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SIYE Time:1:48 on 29th March 2024
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Harry Potter and the Nameless Man
By Brennus

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Action/Adventure
Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 362
Summary: Newly appointed probationary Auror Ginny Weasley wanted to do something more meaningful with her life than just play Quidditch. Newly promoted Assistant Head Auror Harry Potter has problems, not least of all that his ex-girlfriend has just moved in with another man. When a pure-blood hunting serial killer suddenly appears, will the Departments latest recruit be a help or a distraction for him?
Hitcount: Story Total: 80319; Chapter Total: 7283
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Oh, the problems I had with this chapter! I just could not get Harry’s first meeting with the Weasleys right, and it stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the story, to the point I nearly abandoned the whole thing. Oddly, when I was writing my first fan fic ‘The List’ it was the chapter where a similar meeting takes place that caused me problems, too.

In the first draft of this, Harry’s reaction to being thrown into the middle of a Weasley family Christmas was much more extreme to the point he suffered a panic attack. But try as I might, the whole thing just wouldn’t sit right. Fortunately, Mrs Brennus finished her Fine Arts degree and actually had some time available to help me. She read through it and basically told me I was looking at the whole thing backwards; Harry wouldn’t explode and panic, he would emotionally close down. And, as normal, she was right! Arnel also threw a few suggestions in (Ginny being grabbed as she entered the door and being dragged away was her idea) and basically the whole party scene now works a million times better than before.

BTW, Mrs Brennus got a first in her degree. She now has a piece of paper which says that she is officially much smarter than me. As if she needed a certificate for me to know that…

Mega thanks to Arnel for her suggestions and extensive beta work. Obviously my concerns about this chapter made me completely forget any basic grammar that I might have known. 89 corrections? Sob.




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Chapter 10 — Blood and Passion



Harry stood in the cold, frigid air, looking at quite the strangest house he had ever seen in his life. If he ever had cause for doubt that Ginny came from a magical family the sight of their home would have dispelled such thoughts immediately. There was no way that place could remain upright without magic! He looked down at his new girlfriend and she smiled encouragingly back at him.

The last week and a half had been both wonderful and frustrating in equal portions. Unusually for Harry, it was his personal life that was providing the happiness while his work was the source of his annoyance.

The case had gone strangely quiet. Since the debacle with Healer Woodhouse, no new breakthroughs had been achieved. On the other side of the coin, there had been no further attacks either. The team had been reduced to slogging through records looking for suspects or maintaining covert patrols in places the killer could possibly strike.

Normally, Harry would have been pulling his hair out or taken up permanent residence in the public bar of The Broken Lantern by this point. Instead, he was finding his attention diverted by the small, red-haired, young woman who current stood beside him.

By mutual agreement, they had decided to keep their relationship quiet for the moment. Susan had been acting weird enough lately and they didn’t want to provoke her while they were in the middle of the case. Besides, it was nobody’s business but theirs.

Although he felt guilty for doing so, he couldn’t help but compare his relationship with Ginny to the one he previously had with Susan. It was like chalk and cheese. Vivacious and full of life, Ginny had a knack for preventing him getting too moody or downcast. He found that for the first time in his life he could leave work behind as soon as he walked through the front door of his house. He simply looked forward to spending time with her too much. While their physical relationship had not progressed beyond making out, Harry had to admit he found it strangely thrilling. He began to wonder just how good it would be when they finally did go to bed together.

If he’d still been with Susan the situation would have been very different, he felt. Susan would have shared his frustrations and poor temper which would no doubt have resulted in arguments between them. While the make-up sex would have been very welcome, it would have been papering over the cracks in their relationship. It was only from the prospective of his current situation that Harry could see how dysfunctional the pair of them had been.

Of course, it was one thing to be enthusiastic about his new relationship. Dealing with the compromises that it entailed was quite another. That was why he was here, standing outside this insane dwelling, about to participate in the Weasley family’s Christmas. Frankly, he was terrified. Give him a Dark Lord or murderous serial killer any day.

Contrary to Ginny’s teasing, it was not her multiple overprotective brothers or formidable mother that worried him. It was simply he just didn’t know how to act in this sort of gathering. The closest he had ever come to a joyous family Christmas had been a few years when he had first move in with his godfather. Those gatherings had been small, intimate affairs attended by Sirius’s friend Remus and occasionally the Tonks family. If he considered six people to be a large gathering how was he going to cope with the massed ranks of Ginny’s family?

“Come on, Harry,” Ginny encouraged him when he hesitated. “They won’t bite, you know. Everyone is dying to meet you!”

Thinking that was exactly what he was afraid of, he just gave her a fake smile and allowed himself to be dragged towards the house. Before he knew it, they had reached the door which Ginny had thrown open without hesitation, pulling him behind her.

He was instantly assailed by a wave of heat and noise. They had entered a huge kitchen area (which had to have been magically expanded, he bet) which was crammed with people of all shapes and sizes. On catching sight of Ginny, there had been a chorus of shouted greetings. Ginny just waved enthusiastically and then began to remove her hat and cloak. A second later, a blond-haired girl grabbed Ginny by the hand and dragged her away to where a group of young women were standing.

Harry began removing his long coat with the intention of following his girlfriend, when a matronly-looking woman descended on him and snatched the garment from his hand.

“You must be Harry Potter,” the woman gushed enthusiastically. “Ginny’s told us so much about you!”

“Err, hello,” Harry replied, a little taken back by the woman’s enthusiasm.

“Oh, but where are my manners,” the woman exclaimed. “I’m Molly Weasley, Ginny’s mother. I couldn’t believe my ears when Ginny said she would be bringing you. I was convinced she was trying to prank us! Oh, Merlin, I can’t believe it. My little girl stepping out with Harry Potter. My goodness!”

Harry was getting a little concerned that Mrs Weasley was going to start hyperventilating or possibly spontaneously combust. Before he had a chance to say anything further, however, a tall, balding man stepped forward and grabbed his hand which he then started shaking vigorously.

“Arthur Weasley, Ginny’s father,” the man introduced himself. “It’s an honour to meet you, it really is!”

“Pleased to meet you to, Mr Weasley,” Harry replied, carefully extracting his hand.

“Oh, none of that ‘Mr Weasley’ nonsense,” the man insisted. “Please call me Arthur. The same goes for Molly here. We don’t stand on ceremony in this house.”

“Arthur and Molly,” Harry confirmed. He then reached into his pocket and retrieved a tiny box which he then enlarged with his wand. He handed it to Arthur. “I brought some wine.”

“Oh, really, Mr Potter, you shouldn’t have. And so many bottles, too,” Arthur noted.

In truth, Harry had been very uncomfortable with the idea of turning up to a family Christmas dinner empty handed. Not knowing what else to bring, he’d fallen back on the traditional idea of turning up to a party with a bottle in hand. He’d then agonised on whether to bring red or white wine, before realising that if the dinner was as well attended as Ginny had suggested, a single bottle of either would hardly be adequate. In the end he’d brought four white and four red. Of course, now looking round the room he realised he’d brought nothing for all the children that seemed to be everywhere. He really wasn’t good at this family stuff.

“Um, yes, well. I hope you have a use for it,” Harry mumbled. “And please call me Harry.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Arthur aid, smiling warmly. “Trust me, around here wine will never go to waste. Well, come and meet everyone.”

The next half an hour was probably the most bewildering and uncomfortable of Harry’s life. He was dragged from person to person for introductions. The Weasley family seemed to be enormous and Harry was certain that he would be lucky to remember any of the names he was given. He shook men’s hands, stiffly received hugs from various women and even occasional kisses. Babies were thrust at him for his inspection and small children paraded in front of him for his approval.

The longer this went on, the more Harry felt his defences start to rise. Over the years, he had attended many Ministry events, normally on the strict orders of his superiors, and had through necessity developed a survival technique. His face became a polite mask, with a plastic smile plastered to it. He allowed the inane chatter to wash over him, feigning interest with the occasional nod of the head. To the outside world, he was well-mannered and courteous, while inside he squirmed from all the attention and the sickening fawning.

Throughout the extended introductions, Harry had been desperately looking round for Ginny. Unfortunately, every time he spotted her she had been engrossed in conversation with some family member or another. Currently, she stood on the far side of the room cradling a baby that appeared to belong to a dark-skinned woman with dreadlocks in her hair. Why had she dragged him here if she was just going to abandon him as soon as they arrived?

Fortunately, they eventually ran out of people for Harry to meet. Arthur made his excuses about helping his wife with the dinner, but he at least pressed a glass of wine into Harry’s hand before he vanished. Harry found a quiet corner and stood watching the chaos around him warily. He was starting to feel trapped and very uncomfortable.

Soon, Molly Weasley called everyone to the dinner table which precipitated a mad rush to grab seats. Harry hung back to miss the rush with the result that the only remaining seat available was some distance away from Ginny. He felt a stab of irritation that his new girlfriend hadn’t even thought to secure him a seat next to her.

He found himself sitting between a quiet, bespectacled young woman who seemed to be ignoring everyone and an attractive, blond-haired girl who immediately began to start flirting with him. He vaguely remembered the girl was called Lavender and was the girlfriend of Ginny’s youngest brother Ron, whom Harry assumed was the tall red-haired man glaring at him from the other side of the table. He just politely smiled at Lavender’s attempts at conversation and concentrated on his food.

Unfortunately, despite the excellence of the feast, Harry had found that he had no appetite. Despite being surrounded by people he felt alone and abandoned. He glanced down the table and saw Ginny happily chatting away with one of her brothers, a ridiculous party hat shaped like a swan perched on her head. She didn’t even glance his way once. He just picked at his food and nodded politely to Lavender as she continued to yatter away at him. He retreated more and more into himself and prayed for it all to end.

Unfortunately, the dinner seemed to last for hours. He managed to eat most of the meagre helping he had put on his plate, only for Molly Weasley to descend upon him and insist that he have seconds. Harry found his plate filled again without even being asked if he wanted anything further, much to his annoyance. He picked at the extra food, but knew he stood no chance of eating it all. He managed to sneak some of it back into the serving dishes and pushed his plate as far away from him as he could. He had just succeeded in ridding himself of the unwanted food when a large bowl of Christmas pudding with custard was dumped in front of him. He stared at it and desperately willed himself not to be sick. He managed two mouthfuls and just mashed the rest of the pudding into a pulp with his spoon.

Eventually, pudding was finished and the guests began to leave the table. The adults clustered together in small groups talking and laughing while children of various ages ran yelling at the tops of their voices. Harry refilled his wine glass and sought sanctuary. So far he had managed to maintain his mask of civility, but he was starting to feel a bit panicky crushed in by all these people.

Seemingly ignored for the moment, Harry quickly slipped out the kitchen door and into the garden. It was cold out here, but he felt instant relief to be away from the anarchic gathering inside. He breathed a sigh of relief and sipped his wine.

Harry stared bitterly into the middle distance. While he couldn’t fault the Weasley family hospitality, he found himself angry at Ginny. She knew he didn’t know anyone there, but had disappeared the second they had arrived. While he appreciated that she probably wanted to catch up with friends and family she hadn’t seen for ages, what was the point of insisting he came if she was going to do that?

For the first time since they had decided to get together, Harry began to doubt it would work between them. Maybe they were just too different types of people? She was happy and outgoing, full of life and comfortable amongst a crowd of people. He was reserved and solitary. While she had been in her element here, he had been forced to present a false face to the Weasleys, a disguise to hide his feelings of discomfort and unease.

He was startled out of his sombre thoughts by the sound of the kitchen door opening. Looking up he saw a red-haired man with long hair tied back into a pony tail. The most notable feature about him, however, was the deep scars that lined his face. Harry thought the wounds looked like the distinctive results of a werewolf attack, which meant the man was probably Ginny’s oldest brother, Bill. Silently, Harry cursed at the intrusion. Couldn’t the Weasleys give him five minutes to himself?

“Hi,” the man greeted him. “Hope you don’t mind some company?”

“Not at all,” Harry lied.

“I’m Bill, in case you’ve forgotten. There’s rather a lot of us Weasleys, and it must be impossible to remember all our names in one go,” Bill said with a smile.

“I did actually remember who you are, but I’ll admit you’re in the minority,” Harry agreed, pleased the man was at least showing a bit of understanding at his difficulties.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Bill replied. “I saw you when Dad was introducing you to everyone and you did have a bit of a ‘deer in the headlights’ look about you. So, you and Ginny, eh? That was a bit of a surprise.”

“Yeah, not that you would have realised we were together today,” Harry said, frustration creeping into his voice.

“Um, well, try not to blame Ginny too much for that. I think every female in the house wanted to hear about how she managed to land herself the legendary Harry Potter. No sooner had she finished telling her story to one person, than she was leapt on by another. I really don’t think she was trying to ignore you,” Bill explained.

Harry could only manage a non-committal grunt. Bill looked at him shrewdly.

“This isn’t easy for you, is it?” he asked. “Being in an environment like this?”

Harry looked up at the badly scarred man for a second and briefly considered telling him to mind his own business. In the end, he decided that would be unnecessarily rude, after all, Bill was the first person today to actually talk to him normally.

“It’s… not what I’m used to,” he admitted.

“It can be difficult, even for another family member, to deal with us lot,” Bill admitted. “I struggled for a long time at gatherings like these. After the war I got really angry about a lot of things: my injuries, my brother Fred getting killed, all the senseless horror I’d seen. I’d come to a family get-together and hear everyone rabbiting on about stupid, meaningless stuff and it was all I could do not to start yelling at them for being morons. But I had to stop and remember that they hadn’t seen the things I’d seen, they just didn’t understand what it was like for me.”

“I know what you mean,” Harry acknowledged. “After everything that went on during the war, most people seem happy to pretend nothing happened.”

“Exactly,” Bill agreed. “You lost most of your family in the war, didn’t you?”

“I lost all my family,” Harry corrected, “apart from my Muggle aunt and uncle who hate my guts, anyway. I guess that’s why I’ve felt so out of place today. I’m just not use to big family occasions like this.”

“Trust me, most people will never get use to a Weasley family gathering,” Bill assured him. “But it does get easier, you know. You just have to be prepared to grin and bear it. I can’t imagine how you must feel, losing everyone like that, but eventually you have to try to move forward. If you don’t you just end up bitter and lonely.”

Harry thought for a moment. That certainly had been the road he had been on. Ginny had started to change that, but was he ready to accept more change? Could he accept more change? Today’s events certainly suggested not. But what would happen to him if he couldn’t move forward? Was he destined only to date girls who had no family and a pessimistic view of life? How did he change things?

“How did you eventually move forward?” Harry asked eventually.

“I found a good woman and married her,” Bill admitted with a shrug.

“It was that simple, was it?” Harry snorted.

“No, it wasn’t. It took me ages before I was back to what I considered to be normal. But Fleur was with me every step of the way. Looking back, I needed a strong woman to get me through and, thankfully, that’s exactly what I found,” Bill explained. “Look, I’ve no idea how close you and Ginny are, but if you need a strong woman of your own, you could do a lot worse than her.”

“It’s still only early days,” Harry confirmed.

“Understood, but just don’t let today put you off her,” Bill advised. “Just explain to her how uncomfortable everything made you feel. She will understand, believe me. Just give her a chance, okay?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s not really her fault,” Harry conceded. “I should never have agreed to come today. I should have realised how it would affect me.”

“You had to give it a try,” Bill disagreed. “You can’t hide yourself away forever. You’ll just end up going mad if you do. Anyway, I’d better head back in. No doubt my daughter will be driving my wife round the bend by now, so I ought to go and give her a break. Nice talking to you, Harry.”

“You too, Bill. And thanks for the advice,” Harry said.

Bill gave him a casual wave of his hand and headed back inside. Harry slumped against the wall of the house and sighed. Was he really such a basket-case that he couldn’t stand to be in a room of happy people for more than a few hours? At least he wasn’t the only the only person to feel like that, according to Bill. Why couldn’t he put the war behind him like Bill had done?

“Well, it looks like I’ve fucked-up pretty good,” said a voice.

Harry looked up to see Ginny leaning against the doorframe with a miserable look on her face.

“I’m really sorry, Harry,” she continued. “I just thought that you’d enjoy a big family Christmas like we always have. I should have stopped to think how it would affect you.”

“Did you hear much of my conversation with your brother?” he asked.

“Most of it,” Ginny admitted. “Ironically, I saw Bill going out the door and I wanted to ask his advice about you. I guess I would have been better off just coming over and talking to you directly.”

“Yeah, you would,” Harry confirmed a little harshly. “I felt like I’d been deserted. What was the point of asking me to come today if you were going to ignore me?”

“There were just so many people here that I hadn’t seen for ages and they all wanted to catch up. Of course, everyone wanted to know how we got together and I had to tell them about that,” she explained miserably. “Every time I looked over, someone was talking to you so I just assumed you were having a good time. I didn’t think you were having a problem.”

Harry stayed silent for a minute trying to put into words how he felt.

“It’s just really difficult for me, Ginny,” he said eventually. “I lost everyone I ever cared about. Everyone I loved was just… gone. It’s taken me a long time to even get to this stage. To be suddenly thrown in the middle of a bunch of strangers all asking questions and acting like they know me… it just made me want to run out the door screaming. This isn’t my family and I felt like an interloper among them.”

“Am I dumped then?” she asked with a slight quiver in her voice.

Harry looked at her. Her big, beautiful brown eyes were shining with unshed tears. He was surprised to find he had a lump in his throat at the sight of her misery. Maybe he was making too much of this. It had been a simple mistake, after all. Not quite knowing what to say he just opened his arms and she threw herself into his embrace.

“I’m sorry, Ginny. I guess I’m still a bit more broken then I thought,” he mumbled.

“But we’re still together, yeah?” she asked looking up at him.

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a small smiled. “On condition you don’t invite me to any more of these family get-togethers for a long time.”

“Deal,” Ginny agreed. “Shall I grab our coats so we can go home?”

“I don’t want to drag you away from your family,” Harry objected. “You stay. I can say I’m needed back at work or something.”

“We either both stay or we both go,” Ginny said firmly. “As you look about ready to kill someone, I think we’d better go. Besides, Ron’s girlfriend Lavender is driving me up the wall.”

“Yeah, thanks for making me have to sit next to her at dinner,” Harry groused.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Harry. It’s kind of a tradition in our house that everyone tries to grab a seat as fast as they can. Because there’s so many of us, you have to get to the table fast if you want any food to be left,” she apologies. “Guess I should have mentioned that.”

“No, I’m sorry. This really shouldn’t be such a big thing for me. I can’t have dinner with my girlfriend’s family without turning schizophrenic.”

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we go and nick one of those bottles of wine you brought, head back to Grimmauld Place and drink it cuddled up on the coach?” she suggested.

Harry grinned. “That sounds like a great plan, but with one modification. There’s plenty of wine back at the house. We don’t need to try and steal any of the bottles back.”

“Fantastic,” Ginny said happily. Her expression darkened again however. “I really am sorry, Harry. I did want you to have a nice Christmas.”

“Hey, the day isn’t over yet. There’s still plenty of time for things to improve.” He bent down and pressed his lips to hers. She returned the kiss passionately before he broke the kiss. “See, things are picking up already.”

“Wait here, I’ll grab our coats,” Ginny said, smiling brightly. “I’ve got a lot of making up to do and I’m keen to get started.”

She darted back into the house and returned a few minutes later with their things. Wrapping her arm around his middle, Ginny led him away from the Burrow. Maybe things will work out okay, Harry thought.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

He sat in the dark and brooded. Three young witches had been sacrifice and three rituals performed, but he still felt no different. The book had warned him that the process had a high failure rate, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

Things were not going as he imagined. He’d hoped that he would have had some success by this point as he’d been so careful in selecting the girls. Having the entire medical records of St Mungo’s at his disposal had been a major help, but sadly it had not been reflected in his results. If only the damn book had been a bit more specific!

The Aurors were a worry, too. They’d been sniffing round and digging through the records office. He’d initially been concerned that his access to the medical files had been cut off permanently, but now he had a chance to think about it, he realised he was worrying for nothing. There was no way they would ever figure out how he broke into the records room.

The press annoyed him, as well. They were still convinced he was on some revenge mission against the pure-blood community. Bloody idiots. They were always so convinced that blood purity was so important, damn them. Why his father…

That brought him up short. He hadn’t thought about his father in a long time. He found himself a bit shocked that the memories were still so painful.

Unbidden, his thoughts turned back to that that fateful day when his life changed. After all these years he still felt the injustice of it all. To be cast aside and abandoned through no fault of his own, just to preserve the reputation of a noble pure-blood family! Bastard! He hoped his father was rotting in hell!

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. It would serve them right if he did launch a campaign to slaughter the pure-bloods. How much suffering had they caused by their stupidity? But, no. He must keep his focus and concentrate on his goal.

That said, however, maybe a little amendment to his plans could be made. He didn’t have a suitable next victim lined up, but he knew there were a number of suitable candidates that he had already started researching in the records office. It would mean another trip to the room, but he was confident that he would not be seen. The results of the ritual would be interesting as well.

Yes, he decided, it was time to mix things up a little.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

“Oh, and that’s a bad miss by Carl Jones! The Arrows are struggling to get points on the board tonight and he’ll be kicking himself for letting that opportunity going to waste…”

Ginny took another swig on her bottle of beer and smirked. Her prediction of a Tornados win was looking more and more certain every minute. If it carried on at this rate even catching the Snitch wouldn’t be enough to save the Arrows. The exasperated look on Harry’s face was funny, too.

It was a Wednesday night which meant that WWN would be broadcasting the mid-week game live. Since Ginny had moved into Grimmauld Place three months ago, it had become traditional for her and Harry to listen to the game together whenever work allowed.

By this point they had the whole process running smoothly. Firstly, they would walk to the Muggle convenience shop a couple of streets over and stock up on drink and snacks. On the way back they would each select the team they would be supporting that evening. They had quickly established a system where they would each pick one of the opposing teams just so they could have a bit of banter between them. Normally, they weren’t too fussy who supported whom with the exception of the Harpies and Puddlemere United, which Ginny and Harry would respectively always claim.

Once back to the house, they would settle down in front of the wireless, crack open the drinks and start on the snacks. They would then argue about who was going to win, often quite passionately, until it was time for the game to start.

It was evenings like this that made Ginny realise just how much Harry was starting to mean to her. Their relationship was progressing wonderfully. So far the only hiccup had been at Christmas when she’d badly misjudged Harry’s reaction to being put in a family environment. Admittedly, just dropping her new boyfriend into the middle of the Weasleys and virtually abandoning him hadn’t been the smartest move, but not thinking beforehand how he might feel about that situation, bearing in mind what happened to his family, was inexcusable. She’d come close to losing him before the relationship had really started, and she was determined not to make the same mistake twice.

A lifetime of hiding, training and fighting had made Harry quiet a solitary figure. He was definitely a person who could be comfortable being by himself, although Ginny suspected that he yearned for more company at times. She’d eventually decided that Harry needed time to adjust to his change in relationship status. It would be best if initially their spare time was spent with just the two of them. Later, she would start to integrate friends and family into their activities, but for the moment she would concentrate on them building up a solid understanding between them.

“And there goes Ava Tillman! She’s seen the Snitch and she must have a good twenty-yard head start over the Arrows Seeker and… yes! She’s caught the Snitch! Tornados win 240 points to 60!”

“Bloody hell, what’s happened to the Arrows? They were brilliant last season, but this year they’re crap,” Harry moaned.

“I told you,” Ginny smirked, “losing both their Beaters at the end of last season was a huge blow. The Arrows based their whole game on their Beaters’ plays. The pair they roped in just aren’t a patch on O’Conner and Curtis.”

“I think you’re right,” he acknowledged.

Ginny watched him as he drained the last drops from his bottle of lager and placed it on the table in front of him. He then reclined back on the couch, folding his hands behind his head. His t-shirt rode up slightly as he did so exposing a small area of flat, toned stomach. She thought his relaxed posture was very sexy and entirely too tempting.

Putting down her own bottle, she moved over and pressed herself against him. Snuggling into his side, she slipped one hand under his shirt and ran her fingers over his warm flesh. She heard him breathe in sharply and knew she was getting him turned on. The feeling was definitely mutual. They still hadn’t gone all the way yet, but it was getting harder and harder for her to come up with reasons why they shouldn’t.

Obviously feeling he was missing out, Harry shifted slightly so he was able to slip his hand under her own shirt. She couldn’t help but shiver with pleasure at his touch. He leaned in and captured her lips with his own. Growling with desire, Ginny moved over until she was straddling him, with their bodies pressed together. Their kissing became more and more urgent and she felt his hands move up her body until they were cupping her breasts. She moaned into his mouth in approval.

Ginny realised they were getting close to the point of no return. Each time they found themselves in this position, it became harder and harder to stop. She could feel his arousal, pressed up against her through his jeans, and it excited her beyond belief. This time, she decided, when he started trying to remove her clothes she wouldn’t stop him. She was ready.

Suddenly, Harry pulled his mouth from hers and twisted his body. She found herself deposited on the coach next to him. She looked up in confusion.

“Sorry, Ginny. That was getting far too intense,” Harry apologised. “Much more of that and I don’t think I could have been able to stop.”

For a second, Ginny could only stare at him open mouthed before she let out a groan. She’d been the one setting the limits of how far they went, and Harry had decided they had been fast approaching the latest boundary she’d set. She really didn’t know whether to bless him or curse him at that exact moment.

“What’s the matter?” Harry asked.

“I… I wasn’t ready to stop,” Ginny complained.

“Sorry, Ginny,” he said with a grin, “but I was just about on the verge of tearing your clothes off with my teeth. Any more and I think we’d have ended up going a bit further than you intended.”

“As I said,” Ginny said slowly, trying not to let her frustration become evident, “I wasn’t ready to stop.”

Harry looked at her sharply.

“You mean… you would… what I mean to say…” he gabbled.

“Harry, I think I’m ready to take the next step,” she confirmed.

“Oh! Um, well… do you want to…” his voice trailed off.

“I think the moment has passed tonight,” she said regretfully. “But next time… let’s just say that if I’m not stopping us, then you shouldn’t either.”

“Right. Next time,” Harry repeated, disappointment written all over his face.

“Hey, you were the one that stopped, not me,” she teased. “But remember, Harry. This is a big step for me. I mean, deciding that my first time will be with you was a big decision.”

“Your first?” Harry blurted in disbelief. “You mean you’re a virgin?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” she replied with some heat. “Just because I haven’t dropped my knickers for every bloke who comes along, you think there’s something wrong?”

“No!” Harry exclaimed. “Sweet Merlin, no. I was just surprised. I mean, you’re so confident and sexy, I just couldn’t believe you hadn’t done it before.”

“I am confident, but I don’t see what that has to do with whether I’ve shagged or not,” she objected. “I’ve never met anyone I’ve felt strongly enough about to want to do it with. That’s only right, surely?”

“Ginny, please,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I wasn’t criticizing you. I admire you, honest! You always do what you believe is the right thing and I totally respect that. It just shows what a strong, determined woman you are.”

She felt him squeeze her hands and could see the warmth in his eyes. She smiled shyly at him, more certain than ever that she had been correct to wait for the right man.

“I’m honoured that you’ve chosen me to be your first,” Harry continued. “And I promise, when you’re ready, I’ll do everything I can to make it special.”

“Thank you, Harry,” she whispered, melting into his embrace.

How it was only a question of when they took the next step, not if.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

“Oh, damn it!” Elizabeth cursed.

The wheelie bin she had been dragging to the curb had just managed to get one of its wheels stuck in a crack in the pavement. In irritation, she wiggled the bin until it was free. She then pushed it up against the fence lining the front of her garden and left it for the refuse collectors who would be due shortly.

Shivering in the cold morning air, she hurried back into the house. It was times like this that she hated living in a Muggle area, but she hadn’t got much choice really. The house had been left to her by her parents who had both died the previous year, and she honestly couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. Even if she sold the property she doubted she would be able to buy anywhere half-decent in a magical community. She therefore had little option other than to continue to live here and hide her magical abilities from her neighbours.

Elizabeth sighed with relief as she closed the front door and savoured the warmth of the house. Foolishly, she’d ventured out wearing nothing warmer that a sweatshirt. Even though she’d been out for just a couple of minutes, she was freezing. She headed for the front room where she could stand in front of the fire and thaw out for a moment.

She had just started to warm her hands in front of the roaring flames when she heard a noise. Spinning around, she listened hard trying to figure out what the sound was. There was no one else in the house, but she would have sworn she heard someone moving about.

Moving slowly, she edged towards the living room door. Instinctively, she reached for her wand which she normally kept tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. With a start, she realised she’d left it on the kitchen table when she’d been doing up the bin bag. She was defenceless.

She paused in the hallway. She had two choices: either go out the front door or head towards the kitchen and investigate the source of the noise. Maybe she was just being silly and imagined she’d heard something? Deciding she would be fine once she had her wand, she crept towards the kitchen. The door was ajar and she peered in. Nothing looked untoward and she could clearly see her wand lying on the table. She hurried forward to grab it.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. Elizabeth tried to scream, but whoever it was clamped their hand over her mouth. She struggled to break free, but her attacker was too strong. She felt herself being pushed forward and then pressed down hard against the table.

She felt a sharp pain in her neck like she’d been stabbed with a needle. After a moment she started to feel strangely sleepy. Her eyelids became heavy and her struggling ceased. In the back of her mind she realised she had been injected with something and she was powerless to fight against it.

As her body relaxed she felt her attacker lessening the pressure on her back. Desperately, she tried to reach across the table and grab her wand, but her arms just wouldn’t respond. Her legs buckled and she slowly slid down onto the floor.

Although her eyesight was becoming blurry, she could she a man standing over her. He was fairly unremarkable and dressed plainly in jeans and a black jacket. In his hand, however, she saw he held a syringe. Panic started to battle with her wooziness. Who was this man and what the hell did he want?

“The drug won’t kill you,” the man said in a conversation tone. “You see, I need you to be alive when I take what I need.”

With that the man carefully put the syringe into the inside pocket of his jacket and in its place removed a small knife. At the sight of it Elizabeth desperately tried to scream, but she couldn’t make a sound.

“I’m sorry,” the man said as he knelt beside her.

His plain face was the last thing she ever saw.


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