Holding Out for a Hero

Holding Out For a Hero

"Five minutes to curtain, girls! Time to get your pretty asses in gear!"

The manager of The Black Moon, the finest gentlemen's club in London, watched in some amusement as his troupe of showgirls scattered in search of mirrors, costumes, and makeup. Magic was forbidden to the girls to ensure his customers' safety, but they seemed to cope adequately without it for the most part. All except one.

He left the frenzied dressing room and went down the hall apiece. The door at the end of the hallway was decorated with a red silk banner scrawled with a single word in gold thread: Ginevra. He knocked once, and then stuck his head inside. The resident turned from where she was sitting at her dressing table to give him a flat look.

"Time," he said shortly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shut the door and left before he could give her the opportunity.

~~~~~

"I'm not too sure about this," Harry said as a voluptuous girl with little to cover her impressive endowments other than her shiny black hair ushered him and his companion to a small table close to the stage. "I'm not really comfortable in places like this."

"Oh, stop being such a pussy, Potter. We're only here for the drinks and the show. Mr. Big should arrive before we're asked to indulge in anything you might find unsavory." Draco shot Harry a distinctly exasperated look. Since the two had become partners, life had been unbearable for the young Malfoy who couldn't stand Harry's touchy morals. Every time they got to do something fun, Harry ruined it by claiming that it wasn't right. And just what was so wrong about being surrounded by semi-clothed beauties willing to put out for only a couple of galleons?

Harry sighed and glanced around the crowded club. He had no trouble seeing this as the kind of place their suspect might frequent, but he didn't have to like it.

Suddenly the lights dimmed. The club's patrons howled in anticipation, pounding their glasses on their tables and shouting some word that Harry couldn't quite make out. Across the table from him, Draco was thumping his own glass, his grey eyes lit with excitement. Harry frowned and turned toward the darkened stage.

A spotlight snapped on and everyone in the club went silent. In the middle of the stage stood a tall, thin man. He was wearing blacks robes embroidered with silver crescents and he held a white rose in his left hand.

"Good evening, gentlemen," the man said in a quiet but commanding voice. "I welcome you to our show. I trust that you're all enjoying your drinks..?" His words were greeted by a roar of approval that quickly tapered off. Harry was surprised by how intent they were on getting to the entertainment. The man onstage smiled slowly, twirling the rose between his fingers. "Well, I can see you fine gentlemen are in no mood to waste time tonight. Very well. I give you The Black Moon's guiltiest pleasure - Ginevra!"

He disappeared with a small pop as he disapparated, and in his place stood a girl draped in the same black and silver robes, her head bowed so that no one could see her face. In her hands, she caressed the white rose the announcer had held not a moment before. Harry leaned forward in his chair, drawn by the strange thought that he had seen this girl before. Her dark red hair hanging in waves about her face looked oddly familiar.

Somewhere, a piano trilled an opening line. The girl lifted her head, and Harry gaped. Ginny parted her lips and began to sing in a heartbreakingly beautiful voice.

"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?"

Her bright brown eyes shone in the stage lights. Her cheeks were stained pink with blush and heat. Her hands, as lily-white as the flower she held, rose in supplication as she sang.

"Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?"

She was young and slender and wonderful, and all around the room men were whistling and cat-calling as she took a step to the edge of the stage and gazed upward as though seeking some heavenly respite.

"Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?" She tossed her head aside, bringing the rose to her lips, and whispered, "Late at night I toss and I turn..."

The curtains rose behind her to reveal twelve girls kneeling, their hands clasped in prayer. Together, they echoed Ginny's line. "I toss and I turn, ooooo..."

Ginny flashed her eyes toward the audience. "...and I dream of what I need," she crooned gently, her voice arcing as she hit the last word.

Harry watched, spellbound, as she threw the rose down, and tore her robes off at the shoulder to reveal a shimmering gown of white gossamer that clung to her breasts and hips and stopped short of her mid-thigh. Silver armbands and anklets encircled her limbs and all of her milky skin was painted with white glitter. Ruby-red her lips, and dark crimson her hair, she flung out her arms and sang in voice as pure as it was powerful, "I need a hero!"

The girls in the background were lit up in a blaze of color as the stage lights rose and Ginny twirled around to the right of the stage. The piano was forcefully accompanied by half an orchestra as she held out her hands to the audience members and tried to explain.

"Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy, somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me," she sang, swaying to the music as a saxophone added its boldly seductive voice to the mix. The girls swayed with her, leaning into each other as they reached out for their elusive visions of love.

"Racing on the thunder, and rising with the heat!" Ginny rose to her toes as the lights flashed all around her like lightning, the crash of the drums threatening to drown out her voice. "It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet!" Harry gripped the edge of his table as she closed her eyes and spun in a circle, a dazzling vision of quicksilver as every part of her glimmered.

"I need a hero!" She barely stopped her spin before crossing the stage on light feet. She seemed to fly, so gracefully did she move. "I'm holding out for a hero til the end of the night," she sang, her eyes seeking someone within the crowd with which to connect. Finding no one, she turned her face aside and held her hands close to her heart. "He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight. I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero til the morning light." Her hands slipped down her torso, feeling out the curves of her own body as she rocked back and forth. "He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon and he's gotta be larger than life..."

"Larger than life!" the girls cried behind her, moving to the steps of their own dance as they whirled around and clung to each other and looked to the audience with dark eyes that spoke of deeply hidden desires. The men of the audience gazed back hungrily, digging in their pockets for fistfuls of coins. Harry, however, was completely captivated by Ginny as she made her way back to center stage, now singing with nothing but the drums accompanying her.

"Up where the mountains meet the heavens above! Out where the lightning splits the sea! I could swear there is someone somewhere watching me!" Her voice rose with every word, her passion of movement more and more desperate as she leaned toward her appreciative audience. They bayed like wolves, howling in delight as she took a step off the stage toward them. Her arms closed about herself as she gave a dramatic shiver. "Through the wind and the chill and the rain!"

"And the storm and the flood!" added her counterparts, moving toward the front of the stage themselves.

Ginny nodded once, rushing down the remaining steps. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, the spotlight white-hot and trained on her trembling form. "I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood!" she cried, voice ringing out over the music. The girls stopped at the edge of the stage, their hands traversing their bodies in sweet pain as they echoed Ginny, "Like a fire in my blood, like a fire in my blood, like a fire in my blood, like a fire in my - ah! Ah!"

Ginny took a few stumbling steps, as though drunk with desire and despair, and fell elegantly into the arms of the man nearest to her, eyes closed in a swoon. Harry happened to be that man, and he nearly jumped out of his skin with surprise as she landed in his lap. Draco laughed with glee as he watched Harry tried ineffectively to push Ginny away.

"I need a hero!" she sang on, head tossing from side to side. "I'm holding out for a hero til the end of the night!" Her eyelids fluttered open. Harry stared down at her, terrified. Staring back up at him, her eyes widened a fraction, just enough that he was unsure whether she really recognized him or not, and then her hands rose to grip his arm as she went on with her song. "He's gotta be strong," her fingers touched his throat, "and he's gotta be fast," they traced his cheek, softer than a sigh, "and he's gotta be fresh from the fight." She slid from his lap, and skirted the edge of the table. Now reaching out to touch Draco, she sang again, "I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero til the morning light!" She danced away from him with a flirtatious smile as he laughed and tried to grab hold of her. "He's gotta be sure, and it's gotta be soon, and he's gotta be larger than life!"

"Larger than life!" the girls sang, leaping from the stage and engaging several men in their dance. Ginny turned and gave Harry one last coy look, before ascending the stairs to the stage again. She spun around and dropped to her knees as the final notes of the music crashed down all around her.

"I need a hero!"

The lights went out and the club erupted into enthusiastic applause and shouts. As the house lights rose, Harry stood up, searching for Ginny on the stage, but she was gone. The showgirls were giggling and free amongst the patrons of The Black Moon, but 'Ginevra' was nowhere to be seen. Draco came around and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, at least we know you're not gay!" he chuckled, pointing to the front of Harry's trousers. Harry threw Draco a startled look, and blushed like mad. He grabbed his cloak and rushed out of the club.

Once outside, he collapsed against the building, breathing heavily, and not just because of his sudden embarrassment. His mind was going in circles having seen Ginny up on that stage. What was she doing as the star of some whorehouse? She was supposed to be dead, along with the rest of her family. Harry had gone for two years believing that. What was he supposed to think now?

"Harry! Psst! Harry!"

Harry looked up. Ginny was leaning out the door, beckoning him to come to her. He shook his head, suddenly afraid. "No, I can't. I have to--" He half-turned, pointing down the street. Ginny shook her head, making a vexed sound. She stepped outside clasping a cloak of dark green velvet closed over her costume.

"Fine. We can talk out here if you want to," she said, shivering a little and looking up at the gently snowing sky. "But, please, let me explain before you leave."

Harry stared at her, agog, but let her lead him around the corner so that they were standing alone in the alleyway adjacent to The Black Moon. When she dropped his hand, he grabbed it again and stepped close to her so that he could look into her eyes. Startled, she stared up at him, trembling and silent. Painted with glitter and makeup though she was, this was Ginny Weasley. Her brown eyes looked eons old in her powdered face, but it was still her, twenty-one as she should have been. Harry let out a sigh of relief and wrapped her in his arms, hugging her as though she were the only thing left anchoring him to the earth. Funny thing was that's exactly how he felt in that moment. Ginny's arms closed upon his back and she buried her face in his shoulder, quaking with emotion.

"What happened, Ginny?" he asked when they finally parted. "What happened to you?"

Ginny offered him a sad smile, and tilted her head to one side, gazing up at him through darkened eyelashes. "You already know, Harry," she said. "He came to the Burrow and killed them all. I wasn't there, though. I was here in London. Draco set me up with this job because he knew it would offer me some protection."

"Draco! But what about--"

"Hush. Listen." She kept her eyes steady on his before he could look away out of confusion. "I had to give up my wand to work here, Harry. The men who come to me know that, otherwise they wouldn't chance the encounter. There are too many curses a woman can use against a man in that respect." She gave a small cynical laugh. Harry winced, trying not to think of what she'd had to do to survive.

Ginny touched his frowning mouth with her fingertips. "Don't be upset, Harry," she murmured. "I did what I had to do. We all do what we have to in order to survive. You know that." He bit his lip and nodded shortly. She smiled at him again. "Draco didn't bring you here tonight to catch some stray Deatheater. He brought you to see me."

"And now I have," Harry replied. He gazed at her sadly. "And what can I do, Ginny? Can I take you away from this place and have you live the life you should be living? Voldemort's still out there. He might still be looking for you."

"Of course, he is," Ginny said. "I know. That's why I'm still here." She lowered her gaze for a moment, and then looked at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "I just wanted to see you again and let you know I'm all right. I keep hearing stories about you. They talk of what you've lost, of what the Dark Lord has put you through, and still you go on, they say. Draco visits me and tells me the tales are true, but I had to see you for myself. I had to tell you. Harry. If you want me to help you, I will. I'll leave with you now. I'll fight for you."

Harry looked down at her and tried not to let the lump growing in his throat overcome him. He could see her up on that stage again, dancing in the spotlight and shining like a goddess out of a legend. He could see her chorus girls cavorting with the Moon's patrons, giving way to their kisses and accepting their money. He could hear her voice, lovely and pleading as she asked a hero to come and take her away.

"Ginny, I..." He hesitated. Her eyes darted across his face.

"Oh, Harry, please!" She pressed close to him and laid her hands on his face. "I'll do anything," she whispered, the tears slipping down her cheeks as she kissed him. His hands fluttered on her shoulders, unsure of what to do. Ginny exercised the full power of her experiences in The Black Moon and kissed Harry as thoroughly as she knew how. Finally, he gave up and kissed her back.

"Ginny," he panted after several moments, pushing her a step backward. She swallowed and tried to stop crying but couldn't. "I can't do this with you! You're in danger as it is, but if he found out there was something between us..."

"Is there something between us, Harry?" Ginny sniffled. "I love you, if only because you're the only thing I have left from my old life. Please, don't leave me now. I need you."

"Ginny, Ginny," Harry murmured, pulling her into his arms and closing his eyes. "I do. I love you, too. But I can't be your hero."

"Potter? Is that you?"

Harry looked up to find Draco standing at the end of the alleyway. "Yes, Malfoy, it's me. Give us a moment, will you?"

Draco nodded and turned away. "I'll see you next month, Gin," he called softly. Ginny shuddered in Harry's arms.

"You can't leave me here!" she said desperately as Harry tenderly removed her from his embrace. "Harry, please!"

"There's nothing for it, Ginny. This place is safe. With me, you'll be hunted down within a week of someone finding out who you are. As it is, we're taking a chance by meeting. I'm sorry." His green eyes looked at her so sadly; Ginny thought her heart would break.

"But what am I supposed to do!" she whispered. "I can't stay here!"

"Oh yes you can, Ginny. You're strong." Harry squeezed her hands in his. "Please, do this for me. I'd die if anything happened to you."

"You think something won't happen to me here?" she sobbed miserably. Harry had to turn away.

"By your own admission, Ginny, we all do what we must. Please, stay. I'll come back for you when it's safe." And then he left before his own emotions made it impossible for him to leave.

"If it's ever safe," Ginny mumbled in his wake, staring down at her hands and quietly weeping.

~~~~~

"You spoke with her?"

"At length," Harry sighed. "Malfoy, why didn't you tell me?"

"Seemed foolish too, considering the scrapes you're always getting us into. No doubt if I'd told you, the first thing you would have done was insist we go save her. You're like that, you know." Draco smiled at his partner, and went back to paring his fingernails. Harry watched him absently.

"I suppose," he said, "that I'm always trying to be the hero."

Draco left off with his nails and sat forward. "No, Harry. That's just your problem. You're not a hero because you want to be, you just are. It's not your fault; it's your nature. You care too much about people. Sometimes you have to let them fend for themselves."

"I guess you're right," Harry replied despondently. He looked out the window of the train for awhile. "She looked good though, didn't she?" he said finally.

Draco smiled. "If you like redheads," he answered fondly. "She sure put the fire in your blood, mate."

Harry blushed and looked down at the white rose nestled in his hands. He'd make it safe again, if only so he could be her hero.