Harry Potter and the Elements of Valor

Chapter Two - The Mark of Domination

Two very strange days followed the night by the bonfire with Fred and George. Fred took his turn going off to the joke shop the next morning. Except for Harry's pounding headache, things seemed quite normal. Mac laughed at his condition and told Harry that it wouldn't excuse him from his regular lesson; but then Mac decided to teach him some simple disguise spells and set aside dueling practice. Harry was very grateful, feeling that he would be hamburger meat in any fight today.

Fred returned around noon saying he had closed the shop early and then he took George off to the backyard. That seemed strange, but Harry's brain was too foggy to worry over it. Dumbledore did not turn up for Harry's Elemental spells lesson in the afternoon, but that was to be expected from time to time. Again, Harry was feeling a bit too slow to be able to concentrate on wandless magic so he settled instead for a nap in the sun.

George and Fred were very quiet during dinner and even Mac seemed in a tense and snappish mood. Aunt Petunia was the only one who appeared to enjoy the near silent meal. There was none of the usual banter, just the clicking of silverware on plates. The next day, George went off for a brief time and returned with a message for Mac, who left immediately, while George and Fred prowled around like restless cats for the remainder of the day. Dumbledore did not turn up that day either, but when Harry mentioned it to George, he did not seem surprised.

Harry could tell that something was definitely wrong. He tried several times to drag out of Fred and then George what the problem could be. He asked about the joke shop, and the Weasley family. They told him everything was fine and would say nothing else. The only information Harry received was when Fred remembered he had a letter for Harry and pulled a rumpled envelope from his pocket.

The letter was from Hermione. Harry tore it open, eager for news. She and Ron seemed to be having a great time in France with her parents. It sounded as though Hermione was dragging Ron to all sorts of museums, libraries and shops. Harry could picture Ron's face at the prospect of spending hours in a dusty old bookshop. It made him smile. He'd love to have a letter from Ron telling his side of the vacation. Ron and he were both rather inconsistent letter writers so a lack of a response from Ron did not bother Harry. Ginny owed him a letter too, but it had only been three days since he had got her last letter.

Apart from the behavior of the twins, the other thing that was disconcerting was the dream from two nights ago. Harry could not be sure it was a vision from Voldemort's head. It could have been that the fire whiskey had befuddled him. Still the nervous tension in house made him come back to it over and over again that day. The misty image would not go away; Lucius Malfoy torturing someone, a person who was not to be killed, in a place that Harry did not recognize.

By nightfall, Harry had decided he should tell Dumbledore about the dream. He'd have to confess to drinking the fire whiskey, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare was significant and not just a result of overindulgence. After dinner, he went to his room and penned a short note to Dumbledore asking that the headmaster find a certain potions book for Harry in the library. He did not sign it per Dumbledore's instructions. It was a prearranged signal telling Dumbledore that Harry needed him to come to the Hollow right away. He sealed the note then glanced at Hedwig who was quite put out that she was not being trusted with the post. "Sorry Hedwig," Harry said, handing her some owl treats by way of an apology. Then he went looking for Fred or George so they could post it.

The twins were not in the house, but Harry heard them talking out in the front garden. The night was misty and damp as Harry stepped out on to the front step.

"He can go to hell!" Fred was saying, hotly. "I'm going looking if they don't find something by morning."

"I agree. Mac can stay with Harry," George replied.

Harry walked out toward them. "What's going on?' he asked.

"Oh, Harry," said Fred turning quickly and looking guilty, "nothing...nothing at all."

"That's not true," Harry replied, "tell me."

"It's really nothing mate," said George, unconvincingly. "A matter at the store is all."

Harry had agreed to spend the summer in Godric's Hollow, isolated from everyone, but he was not going to stand for being kept in the dark about what was happening on the outside. Just as Harry was about to shout at the twins for keeping news from him, the front gate swung open and Dumbledore strode up the walk with a ragged, filthy bundle of blankets in his arms. Mac followed him inside and shut the gate. He had a cut over his eye and was breathing heavily.

Dumbledore, his eyes full of anger, did not pause, but walked quickly towards the house, giving orders as he went. "Conner, please take up watch here at the front gate." Mac nodded and drew his wand, facing the dark road outside. Harry fleetingly thought how strange it was to see Mac take orders from anyone. "Fred, George," said Dumbledore, "I have her." Harry didn't understand, but Fred and George rushed forward anxiously, and in the light coming out through the doorway, Harry saw a bruised and battered face amongst the folds of the blanket. In horror, he realized it was Ginny. "You two make ready to come with me." Dumbledore said, nodding toward the twins, "George, go and get Dobby, we would benefit from his help tonight."

Inside the front hall, Dumbledore hesitated an instant as Aunt Petunia stood blocking the way, trying to have a look at what was causing the excitement. "Harry, I need a bed," he said, ignoring her craning neck.

"Up here," said Harry, edging past them and running ahead up the stairs.

"Mrs. Dursley, please follow me," ordered Dumbledore in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Is she all right?" asked Fred and George at once.

Without a backward glance, Dumbledore said, "She will be fine, I will see to it. Now please go and get ready. Meet me at the gate."

For an old man, Dumbledore climbed the staircase with Ginny in his arms as though it cost him no effort. Harry had thrown open the door to his own room, as it was closest, and stood back to admit the headmaster. Dumbledore swept in and laid his bundle carefully upon the bed. Without taking his eyes from her, he said in a low voice to Harry and Petunia. "She has been ill used. Ginny has been the captive of Voldemort and the death eaters for two days. I am afraid she has been tortured. I strongly suspect her wounds have been poisoned. I am very concerned because she would not revive with the standard charm. I could not risk bringing her anywhere unless it was totally secure, and I cannot risk bringing anyone else here to help you. You two must follow my instructions tonight, and very precisely." Dumbledore emphasized those final words and Harry kept his many questions to himself. The image from his nightmare had arisen in shocking clarity, and he stifled the nausea rising in his throat.

As Harry watched Ginny's ashen, unconscious face, Dumbledore began quickly extracting several glass vials from his robes and placing them on the bedside table. "Harry, Petunia, please listen carefully, as Ginny's life depends on your actions tonight. First Petunia, she must be put in a tub of water, as hot as she can tolerate to remove the poisons. You must put this potion into the water," he said holding up a vial of orange liquid. Then he raised a purple vial that sparkled in the candlelight. "She must have three drops from this vial on the hour, every hour." Holding up the third vial that looked pearly white, Dumbledore said, "These are phoenix tears to heal her wounds. Harry, you know how to use these, I think. Show your aunt how to apply them to Ginny's injuries."

Dumbledore took his eyes off Ginny who was turning her head from side to side restlessly, and he looked at Harry, lowering his voice even more, "It is extremely important that you do not use the mirror for the next few hours. I will contact you as soon as I can to check on Ms. Weasley's progress. Monitor her very closely. It is of the up most importance that you report anything unusual in her behavior. Do you understand, Harry?"

He nodded dumbly.

"Remember, DO NOT use the mirror," with that final, unsettling comment, Dumbledore was gone leaving Harry stunned.

Harry went quickly to the bedside. Ginny was muttering something he couldn't make out. He looked quickly over at his aunt as he started to disentangle Ginny from the grubby blanket in which she was wrapped. Aunt Petunia did not say a word, but turned on her heel and struck off down the stairs. Harry didn't know where his aunt was off to; perhaps to get something that they would need. Finally, he got the disgusting blanket free and threw it into the fireplace where it ignited with a loud POOF. Harry turned back to look at Ginny and even in the dim candlelight, was dismayed at what he saw. She was lying in a nightdress that was as ripped and filthy as the blanket. Through the slashes in the fabric, he could see horrible, large, red welts and patches of dried blood. She had bruises on her arms, legs and face. He immediately felt a huge sense of guilt that he hadn't told Dumbledore of his nightmare.

Then Harry realized there was no noise in the house. There was no sound of someone opening drawers, looking for something; there were no hurried footsteps. Where was Aunt Petunia? They needed to get on with Dumbledore instructions thought Harry, beginning to panic. He called to his aunt but there was no answer. Harry swore under his breath, hesitated, and then charged down the stairs to see where she had got off to. "Aunt Petunia!" he called as he jumped the final three stairs and hit the hallway floor. Harry entered the parlor and saw that the door to his aunt's room was shut. "Aunt Petunia!" he called loudly again as he crossed the room.

"Leave me alone!" he heard her snap from behind the door.

Harry put a hand on the doorknob. "But Ginny needs help. Dumbledore told us what we have to do," Harry said trying to steady his voice against the alarm that was rising up in him. "I need your help with her."

"I did not agree to be nurse maid to some filthy, ragged girl he's dragged in here. I won't touch her. Poisoned! That's what he said. I'm not going near her. Handle it yourself." Silence fell after her words. For a heartbeat, Harry waited for more. Then he tried to turn the doorknob, but the door was locked.

"You miserable old hag!" Harry hissed, now fighting the urge to knock down the door and throw his aunt out into the road. He could not waste any more time cajoling his aunt so he raced back up to his room. Right now he had to help Ginny, nothing else was more important. Still, he wished he could hex his aunt for what she had just said. Why did she hate him so much that she would refuse to help him tonight?

As he entered the room, he saw Ginny had rolled to the edge of the bed, her eyes opened wide in terror, perhaps reliving some nightmare memory of the past two days. She tried to scream, but a hoarse moan was all that escaped her. Then she leaned over the edge of the bed and retched. Harry pulled his wand from his pocket. "Evanesco" he said, vanishing the mess. Ginny collapsed again, head lolling over the side of the bed.

Harry let out a stream of curse words, his anger in fierce competition with his anxiety. He ran over Dumbledore's instructions quickly in his head. "I can do this, I have to do this," he said aloud to himself, willing himself to breath.

He looked at his watch as he picked up the purple liquid and turned Ginny on to her back. He saw that her hair was filthy and matted as he supported her head. He put three drops of the potion on her tongue and she seemed to relax a bit, she ceased her muttering, and she laid still. Harry set the vial back on the bedside table, and then he noticed something. Balled tightly in her right hand was something gold. He pulled her fingers open and they reflexively tried to tighten again. It was the rune necklace he had given her. She had clutched it so tightly that it had left an impression on her palm. Harry's eyes brimmed with tears. He noticed the chain was broken as he removed it from her grasp, and he set it on the table next to the potions.

Remove the poisons... Hot water. Harry heard Dumbledore's voice in his head. He pocketed the orange vial and pulled the edges of the blanket Ginny was lying on over her limp form, then gathered her up in his arms. He carefully negotiated his way down the hall to the white tiled bath where he laid her down on the floor, resting her head on a folded towel.

Harry ran the taps wide open and soon the tub was filling with warm, steamy water. He quickly gathered soap and a pile of towels from a shelf, setting them next to the claw-footed tub. Pulling the stopper from the vial that he extracted from his pocket, he dumped the contents into the water. A puff of vapor that smelled of pine trees rose from the water.

The tub filled fast. By the time Harry had everything ready, the water was hot and steam had fogged the mirror. He tested the water with his hand. It seemed all right. Unwrapping Ginny from the blanket, he lifted her and kicked the blanket aside. Then he lowered her slowly into the tub. The water immediately let out a sort of hiss and became dingy from the dirt and blood on her skin.

His shirtsleeves, which he had forgotten to roll up, became soaked from the sloshing water and Ginny's nightdress floated up around her. Harry cursed again. This would not work. He shifted her slightly and tugged the night dress off over her head, repeating I'm sorry, Ginny, over and over in his head. Using a washcloth, he began trying to clean the many cuts. Soon the water was disgusting, and a slightly evil smell rose from it. Harry hoped the orange potion had done its job as he felt for the drain and pulled the plug, then turned the taps back on. He stirred the water with his arm as he supported Ginny in place. In a minute, the water was cleaner again and he began to wash her matted, filthy hair.

The cuts were not deep but blood and dirt had made them look very nasty. Her ankle had an ugly red mark all around it as though she had been manacled. The worst were the long red welts that crisscrossed her body. They looked like whip marks, but Harry wondered if they hadn't been made by magic. Finally, Harry leaned Ginny over his arm so he could scrub her back clean. There were more red welts, and there was something else. Low in the center of her back was some sort of mark. At first, Harry thought it was another bruise but the mark was circular, perfectly circular, and looked like a reddish stain. It was hard to see it clearly through the water and it did not come off when he rubbed it with the cloth. Ginny started to shiver at that moment, and Harry forgot about the mark. He needed to follow Dumbledore's instructions he told himself again. He fought his anger back down. He wanted nothing more or less than to kill who ever had tortured her like this, but he had a responsibility to Ginny just now.

Harry took a deep breath. He'd need to lay her on something. He pulled several towels from the pile and spread them quickly on the floor. He lifted her, limp and naked from the tub, and laid her down as water streamed off her. Harry covered her with the remaining towels, patting her dry, and wiping off her face and hair. Ginny was now shaking violently. Lifting her quickly again, he rushed her back into the bedroom. The fire had now warmed the room so that it was overly hot.

As Harry settled her back on the bed, he pulled out his wand and cried "Accio" and a wardrobe door down the hall burst open allowing three quilts to zoom to Harry. He removed the damp towels covering Ginny and layered the quilts over her. Her skin was white as death, and she continued to shake.

What did he still need to do? Harry's stomach clenched in a tight knot and his brain was screaming for someone to come help him, but he took another deep breath and remembered that Dumbledore had left him phoenix tears. Harry picked up the third vial. He kept her covered as much as he could while he healed the angry welts and cuts that crisscrossed her body. The bruising and other marks disappeared as he touched them with the tears. Finally, he rolled her on to her side and applied the pearly liquid to the welts on her back. Everything vanished except the red circle. Harry could see that it had some sort of lines like writing or symbols in the center of it.

The mark troubled Harry and he wished Dumbledore would call. Nervously he pulled the small mirror from his pocket and set it on the bedside table. Perhaps he should call Dumbledore regardless of his instructions. Surely, this was an emergency. Ginny was moaning again, and shivering uncontrollably. Harry was desperate to warm her up and to calm her down. He looked around at the fire, which was blazing away, making it very warm in the room. Harry, himself was sweating. He could only think of one thing to do. He climbed on to the bed and pulled Ginny into his lap, wrapping one of the quilts tightly around her. He checked his watch and then placed three more drops of the purple potion into her mouth. Harry held her close and rocked her, telling her in a whisper that everything was going to be all right. He didn't know if she could hear him but she seemed to relax against him, and her breathing slowed. As she relaxed, his level of panic retreated to uneasiness. When Ginny settled into a deep sleep in his arms, Harry looked into her pale face. He ran his fingers gently through her hair, straightening it and pulling it off her forehead, and then he pulled an extra quilt over her so he could cover a bare leg.

Light, he thought, the light is too bright in the room. He swept his hand around and extinguished several of the candles, leaving only the one on the bedside table. Where was Dumbledore? Where was help? Harry knew he was no healer. Out of the confused and worried jumble of his thoughts, he heard his name spoken very clearly. "Harry Potter," it said. It took a split second for Harry to realize where the sound had come from. He reached over Ginny to the table and retrieved the mirror.

Professor Dumbledore's face, fierce and anxious appeared. "Harry, I don't have much time. How is Ginny?"

"Umm...I don't know. I did as you said. I gave her the potion twice now. The phoenix tears cleared everything but some sort of mark. It's on her back. What else should I do?"

"Describe this mark, Harry," said Dumbledore apprehensively.

"It's round and sort of red. It has some kind of symbol or writing inside the circle, but I don't know what it means."

The headmaster looked grim. "That may explain much," he said to himself. "Damn them!" Dumbledore paused, "Harry, keep her calm and quiet. I will be there straightway." The mirror surface clouded and Harry was looking at his own worried face. Dumbledore was on his way, and would be able to tell Harry if she was all right. Harry took a deep steadying breath. Then he realized something. He couldn't just leave her naked like this. It wasn't right. Harry laid Ginny carefully down on the bed and went to his bureau. He damned his Aunt Petunia again, as he rifled through his clothes and finally pulled out a clean pair of pajamas. Harry returned to the edge of the bed and hesitated. In the back of his head, a voice was telling him that he didn't ever want to be a healer. Pulling the quilt down, he slipped Ginny's arms into the top, and then buttoned it up. He slid the bottoms up her legs and cinched up the drawstring around her waist. Satisfied, he covered her again, and pulled up a chair next to the bed. He sat down and looked at his watch, realizing he had just checked it a minute ago. As he watched Ginny's face, he became aware that he was drumming his fingers on the bed, so he crossed his arms across his chest and tried to remain calm.

It now dawned on him that the reason Fred and George had been upset for the past two days was that they knew Ginny had been kidnapped. They had been instructed not to tell him. Had they realized he would have gone looking for her? He was glad she had been rescued but didn't understand why Dumbledore had brought her here. Why hadn't he taken her to Madam Pomfrey? She deserved a better fate than to be left under his clumsy care.

His ruminations were disturbed by the sound of the front door opening, which jerked Harry to attention. He jumped up instinctively, grabbed his wand and moved to the bedroom door, ready to curse any intruder. It was Dumbledore, and Harry lowered his wand as the headmaster ascended the stairs, robes billowing behind him.

"Harry, how is she?" he asked, as he stepped into the room, and approached the bed.

"I'm not sure sir," said Harry, tightly. He had done everything as Dumbledore had directed but he didn't know how to assess her condition.

Dumbledore bent down and peered into her ashen face over his half-moon spectacles. He remained motionless for a moment then backed away. "Harry, I'll need to examine the mark your aunt found. Do you want to go and get her for me?"

"There's no reason to," said Harry resentfully. "Aunt Petunia refused to help me. She said she wouldn't touch Ginny if she were poisoned. There wasn't anyone else here to help and you told me what had to be done," he said, raising his face to look Dumbledore in the eye, "So, I did the best I could."

Dumbledore considered him for a moment. "Harry, it's a gift to be cool in a crisis and to react for the positive good. It is one of your best traits, I think."

"I wasn't very cool, sir," said Harry cynically.

Dumbledore ignored this remark and looked back at Ginny, "Please, show me the mark."

Harry pulled the covers down and carefully rolled Ginny's unconscious form on to her side, facing away from them. At least she seemed calm again. He pulled up the back of the pajama top but the mark was actually lower. Harry reached over Ginny, and loosened the drawstring then slid the bottoms down enough in back to display the red circle. Dumbledore was watching him, and he wished heartily that he were fighting death eaters, as it had to be easier than this. When the mark was revealed, Dumbledore stepped forward. He did not touch it but looked at it closely and then straightened, muttering to himself, "I am needed in too many places tonight."

"Sir?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore seemed to have made up his mind to something, "Harry... you will have to do this. There is no other way." Dumbledore sighed heavily, "This is the mark of a powerful, dark, and very old curse. It is almost certainly the Mark of Domination. Someone is trying to control Ginny. I wish I had known sooner, but that was not possible. You must perform the counter curse. It cannot simply be done one time to remove the effects of the spell. You must perform the counter curse every hour for the next twelve hours. If this cycle is broken, we would have to begin over again, and it is important that we remove the influence of the curse from her as soon as possible. Once you begin, Harry, no other wizard can continue for you. You will be, in essence, taking on the curse yourself, a bit at a time. Since you were not the one cursed, you will not suffer the consequences of it. However, it can be very draining." Dumbledore looked hard at Harry. "Are you prepared to fight Ginny's curse?"

"Of, course," said Harry quickly, "Just tell me..."

Dumbledore did not wait for him to finish, "Take your wand, touch the center of the circle on her back and say Non Stigma Servitium," Harry listened carefully, repeating the incantation for the counter curse. "Then you must place your palm tightly over the mark. You will feel a sensation running up your arm. Do not pull your hand away until it stops." Harry leaned over the bed with his wand out, but Dumbledore grabbed his wrist to stop him, "She may need to be held down Harry, she will probably scream and she will fight you. This is a strong curse."

"She's really weak, sir," said Harry edgily, "I don't think she has much fight in her just now."

Dumbledore looked at him as though in sympathy, "Very well, Harry, proceed."

For the hundredth time that night, he murmured, "I'm sorry Ginny." Then he recited the incantation with his wand tip touching the mark, and placed his other hand against it. An odd feeling writhed and twisted up his arm. It felt as though ice-cold tendrils were snaking through his muscles and choking off his veins. It produced a dull ache. The feeling lasted a few moments and then stopped. As Harry suspected, Ginny was too weak to fight very hard. She gasped and tried to cry out but only a raspy moan came forth. When the strange sensation stopped, Harry took his arm away, turning it to inspect it.

"That's very good Harry. You must do the same thing each hour for the next twelve. You can not miss an hour if we are to lift her curse completely."

Harry nodded.

"I will try to call you using the mirror in an hour. Do not call me or any of the other Order members, as it is still too dangerous. I will explain everything when I return." Dumbledore moved to the door. "Oh, and Harry, do not let Ginny out of your sight. She can be controlled while under this curse as Percy was."

Harry looked up suddenly, "What do you mean, like Percy was?"

"Not now... when I return...just do not let her out of your sight." Dumbledore turned and hurried down the stairs and out the door, leaving Harry with more questions than answers.

Harry did not leave Ginny's side for the rest of the night. He tried to think what he would do if Ginny went mad as Percy had done. He just hoped that Dumbledore would return to tell him she was all right. He tried to block out the image that kept creeping into his head of what had happened to her; what had been done to her. Each hour, Harry performed the incantation, taking the curse away, a bit at a time. Ginny fought him each time, but as the night went on, it was less and less. Each hour he administered the purple potion.

The shocking thing was the way she would suddenly sit up, screaming. Sometimes her eyes would open and she would stare around wildly. She never seemed to know where she was or who he was. Harry held her hand, and sometimes rubbed her back to calm her down.

In the early hours of the morning, well before sunrise, Ginny sat up in bed with wild eyes, she was screaming, "I won't tell you...Noooooo!!!!! I won't....you can't make me..."

"Ginny," he said quietly, "it's all right, it's all right now." Harry stood up and tried to get her to lie back down. Then he sank back into his chair. After a few minutes, Harry touched her hand. It was abnormally warm. He felt her forehead and realized it felt very hot, but she was beginning to shake again and her skin felt clammy. Bloody Hell, thought Harry, what do I do for this? He stood and paced toward the door and back again trying to think what to do. Then he summoned more blankets, and piled them on. He realized she might not have had water for a while; her lips looked dry. He waved his wand summoning a pitcher of water and a glass. He tried to tip a small amount of water into her mouth, she swallowed a bit of it, and then she began to mumble again. Harry felt her forehead again. She was really hot now. He got a washcloth and wet it with cool water, then placed it on her forehead. He looked over at the mirror and nearly picked it up. Instead, he sunk back into his chair and nervously watched his patient.

Dumbledore did not call as the slow hours marched by, until as the sky began to lighten to a pink haze, he came through the front door once again, looking tired and rumpled. Mac, Fred and George followed him into the cottage. Harry came down the stairs when he heard them all enter. Dumbledore looked up at him, "How is she?" he asked without any other greeting.

"Better, I think...I don't know," Harry admitted. Dumbledore climbed the stairs followed by the others. He surveyed Ginny for a moment, taking Harry's chair and moving close to the bed. He removed the cold cloth from her forehead, and handed it to Harry with a small encouraging smile, before placing a hand there. He sat like this for a long moment and then turned to them, looking at Harry and then past him to Mac, Fred and George. "Dobby has been helping the Order this night and is not here to make breakfast. I would dearly love some hot tea and perhaps some toast. Could you three see what you could do?" he asked looking at Mac and the twins.

"How is she, Dumbledore," asked Fred seriously.

"I will know more in a few minutes and then I will give you a full report," said Dumbledore, with a tired edge to his voice. "It appears that Harry has done a fine job minding her."

Fred and George smiled at Harry appreciatively while Mac clapped him on the back. Then Mac steered the twins down the stairs toward the kitchen.

"I would see the mark, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly.

Harry pulled back the covers and rolled Ginny carefully on to her side for about the eighth time that long night. He slid the pajamas out of the way once more, and showed Dumbledore the mark, which was now very dull and faded.

Dumbledore peered at the spot. "You have done well Harry. I'm sorry that you had to manage this all on your own. I am sorry that I could not send you other help, such as a qualified healer or even her mother." Harry's mouth opened to say something, but Dumbledore went on. "Harry, you did a remarkable job. You handled an emergency competently and efficiently. I'm sure that Ms. Weasley will be grateful for everything you have done for her tonight."

"I'd rather some one could have been here who knew what to do. What if she had gotten sicker...or...I don't know...," said Harry testily.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "I'm sure you understand Harry that there were few options tonight. Voldemort is organizing his war machine. We were lucky to find Ginny and to flush out a death eater stronghold. It will set them back."

Dumbledore looked at Harry patiently, "As far as Ginny goes, you did very well, finding the mark before who ever placed it there could try to control her. She must be watched very closely and may not come around for the next few days, but I believe she will recover.

Harry sighed, "It was Lucius Malfoy."

"What do you mean, Harry," asked Dumbledore.

"I had one of my visions two nights ago. I saw Lucius Malfoy torturing someone. I couldn't see who it was, but now I know. It was Ginny. If I had said something to you...or to someone..."

Dumbledore interrupted him. "Harry," he said sternly, "I will not have you blame yourself for every injury; every evil action by Voldemort. You cannot control what he does. You cannot blame yourself for the fact that he still lives, because frankly, you could not succeed in killing him yet, as far as I know. You need time to prepare. Focus on that. Do not wallow in self-pity because another innocent was hurt."

Harry turned to the window, wishing somehow that this were all a bad dream.

When the tea was ready, Dumbledore gathered MacNessa, the twins and Harry all in Harry's room and explained the situation to them. He told Harry, who did not know the story, how Ginny had been taken from The Burrow and how Mrs. Weasley had been hit by a stunner to the head as she fought their attackers. She was still in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, very confused, but recovering. The Order had put all its members on alert and had tracked Ginny down to a warehouse in Knockturn Alley. The Ministry aurors were called out and the battle began.

Harry was still angry that they had not told him about Ginny being taken and Mrs. Weasley being stunned. "If you had told me, I might have known the meaning of the vision, not just thought it was the fire whiskey," he complained.

"And then you'd have jumped on your broom and gone off looking for her, mate," said George.

"We couldn't let you, Harry," said Fred. "Anyway, we didn't even know where to look."

Dumbledore continued his story, telling Harry about the battle with the death eaters. They had dementors with them and the spell damage done to Knockturn Alley was tremendous. The battle had raged for several hours. All the Ministry aurors and hit wizards had come in to help, along with members of the Order. Many wounded individuals had been sent St. Mungo's, but Dumbledore had sent as many as possible to Madam Pomfrey where they would be safe. The Order had quietly organized twenty-four hour vigils at the bedsides of those sent to St. Mungo's. They knew what the Ministry did not; that St. Mungo's was a death eater strong hold too. They would need as many healthy aurors in the coming months as the Ministry had and could not risk any accidents in the middle of the night. Dumbledore told them he had chosen not to tell the Ministry about St. Mungo's because it was difficult to know whose side Bagman and his administration were on. Knockturn Alley was one thing, but St.Mungo's was something all together different.

Dumbledore explained he had managed to get Ginny out without anyone seeing, owing to the general confusion, and the help of Dobby and several of his house elf recruits who used their considerable magic to cover the rescue. He was immediately suspicious from her condition that a curse, other than the Cruciatus curse had been leveled against her. The Mark of Domination had not been seen in over eighty years according to Dumbledore. He now believed that Percy had been marked in the same way, and that the mark was what had caused him the attack Ron last winter.

"But," asked Harry who well remembered the attack by Percy in the middle of the night, "wouldn't Madam Pomfrey have found it?"

"It could have been concealed, under his hair, as an example," said Dumbledore.

"So Percy was still being controlled by someone while he was in Hogwarts?" asked Fred.

"I believe so," said Dumbledore. "He nearly left the grounds one night and then got into Gryffindor tower on his own. I could not understand how he was able to do so, given his condition and unfortunately, I attributed it to madness. I never suspected this particular curse."

"In any event," said Dumbledore in a tired voice, "we must make the best of the situation. Ginny cannot leave here, and the Weasley's must pretend that she is still missing, for the time being. It will confuse Voldemort's forces for a while and it will be safer that way."

Mac volunteered to take guard duty to give the twins time for a nap. Dumbledore left, saying he would return later in the day. Soon the house was silent again.

Harry refused to leave Ginny's side. Fred or George brought him plates of food that he barely touched. Harry moved like a zombie from hour to hour until the twelve hours of counter-curses were over. After the final time, the circle was completely gone. Still Ginny did not come out of her semi-conscious state. The mark had completely disappeared, but Dumbledore told Harry that they needed to check it for the next few days to make sure it did not come back. Ginny slept most of the time and still was not coherent, but Dumbledore seemed to feel that she would soon wake, recovered.

On the second night, Ginny sat up screaming with her eyes full of fear. Harry had been sleeping on a camp cot at the foot of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, and he leapt up, disoriented. Ginny was unable to breath, and was looking around in terror. Harry tried to calm her but she seemed to be locked in a terrible nightmare. He sat on the edge of the bed and held her, talking to her until she calmed down somewhat. She quieted just as Fred and George burst in.

Harry put a finger to his lips and they stood tensely for a moment as she finally relaxed back into a restless sleep.

"Do you need us to take a shift, Harry?" asked Fred, "because we will, you know."

"I'm fine," he said, "really I'm ok."

After the twins left the room, Harry was asleep in minutes, sitting with his back against the headboard, with Ginny's head in his lap.

On the morning of the third day, Ginny opened her eyes and for the first time seemed lucid. She blinked in the light filling the sunny room and tried to speak. Her voice was hoarse and Harry helped her drink a bit of water. "Where am I?" she asked dully, holding her head.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said. Ginny seemed to be processing this information. She put her hand over her eyes and Harry quickly waved his wand, closing the curtains.

"How did I get away?" she asked. "Lucius Malfoy...he..." Ginny licked her dry lips and Harry helped her drink some more water.

"Dumbledore brought you here. The Order found you in an old warehouse building in Knockturn Alley. There was a huge battle," Harry explained slowly.

"I didn't tell him Harry," she breathed. "I mean I don't think I told him."

"Told him what?" asked Harry softly, smoothing the hair off her face.

"The prophecy...the prophecy... He wanted it, Voldemort," she was becoming agitated. Harry tried to quiet her, telling her to relax and not strain herself, but Ginny was determined to tell him this. "Malfoy...Lucius Malfoy was supposed to get it, but not kill me. Voldemort wanted me sent back alive to tell you all that he had the prophecy too. But I didn't tell...at least I don't think I told them."

"I don't care about the damned prophecy. You should have told and not let them do this to you," said Harry, gritting his teeth.

She smiled weakly, "And be less brave than you have been? No...no..." She sunk back on her pillow and she drifted back into sleep.

Later she woke again and this time wanted to sit up and to go to the loo. Harry helped her slide her legs to the floor, and try to stand. She could barely support her weight, so he helped her down the hall and waited outside the door until she had finished. "Harry," he heard her gasp weakly after a few minutes. Harry opened the door cautiously, and saw her sliding down the wall to the floor. He picked her up and carried her back to bed. She smiled up at him and held on to his wrist. "Thank you," she said faintly.

That evening, she had revived a bit more, and was able to sit propped up in bed. Fred and George came and talked to her, telling her little jokes and cutting up, but keeping the subject of the attack untouched. Ginny smiled weakly at them and soon drifted back to sleep.

Dumbledore came to question her after dark. She was still tired and groggy, making Harry reluctant to let her be interrogated. He even asked Dumbledore if it could wait for a day or two. He was taking his role as healer seriously and his role as Ginny's protector even more seriously. Dumbledore told him that it was important hear her story as soon as possible.

Dumbledore sat heavily in the chair near her bed. Ginny was again awake. "Ginny, I am sorry to make you re-live the nightmare of your captivity, but I must know a few things. Can you help me?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

Ginny nodded to him. "Tell me first, what you can remember about being taken."

Ginny told how she had been awakened in the night by a noise, and saw black shapes were standing around her bed. At first, she thought it a dream, then there was a single jet of red light and before she could react, everything went black again. She knew nothing until she woke on the rough stone floor. Her leg was manacled to a ring set in the floor with a heavy chain. She was cold and there were harsh laughing voices at the edge of the room.

Then Lucius Malfoy had come in. He removed his mask and sent the others out. He stood with his wand out and just looked at her. Ginny did not speak to him. Then there was a rustle and murmurs from outside and Voldemort himself had entered. She described his cold red eyes and flat face, like a snake's.

Voldemort and Malfoy talked, as though she wasn't there. Voldemort wanted information about the prophecy and then to send her back to Dumbledore to tell him that she had been forced to give it. Malfoy was not to kill her. Malfoy said there were ways to loosen her tongue and he'd enjoy the challenge. Then Voldemort approached her.

"Girl, tell me the prophecy that binds the Potter boy and me and I will let you go unscathed," Ginny reported. She had refused him. Harry shivered as he squeezed her hand.

Once Voldemort had left the room, Lucius had tried to make a deal with her. He told her that perhaps they could reach an understanding and avoid a lot of pain. As she had refused him, the pain had come quickly. She couldn't remember how many times that day he had hit her with the Cruciatus curse. Then after a time, he tried the Imperious curse, but she was able to resist it somehow.

He hit her with other curses in the dark filthy room, where she rolled in agony on the cold stone floor. Her necklace was torn from her neck by one of the death eaters and tossed into a corner. She retrieved it when they weren't watching, and held onto it. Finally, in apparent frustration, Malfoy had made Wormtail hold her down and he touched her back with his wand, leveling a curse at her that she did not recognize. Her head immediately went foggy and she lapsed into a dream like state. Whispers filled her head, insistent and repetitive. She wanted to make them stop but they went on and on. She couldn't move or talk. Rough hands grabbed her and pulled her into a sitting position, she thought they spoke to her but she couldn't hear anything but the voices in her head. How long she was like this she didn't know. She thought she had gone mad and then she was here, in this house.

Dumbledore thanked her as she yawned and slipped down on to her pillows, closing her eyes. Harry tucked the blankets around her. Out in the hallway Dumbledore put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, she must be watched closely over the next few days. There may be some residual effect from the curse that marked her. She must not be seen in public, or exposed to the possibility of being captured again. The proper thing to do would be to put Ginny in your aunt's room, but your aunt stubbornly refused and I want Petunia here at least until your birthday."

"She can keep my room, sir," said Harry, quickly. "I can kip on the sofa in the parlor once it's safe to leave her alone."

Dumbledore rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "War makes for strange situations, indeed," he sighed. "On another note, we cannot know if Ginny gave the prophecy or not. She will not be able to remember. We will have to go under the assumption that Voldemort knows it."

"I wish she would have told them straightaway and been allowed to go free," said Harry bitterly.

"You ought to know by now that even if she had, they would still have tortured her. It is what they do. They would not be able to resist it."

"If I ever see Lucius Malfoy again, I'll kill him," said Harry.

Dumbledore sighed. "Ginny's torture will be all in vain if you are killed in a duel with Lucius Malfoy. I must ask that you do not go looking for him. I want your solemn promise."

Harry did not know if he could make such a promise. He did not even want to make such a promise. Dumbledore seemed to know what he was thinking. "Harry, although I know you are very angry, the most important thing is keeping you safe until you have to face Voldemort. I'm sure Ms. Weasley would tell you the same thing.

Harry looked angrily at Dumbledore, but said he would not go looking for Malfoy. In the back of his mind he decided he would make Lucius Malfoy pay. He would pay for doing this to her.

Fred came in shortly after Dumbledore left. "Harry, you're doing a great job. We really appreciate it. I'm seeing dad tonight. He's nearly out of his mind, what with worrying over mum and Ginny. He's blaming himself for being on duty when they were attacked."

"Fred...does Ron know...because I haven't gotten a letter from him lately," asked Harry.

"Actually," began Fred, "He doesn't know." Fred looked around and lowered his voice. "He and Hermione are under guard. They don't know they are being followed. Tonks is doing it. She's using disguises."

"Shouldn't he know what's happened?' asked Harry irritably.

"Listen Harry," said Fred, "We want him and Hermione as far from Britain as possible. It's safer that way. If Voldemort thought Ginny could give him the prophecy, he must think Hermione or Ron could do so too. It's just safer this way. So don't you go telling him what's happened."

"By the way, Harry," said Fred, "you're doing a brilliant job with Ginny. I'm hopeless with sick people. And with your aunt helping out that first night and all, George and I have decided to let her alone as you asked." Fred patted Harry's arm and left the room.

Harry nodded to no one. Fred was already down at the door. Fred, George and Mac still believed that Petunia Dursley had nursed Ginny that first night. Harry sighed. Let them think it if they liked, he would not say anything. Aunt Petunia would be gone from his life soon and good riddance. That was the best plan.

The next day Ginny awoke much improved. She began to notice her surroundings. "So, this is your house," she asked.

"Yes," Harry said smiling.

"What am I wearing," she asked looking at the sleeve covering her arm.

"Pajamas," said Harry busying himself straightening the table, "my pajamas."

"Nice color," she said.

Ginny claimed to be starving, and it was no wonder. She hadn't eaten in five days by Harry's reckoning, having only water and some juice. Ginny ate some lunch brought in by a beaming Dobby, who magiced anything she asked for including strawberry ice cream.

When Ginny decided she wanted to get out of bed, she realized that she had none of her clothes here. Harry rummaged through his bureau drawers and found a pair of shorts and a shirt for her to put on. He also passed her a belt as the shorts were bound to be too large for her. While Harry waited in the hall, Ginny donned the shirt and shorts that hung down to her knees. She had to roll the sleeves of his shirt up several times. When she had dressed, she wanted to come downstairs, and see the rest of the house. "I'm a bit dizzy," she said as she looked down the staircase. Harry helped her down to the parlor and left her there with George.

Mac had insisted they get back to dueling practice now that Ginny was out of danger, so Harry went to the front garden where Mac and Fred were waiting for him. The practice did him good. He felt sore and bruised when they had finished, but the exercise was welcome after so many days and nights sitting tensely next to Ginny's bed or sleeping rolled in a blanket on a camp cot.

As he practiced, he saw George walking Ginny outside into the flower garden. Some sun would do her good he thought, and he was nearly disarmed by Fred as his concentration wavered. Mac threw him a severe look and he made himself focus on the duel.

Dumbledore was perched on a bench outside the house and beckoned to Harry just as Mac and Harry decided to quit for the day. "We will resume our practice tomorrow, Harry," he said. "And, tomorrow, I hope you can keep your mind on the duel."

"Yes sir," Harry said. He took up a towel and blotted the sweat off his face. Dumbledore beckoned to him and he crossed to the bench.

"I had a brief talk with Ginny," Dumbledore began. "She has had a very rough time of it. I explained about the mark and my suspicions about Percy. She knows she must stay here and cannot go home at this time." Dumbledore rose and took a step toward the gate, then turned back to Harry. "She is asking questions about her condition when she arrived here. She remembered having cuts and so forth, which are now healed. I told her that you could fill in the blanks." Dumbledore's eyes flicked up toward the side garden, just visible over the rose bushes. "I recommend the truth." He turned and strode to the gate.

Harry stood on the pathway thinking. He had done what had to be done to save her life that night. War made for strange situations. In normal times, he guessed he and Ginny would have dated like a normal couple. Their biggest worry would have been about escaping Filch when they were out of bounds too late. Here they were, trying to escape death eaters who wanted them dead, or worse, and they had to count themselves lucky if they escaped in one piece.

Harry walked out into the garden. Ginny was lying in the hammock Fred had hung between two great shade trees. George had brought a blanket out for her, but the air was still warm from the afternoon sun. She motioned him over. "Hi Harry, how was your lesson?" she said as he approached. Her voice was edged with something like weariness.

Harry smiled at her then walked around behind the tree and clambered into the hammock being as careful as he could not to flip it over. He settled slowly down next to her, his chest against her back. Ginny said nothing, and Harry laid his arm over her waist.

The evening was coming on. As the sky turned dusky blue, fireflies appeared, hovering and flitting over the rose bushes. Fred came out of the cottage and took up his guard position across the garden in the wooden lawn chair. He aimed his wand at the fire and flames sprang to life, lifting sparks into the evening air.

"Harry, I had a talk with George today," Ginny began, not looking at him. "I asked him to tell me about the night Dumbledore brought me here. I don't remember much of anything past when Malfoy cursed me. It's all disjointed and jumbled after that. George told me how Dumbledore brought me in wrapped in an old dirty blanket, and how I was all cut up and bruised. He said Fred and he went with Dumbledore, and Mac was sent out on guard duty. He told me how your Aunt Petunia was the one who got me cleaned up and tended me that night. I thought that was quite kind of your aunt so I went to talk to her...to thank her."

Harry winced. He knew what was coming. "She told me to hold my thanks. That when she saw me being brought in that she did not intend to touch anyone so vile and filthy. She said I was poisoned to boot. She said she went to her room and locked the door."

Without looking at him she continued, "Fred, George and Mac all believe your aunt took care of me that night but it wasn't her. That means it must have been you."

Harry spoke quietly into the night, explaining Dumbledore's orders, and how Aunt Petunia refused to help him. He told her what he had done, glossing over some of the details. He told how he had found the mark and how Dumbledore had helped him wage the twelve-hour fight to break the curse.

"Fred says I was a mess, and he thought I might die."

"You were in a bad way."

"I remember only bits," said Ginny quietly.

"Look Ginny, I'm sorry there wasn't anyone else to take care of you that night, but Dumbledore said we couldn't bring in anyone else or take you anywhere else. So I just did what he told me had to be done." His voice tailed off, at a loss as to what to say to her.

She rolled over and faced him. She was shivering slightly. Harry pulled the blanket from under the hammock pillow and spread it over her. He looked across at Fred who was sitting near the front gate, reading by the light of his wand. "Harry, thanks for what you did. The curse could have been really bad according to Dumbledore, and you removed it. I guess I should be sort of embarrassed about ...everything you had to do, but...I'm just grateful for what you did for me."

Harry looked at her doubtfully, "Ginny, I was scared, really. I mean I didn't know what I was doing. At one point, I wrapped a quilt around you and I just sat there holding you. I was so afraid you might die."

The night air was full of the sounds of chirping crickets. The fire was burning lower now and light filtered out through the cottage windows. Harry and Ginny continued to sway slowly in the old hammock. Ginny smiled at him and he moved his face down to hers. Their lips touched, and Harry pulled her close against him.

"When I was screaming because of the mark, George said you were able to calm me down. What did you do?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

Harry reached under the back of her shirt. He put his hand against her back, now so familiar to him. He began to rub her back slowly. "This seemed to help." He could feel her body relax against him.

"I can see how it would," she said.