Lunch

Ginny's eyes were unfocused as she sliced the knife through the onions, her hands working with little thought. She had been making lunch, but her mind could focus on nothing but the letter sitting in her pocket. Her wand was lying next to her, and she knew the process would travel much faster if she just picked it up and waved it – but there was something relaxing about doing it the muggle way. There was a knock at the door, causing Ginny to jump, the knife running along the skin of her finger. She yelled out in pain, clutching her bleeding finger in her other hand. She walked quickly to the door, opening it – trying not to cringe at the red stain she left behind on the door knob.

Draco was standing there, a beautiful bunch of flowers in his hand. Ginny stared at him, her eyes wide.
"You're early," she said softly, turning away from him. Draco frowned, walking in after her. He put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her as he moved around her.
"Sorry, I thought it would be a nice surprise? Are you okay?" He could tell something was wrong with her, she looked hurt. Ginny shifted her grip on her bleeding hand, causing the blood to show. Draco looked down at her.
"Ginny! You're hurt!"
"It's fine!" she said, shaking her head as he tried to fawn over her. Draco whipped out his wand, casting a spell quickly to stop the blood. Ginny walked slowly to the sink, letting the cold water run over her hands. Draco looked around at the remnants of lunch sitting on the kitchen counter; there was a knife with blood on the tip sitting next to a half chopped pile of onions.
"Did we really need that many onions?" He asked softly, looking around, but Ginny wasn't listening. "Honey, are you okay?" he asked again, as she stood quietly by the sink.

Draco walked back to her, his eyes running over the rest of her to make sure her hand was the only thing hurt. She turned to him, her face almost blank, but she didn't say anything.
"You're really scaring me, hun. Tell me what's going on." Ginny stared at him, debating whether to tell him, or to keep it to herself for a little while longer. She let out a small sigh and pulled the letter from her pocket.
"I've been let go."

Ginny worked as a reporter for the Daily Prophet, reporting on sporting matches and the breaking news from the players. She loved her job, and believed she was good at it. Until, of course, she received a letter telling her otherwise.

Draco spent the afternoon trying to cheer her up, but his attempts just made her feel worse. After a long silence in front of the muggle contraption they called a television, Draco spoke.
"I know you're hurting right now, and I know you really loved this job, but you have to get your mind off it." Draco turned to her, his hands folded in front of him. "You'll find something else, and you'll love it even more." Ginny turned to him, her eyes burning.
"So, I just have to get over it?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "I'm being unreasonable? Too emotional?"
"No, Gin. That's not what I said."
"No, but it's what you meant." Ginny stormed from the room, leaving lunch half made. Draco moved after her, calling her name as she went. "No! Draco, you can't just say things like that and expect me to be okay with it. This was my dream job! I'd found it, that's all." Ginny stared at him, her hands on her hips. Draco opened her mouth, then closed it slowly. He closed his eyes as he sighed, taking a step forward. His hand came to rest on Ginny's hips pulling her close to him.
"Love, I'm sorry. I just don't want you to hurt any longer."
"That's going to take some time, Draco," she said, resting her forehead against his. He smiled, running his thumb across her cheek.
"Okay, time it is," Draco said softly, "but first, how about lunch?" Ginny smiled, pressing her lips against his.
"Fine, lunch."

The pair made their way back to the kitchen, finishing off the preparations. As Ginny watched Draco cleaning off the dishes, she smiled to herself. Despite everything they had been through, she still couldn't believe how far Draco had come. He really tried to change, to develop into someone Ginny would want to be with, and she was so grateful for that. Her heart was full as she watched him, knowing that whatever happened would be fine as long as they worked through it together.

A/N: Words - 790

Hedge Maze - To go left, please use the prompt: (scenario) cooking lunch