Fire is the Devil's only friend (is that not the coolest title?)
Disclaimer- Thanks to Olive who gave me the title. She didn't make it up, though, it's from a line in American Pie. Well, everything else you recognize isn't mine.
Authors Note- Yay! A sequel! I know you're all just bouncing off the walls with happiness. Or not. Anyways, yeah, I'm happy about a sequel, and it probably won't be too long, but you never know. Whatever, just read on, cheerio. (I always say that. It's so weird.)
Chapter One
"Ginny? Gin, wake up. It's eight now, I'm going to have to get to work soon. Ginny.." The calm, gentle voice broke through Virginia Weasley's dreams, pulling her back into reality. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the painful rays of the sun beaming cheerily through the window. She groaned and tried to roll over onto her stomach, but her husband pushed her onto her back again.
"I don't wanna get up.." She mumbled, sounding very much like a sleep- deprived teenager.
"Come on, dear. Julia said she wanted you to check some of the new books that just arrived for your shop; she can't do it alone. You have half an hour and I have to go, anyways." Will said, shaking her shoulder again. Muttering something he couldn't understand, Ginny sat up in her bed and shook her head.
"Yeah, fine, whatever. Coffee.." Will laughed and took her hand, pulling her from the sheets. Ginny never was much of a morning person, it always took some persuasion before she would get up and go on about her business. She stumbled across the floor and flung open the door to her closet, walking in. He strolled around the room as she changed and when she came out, he smiled; she had chosen some casual clothes of dark jean, a red tank-top with a white, unbuttoned cotton shirt over it, which looked lovely with her hair. She had recently decided that red was her favorite color.
"Lovely, dear, really," he said. She smiled at his compliment and went forward to kiss him delicately on the cheek. Grabbing her brush, she raked it through her fiery red hair and then led Will downstairs. Blabbering about how Julia should be able to manage the books on her own, she ambled around, making coffee for herself. Will sat at the table, staring blankly at the yellow flowers in the center of it. Finally she seated herself down in front of him, sipping at a steaming cup of the caffeinated liquid.
"Ah, this stuff is good," she murmured. He nodded and pushed a few strands of his straight brown hair from his face. She suddenly frowned. "Why do you have to go? You were out for almost three days straight last time," she said, peering intently into his eyes. He sighed.
"Gin, You-Know-Who's power is growing again, and the number of Death Eaters is more than ever before. It's hard work, being an Auror, but I know I'm ridding the world of a great evil when I go out there and stop the torture of Muggle-borns. I want you to apparate to your shop, do what you have to with Julia, and then come home. I don't want you wandering around Diagon Alley, the Death Eaters are everywhere now," he warned her sternly. She whimpered but nodded.
"I know, I know. I just.." She fidgeted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable, twirling the golden band on her left-handed ring finger. "I just hate you going out there, putting yourself in danger!"
"Ginny, there aren't enough Aurors. Yes, we're getting more as the Dark side gets more Death Eaters, but we need all the Aurors we can get. The Ministry needs me, and I'm going to help." He looked up at the clock on their mantle piece that Ginny had inherited from her parents when they passed away; both Will's and Ginny's faces were at 'home.' Then he looked at the watch on his wrist and stood up. "It's time to go." She stood and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He sighed.
"I'll be careful," she whispered. He nodded and kissed her sweetly before pulling out his wand. Pointing it at himself, he said 'Apparate!' and with a pop, was gone. Ginny shivered, despite the lack of cold air in her house. Slipping on her shoes and grabbing her wand, she snatched her cloak and walked to the door, and suddenly paused, looking at the cloak in her hand.
It was the cloak that Draco had given her, so many years ago. It was still magnificent and elegant, and a long time ago she had wondered why she never grew out of it, but supposed that the makers put a charm on it so that it would grow along with its owner.
She smiled and swung it around her shoulders, clasping the silver clasp that had still not grown tarnished. She had told Will some lie about how she had bought it as a treat for herself in Diagon Alley when he asked where she had got it.
"Apparate," she said, and suddenly, she was in her little bookshop, her wand still pointed at her chest.
"Oh, good, Ginny, you're here," said a voice suddenly behind her. She turned around to see Julia Sharp standing by one of the many bookshelves covering the walls, a pile of books in her arms. "You wanted me, Julia?"
"Well yes, you're the owner of this store, aren't you?" The older woman sighed and waved her free hand towards the back of the shop. "There are the boxes of those books you ordered, I expect that when August comes, we'll be getting a lot of students to buy their schoolbooks here." Ginny nodded and pulled off her cloak, slipping her wand into her pocket. Then she made her way into the section behind the desk, to get to work.
~*~*~*~*~
"Julia?" Ginny called, peering around a corner. "Julia, I'm finished working, and Will said for me to come straight home."
"Yeah, go ahead!" came Julia's loud shout from upstairs. "I'll just stay here for any customers!" Ginny smiled to herself. Julia really was devoted to the shop; she actually did most of the work, out of choice, of course. Yet again putting on her cloak, Ginny walked outside and down the main street of Diagon Alley. It wasn't as crowded as it usually was, but she just wanted to stop by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes before returning home, to see if Fred or George were in.
She pushed open the door, the little bells clanking as it shut behind her. The shop was brightly lit and before she could say anything, someone ran up from behind her and wrapped their arms around her waist, hoisting her up. She screeched and was suddenly set down again; she whirled around to see George standing there, his brown eyes alight with happiness. She laughed randomly and hugged him tightly.
"George! It's been so long since I've seen you last!" He ran a hand through her hair and grinned, nodding.
"I know, I know. Fred's in the back, and so is Harry; he stopped by this morning for a little coffee," he said, waving his hand back behind the desk. Still smiling, Ginny followed him into a little room, across from the storage.
"Fred!" Ginny gasped as Fred ran forward and hugged her. Then Harry kissed her lightly on the cheek, beaming; she blushed furiously. He was more tanned then the last time she saw him, and his messy black hair was longer still, his green eyes sparkling. Ah, he still made her heart leap when he touched her hand or spoke to her, but she was married, and happily at that.
"How's everything going, love?" Fred asked her cheerily, beckoning for her to sit down at the table. She took the seat and shook her head as Harry offered her a mug.
"Oh, just fine, thanks. This shop looks so neat and tidy; I hardly can believe it's yours," she laughed.
George rolled his eyes. "Ah, well, Alicia won't have it messy."
"Oh, yes, that reminds me! George, how is Alicia, and Fred, how's Angelina? And Harry? How's Cho?" Fred and George spoke at once; Alicia was fine, Angelina was spiffing, but Harry's face fell and he was silent for a moment. Ginny looked around, confused. Fred cleared his throat.
"You didn't hear, Gin?" Ginny shook her head.
"Cho's dead," Harry choked. Ginny's hand flew to her mouth and she stared at him, unable to believe it. Cho, Harry's wife of seven years and the mother of his one daughter was dead? She watched as Harry's head dropped and he stared at the ground, blinking furiously.
"Oh, Harry," she whispered. Fred and George looked grave. "I'm so sorry. How did she..did she die?" Harry sighed and looked up, with such pain in his eyes Ginny felt as though her heart had been stabbed.
"She was killed. By Death Eaters. She was Muggle-born, you know. I didn't think it would matter. I thought she would never die. But she went out one day and..well, she never came back." He didn't say anything else, and Ginny certainly wouldn't pester him too. She had never really liked Cho, since she had captured Harry's heart so early and kept him away from her, but she had never wanted her to die. Now she was entirely gone, and Ginny had never really had any time to get to know her. With a terrible jolt, Ginny realized that evil was closing in, and nowhere was safe any more. She just hoped everyone else knew that too.
~*~*~*~*~
About an hour later, Ginny slammed the door behind her and pulled off her cloak, flinging it onto a chair. Her mood was seriously dampened from Harry's awful news, and couldn't even be heightened by Fred and George showing her some of their most recent inventions afterwards, no matter how silly they had been.
It was about one o'clock now, and she had absolutely nothing to do. If she had to go back to the shop, Julia would tell her. Ambling around, she cleaned up random things and then made herself a sandwich. She didn't dare go outside; for some reason, she felt as though it was terribly dangerous anywhere but her home. Her home was small but perfect for her and Will, and since they had no children (yet) they didn't have need for a bigger one.
Life was good; she had to admit that, though You-Know-Who was getting stronger by the minute. Ginny owned a little bookshop, and it actually had good business, though it was competing with Flourish and Blotts. Hermione had gone off after she graduated and got married to a Muggle, someone who she had known from before she even went to Hogwarts. But after a mere two years, they divorced and Hermione had returned to become a Professor at Hogwarts; she taught Transfiguration after McGonagall retired.
Ron became a Chaser for England's Quidditch team, and hadn't gotten married yet. Morgan had indeed ended up marrying Daniel, and Emma was unmarried; Ginny hadn't communicated with her in a while and didn't know what she was up to. Harry had married Cho right after they graduated; Harry had become an Auror immediately and Ginny didn't know what Cho did. They had had a single daughter, she must be four now; he name was Lily Potter, after Harry's mother. But now Cho was dead.
Shuddering, she sank into a larger chair and just sat there, curled up, leaning her head against her hand. Within minutes, she was sound asleep, traveling off into complete darkness.
Ginny woke to the sound of distant shouts, bangs, and then sudden poundings on her door. Eyes snapping open, she sat abruptly up, quickly looking at the clock. It was nine thirty. She had been asleep for nearly nine hours. The living room was dark, as no lights were turned on, and Will clearly wasn't home. She drearily rubbed her eyes. Why was it so loud outside? What was going on? Panic suddenly rose in her chest, making her gasp suddenly. Was Will all right? Was there an attack going on outside, at any of her neighbors homes?
And then, very abruptly, there was a flash of light and the door flew violently open, and someone stumbled in, slamming the door behind them. Ginny screamed and leapt away from them, backing against the wall. The person was wearing a black, ankle-length, hooded cloak, and when they looked up, Ginny saw that they were masked. Ginny screamed again, staring at the Death Eater, terror filling her brain. Where was Will? The person suddenly strode over and whipped out their wand, pointing it at her face.
Ginny fell silent and stared at the tip of the wand, her heart beating furiously in her chest. Was this it, then? Would they just kill her, and Ginny Weasley would be dead? But very slowly, the Death Eater (she could now see that it was a he) lowered his wand. She was breathing hard as he raised his hand and very slowly began to take off his mask. Ginny screamed involuntarily again, the thought rushing into her head that he would be some hideously deformed man here to rape her or something.
The mask fell off in his hand, but still she couldn't see his face, in the darkness of his hood. She could hear his breathing now. And then he spoke.
"Virginia Weasley. We meet again." He pushed back his hood, and Ginny gasped.
It was Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~*~
Authors Note- Hope you liked that! Ooh, I'm so happy, a sequel! This is going to be fun to write. And I don't read many post-Hogwarts fics, but hey, I can write one, can't I? Yeah, that was a cliffhanger, too bad for you. Leave a review, please!! Mucho Turds! ~Clare
Disclaimer- Thanks to Olive who gave me the title. She didn't make it up, though, it's from a line in American Pie. Well, everything else you recognize isn't mine.
Authors Note- Yay! A sequel! I know you're all just bouncing off the walls with happiness. Or not. Anyways, yeah, I'm happy about a sequel, and it probably won't be too long, but you never know. Whatever, just read on, cheerio. (I always say that. It's so weird.)
Chapter One
"Ginny? Gin, wake up. It's eight now, I'm going to have to get to work soon. Ginny.." The calm, gentle voice broke through Virginia Weasley's dreams, pulling her back into reality. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the painful rays of the sun beaming cheerily through the window. She groaned and tried to roll over onto her stomach, but her husband pushed her onto her back again.
"I don't wanna get up.." She mumbled, sounding very much like a sleep- deprived teenager.
"Come on, dear. Julia said she wanted you to check some of the new books that just arrived for your shop; she can't do it alone. You have half an hour and I have to go, anyways." Will said, shaking her shoulder again. Muttering something he couldn't understand, Ginny sat up in her bed and shook her head.
"Yeah, fine, whatever. Coffee.." Will laughed and took her hand, pulling her from the sheets. Ginny never was much of a morning person, it always took some persuasion before she would get up and go on about her business. She stumbled across the floor and flung open the door to her closet, walking in. He strolled around the room as she changed and when she came out, he smiled; she had chosen some casual clothes of dark jean, a red tank-top with a white, unbuttoned cotton shirt over it, which looked lovely with her hair. She had recently decided that red was her favorite color.
"Lovely, dear, really," he said. She smiled at his compliment and went forward to kiss him delicately on the cheek. Grabbing her brush, she raked it through her fiery red hair and then led Will downstairs. Blabbering about how Julia should be able to manage the books on her own, she ambled around, making coffee for herself. Will sat at the table, staring blankly at the yellow flowers in the center of it. Finally she seated herself down in front of him, sipping at a steaming cup of the caffeinated liquid.
"Ah, this stuff is good," she murmured. He nodded and pushed a few strands of his straight brown hair from his face. She suddenly frowned. "Why do you have to go? You were out for almost three days straight last time," she said, peering intently into his eyes. He sighed.
"Gin, You-Know-Who's power is growing again, and the number of Death Eaters is more than ever before. It's hard work, being an Auror, but I know I'm ridding the world of a great evil when I go out there and stop the torture of Muggle-borns. I want you to apparate to your shop, do what you have to with Julia, and then come home. I don't want you wandering around Diagon Alley, the Death Eaters are everywhere now," he warned her sternly. She whimpered but nodded.
"I know, I know. I just.." She fidgeted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable, twirling the golden band on her left-handed ring finger. "I just hate you going out there, putting yourself in danger!"
"Ginny, there aren't enough Aurors. Yes, we're getting more as the Dark side gets more Death Eaters, but we need all the Aurors we can get. The Ministry needs me, and I'm going to help." He looked up at the clock on their mantle piece that Ginny had inherited from her parents when they passed away; both Will's and Ginny's faces were at 'home.' Then he looked at the watch on his wrist and stood up. "It's time to go." She stood and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He sighed.
"I'll be careful," she whispered. He nodded and kissed her sweetly before pulling out his wand. Pointing it at himself, he said 'Apparate!' and with a pop, was gone. Ginny shivered, despite the lack of cold air in her house. Slipping on her shoes and grabbing her wand, she snatched her cloak and walked to the door, and suddenly paused, looking at the cloak in her hand.
It was the cloak that Draco had given her, so many years ago. It was still magnificent and elegant, and a long time ago she had wondered why she never grew out of it, but supposed that the makers put a charm on it so that it would grow along with its owner.
She smiled and swung it around her shoulders, clasping the silver clasp that had still not grown tarnished. She had told Will some lie about how she had bought it as a treat for herself in Diagon Alley when he asked where she had got it.
"Apparate," she said, and suddenly, she was in her little bookshop, her wand still pointed at her chest.
"Oh, good, Ginny, you're here," said a voice suddenly behind her. She turned around to see Julia Sharp standing by one of the many bookshelves covering the walls, a pile of books in her arms. "You wanted me, Julia?"
"Well yes, you're the owner of this store, aren't you?" The older woman sighed and waved her free hand towards the back of the shop. "There are the boxes of those books you ordered, I expect that when August comes, we'll be getting a lot of students to buy their schoolbooks here." Ginny nodded and pulled off her cloak, slipping her wand into her pocket. Then she made her way into the section behind the desk, to get to work.
~*~*~*~*~
"Julia?" Ginny called, peering around a corner. "Julia, I'm finished working, and Will said for me to come straight home."
"Yeah, go ahead!" came Julia's loud shout from upstairs. "I'll just stay here for any customers!" Ginny smiled to herself. Julia really was devoted to the shop; she actually did most of the work, out of choice, of course. Yet again putting on her cloak, Ginny walked outside and down the main street of Diagon Alley. It wasn't as crowded as it usually was, but she just wanted to stop by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes before returning home, to see if Fred or George were in.
She pushed open the door, the little bells clanking as it shut behind her. The shop was brightly lit and before she could say anything, someone ran up from behind her and wrapped their arms around her waist, hoisting her up. She screeched and was suddenly set down again; she whirled around to see George standing there, his brown eyes alight with happiness. She laughed randomly and hugged him tightly.
"George! It's been so long since I've seen you last!" He ran a hand through her hair and grinned, nodding.
"I know, I know. Fred's in the back, and so is Harry; he stopped by this morning for a little coffee," he said, waving his hand back behind the desk. Still smiling, Ginny followed him into a little room, across from the storage.
"Fred!" Ginny gasped as Fred ran forward and hugged her. Then Harry kissed her lightly on the cheek, beaming; she blushed furiously. He was more tanned then the last time she saw him, and his messy black hair was longer still, his green eyes sparkling. Ah, he still made her heart leap when he touched her hand or spoke to her, but she was married, and happily at that.
"How's everything going, love?" Fred asked her cheerily, beckoning for her to sit down at the table. She took the seat and shook her head as Harry offered her a mug.
"Oh, just fine, thanks. This shop looks so neat and tidy; I hardly can believe it's yours," she laughed.
George rolled his eyes. "Ah, well, Alicia won't have it messy."
"Oh, yes, that reminds me! George, how is Alicia, and Fred, how's Angelina? And Harry? How's Cho?" Fred and George spoke at once; Alicia was fine, Angelina was spiffing, but Harry's face fell and he was silent for a moment. Ginny looked around, confused. Fred cleared his throat.
"You didn't hear, Gin?" Ginny shook her head.
"Cho's dead," Harry choked. Ginny's hand flew to her mouth and she stared at him, unable to believe it. Cho, Harry's wife of seven years and the mother of his one daughter was dead? She watched as Harry's head dropped and he stared at the ground, blinking furiously.
"Oh, Harry," she whispered. Fred and George looked grave. "I'm so sorry. How did she..did she die?" Harry sighed and looked up, with such pain in his eyes Ginny felt as though her heart had been stabbed.
"She was killed. By Death Eaters. She was Muggle-born, you know. I didn't think it would matter. I thought she would never die. But she went out one day and..well, she never came back." He didn't say anything else, and Ginny certainly wouldn't pester him too. She had never really liked Cho, since she had captured Harry's heart so early and kept him away from her, but she had never wanted her to die. Now she was entirely gone, and Ginny had never really had any time to get to know her. With a terrible jolt, Ginny realized that evil was closing in, and nowhere was safe any more. She just hoped everyone else knew that too.
~*~*~*~*~
About an hour later, Ginny slammed the door behind her and pulled off her cloak, flinging it onto a chair. Her mood was seriously dampened from Harry's awful news, and couldn't even be heightened by Fred and George showing her some of their most recent inventions afterwards, no matter how silly they had been.
It was about one o'clock now, and she had absolutely nothing to do. If she had to go back to the shop, Julia would tell her. Ambling around, she cleaned up random things and then made herself a sandwich. She didn't dare go outside; for some reason, she felt as though it was terribly dangerous anywhere but her home. Her home was small but perfect for her and Will, and since they had no children (yet) they didn't have need for a bigger one.
Life was good; she had to admit that, though You-Know-Who was getting stronger by the minute. Ginny owned a little bookshop, and it actually had good business, though it was competing with Flourish and Blotts. Hermione had gone off after she graduated and got married to a Muggle, someone who she had known from before she even went to Hogwarts. But after a mere two years, they divorced and Hermione had returned to become a Professor at Hogwarts; she taught Transfiguration after McGonagall retired.
Ron became a Chaser for England's Quidditch team, and hadn't gotten married yet. Morgan had indeed ended up marrying Daniel, and Emma was unmarried; Ginny hadn't communicated with her in a while and didn't know what she was up to. Harry had married Cho right after they graduated; Harry had become an Auror immediately and Ginny didn't know what Cho did. They had had a single daughter, she must be four now; he name was Lily Potter, after Harry's mother. But now Cho was dead.
Shuddering, she sank into a larger chair and just sat there, curled up, leaning her head against her hand. Within minutes, she was sound asleep, traveling off into complete darkness.
Ginny woke to the sound of distant shouts, bangs, and then sudden poundings on her door. Eyes snapping open, she sat abruptly up, quickly looking at the clock. It was nine thirty. She had been asleep for nearly nine hours. The living room was dark, as no lights were turned on, and Will clearly wasn't home. She drearily rubbed her eyes. Why was it so loud outside? What was going on? Panic suddenly rose in her chest, making her gasp suddenly. Was Will all right? Was there an attack going on outside, at any of her neighbors homes?
And then, very abruptly, there was a flash of light and the door flew violently open, and someone stumbled in, slamming the door behind them. Ginny screamed and leapt away from them, backing against the wall. The person was wearing a black, ankle-length, hooded cloak, and when they looked up, Ginny saw that they were masked. Ginny screamed again, staring at the Death Eater, terror filling her brain. Where was Will? The person suddenly strode over and whipped out their wand, pointing it at her face.
Ginny fell silent and stared at the tip of the wand, her heart beating furiously in her chest. Was this it, then? Would they just kill her, and Ginny Weasley would be dead? But very slowly, the Death Eater (she could now see that it was a he) lowered his wand. She was breathing hard as he raised his hand and very slowly began to take off his mask. Ginny screamed involuntarily again, the thought rushing into her head that he would be some hideously deformed man here to rape her or something.
The mask fell off in his hand, but still she couldn't see his face, in the darkness of his hood. She could hear his breathing now. And then he spoke.
"Virginia Weasley. We meet again." He pushed back his hood, and Ginny gasped.
It was Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~*~
Authors Note- Hope you liked that! Ooh, I'm so happy, a sequel! This is going to be fun to write. And I don't read many post-Hogwarts fics, but hey, I can write one, can't I? Yeah, that was a cliffhanger, too bad for you. Leave a review, please!! Mucho Turds! ~Clare