Harry Potter-Black Daniel Radcliffe

Ginny Potter-Black Bonnie Wright

Ginevra Potter-Black nee Weasley woke up clear-headed.  This shouldn’t have been a surprise considering she was a morning person, but as she lay there revelling in the clarity, she realized it had been years since her thoughts were unclouded.  Searching back in her memory, Ginny dimly remembered that the last time she had clarity of thought was the Yule before her first year, when she was 10 years old.  Her mind had been foggy for over 13 years and she hadn’t noticed.

A rush of anger surged in her heart, but she pushed it away, instead focussing on tracing the facts.  The first fact being, of course, that someone had been distorting her memory and thinking for over a decade.  The second fact being that only a few people in her life where capable of doing so, and even less had been in position to accomplish it.

The only fact she couldn’t figure out was how.  Hexes were a possibility.  Ginny spent hours with her team, in crowds in Diagon Alley, with her family.  There were so many places she could have been hexed.  A cursed artifact was another way, but Ginny didn’t wear much in the way of jewelry and nothing she had worn as a child had made it to adulthood.  That left the most likely way: potions.  Of course, that meant the suspect list was both smaller and larger.

She bit back the scream that built in her chest.

The bed moved shifted slightly, startling Ginny out of her thoughts.  Turning her head, she met vibrant green eyes that watched her intently.

“You know,” she whispered into silence.

“Yes.”

“How long?”  Only a fierce grip on her temper kept her voice level.

“About a week,” Harry answered, moving to sit up.

Ginny pushed herself upward and shifted back to lean against the headboard.  A week.  Her husband had known she was living under a potion for a week.  She glared at him.

“How did you find out?”

Harry raked his hands through his hair, making already sleep messed strands stand further on end.  “Turns out there’s some non-human blood in the Potter line.”

Ginny rolled her eyes.  “Everyone knows that,” she scoffed.  “Most pureblood families have a Magical Creature somewhere in their lineage.”

“Yes, but most of those families don’t have to worry about have a power surge that activates said Creature blood,” he replied drily.

“Activates?” She paused, pulling her thoughts together.  “What type of creature?  Please tell me not a vampire.  Bloodborn Vampires are the worst to deal with.”

“And if I was?” he asked, green eyes flashing.

“I really don’t know,” she admitted.  “Everything is up in the air right now.”  She shook her head. “Just tell me.”

Harry took a deep breath.  “Dragon.”

She had to have heard the wrong.  There was no way Harry had Dragon blood.  Dragon Kin had gone extinct centuries ago, many hunted down, the rest suiciding rather than living under wizard rule.

Yet, the possibility was there.  There were so many ways Harry was like a Dragon.  He was possessive and fiercely protective of those he considered family.  His temper was slow to rise but burned hot and long once he was roused.

“Ginny?”

She glanced over and smiled softly.  “How did you figure it out?  All of it.”

“Well, for the creature blood, it was at work.  I can’t actually say what I was doing, but let’s just say I had a bit of a magic surge and bam woke up the Dragon,” he said, miming and explosion.  “I ended up in a time bubble under Gringotts to learn to handle it.  The blood burned out all potions in my system.  The Goblin healer told me that most Wizarding potions won’t work on me now.  My Dragon side will overwhelm and burn them out every time.”

“What about if you get hurt?” she cried out, a spike of fear lancing through her.  “How will they treat you?”

He smiled at her.  “Surprisingly, Goblin made potions will work.”  He made a face. “They taste worse than the normal ones.”

“I didn’t think that was possible,” she laughed.

“Neither did I,” Harry admitted.  He sobered.  “When I woke up after the remains of the potions were gone, I noticed a vast difference in how I felt, how I acted.  Ironhand had taken samples of everything my system got rid of and tested them.  I had dozens of potions in my body.  Compulsion, love, lust, memory.  The Healer was surprised I was managing to function at all.”

“Am me?  How did you find out I was potioned too?”

“I watched,” he said quietly.  “I noticed you acting like I remembered I had.  The way you’d stop as if you were about to do something but you couldn’t, something else was stopping you.  When you cut yourself in the kitchen the other night I took a sample and had them test it.”

“The same potions?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

“Not all of them, but many of the same.  Compulsion, love, lust, more memories potions than I had,” he told her.  “And accordin to the Ironhand, you had been under their influence longer than I was.”

“Since I was 10,” she whispered.

Harry nodded.  “I planned to ask you if you wanted to go to a retreat with me.  One of the packages has a Cleanse on it.  If figured we go and come back potion-free.”

“After that?” Ginny wondered. “What if I had been in on it all the long?”

“Considering the number of potions you were under, I figured it was safe to assume you weren’t part of it but another victim too,” he told her, reaching out to pick up one of the hand closest to him.  His hand was warm, wrapped around hers, a steadying influence.  “Seems like I was right.”

She laughed a soft broken sound. “I’m scared, Harry.  So scared.  We don’t know who did this, or why.  We don’t even know how or when!”  She blinked back tears.  “You might be immune to those potions now, but I’m not.  I can end up back in that foggy world at any time and I wouldn’t even know it!”

Harry let go of her hand, and for a second all Ginny could feel was cold.  Then warm hands were pulling her against his body, tugging so she was sitting in his lap.  He said nothing as he held her, rocking slightly, and to Ginny’s horror, she began crying.  Burying her face against Harry’s neck, she sobbed out the terror, grief, and betrayal that infested her heart.

“Better now?” The question was asked softly, barely a whisper against her hair.

“Not really,” she whispered back.

“Oh?  The crying didn’t help?”

Ginny thought about it.  The tears had helped purge some of the emotions welling up in her, but there was still a mass of anger and grief seething in her soul.  “Some, but not enough.”

“Talk to me, Gin.”  Harry pushed her back enough to look into her eyes.  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m stuck on the who,” she admitted, dropping her hand back to his shoulder.  “Given when I was first dosed, there isn’t a lot of choice.”

“Arthur or Molly,” Harry said, speaking the names that blocked her throat.

“Yes,” she said with a sigh.

“Truthfully I can’t image Arthur potioning someone,” Harry added.  “Potions don’t seem like his type of thing.”

“But they are Mom’s.”  Groaning, Ginny pushed herself up to a seated postion.  Not many know it, but Mom was working towards a Mastery in Potions when she got pregnant with Bill.  Several different Potion Masters have offered to help her finish, even now, but she keeps turning them down.”

“Why?” Harry looked confused. “There is so much the world can offer if you have a Mastery, especially in something like Potions.”

“I asked once.  She told me that she didn’t need the pomp of it, she had her family and she was happy to be where she was.”  A thought crossed her mind.  “Have you checked any of the others for potions?”

“Not yet?  Should I?”

“Check for hexes, curses, and potions for all the family,” she said intently.  “I’m starting to think there’s something more going on here.”

Harry wrapped his arms tighter around her, surrounding her in the feel and scent of him. Ginny curled into the safety of his embrace, wondering if that was a manufactured feeling as well.

“I feel lost,” she said quietly after a few moments. “Everything has been a lie.”

“Not everything,” Harry countered, then he sighed. “But a lot has been, yes.”

“The foundation of our marriage, our life together is a lie,” Ginny replied. “Where do we go from here?”

Harry slumped a bit, falling into himself in a way Ginny had not seen since they were younger. He seemed smaller, younger and less sure of himself. She hated that; hated seeing him like that. The last time he had looked small had been during the height of the war when everything had been at its worst. Exhaustion and pain had dragged at all of them, drawing on what little strength they had had until there was almost nothing left.
This was almost as bad.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m just as lost as you are.”

A loud rumbling sound from her stomach broke the silence that had descended over the room and they both laughed.

“Well, not everything has changed,” she said with a giggle as she slid from his lap. “Let’s get something to eat and make a game plan.”

“There’s my Quidditch Captain,” he remarked, pulling on a lock of her hair.

She pushed him off the bed, laughing as she launched herself off it as well and ran from the room. A small bit of wandless magic had her disillusioned as she heard the thump of him hitting the floor followed by muted swearing. The slap of bare feet let Ginny know that he was right behind her and she ducked the usual tickle jinx that Harry sent in her general direction. Slowing slightly, she eased down the stairs, skipping past the creaky steps. There was no sound behind her now and she bit back a giggle. Harry had put all his training to use again and was invisible and totally silent. Until he took the spells off she wouldn’t be able to see or hear him. Some people would think she was crazy, but she loved playing like this with Harry. Just the two of them acting like children and chasing each other around the house. She was almost at the kitchen and therefore safe so she picked up her pace. Full out running she slid down the hall and into the kitchen, nearly taking out Winky at the stove. Harry’s invisible form almost crashed into both of them a second later. The spells dropped as Harry wrapped one arm around Ginny’s waist and reached out a hand to catch Winky’s shoulder to keep them upright.

“Master and Misses not be running in the house,” Winky scolded, hands on her hips as she played her part in their little game, “or they be getting no breakfast.”

“Sorry, Winky,” they both responded, ducking their heads, chastised. Ginny could see Winky glaring at them out of the corner of her eye.

“Silly Wizards and Witches,” the house-elf muttered. “Sit and eat, Misses Mother Wheezy says both of you too skinny and need to eat more.”

Ginny flinched at the mention of her mother, the good mood they had just built crashing down. The slight motion caught Winky’s attention and the house-elf’s already wide eyes grew larger as she looked at them.

“Oh,” Winky whispered. She reached out to touch Ginny’s hand. “They be gones.”

“Winky?” Harry called softly, letting go of Ginny to kneel in front of the elf. “What is gone?”

“The bad things,” she answered. She trembled. “So many bad things. I tries to make them go away but I not being strong enough. I tells you but you no remember the next day. I be sorry.” She started crying.

“It’s not your fault, Winky,” Ginny told her, lowering herself to the floor. She pulled the house-elf into a hug. “But we need you to tell us about every time you tried to make them go away and each time you told us, okay.”

Winky nodded, materializing a handkerchief. “I can be doing that.” She paused. “But after Master and Misses be eating.”

Ginny gave a shaky laugh as she let Winky go. “Of course, can’t have us waste away.”

*

Breakfast was quieter than normal after Winky’s revelation. Their usual chatter about their days was absent as both were lost in thought. As she ate and tried to corral her thoughts, Ginny watched her husband pick at his breakfast, a sure sign of just how upset he was. Even after all these years, the abuse and neglect of his childhood still manifested in Harry’s behavour, usually his eating habits. When he was stressed he would skip meals, punishing and pushing the limits of his already too thin body.

“Eat, Harry, before Winky notices.”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “I’m trying. It’s just that my new shiny magics are calling for more meat.”

“Have you let her know yet so she can change what she makes for you?” Ginny asked.

“Not yet,” he said putting his fork down. “I’m not sure we aren’t being watched. If Winky started buying vastly different foods whoever is behind this will know something has changed.”

She took a bite of food and thought as she chewed. Finding out who had been dosing them was going to be tricking and would call for being subtle and not rushing in. They were going to have to act like Slytherin’s instead of Gryffindor’s, which was fine with her, but she wasn’t sure how Harry would feel about it.

“What are you thinking, Ginny?” Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.

“That we should act like the Sorting Hat’s first choice for us,” she answered truthfully.

He stared at her for a moment and then started laughing. “It wanted to put you in Slytherin too?”

“Yep,” she said with a grin. “But Weasley’s are always Gryffindor or Hufflepuff so I argued.”

“I have no problem with acting like a snake,” he told her. “I let go of that a long time ago, Gin. What are you thinking?”

“Well, food is easy enough,” she started. “My team is out of the running for the World Cup and our pitch is going through major renovations of all practices are going to be cancelled as of next week. If we tell the family that I’m pregnant, or that I’m trying to get pregnant, we can get away with changing what we eat.”

“Yes, but a lot of what was used on us is dangerous for pregnant women, we can’t guarantee what they’ll do if we say that,” he countered. “How about this: Andromeda has a conference she wants to go to, she asked yesterday if we could watch Teddy for the week.”

Ginny grinned. “And he’s got a massive appetite, especially for meat. That would definitely work.” She took another bite then pointed her fork at him. “Eat.”

Huffing, Harry picked his fork up and ate some, chewing slowly. “With you being home more you’ll be alone and therefore easier to dose.”

“Teddy will be here, though,” she replied. “And Winky.”

“He’s 10,” Harry snorted, “there’s not much he can do, but Winky might be able to at least catch the person in the act if it comes to that.” He sighed. “I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.”

“Me too.” She finished her plate and pushed it away as another thought came to her. “Harry, how many people actually know what your job is?”

“Not many,” he answered. “You, my partner, and our director. Though I’m pretty sure Hermione’s figured it out and I think Percy might know.”

“Percy?”

“We had a conversation that last family dinner about technicalities,” Harry replied with a shrug.

“Technicalities?”

“Well, everyone thinks I’m a researcher, correct?” He waited for her nodded. “Technically, they’re right. Unspeakables fall under the Department of Research and are classified as researchers. It’s so if we’re dosed with veritaserum we can say we’re researchers and we won’t be lying.” He paused. “Also, they do make us do the work.”

“Huh, that means there’s no way for anyone to know that we’re no longer under their control,” she said slowly. “That means we’ll have to still act like we are or else they’ll catch on.”

“Yeah, I know,” he agreed with a nod. “This won’t be easy.”

“When has anything ever been easy for us”

How Harry Potter Became an UnSpeakable – TBA