Menace

Chapter Six

Ginny woke in the middle of the night to the sound of soft footfalls on the landing outside her bedroom door. Her heart pounding in her chest, she swallowed hard and sat up, looking at the clock noticing it was just past three o'clock AM. Harry must've just realized she had left and was here to tell her off.

"I'm fine Harry!" she yelled, calming slightly and scrunching down in her pillows once more. She closed her eyes as cursed her brother for giving him the unlocking charms for the house. "Just go back to Ron's and leave me the ruddy hell alone!"

The low chuckle that grew louder as her bedroom door started to open made Ginny's blood run cold and her hand shot out to the bedside table in search of her wand which normally was perched there. She swore audibly when she came up short, realizing it was still in the alleyway behind that awful pub that Edwin Blackweed had taken her to.

Ginny's hand continued it's frantic search for anything she could use as a weapon. She gasped suddenly and sat bolt upright when the voice that accompanied the form of the wizard, now leaning lazily against her doorjamb, did not belong to Harry Potter.

"I'm appalled that such language would come from a pretty little witch. Rather inappropriate isn't it, cupcake?"

Her hand fell on a heavy glass paperweight, which she knew held a photo of her family taken in Egypt back in the summer before her second year at Hogwarts. Suddenly the lights in her bedroom blazed to life, and Ginny squinted at the brightness.

"GET OUT!" she bellowed, leaping from the bed as she chucked the paperweight forcefully at the man now stalking towards her, a menacing glint in his eyes.

The yelp and loud thud that followed afforded Ginny the opportunity to scurry past her assailant and down the hall towards the stairs. She didn't know where she'd managed to hit him, nor did she care. All she knew was that she needed to hide, and if possible somehow call Harry.

"I'm gonna give you what you've been waiting for," Edwin Blackweed said as his footsteps grew louder behind her. Ginny cursed her short legs and looked back at him, noticing the twisted smile marring his normally nice features. She tripped, and went down with a soft 'oof', immediately whirling around onto her backside and pushing herself away from him as he loomed over her. "And you're not going to enjoy it, but I sure as hell will."

Ginny's fear suddenly abandoned her as she realized this man really wasn't as scary as she initially thought. Why are you scared of this little sod? she asked herself. Before you were a bookkeeper, you did a year's worth of hand to hand combat in the legion for Merlin's sake!

"You sure have a messed up idea of foreplay, Edwin," she shot back more angry now than anything. All she could do was fight back, and there was no way she was going to make it easy for this man to kill or rape her.

"Tell you what, just to be fair I'm gonna give you to the count of three to run. After that, you're fair game."

Ginny said nothing, she did not move or allow him the satisfaction of seeing her running in fear as he stepped away from her and started counting. When he reached three, he grabbed her by the arms and as he yanked her to him, his hand swung up and delivered an open-handed slap across her face. Without a second thought, her knee came up and nailed him in the groin. He leaned down and her arm swung up to hit him, but he caught it and rolled around so his back was to her and yanked her over his shoulder where she landed on her back with a thud. Without missing a beat, Edwin was on top of her, his face inches from hers.

As Ginny fought her way out from under him, she whirled around and got up on all fours, but two strong hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms and pulled her to her feet. She tried to jerk away, but he held her firmly and she turned roughly finding herself face to face with Edwin.

"Surprised, Red?" Edwin said in her ear as he crushed her to him. He swung her around and withdrew his wand, forcing it under her chin, then propelled her down the stairs in front of him as he steered her into the living room.

"Sodding Fuck," she muttered.

"Not exactly the greeting I was hoping for," he smirked. "You can't avoid me. I'll always be around."

"Gee Blackweed, the excitement is just so overwhelming. I don't know if I can control myself," Ginny responded sarcastically.

"Well Red, I told you I had plans for you."

The implication was not lost on her. "You so much as lay a finger on me, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"I might regret it, but hell, I'd regret it even more if I didn't do it." He noticed her glancing towards the door.

"Oh and don't bother looking for Potter to rescue you. He's too busy drowning his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle of Firewhiskey. You must've really done a number on him."

Edwin continued to push her along with him as Ginny's mind worked furiously to figure out how to get out of the situation. She pretended to stumble over her feet as Edwin pushed her harder, causing him to almost trip over her. Quickly, she hooked a foot around his right ankle and pulled forward.

Edwin cursed as his leg gave out from under him and he fell, taking Ginny with him. She braced herself for the impact and as soon as she hit the floor, she pulled her arms from Edwin's grasp and rolled away from him. Within seconds, she was on her feet, but so was Edwin.

The wand in his hand now broken, he growled ferociously and Ginny snickered and shrugged her shoulders only making him angrier and his hand came up to hit her, but she leaned her head away to avoid it. Instead of hitting her with full force, the hand caught the corner of her mouth and she felt a warm trickle in the corner, but swiftly dismissed the distraction. She swung her right hand up as his left hand retracted, and delivered the heel of her palm to his face, dropping him one knee.

He glared at her as he touched the spot where she had stuck him. If looks could kill, Ginny would have been dead on the spot. "You're gonna be sorry you did that," he spat out.

She was tired of Edwin and his mouth; tired of the comments and tired of his harassment. The man no longer had a wand, and there was no way he was more skilled than her with or without one. It was time to put an end to it.

"You started it," she responded matter-of-factly as she backed up. "You want to come to me, or am I coming to you?" she asked.

Furious at her gall, Edwin ran toward her with his arms out in front of him to catch or grapple her. As he closed in on her, she began to fall back and when he was almost on top of her, she grabbed the front of his shirt in both hands, pulling him back with her. Her right foot pressed against his stomach and as she rocked back onto her spine, she pushed her leg out and pitched him into the air over her head.

She heard him land with a loud crash on the coffee table and groan, but before he could get to his feet, she grabbed a handful of his hair to pull him up. When he started to turn towards her, she let go of his hair and gave him a roundhouse left that landed on his jaw.

Edwin rolled with the blow and his hand flailed out and grabbed her nightshirt, pulling her down with him. He rolled so that she was pinned underneath him; one knee between her legs and his hands pinned her wrists to the floor.

"Beg for it, Red. I know you want to," he said before lowering his mouth to her face.

"Get the bleeding hell off of me!" she spat out.

He didn't reply, only pressed his mouth to hers. She cringed as his tongue flicked out to lick the blood from her chin and then moved to her ear.

"GET OFF ME!" she yelled again.

"Oh I'll get off all right," he said hotly.

Ginny felt his breath on her skin and then gagged as he licked her earlobe. She screwed her eyes shut against the swoop of nausea in her stomach. Suddenly he was off of her and reaching down to pull her to her feet but before Edwin had the chance to pull Ginny back up, she swept her legs through his, toppling him to the floor. As he rolled over on his hands and knees to get up, she clambered to her feet and her foot flicked out and caught him squarely in the stomach. A strangled groan exploded from him as he fell to the floor again, and Ginny, not willing to give in and needing to teach Edwin a lesson about picking on seemingly helpless women, took a fighting stance and waited as Edwin climbed back to his feet. He snorted as he began to circle her once more.

She slid around Edwin's side as he lunged for her, and her foot came out again, catching him in the side just under his ribcage. The contact sent a jolt of pain through him, and he gasped, but quickly recouped and threw himself at her. Ginny made it to the door, but before she could get it open, Edwin wrapped his arms around her from the back, holding her tightly to him.

"Too late Red," he whispered fiercely. She could feel his breath on her cheek.

Her hands came up and clutched at his arms, but instead of trying to pry them off, she pushed herself back against him, lifting her feet off the floor, and then forward to gain some momentum. In a sudden movement, the back of her head slammed into his face. She heard a pop and Edwin's arms loosened their grip. Ginny lowered her mouth onto his arm and bit down. Hard.

Edwin yelped and let go of her. She turned around to see what she had done. Blood was running down his face from his nose and she had to smother a laugh. He glared at her then reached for her again. She leaned into him, latching onto one of his arms, bent down taking him with her and tossed him. He rolled over her back and onto the floor with a thud. Unfortunately, he was blocking the door.

Ginny quickly grabbed both his arms and pulled him away from the door. Carefully she stepped around him and just as she was about to open the door, he grabbed her around the ankles and toppled her to the floor. She hit her head, which stunned her for a minute. Edwin used that minute to pull her even with him and straddle her. He used his knees to pin her arms to her sides.

"No," she gasped.

He grinned insanely as blood dripped off his face and onto hers. His hands ripped open her button down nightshirt, exposing her bare chest, and he slid one hand over the soft flesh causing Ginny to clench her eyes shut, trying to force back another wave of nausea.

"You fucking bastard! GET OFF OF ME!"

He still said nothing as he leaned down to kiss the tender skin, leaving behind smears of blood. She retched at the feeling of his mouth on her and wriggled beneath him to try and throw him off balance, but he was heavy. She stopped when she realized he was enjoying watching her struggle.

"You're not going anywhere. Red," he whispered as his fingers grabbed at her breasts roughly. "You see, I think you want this more than you're willing to admit. I think you need someone who's not a has-been like Potter. I think you need someone like me."

Her fingers dug into the sides of her own legs as she felt him run his hands over her bare flesh, her nipples puckering against her will. Taking a deep breath, she was about to let out a loud scream when he suddenly stopped and climbed off her. Perplexed by his actions, but knowing she wouldn't afforded enough time to ponder it she got to her feet and slowly started moving around the side to avoid going into the bathroom. It was cramped in there and she wouldn't have enough space to defend herself if she needed. And by the looks of Edwin, she would need to.

She whirled around, intent on making a beeline for the front door a few feet away, but Blackweed was right behind her and delivered a kick to the back of her knee. She fell forward onto the floor, using her hands to stop the fall. As she rolled over to clutch the injured part, Blackweed's foot flicked out again and struck her in the side. She groaned in pain as he pulled her up by her arms.

He manoeuvred himself behind her, twisting her arms up behind her back and propelling her towards the wall "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded. Ginny realized instantly, by the hardness in his crotch pressing into her backside why he'd let her up when he had been at an advantage. Apparently, a struggling witch turned him on more than a complacent one but Ginny didn't bother to answer. "I told you that you weren't going anywhere," the man snarled and then grabbed her hair yanking it back forcefully so he could see her face.

Blackweed twisted her arms a little tighter and she winced. "Are you ready to get down to business now?" he demanded.

Ginny looked him dead in the eye. Something inside her snapped as she stared into Blackweed's face. She suddenly realized she'd had enough. "Go to hell," she said with a twisted grin.

His hand came up and punched her forcefully in the center of her back, nearly buckling her knees, and knocking the wind out of her "How about now?"

She licked the corner of her mouth that was bleeding, taking a perverse pleasure in the coppery taste. "Let me explain it to you so you understand; No," she replied, and then slammed her head back into Blackweed's face again, and hearing the familiar sickening crunch.

Blackweed yelled in pain and let go of her. Ginny laughed insanely and swiftly, she turned around and delivered a kick to his thigh that dropped him to the floor. She grinned with satisfaction as he furiously rubbed at the sore spot and scrambled half-heartedly to his feet.

"You wanna ask me that question again, Edwin?" she asked as she advanced on him. She was tired of all the games and the bullshit. She was tired of Harry; tired of Blackweed and tired of everyone thinking she couldn't take care of herself. She stalked towards him, intending to toy with him a bit.

Edwin backed up to put some distance between them. "You touch me and so help me I'll-"

"You'll what?" she cut him off. "Rape me? Kill me?" Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so."

When he finally lunged for her, she grabbed his right arm and twisted it counter clockwise then down. As he yelped, he turned into her, briefly forgetting his pain, and his left arm swung up and caught her in a headlock. Ginny dug her nails into the soft flesh of his cuticles, causing a slight formation of blood to trickle down his nails, making him scream loudly in pain, then yanked him back and down. Her leg came up as she pulled him back and caught him off balance. He fell to the floor on his back then Ginny quickly, stomped on his left knee. While he rolled to clutch it, she came around and delivered a kick to his lower back.

When she moved in for another kick, Edwin's right arm shot out and he grabbed her around the ankle and pulled hard. She fell across him and he rolled so that he was on top of her but then quickly let her go and stood up. Ginny got to her feet and they circled each other again.

"What's the matter, Red? Afraid of me?"

Ginny smirked. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be. When I get done with you, Potter will never recognize you."

"Did you know Edwin, that at one time the famous Hogwarts Trio had a fourth? Did you know that at one time that same little girl was a Legion trainee? You seriously messed with the wrong witch."

Edwin said nothing in response, although the expression on his face conveyed his surprise and unease. He swiftly attempted to mask it as he rushed towards her. She ducked and turned but he spun quickly and came back towards her for another try. She delivered a clothesline to him, but he got right back up and went for her again. Another clothesline and he was up and at her again. This time he tackled her midsection and knocked both of them through the door into the kitchen where they landed in a heap on the floor. He sat on her and slapped her across the face twice, drawing blood from the other corner of her mouth. Ginny twisted her hips, heaved her legs up and managed to throw him off. As he rolled she delivered a chop to his chest.

Both of them were on their feet and at each other again. He whipped her into the corner and proceeded to press her back against it while his hands roved her body. She punched him in the stomach and when he bent over in reaction, she brought her knee up and smashed it into his nose, and as he grabbed at his face in pain and backed up a bit, Ginny leaned back on the wall for support and shoved Edwin down with her foot. She dropped with him to the floor gasping for breath, her hands around his throat, but Blackweed quickly got out of it.

They circled around the Island in the Kitchen, warily keeping an eye on each other. Edwin grinned and licked his lips. "You're going to get it tonight, Red," he said suggestively, although his sarcasm was forced and Ginny knew instantly that he was nearly done.

Ginny just smirked in response, an evil gleam in her eyes. Edwin was slightly taken aback at that, but shrugged and prepared to continue beating her down.

He came running towards her. She stepped aside and grabbed his arm, and using his momentum, whipped him into the fireplace mantle. Not wasting any time, Ginny ran up and clotheslined him against the kitchen counter and then in one swift movement, dropped him to the floor with an uppercut.

She stomped on him, but as her foot came down for the third time, he grabbed her around the ankle and tugged hard. Ginny toppled over him, landing on her back, and Edwin climbed to his feet and stomped her in the stomach. While she was clutching her stomach in pain, he made his way around the kitchen collecting weapons to use against her, and within seconds, he returned with a fire extinguisher and the poker from the kitchen fireplace. He threw down the extinguisher and, gripped the poker in his hand as he loomed over Ginny's prone form.

He taunted her with words Ginny barely heard as she rolled over onto her side and got up on her hands and knees. Before she could fully stand, Edwin brought the fireplace poker down hard on her back and Ginny collapsed under the blow. Edwin stood still for a minute, watching her writhe in pain and enjoying it. He tossed the poker aside and walked over to the fire extinguisher. His back was turned to her and seeing an opportunity, Ginny ignored the pain, got to her feet and ran at him from behind. The force of her impact slammed Edwin into the kitchen counter.

She grabbed a handful of his hair and slammed his head repeatedly into the countertop. Edwin slumped onto the ceramic tiles as Ginny stepped back. With a maniacal grin Ginny watched as Edwin recovered a bit and turned around, receiving a cold blast in the face from the fire extinguisher he'd intended using on her. As he swiped at his eyes, Ginny raised the canister and bashed him in the head, knocking him nearly unconscious.

Exhausted and knowing that Edwin wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, she quickly grabbed him by the arms, with strength she was shocked to see was still dwelling in her, and dragged his nearly lifeless body from the house. She threw him into one of the locking pens in the barn that Remus had at one time used during the full moon. She'd be calling the Aurors in the morning, but right now, she just wanted to sleep. "If you ever touch me again, I will kill you," she spat then kicked him in the crotch for good measure. She limped away as he rolled around in the pen in pain, then quickly passing out as she locked the doors securely behind her then turned back toward the house.

Ginny grabbed a knife from the kitchen and made her way up to her bedroom. The doors hadn't been locked when she returned home this evening, and she was certain he was already in the house when she'd returned from Ron's. Ginny briefly entertained ideas of calling Harry, but seeing him now would only make her want him to comfort her. She knew he would, and she didn't think she could handle it. He'd call the Aurors, or worse, her parents and Ginny was not in the mood to be up for hours trying to explain.

Back in her room just over an hour after she'd awoken, she leaned against the now closed door to gather her composure. Once she had, she went into the bathroom to wash off the blood he had left on her and removed what was left of her nightshirt. It didn't feel like Edwin had broken anything although every inch of her body hurt. The blood from her mouth had dried, making it look like her lipstick had traveled south. She examined her cheek in the mirror. It had started swelling, but it was going to have to wait to be iced.

Damn, am I gonna be sore in the morning, she grimaced as she turned on the shower and climbed in to soothe her aching body. Ginny gritted her teeth in pain as she slid down the wall and succumbed to the tears, which she had managed to keep at bay since she'd left Ron's house, and the company of Harry Potter earlier that night.

The next morning Harry got up at the crack of dawn, unable to stand staying in bed when he couldn't sleep anyway. He took a refreshing shower and got dressed, making his way downstairs and worrying about what he could possibly say to Ginny to make it all better. Probably nothing. It had finally filtered through his thick skull that she would be hurt by his behaviour, and he felt horrible. Knowing Ginny she would probably start a huge argument that would have him wanting to throw her over his knee, he thought with a faint smile. Well, he had wanted to put things back on their original footing, and he guessed he had inadvertently found a way to do it.

He busied himself making breakfast and filling two mugs with coffee, wanting to at least make an effort before he went and woke her up. At least she could attack him on a full stomach, he thought with dark humour, placing the food on the table and leaving the room.

Minutes later he was knocking on the door to his room, waiting for a reply. When none came he knocked harder, thinking she must be still asleep or in the shower herself. A frown marred his features when no reply came again, and he paused for a brief second before he opened the door. Seeing she wasn't in the bed he went inside and towards the bathroom, a nagging suspicion forming when he saw that the door wasn't closed, and nor could he hear any sounds of running water. A quick check verified that she wasn't in there, and his stomach clenched with unaccustomed panic. She'd left! But when? If it had been last night...! Merlin, anything could have happened to her! What if that Edwin had come back, what if...?

With all these thoughts swirling about in his head he ran out of the room and down the stairs, apparating himself to her front door to rescue her if need be.

The loud bangs coming from the locked back door made Ginny nearly jump out of her skin, and she tiptoed down the hallway to peek around the kitchen door. When she saw the large silhouette of Harry standing there she narrowed her eyes. What did he want? She debated whether or not to open the door, but decided against it, he probably wouldn't go away, but she wanted to avoid the confrontation as long as possible. He knew the unlocking charms. If he wanted in, he could just do it himself.

Ginny sauntered over to the kitchen counter, intent on preparing coffee as well as keeping her back to him as long as possible. Once he saw her face there was no way she'd be able to get out of telling him what happened.

A few moments later Ginny cringed as she heard the whisper of a spell and the back door clicked open. Thank goodness she'd been up for nearly an hour cleaning the kitchen to get rid of all evidence of a struggle. As long as she could keep him from the living room, perhaps she could avoid the issue altogether. The sound of Harry's shoes on the kitchen floor brought her out of her thoughts and she kept her back to him, waiting for him to speak.

"When did you come back here and why the bloody hell didn't you tell me?" he barked at her. It wasn't anything like what she had expected him to say and she couldn't speak for a second. It didn't take long for her temper to appear, however.

"It's none of your business when I came back and I don't have any obligation to tell you anything!" she snapped. Bowing her head, so that her hair fell about her face concealing the dark bruises now marring her pale complexion, and grabbing a towel as she began to frantically scrub at the countertop.

"No obligation...! I told Charlie I'd take care of you!" he growled, stepping further into the house and slamming the door behind him. "Edwin Blackweed could have come here and there would have been no one to help you!"

Ginny's blood boiled at that comment, and forgetting herself she whirled around. "He did come here, and I had no problem dealing with him!" she finished, folding her arms over her chest, unconsciously mirroring his stance. His audible gasp had her taking a step back and she winced as her back connected with edge of the kitchen counter.

"Bloody buggering hell," Harry muttered, taking a step towards her. "Your face..."

Ginny lowered her head and attempted to scramble out of the kitchen. She cried out in pain as Harry caught her arm and she stopped. When he immediately dropped it and carefully lifted her chin to get a good look at her face, Harry winced. "What in the name of Dumbledore did that bastard do to you?"

Silence.

"What happened?" he demanded again when she didn't answer him.

She told him what had transpired after she had left him last night and she watched as his face got redder with anger.

Pushing aside the thoughts, he calmed himself enough to talk. "Are you okay?"

Ginny nodded in response. "Although I don't think Edwin is gonna have much luck keeping anything in his stomach for a few days," she deadpanned.

His grin turned to concern as his fingers lifted her chin so he could look at her face again. He turned her head from side to side and then took the towel she'd been twisting in her hands from her. "You missed a spot," he said softly as he gently wiped it with the damp fabric. Satisfied he had gotten it, he dropped the towel on the counter. "You sure you're okay?"

"It's not that bad, just some bruises, no broken bones," she said, throwing her head to the side and averting her gaze to the floor.

"Merlin, you really are daft, aren't you?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well I'm sorry, Mr. Brainiac, that I'm not as highly intelligent as you, but sometimes us idiots can't quite get our brains in gear!" she said sarcastically. "That being the case, I guess we don't know anything about manners either. So why don't you just sod off?"

Harry fumed. "Sod..." then checked himself, getting mad at her was not going to get him the answers he wanted. "Where is he now Ginny? Did you call the Aurors? We should really get you to St. Mungo's..."

Ginny glared and held her hand up stopping him. "Firstly, he's locked in that old pen Remus used to use. Secondly, no I haven't called the Aurors yet as I'm not in the mood for answering their ruddy questions, and Jasper will call Mum just like he did when you and my wonderful brother accused Hermione and me of stealing your truck. And thirdly, I am not going to St. Mungos, Luna works there, and if she sees me like this, again, she'll call Mum. I'll heal my own wounds when I get a chance to go to town and find my wand, you wanker, so just get the hell out of my house and let me get to it."

"Don't try and be rude to me, Ginny, you don't want to get me angry," he said, his eyes turning stony. "Wait... did you just say you didn't have a wand?"

"Why? Should I be scared or something? Because I'm not!" she fumed, ignoring his question about her wand, and glaring daggers at him as she recalled the events of the previous evening. "And what the bloody hell do you care what happens to me anyway, you big moron! Leave me alone!"

Harry raised an eyebrow and gave her an annoyed look. "The wand, Ginny... where is your wand? Do you expect me to believe you took care of him with your bare hands?"

Ginny growled and stepped forward poking one stern finger into his chest as she spoke, "I'm not incompetent you know. I have been trained, you know, but... you can believe what you want. Go check the pen if you don't believe me, Mr. Know-it-all."

Harry stared at her in astonishment, unable to believe the fury she was displaying. "You're very disagreeable in the mornings," he mused, one eyebrow still raised as he looked the long way down at her.

"You're very disagreeable all the time," she replied instantly. "Now why don't you run along?"

He felt himself bristling at her dismissive tone, and he straightened up to glare down from his full height. "Don't even begin to think you can order me about Ginny, because it won't work." He looked her up and down as if she were something distasteful. "I'm going to do you a favour Ginny, I'll call the Aurors and tell them I took him out just to save you the trouble of going through an inquest. You don't look in any fit state to be dealing with them. Then I'll be back to check on you, and if I see fit that you need to go to St. Mungo's I'll drag you kicking and screaming if need be."

"I don't need checking on," she said sullenly, glaring at his back as he turned around and opened the door.

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for Charlie," he said over his shoulder, his eyes raking her angrily.

"You don't deserve any special treatment, not with a temperament as foul as yours."

"Hah! You can talk about foul temperaments, you have the worst one ever!"

Harry gripped the door handle so tightly he was surprised it didn't break off in his hand. "If I were you, I'd behave a little more pleasantly around me from now on," he warned her. "I'd be only too happy to introduce you to the lake again!"

"Oh and we're back to threats, are we? Typical, arrogant, prattish thinking," she muttered, dropping her eyes when his glittered furiously.

"What did you just say?" he asked, turning fully and looking at her in a predatory way.

Ginny shrugged and tried to act nonchalant, aware that she was pushing a little too far for comfort right now. "Nothing important."

He stared at her for a long time, not saying anything, and she could almost feel him vibrate with pent-up rage. "I'll come back later, but one thing, Ginny," he said, leaning towards her and making her back away one step before she could stop herself, "keep a civil tongue in your head or I might have to find a way of making you be quiet. And you won't like the method I use." With that he straightened again and slammed out of the house.

"Stupid GIT!" she yelled at the closed door, tensing when she saw his back stiffen as he walked down the path towards the barns and knowing he had heard her. She was quite sure that if he could, he would make her pay, and she tried to convince herself that she wasn't scared, but that was just one lie too far. Why was it that Harry Potter could scare the life out of her, but a dangerous wizard like Edwin Blackweed was no match? It just didn't make sense.

Feeling more tired now than she had earlier, Ginny made her way up the stairs to her room intent on getting some rest. Stopping at the side of her bed, she fell gracefully onto the soft mattress not able to summon the energy to even grab a blanket. Her fight with Harry had finally taken the last of her energy and Ginny felt the dark rush over her like a cool stream as her body finally gave in to exhaustion.

Harry entered the barn and squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the dim light. He made his way quietly over to the pen he knew that Remus had used in the past and peered in, his gasp audible when he looked upon the damage that Ginny had inflicted on the man. He was in much worse shape that the slight girl he'd just left back at the house. Harry smirked. There was no possible way Ginny belonged here, working for her brother. With skills like hers she could be one of the Lupin Agency's top agents. Even as a trainer she'd be better off than she was here. Harry pondered this for a moment. He could suggest it to Charlie and Ron, pull a few stings with Remus... but... would he be able to handle being around her day and night? Would Ginny even accept such an offer if it were given? He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as the man in the cell groaned and began to stir.

"Alright there, Blackweed?" Harry asked, leaning cockily against the side of the pen and folding his arms over his chest.

"Who - Wha?" The man opened his swollen eyes, and winced as he tried to pull himself up on his elbows, falling back with a grunt of pain.

He blinked up at Harry taking in his smug expression. "Ruddy Bi..."

"Ah, Ah, Ah," Harry said jovially, attempting to get a rise out of the man. He'd come here with the intention of tearing him limb from limb, but seeing the job Ginny had done on him had changed his mind. He'd clearly been through enough. "Be very careful what you say about my girl." His eyes gaining a dangerous glint that Blackweed could not have mistaken.

"Your Girl?" He waited for Harry's nod as he pushed himself to his feet, groaning and gasping along the way. "Tell me Potter, why is it that your girl came running home in the middle of the night in tears?"

Harry bristled but hid his discomfiture with the question. "That is none of your business, Blackweed," Harry informed him fiercely then laughed. "Don't try taking the fact that teeny Ginny Weasley kicked your sorry arse from here to Timbuktu last night, out on me. I'm not daft enough to fall for it." Harry unfolded his arms from across his chest. "Hold tight, Blackweed, the Aurors shall be here to take you to your new home shortly." He winked and made to step away.

"Potter," Edwin's voice seemed desperate, and Harry assumed the man was preparing to beg for his freedom. Turning around, Harry's brow furrowed at the triumphant look on Edwin's face. "I suppose that means I best be going."

"Going?" Harry was confused.

"Yes... going..." Blackweed confirmed as he took a shiny galleon out of his pocket, tossed it into the air, and caught it. He gave Harry a cheeky wink of his own before the portkey carried him away.

"Son of a..." Harry whacked the pen door so hard, a quick flash of pain ricocheted up his arm. Harry bit his lip, "Mother... Fu." He grunted, pushing himself away and rubbing sheepishly at his smarting hand. Of course Blackweed had a back-up plan. Harry had witnessed it countless times before when they were tracking down the remaining death eaters after the war. He made a mental note to have Remus check into the man's history. Maybe he was one of the few followers that had gotten away. Furious, he turned on his heel and marched back up the path to Ginny's house. With Blackweed gone, only she was left for him to deal with. And deal with her he would! That was what Harry thought until he walked into Ginny's room and immediately softened, seeing the deep bruises marring her face and arms... clearly the fight with Edwin had taken it's toll, and their argument earlier couldn't have helped matters. Rushing forward Harry steeled himself for the task of nursing Ginny back to health. She needed tenderness, not harshness.

Hands.

On her body.

Ginny's eyes bolted open as she pushed away from the unknown contact next to her own her bed.

"Ginny. Ginny, honey." That voice. She blinked, attempting to clear her vision. "Ginny, sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, honey, it's me."

Her eyes focused and she saw him inching closer to her, a cloth in hand. She waited as he neared, and once close enough he pressed the dampened cloth to her head, wiping away any perspiration that managed to form. "I'm so tired." Her hand came up lazily, grabbing Harry's wrist weakly to still the motion.

When her eyes popped open a moment later, Harry sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, concern etched into his features. "Oh Merlin, Ginny baby." He reached for her cheek.

But Ginny pulled back, jerking her head to the side and away from his touch. His hand paused in mid-air then he slowly brought it to his side, tears now threatening to form in his eyes. He leaned closer, reaching out slower this time.

"Don't." she said, her eyes locked on his face. "Just don't." Her jaw tightened, her teeth pressed together. Her shoulders tensed and she tugged the blanket Harry must've laid over her closer to her chest, but to no avail.

"Ginny," Harry said. He looked into her face, seeing the dampness around her cinnamon eyes. Perplexed by her sudden coldness "Ginny look, don't act like."

"Like what?" Ginny snarled. "Like a bitch? Like I'm pissed? Why not? I am pissed." She pulled hard on the blanket now, blood oozing from a cut that reopened on her vastly bruised upper arm.

Harry leaned back. "Ginny," he whispered in a hurt tone, "please, I just."

"Just what?" she spat. "Just wanted to help? I don't need your pity, Potter, and I don't need your help. You don't need to pretend to be concerned. I don't want you near me any more that you want me near you. That's why I did what I did, so you wouldn't have to come to my rescue. Poor, helpless, naïve, Ginny, always needs to be rescued. Well, not anymore. Clearly, I can take care of myself."

Ginny rolled over onto her side, the tank top she wore revealing a black bruise beginning at her shoulder blades and disappearing beneath the top. Harry clenched his jaw, leaning over across her backside and pinning her belly to the mattress as his other hand gently pulled the tank top up so he could see the extent of the damage. Harry immediately gasped, if he didn't know better he'd have to say she'd been beaten with a fire poker.

Ginny protested weakly, and Harry let out a frustrated breath through his teeth. The bruising spread all the way down her back stopping well below the waistline of the shorts she wore. "We're going to St. Mungo's," he said, jumping up and moving to her dresser to grab some clothes. He'd dress her himself, and stun her if he had to.

"No!" Ginny protested vehemently as she sat up abruptly and barely managed to cover the wince of pain at the sudden movement. "I don't want anyone to know about this."

Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. Was she mad? "Ginny, do you have any idea how bad this looks? You could have internal injuries for Merlin's sake," he said heatedly. "You're going. That's final!"

She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "No, I took a few potions Charlie has in his store cupboard. For respiratory problems, and internal bleeding. I even took one that contains Phoenix tears. It fixes everything right up. There wasn't much, and I used the last, and I'll have to pay Charlie back, but it's better than St. Mungo's"

Harry softened as she buried her head in her hands and her shoulders began to shake. He let out an exasperated breath, and made his way to the bed. Harry sat gently and drew her into his arms, whispering consoling words into her hair. When she calmed he asked, "Why Gin, why won't you go?"

Ginny hitched a large sigh. "I...I don't want mum to know, and they'll call her. She has enough to worry about, and she'd be back here in a matter of minutes mollycoddling. She'll make me take sleeping draught, and it makes me sick, and she won't give me a moment's peace. I hate that! If any of the boys find out, if Luna found out, they would tell her. I just... please can't it be a secret Harry? Can't you just heal the bruises? You know the spells... I know you do,"

Harry had to stifle a chuckle at her explanation. It did make sense. Ginny was independent, she had always been so. He knew all too well how overprotective Molly Weasley could be, especially with her youngest child, and only daughter.

A thought suddenly occurred to Harry, and he shuttered involuntarily "Erm...you do realize Gin, that in order for me to do so, you're going to have to strip?" Harry said in an attempt to deter her. Despite her apprehension, he really would feel better if she'd visit the hospital. He was far from an expert at healing spells, and she'd said that there wasn't much left of the phoenix tears potion, which meant a multitude of injuries could still arise. Once again Ginny began to sob, and Harry sighed.

"What is it now?" he asked a little harsher than he'd intended. Harry really didn't know how to deal with sobbing witches. It made him uncomfortable, and he'd always resorted to using his masculine charms to make them feel better. He certainly couldn't do that with Ginny. Not anymore. Not after what he'd done last night.

"I - I know you don't like me that way, Harry, I know the thought of seeing me... starkers... disgusts you, but..." she stopped and swallowed hard, Oh how she wished he could just see her like she saw him... even just for a moment. Harry squeezed his eyes shut at that admission. So she did think that. Merlin, she couldn't be more wrong. Well, he decided, better for her to think it than to have events like last night happening again.

"Please Harry," she continued weakly. Ginny needed this, there was no way she could deal with her mum coming all the way back here from the US, and staying for Merlin only knows how long. She'd never be allowed out of the house, or worse Molly would insist Ginny move back to the Burrow. No, way. No, How! Ginny gritted her teeth, determined to make Harry see things her way. "Just this one last time, and you never have to see me that way again. I promise. I just really... need your help." She was not above pleading, not when the possibility of Molly Weasley finding out was so certain if Harry refused.

Harry let out a shaky breath and lifted his hand to scrub across his face. It was an inward battle, Ginny could tell. Oh Gods... she thought, I really disgusted him that much.

Swallowing again, Ginny offered, "Harry... you could er... just do one... section... at a time. That way you wouldn't have to look at me totally nude, and then you could spend as little time as possible... erm..."

Harry just couldn't take it anymore. "Fuck Ginny!" he yelped shifting to hold her at arms length and looking straight into her eyes as he spoke. "I don't find you disgusting okay? Don't you get it? I want you so bad sometimes I can taste it, but that doesn't make it right."

There was a moment of silence as Harry's words sunk in. "W- Why?"

"Why? Why you ask? Ginny!" he said in exasperation. "I was disgusted with myself, not with you! Disgusted with the fact that I lost control so quickly. That's what you do to me, Ginny. You drive me mad. You make me forget who I am... who you are. You're my best mate's little sister, and I can't take advantage of you like that. You don't understand. You're a Weasley, Ginny. The Weasleys are the only family I have and I can't afford to lose them if things don't work out between us, if I end up hurting you, and that's what would happen if I did, and I probably would. I did it last night, and I'm doing it now. I can tell by the look on your face!"

"Fine, if that's the way you feel, I can't change your mind, Harry. I won't even try!" Ginny bellowed, suddenly fed up. If that's the way he wanted it, that's the way it would stay. "I didn't come to you, you know. You're the one that kissed me. It's not like I came around trying to be a temptress..." Ginny sighed, she needed his help and pushing him away or making him angry now would seal her fate with Molly. "Look, please just do the spells Harry, then you can walk away and never look back. I just really need you to do this. Trust me, there will be no problem for us to go back to hating one another as soon as you're done." Her lip curled in disgust and she looked away from him shaking her head.

Harry lifted his hands and dropped them in a defeated manor. This is what he'd wanted wasn't it? Yes, of course it was. Things were a lot less complicated when they were at one another's throats. He'd just have to stay away from her from now on, and get back to work in a couple of weeks. Forget about mentioning her skills to Remus, he really didn't need her around tempting him, and she did, whether or not it was intentional. "Fine Ginny, you win. Go strip in the bathroom, get a few towels and we'll do this section by section like you said. It'll take a while, and it may not be perfect but I'll do my best."

After this, Harry was determined that things were going back to normal.