A Troubled Mind - Part 9 of A Woman Scorned (H/D, PG-13)

[sesheta66]

Title:   A Troubled Mind, Part 9 of A Woman Scorned
Author:   sesheta_66 
Rating:   PG-13
Word Count:   1142
Pairing/Characters:   Ginny, Harry/Draco
Challenge:   AWDT "Night after night" 
Warnings:   No beta. Please point out any errors you find.
Summary:   Ginny is desperately trying to help Harry, but it's not easy being the only one who sees the truth.
Disclaimer:   The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.


Part 1 - A Valentine Surprise
Part 2 - The Plan
Part 3 - Without a Trace
Part 4 - A Beautiful Lie
Part 5 - Whatever It Takes
Part 6 - The Best Laid Plans 
Part 7 - At His Wit's End
Part 8 - Last Hope

Night after night, she watched him. She waited for him to fall asleep. He resisted, knowing that there would likely be nightmares to greet him. She felt so protective of him now, wanting him to feel safe.

As she watched Harry's breathing become deep and rhythmic, Ginny closed the door and went to her own room for the night, sighing. She was disappointed that they hadn't grown closer yet, but that was okay. She was patient. After all, they had the rest of their lives together. What were a few more months of waiting, of anticipation, in the grand scheme of things?

She had initially been surprised at his reaction. Convinced that he was under some kind of spell, or under the influence of some mind-altering potion, she was shocked that Harry hadn't had some sort of life-altering revelation soon after she had brought him here. Most spells that she knew off wore off in short order, or once the person was removed from the vicinity. She of course had cast a Finite Incantatum on him - the last bit of magic she did before they travelled anywhere near here - but it had no effect.

Things had not progressed as she had hoped. By this time, she had fully expected Harry to have snapped out of his delusional state of mind. By now, he should have been thanking her profusely for rescuing him. They should have been plotting revenge on the Slytherin, for messing with Harry's mind. He was not in love with Draco fucking Malfoy, scum of the wizarding world. He couldn't be. She knew Harry wasn't acting of his own free will. Unfortunately, she seemed to be the only one who knew. But she was determined to rescue him, as he had once rescued her from the clutches of Voldemort.

Of course she knew Malfoy wasn't Voldemort, but he was a parasite. She knew that he would be nothing, if not for his association with Harry, and he knew it too. He couldn't risk losing that power, and he had insinuated himself into Harry's life, and - Merlin, she still felt sickened by the thought of it - into Harry's bed.

She hadn't really given the idea of gay relationships much thought before, and she still wasn't really sure how she felt about the idea in general. But she did know that Harry wasn't gay. She had kissed him. Nobody kissed a girl that way and then claimed to be gay. No, Harry was definitely straight. And he was hers.

And Malfoy, gay or not gay, was a freak. He was a pariah and a leech, and somehow he had convinced Harry that he - her Harry - was gay too.

She thought about the progress they had made. It wasn't much, but Harry seemed to at least accept the fact that they were here together. He no longer mentioned Draco, or getting back to him. She caught him sometimes staring off with a faraway look, lost in some memory perhaps. But she never asked what he was thinking about in those moments, too afraid of what his answer might be.

Convinced that being away from Malfoy was helping Harry, but knowing that he hadn't experienced a revelation of any kind, Ginny was becoming more and more uneasy.

Harry seemed so fragile now. Not that Ginny minded at all. She loved him, no matter how he came. She would protect him at all costs, even if no one else could see he was in danger. She would give up her life to protect the man she loved. He would see in time that she had done it all for him. But for now, she just needed to keep him safe. And away from Malfoy.

The longer she thought about it, though, the more concerned she became. Being away from Malfoy for this long still hadn't broken the spell entirely, so she decided to accept the inevitable - time and distance would not solve this problem.

She shuddered as a thought entered her mind. Malfoy knows dark magic. Maybe the spell he had cast on Harry was dark magic! That would explain why it wasn't easily removed. And perhaps dark spells lasted longer, and didn't break when taken a distance away from the source.

Ginny really needed to investigate dark magic, to figure out what spell Harry was under. She had to find a way to reverse what Malfoy had done to her Harry. Her strong, vibrant Harry, who was now so fragile and broken. Malfoy would pay dearly for what he had done.

But she couldn't read up on dark magic here, with Harry watching her. She also had no books on the subject herself, so that meant going back into the magical world. She knew she couldn't go to London, which would have the best resources, because she knew they were looking for her there. Besides, she had to travel the Muggle way, and London was too far. Perhaps the small village nearby would have a library. She had found the potion for Harry there, but had wanted to get back to him so quickly that she didn't bother to look around much.

She knew she couldn't cast any spells to disguise herself, so she would have to do things the Muggle way, just like she had been doing everything else. She was grateful for the wards on this cottage. They held the signature of the developer, and needed so little magic to raise or lower them that she had been able to remain hidden. She didn't question the dark magic that was probably involved in keeping her identity concealed. The less she knew in this case, the better. She had given one drop of her blood to the owner, and he had used it to 'tune' the wards to respond to her. That was all she needed to know.

Of course, it would be wonderful to use magic for other things, but it just wasn't worth it. So she would dress up, as she had that day when she got Harry's potion. She wore a Muggle wig, padded herself to look larger than her small frame was, and wore a hooded cloak and glasses. It was the best she could do under the circumstances. Today was Saturday. Tomorrow the library - if there was one - would be closed. Monday she would start her investigation. Determined, she went to bed feeling a bit lighter in the heart.

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about Harry. She knew he would be disappointed that she would be leaving him alone, but she also knew that he would accept that it was necessary in the long run. Once whatever spell Malfoy had over him was broken. Once he could think for himself again.

Soon, Harry, you'll be free.

Part 10 - A Mind at Rest

 

Comments

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Yes, she is pretty scary, isn't she? Definitely a troubled girl.

thats probably the most dangerous adversary Indeed.

Thanks for reading & commenting. ♥