Menace

Chapter Eight

Harry was spread-eagled on his double bed, his wrists and ankles secured with a charm to the bedposts, and he appeared to be unconscious. She crept slowly into the room and stared wide-eyed at the tempting picture he made. His clothes had been removed, apart from his boxers, and they had been decorated with real flowers and few other absurd charms, something that the boys were obviously responsible for.

"Merlin, what have you done?" Neville asked, grinning broadly as he looked down at his friend.

"We were just making him pretty," Dennis said, then broke into hysterical giggles again as he studied Harry's prone body. "Don't you like the flowers?"

"They're very nice," Neville agreed, shaking his head. "So, what did you want Ginny for?"

"Well, we're not very good with make-up, and Hermione lent us all this," he said, pointing to the cosmetics littering the bedside table. "We thought Ginny could pretty him up some more, seeing as she's a girl and everything."

Ginny found her tongue and dragged her eyes away from Harry's long muscular body. "Pretty him up?"

"Yeah, make him look like a woman....you know, braid his hair, do his eyes and lips. He'll look so beautiful when he wakes up," Colin said, grinning wickedly as he stared down at his hapless victim.

"I can't do that!" Ginny said in a hushed voice, worrying about Harry waking up and seeing her here. He'd blame her for everything as usual. "Harry'll kill me if he finds out...."

"He's drunk as a skunk, he won't wake up and we won't let him know you were here," Connor said, putting his arm around her shoulders and grinning down at her imploringly. "Please? We can't do it, we already tried and we had to scorgify it off again. We want him to look really pretty. Say yes?"

Ginny stared down at Harry and then looked at how securely he was tied up. Even if he did wake up he wouldn't be able to get at her, she thought, and then she smiled. This would be an excellent payback for the cake.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Dennis let out a whoop and then shushed himself, giggling again and covering his mouth with his hands. Colin almost bounced around before he grabbed some make-up and thrust it in her hands, nodding towards Harry to make her get on with it. Neville rolled his eyes and left the room, promising to return a few minutes later.

Ginny smiled and wondered if she was suicidal, but she took the make up?things and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed. She brushed his hair out of his face and swallowed hard at his soft, relaxed expression. He didn't look angry or threatening at all at this moment, and she almost lost the courage to do this. It was only a practical joke, she told herself, and surely Harry had a good sense of humour? Okay, it was buried under several thick layers of bad temper, but it was there. Besides, the boys said he wouldn't find out it was me, so that's okay, she decided and lifted the eye shadow wand, brushing a nice glittery blue shadow over his eyelids.

She wasn't quite sure how to go about it, but she thought of how those muggle drag queens over exaggerated everything and she did the same. She blended the shadow in perfectly and drew in his eyebrows, arching them higher and lengthening them. The mascara proved a little more difficult as his eyes were closed, but the blush and lipstick were easy enough, and she leaned back to survey her handiwork, stifling a giggle at the sight of this large and commanding hero wearing all that muck on his face. He didn't look remotely feminine, especially not with the goatee and moustache he'd decided to grow and his fringe dragging across his forehead, and covering his scar. That was something she could change a little, and she searched for two bands, parting his hair in the middle and then pulling it equally into two bunches either side of his head. The end result made him look like a rather large hairy schoolgirl who couldn't put make up on, and she couldn't help laughing out loud as she stood up. Dennis motioned her to one side at that point and began to decorate Harry's body with a temporary tattooing charm, setting to work on the large, vulnerable body. When he had finished Harry was decorated with a bikini top, the colours and floral painted pattern matching the flowers on his shorts. It was incredibly artistic, Ginny thought, biting her lip to stop from laughing too loudly.

It was at that moment that Neville walked back into the room with Ron and the twins in tow, and all four men almost collapsed with mirth when they spotted what she had done to Harry. Dennis and Connor leaned against each other as tears streamed down their faces and Colin produced a camera and started snapping pictures, giggling the whole time. Seamus Finnegan came rushing in and stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.

"Merlin, I knew you said..." Ron stammered and then started laughing so hard he had to sit in a chair.

"But we didn't think you meant..." The twins crooned in unison.

Ginny was the only one who noticed the dark man's eyelids start to flicker at the repeated flashing from the camera and she opened her mouth to warn them, but it was too late, his eyes shot open and he looked uncomprehendingly at the group of people surrounding him, a frown creasing his brow.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice amazingly clear and unslurred for someone who was supposed to be drunk as a skunk, as Connor had put it.

"Oops," Dennis said, his giggles stopping with some effort. "I don't think we gave him enough, Colin."

"Enough what?" George asked immediately, his eyes narrowing on the younger man with menace.

"Er...oooh, nothing, really," Colin said, backing slowly towards the door.

"You slipped him something, didn't you?" Ron asked, straightening up to his full height and glaring at all of them, including Seamus, who nervously rushed over and stood by the others.

"It won't hurt him," Dennis protested, biting his lip. "I think we miscalculated how much though, maybe it's because he's so big...hey!" he yelped when Ron grabbed his shoulder hard and spun him around.

"What the hell did you give him?" Fred inquired.

"Just...just some sleeping potion is all, and he's woken up now so he's okay and...Colin!" he yelled, looking for support from his brother as the bigger men started ganging up on him. He managed to wrench himself out of Ron's hold and then he ran out of the room, Colin, Seamus and Connor following closely, the sound of their footsteps thundering along the landing as they made for the stairs and safety. Ron, Neville, and the twins all looked at each other and nodded, running out of the room and giving chase, determined that the four men would get their just desserts.

Only Ginny was left standing in the room, and she was frozen in place as Harry glared at her accusingly, then looked down at himself and growled deeply.

"What the hell have you done to me?" he asked, finding out he was tied down and testing his bonds to see if he could get free. "Untie me, dammit!"

Ginny jumped as he raised his voice and stood undecided as to what to do. If she untied him he'd grab her, and sure as hell he'd try and punish her for what he now thought was all her fault. If she didn't untie him then he'd eventually get free by someone else's hand and he'd search her out and punish her. Okay, she thought, the outcome was the same, so why buy trouble and release him any sooner than need be?

"Don't just stand there! Untie me, or I swear to Zeus you'll wish you had!" he snapped, wriggling about as he tried to get out of his predicament. At her continued reluctance to do as she was told, he snarled. "Last chance, Ginny, if you don't do it someone will, and I will come looking for you."

"If I untie you," she said, her voice slightly croaky, "you have to promise not to...to do anything...listen, I didn't do this," she added, swallowing her nerves. Why was it that she could take on a ruthless man like Edwin Blackweed and come out the victor, but Harry Potter scared the daylights out of her?

"Yeah right, you didn't do this," he said, snorting his disbelief. "Untie me!" he bellowed.

Ginny stared at him and realised she was in deep trouble whatever she did, so she decided to partially untie him so she could escape. She stretch her wand and released the spell on one of his wrists with some difficulty. He immediately grabbed at her arm, but she avoided him by jumping back. The instant she did so he reached for the wand tucked under his pillow and started freeing his other wrist, glaring at her every now and then as he did so. He saw the way she shifted for escape.

"Don't you damn well go anywhere!"

She didn't listen to him, instead running out of the room and dashing down the stairs so she could hide. If she went home he would only run along and find her there, so she was better off staying at Ron's house. All she had to do was find somewhere to either hide or someone to hide behind.

When she got outside she found Ron, George, and Neville holding Colin, Dennis and Connor, smiling at them as Fred threatened all sorts of horrible things. Neville looked over at her pale face as he caught sight of her and he raised his eyebrows.

"Don't tell me you set him free?"

"Only one arm, but now he's working on the others...and he thinks it's all my fault!" she said, looking at the other three with accusation. "You have to tell him the truth!"

All three men shook their heads. "He'll kill us!" Dennis said, widening his eyes theatrically.

"He'll kill me!" she said, her voice high pitched as she tried to get them to do the right thing.

"Damn right he will!" a low growl came from behind her and she swung around to find Harry standing glaring down at her, having gotten out of the bonds and down the stairs faster than she had anticipated. He went to reach for her and then drew back abruptly as laughter erupted around him, and he turned to look at people, trying to figure out what was so funny - apart from the bikini and shorts. Ginny had trouble keeping a smile off her face, too, even through the anxiety snaking its way up her spine. She stood rooted to the spot as someone handed him a small mirror and he looked at his reflection with stunned disbelief.

"Who the bleeding hell did this?" he bellowed, his eyes instantly narrowing and fixing on her guilty face. "You think this is funny?" he asked her, his voice deadly and quiet, making the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

When she didn't answer quick enough for his liking he went to grab her again and she finally got the wherewithal to move, spinning around and running as fast as she could away from him and back towards her house. She might not be safe there, or anywhere else, but she would feel better briefly.

Of course she was no match for his long legs and he caught her easily, plucking her from the ground and planting her over his shoulder as he turned and walked back towards Ron's house, taking his time. Why not? she thought with a shiver, no one would stop him and he could do whatever he wanted with her. Her face went blood red as he walked back through the party, the laughter this time directed as much at her as him, and she was almost relieved when they reached the sanctuary of the house. That feeling disappeared fast enough though, as he started up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached his room. Seconds later she found herself bouncing down onto his bed, her hair tumbling around her as she fell. He didn't give her enough time to collect her scattered wits about her, coming down on top of her and pinning her arms above her head.

"Now then, you little pest, want to tell me how funny this all is, huh?"

She shook her head quickly and kept her mouth closed, wondering what he was going to do and if she could talk him out of it. Highly doubtful, she decided.

He stared down at her and narrowed his eyes until they were slits, his over painted eyebrows drawn down over them fiercely. "You like make-up, hmm? You like lipstick? Perhaps you'd like to share it!"

He swooped down and covered her mouth with his, using all his vast expertise to pry her lips open and ravage her mouth, kissing her more roughly and more thoroughly than he had yet done, and she didn't have a hope of resisting him. It had been impossible to retain any control when he was kissing her softly and seductively, but this all out passion was even worse and she fell under his spell instantly. Her mouth opened wider to his invasion and he groaned, thrusting his tongue rhythmically inside the warm recesses and drinking in her taste and smell, everything about her tantalising his senses. He hadn't meant to enjoy this, he hadn't meant for her to enjoy it, but whenever he touched her he lost his mind and all he could do was try and fulfil the desire that controlled him. His body hardened painfully against her and he ground his hips into her, using one long leg to ease hers apart so he could lay in the cradle of her thighs, making intimate contact with her. A groan worked it's way out of his throat and he kissed her with even more abandon, his eyes screwed tightly closed as he tried to get closer to her still.

Ginny whimpered as she felt him pressing against her softness, amazed at the feeling and appalled at the same time. She knew she shouldn't be letting him do this to her again, but her mind wasn't in control anymore. Her hips lifted helplessly as he moved against her body, prolonging the contact, her whole body starting to tingle where his was moving sensually on her. He was so much bigger than her and so muscular and his body so hard, she couldn't even begin to try and stop him, she wanted everything and anything he could do to her. Despite what had happened before, despite his duplicate rejections, her mind gave itself up to sensation, and she didn't even worry about where this could ultimately lead.

His lips left hers reluctantly, only to travel over her jaw and down under her chin, pressing small kisses into her soft skin as he worked his way around her neck, nuzzling the curve where it joined her shoulder and then biting gently, making her tense and shudder. His tongue came out and licked around to her pulse point while his fingers ran down her arm and tugged impatiently at the neckline of her top, drawing the soft material relentlessly downwards so he could kiss and suck his way down the slope of her breast. He would have bared her completely to his eyes and mouth had someone not knocked on the door at that moment. The sound jerked him out of his daze and he looked down at Ginny, faintly horrified at what he had been about to do. Again. He had sworn he would never try and strip her after the last time, but his mind had shut down and his body taken over.

"Harry? Are you in there?" George called out, hammering on the door again.

"Harry?!" it was Fred this time.

"Yes, goddammit!" he yelled, pulling himself off the bed and tugging Ginny's neckline back up as he went. "No need to break the damn door down!"

The door flew open before he could get to it and the twins walked into the room, taking in the scene in front of them with identically pursed lips and a twinkle in their eye.

"Hmm, seems to me that every time we make sure you're not killing her, you have something else in mind entirely!" George said.

Ginny was slowly regaining her senses and she blinked as she sat up, staring blearily at her brothers and Harry, her face colouring prettily as she saw the way Harry was staring at her. He went to run a hand through his hair and then cursed as he encountered the tiny pigtails Ginny had given him.

"Goddamn eye shadow, lipstick..." he muttered as he undid the braids.

"Talking of lipstick," George said, eyeing Ginny, then Harry, then grinning widely at his brother.

"You seem to have lost most of yours." Fred said with a smirk.

Harry walked over to the mirror and stared at himself, laughing helplessly as he saw his reflection. The bright red lipstick that had covered his mouth was spread across his face and when he turned to look at Ginny, he found he had put it all over her. It showed exactly where he had been kissing her.

When neither of them spoke, Fred cleared his throat. "Perhaps Ginny should come along and get herself cleaned up," he offered.

"We can't have you going back to the party looking like that," George added, arching an eyebrow at her when she nodded quickly.

"What about me? I think I deserve an explanation at the very least!" Harry said, still aroused and still angry.

"Harry, I think maybe what you really need is a shower," Fred said, his eyes sparkling with humour as he glanced down briefly and then back up.

"A cold one, at that." George finished and gently took Ginny's arm and they left the room with her, chuckling at Harry's stunned face.

As soon as the door closed Harry looked down and realised that, with only the thin boxers to cover himself, he was quite obviously turned on. He swore savagely and stomped into his bathroom, swearing again at reflection and then turning on the shower. When he had finished, he promised himself, he would find out exactly how he had come to be in this ridiculous situation in the first place. And woes betide anyone who was involved.

Harry finally emerged from the shower and made his way downstairs, where he was met by the twins. Fred held a butterbeer out to him and grinned.

"Took your time."

"Difficult to get Ginny out of your head, mate?" George asked.

Harry gave them a killing glare and snatched the butterbeer off of Fred, drinking down half the bottle before he spoke. "The only thing I had a problem with was getting those damned charms off my body."

"Mmm-hmm," they said in unison, crossing their arms over their chest simultaneously.

"Don't you two start on me, I'm not in the mood," Harry growled, looking at their mischievous expressions.

"Us?" one said.

"Start?" the other

"Why, we don't know what you mean, Potter."

"Why would we start on you?" one of the twins asked, grinning again and raising his eyebrows. Harry had by now lost track of which was whom.

Harry stared at them silently, knowing from previous experience that he wasn't going to win an argument against these men, so he changed tack.

"Where's Ginny?"

"Now why would you want to know that?" Fred, he decided, asked him, cocking his head to one side as he took a sip from his own butterbeer.

"Because I need to talk to her," Harry explained vaguely.

"Talk at her, more like," the other, George, put in.

"And you know we're not going to tell you where she is," in unison again.

"Not if it means you're going to go find her and tell her off." - Fred.

"As far as we can see," by now Harry was feeling so dizzy he was about to lose his lunch. He rolled his eyes, as a hysterical bubble burst it's way from his throat at the display the twins could put on. Normally it was quite intriguing, but at the moment? Not in the least.

"She hasn't done anything to warrant having your ugly arse." - George.

"Come down on her," Fred finished, still smiling amiably.

"Hasn't done anything? You did see me before I showered right? You did see the ridiculous get-up she charmed on me? The make-up?" Harry asked, his tone disbelieving.

The twins nodded and chuckled. "Ah, yes. I think everybody saw that. Didn't they Gred?"

"But Ginny didn't do it. Did she Forge?"

"She bloody well did! And stop with that twin rubbish! I'm about to go BARKING!"

"Okay, we admit she did some of it," they said in unison again and smiled as Harry closed his eyes and clenched his teeth while taking a deep calming breath though his nose.

"But she didn't start it,"

"And she certainly wasn't the one who drugged you."

"Drugged...? I was drugged?"

Fred sighed and looked at his brother who shook his head. "Didn't you wonder how you came to be tied up in the first place?"

"They gave you sleeping potion, probably in your butterbeer," George informed him.

"They?"

The twins nodded. "They," both confirmed, not bothering to elaborate.

Harry waited impatiently for them to continue and, when they didn't, he frowned. "What am I supposed to do, find out for myself?"

"It doesn't take a genius to work it out, not really. All you have to do is get past that wall of anger you've got directed at Ginny," George told him.

"Think about who was in your room when you woke up," Fred again.

"Think about who Ginny was talking to out in the garden..." George added.

"And think about who would have the nerve to do something like this in the first place," this time Ron had entered, rolling his eyes and chuckling as comprehension dawned on Harry's face.

"The Creevy's!" he said, a deadly look entering his eyes.

The twins nodded. "Indeed."

"And others," Ron elaborated. "If you want a little word with them, then Neville and I made sure they'd stay put for a while. They're in the Gym."

Harry nodded and turned to follow Ron out of the room and find the guilty party's but he stopped and looked back suddenly. "You do know where Ginny is, don't you?"

The twins nodded and lifted their bottles in a salute. "Yep. And you're not getting near her until you have better control of your temper," George said.

"If I wanted to get near her you couldn't stop me."

"I think you know better than that, Harry," Fred said with a cocky grin, walking away with his brother without another word and leaving Harry to go find the real culprits.

He walked towards the back of the house where the gym was located and gave a grim smile when he heard Ron telling someone to shut the hell up. Obviously they were being kept in the room by force, but he didn't expect to find them tied to different workout machines. Not only Dennis and Colin, but also Connor. Seamus Finnegan was standing nervously to one side, not having been tied up in any way, but unable to get past Ron to escape.

Ron looked at Harry as he walked into the room and smiled. "I think you and these boys have some talking to do, hmm?"

"Oh, yeah...although, I'm not sure talking is quite the right word," Harry said, glaring at the younger men and giving them a wolfish grin that made Dennis' eyes become huge.

"It was just a joke," he whined.

"We didn't mean any harm by it," Colin added.

"They made me do it," Connor said sullenly, looking vaguely ridiculous tied to an exercise bike, his tall frame cramped up by the position he was in.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "They made you do it? You're bigger than them, Davies, so stop making feeble excuses. As for you two," he said, turning his attention back to the brothers and grinning again. "I think you've got some payback coming to you."

"Oh they sure do," Ron agreed, moving to stand next to Harry. "And not just for today either. There are years worth of payback coming."

Dennis stared up at the two larger men with horror in his eyes. "What are you going to do to us?"

"Ya know, I can't quite decide. I have hundreds of things running through my head, each one more painful than the last," Ron said, smiling as he looked at Harry.

"You can't hurt us! We didn't ever hurt anyone, not really, we just..." Colin began, trying to protect himself.

"You just humiliated people," Harry finished for him, his smile disappearing. "And you know? I think I know just what to do about it." He turned to Ron and they spoke in hushed tones, chuckling now and then.

"I'll go get Hermione and Daffy, I'm sure they'd be only too glad to help out," Ron said, giving the boys a pitying smile before he left.

Harry turned back to the others and folded his arms over his chest. "Oh, you'll love this, boys."

"What are you going to do?" Dennis asked again, looking extremely worried now. Harry had been known to play some jokes of his own in the past, and none of them had been too kind to the recipient.

"You'll find out soon enough, rainbow boy," Harry said, laughing nastily, and referring to Dennis' metamorphmagus capabilities.

Before too long, Ron returned with Hermione and Daphne in tow, the two women staring at the bound men in astonishment. "Oh my goodness," Hermione said, trying to give her husband a stern look and failing when he gave her a devastatingly sexy grin. "You're incorrigible," she told him, letting him pull her into a hug.

"Hey, we have things to do here," Harry reminded him. "No making out until we've finished, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Ron said reluctantly, dropping a small kiss on Hermione's lips before giving Harry a pissed off glare. "Like you wouldn't be making out if a certain someone was in the room right now."

"I would not!"

"Yeah right," Ron snorted.

Harry opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut again. No use denying it, he had been caught with Ginny one time too many for it to sound genuine anymore. He cleared his throat and turned to Hermione.

"How would you like to put your make-up to good use again?"

"Okay," she said slowly, frowning. "How, exactly?"

When Harry was done telling her she was unable to stop laughing, especially since the others had heard and were staring at Harry with varying different degrees of worry on their faces.

"I think you should let Seamus go," Daphne said, nodding towards the elfin-faced, sandy haired agent who was moving nervously from foot to foot. "From what I heard he didn't actually participate in it."

Harry looked at the short, stockier man and shrugged. "I guess you're right. I tell you what, he won't have to go through what we are going to do to these other three, but I think they may need his help in a little while, so he can stay right here for now."

"Okay," Daphne agreed. "So, what can I do to help?"

"Daffy!" Dennis wailed accusingly.

"Ah shut up! You know you deserve this!" she told him, smiling to soften the words a little.

Half an hour later Dennis, Colin and Connor were pulled out through the small group of guests, belts tied around their necks and then joined to one long rope so they couldn't get away. Even their hands had been bound behind their backs, so there was no way they could get out of it. They went red as people started laughing and more than one of their friends started catcalling.

"Hey Dennis, I never knew you were so beautiful!" Fred said seductively batting his eyelashes.

"Oooh, look at those long legs!" George crooned, elbowing his brother in the ribs.

"You know, sweet Colin," Neville drawled, walking around the group of men and rubbing his chin, "if I wasn't straight, I might find you a very tempting morsel."

Harry looked incredibly smug as he scanned down at his three creations, his head cocking to one side as he studied them. All three had full make-up on and their hair was done like his had been, but instead of a painted bikini, they each wore a real one that Hermione had kindly donated. Of course, she was a little smaller than them, so the material barely hid anything at all and they couldn't move their hands to cover themselves up.

"You're going to pay for this Potter!" Connor growled, glaring at him through his long eyelashes.

"No threats now, Davies," Ron said, jerking on the rope and grinning. "You wouldn't want this to get any worse, would you?"

"How could it possibly get worse?" he asked, then groaned when Ron's grin grew wider.

"You should never ask things like that, sweetheart," Ron said, chuckling at the younger man's outraged expression at the endearment. "Harry, why don't you go and get the truck?"

"Truck?" Dennis asked, watching as Harry rushed away. "You can't take us anywhere looking like this!"

"Can't I?" Ron asked him, arching one eyebrow. "Are you telling me what to do, mate?"

"No ! No, I...er.....no," Dennis said quietly, looking at his brother and then dropping his eyes. He knew this was going to be bad.

"Ron, don't be mean," Hermione said, linking her arm through his and looking up at him with warm eyes. "He's a lot smaller than you."

"So are you, Scarlet, but it never stopped you from arguing with me," Ron pointed out, smiling down at her affectionately.

"True," she agreed, giving him a cheeky grin, "but I know how to handle you, they don't."

"You think you know how to handle me? How about I put you over my knee and teach you different?" he teased her, raising his eyebrows. Hermione beckoned him down to her level and whispered something in his ear, making a flush of colour infuse his ears. "Oh. Okay, you know how to handle me," Ron said, clearing his throat.

"Told you so," she said, dimples appearing as she smiled again.

"Hmm. That's only because I'm a gullible fool where you're concerned, love. And you will follow up on that little promise later on," he told her, chuckling when she blushed and pressed closer to his side. "Did I tell you I love you?"

"Yeah, all the time, but you can do it again," she said, wishing they were alone. "I love you too, you know?"

Ron smiled. "Oh sweetheart, I have no doubt about that. Especially after that little thing you started doing with your..."

"Hey, hey! Innocent ears here!" Dennis complained, staring at the two newlyweds with faint disgust etched on his features.

"Innocent my arse!" Ron said, glaring at Dennis.

"Your arse isn't innocent," Harry said as he rejoined them.

"Leave my arse out of this!"

"I don't know, it's a really nice arse," Hermione said, pinching the firm backside and then squealing when Ron squeezed her in return.

Harry laughed. "Okay, enough of this, let's get back on track shall we? I put my truck out front."

"Good, then let's go shall we, ladies?" Ron said, looking at the three men as he spoke. Neither he nor Harry gave them time to argue, pulling them along to the truck and shoving them roughly inside, Seamus being ushered in after them. Harry hesitated once they shut the doors.

"Are you ready?" Ron asked him.

"Not yet. I'll be back in a second," he said, throwing the keys to Ron and walking purposefully through the crowd to where the twins were standing. "Where is she?"

George looked at him contemplatively. "We'll tell you if you tell us what you're going to do to her."

"I'm just going to take her along with us, let her see what we do to those three after what they pulled," Harry said, and George could see no dishonesty in his eyes. He sighed and nodded at his twin.

"She's in the house, watching TV, but Harry, you treat her right, okay?" Fred said.

Harry nodded, and smiled thankfully before strolling into the house and straight to the living room, opening the door quietly and watching her as she sat chewing her lip, not aware of his presence. He cleared his throat and watched with amusement as she jumped and then went bright red, her eyes darting to the door behind him.

"You won't get past me," he murmured, watching her move to the edge of her seat as he moved further into the room.

"Come with me."

"What? No!" she said, standing up and backing away from him as he stalked towards her.

"You don't actually have any choice," he said, shaking his head as he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the house. "You'd think you'd learn that you can't fight me," he said, as she struggled in his grip, "but you just carry on, you're only wasting your own energy."

A few seconds later and Ginny found herself sandwiched between Ron and Harry, staring at the men in the back in astonishment. When she realised that Harry had done this and was obviously going to do more, she felt panic claw at her stomach. What was he going to do to her?

Ron leaned out of the window and gave Hermione a kiss. "We won't be long."

"Okay," she said, smiling at Harry and then watching as they drove away, feeling vaguely sorry for the four men in the backseat. Still, they had brought it all on themselves.

"They've gone then?" Neville asked her, walking up next to her.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled. "Yes. Somehow I don't think they'll be playing any more practical jokes."

"I wouldn't count on it," Neville said, chuckling as he walked her back to the party.

Ginny flicked a nervous glance sideways at Harry and just as quickly looked away when she found him watching her. He was going to kill her. That was it. He was going to kill her, chop her up and spread her body parts all over central England. No one would ever find her and even if they did they wouldn't be able to identify her, unless they used dental records. But Harry might have thought of that, and he might be planning on keeping her teeth as a souvenir, maybe wear them around his neck on a string of leather. She chewed her lip as she thought of all the ghastly things he could do and then she risked another peek at him, finding him still staring.

In truth, Harry couldn't keep his eyes off her and it was driving him nuts. He knew that if Ron and the others hadn't been in the truck with them then he would be parking somewhere with her right now. Not that she looked like she'd be too keen on that idea at the moment, she looked sort of frightened, he thought. And so she should, he reminded himself, after what she had done!

His eyes narrowed on the way her hands were fidgeting and he had to suppress the urge to hold her hand. He sighed. This was getting him nowhere. Being mad at her wasn't working, trying to keep away from her definitely wasn't working either because all he did was think about her. He glanced across at Ron and frowned. He hadn't ever seen his friend this happy before, and it was all due to a woman. So, would it really be so bad to have a little romance in your own life? Even if it was with someone you always treated as a sister? he thought. He had to admit that he had feelings for her, which was odd considering he never normally let his emotions get the better of him. He thought back to the night he had rushed to her rescue, and she had slept in his arms all night. It had felt good. Really good, and he wanted to repeat it. His eyes fixed on Ginny again and traced her soft features, a smile touching his mouth at the slight stain of colour on her cheeks.

Okay, she was cute, too... and feisty. She stood up to him even when he showed her his considerable temper, and she didn't back down without a fight...or a fright. She didn't use her wiles to get in his good books as many women had done before her, and she couldn't hide her feelings when he touched her. There was absolutely nothing fake about her either. He frowned as he listed all her attributes in his head, wondering why he hadn't seen it before. She fit him, perfectly.

His lips parted on a shocked breath and he had to turn his head and stare blindly at the passing scenery so no one noticed. All this time he had been pushing her away and fighting, and she was the one thing that had been missing from his life all these years. For once he was totally at a loss. He had no idea what to do and it scared him to death. He swallowed deeply, several times, and took a few steadying breaths. He would get on with their little plan at the moment, and then later he would have a chat with Ron. Hell, if it worked for women, then surely it could work for me.

He was dragged out of his thoughts when Ron pulled over and switched off the engine. "Well, ladies, we're here. Hope you're ready," he said, turning towards the men in the backseat and grinning.

They all looked at where they were parked and Dennis immediately blanched, his eyes becoming huge. "No way! You are not getting me to go in there!"

"You're dead wrong about that, Denni-poo," Ron murmured, opening his door and stepping out, waiting for Harry to follow suit.

"You can't do this! Who knows what they'll do to us? Oh God...!" Colin said, struggling madly as Harry pulled him out of the truck.

"Don't panic, Colin, I'm sure you'll be very popular," Harry said, forcing away his darker thoughts and enjoying this for what it was. He reached behind him and grabbed Connor, pulling him out as well until all four men were standing on the sidewalk.

Ginny hadn't been pulled out of the truck and she wondered why, but she didn't dare ask. She looked up at the bright pink neon sign and frowned. 'The Pink Coconut', it read. Some sort of club, but not one she knew about.

"Now then, girls," Harry drawled, grinning in a totally evil way, "let's go inside, shall we?"

"No! Harry, don't you fucking dare... get off me!" Dennis yelled as the bigger man virtually picked him up and carried him through the doors to the club. Ron handled Colin and Connor just seemed to be in a daze, following along because he was attached to the others. Seamus was too scared not to do as he was told and he was the last inside, his heart hammering inside his chest when he got a good look at the place.

Obviously Colin and Dennis had known this was a gay pub as soon as they saw it, but he hadn't been so sure. Now he had no doubt about it. He had actually thought that places like this were fictional, only in muggle films or on bad TV shows, but no, apparently they were all too real. There were some great big biker types sitting at the bar, all of them with thick moustaches and wearing leather...he almost laughed at the cliché, but decided it was probably unwise. His eyes, already huge, grew even wider when Ron approached a couple of the guys and shook hands, laughing at something the men said to him before he led them over to his own odd looking group.

"Dell, blokes, these boys here are up for a little entertainment tonight," Ron said, grinning widely at the look of horror on the younger men's faces. "I was hoping maybe they could entertain...well...you?" He turned to one of the big bikers and placed the rope in his hand, effectively giving him control of the three bound men. Another one walked up to Seamus and grabbed his chin.

"Mmm, this one looks real cute, can I have him?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Ron.

"Sure, why not," Ron said, trying hard not to laugh. "Just make sure you drop them off later on, okay? And...try not to cause too much damage, hmm?"

"Sure thing mate, no problem. Now then you cute little things," the one holding the rope said, looking the shaking boys up and down with a twinkle in his eyes, "let's just go and get a little more comfortable, shall we?" He winked at Ron and dragged the men away, getting help from his friends as they resisted.

Harry watched it all and then followed Ron outside, chuckling and shaking his head. "Did you see their faces? They were scared to death!"

"I know," Ron said, laughing out loud. "If they only knew that those blokes wouldn't hurt a fly. Still, maybe they'll learn a valuable lesson?"

"That'll be the day," Harry said, shaking his head. "You sure those blokes won't hurt them?"

"Yeah, they're all right. Two of them work at the Harley place, and I've known them for years. But that lot doesn't' know that, they'll be wondering if they'll be able to walk straight when they leave here." Ron laughed again and started towards the truck. "Dell will bring them back in about an hour or two, completely unharmed. Except for the humiliation of course."

"What will they do to them?" Harry asked.

"Make them dance for them, probably. Sit them on their laps, treat them like their little pets...something like that. They'll hate every second of it, but it'll give them time to think about all the things they've done to us in the past."

"Good. They deserve a little embarrassment just for what they did today. Speaking of which," Harry said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Ginny sitting so still in the truck, "what am I going to do about her?"

"I know what I'd do," Ron murmured, stopping and looking at her through the window. "She wouldn't be able to sit down for a month, maybe longer... then again... remind me to tell you about the time I did it to Hermione, and she retaliated. It wasn't pleasant, and I haven't used that hex again. It's really humiliating."

"I'd love to do that, but Charlie would never speak to me again," Harry said, frowning as his unwelcome emotions intruded again.

"I think I'll have to say the same as Charlie. She may be a brat and deserves punishment but she IS my little sister, and I don't want her hurt. Physical wounds go away, Harry but as you well know, emotional wounds don't. Spanking is most definitely emotionally wounding."

"I wouldn't want to hurt her."

Ron's eyebrows shot up and he stared at his friend. "And why would that be?"

Harry shrugged. "Bugger if I know. I feel...I don't know. I don't like feeling like this."

"Like what?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he studied Harry's expression. He had seen that same look before, when he looked in the mirror. And it was usually when he was thinking about Hermione.

Harry shifted, uncomfortable with talking about it even though he had planned to talk to Ron before the day was out anyway. "Confused, scared...randy all the fucking time."

"Hmm," Ron murmured, wondering whether to bring the 'L' word up or not. He decided not to, not just yet.

"Come on, let's get back and you can have a butterbeer."

"Yeah, that'd be good, but it still doesn't solve the problem of what to do with her," he grumbled as he followed Ron to the truck and got in, looking at Ginny in irritation and then staring stonily out of the window.

Ginny sat silently for a few minutes as they made their way back to Ron's, but her curiosity soon got the better of her. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"In a gay bar having a good time," Ron answered immediately, chuckling again.

"A gay bar? But...they're not...are they?" she stammered.

"No, they're not," Ron said, smiling as he thought of what the boys were probably going through right now.

"And right about now I think they're probably wishing they hadn't played their little joke on Harry."

"Oh," she said in a small voice, swallowing nervously. Good God, if they had taken the boys to a gay bar looking the way they had, what on earth would they do to her? She glanced up at Harry, biting her lip when she saw the anger clearly written in his eyes.

"I...er....I guess it wouldn't help if I said I was sorry?"

He turned and looked at her in surprise. "You're apologizing?"

She nodded and looked away, uncomfortable under that heavy scrutiny. "They made me do it."

Harry's lips thinned. "That's just what Davies said, and that didn't work any better for him that it'll work for you. No one forced you into anything."

"Well, they asked me to...and..." she trailed off and went silent, giving up. What was the point? He wasn't going to listen anyway.

"And?" he prompted her, glancing out of the window as Ron pulled through the gate to his property.

"Nothing," she said quietly, looking up at where they were and hoping she'd be able to escape soon.

Ron stopped the truck outside the garage and switched the engine off, handing the keys to Harry. "See you later," he said, getting out and winking at Harry before walking away and leaving them to it.

Ginny watched her brother go and darted another glance at Harry, seeing he had turned his body slightly so he was leaning back on the door, staring at her in the confines of the vehicle. She looked at the driver's side door and wondered if she could slide all the way across the seat and get out before he stopped her, but she knew that was being overly optimistic. The long arm that snaked around her waist and pulled her right over next to him confirmed the fact she was going nowhere and she swallowed down the knot of uneasiness that had formed in her throat.

"Give me a reason not to put you over my knee, Ginny, and make it good," he said to her, his voice softer than she had expected. She didn't need to know both of her brothers had told him it was out of the question. Besides, he didn't think he'd have the heart to actually do it after what Ron said.

She tried to think of an excuse, but it was useless. She couldn't say she hadn't meant it, because she had. She couldn't blame the others, because they hadn't made her do anything she didn't want to do, but she could at least defend herself a little.

"I didn't have anything to do with tying you up, and I didn't even know they'd drugged you, they told me you were drunk. And I didn't take your clothes off."

"But you did make me up? And do my hair?" he asked her, arching one eyebrow.

She nodded. "I only did it because they asked me to, and because of the cake."

"The cake?"

"The one you sat me on. I wanted to get you back for it," she mumbled, knowing it sounded childish.

"And now you think we're even?" he asked her, watching the way she ducked her head and wouldn't make eye contact with him.

She shrugged. "I guess so. After all...you did carry me through all those people and then...you..." she broke off and went red as she remembered just what he had done.

Harry chuckled and relaxed his tense muscles. "I suppose we could call that even. You know what I'd like Ginny?" She shook her head and glanced up at him, instantly unable to look away from his heated gaze. "I'd like to kiss you and hold you without it being because you're scared or I'm angry, that's what I'd really like."