AN: Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.
No Mystery To It
Always Padfoot
There was something relaxing about having a common room just for the seventh year students and those in their 'eighth' year that were retaking classes. House divisions and rivalry seemed to be a lifetime ago — everyone that had returned was embracing House unity once and for all.
Some were embracing the other Houses in a more literal sense, so to speak. Ginny was one of them. She'd been dating Blaise for just over three months now. He was clever, funny, and handsome — his one failing grace was that he was absolutely useless on a broomstick.
She sauntered toward a group of students curled up on the sofas by the fireplace. Blaise, Harry, Dean, and Ernie were all scratching away at rolls of parchment. Ginny would bet anything that it was their Potions homework, as the lot of them always seemed to leave it until the last minute.
"So, you've done it?" Harry said. He wiggled his brows in Blaise's direction. Although Blaise didn't look up, Ginny noticed a flicker of disgruntlement flash over his handsome features.
"Yeah. After all, what's the harm?" Blaise said. "But keep it on the down low for the moment, will you?"
Harry nodded. Wondering what they'd been talking about, Ginny paused and listened, chewing on her lip. When a moment passed and the topic seemed to be done with, she bit back a huff. Instead, she jumped onto the sofa, hopping over the back to slide in next to Blaise.
"Merlin!" he exclaimed with a flinch. "You scared the life out of me."
He clutched a hand to his chest. "Dying… I'm dying… you've killed me!" He slowly toppled to the side, collapsing onto Ernie.
"Oi, gedoff!" Ernie said, but he was laughing.
Ginny poked Blaise in the side. When he didn't react, she poked him again, then resorted to a Stinging Hex.
"Ouch!" Blaise cried. "My side!" He sat up and winked at her. "You really will be the death of me, you know."
Ginny smirked. "La petit mort?"
"Oh la la!" Blaise exclaimed. "Mademoiselle, you speak my language… the language of love!" He tugged her onto his lap and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"Hey, no snogging in the common areas!" Ron shouted from across the room, amid chuckles and catcalls.
With a pout, Blaise pulled away. "Your brother is most infuriating," he said. "It's not as if we're harming anyone."
"You can say that again," Ginny grumbled. "Come on, let's go to the library. I'll help you study."
"Yeah, studying, that's what you'll be doing," Harry muttered. He was grinning. "Piss off, then, you two lovebirds."
Ginny grinned back. "I'll certainly be working Blaise very hard."
Sound travelled surprisingly well in the library, especially when Madam Pince was absent. Even tables on opposing sides of bookshelves could often hear each other speak if they were loud or obnoxious enough.
"Do you know when you'll hear back from Wanda, then?"
Ginny glared down at her Transfiguration textbook and tried to ignore the nasal voice of Draco Malfoy.
To her surprise, it was her boyfriend that answered. "Soon," he said.
The Five Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Transfiguration: money, food — she had nothing more. She was rubbish at Transfiguration and it didn't help that she was distracted.
Love, she thought viciously, scribbling it down and then crossing it out.
Who the hell was Wanda?
"Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to tell the she-Weasley?"
Ginny had never wanted to curse Malfoy with the bat-bogeys more than she had in that instant. As seventh years, however, they were supposed to be responsible. Instead, she clutched at her quill and imagined stabbing the pointy end into Malfoy's pointy face. The only harm done to him was in her mind.
Blaise sighed. "Not yet. I just — I need more information. Leave it alone, will you, Draco?"
Taking a deep breath, Ginny slammed her Transfiguration textbook shut. The sound echoed around the room and she winced.
Sure enough, Madam Pince scurried in from the back room.
"Who was that?" she asked, peering around with beady eyes. "Well, own up!"
Ginny kept her head down and shoved her stuff into her bag. She stalked out of the library and vowed that if she ever met a woman named Wanda, she was going to hex her into oblivion.
In the Great Hall, the four House tables were still laid out in House colours, but students tended to sit where there was space. Her friends were all clustered around one end of the former Ravenclaw table.
Hermione and Ron were next to each other, holding hands. Ginny rolled her eyes — as if her brother could lecture others on public displays of affection when he was just as bad. Hermione was reading while Ron ate what looked to be his body weight in roast potatoes, both pausing on occasion to discuss something Hermione had discovered.
Opposite, Seamus and Dean had their heads together over a piece of parchment, whispering back and forth in a worrisome manner. Further down the table, Neville, Harry, and Daphne seemed to be engaged in an academic conversation about the possible uses of the Patronus Charm, Blaise on the edge but not paying them any attention.
"Do you think it's possible?" Daphne asked.
"No harm in trying, is there?" Harry said, looking excited. He stood, drawing his wand, and Neville ducked when it was pointed in his direction.
"Don't try it on me," he exclaimed.
"Nor me!" Susan Bones added, as did several other voices in the immediate vicinity.
"Not in the Hall, Potter," Professor McGonagall called from the teacher's table.
Ginny snorted as Harry sat back down, a sheepish expression on his face. She squeezed in between him and Blaise, elbowing Harry in the side.
"Causing trouble?"
"Always," Harry said, woebegone. "It was a good idea, wasn't it, Blaise?"
Blaise was grinning down at a letter in his hands. He didn't reply.
"Blaise," Ginny said. Then again, louder: "Blaise!"
"What?" His head snapped up and he folded the letter away.
Harry shook his head, eyes full of mirth. "We had an idea — what if you could form a corporeal Patronus that was actually solid?"
It sounded impossible to Ginny.
"Er… I have no idea," Blaise replied. His eyes flicked back down to the letter.
"Oh, is that Wanda?" Harry asked. All of a sudden, that seemed to catch the attention of all the boys at the table.
It seemed that Wanda was a secret that was being kept from only Ginny. Well, she wasn't having any of that. Blaise was her boyfriend, after all.
"Who the hell is Wanda?" she snapped. She folded her arms and turned to glare at Blaise.
He stared back at her, brows furrowed. "Who is Wanda?" he repeated. Recognition was beginning to dawn upon his face.
"Well?"
To her horror, his lips quivered and he seemed to be unable to hold back a laugh.
"Er, not a good time, mate," Ron said. "She really will curse you."
Blaise shook his head. "Wanda — it's not a person," he said. He laughed again.
Ginny frowned, not at all reassured. "Explain."
He held up the letter. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure, but WANDA is the Wizarding Association of National Directors and Actors," he said. "I've just been accepted into acting school!"
Blaise's dream was to bring the Muggle movie culture into the mainstream wizarding world. They'd been out together to see several shows in Muggle cinemas; Ginny's favourite was Star Wars.
Of course WANDA was a Wizarding Association for aspiring actors.
"Oh," Ginny said. Her stomach flipped. All this time, she'd been thinking the worst of Blaise, but he was just following his dreams. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.
"Well done," she said, her voice muffled by his jumper. "I'm sorry I thought otherwise."
"No harm, no foul," Blaise murmured. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you straight away. I was just so worried — I didn't want to get my hopes up. The boys only know because I've been practising for auditions in the dorm room."
Ginny pulled back and offered him a smile. "Accepted by WANDA — that sounds amazing. I'm so proud of you."
She kissed him, short and sweet. Blaise's eyes twinkled when he drew back.
"You know, we may have to practise that some more. I'm not sure I've got enough experience in that area."
"What's the harm?" Ginny agreed. She leaned forward to kiss him again, his lips soft and his hands strong upon her waist.
"No snogging in — " Ron began before he was cut off by a hissed Silencing Charm. Hermione was probably the only one able to get away with that and Ginny grinned at the thought of it.
"Come on," she murmured against Blaise's mouth. "Wanna get out of here?"
"Sure thang," Blaise drawled. He grabbed her hand and they raced out of the Great Hall, laughing even as their year mates laughed at them in turn.
He turned to her when they reached the Charms corridor, suddenly serious.
"The only association I need is the association of two: me and you, okay?" he said.
Ginny scoffed. "Merlin, that was cheesy! Anyway, I'm dating you for your acting talent. I'll need someone able to take the fame when I'm Captain of the Harpies."
Blaise arched a brow. "If that's the case, then I'm your guy."
"Yeah, you are," Ginny replied. "And don't you forget it."
"Never," Blaise said. "And when I need a trophy wife to take with me to the Oscars?"
"I'm your gal," Ginny agreed. She grinned, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. "Bring on the future."
Comps and Prompts
QLFC: Round 9 Chaser 3 — Ginny Weasley
Optional Prompts:
2. (word) Harm
3. (quote) Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume.
11. (word) association
Full quote is actually: [There's no mystery to it.] Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume. - Morgan Freeman
Word Count: 1634