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Dark Gods In The Blood	By : Hayseed Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 3951 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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A/N: None for this
chapter. Thanks for reading!

Summary: A wandering
student comes home, a broken man pays his penance, and a gruesome murder is
both more and less than it seems. Some
paths to self-discovery have more twists and turns than others.

Rating: R, for intermittent
dark themes, violence, and language

Disclaimer: Nothing
you read here (save the plot and bits of the text itself) belongs to me. Harry Potter and his cronies are the
property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. (and someone else, probably, but not
me). All chapter headings are properly
credited to their sources.

Dark Gods in the Blood

by: Hayseed (hayseed_42@hotmail.com)

Chapter Nineteen

Kurtz
-- Kurtz -- that means short in German, don�t it?

Well, the name was as true as everything else
in his life --

dea death. He looked at least seven feet
long. His covering

had fallen
off, and his body emerged from it pitiful and

appalling
as from a winding-sheet.

-- Joseph Conrad,
Heart of Darkness

�I thought I�d come and
rescue you,� Ginny said as she came breezing through the front door. �And you know, it�s really dangerous to just
shout �Come in.� You-Know-Who could be
lurking in your front bushes.�

Hermione did not open eye eyes. �I knew it was you,� she said
lightly. �What do you mean -- rescue?�

�Got a crystal ball under
your robes, then?� Ginny retorted tartly.

�You have a very
distinctive knock,� she said, eyelids quivering but otherwise staying
shut. �Shave-And-A-Haircut. Always.
I�ve never met anyone else who does it with such frequency, either.�

Clearing her throat,
Ginny�s voice was bright and Hermione could hear the smile in it. �Back to the matter at hand. I have come to save you from yourself.�

�From myself?� she
echoed.

�Yes,� she
confirmed. �If I still know you as well
as I once did, I�m nearly certain that you�re going to spend the entire day with
your nose buried in some book you�ve already read a million times, as my
worthless brother has heartlessly abandoned you for work.�

She raised her
eyebrows. �I was planning on spending the day meditating, actually.�

A hand suddenly grabbed a
lock of her hair and tugged. �Not today
you�re not, missy.�

�Ouch!� Hermione cried,
eyes finally flying open.

Unrepentant grin firmly
in place, Ginny just laughed. �I�m
taking you shopping. I bet it�s been
just ages since you�ve done anything
absolutely mindless and purposeless. I
know I�m due.�

�Shopping?� she
repeated. �What on Earth for?�

Giving her an appraising
look, she put her hands on her hips.
�Well ... you could use a new set
of robes.�

�My robes are just fine,
thank you,� she retorted firmly.

�Hermione,� she
sighed. �You�re wearing more patch than
robe and the hem is unraveling besides.�

�Well ...� Hermione
conceded grudgingly. �It would be
nice. But I can�t afford new robes
right now, Ginny.�

�Do I or do I not owe you
thirteen years of Christmas and birthday
gifts?� Ginny asked, a teasing glint in her eye. �I suppose I could be convinced --�

�Ginny ...� she warned.

�For Merlin�s sake,
Hermione,� she exclaimed. �Don�t buy
anything, then. It�s a beautiful autumn Saturday.
Can�t you contemplate the inner workings of the universe when it�s raining? I want to
go out, and I don�t want to go alone.�

Blowing out an
exasperated sigh, Hermione unfolded her legs and made as if to stand. �All right, all right! You didn�t have to give me all that blather
about buying me clothes if all you wanted was someone to tag along.�

�Brilliant!� Ginny cried,
eagerly reaching out a hand to help tug her to her feet. �Fetch your cloak, then, and we�ll be off.�

With a great show of reluctance,
she began collecting her cloak and shoes and wand. By the time she was locking up the flat, she was genuinely
pleased that Ginny had prodded her into leaving.

Indeed, the day was
absolutely lovely -- the sunshine just warm enough to render the chill in the
air to a mere crispness. The leaves had
not yet begun to turn, but they crackled nicely as the wind occasionally
rustled through them.

�You see?� Ginny asked as
they walked outside.

Hermione grimaced
playfully at her.

They found themselves in
Hogsmeade by lunchtime, nostalgia washing over both of them as they saw robes
with Hogwarts crests careening around nearly every corner. Hermione was glad Ginny appeared to have no
interest in Honeydukes either -- the line was literally out the door.pan>

�They look so young!� Ginny cried, watching a pair of boys chase each
other around the street, waving bags proudlyringring Weasley�s Wizard Wheezes
logos. �Did we look like babies when we
were at Hogwarts?�

�Probably,� Hermione
replied, mind moving on to more practical concerns. �Are you hungry?�

�I�m trying very hard not
to be. I shudder to think of the crowd
at the Three Broomsticks.
Unfortunately, a butterbeer does
sound lovely.� Her face was
wistful. �I�m sure that�s why grups ups
drink it, you know. It makes you
remember your first Hogsmeade weekend when you were a kid, when the Shrieking
Shack was actually scary, when ... oh, I don�t know. When everything tasted better.�

�Butterbeer,� she mused,
more to herself than Ginny. �I daresay
I haven�t had one of those since I left Hogwarts.�

just spend the last
three hours looking for you.�

�I had to check,� she
mumbled. �I�m just glad I saved it ...�

�Saved what? What on Earth are you talking about,
Hermione?�

Hermione finally looked
up to see Ginny standing there, arms crossed over her chest, irritation clearly
written across her features. �Alisander
Weaver. Forty years old. Died September 3. A potions manufacturer who lived in Edinburgh.
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Dark Gods In The Blood