I would like to say I'm sorry for the last cliffhanger… but I'm not! This time I promise no cliffhanger… for this chapter at least. Huge thank you goes to TheDistantDusk for her great advice and editing skills.

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Ginny wanted to cry. Never before had to sight of bruises and gashes made her want to cry tears of joy, but right then she did. Because those wounds that normally would have turned her stomach were covering the face of Harry. Her Harry was right there in front of her... clearly worse for wear, but alive. Thank God he was alive!

It was like she could breathe again. From the moment she'd realized Harry was missing, Ginny had felt like twenty stones rested on her chest. But right then, as she stared at his battered body, air filled her lungs without a pang of pain.

"Harry." Ginny kept her voice low as she moved over to him. He was bent at the waist, clearly in pain. She hesitated to touch him, fearing that she would only do more harm. "What happened, love?"

Harry lifted his head slowly. His eyes were haunted as he looked at her. "Is —" His tongue ran over his chapped lips. "She didn't get you too?"

Ginny's gut clenched at his rough voice. He sounded in so much pain, like every word he spoke hurt. She didn't quite understand what he was asking, but right then she decided now wasn't the time. Her distraction had only promised fifteen minutes and Ginny must have already used half of that by now.

She gently ran her hand over an unbruised portion of his jaw. "Harry, we can talk later but right now we need to get you out of here. Can you walk?"

Even the little movement from his shrug seemed to hurt. When he winced so did she. "I can."

"We just have to make it to the apparition point in the back garden." Ginny hadn't thought the fifteen-meter walk to be that far, but as she looked over Harry… "I could try to levitate you or something."

Harry took in a deep breath. "No, just — just put an arm around me."

Ginny wasn't sure he was going to make it down four steps even if she helped to support him, but there wasn't time to argue. They couldn't waste time bickering about the best way to get him out of here. Besides, if he did struggle too much, Ginny would just overrule him and do what needed to be done, even if he disagreed.

She placed an arm around his back, gently placing her hand down on his side. Even though his shirt, Ginny could feel the heat radiating off him. Holy shit was he hot. Ginny's mind instantly went to a fever. Based on some of the cuts, the worry of infection came to mind. Just another thing that they would focus on once they escaped this hell hole.

Harry leaned heavily on her, making their walk down the stairs more like an awkward three-legged race. With him being a full head taller than her, the height difference gave them a severe disadvantage. Harry stopped their progress on an extra-wide step, so he could lean against the wall for a moment and catch his breath. Ginny couldn't stop thinking about their limited time. What if Prue came looking for Harry sooner than planned. The idea of them getting caught… She couldn't let Harry be hurt anymore. Ginny would give herself up before she let that happen.

"Gin?" Harry's soft voice got Ginny's attention. He shifted off the wall, his green eyes locked onto hers. "Ready?"

She hadn't been sure she'd ever see those eyes again. Nothing had ever scared her as much as that. The idea that Harry had been lost … that he nearly had been completely lost to her, and based on his injuries… Ginny didn't care that they didn't have time to spare, she needed to let him know just what he meant to her.

Ginny cupped that untouched part of his jaw again as she brought her lips to his. She didn't linger as much as she wanted too, instead, keeping their kiss chaste and soft. She pulled back only far enough to look into those gorgeous green eyes she'd instantly adored. "I love you."

She loved the way his eyes lit up whenever she said those three little words. Even now, as he was battered, bruised, and who knew what else, Harry still looked at her like nothing else mattered.

"Gin, you mean —" Harry inhaled deeply, his hand sliding into hers and squeezing. "You mean everything, and I'll be happy to show you every day for the rest of our lives, once we get out of here."

Ginny's heart thudded like the wings of a hummingbird, and it wasn't from the effort of helping Harry. His words… did he mean… No! Now was not the time to think about things like that. She had to focus on getting them out of there and not on the possibility of Harry wanting to spend a lifetime with her. Ginny couldn't let her mind wander to the image of them standing under a flower arch or them walking hand in hand with a gaggle of kids leading their way or — Cut it out, Weasley!

She cleared her throat. "I — I'm looking forward to that. You ready?"

Harry kept his eyes locked with hers for an extra five beats of her heart, making it pound harder against her chest, before he nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Ginny looped her arm around his waist again. Their mutant three-legged stair climb took another five minutes before they reached the concealed doorway. Ginny helped Harry lean against the wall. His brow was beaded in sweat as he inhaled deeply.

"I'm going to go make sure the coast is clear." Ginny pressed her palm to the corner of the hidden door. "Don't move."

"I can do that," Harry spoke with a wheeze that made Ginny's heart clench. She needed to get him help, and fast. Taking a deep breath, Ginny pushed gently at the "wall". The bottom of the door dragged ever so slightly on the frame, making a quiet crunching noise that sounded deafening to Ginny.

Through the little crack she created, Ginny looked at every corner she could see. The kitchen looked just as she'd left it, clean and empty. She turned around to look back at Harry. He'd closed his eyes as he used the wall to hold him upright.

She moved back to his side, placing her lips to his ear. "Okay, love?"

Harry started as if being woken from sleep. His eyes were clouded as he looked at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah." He kept his voice low, but she could hear his pain in a few words.

Wrapping her arms around his middle, Ginny pulled him up from against the wall and led the way to the door. When she pressed her palm to the door this time, she pushed harder, making it open wide enough to admit a single person out at a time.

Ginny turned their bodies so they were sideways and sidestepped out of the doorway. As she moved into the kitchen, Ginny checked the four corners again, making sure they were still all clear. Thankfully they were, because Harry couldn't handle fighting anyone, not even in a verbal confrontation. Just the effort of leaving the staircase seemed to have taken more energy than she thought. His face was pale in the sunlight that streamed in from the high windows. Well, the little bit of face she could see under the black and blue that covered so much of his beautiful face.

Never had Ginny felt so much rage. It seemed to run throughout her entire system. Sure she was a bit of a hothead and had a tendency to let her anger get the best of her, but this… This was something completely different.

When her temper got the best of her, Ginny tended to do things without thinking. That was how she ended up punching one of Ron's girlfriends in the face, which was an action she was willing to defend to her dying breath, but she still had done it without any forethought to the consequences. But the rage she felt towards Prue, for Harry, was somehow keeping her focused. It was like everything had collected on a list in her head. Step one: save Harry. Step two: make sure Harry is treated by a healer. Step three: strangle her ex-friend with her bare hands.

"Gin?" Harry's rough, quiet voice pulled her focus away from the image of her fist going into Prue's nose. "I'm good to go."

Ginny would rather pretend that she had stopped their progress so Harry could catch his breath, than admit it was because she'd become too enveloped in a violent daydream. "Let's get the fuck out of here then."

They made it out onto the lawn without any complications (other than Harry's overwhelming exhaustion). Ginny was honestly impressed that he was still standing, even with her help. They walked the path towards the apparition point, keeping their pace slow but steady.

Ginny had her wand held tightly in the hand that didn't rest on Harry's side. If so much as a leaf skittered in front of them, she was ready to blast it. After what felt like years, they reached the end of Prue's anti-apparition barrier. Ginny stopped them by pulling lightly at Harry's waist.

She turned so they were face to face. "I'm going to take you to my parents, alright?"

Harry took in a shaky breath, clearly trying to manage the pain that must be agonizing at this point. His lips curled with forced levity. "And here I was planning on wearing something a little nicer when I first met your father."

He was making a joke, and even though his voice was weak, it brought Ginny some comfort. "I don't think he'll mind, neither will mum as long as you eat everything she puts on your plate. Now hold on tight."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Harry's arms wrapped around her in a tight hold, which he may have also been using to keep himself steady. "Lead the way, darling."

Ginny dug her fingers into his waist. Right as she started to turn, Ginny saw Prue. Her old friend was standing in the wide-open doorway staring at them. Even from a far distance and with only a quick glance, Ginny could see the cold fury in eyes she used to find comfort in. Then darkness swallowed them whole.

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"Let me just make sure I have this correct." Jamieson's thick accent sounded for the first time since he arrived at the Weasley patriarch house in Devon, England. "You are saying the person stalking Miss Weasley has been her teammate, Prue Caron. She discovered that you were assigned to Weasley and decided to take you out of the picture so she could then go after her target. Do I have everything correct so far?"

"Yes, sir." Harry was propped up against the headboard of Ginny's childhood bed. After a few hours of sleep and some food in his stomach, a bit of color had come back into his face (well at least the bit of face that wasn't still covered in nasty bruises).

Ginny sat in a chair in the corner of the room, refusing to let Harry out of her sight. When they arrived at her parents', Molly had instantly taken control after one look at Harry's battered face. She had directed Ginny to bring Harry up into her childhood bedroom and make him comfortable.

The moment Harry had laid down on the soft mattress, he had passed out. Molly had spent the time Harry was sleeping to mend his minor wounds. Ginny had sat on the corner of the bed then, her fingers lightly brushing through Harry's hair.

She hadn't moved until Bill had shown up and demanded to know what happened. Ginny had only left Harry's side because she didn't want her brother's loud voice to wake him. During her story, Bill's face had gone from confused and angry to perturbed and furious.

"You should have told me!" Bill had pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Why the fuck did you go in there alone? If you suspected her, that was the last thing you should have done. How could you be so stupid?"

"I wasn't alone." Normally Ginny would have snapped back at Bill. She'd never been good at keeping herself calm when someone else was accusing her of something. But right then, Ginny couldn't have mustered the energy or attention it would take to reciprocate her brother's attitude. No, all her attention and energy were firmly locked on the man sleeping in the room behind her. "Ariel was downstairs distracting Prue."

Bill's eyes had nearly bugged out of his head. "So instead of calling me so I could alert the aurors, you thought it would be better to get a friend, break into a madwoman's house, and just hope to find Harry."

"Well… I guess you could say it like that." Ginny had merely shrugged. "But I saw it as the quickest way to get Harry."

"I — I'm out of words."

"If that's the case I'm going to go back and be with Harry."

Bill had pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly. "It was so dumb… I'm going to go update Jamieson." He'd turned, ready to head down to the fireplace before freezing midstep. Bill had glanced over his shoulder to look Ginny in the eye. "Remember he doesn't know about you and Harry so… so play it cool when he gets here, yeah? Harry could get in serious trouble if Jamieson knew about — " He'd gestured between Ginny and the door that blocked them from Harry.

Ginny, who had only been thinking about crawling in beside Harry and maybe taking a nap herself, paused. "Right. Thanks, Bill."

So Ginny had resisted the urge to fall in beside Harry. Instead, she helped to feed him once he woke up. She refused to leave him, but she heeded Bill's warning. As much as Ginny wanted to say fuck you and your rules to the auror chief, she didn't want to be the reason Harry got into trouble. When Jamieson arrived an hour after Bill had called him, Ginny had positioned herself in the corner chair. Which was where she'd remained the last ten minutes of Harry's report.

Jamieson nodded at Harry before turning to look at Ginny. His green eyes were sharp as a knife as he gave her a once over. "Miss Weasley, I would like to hear your account of the event."

"I — well I noticed Harry was missing —"

"What made you notice?"

"He was supposed to meet me to go to my parents."

Jamieson's eyes narrowed. "And why was he going to your parents." He turned his suspicious glare onto Harry. "I would have thought Bill would have been in charge of Miss Weasley's detail when at a family event."

Ginny's stomach plummeted as if she'd fallen twenty meters. Harry's eyes had widened as his boss stared him down. He swallowed so hard his Adam's apple bobbed. "I — I —"

Jamieson flicked his all-seeing gaze back onto Ginny. His lips pursed as he studied her. Ginny prayed her face wasn't as red as it felt. "Hmmm."

No one spoke. Ginny could feel Harry's eyes on her but she didn't look away from Jamieson's calculating stare. She refused to be intimidated. There was nothing this brute could say that would make Ginny change a thing between herself and Harry.

"So Potter didn't arrive at your parents'." Jamieson continued as if their conversation had never wavered, his tone still business crisp.

Ginny blinked. "Uh… yeah, Harry didn't try to reach me or show up and that wasn't like him so I started to worry."

"Naturally. So what did you do?"

"I tried to floo him." Ginny didn't trust how easily Jamieson had dropped the fact that Harry had been invited to a family event. She had no doubt he'd connect the dots. Harry had told her how good of a detective Jamieson was, so the fact that he'd changed his line of questioning… Nope, Ginny didn't trust this at all.

"And he didn't pick up."

She nodded. "And he didn't pick up so I went over to his flat."

Jamieson lifted one brow. "You have access to his flat?"

"Yeah, I've been there enough times Harry gave me —" Ginny pressed her lips together. Harry was right, Jamieson was good. He was acting like a friend might. His easy companionship almost made her reveal information she shouldn't admit, such as her having access to his flat.

Instead of jumping on her, Jamieson remained silent. Waiting for her to continue the story. Ginny took a deep breath, silently reminding herself to be wary of the auror chief.

She cleared her throat before starting again. "So, when I arrived at his flat, it was empty and it looked like he'd never gone home. I came back home and told my brother."

"And why did you think Bill would help?"

Why was he so fucking smart?! Ginny wanted to slap her forehead. She couldn't admit that she knew about the operation, no one was supposed to tell her about it.

Jamieson let out a long sigh as Ginny silently debated on what to say. "Ginny, may I call you Ginny?" She nodded before Jamieson continued. "How about we make a deal, whatever you tell me I can't use to discipline Potter. He will have complete immunity, as will you."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "Really?"

Jamieson nodded once. "I need to know what happened. One of my aurors was hurt while under an assignment I gave him. So I don't care if the two of you have been fucking like rabbits, as long as you can tell me what happened."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. Ginny looked over at Harry, his mouth was also agape as he stared at his boss.

"Well?" Jamieson prompted, seeming oblivious of the damage he'd done. "Can you tell me, Ginny?"

"I — I — yes," she stuttered. "Yes, I can."

"Great." Jamieson leaned forward. "Don't leave out a single detail."

So she didn't. Ginny told Jamieson every little detail she could remember down to what Prue had been wearing. Jamieson's eyes never wavered off hers as he took in every word. When she reached the part of finding Harry, her throat started to close up. She had no desire to think about how bruised and battered he looked, let alone tell someone. Jamieson didn't push as she lowered her head, blinking rapidly hoping to prevent the stinging in her eyes from becoming full-fledged tears.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand interlocked with hers. She looked up into Harry's understanding gaze. Though it must have taken a tremendous effort, he'd gotten out of bed to come and comfort her. Grateful for his warmth and presence, Ginny took a deep breath, finally feeling like she could breathe again.

"You're doing really well, Ginny." Jamieson kept his voice low, soothing. "Please continue."

So she did. Harry had scooted himself onto the chair with her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Somehow just having Harry with her, hold her, helped finish her tale.

When she finished, Jamieson gave a curt nod before standing. "If I could get you to write this all out and sign it in the presence of Auror Potter, it would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course." Ginny didn't hesitate.

Jamieson's lips curled in something close to a smile. "Thank you." He turned his attention onto Harry. "After that, Potter, you are on official medical leave."

Harry's shoulders fell, but he nodded. "Yes, Sir." He paused as if weighing his options. "Will this affect my ability to remain near my ward, sir?"

Jamieson let out a loud snort. "Is that what the kids are calling nowadays?" His lips still had that half-smile curling them as he studied Harry. Ginny's heart pounded as Jamieson considered. If he told Harry to stay away from her… well, that wouldn't fly, but it would be harder to sneak around if Jamieson was on watch for them. After what felt like an eternity, Jamieson said, "I think you should remain within close contact with Miss Weasley. We know Miss Canon already knows about you two based on your report, Potter. So it would be safer to keep the two of you together."

Ginny wanted to kiss the old Irish man. She looked over at Harry who looked visibly relieved. "Thank you, Sir." Harry held out his hand, which Jamison grasped.

Jamieson's eyes finally showed a spark of amusement. "I'm sure Miss Weasley will be more than happy to care for you. But don't make me regret my decision."

"I won't."

"Good." Jamieson dropped Harry's hand before moving towards the door. As his fingers wrapped around the knob he looked over his shoulder. "Oh and Potter?"

Harry, who had started leaning on Ginny, snapped to attention. "Yes?"

Though his mouth stayed in a straight line, his eyes shone with a smile. "I expect a decent seat at the wedding."

Then before Harry could do more than splutter random syllables, Jamieson was out of the room.

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"Are you sure your mum won't mind?" Harry asked for the fifth time.

Ginny lifted her head from his bare chest, where she'd been listening to his steady heart beat. "Like I said the last time, it's fine."

Harry's gnawed on his bottom lip. "It just doesn't feel right. Laying with a girl in bed while her parents are just a floor below. It just feels — " He couldn't seem to find the right words, but Ginny knew what he was going for.

It took all of her restraint to stop her eyes from rolling. She leaned closer, making sure not to put too much weight on his chest. "First of all, it was my mum who suggested that you stay here. And" —-Ginny raised her voice to cut off his protest— "I'm one hundred percent sure she knew I was going to join you. It's not like she expected me to go sleep in one of my brother's rooms while you slept in my bed."

"Yeah, I guess," Harry conceded. "She did raise you, so she knows what you're like."

"Exactly!" Ginny nodded fervently.

"Okay." Harry settled back into the pillows, his arm coming around to wrap tightly around her waist. He pulled her back into a lying position, making her head come back to rest on his chest. "What was the next reason."

"Hmm?" Ginny had become distracted by that beautiful beat in his chest again. "Oh! Secondly, it's obvious you're not in any state to take advantage of me, so Mum isn't fearing for my virtue. Though… I doubt she has any illusions about whether I should be wearing white on my wedding day."

Harry snorted. "Still, I'd rather avoid that awkward experience with your mum, if you don't mind."

Ginny lifted her head to look at him, one brow quirked. "What if I do mind?"

"Huh?"

"What if I do mind avoiding that situation, because if we did it your way I wouldn't be able to do this." She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. Ginny meant the kiss to be light and gentle, but the moment Harry's hand came to cup her jaw everything hit her like a tidal wave. She'd come so close to losing him... to losing the ability to have him touch her like this… a desperation washed through her body, a need to be with him. She had to make sure he understood everything he meant to her.

Ginny rolled so her body hovered over his, making sure to keep her weight off him. Harry let out an appreciative moan as she moved her attention down his neck.

"Gin." His voice was low and husky as his breathing quickened. "You've made your point."

"Didn't Jamison mention something about me taking care of you?" Ginny asked innocently, pulling back only far enough to see his eyes. "That's all I'm doing."

"I doubt he tho —" Harry's voice broke off as Ginny's hands moved to the waistband of the old pajama trousers he'd borrowed from one of her brothers.

"I think" —Ginny slowly rolled the garment down Harry's legs—"that Jamison knew what my particular type of healing would be. Now, are you going to continue to refuse treatment or are you going to lock and silence that door?"

For an injured man, Harry grabbed her wand from the nightstand with impressive agility.