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Twelve Hours | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 21 Summary: Their first meeting literally knocked them off...and it took them twelve hours to finally kiss. **Harry never went to Hogwarts-AU** Hitcount: Story Total: 8249; Chapter Total: 1586 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Harry instinctively grasped for his wand - but couldn't reach it. His hands were still tied on his back, and with Ginny spread out over him, he could barely move - not to mention that he had no clue where his wand was, as he just remembered. "Don't move," ordered a voice from the entry. "Greg, come in. Evans is here." Harry tried to have a peek around Ginny's shoulder. Surprised, he recognized Zabini, the right-hand-man of the older Greengrass sister, and probably her lover. Another man Harry had never seen, stepped into the room next to Zabini. Shit, he swore inwardly, what were these men doing here? "Bind them," Zabini ordered the gruff-looking man, pointing his wand at Harry. "Who's the woman?" The man tied Ginny's hands on her back and pulled her off the sofa. Turning her over, he let out a whistle. "It's Weasley. She's passed out." "Weasley, the Gryffindor bitch?" Zabini arched his eyebrows. "Didn't know she had anything to do with Evans." Disgusted by the smell of Firewhiskey, Harry turned his head away as the guy stepped closer to examine him. "That's odd. His hands are already bound," the man grunted when he found Harry's hands roped up on his back. "Check that the restraints are tight," Zabini commanded. He walked over to the trunk on the living room table and started rummaging through its contents. "Damn, that's the wrong trunk," he cursed, sniffing at a pair of Ginny's silken knickers. Harry felt painfully reminded of his own reaction a few hours earlier. Waving his wand over the trunk, Zabini eyes widened in anger. "Greg, you're an idiot. You were tracking the wrong trunk." "That's not possible," the other man argued. "He'd held the trunk in his hand when I put the tracking charm on it." Harry heard a low groan and peered down over the edge of the sofa at Ginny, who just regained consciousness. Looking a little battered, she rolled her neck and she glanced about. "Zabini, what are you doing here? And Goyle, which zoo did you run from? You still stink like a baboon." "If I were you, I'd shut up," growled Zabini. "We still have some unfinished business. Today would be a good day to settle things between us." "You think it's time for me to finally send you to Azkaban?" Ginny mocked. "Shut up," growled the man she'd called Goyle and kicked Ginny in the ribs. Ginny grinned in disgust at the man who was still leering at her underwear. "So eager to get your hands on a pair of knickers, Zabini? Did Daphne kick you out?" Harry winced as another violent kick hit Ginny in the side. Grimacing in pain, she gave the man a deadly glare. "Just like in the old times, Weasley. You never learn to shut up," the ugly bloke grunted. "We have more important things to discuss." Zabini interrupted the scene. "Where's the trunk, Evans?" "Safely kept with a friend," Harry replied, trying to sound indifferent, in the hope that his trunk was well-hidden somewhere in the house. "Let him get the trunk while we keep Weasley hostage," Goyle suggested. "You're an idiot, Greg." Zabini gave the man a warning look. "Better shut up and stop prattling such a pile of rubbish. I don't know why, but clearly, she'd held Evans here as her prisoner. She's always been a sneaky bitch. Why should he care what we do with her?" Harry had silently watched the dispute between the intruders and Ginny, worried about her safety. Somehow, he had to get her out of here. "Okay, I have a proposal," he said, looking Zabini in the eye. "She knows where the trunk is. Let her go and get the trunk and I'll be your hostage." Ginny scowled at him but fortunately, she said nothing. "Why should she do that?" Zabini asked suspiciously. "Just to get you out of her house?" Harry replied, inwardly cursing that he couldn't find a better reason. Zabini shook his head and hissed, "That's all rubbish." Stepping to the sofa, he pointed his wand at Harry's chest and stared into his eyes. "Tell me where's the trunk is, and I will go and get it," He said in a low voice. Unimpressed, Harry returned the gaze. "No chance. It's at a friend's place, and he will hand it over to the Aurors tomorrow morning if I'm not back." Damn, Harry silently cursed when he noticed Zabini's strange expression. Too late, he averted his gaze. "Shite," Zabini growled. "That's not Evans! It's Harry Potter!" "Of course, it's Evens," argued Goyle. "I've been following him for days. It's him." "You're an idiot, Greg," Zabini retorted angrily. "Look for yourself." When Goyle let his eyes wander over Harry in confusion, Zabini growled, "His face. Don't you see it? His forehead." "Oh," Goyle grunted. "That wasn't there before. Not that I know of." Staring at Harry in disbelief, he muttered, "What shall we do now?" "It doesn't change anything," Harry said in a steady voice. "You won't find here what you're looking for. You're too late." "Damn it," Zabini growled. "Greg, do not take your eyes off them. I'll go to get new instructions." Sneering at Harry, he added, "We have ways to get the information we need." "'Kay, Zab. You can count on me," Goyle replied with a silly grin. "If I could count on you, you would have tracked the right trunk in the first place," Zabini snapped and left the house. "Where do you keep the Firewhiskey?" Goyle asked as soon as Zabini had left. He turned to look for the kitchen when he got no answer. "Where's my wand?" whispered Potter... er, Harry it was, she remembered. "What do you need it for? It won't help us in our situation," Ginny mumbled grumpily when a thought suddenly hit her. "Oh, I totally forgot. Let me guess, you can summon your wand wandlessly?" "I would be lying if I said I could. I'm just a normal wizard, but I released my restraints," Harry answered softly. "That was quick," Ginny wondered. "That was half an hour ago," he replied smugly. Ginny peered up at the sofa and caught a glimpse of Harry who was cautious moving. "Are you kidding me?" With a cheeky grin, Harry peered down over the edge of the sofa. "We had such a nice chat, and I thought I better not scare you if I ever wanted to get the chance to invite you for a coffee." "Prat!" Ginny snorted. "Hey. Stop whispering," Goyle called from the kitchen. "Is this Treacle Tart? Hmm. Tastes better than I thought." "It's poisoned," Ginny yelled back and added softly, "In the right drawer of the sideboard next to the window." Wasting no time, Harry slid off the sofa and tiptoed over to the sideboard. Ginny nodded as he pointed to a drawer. When he cautiously opened it to take out his wand, Ginny crawled out of the way, always keeping an eye on the opened kitchen door. When she'd found a half-hidden place, she gave Harry a questioning look, wondering what he was going to do. Harry briefly opened the back door and slammed it shut again. "Oy, Zab," a voice came from the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon." Goyle strolled into the living room, a bottle of butterbeer in one hand, the wand tucked under his other arm. Staring at the empty sofa, he froze and look about, confused. "Expelliarmus," Ginny heard Harry shout from the other side of the room. "Sit down on the chair over there, face to the wall," Harry ordered. "And don't move." When Goyle had followed his orders, Harry walked over to Ginny and murmured in a low voice, "Turn around. I'll take off the restraints." Ginny rolled to her side and stood up as soon as she felt the ropes fall off. "Thank you!" She gave Harry a grateful smile. "You're welcome," Harry replied with a smug grin. Ignoring his attitude, Ginny frowned at Goyle. "What now? To be honest, the sooner I'll get this jerk out of the house, the better. The whole house already stinks of him." "When do you think the Aurors will be here?" Harry asked. "Oh, yes. That," Ginny mumbled, blushing. "That was a lie. I didn't call the Aurors." When Harry raised his eyebrows, she added, "I didn't want you to get any silly ideas." Harry closed his eyes and sighed. Giving Goyle a worried look, he said, "Zabini can be back at any minute, and there's a good chance, he's not alone." "I can activate the wards, so they can't get in," suggested Ginny, glancing over at Goyle. She didn't like the idea of having him in the house at all. "Good idea," said Harry. "But we won't stay inside. It feels like a trap. We'll wait somewhere outside. And I'll call for help." "There's a small shed outside where I keep the garden tools. We can hide behind the shed," Ginny said. "It's dark outside, nobody will see us. But wait…" Harry paused when saw Ginny frown. "What's the problem?" "I have an idea," said Ginny and added with a small smile, "I never thought that my brothers' invention would be useful someday." "What inventions?" Harry asked, wondering what Ginny was up to. "I'll explain later," Ginny murmured and went to the sideboard to take out a box. "This will be a nice little surprise." She grinned at Harry. Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly. "It's enchanted grit. I'll scatter it in front of the backdoor. We'll have fun when Zabini comes back." She sniggered. "Okay," Harry said. "You have to show me that later. But let's get out of here now." Stepping over to Goyle, he nudged the man. "Get up." "What do you want?" Goyle asked suspiciously. "Shut up, and just get up," Harry commanded. When Goyle obeyed, he bound his hands and feet together with a brief flick of his wand. After he'd checked the ropes, he turned Goyle horizontally and levitated him out of the house. Ginny followed him. She turned off the light, closed the door behind her and activated the wards. Noticing that Harry was waiting for her, Ginny mumbled, "Just a moment. I'll be done in a minute." When the wards were up, Ginny turned and looked about. The little pale light the narrow crescent of the moon provided was just enough to recognize the outline of the shed a few yards away. The strong wind from the afternoon had subsided and had given way to a light breeze, carrying the sound of the waves from below the cliffs. She opened the box and scattered the contents on the path to the back door. "Let's go over there," Ginny said when she was finished, pointing towards the shed. Goyle looked around wildly and yelled in panic, "You can't throw me down there!" "I told you to shut up," Harry replied, silencing him with a movement of his wand. As Ginny started walking, Harry followed her, letting Goyle float in front of him. When they reached the shed, Ginny pointed to a dark shadow a few yards away. "Put him behind this hedge. He'll be out of the way there." After getting rid of Goyle, the two of them took their observation post behind the shed. "Does your house have a name?" harry asked with a hushed voice. "Yes, Seal Cottage. Why?" Ginny tried to read Harry's expression in the dim moonlight. "I want to call for help," Harry answered softly. "And I ought to inform my godfather that I'm back in England. He'll be worried. With the ruckus all day, I completely forgot to call him." Startled, Ginny gasped for air and watched with wide eyes how Harry conjured a silvery-shining stag who was eagerly pawing his hoofs while looking at Harry - obviously waiting for instructions. "Deliver this message to Sirius," Harry said softly. "Hi old man, I'm back. We're in a bit of trouble and would appreciate the help of an Auror, or two, we trust. We're in Devon. Seal Cottage, near Hallsands." The stag nodded briefly and chased off towards the cliffs, where it quickly disappeared in the distance. "What an exceptional piece of magic, Potter," said Ginny, genuinely impressed. "What?" Harry replied. "You're a course breaker. I would have expected you've learned that in training." "We did," confirmed Ginny. "But the results were not always satisfactory." "What's your Patronus," Harry asked. "A horse," Ginny replied. "But it's been ages. I don't think I can still do it." "I'm sure you can still do it," said Harry confidently. "But now is not the time to try." Ginny shrugged and sat on the wall. She suppressed a whimper as a stab of pain shot through her side. Apparently, Goyle had kicked her harder than she was willing to admit. She took a deep breath and looked up at Harry, who was looking at her worriedly. "Are you hurt?" he asked, eyes wide with concern. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had broken ribs." "It's okay. I've had it worse," Ginny waved him off. It was no time for pity. "I didn't look like it was your first encounter with Zabini and Goyle," Harry said. "No, it wasn't. But that was in the past," Ginny said. "They were all acquitted." "What happened?" Harry asked in a worried voice. "They were prefects and were only carrying out orders. At least that was the official reason. That, and that some of them were not of age yet." "That's incredible," said Harry, visibly upset. "How can criminals like that get off..." "Psst," Ginny hissed softly. "Someone is coming." Voices were heard from in front of the house, slowly becoming louder as they came around the house. "Must be Zabini," Harry whispered. "The Aurors wouldn't make such a rumpus. It sounds like there are three people." He hesitated briefly and then pointed to the low wall on the other side of the property. "I have a plan. I'm sneaking over there. At my sign, you'll perform the most powerful light spell you know. Once they're blinded, I can easily take them down." "Understood," Ginny whispered back. "But remember, they'll behave a bit weird as soon as they walk over the grit." "I'm pretty curious what you're up to," Harry replied, barely able to suppress laughter. "But always stay hidden behind the shed." "I'm not stupid," Ginny hissed impatiently and turned her attention to her visitors. Harry leapt over the low wall surrounding the property, hunched down, and peered over to Ginny. Mollified that she was hidden behind the shed, he turned his attention to the new arrivals. In the dim moonlight, Harry spotted three figures walking around the corner of the house. Damn, he thought. They came from the other side of the house, where Ginny hadn't spread the grit. Frowning, he decided to wait a moment - in case another accomplice showed up. A quick glance over to the shed confirmed that Ginny was still well-hidden. While he'd experienced first-hand that she was able to defend herself, he would never forgive himself if something happened to her. "Okay, Zab. Where's Goyle? There's not a single human soul here. Is that even the right house?" someone asked with a mocking voice. "Do you think I'm daft?" returned someone, probably Zabini. "Let's take a closer look," the first voice said. "Turn the light on, Zabini." While one of the men investigated the house with his wand light, Harry looked worriedly over to Ginny. He was relieved to see that the shine of light didn't reach her. "The door is locked. It's dark inside. There's nobody is at home." "It can't be. When I left ten minutes ago, the two were bound, and Goyle was watching them." A man with blond hair Harry didn't know sneered, "Goyle has never been the brightest. Either this is the wrong house, or he screwed it up again." "Anyway. We need to find that damn trunk," Zabini hissed annoyed. "Stay here!" "Don't get your knickers in a twist. I have to pee," one of the men replied, walking away from the group. He took only a few steps when he suddenly cried out and fell into a wild tap dance. "What the hell are you doing," cried Zabini as a blinding bright light flashed up next to the shed. With a yelp, the men spun around and raised their hands to protect their eyes. Taking advantage of the confusion, Harry got up and fired three stunners at the men. While two of the men went down, the third put up a shield in time. Harry sent three more stunners after the blond man who quickly moved towards the far corner of the house, holding up his shield in front of him. Bouncing over the wall, Harry ran towards the opposite corner of the house to get in the back of the man. When he reached the front of the house, he heard the soft popping sound of Apparition. A swear escaped his lips and he angrily walked back the back yard to look after the two men he'd stunned - but Ginny had already done the work for him. The two men laid tied up in the light of a torch on the meadow next to the garden bench. "He Apparated away," said Harry when Ginny gave him a questioning look. "He's always been good at running away," Ginny murmured with a dismissive gesture. "You recognized him?" Harry asked. "Yeah," Ginny nodded. "He was one of the biggest bullies at Hogwarts. I was surprised that he showed up here. He usually let others do his dirty work." With a snort, she added, "he probably wanted to see the famous Harry Potter with his own eyes." "Yeah, maybe," Harry replied grumpily. "We better turn the lights on in the house. Don't want the Aurors to get funny ideas when they finally show up, do we?" "Yeah, good idea," Ginny muttered and headed to the back door. Harry picked Goyle up from behind the hedge where they'd hidden him and levitated him to the other bound men. Sitting on the bench, Harry studied the three men and shook his head pensively. What a strange day, he thought to himself. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. When Ginny came back outside, he moved a bit and let her sit next to him. He looked up and smiled at her. At least he'd met her again, and still had the chance to invite her for coffee, and maybe - just maybe -even a bit more. Ginny gave him a mischievous grin. "Somehow, I got the impression that Harry Potter's life must be pretty exciting. Do you often get into trouble like this?" "No," Harry snorted. "Never." When Ginny raised an eyebrow, he added with a crooked smile, "Usually the trouble finds me. Maybe you've noticed, I only need to stumble over a trunk, and the hell breaks loose." Ginny laughed, but briefly grimaced in pain. Harry looked at her worriedly. "You're hurt. How are your ribs doing?" "Last time I checked, they were still there," Ginny said. When Harry gave her a worried glance, she rolled her eyes. "I'll have my mother check me over tomorrow." "Your mother is a Healer?" Ginny sighed. "No, but when we were playing Quidditch, we often had bruised ribs, and my mother always patched us up. She's good with healing charms." "You were playing Quidditch at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, delighted that she played his favourite sport. "Yes," Ginny smiled. "But I meant at home. You need to know; I have six older brothers. We always played Quidditch at home in the summer holidays." Ginny chuckled. "At least when I was older, and they let me play along." "Six older brothers?" Harry asked impressed. "And I wanted to invite you for a coffee. Obviously not a good idea." Ginny snickered. "If Harry Potter is such a coward, I'd be happy to drink my coffee alone." "Oy, that was tough," Harry replied, enjoying their banter. "Harry, are you here?" a voice asked worriedly from somewhere in the darkness. Harry got up and called, "Yes. I'm here. Just follow the light." As Ginny looked up, her brows raised, he whispered, "It's my godfather." "What are you doing here in the back of beyond?" Sirius muttered as he walked around the corner. "That, I have to ask you, Sirius. I asked you to call the Aurors; not that you show up here yourself." Harry groaned when Sirius' eyes fell on Ginny, and a smug grin spread across his face. "Now I understand why my dear godson forgot to contact me after he came back from abroad. Though, it's a complete mystery to me why he needs the Aurors for a rendezvous with you, Miss..." Sirius gave him a questioning look. "Weasley, Ginny Weasley," Harry introduced Ginny, and, pointing at his godfather, he continued, "and this is my godfather, Sirius Black." "I'm pleased to meet you, Ms Weasley. I had already given up the hope that Harry would introduce me to a young woman one day." Harry groaned, "Sirius, now is not the time ..." "Tsk, tsk, Harry. You let your godfather finish talking. Where are we here, anyway?" "I live here. This is my house," said Ginny. Sirius looked from Ginny to Harry, "Do you live here, too? You never..." "No, Sirius. I don't live here." Harry rolled his eyes. "It's a long story. Let's wait for the Aurors. I don't want to tell it twice. Just so much, we met today and had a nice chat..." Ginny snorted amused, shaking her head. "...when those rude gits interrupted us," Harry concluded with an impish grin, pointing at the gatecrasher. Frowning, Sirius glanced over to the men. "Oh, I didn't see..." he started but was interrupted by a female voice. "Sirius, what are you doing here?" "Ah, Dora. Nice to see you at last," Sirius replied, turning to the newcomer. "Where have you been? I'd never thought that I'd be faster than the Auror department." "Why did you call us, Sirius? You said Harry was in trouble," the woman asked, looking about. "Ah, there you are, Harry. What's the problem?" "Nice to see you, Dora, ...and you, Jones," Harry nodded to the second Auror, who stepped out of the dark with his wand at ready. "We had a few uninvited guests here and thought they were in good hands with the Aurors," said Harry and started explaining what had happened. "And where's the trunk with the evidence?" Jones asked when Harry had finished his tale. "There are still a few personal items in the trunk. I'd like to take them out before I hand it over to the Aurors." With a glance at Sirius, he continued, "We wanted to hand the trunk over to the Aurors tomorrow anyway. Is it okay if I come to the Ministry tomorrow afternoon to bring you the trunk?" Dora took a deep breath and said reluctantly, "I don't like it, but okay. You are aware that we have to release them if we don't have the evidence by tomorrow evening?" "Yes, I know," Harry replied. "I'll be there. Thank you!" "Okay, but don't be late. I don't want to miss the party I'm invited in the evening, "Dora grinned at him and headed over to Jones to help him take away the captives. "How about a cup of tea?" asked Ginny. Sirius glanced at his watch and shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, it's already after midnight," he said. With a broad smile, he walked over to Harry and took him in his arms, exclaiming, "Happy birthday Harry." "Thank you, Sirius," Harry replied, peering uncertainly over at Ginny. "Goodbye, Ms Weasley. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the birthday party tonight." Sirius said smirking, raised his hand in good-bye and Apparated away. "Birthday?" Ginny asked, cocking her head. |
| Reviews 21 |
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