Vendetta

Chapter 12: The Morning After/Counseling/Draco is Arrested/Interview/Further

Developments

Harry awakened with a groan, totally exhausted but, at the same time, thoroughly sated for one of the few times he could remember in his life. Almost as soon as he and Ginny had gotten behind the door of his room, it had begun ... and from that point on, he had lost all track of time. It had not just lasted two hours, though; it had gone on far longer ... and it had only started on the bed.

He had thought he was highly sexed, but Ginny left him in the dust. Ginny ... Gods, how could any woman have so much passion wrapped up in one compact yet very beautiful package? The old saying of redheads being hot-blooded definitely had truth to it, he could testify to that ... would gladly testify to that! A very exhausting way to begin one's seventeenth year, but at the same time, he had never experienced such incredible ecstasy at her every touch, her every kiss and caress. He would definitely not mind repeating the experience ... once he got his strength back, that is!

He turned his head upon hearing the door, smiling upon seeing Ginny step in, clad in just a blue terrycloth robe covered with Golden Snitches, her hair tousled from both sleep and passion, carrying two steaming mugs. "Good morning, Sunshine," she crooned upon noting that Harry was finally awake, smiling at the sight of her gorgeously messy-haired, emerald-eyed lover. Even just looking at him made her want him again. Dear gods, how could any man be so sexy? There should be a law against looking so good, especially looking so good without clothes ... "Fancy some hot chocolate?"

"Love some," he returned with a weary but tender smile in her direction as he took one of the mugs and took a long, deep swig, the caffeine in same soon beginning to revive him.

She sat down next to him and took a swig from her own, then another. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to wake up. Can it actually be that I actually wore you out again?"

Harry couldn't bring himself to answer for a long time, simply occupying himself with the hot chocolate. "Let's just say that it was a ... unique way to begin one's seventeenth year."

"To say the least!" she laughed. "Then may I assume you enjoyed it?"

"Immensely," Harry assured her, feeling desire rise again in his body, knowing that had it not been for his youth, he would never have been able to go again this soon.

She stood up and set the empty mug aside, preparing to drop her robe while he was occupied with his own. "Are you game for a rematch?"

"After the workout you gave me last night, I shouldn't be this soon, but strangely enough, I am. Why?"

"Just wondering." The tone of her voice made him turn his head, and that's when she dropped her robe. While he stared at her mesmerised, she removed the mug from his suddenly nerveless fingers, set it aside, threw the bedcovers aside and once again positioned herself in his lap, one leg on each side of him. With the first touch of her lips on his, Harry was once again totally and thoroughly lost. Gods, she was incredible ... if she could wear him out like this in just one night, how could he realistically expect to survive marriage to her? Just the same, what a way to go!

* * * * *

Once Harry woke up again, it was to Ginny telling him that Hedwig had arrived with yet another official-looking package. Strangely enough, he actually felt refreshed, as if he had had eight hours of uninterrupted, dreamless sleep ... and if this package contained what he thought it did, he would feel even better. This time, however, Ginny kept her robe on and simply sat on the side of the bed, waiting silently as he discreetly covered himself and sat up in bed to examine the contents of the package.

The more he found, the wider his smile got. Gods, there was enough here to put Draco away for life, even without Ginny's testimony ... but having it would simply be icing on the cake! Ginny looked up and had to ask why he was so happy. Once Harry explained, her smile was just as wide. This meant that no other girl would ever suffer as she had, not ever again ... at least not at Draco's (or Dudley's) hands.

"It seems that our friend Draco has been a very bad boy for a very long time ... and once this is in the hands of the Wizengamot, nothing even Lucius Malfoy says or does, no matter how many palms he tries to grease with his bribery and hush money, is going to save his sweet baby boy from life in Azkaban and a lifelong label of sexual predator."

"Just the same, they're not going to take this lying down," Ginny pointed out.

"Let them do their worst. I'm ready for them ... both Draco and Dudley!" Harry called for another large envelope, addressed it to the Wizengamot and sent Hedwig off again. Now it was only a matter of time before both of them would be out of his (and Ginny's) hair for good ... only a matter of time before he would gladly take Veritaserum or sodium pentothal and give them his own testimony, a first-hand account of his own nightmarish experiences at both Draco's and Dudley's hands.

Coupled with all the other evidence, Harry seriously doubted that either of them would see the outside world again for a long time, if ever, once they were finally put away. On top of his triumph over Voldemort and the Death Eaters, this would be the ultimate happiness for him, to see them both finally punished as they deserved - other than a tenderly passionate night (or several) with Ginny, that is.

* * * * *

The next day, Harry heard that regular weekly, hour-long counseling sessions had been arranged for Ginny with the witches' rape counselor at St. Mungo's. He wasn't looking forward to trying to get her to go to them, but knew he must if she were ever to achieve closure and put the subconscious memories of her ordeal to rest. Even if he had to go in with her, she was going to go. The only good thing about the counseling was that it would be on an outpatient basis. The first meeting was scheduled, in fact, for two p.m. the very next day, so he had to speak with her right away.

After they'd had breakfast (he'd even brought it to her in bed), he set the remnants of their meal aside and took a deep breath, then jumped in with both feet. "I talked to your personal Healer at St. Mungo's, and she believes it best for you to take rape counseling sessions."

Ginny was finishing her milk and gave him a hard look from above her glass. "But I'm fine. I don't need any counseling."

"I'm afraid you're not a proper judge, luv. You don't want to keep having nightmares about what happened, do you? The counseling sessions are designed so that you'll be able to put the subconscious memories to rest."

"Neither are you," she countered. "As for the nightmares, I'll be fine as long as I have you there to bring me out of them. As far as that goes, you need counseling as much as I do."

"That is not the subject under discussion here," he threw back. "If it'll make you feel better for me to be with you while you talk to the counselor, just say the word."

"I don't think they allow that, if memory serves me," she pointed out. "At least not as far as I know."

"Under certain special circumstances such as this, they do. The Healer told me so," Harry insisted.

"Well, that's fine--for people who need counseling. I don't," Ginny reiterated stubbornly.

"Yes, you do. I don't want to have to Stun you, but I will if I have to in order to get you there." Harry's voice was soft but firm, and Ginny knew he meant business. "It's only for an hour, Gin--and as I said, I'll be with you if you want me there. Then after the session, we can go out for supper or something. Please do this, if only to humour me."

Ginny sighed in affectionate exasperation but reluctantly gave in. "All right, since you're twisting my arm. And you don't need to take me out for supper afterward."

"But I want to," Harry insisted. "And by the way, the first counseling session is tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock."

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was a conspiracy to shanghai me against my will," Ginny opined dryly.

"No conspiracy, luv. We just want to help you."

"Uh-huh," she replied skeptically. "Which reminds me. Who else is in on this with you?"

"Everyone who loves you," Harry informed her. "So as you can see, you're far outnumbered."

"So I don't have a whole lot of choice, do I?"

" 'Fraid not," came the matter-of-fact reply. "Look on the bright side. At least you're getting a weekly supper date out of it."

"I could have that anyway," she reminded him. "But if only to get everybody off my back, including you, I'll go."

"Thank you. You won't regret it ... and if I were you, I'd be thankful to have so many people who care so much about me. It's certainly more than I had for eleven years of my life. If it hadn't been for you, Ron and your family, among others, Merlin knows how I'd have turned out. Maybe even gone over to the Dark side."

"Don't say that," Ginny returned, horrified. "Don't even think it!"

"Just teasing, luv. I wouldn't do that to you. Now may I owl St. Mungo's and tell them to expect you--or rather, us--tomorrow afternoon?"

"Go ahead," Ginny remarked unenthusiastically but didn't argue further, seeming almost resigned to her fate.

Harry sighed in affectionate exasperation but knew he had won, so that's what mattered. It took only a few minutes to owl St. Mungo's and let them know that Ginny would begin her counseling sessions as scheduled tomorrow afternoon.

* * * * *

Again, Harry flew her to her appointment on his broom, always loving the feel of her warmth and perfume close to him, not to mention her arms around him and her cheek resting on his back. Upon arrival, they dismounted, and he put an Invisibility Charm on the Firebolt after putting it in a safe but accessible place, then went inside St. Mungo's and the psychiatric outpatient counseling office.

Once they got to the office, Harry gave Ginny's name and informed the young witch serving as receptionist that he would be accompanying her during the sessions at her request. "I understand it is permitted under special circumstances," he reminded the receptionist when she gave him a funny look.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "It's just ... uncommon." She opened an intercom and informed the women's rape counselor that the two o'clock appointment had arrived. Harry and Ginny were then told where to go to meet with the counselor; a few moments later they were ushered into the office of a kindly-looking mediwitch who looked to be in her thirties, but was probably far older than that, owing to the long lifetimes usually granted witches and wizards.

"Greetings. I am Healer Arabella Collingsworth. I will be your counselor, Miss Weasley. I take it this is your ... boyfriend?" she inquired, looking Harry over at length.

Ginny nodded. "He said it was permitted for him to sit in on our sessions."

"And so it is. It's simply uncommon," the counselor returned. "But no matter. Have a seat, both of you." She gestured to the seats facing her desk.

The pair smiled and nodded in her direction before seating themselves. Once they were situated, Arabella smiled and asked, "Would either of you like any refreshment?"

"Butterbeer, if you have it," Harry replied before Ginny had a chance to draw breath to speak.

"Cold?"

"Please."

"One moment." Arabella opened the intercom again. "Angela, bring three cold butterbeers to my office."

"Yes, ma'am. Right away."

Five minutes later the receptionist came in with the three butterbeers on a tray. "Just leave them on the table near my desk, Angela. Thank you." The young witch nodded and left.

Not long afterward, the butterbeers were distributed, and Arabella sighed deeply before taking a swig and leaning back in her chair. "Before we get started, I want you both to know that I know what it's like to be ... sexually assaulted and understand virtually every feeling experienced by a rape victim, so I doubt anything either of you say will surprise me."

The couple were naturally curious as to what had happened to Arabella, but decided to shelve their curiosity for the moment. They were here to see that Ginny got help rather than make this a social call. Time enough to find out Arabella's story later on.

"Now tell me the story from the beginning."

This is where Harry decided to explain how the attack had come about. "Two adversaries of mine decided to ... get revenge on me by going after my girlfriend. One of them kidnapped her while she was on her way to Quidditch practice at our school, rendering her unconscious with a nonverbal spell, then tied her up and Disapparated off the grounds, using a relative of mine with whom I've never gotten along as an ... accomplice. I believe the main reason he went along with it was to be able to ... have sex with a girl, since he had not been able to up to that point."

"Pardon me, but may I inquire as to whether or not you have an ... established intimate relationship with your girlfriend, young man?"

"I have ... but then, we are engaged, so it's only natural," Harry explained. "But that's getting off the subject. One of my adversaries is a fellow wizard, and he took her to his family home upon abducting Ginny here." He gestured in her direction and latched onto her hand that she suddenly held out, keeping firm hold of it in order to calm her. After squeezing it reassuringly, Harry continued. "A friend of mine happened to witness the abduction and came to inform me within half an hour after it had occurred. I immediately took off to find her."

Harry took a breath after his lengthy speech, pleased to note that Arabella seemed both interested and caring of their feelings by not asking a lot of nosy questions.

"What did you find upon arrival?"

"My ... one adversary seemed to be expecting me and said that he had already had his way with Ginny and that my relative was now doing so, even as we spoke."

"Did he drug her in any way?"

"Yes. He gave her a ... love potion and planted a suggestion in her mind that I was the one who had assaulted her."

"At that point you had not been ... intimate with your girlfriend, is that correct?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "And because of what had happened, I was sure that I would never be able to do so."

"Do you intend to see that they are punished?"

"Oh yes, definitely. I have given copies of all the evidence I have to the Wizengamot, and it's only a matter of time until my main adversary is ... arrested. However, the other adversary is a Muggle, so I have to go after him in the Muggle manner."

"Do you plan on testifying in each case?"

"Most assuredly," Harry replied firmly. "So will some of my closest friends and members of my girlfriend's family, if only as character witnesses for both of us."

"Would you like me to add my report to your body of evidence?"

Harry was surprised but very pleased at the offer. "Yes. It would be very much appreciated. We need all the help we can get, especially since my one adversary is quite well off and is likely to be able to either bribe or buy off witnesses in his own favour. But I'm not overly concerned about that, since I have my own fortune, a large ... inheritance from my parents, and can do the same if necessary."

"You are an orphan?"

"Yes. My parents were killed when I was just a little over a year old, and I was placed with my mother's sister and her family. However, they were ... not kind to me, to put it mildly, and for that reason, I am very glad to be of age and able to get away from them permanently. I now live with my girlfriend's family, and plan to do so until we are married."

At this point Arabella looked intently at Ginny. "Have you anything you wish to say, Miss Weasley?"

"Definitely," Ginny assured her. "Harry ... my boyfriend ... recently told me all the details of my abduction. It turns out that the Muggle accomplice was his cousin. I had never met him before that and from what I've been told about him, wouldn't care to even if given the chance. It was sickening to learn that he had also raped me. The other rapist is a member of a rival House at our former school, Hogwarts. We were in Gryffindor House. This ... person was in Slytherin and we have always been adversaries."

Ginny took a breath, then continued. "I recently had a bad nightmare, mainly due to the subconscious memories of my ordeal surfacing in my mind. I had to be given a Calming Draught, and both Harry and my family believe it best that I obtain counseling in order to lay the bad memories to rest."

"And they're right. If you allow them to fester, they can only become worse. Believe me, I know ... and will do all I can to assist you in putting them to rest." She then turned back to Harry. "Have you anything to add?"

"I ordered my adversary to bring Ginny to me, and he did so. However, he did not dress her. Instead, he ... brought her to me wrapped in only a blanket."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been very difficult for you."

"To put it mildly! But I've managed to deal with it and put it behind me, with the help of Ginny and my friends. Also, once Ginny was returned to us--one of my friends managed to retrieve her clothes--we brought her here and made sure she received the treatment she needed."

"How does her family feel about her abduction?"

"They were very upset, to say the least. One of them even vowed personal revenge on her attackers, but I managed to talk them out of it, although it was not easy, to put it mildly. However, I have ... taken the responsibility for my girlfriend's medical expenses because her family has a limited income. Just the same, they are very proud and would insist on repaying me if they knew, so I would appreciate it if you don't mention this fact to them should you speak to any of them at any point in the not-too-distant future."

"I assure you, whatever is said in this office remains in this office," Arabella declared firmly. "That is, unless you and/or your girlfriend decide otherwise."

"Thank you," Harry smiled ... then they heard a soft clanging sound.

Arabella looked up and said, "Time's up."

"It's been an hour already?" Ginny could scarcely believe it.

"Oh, you'd be surprised how fast an hour can go by in a session like this," Arabella laughed. "Would you like to continue the appointments at two p.m. on this day every week ... Wednesday, I believe?"

"No problem," Harry assured her.

"Good. I'll see you next week, then." She stood up and ushered them out, praising Harry for all he was doing to help Ginny and her family, both emotionally and financially.

Harry smiled modestly and nodded in acknowledgment. "It's the least I can do for them after all they've done for me."

"Well, keep up the good work," Arabella told him.

"Oh, I intend to, I assure you," Harry replied with another smile. "Let's go now, Gin. Remember, we have a supper date."

"That's right," Ginny recalled. "Thank you for everything, Arabella."

"Glad to help in any way I can." She smiled. "See you next week." With that, the door closed behind the couple.

Once they were alone, Harry slid a strong but gentle arm around Ginny's waist and led her back to where his broom was situated, lifting the Invisibility Charm with a nonverbal spell; then they headed back to the Burrow after their supper date, where Molly and company were surely waiting to hear how the counseling session had gone.

They were naturally pleased to hear that it had gone well ... this time, at least. But what really made certain people's day was an owl post from the Ministry informing him that Draco Malfoy had recently been arrested for the rape of Ginny Weasley, and there was nothing even his furious father could do to stop it. The authorities had sufficient evidence to hold him, and nothing even Lucius Malfoy could do could change the fact of its existence. Draco was currently in a holding cell, awaiting scheduling of the trial.

Once Harry had told the others the latest developments, they felt like celebrating. Just the same, this was just the first step--and once the trial really got rolling, he knew not only he would have to testify but Ginny and company likely would as well. Even at that, he was sure they would be all too happy to do so, if only to ensure that Draco was put away once and for all.

Harry also fully expected a furious, threatening diatribe from Lucius at virtually any time, so he vowed to be prepared for it when it came--and he had no doubt that it would. For the time being, however, he intended to enjoy the knowledge and fact that Draco was no longer walking free to menace other young women; was in fact, sitting in a jail cell, most likely contemplating his probable fate. If Harry had his way, that fate would be a life sentence in Azkaban--and it would be no more than he deserved. This time no amount of money or influence-peddling was going to get him off, and that suited Harry and company just fine.

Fortunately, Harry had also bought a Muggle-type post box for the Burrow so he could get posts from the authorities in his old neighbourhood, up to and including updates on the investigation involving Dudley and his assorted sex crimes. The evidence found in his room was currently in possession of said authorities, and despite any and all efforts by Vernon and Petunia, no matter what their claims--be it manufacturing evidence or unlawful entry--would change the fact that the evidence indeed existed and was in the hands of the law.

Harry also fully expected a countersuit from them at any time, if not a furious, threatening letter, but so far hadn't gotten any official-looking envelope from the Little Whinging constabulary nor one from his relatives. Just the same, Dudley's comings and goings were being watched closely, and he had a nine p.m. curfew; both he and his parents had already been served with a warning that if he violated it even one time, or if any further incriminating evidence was found either on his person or in his room (which was thoroughly searched once a week), he would be formally charged with multiple counts of sexual battery.

Harry would have preferred him to be under virtual house arrest, because he knew what Dudley was capable of and wouldn't put it past him to at least try to give them the slip, but had to settle for the Little Whinging authorities keeping a close eye on him. Or at least as close an eye as they could. He also decided to drop a note to them and suggest that they speak to the families and friends of Dudley's victims, not to mention the victims themselves, if possible, and see if they couldn't get either statements from them or promises to testify for the prosecution at any possible trial.

In the midst of all this, though, the two young couples were going to school and just basically living their lives as normally as possible. Ron and Hermione had had to return to Hogwarts, but made sure to ask for any and all new developments with each owl post--and they were just as happy to hear of Draco's having been arrested as those at the Burrow had been, not to mention the latest developments involving Dudley.

Harry and Ginny were headed for the Leaky Cauldron when they were approached by the first member of the press ... one Kingsley Shacklebolt, a long-time reporter for the Daily Prophet as well as an Auror and long-term member of the Order of the Phoenix. However, he was here in his journalist capacity this time.

"Harry, may I talk to you? I'd like to ask a few questions regarding the recent arrest of Draco Malfoy on rape charges."

Harry wasn't fond of speaking in public hearing on such a sensitive subject, so he motioned Kingsley to accompany him and Ginny to the Leaky Cauldron; they sat down together and ordered meals for themselves, including mugs of butterbeer. Kingsley just ordered a mug of butterbeer, having an animated quill and pad similar to Rita Skeeter's ready to take down everything said.

"What would you like to know?" Harry finally said once they'd gotten situated.

"How did you ever manage to actually get Draco arrested, for one thing? Usually Lucius is able to get him off the hook for virtually everything."

"Not this time. I had some people at the Ministry dig, and they eventually found plenty of evidence to support my position. He's now cooling his heels in a holding cell, awaiting the scheduling of the trial."

"I'm also given to understand that he had a Muggle accomplice. What can you tell me about that?"

"That's true. The Muggle is ... technically ... my cousin. But neither of them have ever liked me and decided to get revenge on me by going after my girlfriend. He is also suspected of attacking several girls in my old neighbourhood. The local authorities even searched his room and found considerable evidence that linked him to the attacks. As a result, they watch him closely and he has an early curfew. If he doesn't keep his nose clean, they'll likely charge him with multiple counts of ... sexual battery, which means jail time if he is convicted, even above and beyond the rape charges I'm currently pressing."

"I imagine his parents aren't pleased with the whole affair."

"To put it mildly ... which suits me just fine. Especially since I'm of age now and they can't touch me, legally or financially--and I have considerable evidence to back up my claims of not only ... rape for Ginny, but physical, emotional and verbal abuse against me. They may rant and rave and threaten, but they know it's all true, and if they press too hard, I'll go after them and enjoy doing it ... which I suspect is the main reason I haven't gotten a countersuit or nasty letter from them."

"Do you think you'll eventually win the case and that both perpetrators will be punished for what they've done?"

"I think so," Harry opined. "And that will be one of the happiest days of my life."

This was when Kingsley looked in Ginny's direction, hoping to at least get confirmation from her, if nothing else, but Harry's fierce look checked any comments he had been about to say. "Leave Ginny out of it, please. She will eventually testify, and you'll learn her thoughts at that point ... but until then, any questions you may have, direct them to me. I also strongly suggest we cut this interview short, at least for the time being, so she and I can finish our meal. Whatever else you want to ask, owl me at the Burrow and I'll do what I can to answer you."

Kingsley was reluctant but knew that Harry meant business, so he didn't argue. "Very well. Thank you for your time and the comments you've given me."

Harry nodded in acknowledgment. "See you at the next Order meeting." He hadn't meant to be so short with the man, since Kingsley was generally fair and honest, but he was fiercely protective of Ginny and wasn't about to allow even him to browbeat her, as some journalists were wont to do in order to get the response they wanted from an interviewee.

With that, Kingsley stood up and left, at last allowing the couple to complete their meal and leave the restaurant, then return to the Burrow. Upon arrival there, they discussed it with the elder Weasleys, who praised Harry for his handling of the situation, as well as for not saying too much in front of Ginny, not to mention his cutting off Kingsley at the pass, since either action could easily set back the benefits of her counseling by weeks if done indiscriminately.

* * * * *

Over the next several weeks, there were several owl posts, mostly from Kingsley with further questions; those Harry answered as best he could. Others, even from the Daily Prophet or Quibbler, if not from private citizens who were readers of same, seemed to be trying to either discredit him or Ginny, and therefore he chose to ignore them, especially if he recognised the name as either a family member or acquaintance of people who were either open Death Eaters or manic pureblood supporters like the Malfoys, if not both. Which reminded him, he still hadn't gotten anything from Lucius, and that was most significant. Maybe Lucius intended to save his worst venom for the public trial; at any rate, Harry vowed to be ready for him.

Even at that, he had been told that there was a fairly low likelihood of actual conviction and prison time for the offenders, that only about one-fifth of the rape cases even reached court, but he was frankly convinced that it would be different this time, particularly since there was so much evidence on their side to support their position. He had done some research and learned that many times the reason rape cases were dropped was for lack of evidence, either physical or forensic.

He also learned that most rapes were not reported, mainly because of the documented evidence that showed the disquieting and unfair statistics that many times the victims were made to feel like they were the ones being prosecuted, having to endure traumatic and embarrassingly probing interrogations into their private lives; whereas the defendant was rarely, if ever, asked such things.

Fortunately, there were also some statistics on their side: the fact that the younger the victim and the fact that Dudley had been a stranger to Ginny, not to mention the fact of her physical injuries, made the likelihood greater that at least he would be convicted; although Harry intended to do everything he could to see that Draco was as well.

He was also not looking forward to the possibility that the Malfoys' defence lawyers were likely to attempt to drag both him and Ginny through the mud by either claiming that she was promiscuous or that Harry himself was trying to cover up his own wrongdoing. Little likelihood of that sticking, though, especially once the DNA sample reports were made public and admitted as evidence.

Not to mention both the Healers' and the Muggle doctor's reports--particularly the results of Ginny's medical exam, which the doctor had assured him showed that she had been subjected to assaults by two attackers, not just one, despite the fact that Draco had used the hypnotic suggestion that Harry was responsible for it all. Calling Ron, Hermione and other family members (or almost-family members) to serve as character witnesses for both of them should help on that score as well.

Nor could the other side claim they were lying if they openly stated that they were willing to take Veritaserum or (in Dudley's case) sodium pentothal so they would be obliged to tell the truth on the witness stand. Veritaserum was a very strong truth drug; only a few drops were necessary. Even Snape had said that it could make Voldemort himself spill his darkest secrets ... and Harry was sure it would make a significant impact if he were to publicly challenge Lucius and company to take some themselves, then testify as to Harry's, Ginny's, the Weasleys' or even Draco's character (or lack thereof). He only wished it could be used in Dudley's trial ...

While waiting for the trial to be scheduled, Harry made some inquiries and found that the best prosecuting attorney willing to act in their defence--his fees were ordinarily quite high--would be willing to work pro bono because of Harry's fame and his dislike for the Malfoys and their ilk. In other words, he would not be paid unless the case was won.

Of course, even if he hadn't agreed to effectively donate his time and services, Harry had enough money to have paid him what he was worth, if only to ensure that justice would be done, at least in this instance. It had now been roughly fourteen months since Ginny's attack, and she seemed to be improving, at least according to Arabella, but Harry was still hesitant to have her testify, even if it meant a greater likelihood of conviction, particularly in Draco's case.

His research had also netted the fact that nine times out of ten the victim knew her attacker and this made conviction less likely, especially if it was even conjectured that they might have been consensually intimate at one point. Harry was dead certain otherwise, however, and intended to press that point until it sunk in, whatever he had to do.

Especially the point that virtually the sole motivation for Ginny's attack had been revenge on Harry, the only way to hurt him being the serious injury or death of someone he loved. Harry was now convinced that one of the main reasons she had survived was because he had found out about her abduction fairly soon after it had happened and hightailed it to the Malfoy mansion within half an hour after being informed by Neville what had happened.

By this time Arabella had given Harry her report covering the counseling sessions so far, and the results that she could see, not to mention the ones Harry himself had reported to her; then he had sent it on to the Wizengamot as well after keeping a hard copy to admit as evidence in Dudley's trial. Which reminded him, he had been gratified to hear that Dudley had finally broken his curfew the one necessary time and was himself now sitting in a holding cell, accused of multiple counts of sexual battery against various victims.

The Little Whinging authorities had also informed him that they had met with either the families or the actual victims themselves and gotten their statements--and that the statements in question were in their hands. Once the trial was scheduled, they would be admitted by the prosecution (Harry's side) as evidence against the defendant.

Of course, in the midst of all this, the young people were doing their schoolwork; Harry had even completed all the necessary makeup courses and passed the final NEWT tests with flying colours, officially having become a Hogwarts graduate once the results had been received, the majority of them being "Oustanding," if not "Exceeds Expectations." He was now preparing to take the necessary tests to become an Auror, which would likely take six to eight hours.

He didn't like having to be away from Ginny even for that long, but it was necessary in order that he be legally able to work as a dark-wizard catcher. After having successfully battled and vanquished Voldemort, however, he was at least fairly certain that his work wouldn't be all that hard now, although he was under no illusions that it would be easy, either.

He was also seriously looking into the possibility of taking extra Transfiguration courses specializing in Animagi transformations. What's more, he had pretty much already decided which animal(s) he wanted to be able to change into if necessary--a large, hawklike bird or a horse, both of which could live in the wild if need be. He was even considering asking Ginny to do the same, so in the event he had to go into hiding, she could go with him and they could live as animals as long as they had to, as Sirius had done while in hiding.

Once they got used to manoeuvring in animal form, that is. The nicest thing about Animagi transformations, though, was that they would be able to retain their human intelligence and at least some of their magical abilities, even in their animal form. They wouldn't be able to speak or hold wands, of course, so they would have to rely on nonverbal spells, mentally aiming at who- or whatever their target was.

To get back to the legal issues, Harry had even been sent a (supposedly) simplified layman's version of how DNA evidence was used in the UK criminal justice system by the Little Whinging constabulary. Despite their claims, however, he had only been able to get the gist of a fraction of it--such as the fact that related people tended to have similarities in their DNA patterns--but that it was virtually impossible for unrelated people to have a match in all of the thirteen designated spots in their DNA.

That basically meant that there would likely be several similarities in both Harry's and Dudley's DNA samples, mainly due to the fact that they were related. But even the most closely related people, such as parents and children, didn't always match perfectly in all thirteen categories ... and he and Dudley were cousins, so there would definitely be differences between their overall DNA. Differences which would likely prove his, Harry's, innocence in the matter of Ginny's assault and Dudley's guilt. (Not to mention Draco's, but that was another story.)

* * * * *

He had had no idea he had been so absorbed in the hard copy of how DNA evidence was used

in the UK criminal justice system until a loud knock brought his head up with a jerk to find Hermione standing at the door. "Harry!" she called impatiently, obviously having done so more than once.

"Yeah?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes. Molly says to come down for supper." When he didn't reply to this, she strode over to the bed and looked down at the reading material spread over Harry's lap. "Just what is that, anyway?"

"Something I got from the Little Whinging authorities detailing how DNA evidence may be used in a criminal trial and what it is likely to happen when it is."

"Learned anything from it?"

"It's supposedly simplified for laymen, but I've still not been able to grasp a lot of it. However, I have been able to surmise this much ..." With that, he went on to detail what he had learned about how DNA could ID both related and unrelated people, about the similarities found in the DNA of related individuals, things like that.

"Does that mean that they're likely to confuse your DNA with Dudley's?" she questioned, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

Harry shook his head. "I doubt it. Even the most closely related individuals don't match perfectly all the time ... and Dudley and I are cousins, so there are bound to be plenty of differences as well as many similarities, if only due to the fact of the genetic differences between our parents." He was silent for a time, then smiled and said, "Oh, did I tell you that Dudley is sitting in jail right now?"

"No. That's great. What happened?"

"He broke his curfew and they picked him up, charging him with multiple counts of sexual battery. I was even told that many of either his victims' families or the victims themselves were able to give official statements as to what had happened to them and/or their relatives at Dudley's hands."

"Have you heard anything from your aunt and uncle?"

"No, and I think I know why, which suits me just fine. Not that I'm not sure they'd love to go after me with both barrels, accusing me of everything under the sun, but they don't dare, not with bonafide evidence from both Dudley's room and his victims in the hands of the law. But even if they did, they can't touch me, either legally or financially, because I'm of age. They also know bloody well that my testimony as to their abuse of me could easily put both of them away as well as Dudley ... and I've already decided that if they make even one move against me, I'll go after them with both barrels and make them regret ever crossing me."

Just then a loud yell brought both their heads up with a jerk, a yell they were certain that everyone in the household heard. "Supper's ready! You lot get down here right now or I'll see to it that you go to bed without any!"

"Molly shouldn't shout like that. She could lose her voice," Harry observed. "Just the same, we'd better get down there if we expect to eat."

Hermione smiled and agreed; within moments they had arrived downstairs to find Molly at the bottom of the stairs, her face like a thundercloud. However, she didn't say anything, just glared at them and ushered everyone toward the table; Harry took his regular seat next to Ginny, as Hermione took her regular seat next to Ron, and they dug in once Molly had seated herself.

Just the same, both Hermione and Harry made mental notes to fill both Ron and Ginny in on what the UK's latest laws were regarding rape and using DNA evidence in criminal trials at the earliest opportunity.