.

"You must. Forgive me if I am overstepping, Lord Potter, but this is your house. Don't let others decide what can and cannot be done in your house. You need to lead and make decisions. It's your house, and therefore it should be your rules," General Xu suggested.

"What do you think about what happened?" Harry asked. "I would like your objective observations, General."

"I think Longwei needs to measure himself, true. That girl, though, Ginny, is it?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"She needs to get a grip on reality before thinking she's immortal gets herself or anyone else killed on the battlefield. She's too angry, too uncontrolled. I understand she's going through a lot, but so are most others here, and no one is covertly planning to stab a soldier whose only fault is to help with an exercise."

"Is the soldier okay?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Yes, but he wants to raise a formal complaint. I would take disciplinary actions on the regular battlefield, but Ms. Weasley is not my soldier, so I am asking you to do it instead. You know her, and you would know best how to punish her actions," General Xu replied with a frown.

"Thank you for your advice. I appreciate your candor," Harry replied. He turned to Hermione, "Love, come with me, please."

Andromeda sighed as Lady Greengrass placed potion vials on her tray. The injuries on Ginny were more like the ones healers would see in cases of assault. The training was important, yes, but Ginny would be out of commission for at least a whole week, and even after she was released, she would be sore for a couple more weeks. Ginny was in a lot of pain. She wished she could gauge Longwei's eyes out. Molly came into the Infirmary and opened the curtain dividing her daughter from everyone else. She couldn't be bothered to place a ward.

"How are you feeling, Ginevra?" Molly asked with an impassive face.

"As if you give a damn," Ginny replied with a groan.

"Ginevra, I wouldn't ask if I didn't care," Molly replied with a frown.

"You must be happy that I got disciplined," Ginny grimaced as she tried to move.

"Why would I?" Molly was perplexed.

"Since dad died, everything I do is wrong! You would rather I was still at Hogwarts so you wouldn't have to deal with me! To you, everyone is acting better than me. Even the bloody twins. Am I supposed to be grateful to be a prisoner on this island? Am I supposed to be happy to be treated like a punching bag? Should I thank Longwei for kicking my ass? Should I beg the soldier I fought to forgive me? I have never been good enough for this family! We have a brother who is a motherfucking death eater! My father is dead! Everyone is treating me like I am a terrorist! I was defending myself!"

"You were going to stab that soldier!" Molly had gotten paler with each passing word.

Two beds over, Draco stood with a frown. He had come back straight after the obstacle course. Mrs. Weasley had been nothing but respectful to him all these days. No one should yell at their mother like that. Narcissa looked up from her book when her son stood up. He motioned to Daphne, and Narcissa nodded. She wouldn't move.

"You care more about bloody Harry Potter and Hermione Granger than you do about me, so go ahead and leave me the hell alone! Dad would have never allowed this to happen! He would have avenged me! I got really hurt, and your only concern is whether my actions will get us kicked out!"

Molly staggered back as if her daughter had sent a bat bogey hex to her. She would have fallen if Draco hadn't reached her on time. "Are you okay, Mrs. Weasley?"

"YOU!" Ginny jumped off her bed with a pained scowl. "DON'T TOUCH MY MOTHER!" She pointed her wand at Draco's head.

"I was just trying to keep her upright, Ginevra. Lower your wand. They are not allowed within the Infirmary," Draco said calmly as he helped Molly to a nearby chair.

"THIS IS FAMILY BUSINESS! STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS, MALFOY!"

"If you want to discuss private things, do so in private," Draco replied, handing Mrs. Weasley a calming draught.

Andromeda rushed to Ginny, disarmed her, and did a silencio spell, "This is an Infirmary, Ms. Weasley! You do not get to disturb all the patients here for personal issues. Go back to your bed, now."

Ginny visually screamed in frustration without any sound and lunged at Draco before Andi could grab her to help her to the bed. Instead of jumping away, like Andromeda expected him to, Draco moved toward Ginny. He didn't want her to hurt his aunt or anyone else. Draco wrapped his arms around her trapping her closed angry fists between their bodies. Ginny looked outraged. She kept struggling and hitting Draco's chest, clawing at his neck and face.

"Weasley! Fuck! Argh! Calm down!" Draco grimaced but did not let go.

"GINNY! STOP!" Molly stood back up when she saw how Draco's face and neck bled. Unfortunately, Ginny managed to loosen Draco's hold by biting his shoulder. He let go of the redhead, and her flailing arm backhanded her mother, who fell.

Harry and Hermione, who had just apparated to the room, ran to help her up.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!" Harry bellowed. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Ginny froze.

Draco shook his head and took a deep breath. All the cuts on his face and neck stung badly. He hoped that bite wouldn't leave a mark. Still, before Ginny could react, he lifted her in his arms and placed her on her bed. Without a word, he moved back toward Daphne. Molly grabbed his arm and placed her cold hand on his less hurt cheek. Her eyes were full of tears as they drifted to the bite mark on his shirt, "Are you okay?"

Draco forced himself to smile as he placed his hand over Ginny's teeth marks, "I will be fine, Mrs. Weasley. Are you?"

"I will be okay soon enough. Don't worry about me. I am so sorry," Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"It's not your fault," Draco replied as he moved away. Andromeda followed him after restraining Ginny with a special spell that made her limbs go numb and motionless.

"Move her to the Weasley room. I will not have any other patients disturbed or hurt in a crossfire," Andromeda whisper shouted at Harry, who nodded. Dobby appeared and pushed the bed out into the Weasley family room. Inside, an argument was taking place, but all voices stopped as soon as they came in. Hermione walked in next to Harry, holding his hand to keep him from blowing up. Fleur, Charlie, the twins, and Bill had stopped moving and talking.

"Pardon the interruption," Hermione said with a nod.

"We had to move her here because of an outburst in the Infirmary," Harry explained.

Bill turned to face Ginny. He looked at his mother's reddened cheek, and his eyes widened. "Did you-?!"

Ginny looked pointedly away from her favorite brother.

"William, we will speak some more later. Please go," Molly requested.

Hermione took a deep breath. "We realize that this is your family room, but we would like to have some privacy."

Fleur nodded right away, "Of course. Hermione, J'ai peut-être outrepassé quand j'ai parlé à mon mari. Je suis désolé. Je détestais la façon dont Longwei la traitait." [I may have overstepped when I spoke to my husband. I am sorry. I hated the way Longwei treated her.]

Hermione nodded at Fleur with a small smile, "Je comprends. Nous n'avons pas aimé non plus." [I understand. We didn't like it either.]

Fleur left, pulling her husband behind her. Charlie and the twins left after their mother gave them a look. Hermione pulled a chair for Molly to sit down.

"We need to talk, Ginny," Harry began waving his hand over her, lifting the silencing spell.

"I don't have to talk to you!" Ginny spat. Her voice was hoarse.

Harry frowned severely at that. "Like hell, you don't."

"What?" Ginny lifted her brow at him.

"This is my house, and you must answer to me. Everyone else does," Harry replied. "Explain yourself."

"I don't have to!" Ginny shook her head.

"Do you realize that you just backhanded your mother in front of us?" Hermione asked. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"I may have to answer to Harry, but I sure as hell don't have to answer to YOU!" Ginny replied, narrowing her eyes at the brunette.

"That's my WIFE you are talking to!" Harry growled. Hermione couldn't help but feel proud to be called his wife.

"Excuse me?!" Ginny blinked.

"Hermione and I are bonded, Ginny," Harry said in a calm voice. "We have a bond of Hecate. Everyone here knows that. You would too if you didn't insist on staying away from everyone."

Ginny rolled her eyes hard and grimaced in pain as she tried to throw her hands up unsuccessfully, "Oh, great! That's so fabulous! Why the fuck should I care!?" Her voice was full of anger, and to Hermione, it had a jealous undertone too.

"Ginny!" Molly exclaimed. "Stop acting like a brat!"

Harry took a step toward the redhead and looked at her with barely contained anger.

"You are yelling at Lady Potter! The Mistress of this house who could at any point banish you from the premises," Harry narrowed his eyes at Ginny. Hermione's eyes looked at Harry lovingly. She had never been called Lady Potter before. It made her feel confident in their relationship. She pulled him back and wrapped her arm around his waist to calm him down.

Hermione added, "Worse still, you are yelling at your MOTHER! Watch your tone or you will regret it."

Ginny took several deep, shaky breaths while she looked at Hermione with hatred.

"Ginevra, we had words with Longwei about his behavior, and Sirius spoke to Mrs. Xu. We were all defending you to them. Imagine our surprise when we learned that you have been attacking people on this island left and right since you got here," Harry said this slowly, trying to keep his cool.

"I was defending myself!" Ginny insisted. "They attacked me!"

"Just because someone disagrees with you that doesn't mean they attacked you," Hermione reasoned.

"You don't get to decide what is and isn't an attack! If I feel attacked, I will defend myself! ALWAYS!" Ginny replied. "If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't even be alive anymore! Do you think Hogwarts was a walk in the park with Snape as Headmaster?"

"No. We don't think that. That's why we were defending you. However, you don't get to do whatever you want to whomever you want either! I have never seen Longwei so angry. He told us you were about to stab the soldier with a real unauthorized blade," Harry replied, crossing his arms. Ginny looked down with a furious blush. Molly gasped. Harry continued, "I didn't want to believe him, but you just confirmed his words by looking so guilty."

"Mrs. Xu told Sirius that you have been picking fights. She said you cursed her and tried to scratch her face," Hermione added. "Mrs. Xu is the General's wife. That man cut off Lucius Malfoy's legs with one move of his blade while avoiding getting hit with anything at The Burrow. He is not the sort of man you want to anger."

"She was disrespecting my father! I went to the lake to spend time with him. I was having a private conversation with my father, and she came into the area running and shouting with those stupid gorillas!"

"And instead of asking her to leave you alone, you threw a curse at her?!" Harry asked, perplexed.

"In what universe is that proportional, Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"They mocked me for speaking out loud to myself! Called me crazy!"

Hermione grimaced. Calling someone crazy when they are mourning is never a good idea, but attacking soldiers isn't that bright either.

"That is not enough provocation!" Molly replied. "I thought you attacked her because you feared for your safety, Ginevra! That's what you told me!"

Harry turned to Molly, confused. "You knew about this?"

"Yes, and I made her go and apologize. You did, didn't you?" Molly pressed, coming closer to the bed. Her cheek was still very red and starting to swell up.

Ginny raised her chin defiantly. "I didn't! Why the hell would I?"

"Because I told you to!" Molly roared.

"I am 16 years old! You don't get to tell me what to do anymore!"

"GINEVRA!" Bill came back into the room. "Don't you speak to our mother that way!"

"What the hell happened to your face?!" Ginny finally looked at Bill, who was still bloodied and starting to bruise and swell up.

"I went to the beach to beat up Longwei for hurting you!"

"And he beat you up instead? Aren't you a werewolf? Shame on you!"

Harry and Hermione were shocked. Ginny felt entitled to being defended but didn't give a damn that Bill got hurt.

"GINNY!" Molly yelled.

"No, mother. Let her. Let her spill all her venom," Bill stepped closer to Ginny. "Perhaps it was about time someone handed your ass to you... We have always put up with too much bullshit from you because you are younger and a girl and you have taken advantage of that. What the fuck would you have me do? Bite him like you bit Malfoy?! What the fuck was that about?!"

Harry and Hermione shared a look and a frown. They hadn't seen that. Molly started struggling to breathe as tears fell rapidly down her cheeks.

"Mrs. Weasley!" Harry rushed to her before she fell to the ground again. Hermione moved with him, and they helped her to one of the beds.

"MOM!" Bill jumped toward her and lifted her arms up to try and help her get some air.

"I can't- I-" Molly's whole body shook with her agitation as she tried to breathe.

"Dobby! Get Andi here now!"

Andi was moved into the room, and after a diagnostic spell, she moved her wand away, "It's an anxiety attack. Dobby! Move us to the Infirmary."

Dobby vanished with the two of them.

Go with them, Harry thought to Hermione, who nodded and left the room.

Bill looked ready to jump over Ginny and teach her yet another lesson.

"Bill. Don't."

"Harry-"

"Please, let me speak to her alone."

Bill looked ready to argue but Harry's look deterred him, "I will be right outside."

Harry nodded. He sat on a chair next to the bed and took Ginny's immobile hand. "Gin. This isn't you. I know you. You can't be okay with what you just did. Please, I want to help you. I want to understand. Tell me what happened... If someone did something to you at Hogwarts... If someone hurt you here, I will throw them out."

"Longwei hurt me, and he's still here," Ginny scowled.

"It is his job to protect his soldiers, Ginny."

"Whose job is it to protect ME!?"

Harry took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. He sat on the bed next to her and spoke softly to the girl, "Mine, Gin. It is my job, but I can't do it well if you don't open up to me and tell me what's wrong. How can I fix this?"

"I don't want to be here! I never did! And now, I have to see you all chummy with Granger!"

Harry sighed, "Ginny, we broke up long ago... You moved on..."

"It doesn't matter! I want to go home! I am sick and tired of everyone thinking they can make decisions for me! I didn't want to be a part of the training! I was soaked through with ice water before the sun was even out and forced out of my bed! I was manhandled! Now my brother blames me for getting hurt when I never asked him to defend me! You are upset because you defended me as well. Guess what, Harry? I never asked you to defend me either!"

"You don't have to ask, Ginny! We are your family!" Harry snapped. He took a deep breath and felt Hermione's calming energy reaching toward him. "We will always defend you because that's what family does!"

"And what the hell would YOU know about having a family?!" Ginny yelled back. She was so upset that she managed to undo the incantation the healer placed on her, and she sat up.

Harry let go of her hand as if it had electrocuted him. He stepped away as he saw her face morph into Ron's in his mind as he saw their fight in the tent happen again.

"Not only do you have no family, but also you cost me mine!"

Harry stepped away from her bed. His eyes filled with tears.

Hermione heard through his ears, felt his distress, and came back inside, followed by Bill. "How dare you say that to him?! Apologize. Now."

"NO! My father was my favorite person in the whole world! It's his fault my dad is dead!"

"GINNY!" Bill yelled in outrage. "IT WAS RONALD'S FAULT, AND YOU KNOW THAT!" He looked at his sister, horrified.

"NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE ME OR PROTECT ME AS DAD DID! HE'S GONE, AND THAT'S ON YOU!" She screamed at Harry, "YOU RUINED MY LIFE! WE LOST OUR HOME FOR SUPPORTING YOU! WE LOST RONALD BECAUSE OF YOU! WE HAVE NOTHING THANKS TO YOU! YOU HAVE FORCED US TO LIVE OFF YOU LIKE A CHARITY CASE AFTER YOU WERE THE ONE THAT MADE US HOMELESS!"

Hermione stood in between Ginny and Harry, her hands covered in angry red sparks, "If you don't shut up, right now I-"

Luna was brought in by Dobby. She stared at Ginny with rage and poked her forehead and the top of her head with her lit-up index fingers. Ginny collapsed to the bed, unconscious. Luna turned to Harry, "I am so sorry you had to put up with all that. If I had known she was in one of her manic episodes, I would have put her out long ago."

"Manic episodes?!" Hermione and Bill asked in unison.

"Yes. Madam Pomfrey would be better suited to guide you, as she knows her file, but I told Ginevra she needed to seek help a couple of years ago. She has something called bipolar disorder. When she goes through a lot, you know... emotionally, it exacerbates," Luna explained.

"What did you do to her?" Hermione asked, blinking rapidly.

"Oh... Nothing bad or permanent. I just manipulated her chakras to disconnect her before she hurts other people or herself," Luna shrugged.

Bill was flabbergasted. Harry and Hermione were shocked. It wasn't just that Ginny had been diagnosed, but that Luna was capable of disconnecting someone like that... with seemingly minimal effort was truly impressive.

"Is she on a potion regime?" Bill asked, trying to wrap his mind around this.

"She is supposed to be... I reminded her to ask Andromeda for her potions, but she lashed out at me," Luna pulled down the collar of her t-shirt and showed them a hand-shaped fading bruise on her decolletage. I let it go on account of Mr. Weasley's death, but I see I shouldn't have. I am sorry to give you pain. I thought you knew, William," Luna cocked her head at Bill. "She always said you were her favorite brother... I will go get Andromeda."

Harry and Hermione sat down together. Bill sat across from them in another bed.

"What the actual fuck?" the three said in unison.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I know this chapter was a lot. I really thought my inspiration would leave me entirely with my Luna, but I think writing is my brain's mechanism to process things. It distracts me from my grieving and my loneliness. I appreciate all your condolences. Every day is a struggle, but I am still trying. -Lux-