Chapter Forty Three:

Harry knew something was wrong as soon as he appeared on his balcony. The doors were wide open for one, and as he looked into the room he saw that the bed was empty. He also noticed the untouched Sleeping Draught as well.

Bloody hell, Ginny. Why couldn�t you just do one thing I asked you to do?

Harry moved through the room quickly, also noticing that the bathrobe she�d had on was tossed carelessly across the bed and the clothes she�d had out before were gone. Harry walked into the living room, expecting to find at least Hermione, but the flat was empty.

Where had they all gone? Had something happened? Turning around again, Harry made his way back to his balcony and apparated again. Hopefully, they�d all be at the Ministry waiting for him.

Hermione was the first to notice the Aurors returning, as her and Molly waited in Ginny�s office, having had no luck with finding anyone to talk to. She saw a familiar red head walk by with them and called out to him.

�Charlie!�

Charlie Weasley stopped and popped his head in through the open door.

�Mum, Hermione, what are you two doing here?�

�Your sister left Harry�s flat, on some work business. We were hoping to run into one of you here, but you�d all left already. Tell me, did you get Malfoy?�

Charlie nodded enthusiastically and filled them in. Hermione gasped when Charlie explained how Draco had died. She couldn�t believe Harry would let himself get that angry, but then she reckoned that if anyone had had it coming, it would have been Draco. Charlie was just about at the end when Ron and Bill went walking by and Hermione pulled away from where she�d been standing to stop them.

�Hermione, why are you here-� Ron started to ask her, but she interrupted him.

�Where�s Harry?�

�Harry left the scene early, he wanted to check on Ginny. I�m assuming he popped back to his flat,� Ron looked in and saw his mother and Charlie talking. �Why are you and Mum here? Why isn�t someone staying with Ginny?�

�Ginny left and didn�t tell anyone, she got a note from Dex about Mandy Brocklehurst. Your father and Neville went to get her. Your mother and I thought we�d catch you before you guys left, but-�

�So after Harry, Dad and Mum all told Ginny specifically not to do anything except rest, she popped out to do some work?� Bill asked, incredulously.

Hermione nodded and Bill shook his head. �There�s more, Neville thinks Susan Bones is missing and...� Hermione paused and pulled out the note Ginny had left. �Dex told Ginny that whoever had kidnapped Mandy had left a clue for her specifically. Which of course-�

�Made my little sister run right out to sort it all out,� Ron said, exasperated. �Brilliant. Well, hopefully Dad gives her a serious talking to.�

�Well, I reckon it�s a good thing you caught up with Draco as fast as you did, really. Now at least we don�t have to worry about anything happening to Ginny,� Hermione said, logically.

�Except the row she�s going to have with Harry when he realizes she went out without anyone with her. I don�t fancy being around for that one,� Ron said as Bill nodded, chuckling.

�Hermione!�

They all turned to see Harry heading fast down the hallway. He looked angry and didn�t say hello when he reached them.

�Where�s Ginny?�

�She�s gone into work, she received a note from Dex about the case they�ve been working on-�

�So she�s in her office?� Harry said as he made to push by them.

�No, she�s at St. Mungo�s. I know you�re mad at her, we all are, but at least now that Draco�s out of the picture-�

Harry cursed and took off down the hallway again without explaining himself. Hermione stared after him and then looked at Ron, waiting for an explanation. However, it was Bill that spoke.

�Draco said a few things, before he ah... died. I think Harry�s just trying to get a bit of peace of mind about the whole thing. He�ll feel better as soon as he finds her, I�m sure. Come on bro, let�s go do our bit for the Auror�s report. The quicker we do that, the quicker we can all go home and eat.�

Ron nodded at Bill and gave Hermione a quick hug before they headed back down the hallway. Hermione frowned in unease. Harry had seemed much too agitated and the bad feeling she�d had when she�d discovered Ginny had left came back to her. Hermione turned and followed Ron and Bill to the Auror�s Department. She wanted to know exactly what Draco had said.

Harry arrived at St. Mungo�s and was inquiring at the front desk about where he could find Ginny and Dex when he saw an upset Neville and Mr. Weasley coming down the stairs.

�Neville, Arthur... where�s Ginny?�

�Harry! What are you doing here, has Draco been caught?� Mr. Weasley asked him.

Harry nodded impatiently. �We found him in an alleyway, out by the docks. I�m sure Bill or Remus can fill you in with the specifics. Draco�s dead though. He...� Harry paused, not sure how to explain it. He shook his head and decided to just tell the truth. �I used too strong a spell on him and he was hurt internally. I take full responsibility for it, sir. But all I really want to know right now is where Ginny is.�

�We were wondering the same, Harry. She left the flat after she got a note from Dex and came here to check on the girl that had been missing. The girl�s sister says Ginny became ill and Dex sent her out to get a potion to help Ginny and when she came back they were gone. I�m assuming Dex took her home-�

�No, I just came from there. They weren�t there. Unless we just missed each other. Why was Ginny sick? What�s happened?�

�Well, apparently, whoever kidnapped Mandy Brocklehurst is the same one who took the Eaton girl. And they left a little... souvenir on Mandy�s back. I�m afraid there seems to be some connection between the girls disappearing and Ginny.�

Harry felt all the blood turn to ice inside of him. �What?�

Neville nodded, and Harry noticed the other man looked pale.

�He carved Ginny�s name into her back, Harry... it�s... awful. And... he dyed her hair red and...� Neville stopped, biting his lip. Harry watched as Mr. Weasley put a shaky hand on Neville�s shoulder.

�Neville thinks Susan is missing. We were just about to check with Amelia, to see if she�s seen her niece.�

Harry nodded absentmindedly at them, his thoughts already racing. Maybe Dex had taken Ginny home. Harry felt scared suddenly as he remembered Draco�s words... �He�s going to take her from you Harry and there�s nothing you can do...�

Harry met Mr. Weasley�s eyes and saw the other man was worried too and he didn�t even have the knowledge of Draco�s voice in his head, taunting him, like Harry did.

�I�m going to go back home and see if she�s there. Maybe I just missed her.�

�Okay, Harry. Come on, Neville. Let�s go see Amelia.. We shouldn�t jump to conclusions about things, right? Harry you�ll let us know anything as soon as you can, right?�

Harry nodded and once again, found himself heading home. He hoped this time he found what he was looking for.

Ginny felt herself falling. Maybe it was through time or maybe it was just in her mind, she wasn�t sure. Her head felt as though it had been pried open and she had a bad taste in her mouth. The darkness pressed against her eyelids and she twisted away into it, feeling herself let go. A strange nausea overcame her and she felt weighted, as though she were being held down by something.

But something kept her conscious. Maybe it was force of will or some sort of inner mechanism that just refused to do what the poison wanted. But the longer Ginny held on, the more aware of things she became. She heard noises, like heavy breathing and then whispers that her mind strained to understand. But the heaviness of something else would flood out her control and she�d be floating again... she felt something moving over her and she knew it was the reason she felt lost. Her skin prickled and she tried to move but knew it was pointless. She couldn�t seem to hold onto one coherent thought for too long and so she just let herself drift away...

But she was becoming aware of the slightly warm sensation around her hand, more specifically, around her finger. It was coming from the small wooden ring that Harry had given her and although Ginny didn�t know it, it was this thing that would eventually bring her back to herself. It was this that would allow her to be awake within the hell that she had somehow found herself in.

Louis could hardly believe it as he watched her, sleeping. Twisting as the rope worked its way around her. Something close to pure happiness snaked through him. She was his.

Of course, it was ahead of schedule and he�d had to adjust everything, but in the end what did it matter? Ginny was within his reach again and he could almost feel his heart beat quicker at the prospect. Oh what he would do... oh what he would feel again. He had been angry when his partner had brought her round. So angry in fact that he had beat the other man, but in the end he�d realized that he should accept this for what it was- a gift. So he had more time with Ginny, this was a good thing, yes?

Louis gazed at his love again and smiled to himself, unconsciously licking his lips. Yes, it was a very good thing.

Harry found Dex almost immediately. The man was lying face down in front of the opened balcony doors, a huge bump already starting to swell on the back of his head.

Harry turned him over and noticed his face was bruised as well. Harry used his wand to try to wake him.

A few moments later Dex was blinking up at him, his eyes unfocused. Harry looked around for the man�s glasses and found them under the bed. He sat Dex up and handed them to him.

�What happened? Where�s Ginny?� he asked the other man, his voice controlled.

Dex blinked rapidly and looked like he was struggling with thinking. Harry felt frustration eating away at him and it took all his self-control not to slap Dex in the face to snap him out of it.

�I... was putting her in the bed and someone hit me from behind... I don�t-� Dex broke off and looked around, his eyes wide. �She�s not here, is she?�

Harry frowned and stood back up, heading out into the living room, but already knowing the answer. Ginny was not to be found.

Harry marched back into the bedroom and squatted down again in front of Dex.

�Dexter I want you to tell me everything that�s happened. Starting from the first moment you saw her today. Don�t leave anything out, no matter how insignificant you think it is.�

Dex nodded and eyed Harry with a strange look. Before Harry could question it, Dex began to tell him his story.

Dex�s story was such that had Ginny actually been around, Harry may have strangled her. Or at least, had a few choice words about the lack of information she�d shared with him. Ginny had never told him that Winifred had awoken and spooked at her name. Of course, he reckoned in retrospect that they�d had other things to deal with, but still. Didn�t she think he would want to know if someone was going around nabbing girls with red hair and calling them Ginny?

Hermione and Ron showed up sometime after Dex was finished and Harry made him tell them what he already knew. Ron�s reaction was much like Harry�s own.

�Damn it, why didn�t she tell anyone about this?�

�Ron, she just found out about Mandy today, and you were all out looking for Draco. I�m sure in normal circumstances she would have said something eventually,� Hermione said, matter of fact.

Harry and Ron both snorted at her and she shook her head.

�Regardless, we now have two missing girls, both of them friends-�

Dex popped his head up. �Two? Who else?�

�Susan Bones. Well, at least Neville thinks she�s missing. He just hasn�t been able to locate her.�

Dex seemed to pale at the thought, which Harry registered as an odd reaction, he didn�t think Dex knew who Susan Bones even was.

�What I want to know,� said Ron, interrupting Harry�s thoughts. �Is how whoever took Ginny knew that you�d be bringing her back to Harry�s flat and how he got in to begin with.�

Harry shook his head in embarrassment. �The balcony. It was left wide open and er... I never set up any anti-apparation or permission spells around it. Anyone can pretty much come and go as they please.�

Harry turned away from the watchful eye of Hermione, self-conscious because he really should have been smarter about the whole thing. But then he hadn�t expected Ginny to be the target of anything either, had he?

Yeah, but as soon as you knew Draco was out and about you should have done it first thing, you git.

Harry really hated it when the little voice in his head was right. He shook his head to make it shut up and tried to concentrate on what Ron was saying.

�...Right, Hermione... yeah, okay but... this must be a person who was watching Ginny then. Someone who was watching the flat,� Ron said as he walked over to the balcony and looked out. �Maybe it�s someone who lives across the courtyard. Otherwise how would they know your doors were open?�

Harry admitted Ron had a point. From the front of the flat you would never know the balcony doors were open. He looked at Dex suddenly.

�Was Ginny conscious when you brought her back?�

Dex blinked up at him, his hand still rubbing his head. �Yeah, a bit. She told me she�d left the balcony doors open. I was going to take her to her place, but...� Dex�s voice ran out quietly.

Harry felt anger and frustration going through him again. This was pointless. Who really cared how the person got in... the only thing that mattered was getting Ginny back. With that in mind, Harry twirled around and started to head towards the front door when Hermione stopped him.

�Where are you going?�

�Out to find her.�

�And exactly where is that?�

�I don�t know, but it�s better than standing around here talking about things. Every moment she�s gone is another moment she can be hurt.�

�Harry, let us get Dad and the rest of the Aurors and everyone else out there looking. He can�t have taken her far. She was sick, right Dex?� Ron asked the other man.

Dex nodded. �She had a reaction to seeing her name on Mandy�s back. I think she sort of... I don�t know. Maybe had a psychic reaction. Like she did in Winifred�s apartment the other day, except stronger.�

�Then why didn�t you leave her in the bloody hospital to be looked after,� Harry said quietly, narrowing his eyes at Dex.

Dex shook his head. �She didn�t want to stay, Harry, I told you. She insisted I bring her home. To your bed. She wanted to be here when you came back.�

There was something accusatory in Dex�s voice that Harry didn�t like and he wasn�t going to stand for it. If anyone was in the wrong here, it was Dex. He was the one who�d been stupid enough to get his head bashed in.

Hermione must a read a bit of what he was feeling on his face because she reached out and patted his hand. She turned towards Dex.

�Dex, come with me into the loo, let me look at that bump and put a cold washcloth on it. Are you feeling dizzy at all still?�

Dex mumbled something and Hermione led him away from Harry. Harry cursed and kicked the bed.

�Harry, come on, it�s not really his fault,� Ron said after a moment.

�Oh yeah? Don�t you that think one of us would have made her be looked at by one of the medi-witches instead of bringing her back here?�

�Yeah, probably, but we�re just as stubborn as Ginny is. Dex isn�t like that. Besides... you know he�s sort... well, he let�s her get away with a lot of things, mostly because of his feelings for her.�

�And what? I don�t have feelings for her?�

�I didn�t say that Harry-�

�Just because I don�t let her walk all over me doesn�t mean-�

�Harry!� Ron raised his voice, breaking through to him. �Would you just let it go? Blaming Dex isn�t helping us find her. She�s my sister, don�t you think I�m about half way to chucking him out the door, myself? Right now he�s the last person to see her and we need that. He also knows more about the case probably than either of us put together. I don�t bloody well fancy watching you take your anger out on him because you�re feeling guilty. It�s a waste of time.�

Harry stared at Ron in anger and shock. Then he felt embarrassed again. Draco had taunted him with this very thing; he could hardly believe it. Even dead, the git was probably still laughing at him.

Hermione came out of the lavatory and looked at Harry, who had his hands in a fist at his side. She approached him warily.

�Harry, Dex needs some medical attention. We should see him to St. Mungo�s. Then we can contact everyone else and start a plan of action. Dex says you should probably start with the Eaton girl, since Mandy is still asleep.�

Harry nodded silently. Hermione led Dex out of the room and Ron followed them, glancing at Harry. Harry stared at the bed. Just this morning he�d woken up, secretly engaged and very happy. The thought of someone harming Ginny felt like a knife twisting in his heart. He didn�t know how long he could remain in control of his feelings. He didn�t want to think about what the other girls had been put through; he didn�t want to think about Ginny going through that as well. If one hair on her head was harmed, Harry knew he wouldn�t need a wand to kill whoever it was that had taken her. He�d be able to do it with his bare hands without a second thought.

Getting everyone together to start looking for Ginny didn�t take as long as Harry thought it would. Still pretty much keyed up because of the Draco incident, the Ministry�s Auror Department responded without delay. Something that Harry was grateful for, considering he�d left the group for five years. It was a testament to Ginny and to the Weasley�s in general that everyone got immediately to work.

Remus and Tonks joined him now at St. Mungo�s, waiting for the okay to talk to Winifred. They had moved the girl to the third floor and the medi-witch on duty was being a bit tetchy about the whole thing.

Harry flipped through the notes that Dex had given him and didn�t see anything out of the ordinary. Dex and Ginny had started to question Winifred and the girl had become emotional, which was understandable. Harry hoped someone somewhere could forgive him for what he was now going to put the poor girl through. Harry wanted some answers about the person who was doing this and he wasn�t going to shy away from getting them.

Lupin saw the determined look on Harry�s face and cleared his throat. Harry�s met his eyes.

�I�m trying to figure out the best way to do this,� he said after a moment.

Remus nodded. �Good, because for a moment there I was worried you were about to go into her room and demand she tell you everything.�

Harry swallowed hard and didn�t say anything. Remus sighed. �Harry, I know you�ve got a hundred and one different emotions inside you now, but remember, Winifred Eaton has been through something terrible and she�s in a fragile mental state. Forcing her is not going to-�

�She can probably help find Ginny with what she knows, I�m not going to demand anything of her but I will push her if I think she might know something I need to know,� Harry said stubbornly.

�Then you�re no better than the man that put her in that bed in there,� Remus said simply, his eyes showing disappointment.

Harry snapped his head up. �How can you say that? I�m trying to help her! I�m trying to catch the person who did this...�

�No, you�re trying to find your lover and you�re thinking that every second she�s missing is another second that whoever did this is hurting her. Your concern isn�t with anyone other than Ginny. My concern is with making sure you don�t make Winifred even more of a victim here.�

Harry threw the parchment he�d been reading at Remus�s feet. He turned around and pushed past Tonks, who had been listening. He heard her call after him but heard Remus tell her to let him go. Harry wasn�t sure who he was angry at, himself or Remus or Ginny or...

He entered one of the empty rooms and slammed the door shut behind him, the noise echoing through the ward. Harry realized with a start that it was the same room he and Ginny had been in the other day, kissing, laughing...

Harry didn�t even realize he had punched the wall until he felt the pain in his hand. He groaned and slid slowly down the wall, holding his hand. At least the pain cleared his head a bit. At least he could think straight.

It was true all he was thinking of was Ginny. What did Remus expect? For him to remain calm and collected?

Yeah, of course he does, because you�re a better wizard than that and you know it.

He didn�t want to hurt Winifred, he just wanted answers. He wanted to know everything she could remember about the place she�d been taken so that he could go out and find it and find Ginny. Why was that a bad thing?

Ginny�s face flashed in his mind and Harry banged his head against the wall. He should have made sure she�d taken that Sleeping Draught. He should have protected her more. He should have never let his anger get away from him and allowed himself to hit Draco with such a strong spell. He should have forced him to tell them what he knew about someone wanting Ginny. He should have...

Harry reckoned he could on like this all night and in the end, the result would be the same. This wasn�t helping his cause any, was it? This wasn�t getting him anywhere.

�Harry?�

Harry looked up and saw Tonks looking at him, her face concerned. She dropped down beside him and looked at the hole in the wall above his head and then at his hand. She shook her head.

�Did it at least make you feel better?�

�No.�

�Let me see,� Tonks took his hand into hers and unclasped the fingers. Harry winced and she clucked her tongue. �Well, I don�t think you broke anything, but have a medi-witch look at it.�

Harry nodded and tried to pull his hand away but Tonks held on. He met her eyes.

�Don�t be too cross at Remus, Harry. He loves you, you know. And he loves Ginny. He wants to find her as much as you do, believe me. But he has such... he has a big heart when it comes to other people and he doesn�t want anyone to hurt anymore than they already have.�

Harry looked away. He felt ashamed now and felt his eyes water. Tonks hugged him, awkwardly, her body trying to pull his forward. Harry welcomed the softness and relaxed for the first time in hours. A moment later Tonks pulled away and smiled at him.

�Better now?�

�Yeah. A bit. I�m... I�m sorry.�

�You don�t have to apologize to me, Harry. I�m not the one you just threw a fit at.�

Harry nodded. �Good point.�

He tried to stand up and she helped, making sure not to grab his injured hand. He really did feel better. Calmer. He looked at Tonks and gave her what he hoped was a smile.

�Come on,� she said. �Winifred is ready to see us. Let�s hope she�s ready to talk as well.�

Harry nodded and used his wand to repair the hole in the wall his fist had made. His hand gave a dull throb of pain as he tried to flex his fingers. Harry hoped Winifred Eaton could help them or he might just run out of body parts that he could hurt in frustration.

Ginny felt pain at first and groaned as she tried to move her head. Her arms were away from her body and she wasn�t sure why at first, until she tried to move them and realized they were tied to something. Wincing and squeezing her eyes shut tighter she took a deep breath and then forced her eyes to open. The bright light shocked her and it took a moment for her eyes to focus. When what she was seeing finally did register in her mind, she gasped in surprise.

There were dozens of paintings hanging on the walls. Most were like the ones she had seen at Matilda Bowering�s. Except for one small fact. They were all of her.

Ginny�s eyes moved from painting to painting in fascination. There she was sitting at a desk in a peach colored dress, deep in thought, a half-empty potions bottle next her. There she was sitting at a loom, hands behind her head, her expression vacant as she stared off into something not seen from the angle of the painting. Each painting was done in the same style. If it wasn�t so incredibly creepy to see your own face staring out at you from different views, Ginny might have thought they were beautiful. Until she saw the last painting that had been placed against the wall almost carelessly, and she knew that whoever had painted these had left it there for a reason. It was so she wouldn�t notice it at first.

It was a painting of a woman, her hair long and red. She had her back to the viewer�s eyes, but it didn�t matter because she was gazing into a long ornate mirror. Her hands were behind her ears as though she had just finished primping her hair. She wore a light gossamer gown over a tightly woven bodice the color of lilacs. The face in the mirror was not Ginny�s, although she did sense some sort of recognition when she gazed at it. From the pose of the woman you would assume her expression to be one of self-admiration or self-awareness, but instead the painter had put an almost dream-like quality to her face as she watched herself. It was a look that said she was in love with what see saw. It was a look that made Ginny uncomfortable and she wasn�t sure why. There was too much in that expression- too much to just be seen in a mirror.

Ginny tore her eyes away from it and tried to figure out where she was. Other than the paintings, the room was nondescript. She was on a small bed, with dark blue sheets and blankets. They had been pulled up over her, almost as though someone had tucked her in. She pulled again on her arms and almost cried out when she felt the ropes move tightly around her. She glanced up and realized the ropes were moving as she struggled. As she moved her finger across the surface of the rope it tried to coil around her even more. The ropes appeared to be alive.

Her legs were not tied down, but they were immobile and she knew that he had probably put a spell on her to keep her from thrashing around too much. Ginny tried to think back to the last thing that had happened, but her mind was blank. In fact, her mind was too blank. Ginny frowned and tried to concentrate on what she had been doing before she had ended up here.

She didn�t know. She felt the heaviness of the stone still around her neck, locked away safely in its pouch and cursed. She�d love to be able to meditate now, to try to make some sense out of everything. The only thing she could do was to get one of her arms untied, somehow...

�Well, well, look who�s awake. You�re fast, I have to give you that. Much faster than any of the others. But then you always were special, weren�t you my love?�

Ginny lifted her head to peer at the door that had opened and what she saw made her heart beat madly in her chest.

She was in a lot of trouble.

After Louis was finished with Ginny, he closed the door, smiling to himself. He removed the mask he�d worn, whistling softly. He made his way into the room he�d turned into a small kitchen and frowned as he saw the darkness. Before he could light one of the wall sconces, he heard the flare of a match and one of the candles on the table was lit.

�What have you�ve been doing, Louis?�

Louis smiled and walked over to the table. He stared at the man and shook his head as he sat down. The other man merely looked at him, the light of the candle reflecting off of his glasses.

�Why nothing at all, my friend. Just welcoming Ginny home the proper way.�

The other man blinked at him in anger. �You said I was going to have her first.�

Louis sat back and put his hands behind his head. He sneered at his partner. �That, my friend, was what mother used to call a piecrust promise, easily made and oh, so easily broken. Surely you must be used to disappointment by now? But anyway, I merely welcomed her home. Didn�t have time to do anything else just yet. I must say she seemed quite disappointed-�

�What have you done with Susan?� The other man interrupted him.

Louis blinked and then shook his head. �I�d almost forgotten about her. Aye. She�s in the other room. I barely had time to put the rope around her, before you interrupted me with your gift,� he shrugged and sat forward in his chair, a grin breaking across his face. �I don�t need her now; you can have her if you want.�

The other man made a movement as though to strike him, but Louis was too quick. With a flick of the wand he�d managed to get in his hand, he uttered the lighting spell and the room flared into bright light. The other man blinked in confusion and cursed as Louis aimed his wand at him.

�I�m going to pretend you didn�t just try to hit me... Dexter,� Louis�s voice said his name softly. �After all, you did bring her to me. I�m sorry if you feel as though I�ve reneged on our deal. You should have known it was coming. When have I ever played fair?�

Louis grinned at Dexter again and then smiled. Before Dex could protect himself, Louis was uttering another spell and this one was much more damning then bright lights in a darkened room.

�Obliviate,� Louis said softly and the surprise on Dexter�s face was replaced by one of calm. �Now listen to me brother, and listen well, you�ve been bad again. You�ve been taking girls and doing all sorts of miserable things to them. You need to hide the truth, Dex... you need to make sure they don�t find out about you...�

Louis�s voice carried on as he filled in the memories he�d just erased from Dexter�s mind. When he was satisfied, he stunned the man in front of him, just to be sure and watched with some small joy as Dex slumped forward onto the table.

Humming again, Louis got up from the table and plucked three hairs from Dexter�s head. Going over to a bubbling cauldron, he dropped them into an open cup and then poured some of the mixture he�d been brewing into it. Just a bit of Polyjuice, to make sure that Dexter hadn�t done anything detrimental like tell anyone anything about him. He smiled after he changed into Dexter and walked over to the man, plucking the glasses off his face. He transfigured his clothes to look like Dexter�s and then used his wand to make the bruises along his face appear. Satisfied that everyone would think he was who he said he was, Louis paused outside of Ginny�s door, listening. No sound came from within.

�That�s my girl,� Louis said softly to himself. �No crying for you, is there? You�re made of stronger stuff.�

When Louis got back, perhaps he�d be able to finally make her cry. At least a little.