[HP] Complex Touch

She sat in the middle of the frozen lake, wrapping her arms around herself.Remus gave her his clothes.He told her that his shape-shifting would tear the clothes, and when he was human again, the clothes would be useless.The extra warmth would keep Ginny sane.

Remus was in the distance, his naked body bathed in moonlight.Ginny shivered, she knew how cold Remus was.It's gonna start anytime now...

Ginny is right.A few seconds later, the moonlight completely surrounded Remus, and he fell to the ground.She could hear him screaming in pain, and she suppressed the urge to run to him.It will do her no good, it will only send her to death.

Remus would soon cease to be Remus.His skin stretched barely, trying to accommodate the massive bones that stretched far beyond his body.Fur grew rapidly all over his body, his face grew longer, and his fingers became claws.Remus had turned into a wolf, the size of a werewolf Ginny had never imagined she would meet.The moonlight still shone on the werewolf, and Ginny sat in the distance, watching the wolf shake the snow off its fur.The werewolf looked at Ginny immediately, and she held her breath.

There was a distance and a frozen lake between them, but it still smelled of her fear, her blood, her skin.The wolf rushed straight in front of Ginny from the forest and opened its mouth at her. Ginny opened her eyes wide and backed away slightly.She had nowhere to retreat but to stay on the lake.

The drooling, sharp-toothed werewolf is her best friend.The shock made it hard for her to breathe.

The werewolf started walking towards her on the ice, and after a while the ice cracked loudly.Ginny was taken aback.The werewolf kept staring at her, but stopped.He stood on the ice, but he knew he couldn't go any further.Then there was another crack on the ice closer to Ginny, and the werewolf began to back away cautiously.Remus was right.The ice cannot bear the weight of the werewolf.

For the time being, Ginny was now free from the threat of the monster that had been her best friend.

---

She could only feel the ice under her body, mouth and mouth, her body was already numb and stiff.Ginny slowly opened her eyes, a simple movement that exhausted her strength.She was frozen, and a shadow was crawling towards her on the ice, but she was too cold to move or react.

Ginny didn't realize she was falling asleep, she was too tired to stay awake.Her body is too weak.

The shadow continued to approach her.

The rising sun illuminated all around her, and the moonlight was fading away.Ginny remained where she was, motionless.

How long did she sleep for?How could she not stare at Remus?Stupid, very stupid.

Just then, she began to understand what that shadow was.It was a werewolf, water glistening on its gray fur, crawling towards her on the ice.The werewolf must have decided to risk the ice cracking for the only food it could find.

The werewolf stared at Ginny, but she didn't respond, she couldn't react.

If Sirius knew about her current condition, he would definitely break down.Ginny held her breath and looked at the werewolf.

The werewolf growled at her, getting closer, she could smell his sweat, feel his breath, and Ginny closed her eyes.She was dying on the frozen lake at the hands of the monster her best friend turned into.

"Remus," she said hoarsely. "Remus?"

But the werewolf didn't know who she was calling, and he didn't care.He jumped up and was about to eat her when the first rays of sunlight fell on him.It screamed as if the sun had burned it, and it fell on the ice beside her.There was a loud cracking sound, and Ginny tried to move away, but she didn't know if she was moving.

As she moved, the werewolf began to writhe before her eyes.The werewolf's whimper turned into a man's scream, and the sunlight deformed the werewolf.Ginny's arms went limp and she fell onto the ice.She continued to watch the horrible scene in front of her.

Fur disappeared, skin torn, and blood spattered onto the ice.A seriously injured boy soon appeared in front of her.

"Remus," she said softly, smiling slightly.

Remus seemed unable to move.He was naked, breathing heavily, and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Ginny," he said. "How are you?"

Remus gradually lost his strength, and he looked as if he was melting on the ice, as if staying awake only to get her answer.

"We're dying here, Remus," Ginny murmured.

She takes his hand.A icy wind blew across the lake, and Ginny closed her eyes.

---

"Stupid girl."

Cursing woke Ginny up.Ginny blinked, adjusting to the darkness.One cursed a few words, then muttered an incantation that lit the fireplace.

Ginny gasped and sat up, feeling dizzy.

"you're awake?"

The man was walking towards her, and Ginny could see who he was by the light of the fire, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

"Snape?"

Snape stood in front of her in his black robes, looking annoyed.Ginny immediately looked around in confusion.She was in a room, lying on a bed, and Remus lay on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"What—what's going on?" she asked, her throat dry.

Snape raised his eyebrows, sneered, and walked away from her.She let out a scream and held out her hand to him, not wanting him to just leave, and he gave her an angry look.

"Wait a minute, Stiles, I'll get you some water."

He closed the door softly and left the room.Ginny got out of bed immediately, but her body was still weak, and she fell to the ground.Although she was in pain, she still struggled to crawl towards the sleeping Remus.He was covered with an old, dirty blanket.Ginny took the blanket she was covering and covered Remus with the same.

He's alive, he's breathing, but he's in terrible shape.

The door opened, and Snape returned to the room.He sneered even more at the sight of the blanket on Remus.Without a word he thrust the water glass into Ginny's hand, and she drank it up in no time, she was so dehydrated that she thought she could keep drinking it.

"Snape...Severus." After a while, Ginny looked at Snape leaning against the wall and said softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Snape was silent for a moment, then said, "You tripped the alarm in my house, and a house-elf went to check the identity of the intruder."

Ginny looked at Snape in bewilderment.

"But I'm on a lake," she said to him.

Snape shrugged.

"The house-elves found you and Lupine outside my house in the snow. Of course, my father put a spell on the building so you wouldn't know it was my house... You must have dragged Lupin to my house."

"I do not remember--"

"You almost died, Stiles," Snape called. "You don't remember now?"

Ginny said nothing.

Snape saved her and Remus.It was an unexpected act of kindness that Ginny hadn't expected.She leaned on the bed and stood up, but her swollen ankle couldn't support it.

Snape saw her pained expression, but he didn't care.

"Thank you."

"I want you to leave in the evening," Snape said.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked.

"It doesn't matter," he replied. "You can use the Floo Powder to go back to...anywhere."

Ginny nodded, and glanced at Remus' frail body.

"thanks again."

Snape ignored her thank you, opened the bedroom door, looked up and down the corridor, then at Ginny.

"Come with me," he ordered.

"But my ankle—"

It would be painful for her to continue walking like this, Ginny bit her lip, and Snape sneered at her again.He saved her and Remus' lives, but he acted like he was in the most embarrassing situation.

Ginny followed slowly behind him.Every movement made her legs ache and her body seemed to scream.She walked into the corridor, her eyebrows raised in surprise.The dimly lit house reminded Ginny of Grimmauld Place, and she began to back away from the bedroom.

"Come with me," Snape called again. "I'll get clothes for you and Lupine."

Ginny followed him, but she walked very slowly.The house was eerily silent.Is this Snape's house?This was where he lived when he wasn't at Hogwarts?No wonder he likes dungeons so much.

"Remus and I will be eternally grateful—" Ginny said after an unbearable silence.

The previous torture had taken a toll on her body, but her mind had sped up.

"I don't want his thanks. If it's not my murder, I'd rather throw him out," Snape cried.

Ginny frowned at his words, but she ignored them.They walked for a while before Snape stopped suddenly.He gestured for Ginny to stop too, and she pricked up her ears in the silence.A door in the house opened and closed.

"Father," Snape whispered.

There was fear in his voice that Ginny had never heard before.

"Don't leave this room."

Before Ginny could react, Snape grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into a room she hadn't seen.She staggered to the floor, screaming in pain from her twisted ankle.The door closed softly, and the footsteps became farther and farther away.The room was darker than the hallway, and Ginny didn't get up immediately, she clutched her ankles, trying to stay calm.

She stood up tremblingly, and the candle on the wall was lit immediately.There was a sharp pain in her ankle, and she felt a little nauseous.Ginny looked around the illuminated room, trying to distract herself.The candlelight was not very bright. She believed that the room could not be seen to be lit from the corridor.But the concern was enough for Ginny to see what was in this room.

book.

Dusty books were stacked on top of the table, and there seemed to be hundreds of books in the small room.This is Hermione's paradise, Ginny thought, smiling.She bit her lip and looked at the old book.She knew she shouldn't read these books, let alone touch them, but a mysterious force was driving her.Ginny felt that if she read one, she would be in for a pleasant surprise.

She touched the cover of the top book and opened it.

There was the sound of slow but heavy footsteps at the door, and Ginny stopped.Is it Snape?Or his father?He seems terrified of his father.The footsteps did not stop, and Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.She's been through so much stress over the past 24 hours that she's surprised she's still standing.

Ginny opened the book again.She read it word for word, flipping through a few pages.The illustrations look familiar.Glowing balls, rooms full of doors... draperies... Ginny gasped in surprise when she realized what she was looking at.

The ankle pain suddenly didn't matter much to Ginny.