Chapter Forty-Five:

Hermione came back early because despite her desire to help find Ginny in any way possible, she was still weak from her stay in the hospital and knew she had to get some rest. She�d been up almost 24 hours and she knew her Healer would not be happy with her if she knew she�d been mistreating herself. So after explaining to Ron and Harry that she would rest and then try researching some new sort of Location Spell to help them in trying to pinpoint where Ginny was being held, she made her way back to her flat and collapsed on the sofa.

She felt miserable. Not just because of her health, but because the idea of Ginny being alone with some madman was enough to drive her to tears. And Susan too! Poor Neville. The poor man was a wreck and he wore the same troubled expression that Harry did...

Hermione shook her head sadly as she thought of Harry. He was internalizing everything and taking all the blame onto himself, which wouldn�t help find Ginny. Hermione sighed and pushed herself off the sofa. Maybe she would just give one of the books in the study a quick run through and then curl up for a quick nap.

As Hermione entered the study, she paused and glanced at her desk, seeing the papers they�d been reviewing for the Fagan case. Merlin, that seemed years ago. She picked a few of them up and started to organize them into the folder. She supposed she�d have to return these to the proper department. Now since Donald Fagan had gotten his wish it hardly seemed worth it to keep them...

Hermione�s eye fell on a slip of paper that held the descriptions and names for the Muggle girls that had been abused. Two things jumped out at her and she frowned as she pulled it out to read more. With a strange feeling in her stomach, all thoughts of taking a nap left her. Hermione went back out to her living room clutching the paper with her. She grabbed her robe and headed back out.

Louis Fagan had been accused of tormenting girls; this was a fact most people knew. What they didn�t know and what Hermione had overlooked, was that every girl he�d been accused of harassing had one feature in common.

They all had red hair.

Ginny must have dozed off at one point during the night because the next thing she knew, she was being lifted out of the bed and moved around. She tried to open her eyes, but found that she couldn�t. She felt weak from the lack of movement. She also hadn�t had anything to eat or drink in the whole time she�d been tied up. She must have made a sound because someone whispered soothingly in her ear. She drifted in and out of consciousness, and even though she knew that she should try to get away, she found that she couldn�t.

The next time she came to she realized that she was sitting up in a chair. A plate of food had been placed in front of her and despite the knowledge that she knew he was obviously trying to poison her or give her something to make her weak, she ate what he had left for her. Her body welcomed the nourishment.

After she was done, Ginny looked around the strange room and was shocked to realize that it looked entirely too familiar. It was actually an almost exact replica of the Head Girl�s room she�d kept at Hogwarts. Minus her bed of course. Even the bookcases looked the same. It gave her a strange feeling to know someone had gone to all this trouble. She realized with a start that she wasn�t tied to the chair and got up and moved around. It felt good to have circulation back into her limbs. Ginny immediately went to the door and tried to open it, but of course it was locked. Ginny then tried to apparate but was met with a resounding nothing as her mind seemed to hit a blank wall. It was obvious he�d made it so she couldn�t go anywhere.

Well, can�t blame a prisoner for trying, she thought glumly to herself and decided to check out the rest of the room.

Whoever had put this room together had obviously seen her room at Hogwarts. The books were correct, the order of the desk, even the family photographs. Well, not exactly. He had transfigured the frames correctly, but inside he had left them empty. Ginny stared at the frame that she knew in reality held a family portrait of her and her brothers and suddenly longed to see a friendly face.

She came across the bureau and her hand lingered on its door. She was only slightly surprised when she opened it to find it full of Hogwarts robes. Ginny had a funny feeling there were all her size too.

There was a noise at the door suddenly and Ginny looked around frantically, trying to see if there was anything she could use to knock the person out. She grabbed the chair at the desk and hurried over to the door, to stand behind it. She nearly dropped it when she heard the voice behind her.

�Oh, please, don�t break that chair, it was particularly hard to transfigure that one correctly.�

Ginny whirled around and saw him then. Still wearing the mask like before. She scowled at him and threw the chair, which he deflected with his wand. The chair fell and broke. He tutted at her.

�Well, I reckon I should have known you�d do it anyway, Ginny.�

�Who are you? Why have you brought me here?� Ginny demanded of him, keeping her distance from him. She moved against the door and felt the doorknob in the small of her back. She was glad she had eaten, it had given her strength.

�You don�t recognize me?� he asked her, his voice soft and menacing.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. �You have a mask on, as if you didn�t know, you bloody git, so no, I don�t.�

He chuckled and twirled his wand in his fingers. �Always so feisty. I�ve always enjoyed that about you, you know.�

He moved abruptly and Ginny reacted too late. He was suddenly pressing close to her, pushing her further into the door. The doorknob jabbed into her and she winced with the pain. She tried to inch her way around it, but he held in place with his body. She could hear his shallow breathing behind his mask and she knew he was excited at the prospect of her being hurt. Ginny didn�t want to follow the logical end of that thought and what it meant to her safety. She tried to calm herself and look demurely back at him.

�You�re scaring me,� she whispered, making her eyes go wide.

�Am I?�

She nodded. Maybe if she could get him to move away from her she could grab one of the heavier books...

He pushed her closer to the door suddenly and Ginny felt her head hit the wood and her back protest in pain at the sharpness of the doorknob being shoved into her too harshly. She blinked at him and heard him laughing.

�Don�t try it,� he said softly.

�Try what?�

�Whatever it was you just thought you�d try. I know you, Ginny. Wide eyes and soft whispers won�t fool me. Now... as much as I enjoy this position, I have to admit there�s another one I�d much like to try first. Maybe it will jog your memory...�

He muttered a spell under his breath and Ginny felt herself go weak and felt herself slipping down to the floor. She couldn�t control her body, it was almost as though he had hit her with a body bind, except in the other direction, loose instead of rigid. She looked up at him and watched as he removed the dark robe he�d been wearing. He began undressing her and Ginny tried to move, to make her body react, but it wouldn�t. It was as though she were wet clay in his hands. He could do anything he wanted to her like this and she wouldn�t be able to stop him. Her mind screamed in protest and she used the only thing she could, her voice.

�I have people who love me you know, they�re going to be looking for me. They�re not going to let you do this. They�ll kill you for this. And if they don�t, then I will,� she added defiantly.

He stopped what he was doing and laughed again. It was unnerving to hear laughter coming out of that strange, featureless mask.

�Oh they�re looking for you my sweet, but I�ve already thought of that. By the time they get through with the person they think did this, I will have already done what I wanted with you many times over, don�t worry. Now... shall we begin?�

Ginny closed her eyes when he touched her and told herself that nothing was happening. She bit her lip in pain and tried to block out the feelings of his hands on her. She went into that place she had inside herself, that place that was only for her and she thought of the one thing, the one person she had to hold onto...

Please hurry, Harry. Please. Find me soon.

As soon as Ginny thought of Harry, the warmth of the ring flared against her skin again and she almost gasped out loud when she realized she was beginning to feel some sort of control return to her body. Not wanting to waste a second she tried to move her leg. It worked! With determination, Ginny brought her knee up and forced up into the back of the man that was holding her down. He exhaled and fell back in surprise and Ginny used her lower body to push herself away from him.

He would have to kill her to touch her again, Ginny thought wildly to herself, inching her way backwards from him. The man cursed and reached out for her, forgetting the wand he�d laid down beside her. Ginny kicked outward again with her foot, feeling it hit something solid. She hoped it was his face. She still felt as though her arms were useless limbs, but the warmth of the ring was traveling through her. She twisted herself around and tried to move herself forward with just her legs.

Come on... just a little bit more, she thought to herself.

�Oh no you don�t, you little whore,� the man yelled at her and Ginny dared a glance back at him. He was aiming his wand at her; about to hit her with another spell when suddenly a loud chiming noise went off somewhere. The man immediately stopped and looked at the door. She heard him curse again and watched as he apparated.

She couldn�t believe he had just left her alone. It was a mistake she was going to use to her best advantage. She closed her eyes and tried to focus all of her energy on her arms, to try to get them to work for her again.

Think of Harry, think of Harry... she repeated to herself over and over again. Ginny felt the warmth of the ring flow into her and almost cried when she realized she could move the fingers on her right hand.

She was going to get out of this room.

It was really a bother to Hermione that she couldn�t apparate. If she ever did find out it was Louis Fagan who had done this to her, she wanted to be able to talk with him alone in an empty room with just her wand. Of course, Hermione reasoned with a frown, if her suspicions were correct, she�d have to wait through Harry and the entire Weasley family to get her chance. But Hermione realized that was fine with her.

She caught up with the search party about an hour later and shushing Ron�s protests when he started telling that her she needed to rest, she thrust the folder into Harry�s hands.

�Hermione, what is this?� Harry asked as he started thumbing through the papers.

�It�s the... Fagan... file,� Hermione said panting, she�d been running the last bit, to catch up with them before they�d changed directions.

�Why do you have a file on Donald Fagan?� Harry asked, not understanding.

Ron looked at her, his lips pursed. He dragged them over to a bench and made her sit down. She smiled at him and nodded to the folder, wanting him to explain while she caught her breath.

�It�s not for Donald, it�s for Louis, his son. Hermione and I were working on something before she had her... attack. A few years ago while you were in America, Louis was charged with attacking Muggle girls and doing things to them. He wasn�t put away because of his father, but he was given a ban on magic. Donald was working on getting the ban removed and Hermione and I were trying to stop him.�

Harry looked up at Ron, a look of dismay on his face. They both then looked at Hermione.

�So... why are you showing this to me now?�

�Read the descriptions of the girls to him, Ron.�

Ron took the folder from Harry�s hands and frowned.

�Er... right, Victoria Johnson, Muggle, blue eyes, red hair. Lauren Jacobs, Muggle, green eyes, red hair... er... Emma Benson, Muggle, blue eyes, red hair... and...� Ron paused, looking up quickly at Hermione in understanding, �Joanna Monaghan, Muggle, brown eyes, red... hair. She was the one he hurt the most, according this report.�

�Don�t you see? Louis has a thing with girls who have red hair and apparently brown eyes, I think that�s why he hurt the last one the most. She probably looks a great deal like Ginny. Like Winifred... and it explains why Mandy�s hair was dyed red. And given Ginny and Louis�s history...�

Harry�s head snapped up from the folder and he looked at her, startled. �What do you mean Louis and Ginny�s history?�

Ron and Hermione shared a glance. Hermione then realized that Ginny had never told Harry the truth about what had happened to her during her seventh year. Harry wasn�t really going to like hearing this was he?

Dammit, Louis thought to himself as he adjusted his robe back over himself. It had to be Dex that had triggered the alarm. Trying to get back in with Susan, no doubt. The fool.

Louis moved down the stairs into the foyer of the house and cursed. There stood Dex, a slumped Susan in his arms, looking worriedly around him.

�What the hell do you think you�re doing?� Louis asked him, his voice harsh.

Dex blinked up at him. �The alarms? You set them? But why? I... look, I found her in my bed... I don�t know how she got there. You�ve got to help...�

�I don�t really have to do anything Dexter. She�s your problem. I told you not to grab her but you didn�t listen did you? I�m not taking the fall for you again. Not this time. Get out.�

Louis stepped in front of the other man, disgust showing on his face. Dex had turned pale at his words and almost dropped the woman in his arms.

�I took her? Are you sure? I... why did I take Susan? This doesn�t make any sense...�

�Psychosis hardly ever does, you git,� Louis waved his wand dismissively and the alarms he had set went quiet. �Now if you don�t mind, I�ve got my own things to attend to-�

�Louis! I don�t remember taking her... I mean, I do, but... something�s not right...� Dex hoisted Susan up higher into his arms and cast a pleading look in his direction. Louis sighed. He should have planted a better memory in the idiot�s head.

�Look, Dex, I don�t care if you toss her off the pier. Just get her and yourself out of here. I refuse to be the fall guy for your twisted games...� Louis shoved at Dex, as though to prove a point and the other man nodded absentmindedly.

�Right, right...� Dex was saying, his voice high-pitched. �I�ll just... I�ll take her to the alley... right...�

A sudden breaking noise came from somewhere deep in the house and Louis turned his head towards the sound. Dammit, he�d left Ginny alone and far too alert up there. Louis turned to Dex and saw him staring up the stairway. Louis needed to get him out of here.

With a final push of his hand, Louis was shoving Dex out of the house. He didn�t care if anyone saw it happen as he closed the door tightly behind him. He took the stairs two at a time, to get back to Ginny. She�d better not have wrecked the room he�d so painstakingly recreated. He�d have to teach her a lesson about manners.

Hermione took a deep breath and gave Harry a weary look.

�What?� Harry asked, anger in his voice. �Tell me Hermione, why would Ginny and Louis Fagan have a past?�

�Er, well, remember Harry, when you left Hogwarts-�

�When you ran away from Hogwarts and my sister,� Ron corrected and Hermione put a hand on his arm. It wouldn�t help them for Ron to get over-brotherly for this discussion.

�When you left Hogwarts, well, Ginny she... there�s no polite way to put this really-�

�Why don�t you just spit it out then?� Harry asked crossly.

�Well, Ginny fell ill? You remember? Well, that was a result of something that had happened between her and Louis. I never understood it for the longest time, until just recently, really. But Ginny confided to us the other day that she slept with Louis when she found out about you and Cho. He was horrible to her about it. Talked about her to everyone. I didn�t stop to think that Louis might have done something to her, something that made her black out. Ginny claims it was consensual but...� Hermione paused and glanced at Ron.

�I don�t buy that,� he nodded at her. �I think the git took advantage of her and she let him because-�

�Because she was upset about me, obviously, right?� Harry said, his voice low.

�Ginny knows she made a mistake, let�s not dwell on the who or the why,� Hermione said, trying to be diplomatic. �She was feeling upset and she tried to take comfort from someone else. What matters now is... well, does Louis have an obsession with her because of it? Has he been behind this all along?�

The three of them stared at each other for a moment and then Harry shook his head.

�Come on, Ron,� he said curtly, thrusting the folder back into Hermione�s hands. �We�re going to find that git and have a little talk with him. They should have an address for him at the Ministry, right?�

�Now listen you two, I don�t want you popping off and beating him to a pulp based on circumstantial evidence. We should tell Mr. Weasley about this, and Remus. Perhaps Amelia can have Donald bring his son in-�

�Hermione!� Ron said, exasperated, �Do you really think we�re going to do this the mature, rational way? Come on, he may be the reason you got sick-�

Harry stopped and turned around. He looked at them. �What do you mean he�s the reason Hermione got sick?�

Ron nodded. �Neville, he purchased the Siliwhatever from the Fagan�s shop. I think he did it to get her out of the way for the hearing they were having about his magical ban.�

�I said it before, you know we can�t prove that Ron,� Hermione said, but even to her, her voice sounded strangely unemphatic.

�How long have you two known about this?� Harry asked suddenly.

�Er, well-� Ron started and Hermione interrupted him.

�Since before the incident at the prison. The day I came home from St. Mungo�s Ginny found the folder in my things and she naturally jumped to the same conclusion as Ron-�

�Ginny never mentioned it to me,� Harry said, thoughtfully. �But she had a strange reaction when I was talking to Tonks about Donald Fagan-�

�She didn�t know you worked for him in America, did she?� Hermione asked.

�No, she didn�t. But then the thing with Draco happened and-�

Hermione suddenly had a strange, yet interesting thought about Draco�s escape but was stopped from following it through by hearing Neville calling for Harry and Ron.

The other man came running up to them, his skin flushed and his eyes wide.

�Neville! What is it? Have they found something about Ginny?� Ron asked.

Neville shook his head and took a deep breath. �No, not Ginny, but... Susan. They found her! And... they caught the man who took her. You guys will never believe it, it was Dex! He was trying to put her in that alley where Ginny found Winifred and Fred and George caught him. They have him in custody right now!�

The three of them just looked at each other, in disbelief. Hermione shook her head to clear it. Dex? He was the one responsible? It just couldn�t be!