A/N: Since I left a cliffy on the last chapter, I wanted to update sooner rather than later in order to keep you all happy.
As always, your reviews are wonderful. Thanks for taking the time to write me a line or two letting me know how you feel. I was surprised to see so many reviews in just the first 24 hours. It was great!
But here you go. Let the magic flow!
MATCHMAKERS TO THE RESCUE
CHAPTER NINE
The men looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding why she was speaking.
"I thought you did the silencing charm," the leader said to his accomplice.
"I did, as well as the ropes," he explained nervously.
"I can't ever trust either of you to do things right," he said and raised his wand and pointed it at Hermione. She blocked the spell without him realizing a thing.
"I guess you aren't any better at it than he is," she mocked him when he was done.
He jumped back and stared at her in surprise. "Bloody witch! How did you do that?"
Luna and Ginny glared at the other two, who were now holding them roughly by the arms. They hadn't noticed they were lose either.
"You have no idea who you're messing with," Luna told them with disgust.
"Like I would be scared of three measly witches," the leader said and moved back towards Hermione determined to have his way with her. She was having none of it. She had not come into the alley as a willing prey and she'd be damned if she acted as one.
Before he could put a single finger on her, she lifted her hand. His body flew into the air and slammed against the brick wall with a sickening thud. His accomplices turned to look at their leader, as he lay unmoving on the ground, their eyes full of fear now. Luna and Ginny quickly cast an accio spell for their wands and pointed them at the men, easily disarming them. They were the prey now and moved backwards against the wall. They looked back at the three of them in fear, desperate for an escape route.
"How does it feel to be the ones being hunted down?" Ginny spat at them moving closer and pointing her wand at their faces. "You think it fun to rape a woman and then erase her memory as if nothing had happened? How would you like to be on the receiving end of such torture?"
Luna walked up to them as well and slapped them hard across the face, red marks appearing instantly on their cheeks. She pressed the tip of her wand between the eyes of the man that had touched her before and he trembled in fear.
"Do you have any idea what I could do to you right now?" she asked her voice icy cold.
The man shook his head slowly and lowered his eyes, unable to meet her gaze. Luna pressed her wand more firmly against him and he whimpered.
His friend looked at Ginny and lowered his eyes as well. He never saw Ginny moving closer to him, or her knee as it came up and connected hard with his groin. He screamed in pain and dropped to his knees, grabbing his genitals. As he went down, Ginny's knee connected with his jaw, making him howl again as he finally crumbled in a heap to the ground.
Luna still held her wand between the eyes of his partner and he dropped to his knees asking for mercy.
"Did you have mercy with those poor women when they asked for it?" she asked him angrily.
He shook his head no and lowered his head in defeat, as if waiting for Luna to finish him. She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back roughly. Then she ran her wand across his forehead and the word rapist appeared on it in big black letters.
"Now everyone will know what you are and you will never be able to remove the word from your forehead. You will have to deal with the consequences of your actions from now on and I hope it's not an easy road for you. You deserve the worst." She then spat in his face and stunned him. He fell sideways to the ground and lay there motionless. Ginny stunned the man at her feet as well.
Next to them, Hermione was glowering down at the man at her feet waiting for him to come through. When he did, she lifted him up and pinned him to the wall without ever touching him.
"Have you any idea what those defenseless women felt like, you imbecile?"
He did not say a word. He just looked at her as if she was not worthy of his words. She cocked her head to the side and her eyes shone with a strange light, making him falter.
"Have it your way then," she said before she invaded his mind none too gently and found his memories of the previous attacks.
She pressed her hand against his forehead and without knowing fully how she managed to do it, she gathered the pain and horror in those memories and made him physically feel them. His eyes widened in terror and he started screaming in pain, grabbing at various body parts as if trying to ease the pain he was experiencing.
Luna and Ginny looked at Hermione in wonder since they could feel the magic coming off of her in potent waves. After several minutes, she removed her hand from the man's forehead and he dropped to the floor next to his unconscious partners, still cowering and whimpering in pain.
Three figures appeared out of nowhere at the entrance to the alley and ran towards them. Luna took one more look at the men and then jumped into Ron's arms. Ginny hugged Draco tightly. Hermione smiled gratefully at Harry when she saw him approaching her.
"Are you okay, love?" he asked immediately.
"I am now," she responded smiling reassuringly at him and walking into his opened arms. She was safe now.
"I'm sorry we took so long to get here. I would have come sooner but I wanted to bring the guys as well."
"We're okay. It was scary there for a while, but we were able to handle it."
"I never doubted that for a moment."
Harry dropped a quick kiss on her lips and turned to look at the men laying on the ground. Ron and Draco were doing the same.
"What happened to them?" Ron asked curiously.
"Ginny kicked the hell out of that one. I'm not sure what Hermione did to the other one, but it was painful, since he hasn't recovered yet. I simply stunned the third one after leaving a remainder of his actions tattooed on his forehead," Luna explained.
"What did you do, Mione?" Draco inquired curiously while watching the man that was curled in a fetal position, still whimpering and shaking.
"I gave him a taste of his own medicine," she responded shrugging her shoulders carelessly. However, her tone left no doubt she was still angry.
"How so?"
"I made him feel exactly what those women felt as they were being raped and tortured by them."
"How did you manage that?" Harry asked surprise evident in his tone.
"I don't know exactly. I just concentrated on his memories and I touched his forehead. I guess it has something to do with the new powers."
"We need to take these scumbags back to the Ministry," Harry said as he stepped back from her.
Ron and Draco wasted no time bounding the men and pulling them to their feet after reviving the two that were unconscious.
"I know, and we have enough evidence between the three of us to put them away for good. I guess we can also delve into their memories to see who else was affected by this. Maybe something can be done to help them," Hermione said.
"We'll let the Ministry decide on that. I don't think many women would want to remember such atrocious acts done to them against their will," Harry told her.
"I guess you're right."
Harry dropped another kiss on her lips and stepped back after caressing her cheek lovingly. He turned to his friends and nodded at them.
"Let's take these wankers over to the Ministry. I am sure Kingsley will be more than happy to help put them away," Harry told the others as he picked the leader up by the back of his shirt. "I'm apparating to his office with this idiot."
They nodded at him as each picked up another assailant and took their girl's hand. They were all gone with a pop.
Kingsley heard the commotion from inside of his office and quickly stepped out, his eyebrows rising in surprise when he saw who was outside his office and the condition the unidentified men were in. His eyes found Harry's.
"I'm sure you have a reasonable explanation for this, Potter."
"I sure as hell do, Kingsley," he replied as he let go of the man he was holding. He immediately fell to the floor in a heap and groaned in pain. His two friends fell as well.
By the time they were done with the interrogation and the evidence had been turned in and analyzed, they were free to go home and the men were on their way to Azkaban to await trial. Kingsley assured them he would do his best to put them away for life.
After talking to him for a few more minutes, they all apparated back to their places.
XOXOX
Ron walked Luna over to the bathroom and followed her in. She undressed and got into the shower, wanting to erase the stink of the alleyway and wash away the memories of the near attack. She was still a little shaken by it all.
"I'm going to go and make you some tea, sweetheart," Ron said as he looked at her.
"That would be lovely. Can you bring it back to our bedroom? I want to lay down when I'm done here."
"I won't be long."
He gave her one more hug before leaving her alone in the bathroom. The moment he was gone, she stepped under the hot spray of the shower and burst into tears.
Ron finished making the tea and put the cup on the table by her side of the bed. Then he decided to go and check on her. His heart broke when he heard her quiet sobs. She hadn't even noticed he was there. Slowly, he removed his clothes and stepped into the shower.
"Come here, sweetheart," he whispered as he turned her around and hugged her tightly. "Everything is going to be okay. You are safe now and those miserable beasts have been put away. Kingsley won't let them off easy, you know that."
"I know, Ronald. It's just that I keep wondering what would have happened had Hermione not been there with us. They would have raped us for sure," she sobbed into his shoulder while holding onto him for dear life.
"Don't think about that," he said as he ran his hand up and down her back. He didn't want her to know he had already thought of that possibility and his blood ran cold at the thought.
"How could I not? She was great, Ron. Didn't lose her cool once and undid their magic as if it was child's play. They never even noticed."
"Then let's be thankful that Hermione is so powerful now that she was able to keep you safe and send for us at the same time. It still amazes me how cool and collected she can be in the face of danger."
"I guess facing Voldemort has something to do with that. I'm just glad you came when you did."
"I wanted to kill them, Luna," he finally confessed. "Had they gone further, we would be the ones going to Azkaban."
"Don't even say it, love. I'd never be happy if you were taken away from me. It would feel as if my life was over," she said hugging him fiercely.
"That's not going to happen. I'm going to spend the rest of my life at your side."
"I love you, Ronald," she whispered against his lips.
"I love you too, sweetheart."
"Make love to me," she pleaded.
"Are you sure, love?" he asked worriedly.
"More than ever. I want you to erase the memories of the last few hours from my mind."
He nodded and kissed her. After soaping her and washing her hair, he quickly washed himself and then turned off the water. He took his time drying her body and her hair and did a quick drying charm on himself. He picked her up and took her to their bed, where he lay her down gently and proceeded to make sweet love to her. By the time he was done, she was smiling and had no trouble falling asleep.
XOXOX
Across town, Ginny was biting her bottom lip worriedly as she watched Draco pacing back and forth across the study, a bottle of Ogden's held firmly in his hand.
"I want to kill those bastards," he was saying as he continued to pace, fury etched all over his features. Ginny didn't know what to do to make him feel any better. She just wanted a shower and to go to bed, but she couldn't just leave him alone.
"Drake, please, try to calm down."
"Ginevra, you were almost raped!" he shouted. "Someone tried to hurt you and you want me to calm down?"
Ginny remained quiet for a few minutes. How could she make him understand that she needed him? That the only thing that would make her feel better was for him to take her into his arms and comfort her.
"I'm going to talk to my lawyer in the morning. I want those bastards put away for good. Nothing short of a Dementor's kiss would satisfy me at this moment. My money and position are finally going to be good for something," he continued. "Can you imagine what could have happened had Hermione not been there at the time? I don't even want to think about it."
"I'm just grateful that she was. I don't want to think about it either," she admitted.
"For the first time in my life, I knew I would be capable of murder. I would not have hesitated once to end their lives had they gone further, and I wouldn't have given a damn either. I would have enjoyed it!"
"Don't talk like that," she pleaded, tears filling her eyes.
"It's the truth. It might be ugly, but that's the way I feel."
"Did you even stop to think about me? What it would do to me if you were sent to Azkaban?"
"You would have your family and friends around you, Gin, and I would have been happy to have avenged the wrong done to you."
Ginny knew she was wasting her time arguing with him. Draco wasn't in the right frame of mind at the moment to have a decent conversation, so she decided to let it go.
"Then you don't know me at all, Draco, because my happiness lies at your side, not away from you," she told him in a broken voice. "I'm going to shower and then go to bed. Feel free to join me when you get off your high horse and realize I need you. I do not need your ranting and raving. I need you at my side telling me it's going to be okay."
Before he could say anything, she turned around and walked out of the study, slamming the door behind her. Draco hung his head in shame when her words penetrated his heart.
"I'm such a selfish bastard," he said aloud and took another swig of the amber liquid.
XOXOX
"I'm not going back on the road. Even if I have to renounce my position at work, I'm never leaving your side again," Harry pledged as he hugged Hermione close to his side.
"Don't be silly, darling. Of course you're going back tomorrow." Hermione snuggled closer to him, her fingers making lazy circles on his chest and her leg thrown over one of his.
"I'm serious, Mione. I wouldn't be able to do my job properly because I would be thinking of you the entire time."
"I can take care of myself, Harry James. I think I've said it and proved it enough by now."
"I never said you couldn't. I'm just saying I want to be closer to you and not go on long arse trips that take me away from you for a month at a time."
"You knew about the traveling before you accepted the position," she reminded him gently.
"I wasn't with you then," he replied stubbornly. "I am now and my place is at your side."
"So you're just going to up and quit?"
"Maybe not quit, but I'm stepping down. That way I won't have to travel."
"What about when I have to travel?"
"I'll call in sick and go with you."
"And you think you won't get in trouble for that?"
"I'm Harry bloody Potter."
Hermione finally lost it and laughed at him. "Oh, so now being Harry bloody Potter is good for something? I thought I'd never see the day!"
"I can't believe you're laughing at a time like this. Have you forgotten what almost happened a few hours ago?"
"No, darling, I haven't. But I was never in any danger. Had you not made it, we would have still taken all of them on. You saw we had it under control. I guess I have gained enough confidence in my new powers to know we would be okay. Besides, all he got to do was touch my cheek and talk a lot of bull."
"I'm going to cut his hand off," he threatened.
"You're such a barbarian, darling. You will do no such thing."
"You really think I'm jesting, don't you?"
"I know you mean it. But I don't want you to think that way."
"I was worried."
"Deep down, I was too," she confessed, finally letting her guard down.
She was tired of pretending she was okay. Besides, there was no need to pretend in front of Harry. He knew her too well and would figure it out. Especially now that their connection was so strong.
"You just said you could handle it," he reminded her softly, grateful she was finally opening up to him.
"Doesn't mean I wasn't scared for a moment. I wasn't sure if my magic would work as well as it did under pressure. I was able to do things I had never done before, like break the spells they put on Ginny and Luna with just my mind. But deep down, I was a bit frightened."
"I'm glad you were able to reach me so quickly. Your reactions still amaze me sometimes."
"You're the first one I thought about when I noticed what was going on. As capable as I am sometimes, I also want you at my side to fight my battles with me."
"See why I can't go back to traveling?"
She rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it that way and you know it."
"Too bad, Hermione Jane."
"Can you at least finish the last week and a half?" she pleaded.
"No," he replied stubbornly.
"Darling, please!"
"I'll think about it," he conceded.
"That's not good enough," she protested.
"I don't really care! How do you think I would feel being away from you at such a time? I know you're saying you're okay, but I want to make sure you are. What if I leave tomorrow and what happened suddenly hits you and you fall apart? I won't be here to take care of you."
"I don't think I will fall apart. I haven't so far."
"You're still in shock, love, and tomorrow you might wake up to a different tune. I need to be here."
Hermione knew he was right. She had not cried or lost her cool so far, but she wasn't certain that she wouldn't. She was in shock and when it wore off, she did not really want to be alone. If he was away, she knew she wouldn't call him and it would make it worse.
"I know you're thinking about it and you know I'm right," he said as he kissed the top of her head.
"I hate it when you're right."
He smiled down at her. "It's not that I'm right. I just know you too well."
"I'm glad you do, darling. Even when I pretend otherwise."
"That's my girl. Being reasonable suits you."
She looked into his eyes and saw the love he felt for her reflected there. "I'm glad you're here with me. And you're right; I don't want you to leave either. Maybe we should both step down."
"Or maybe we can re-organize our department and chose someone single and capable to do all of the traveling."
"Do you think that's even possible?"
"We are in charge, love. Of course we can make it happen. We'll meet tomorrow and decide who's more competent and send them on my behalf to finish the tour."
"I like that idea. I love you, Harry James."
"Me, too, love."
"Let's go to sleep. I'm suddenly very tired."
"That makes two of us."
He kissed her tenderly and she snuggled back against his side, falling asleep a bit later. He stroked her hair softly while thinking of the evening events and thanking all that was holy for keeping her safe. It took him a while, but he was finally able to fall asleep.
XOXOX
By the time Draco made it back to their room, Ginny had showered and gone to bed. He decided to take a quick shower while he thought of a way to make it up to her. He had been so worried that he forgot to comfort her.
By the time he was done, he felt a little better and in control of his emotions. He crawled into bed and spooned his body against her back, regretting that his earlier actions made her body tense against his.
"I'm sorry, Gin. I acted like an idiot earlier. I was so worried about you that I forgot my duty as your partner was to support you. I was so enraged that I wanted to hurt those men until they couldn't move. I hate myself for appearing oblivious to your pain and suffering when deep down I was going crazy with fear."
She didn't say anything for a while, but he felt her body relax against his. After a few minutes, she turned around and faced him. He cupped her cheek tenderly in his hand and looked into her eyes.
"I seem to be making you mad a lot lately. First at the resort and now this. I don't want to lose you."
"What makes you think you will?" she finally asked.
"I can't very well keep acting like an arse and expect you to put up with it."
"You forget that I know you well, Drake. You usually act before you think. I let you blow off steam until you realize what you're doing and then you come to your senses."
"I need to stop doing that. I need to learn to control my impulses. Especially when they hurt you. Growing up Malfoy was not easy and I was taught to think of myself before others. I know now that isn't the way to live life."
"And that makes you a better person. Hermione was right when she said you are not your father's son. You carry his last name, but you do not have his cruel heart. Narcissa saw to that in her own way."
"Help me change, Gin. I don't want to keep going like this. I want to handle things differently when it comes to you. I don't want to lose you."
"You are my heart, Drake. You're not going to lose me."
"I would have gone crazy if those men had hurt you."
"I know, babe, but they didn't and I'm here with you now. There's no other place I'd rather be."
"I love you, Gin, with all of my heart."
"I know you do and that is why I'm here. It's all I want, to be close to you."
He held her close to him and thanked Merlin she was okay and safe in his arms. He caressed her hair softly until she fell asleep. He was awake for hours, thinking about his life since he was a spoiled child to the time he started school and his arrogant attitude towards others he had considered less than him. Funny how life seemed to kick you in the balls when you least expected it. Those same people he had loved tormenting he now considered family and he would do anything to protect them.
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