"Courtney," my father breathed as my fingers tightened around my wand. "What on Earth do you think you're doing?" 

I looked over at Fred and Astoria who looked just as afraid as I was. "We're leaving," I managed to get out with only a quiver of fear in my voice. 

He shook his head. "I don't think so." 

He then moved so fast that I swear to this day that he had apperated. I couldn't see where he had gone but the crash from behind me told me that he was behind me. And the hot breathing on my neck confirmed it without having me turn to face him. I then felt the light touch of fingers on my own, taking my wand from my clasped fingers. I tried to hold on tight then tried to pull out of his grip by turning to face him. His hot breath was then in my eyes and my arms were over my head as both myself and him had ahold of my wand. It was like we were moving in slow motion to me. 

"Don't you want to come back, Courtney?" he asked, looking down to me. "Don't you want to be with your family?" He leaned over for this one so his lips were touching my ear and whispered: "Don't you love me, Courtney Thorne?" 

I instantly closed my eyes and bowed my head. 

Don't you love me, Courtney Thorne?

Memories came swimming back, playing a movie on the backs of my eyelids. With tears stinging my eyes, I shook my head. A flash of my father at my door. I shook my head again. A flash of my dad coming near me. I shook my head once more. A flash of my father right next to my bed. 

"No," I said out loud as the tears began to fall down my face. 

A flash of my father pulling me out of bed. I screamed no even louder. A flash of his foul smelling breath in my nostrils. I screamed so loud it hurt my throat. A flash of my father pulling off my nightgown. I pulled on my nightgown, trying to pry it from his hands. A flash of me falling on the ground, hitting my head on the corner of the bed. Then darkness. 

I opened my eyes to my father pulling me up, my feet not touching the ground so that we were face to face. A forgotten memory all too real now, anger pumping through my veins, I looked him straight in the eye. He had anger in his eyes as well and firewhiskey on his breath. 

"I followed Helena here," he hiccuped. "She won't second my advances, so I'm-" 

"Stalking her?" Somewhere I found my voice down deep in my gut. 

He shook his head. "I'm following her to know where she's going, to know that she's safe. She's my eldest," he paused, "daughter." 

"Are you sure you were putting the right advances on her, seeing that she is your daughter?" I questioned, my hands getting tired but not letting go. 

"What kind of question is that?" he snarled. "My daughter is my daughter. She is mine." 

I shook my head. "Dad, that night when you came in my room, I was nine years old," I paused as he shook his head, knowing what night I was talking about, "What happened after I was knocked out? Did you get  me help?" 

He just continued to stare at me, not answering the question. 

"Or," I boldly went on, "did you continue to take off my nightgown?" 

He hesitated, "Courtney, you know-" 

"That you love me?" Tears where spilling out of my eyes. "A little too much maybe." 

I then swung my foot and kicked him, hard, between the legs. He fell, dropping me and my wand. I saw, almost as if it was in slow motion, my wand fly past my face. I reached up to grab it, but it was too late. I felt my head hit something, and the world went black. 

------------------------------------

I woke to the smell of salt on the air and the sound of waves crashing on the beach...and I was also wet. I sat up as a waves rushed over me and looked around. I saw Fred struggling with Helena, and naturally went to help him, but as soon as I stood, I fell back down. 

"Courtney!" Kam tackled me. "Are you okay?" 

I nodded. "A bit out of it, but I'll be fine," I pushed at her so she knew to get off of me. "What happened? Where are we?" 

"You're dad knocked you out," Fred explained.

I blinked back the pain just behind her eyes. "I think I remember what happened," I said, slowly standing up and recognizing where we were. "Let's go up to the house. I'm sure we might attract someone or something being out here in the tide."

Just as she had said that, a loud popping noise ripped through the sound of the crashing waves followed by splashing. I turned around to see four figures. I automatically started to run towards them and reached for my wand but came up empty handed. I slowed down when I realized that one of the figures was holding another. My heart skipped a beat. It was Ron standing next to Hermione, who was kneeling beside a hysterical Harry, who was crying over something. Luna Lovegood was also there, kneeling beside Harry as well. I was approaching from the back so I couldn't properly see. When I circled around the trio, I saw who it was.

"Bloody hell, Courtney," Ron said, finally noticing me. "Where did you come from?"

I shook my head. "What happened to Dobby?"

I remembered Dobby being of service to the Malfoys at one point in time, and how angry Lucius was after Harry had freed him. I hadn't seen him since, but I remembered him acting strange apart from the other house elves that they had. 

"We'll tell you about it later," Hermione said, standing.

I looked behind me and saw that Helena had broken out of Fred's grip. She stumbled around because she was blindfolded before apparating out of sight. Fred exclaimed some profanities, but I just shook my head.

"It's okay. Let's go up to the house."  I said, leading the way.

A/N: I know it's a little on the short side, but the next one will be longer since it will contain a ton of info that we all need to know! I'm going to try and update on a more regular basis, like once a week! I have so many ideas jumping around in my head from not writing these past few months...you're in for a treat!

I'm planning on starting another Harry Potter fanfiction, mainly because I'm feeling sappy because I just tried to find my old stories on Quizilla, where I first started, but I found out that it no longer exists and neither does my account anymore...so I'm re-writing a story that was on there just like I rewrote Fox Tales into Draco Malfoy's Dirty Little Secret...which you can still find on mibba! and read it from year one to year four...which if you do try to find it, I tend to repeat myself a little...but I mean, it was my first story ever! I kinda wish that I would've tried to rewrite the story all the way from year one...it definitely would've been interesting...especially since she was an animagus.

 But anyway..I had this story on there called You are the Only Exception...and I had a rewritten version on here for like a week called Where the Lines intertwine...and now I'm going to rewrite it for a third time! just because I miss my old stories...I'm calling it The Prophesy...

Oh! and for those of you who loved The Disillusioning of Esmerelda...I'm starting that back up as well during my Christmas break! I will continue to update Promise as my main story...so don't worry!