Bonds of Blood and Magic By Duelist

Chapter 4: The bath

“Come on, Harry, let’s get you up and into that tub, and then we can talk about this,” Ginny said as she shyly turned completely around and stepped back in front of him.

Blood rushed from his face as he went completely pale. She was more lovely than he had ever imagined. His eyes widened, then he slammed them shut tightly and he flopped forward to cover his face with his hands.

“Well, you don’t have to have a look if you don’t want to,” she huffed. “I didn’t think I was that ugly. Didn’t think getting naked with me would be this traumatizing for a bloke, honestly.”

“Gin, just, uggh…”

“What was that? I didn’t understand.”

“You’re killing me here, you know that?”

She giggled for a moment. “No, I’m giving you a bath. Come on, let’s get you in there,” she said, tugging at his arm. He resisted for a moment, until she said, exasperated, “Keep your bloody eyes closed if you want, Harry, you still have to get in the bath.”

He sighed, clamped his eyes shut even more tightly, and let her pull his right arm over her shoulders as she helped him to his feet and put her left arm around his waist. He gasped as he felt … something, something soft and warm, almost hot, press against the side of his chest as she pulled him close.

He did not want to guess what that was, but he thought he knew.

Ginny giggled, and held him tightly. “Right, it’s only a few steps, but the tile isn’t smooth here, so let’s be careful, yeah?”

Harry nodded, not trusting his voice.

When they reached the side of the tub, she said, “Alright, you’re going to have to at least look at the tub, Harry. It’s right in front of us. Ready?” He nodded, keeping his face away from her. “Right leg first, then,” she ordered, and helped him balance as he swung first one leg and then the other over the side and into the water. Then she stepped in behind him and guided him down until he was sitting on the towel, and sat behind him, with her legs on either side of his torso. He gasped in pain as he sat, from the hot water getting on all of his wounds. He leaned slightly forward and held the sides of the tub with his hands, while she gripped his shoulders.

It was the first really good look she’d had of his back, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. There were burns, cuts, bruises, and lash marks all over it.

“Can you hold onto the sides like that for a minute? I’m going to pour some water over your back, alright?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, just for a bit, though.” He looked and sounded exhausted.

She scooped the steaming water over his back with her hands several times, until she had rinsed the loose grime and much of the blood from him. He gasped the first time, but was silent after. She grabbed the bar of soap from the side of the tub and wet it in the water before lathering it in her hands and setting it back on the holder, then gently rubbed her soapy wet hands over his back, working more softly over the recent sores. She scooped more water over his back to rinse off the soap. It didn’t look as bad clean, but his back was a complete mess.

“Time to lean back, Harry,” she said as she pulled on his shoulders. He didn’t move. “Come on, you have to lie back so we can wash the rest of you,” she said.

“No.” His arms and upper body were shaking now, and his head was sagging, but he stubbornly resisted her hands.

She stopped pulling. “Why not?”

“I’ll touch … you, your body.”

“Yes, you will.” ‘Merlin, I hope so,’ she thought to herself. “I wouldn’t be naked in the bath with you if that was a problem for me. Now lie back, you won’t hurt me, and we can have a talk.”