Second Chances

Barty rolled over in bed, feeling the sheets tangling around his legs. His hands groped blindly around for Hermione but found the bed empty. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes, slowly sitting up.

“You have serious bed hair,” She was sat on the footboard of the bed, wearing his shirt. Only his shirt, her legs were parted slightly giving him a view that ignited a fire in his groin. “Toast?” She asked, holding up a slice of toast she’d been eating.

“Not hungry for food,” he growled, making her eyes flash at him, her desire obvious.

“Patience is a virtue.” She smiled and stood, using the post of the four-poster to twist around and put the toast onto a trolley standing at the end of the bed. He waited for her to turn back but she didn’t. Gripping the post the moved her leg around and spun, ending up with the post between her and Barty.

His eyes moved over the sight of her, one of her legs wrapped around the post, showing him a lot of flesh but not enough. She hung slightly out from the post, a sly smile on her face. “Although if you can’t manage patience, you could just come and get me. That could be considered virtuous.”

“Oh believe me,” He said, his voice dark with desire as he sat up, “Unless you climb up here right now I’ll be coming to get you.”

“Promises, promises,” She said, laughing. Slowly she unhooked her leg from around the post and turned sliding back onto the bed itself and crawling up towards him. “Binky brought breakfast, don’t you think we should eat something?”

“Later,” He said making her laugh with his echo of her words. He pulled her up roughly and pinned her to the bed beside him, moving between her thighs. Slowly he unbuttoned her shirt, “I like you wearing my clothes,” he bent and kissed her breasts a few times before he took one of her nipples in his mouth, “But I have to say I prefer you wearing nothing at all.”

A hesitant knock sounded on the door making him groan against her nipple, “Hold on,” he whispered pulling the sheet up and over her form before he covered his own dignity as best he could, “Yes?” He called.

“Many pardons Master Crouch,” Binky’s voice said from the open doorway though they couldn’t see her for the foot of the bed. “But someone’s here to see the Mistress.”

He felt Hermione shift under him, “I’ve already told her to call me by my name,” She pushed him off her and sat up holding the sheet to her front, “Who is it Binky?”

“She says her name is Ginny Weasley Mistress,” Hermione could see Binky shifting from foot to foot and staring at the ground.

“Okay,” Hermione said, looking at Barty and reaching for his shirt, “I’ll be back. Do me a favour,” She climbed up and reached for a pair of her jeans that Binky had brought in this morning. Bending she kissed his lips, “Eat something.”

“Aye, aye Captain,” He joked as she went to the door following the fast moving silhouette of Binky.

They walked down a long corridor that looked very much like the ones in Hogwarts, expansive with oak, polished floors and the occasional runner rug. The panelled walls containing the occasional oil painting. Hermione had long gotten past the eerie feeling of their eyes literally watching her as she walked past, the hiss of occasional speech.

“Miss Ginny is in here Mistress,” Binky stopped by a large oak door that was open.

Peering in Hermione could see Ginny seated in a high back chair though her face is turned away, looking out of the window. “Thanks,” Hermione said, walking through the door before quickly sticking her head back out again, “Binky? Get some practise in, it’s Hermione. Okay?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Binky replied bowing and disappearing with a pop.

Hermione sighed, “It’ll take,” she mumbled. She walked into the room, her bare feet feeling the cold on the now stone floor. It was almost medieval in this room, “Ginny?”

Ginny appeared to jump as Hermoine approached, shoving her hands deep into her pockets and allowing her hair to fall over her face. “You got him off then?” Her voice was hoarse to Hermiones ears.

“Yeah, Fudge pardoned him. Ginny, what’s the matter?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ginny’s voice sounded worse and Hermoine turned, searching around. She could see a decanter of something amber on the side with a few glasses.

“Do you want a drink? I don’t know what it is, probably alcoholic but-”

“Yeah, might as well.” Ginny replied, her face turning to the window again.

Hermione moved to the side and poured her a small amount of the stuff, smelled like whiskey to her. Walking back over she held out the glass which slowly Ginny’s hand moved to take. As she clasped the glass Hermione saw the bruising and cuts there.

“What happened?” Hermione said, trying to take her hand but Ginny withdrew it too quickly.

“You don’t want to know,” Ginny’s lifted the glass to her lips and downed the liquid. As she did Hermione saw her face properly in the morning light streaming through the window. Her eyes were blood shot and swollen, a small scratch was visible under her eye and Hermione froze, her hand groping for the back of the other chair for support.

“Alcohol,” Ginny said, her smile terrifying Hermione. “It’s a great thing, isn’t it? Makes you feel like a new woman. Remember the last Christmas party? Man, you were drunk. Did you feel like a new woman then Hermione?”

“What?” Hermione felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.

“Oh yeah, I remember that night, you were off you head.” Ginny moved to the fireplace putting down the glass, “Do you remember that night Hermione?”

“Yes,” Hermione’s voice was only a whisper.

“That was the first time right?” Ginny turned back to her slowly; new tears falling from her eyes, “The first time you let him touch you?”

“What did Harry say?”

“He told me all about it,” Ginny sneered, wiping another tear from her face, “Everything. How he had you up against the wall like a whore. Did you think of me? Did he?”

“Ginny, I’m sorry I didn’t-”

“Know what you were doing? If it were just that once I’d have agreed with you but it wasn’t was it? How could you Hermione?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Hermione whispered trying to get closer to Ginny who kept taking a step away. Hermione finally flopped down into a chair. “I didn’t want any of it. You’ve said it too Ginny, Harry’s hard to say no to.”

“I didn’t mean for you!” Ginny yelled, her hand flashing out and knocking her glass to the ground where it smashed. “I was his fiancée! What he wanted from me, what he took from me was something he was allowed! You should have been stronger than that!”

“Well I’m not!” Hermione shouted back, a hand running through her still messy hair, “I am not this amazing woman Ginny! I wish everyone would stop thinking of me that way! I’m not perfect, I’m not infallible and I’m not that strong! I can’t keep living up to this ideal people have of me.”

A loud crack halted Ginnys retort as Binky appeared standing in front Hermione, “You’re not to shout at Mistress!”

“Binky, it’s okay,” Hermione said, raising her head from where it was resting in her hands.

“But she’s breaking things and shouting Mistress.” Binky insisted, eyeing Ginny.

“She’s upset,” Hermione replied reaching out a hand and touching Binky on the shoulder, “She has every right to be. It’s fine.”

With a look at Hermione Binky disappeared with another crack. Hermione looked up at Ginny, “Sit down Ginny. When did Harry tell you this?”

“He was waiting at the Burrow when we got back last night,” Ginny said, reluctantly taking the seat opposite her.

“Did he say why he suddenly decided to tell you?” Hermione asked.

“He said…” Ginny looked down at her knees, “He said he’d had enough of the person he’d become. He wanted to make things right.”

“Hell of a way to do it,” Hermione sighed.

“He said he does love me.”

“I know he does,” Hermione replied, still holding her head in her hands, “It was never a question of that, Gin. He was confused after everything. He fought hard and nearly lost you. You were taken, Ginny. You nearly died. That kind of thing puts a strain on the strongest relationships. The real question is do you trust him when he says he wants to make things right?”

“As much as I’m sure I shouldn’t, I do.”

“Your answers there,” Hermione said, “What does he plan to do?”

“He wouldn’t say.” Ginny replied, “He’s gone though.”

“Gone?” Hermione sat up straight, “Gone where?”

“I don’t know, he’s taken some essentials from the house and disappeared.” Hermione could see the tears welling up in Ginny’s eyes. “I don’t know if he’s coming back.”

“He will,” Hermione said, the amount of conviction in her voice almost convincing her, “Harry isn’t someone to run from a problem. He’ll have gone to confront whatever it is that has him acting the way he was.”

Hermione slowly stood moving towards Ginny as though she were a startled animal. She carefully got down on her knees by her chair and gently lifted one of Ginny’s hands, “How did this happen Gin?”

“I…” She looked away trying to pull back her hand, “I’m not proud of what I did.”

“What did you do?”

“I hurt him,” Ginny whispered, new tears falling, “I hit him once and couldn’t stop. He was a mess when he left. I didn’t think I was capable of that.”

“Hey,” Hermione said, lifting her hand to cup Ginny’s cheek, wiping away a tear with her thumb, “You did what any woman would have. The difference is you’ve had to fight for your life before. That makes you a formidable foe. He won’t hold it against you so you shouldn’t hold it against yourself.”

“I just…” Ginny swallowed, “I can’t… It hurts,” she cried out, “God it feels like he’s ripped my heart of my chest. I feel like my body’s being pulled apart slowly.”

Hermione reached up and pulled Ginny down into her arms as she sobbed. She sat cradling her, Ginnys small fame shaking violently and occasionally hiccoughing against her. Hermione just stroked her hair and whispered pointless things that outside of something like this had no real purpose.

A while later Hermione stood in the doorway as she watched Binky show Arthur and Ginny out. Hermione had sent Binky to fetch Arthur, knowing it wouldn’t be a good idea to let her leave alone. She felt tired now everything had come out. She had a strange feeling that time had restarted after being on hold for a long time.

“You know it’s been over an hour since you left me in bed,” Barty’s voice beside her made her jump, “What happened?”

“Come on,” She sighed, taking his hand, “I think I’ve got some explaining to do.”