In my author notes back in Chapter 1, I mentioned that I’d encountered all sorts of problems with this story. We have now reached the point where it all started going wrong for me.
This was an incredibly difficult chapter to write and deals with the horrendous issue of child abuse. Even if we just take what we know from the books, Harry suffered a horrible childhood. Food being withheld as punishment, being locked in a dark, confined space, constant verbal abuse, and actual physical abuse from his cousin: it’s a miracle Harry came out so grounded. This chapter is my take on what that abuse actually did to him.
Unfortunately, my first draft of this came out so grim and unpleasant that it was nearly unreadable. I quickly realised that what I’d written just didn’t fit in with the rest of the (relatively upbeat) story. There were, however, too many elements in the chapter that I wanted to show in the story to abandon it completely. There was nothing for it but to scrap the whole thing and come at it from a different angle.
Rather than showing Harry as a complete emotional wreck as I previously did, he is now portrayed as someone who has gone through a dreadful experience and now just wants to put it behind them. Of course, suppressing bad experiences can often lead to bigger problems later on, and this chapter is primarily about confronting those issues by allowing someone to help. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, and I deliberately put some lighter scenes in to balance the darker ones, but even so, this is quite an emotional chapter.
Huge thanks to Arnel for her support and encouragement, in addition to her wonderful beta skills.
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The Thorny Rose 2: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:None Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 213 Summary: Sequel to (amazingly) The Thorny Rose. The Triwizard Tournament is over and Harry and Ginny are together. What has Ginny got planned for her new boyfriend next? Hitcount: Story Total: 70605; Chapter Total: 6474 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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With a strange mix of apprehension and irritation, Ginny slipped into her seat. The weekend had been a complete bust. Her mother had invited some obscure branch of the Prewett family over to visit on the Sunday, so on Friday night she had informed all her children still living at home that she would require their services for the entire weekend. Ginny had been forced to spend Saturday cleaning the house, and Sunday in the company of an aggressively sulking Ron and a cousin (twice removed) who kept leering at her. The only bright spot of the day had been when her cousin followed her when she went to the loo and her sharply applied knee had convinced him that she wasn’t interested. So, not only had she missed out on one of her secret midnight trips to Harry’s bedroom, she now had to face the daunting prospect of her first Occlumency lesson with Madam Hagen. Still, at least she wasn’t as worked up about the prospect as Harry, who seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her boyfriend kept looking anxiously towards the door in anticipation of their new teacher’s arrival. At precisely nine a.m. the door swung open and Madam Hagen entered. She was wearing the same suit that Ginny had seen her in before and, if anything, looked even more formidable. Ginny was pretty sure she heard Harry whimper beside her, not that she really blamed him. Madam Hagen paused and removed her suit jacket. Underneath she was wearing a plain white blouse that did little to hide the woman’s monumental breasts. Although Ginny was rather pleased with how her body was developing, she couldn’t help but feel rather intimidated by that much chest. “Good morning, children,” Madam Hagen addressed them in a surprisingly gentle voice. “As you know, I’m here today to begin to teach you the art of Occlumency. I have taught many children your age and have generally been rather successful in my previous efforts. Occlumency training requires a high degree of trust between the teacher and the pupil and I can assure you that whatever thoughts and ideas I see in your heads will remain completely secret. Now, before we start do you have any questions?” “Madam Hagen? I was wondering what…” Harry began before the woman interrupted. “I’m sorry, I should have said at the start. When we are in class you can call me by my first name: Eva,” she instructed, “and if you have no objections, I will call you Harry and Ginny. During this training we are likely to get to know each other extremely well, so there’s no point standing on ceremony. I would ask, however, that in the presence of Mr Black that you continue to refer to me as Madam Hagen.” “Of course, Madam… err, Eva,” Harry stuttered. “I was just going to ask you about your comment that you’d generally been successful in teaching Occlumency. Do most of your pupils pick it up easily? What if we have no natural talent for it?” “That’s a good question, Harry,” Eva said smiling. Ginny couldn’t help but think that a smile made the woman look ten times younger. “Occlumency is an art and some people definitely have more aptitude for it than others. However, it is also a discipline and a well-organised, focused mind can usually overcome any natural deficiencies. Unfortunately, there are always some who never manage to master the art. I work almost exclusively for wealthy pure-blood families and, sadly, generations of interbreeding can sometimes result in me attempting to teach youngsters with the mental capacity of a turnip. That’s not a problem I suspect I will face with you two.” Ginny giggled at Eva’s words. It had only been a few minutes and she was already beginning to warm to the woman. She was far less intimidating than she first appeared. “Now, Mr Black informs me that you have been attempting to learn Occlumency from a book. I’m sorry to say, but that’s generally a futile exercise,” Eva explained. “Yeah, we got that impression, too,” Ginny lamented. “I’m not surprised,” Eva sympathised. “To start off with I think I shall attempt to enter your minds to see what defences you have in place already. Again, I must stress that your secrets are my secrets, too, and nothing I see will ever go beyond these four walls. Who will be first?” “I will, Eva,” Harry volunteered unenthusiastically. “Very well, Harry. I promise this won’t hurt, although it may well be somewhat disorientating,” Eva said. “Prepare yourself. Legilimens!” Eva unswervingly pointed her wand at Harry’s head and her face took on a distant expression. Harry seemed rooted to the spot, although he did flinch several times. Seconds dragged into minutes and Ginny started to become concerned. Madam Hagen seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time in Harry’s mind. Ginny could see sweat starting to drip off Harry’s brow and he was looking increasingly uncomfortable. Just as she was wondering if she should do something, Eva suddenly lowered her wand and let out an explosive breath. Harry, for his part, was trembling and looked traumatised by the whole thing. To Ginny’s immense surprise, the fearsome Madam Hagen knelt down in front Harry and gently took his hands in her own. “Are you alright?” she asked compassionately. “Yeah, I… I guess so,” Harry replied shakily. “What happened?” Ginny demanded, alarmed at her boyfriend’s distress. Madam Hagen looked enquiringly at Harry for a moment, but as he didn’t appear to be prepared to say anything, she turned to Ginny. “I’m afraid Harry here doesn’t have anything in the way of effective shielding around his mind and I managed to break into his memories without difficulty,” she explained. “A great deal of what I found was… upsetting.” Fear began to build in Ginny about what exactly their Occlumency Teacher had seen in Harry’s memories. “You’ve seen everything?” Ginny demanded to know, which brought a solemn nod from the German woman. “I don’t think a simple magical contract is going to be enough. Before you leave today, Madam Hagen, I want you to make an Unbreakable Vow of silence.” “And you shall have it,” Eva promised. “Harry’s extraordinary adventures during his time at Hogwarts makes me totally understand your need for complete secrecy. But it was not those memories I was referring to. What upset both of us was his recollections of his time before he came to Hogwarts when he was under the guardianship of his aunt and uncle.” Ginny suddenly went cold. What had those Muggle bastards done to Harry? “I’m okay,” Harry suddenly protested. “It’s all over and done with now and I never have to go back there again, so it doesn’t matter.” Eva tenderly stroked his cheek. “Oh, my poor, sweet boy. It does matter and unless you confront what happened to you, you’ll spend the rest of your life dragging this bitterness and guilt around with you. Even though you don’t realise it, these memories colour your thinking and affect your actions. Do you find there are times when you feel angry for no reason and you can’t understand why you feel the way you do?” “I…” Harry began, his face betraying his panic for a moment, before his shoulders slumped and he took on a defeated look. “Yeah, I do; frequently. It hasn’t been quite so bad this year with Ginny about, but even with her help I sometimes feel like screaming for no reason. Sometimes I just can’t control my temper and I just want to lash out at whoever is around me. I hope… I mean, I don’t think I would ever hurt my friends, but sometimes I’m so out of control that I don’t know what I’ll do.” “These are classic problems in young people who have suffered as you have, Harry. As painful as it will be, you need to confront what has happened to you and talk it through with someone,” Eva said firmly. “Would you feel more comfortable talking with your godfather?” “NO!” Harry nearly shouted. “Sirius already feels massively guilty that I ended up with the Dursleys in the first place. If I discuss this with him, he might go off and do something stupid, like attack them.” Ginny scooted over so she was pressed right up against Harry and she snaked her left arm around his waist. “Harry, I’m here for you,” she assured him. “You can talk to me about anything and I promise I’ll listen.” “I…” Harry stuttered. “You don’t have to tell her everything in one go,” Eva assured him. “Just a little at a time. Once you start, I assure you, it will become easier to share.” “Let me in, Harry, please,” Ginny begged. Harry screwed his eyes tight shut and clenched his jaw. Whatever secrets he was keeping must have been intensely personal, Ginny suspected, and she began to fear what was buried in his mind. “I’ll… I’ll try,” Harry whispered eventually and Ginny let out an explosive breath that she didn’t realise she had been holding. “Just do your best, Harry, that’s all anyone can ask of you,” Madam Hagen said and then surprised Ginny by pulling Harry into a rough hug. Taking her cue from the woman, Ginny wrapped her other arm around her boyfriend and rested her head on his shoulder. The three of them remained in that position until Harry managed to calm himself down. “Right, I think we’d better press on,” Madam Hagen said eventually, releasing Harry from her embrace and standing. “Ginny, I will test your shields now, are you ready?” Ginny moved away from Harry slightly and braced herself. “Okay, you can start,” she said nervously. A second later, Ginny became aware of Eva entering her mind. Whatever she had been expecting, the experience was far more disturbing than she had anticipated. Imagines and memories from her past began to assault her in a meaningless jumble. One second she caught a glimpse of herself as a small girl, crying because Fred and George had been teasing her, the next she saw herself gazing up into Harry’s green eyes, having just awoken in the Chamber of Secrets. The images came and went at a frightening speed and Ginny felt like her whole life was being paraded in front of her eyes. As suddenly as it started, the whirling images vanished. Ginny blinked in confusion and looked up to see Madam Hagen standing in front of her with her, wand in hand, and an unreadable expression on her face. “I think that we need to make that Unbreakable Vow immediately,” the woman said slowly, “for my protection as much as yours. I’m used to my clients having secrets but this… this goes far beyond anything I’ve experienced. Harry, why don’t you go and find your godfather and ask him to come up. Make sure he has his wand with him.” Harry nodded and hurried out the door. As soon as he had gone Madam Hagen turned to Ginny. “Ginny, I wanted to have a quick word with you about Harry without him being here,” she began. “I cannot stress to you the need for him to open up and talk about his past with you. He will no doubt fight you all the way, but you cannot be put off. His life depends on it.” “What do you mean?” Ginny asked in alarm. “What happened to him?” “I don’t think I’m betraying a confidence if I tell you he was beaten, starved and ridiculed for years by those animals he calls family,” Eva explained. “It has left him with huge self-worth issues and he’s riddled with guilt and shame. More to the point, its left him emotionally scarred and with no point of reference for feelings of love.” “You mean…” Ginny began hesitantly. “I saw what you intend to do with the Soul Bonding Ritual,” the woman interrupted, “and regrettably, as things stand, it won’t work. Not because Harry doesn’t feel the same way about you as you do about him, but simply because he thinks he’s unworthy of your love. His previous guardians instilled him in such feelings of self-loathing and guilt that he doesn’t believe anyone could truly love him, and he secretly expects you to grow weary of him and dump him at some point.” “But I told him how I feel,” Ginny objected. “I told him how compatible we are and that I’m willing to bind myself to him!” “Harry is not thinking rationally, I’m afraid,” Eva explained. “He needs to confront what happened to him and purge himself of these negative feelings. Until he learns to believe in himself and accept that he is worthy of other people’s affection, he will be incapable of successful completing the ritual as you plan.” “But if he can’t perform the ritual…” Ginny started to say. “Then the piece of You-Know-Who’s soul will remain inside him, slowly poisoning him from the inside,” Eva said, completing Ginny’s sentence. “He will either die or become another Dark Lord.” Ginny stared at the woman in horror. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH P “Slow down, Ginny, you nearly pulled me over,” Harry complained Ginny ignore his protests and continued to drag him by the hand up the stairs leading to the top floor of Grimmauld Place. She had a specific destination in mind, and she was eager to get there. Since her alarming conversation with Madam Hagen that morning, Ginny had been wracking her brains to think of a way to get her normally reticent boyfriend to open up to her. She’d even rummaged through Tom’s memories to see if she could discover a way to trick him into talking; Riddle had been a manipulative bastard, after all. She’d quickly discarded that idea, however. Harry needed to want to talk, not be forced into it. He would probably not react at all well if he thought he had been coerced into sharing his secrets. Instead, she would just need to be patient and just encourage him to open up to her. The morning had passed with maddening slowness. After Sirius had accepted Madam Hagen’s Unbreakable Vow, they had unanimously agreed that no more Occlumency training should be attempted that day, and Eva had departed with the promise to return in the morning. Instead, the remaining trio had gone up to the training room and practiced duelling. Harry, in particular, seemed grateful for the opportunity to work off some aggression and had thrown himself into it. After lunch, Ginny had informed Sirius in no uncertain terms that she was going to undertake some private training with Harry. Ignoring Sirius’s raised eyebrows and suggestive smirk, she had dragged Harry to the top floor of the house. “Where are we going, Ginny?” Harry demanded. “I don’t think I’ve even ever been to this bit of the house.” “That’s because you don’t have my inquisitive nature,” Ginny informed him. “I like to explore anywhere I am thoroughly. Ah, here we go.” She stopped in front of a plain door tucked away at the end of the hallway. The handle was rather stiff, but when she swung the door open it revealed a small set of stairs that lead to another door. She bounced up the stairs and turned the heavy, brass key that was already inserted in the lock. Pulling the heavy door open, she was temporally blinded by the dazzling sunlight. “Wow!” she heard Harry exclaim from behind her. “I never knew this was up here.” They had emerged out into a small roof terrace. The space was quite limited and you would have been pushed to place more than a small garden table and a couple of chairs in it. The view, however, more than made up for the lack of room. North London lay spread out before them like a great sea of rooftops, with the occasional tower block jutting out to break up the landscape. Turning, she found her view was slightly obstructed by the house’s chimney stack, but she could just see the tall buildings of central London and the great dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. “I’m amazed we have such a great view,” Harry commented, looking about enthusiastically. “I mean, I didn’t think Grimmauld Place was that much taller than all the other buildings around it.” “We’re a level or two above the surrounding houses,” Ginny pointed out, “and much higher than all those terrace houses to the north.” “This is great,” he said, sounding genuinely pleased. “Thanks for showing it to me.” “No worries, it is your house, after all,” Ginny pointed out. “Well, it’s Sirius’s to be accurate,” he replied. “It’s still your home, Harry,” she reminded him. “This is where you live now.” “Yeah, I guess so,” he acknowledged before moving over and leaning on the metal railing that ran around the small space. Ginny came over a wormed her hand between his arm and body, so she could link arms with him. Together, they gazed out over the city. They stood in silence for some time and Ginny could feel Harry shifting uncomfortably next to her. She guessed that he had figured out why she had dragged him up to this part of the house where there would be no chance of being overheard, and that he was becoming distinctly nervous about it. She steadfastly maintained her silence, however. “Look, Ginny, I know why you’ve brought me up here, but I’m just not ready to talk about things yet. I need more time, okay,” he said eventually to her unspoken question. “That’s okay, Harry. I know it’s difficult and I’m not going to put any pressure on you at all. I don’t want you to think that every time we start a conversation I’m going to start badgering you to start talking about your past. I’m not Hermione, you know,” she told him. “Oh, Merlin!” Harry exclaimed. “Can you imagine what she’d be like if she got wind of all this? She’d be on at me night and day to talk about my ‘feelings’ and how I have to ‘unburden’ myself. I love her to bits, but there are times when I could happily strangle that girl.” Ginny sniggered. “Hermione’s like a sister to you. It’s natural to want to kill your siblings on a regular basis.” “You would know, I guess,” Harry laughed. Ginny nodded and made a secret vow to ensure Hermione never did get an inkling about Harry’s troubled past. Fortunately, from the letters Harry and Hermione had been exchanging, it turned out that Mr and Mrs Granger had been rather insistent on their daughter spending a lot more time with them that summer. While Harry might have benefitted from having his closest friend about, Ginny was quite glad she wasn’t going to be around much, asking difficult questions as she would. A further silence descended, although this one was far less uncomfortable than the previous one. “What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts,” Ginny asked eventually, the choice of topic coming to her at random. “Err… I don’t know,” Harry admitted, frowning. “I guess I never really thought much beyond finishing school. I expect I’ll be spending most of my time fighting Voldemort.” “We have a plan for that,” she reminded him. “Hopefully, we can get rid of the git sooner rather than later, and all his moronic followers, too. But forget about him. Imagine a time where there are no Dark Lords or stupid prophecies; the world is your oyster. What would you want to do then?” “Dunno,” Harry shrugged. “Get a job, I suppose.” “That’s it?” she asked. His answer disappointed her and it must have shown in her voice. “Well, eventually,” Harry backtracked rapidly. “I mean, I know I’m quite well off, but I can’t just sit around all day, can I? I would like to travel a bit, though. I’ve never been outside of this country and I’d love to see some of the world.” “Where would you like to visit?” Ginny asked, much happier with this answer. She just couldn’t imagine Harry happily becoming a wage slave. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Egypt sounded really interesting; perhaps you could show me some of the sights one day? But truthfully, I’d have to do a bit of research as I haven’t the faintest idea where to go. It’s not like I have much experience with travel, is it?” “Didn’t the Dursleys go on holiday?” she asked curiously. “Yeah, but mostly to locations in this country. They really didn’t like to travel,” he admitted. “One time, when I was about eight, they went to Spain for a week and I stayed with Mrs Figg and her six million cats. They hated it, though. Vernon spent weeks afterwards complaining about it. The weather was too hot and he hated the food. He didn’t like the fact that no one spoke English, although what he was expecting if he went abroad, I don’t know. That was just typical of him, though. He was a racist git; he only had to turn on the television and he’d see someone he didn’t approve of. He’d sit there moaning that this bloke’s hair was too long or that woman was the wrong colour, or something. I don’t think I ever heard him have a good word about anyone. You can just imagine what he thought about me! He used to say….” Harry’s voice trailed off as he realised what he’d been saying. “See, it’s not so hard to talk about your family, is it?” Ginny said encouragingly. “You tricked me!” he accused her in a hurt voice. “You tricked me into talking about them.” “Harry, all I did was ask if they ever went on holiday. You were the one who started talking about your uncle, I didn’t force you,” she said reasonably. “Yeah, I guess,” he admitted. “Sorry.” “It’s okay,” she assured him, rubbing his arm with her hand. “But you know, I get the feeling that deep down you actually want to talk about this stuff.” “I’m not sure,” Harry replied hesitantly. “At first, when Madam Hagen suggested it, I was horrified. I’ve never, ever talked about any of this with anyone. The only time I ever tried was at school when I talked to a teacher. He immediately contacted the Dursleys and you can imagine what the results of that were. But sometimes I… I don’t want to talk about it, but…” “You feel you need to talk about it,” Ginny completed his sentence. Harry nodded reluctantly. “Okay, here’s what I suggest. Every day, we put aside some time to talk in private. Now, we could talk about anything you want: how training is going, Quidditch, even what you had for breakfast, but the point is that we’ll talk. And if you feel up to talking a bit about your time at the Dursleys, then I’ll be happy to listen.” Harry thought for a moment and then nodded. “Alright, as long as we can take it at an easy pace. I don’t think I could just come out and tell you everything. Some of it is… not nice.” Ginny looked at Harry’s embarrassed expression and guessed what he was thinking. “No matter what you tell me I won’t think any less of you, Harry,” she assured him. “I love the person you are now and I wouldn’t change you for the world.” Harry gave a stunned look and Ginny realised she might have taken things too far by using the ‘L’ word. He was still emotionally fragile and she didn’t want to push things too far, too soon. She decided to change tack slightly. “Whatever you went through with those horrible Muggles doesn’t matter anymore, because you won!” she exclaimed. “They tried to change you and make you feel worthless, but it didn’t work. You’ve come out the other side of it and you’re still you. Harry Potter: my kind, brave, dedicated, and not to mention pretty bloody sexy, boyfriend.” “Sexy, me? I think the next time we’re in Hogsmeade we’d better take you to visit that opticians shop,” Harry declared, shaking his head. He did, however, have a slight smile on his lips and Ginny suspected she might have the right idea appealing to Harry’s competitive nature. “Yeah, bloody sexy, actually, and I’m happy to come and demonstrate how much I think that next time I sleep over,” she said grinning. “That sounds like fun,” he admitted, wrapping his arms around her. “Thanks for everything, Ginny. I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know.” “Probably sulk a lot,” she replied cheekily, “but you don’t have to worry because I’m always going to be here for you, and you’re always going to be there for me. You’re stuck with me now.” She felt his arms tighten around her and she heard his breathing become a little ragged. They clung to each other and Ginny felt that they’d just taken a huge step forward in a very short time. Oh, getting Harry to completely open would be a long, hard struggle and she didn’t doubt for a moment there would be setbacks along the way, but at least they were heading in the right direction. And that, after the revelations of the morning, was all she could ask for. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP “Come on, Harry, I’m starving,” Ginny moaned. “That’s hardly my fault, is it?” Harry moaned. “Blame Miss Tonks, here. She’s the one who’s kept us duelling for three hours straight!” “You need to be able to push yourself, Harry,” Tonks replied, completely unfazed by his criticism. “You can’t always pick and choose how long a fight will last.” “Yeah, I guess,” Harry grunted. Ginny looked over at her sulking boyfriend. He’d been in a sour mood all day, and the extended training session had done little to improve his mood. “You’re just hungry,” Ginny decided. “It’s way past dinner time. A good meal will make you feel better.” “I suppose so,” he replied grumpily. In truth, Ginny was fully aware why Harry was in such a bad mood. She carefully hid a smile at the thought that Harry was going to cheer up very shortly. “I still don’t know why you felt the need for us to repeatedly practice those Shield Charms, Tonks,” Harry continued to gripe as they headed down the stairs. “I mean, that’s pretty old hat for us now, isn’t it?” “You can never practice Shields too much,” Tonks disagreed as they reached the ground floor and headed towards the kitchen. “They can save your life, and don’t forget it.” “Yes, but wouldn’t it…” began Harry. “Oh, honestly, can we please eat first and argue later?” Ginny huffed and gave Harry a solid shove towards the kitchen door. “Alright!” Harry snapped, reaching for the door handle. “I was just trying to make a…” “SURPRISE!” numerous voices bellowed. It was just as well Ginny and Tonks had been standing behind Harry at the time as he nearly fell over backwards at the sudden noise. The two girls steadied him and began to gently push him forward.” “What the…” Harry mumbled. “Bet you thought we’d all forgotten, didn’t you?” Ginny giggled. “Happy birthday, Harry!” Sirius yelled and the cry was soon taken up by everybody else in the room. “You git!” Harry exclaimed. “You let me go through the whole day thinking you didn’t know!” “Of course,” Sirius grinned. “This is a surprise party, after all.” “You… you…” Harry spluttered, “git!” And with that he hurried over and pulled Sirius into a rough hug. Ginny couldn’t help but smile at how much more affectionate and open Harry was these days. It wasn’t so long ago that the idea of actually initiating any form of physical contact would have been an anathema to him. She felt herself tearing up at the sight of the pair actually showing how much they meant to each other. “Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Tonks murmured next to her. “Yeah, Sirius has been great for Harry,” Ginny noted approvingly. “Oh, and thanks for keeping Harry busy while we set all this up.” “No problems, Ginny,” Tonks grinned. “Although I wasn’t expecting him to last as long as he did. That boyfriend of yours is one powerful wizard.” “Oh, yeah. You’d better believe it,” Ginny smiled. “Thanks, everybody,” Harry called out, having pulled away from his godfather. “I can’t believe you did all this; it looks great!” “It was nothing, Harry,” Molly Weasley called out. “Now come over here and have some punch.” Ginny smiled at her mother who had taken charge of the large punch bowl that had been situated at the end of the table, presumably to stop the twins from adding anything to it. The rest of the table was given over to a bewildering array of party food, while at the end was a large stack of neatly wrapped presents. The rest of the kitchen was a mass of streamers, balloons and several large banners all bearing the message ‘Happy Birthday Harry’. All in all, Ginny had to admit it looked great. By now the rest of the guests had started to crowd round Harry and offer their best wishes. They had purposely kept the invitations limited to Harry’s most immediate friends as they knew he was often uncomfortable amongst people he didn’t know that well. Judging by the happy expression on his face, they had judged it well. With a broad smile on her face, Ginny went over to get herself a drink just as Harry was greeting his closest friend. “Hermione!” Harry exclaimed. “You came!” “Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss your birthday party for the world,” Hermione replied before pulling him into a hug. To Harry’s credit, he didn’t flinch once at the girl’s embrace. “I’m just a bit surprised,” Harry told her after they had separated. “From the way you put it in your letters I didn’t think you’d be allowed to come over here at all.” “Mum and Dad decided to make the exception as it was your birthday,” she replied, looking a little uneasy. “Why don’t your parents want you to visit?” Ginny asked her friend. “Oh, well, it’s silly really. Just all a bit of a misunderstanding,” Hermione said, her cheeks flushing. “What do you mean?” Harry asked looking worried. “Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just a bit embarrassing, that’s all,” Hermione replied. “You don’t seriously believe we’re going to let you get away without explaining, do you?” Ginny smirked For a second Hermione looked slightly panicky, but then her face set into an expression of resolve. “Oh, all right. If you must know, my parents are rather put out with Harry.” “What have I done?” Harry asked defensively. “They’ve got it into their heads that you’ve dumped me for Ginny,” Hermione said shortly. “What?” Harry squeaked. “How the hell did they get that idea?” “It’s my fault, in a way,” Hermione admitted. “I’ve always written rather detailed letters home and, of course, I’ve always talked about you and Ron a lot. What I didn’t quite realise was that when I wrote about Ron it was invariably rather negative; my frustrations at getting him to do his homework or about some of the stupid arguments we use to have. On the other hand, when I described you it tended to be in much more favourable terms; about how you’d played really well at Quidditch or done something incredibly brave. It turns out that my parents were already a bit suspicious that I always hung around with two boys and assumed you were both vying for my affection. From my glowing description of you, Harry, they thought that you were the one I’d chosen.” “But didn’t you mention going to the Yule Ball with Viktor? That should have given them a clue,” Harry protested. “Yes, but I’d already told them that we’d had a bit of a falling out about the Tournament,” Hermione shrugged. “They thought I’d gone to the ball with another boy to make you jealous. When I wrote to them saying we had made up, they took that to mean we were back together again. When they saw you and Ginny together at King’s Cross they wrongly thought that you’d broken up with me and were flaunting another girl in my face.” “Yeah, that Harry Potter! Always flaunting his conquests about,” Ginny laughed. “But that doesn’t make sense,” Harry complained. “If your parents know that we’re not a couple, why do they object to you visiting Grimmauld Place?” “You’ll have to forgive them, Harry,” Hermione sighed. “Mum and Dad are convinced that I’m devastated about losing you and that I’m just hiding my pain. They’ve taken my pleas to be allowed to visit as a sign that I’m desperate to get you back. They think that if I’m allowed over here unsupervised I’ll do something stupid to try and win your affection again. I’ve already had Mum give me an hour-long talk on birth control. I think they think I’ll throw myself at you or something, and you’ll take advantage of me.” “What?” Harry exclaimed. “They’ve got to be joking, haven’t they? Like I’d do anything like that to you!” Hermione’s expression suddenly went hard. “Why? Is that such a hideous idea to you?” she snapped. “Eh? Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, Hermione,” Harry apologised. “Am I so ugly that you couldn’t bear to touch me, is that it?” Hermione demanded angrily. “No!” Harry spluttered. “I don’t think you’re ugly at all. I think you’re lovely!” Ginny had been following the conversation in bemusement until Hermione managed to catch her eye. It was only for a second, but she instantly knew what her friend had in mind. “You… you think I’m lovely?” Hermione repeated in a hushed voice. “Absolutely,” Harry said, relief clear in his voice. “You’re very pretty.” “Oh, Harry!” Hermione gushed. “My parents WERE right! You do love me, after all!” “Of course I… err, what?” Harry blurted. “I knew we were meant to be together! It was destiny!” Hermione declared, flinging her arms around him. “Hermione, I…” Harry began. “Hold on a second, Hermione,” Ginny mock protested. “You just can’t steal my boyfriend like that. He’s a very adequate kisser and where else will I get a boyfriend during the school holidays?” “Adequate?” Harry protested. “Well, why don’t we share him?” Hermione suggested after some thought. “You could have him Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while I have him Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can have Sunday’s off.” “That could work… oh, wait. I’ve just remembered that Luna wanted to share him as well,” Ginny exclaimed before waving her blond-haired friend over. “Hey, Luna, Hermione and I we’re just discussing sharing Harry here. We were wondering if you wanted to be included.” “Hmm, that might be quite pleasant,” Luna mused before poking Harry in the stomach with her finger. “He’s not so skinny anymore, is he? Can you show me your teeth please, Harry?” “My teeth?” Harry said in bewilderment. He looked about ready to start running. “Yes, I can’t abide boys with bad teeth. Open up, please,” Luna insisted. “You’re nuts! All three of you,” Harry barked. “Ginny, how could you even suggest this? I thought we had something special.” “We do, Harry,” Ginny replied assuring, “and we’ll continue to have it Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.” “Oh, can I have him Wednesdays?” Luna piped up. “I’m normally free on Wednesdays.” “Of course,” Ginny assured her. “Okay, this has gone on long enough!” Harry snapped. “I can tell you’re all winding me up. Err, you are winding me up, aren’t you?” At this all three girls broke down into gales of laughter while Harry just scowled at them. “Oh, Harry! Did you really think you had three witches all throwing themselves at you?” Hermione giggled. “Sorry to bruise your ego.” Ginny wrapped herself around his arm. “And did you think that I’d be prepared to share? I’d hex your bits off if you even looked at another witch.” “This is my birthday, you know,” Harry huffed. “I don’t think it’s very nice of you three to take the piss out of me on my birthday.” “Oh, poor darling! I promise I’ll make it up to you later,” Ginny assured him. “I’ll hold you to that,” Harry replied. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go and greet my other guests. The twins are over there, and I’m sure they’re much less inclined to mock me on my special day.” And with that, Harry stuck his nose in the air and made his way over to where Fred and George were tucking into a plate of sausage rolls. “Do you know, I think Harry’s actually developing a sense of humour,” Ginny giggled. “Or maybe he genuinely believes the twins will make less fun of him than us three,” Hermione laughed. “Does this mean I don’t get Harry on Wednesdays, then?” Luna asked. Ginny and Hermione both collapsed on the floor laughing. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP Tapping her foot in frustration, Ginny looked about the landing with a scowl on her face. Her Detection Spell indicated that there were at least sixteen traps and alarms scattered around the place, and nearly all of them were cast badly. She’d really thought it would be easy to sneak into Harry’s bedroom that night. Sirius, after all, had been three sheets to the wind by the time Harry’s birthday party had wound down. In fact, pretty much all the adult guests had been in a similar state, testimony to Sirius Black’s skills of persuasion and extensive booze supply. Even her mother had been unsteady on her feet by the time she tried to Floo home. Ginny had been sure that Sirius would have been too drunk to play their normal game of trying to prevent her sneaking into Harry’s bed. Instead, it appeared Sirius had relied on quantity rather than quality, and had cast a veritable minefield of charms. The fact that most of them looked like they’d been cast by an incompetent first-year was irrelevant. If she tried to dispel all these traps individually she’d be here all night! Eventually, she decided tonight was not a night for subtlety. Instead, she cast a strong Silencing Charm all across the landing, conjured some cotton wool for her ears, and just walked straight through the alarms. Her suspicions were correct; Sirius really was too drunk to cast the charms properly. Half of them failed to go off at all, while the ones that did generally featured Sirius’s voice making crude comments about what he thought Ginny was planning to do to Harry at ear splitting volume. She was extremely grateful when she reached the door and slipped inside. The Silencing Charm was working perfectly and inside Harry’s bedroom was all was quiet and peaceful. She then nearly jumped ten feet in the air when a light suddenly flared into life nearby. “You took your time,” Harry’s voice said smugly. Blinking from the light, Ginny squinted and saw her boyfriend propped up in his bed with his hands behind his head. A lamp on the bedside cabinet next to him was the source of the illumination and cast golden rays of light over his bare chest. Ginny suddenly found her momentary anger at being surprised vanishing and her attention becoming wholly focused on Harry’s naked flesh. “What made you so sure I was going to visit you tonight?” Ginny challenged him as she walked over to his bed. “Well, you did say you were going to make it up to me for taking the piss out of me earlier,” Harry pointed out. “Oh, giving you that nice birthday present wasn’t enough, then?” she teased although in truth she’d been rather worried about the comparatively cheap necklace she’d given him. It was simply all she could afford. “The necklace was great, Ginny,” Harry assured her. “See? I’m wearing it now. But that was for my birthday, you promised to make it up to me for the micky-taking; that’s something else entirely.” “I suppose,” Ginny said absently while wandering to the side of the bed. Her casualness was completely faked and her heart was pounding in her chest. She had a plan for tonight but she wasn’t sure she had the courage to follow it through. “What do you think I could do to make it up to you, then?” “Well, you could climb in bed with me and give me loads of kisses,” Harry suggested. “That does sound like a good idea,” Ginny agreed, “but there’s one problem.” “Oh, what’s that?” Harry asked frowning. “I’m a bit overdressed for bed,” she replied, trying to keep her voice level. “You’re lying there topless while I have this t-shirt on. I’d better take it off, don’t you think?” Harry looked like he’d just been struck by a Bludger. His eyes bulged and his mouth opened, but no words came out. After a moment, he rather tersely nodded. Gathering all her Gryffindor courage, Ginny took hold of the hem of her shirt and began to slowly pull it up. She nearly faltered and chickened out, but the pleading look in Harry’s eyes persuaded her to continue. Resolutely, she pulled the t-shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor. Harry said nothing. He just stared at her, although judging from the rise and fall of his chest, he was breathing rather heavily. Ginny became nervous at his unblinking gaze. “Like what you see?” she asked uncertainly. For a second, Harry said nothing but continued to let his eyes roam over her body. Eventually, he looked into her eyes. “Ginny, can I… see everything, please?” he asked in a shaky voice. A strange mix of fear and excitement filled her. She felt thrilled that Harry wanted to see more and terrified of complying with his wishes. Then, with shaking hands, she hooked her thumbs under the elastic of her knickers and slowly pushed them down. They fell and bunched around her ankles. “You’re so, so beautiful,” Harry whispered. His breathy words had an amazing effect on her. Her timidity seemed to vanish and was replaced by desire. She suddenly wanted, no, needed Harry’s flesh against hers. With her fear gone, she launched herself forward and threw herself on top of her boyfriend who had eagerly opened his arms to receive her. Before she could draw breathe, his tongue was frantically battling hers and his rough hands were caressing her body. Neither of them got much sleep that night. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP Slowly opening her eyes, Ginny was surprised to see so much light creeping into the bedroom. She glanced over at Harry’s alarm clock and was alarmed to see that it was just after nine. She had a brief moment of panic that she would be discovered in her boyfriend’s bed, but after a moment it occurred to her that after the vast amount of alcohol Sirius had consumed last night there was no way he was going to be crawling out of his bed until noon, and he was the only other person in the house. Contentedly, she snuggled back into Harry’s arms. It was a strange thing, but Ginny couldn’t recall ever sleeping completely naked before. Living in a house with a horde of brothers, none of whom could quite grasp the concept of privacy, had always ensured that she was at least partially clothed at all times. Even when she was in the bath she’d always made sure that a towel was in arm’s reach. But this morning she didn’t have to worry about ignorant siblings or disapproving parents. She felt wonderfully liberated by being naked between the sheets, and she most definitely approved of Harry being in a similar state. His boxer shorts had lasted only a few minutes after she climbed into his bed. The thought of their activities the previous night brought a smug grin to her lips. Although they had both agreed not to go all the way, things had certainly got… raunchy. Harry had proved exceptionally good with his hands and she’d been happy to return the favour. Thank Merlin she remembered how to cast those Cleaning Charms afterwards… “Morning, gorgeous,” a husky voice whispered in her ear. “Morning, love,” she replied. “I hadn’t realised you were awake.” “Yeah, I’ve been awake awhile now,” Harry confirmed. “I was trying not to wake you.” “I wouldn’t have minded,” she said, twisting so she could face him. “It must have been boring just lying here not doing anything.” “I was doing something,” Harry replied, reaching up to stroke her hair. “I was watching you and I’d be happy to lay here for days doing that.” “Oh, nice line,” Ginny giggled. “You wouldn’t be trying to seduce me, would you, Mr Potter?” “I just can’t believe I got so lucky. To be here, with you; I’m struggling to believe it’s real.” “Of course it’s real,” Ginny assured him, rubbing her hands comfortingly over his chest. Ginny looked carefully at her boyfriend and realised something was troubling him. Add to that his confession that he hadn’t slept that much and she was starting to get worried. “Are you okay, Harry?” she asked in concern. “Yeah, I’m… it’s just… I still can’t believe how my life has changed so much in less than a year,” Harry explained in an uneasy voice, “and I have you to thank for that, Ginny.” “You don’t have to thank me,” she insisted. “You know I’d do anything for you, don’t you?” “After last night I’m beginning to believe that,” he said with a brief flirtatious smile, but it was soon gone and the pensive expression returned to his face. “It’s just this all seems unreal, somehow. When I woke up earlier, just for a second, I didn’t know where I was. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t back at the Dursleys. It seemed unbelievable; me, lying in this big, comfy bed with the most beautiful girl in the world in my arms. I just couldn’t accept this was really happening.” “Harry…” she began, but he cut her off. “Did you know that I didn’t even have my own bed until I was eleven?” Ginny frowned. “Then where did you sleep?” she asked. “In a cupboard under the stairs, on a thin mattress with one thin blanket to cover me. In winter I was freezing and in summer I used to melt. I used to be locked in there, too. I was given a small bucket to go to the toilet in, although I tried to avoid using it if possible. That small space was unpleasant enough without the stink of my own piss and shit, as well.” Ginny stared at him in horror, barely able to believe what he was saying. Harry was finally opening up to her, and now she was beginning to doubt she had the courage to hear what he had to say. “My record for being locked in there was four days straight,” he continued in a strangely unemotional voice. “That was just after I tried to tell a teacher about how I was treated. Luckily, there was a bottle of water already in the cupboard, otherwise I wouldn’t have had anything to drink in that time. I often wondered if Vernon knew it was in there or not.” “They didn’t feed you for four days?” Ginny whispered in shock. “No, not a thing. When they finally did let me out I was so weak I couldn’t stand. I wolfed down the bread that they gave me and was instantly sick. Of course, that earned me a beating, but I barely cared by that point. I just wanted to curl up and die.” A feeling of revulsion filled Ginny. How could anyone do that to a child? What sort of monsters were these Muggles? Afraid her disgust for the Dursleys would be evident, she said nothing. Instead, she grabbed Harry’s hand and squeezed it hard. “That was one of the worst times I had there,” he told her. “I suppose things got a bit better once I grew up. When I became old enough to perform household chores I was let out of the cupboard more and beaten less. I guess I couldn’t clean the toilets if I had a broken arm, could I? And they had to be careful once I started school, as well. No visible marks. Dudley and his gang were really good at that; they mainly punched me in the stomach or my upper arms. I’d be black and blue all over my body, but my face would be untouched.” Tears began to fall down Ginny’s cheeks. “I was told I was worthless every day of my life. I was just a worthless freak who should have been drowned at birth, I… I… oh, god. Tell me I never have to go back there, Ginny. Tell me this is real!” Ginny grabbed Harry and hugged him as hard as she could. “It’s real, Harry, it’s all real. You never have to go back there, I swear. I’ll burn their bloody house down before I let that happen.” Harry held her and started to sob into her shoulder. She gently stroked his hair and whispered soft words to him until he eventually quietened. From his regular breathing she realised he’d fallen asleep. Idly, she wondered how long he’d laid here in the dark, agonising whether to say anything to her when she woke up. Poor Harry. But despite the pity welling up inside her, she couldn’t help but feel a small glimmer of hope build inside of her. Harry had finally opened up to her and started to reveal the horrors of his childhood. As terrible as this had proved to be, he’d actually begun to talk about it and hopefully started to purge some of the terrible memories from himself. At last, Harry could begin to heal. |
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