Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

So this is a series of one-shots that's a side story to my main one. You don't need to read the other.

Ginny's views of herself in this aren't particularly kind. They aren't my views. It's just how she views herself, and this is told from her point of view. I think the first steps to coming out are acknowledgement and self-acceptance.

Chapter 1 Normal

Flying was easy. Ginny didn't have to worry about who she was or who she was pretending to be. The only problem she had was the snitch. It felt so much better than being on the ground.

The Quidditch season always started in early spring, so the Holyhead Harpies began practicing in the bitter cold of early December. No amount of chattering teeth or dry skin could keep Ginny off the field though. Daphne Greengrass, however, was another story.

She was a sports reporter, or at least that was what she did for fun in between parties and charities events that one had to be a millionaire to attend. Something about her made Ginny hate her, and she didn't find out what it was until the beginning of February.

She made the mistake of being the last half frozen Harpy to head for the hot showers in the changing room when Daphne grabbed her arm to stop her. "Ms. Weasley, may I have a word?" she purred. "You were stunning today. What is your personal record for catching the snitch?"

Ginny clenched her jaw before turning around. It was starting to snow, and a few flakes were getting caught in Daphne's blonde hair. She tried not to notice that it looked so soft and perfect that she wanted to run her fingers through it. Her fingers twitched, which only ticked her off more. "Shouldn't you be at your manor like a good Slytherin? Waiting for your Death Eater husband to come home, so you can bark at the house elves to serve him supper?"

Daphne raised a thin eyebrow at her outburst but otherwise seemed unaffected. "Why would I do that when I can spend my days with pretty girls like you?"

"I…" Like a stupid fish, Ginny opened and closed her mouth several times before she could think of what to say. Just answer the damn question! she yelled at herself. Don't let her know how terrifying she is. "Eight minutes when it's dark. Five when it's light."

"Interesting." Her blue eyes scrutinized every feature of Ginny's face. "Have dinner with me."

"What-Why—I mean—No!" Ginny was sure her face was scarlet as she started stammering like an idiot. "I-I'm busy."

The small, satisfied smile spreading across her face made Ginny want to smack her and run off like a coward. "About half the time I ask someone, they tell me they aren't interested in women." She smirked as Ginny felt her heart clench at her mistake. "The other half of the time, I get the "I have a girlfriend" excuse."

"I have a gir-boyfriend," Ginny choked out. Daphne tilted her head to the side. "His name is… Dudley. Vernon Dudley."

"Oh. Okay." Daphne's eyes were dancing as she pretended to believe her. "Will Mr. Dudley be at the press conference next week? Perhaps I'll do an exposé. Fans love to hear about celebrities' love lives, for some reason."

"No. It's no one's business but mine." Before Daphne could ask something else, Ginny pushed passed her to go get changed. Her love life was no one's business but her own, and it never would be.

Ginny hated herself. She wanted to have a boyfriend, get married, be just like Mum, but she couldn't. She couldn't be normal. At school, she couldn't tell Dean that she loved him without feeling sick, and she couldn't even open her eyes when they used to have sex. Something was wrong with her.

After the War, all her friends wanted to do was have fun. It was so easy to go to a party and forget about losing Fred. The only problem was that when she drank, she forgot that something was wrong with her.

Once, after a particularly wild party at her friend Kat's flat, she woke up next to a woman who called herself Cinnamon. Upon further inspection, she saw that Cinnamon wasn't exactly a woman, but Ginny was still disgusted with herself. It was not because she couldn't remember what happened, but because she could remember and loved every minute of it, touching her breasts, the smell of her perfume, being pressed against her soft, hairless body. Everything feminine about her about her made Ginny want more. She even recalled being briefly disappointed when she discovered that the woman was transgender.

She went home and scrubbed herself raw. It took months for her to be able to look herself in the mirror sober and not want to throw up. Daphne Greengrass made those feelings return.

"Just ignore her." Ginny squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to look in the mirror and gripped the bathroom sink for support. "She'll go away eventually. Just ignore her."

But Daphne didn't go away. She was at every practice, claiming that she was taking pictures for a magazine. At the end of the third week in February, she bought everyone on the team a bouquet of roses. When she looked closely, Ginny saw that her red roses had gold laced around the edges. Leave it to a Slytherin to single her out without anyone else noticing.

"Stop it," Ginny growled when the rest of the team started signing autographs while exiting the stadium. "I mean it. I'm not interested."

"Stop what?" Daphne asked with false surprise. "I gave everyone flowers, Ginevra. It's part of my job to make sure Quidditch players like me. How else will I get them to talk to me?"

"Job?" Ginny snorted. If she was mean enough, Daphne would hate her in return. "You mean hobby?"

"I mean job," Daphne said firmly. Something flashed in her eyes that made Ginny's heart skip a beat. Anger? No… It was an unwavering confidence that her insult had no effect on. "It is 2003, Ginevra. You do realize that, don't you? You won't be locked away in the looney bin for having a beer with me. They won't even throw you away if we have a full meal. I promise."

Ginny stared, feeling foolish yet again. She never thought a Slytherin would call her old fashioned. With their pureblood mania and disowning family members left and right, she would have bet anything it would be the other way around. "I…"

"Am surprised that I'm more than a pretty face?" Daphne wondered with a smirk.

She was one of the most beautiful women that Ginny had ever seen, but she wasn't about to let that get the best of her. She held her head high when she said, "I have to go sign some autographs. Gwenog wanted a word with you. You would think a reporter would want to interview the captain after a month of harassing her team members."

Daphne laughed lightly as she stomped off. Ginny wanted to crawl in her bed and never come out.

That's it. Daphne Greengrass was stalking her. Ginny drew the short stick with her brothers and was stuck taking Ron to the first Chudley Cannons game. Three guesses who strolled in and sat next to her just before the game started.

Daphne feigned surprise that almost sounded real. "You like the Cannons?" She nodded to the younger girl she was with. The girl was small, pale, and had dark red hair. Ginny wanted to kick herself for glaring at her. She should be relieved that Daphne had a date to the game. "It's Story's favorite team."

"Story?" Ron snickered as he tore his eyes away from the captains shaking hands on the field. "What kind of name is…?"

Ginny almost groaned when Ron looked at "Story" and became slack jawed. She'd tell him that he had zero chance later. The Big Break-Up, as George called it, between Ron and Hermione was over two years ago, and he had yet to show interest in anyone else.

"Astoria," Daphne snarled, "is my sister." The girl blushed furiously as Ginny tried to keep her eyes on the game so she could ignore the relief flooding through her. "And I think you should apologize, Weasley."

"Daph," Astoria whispered. Ginny could barely hear her soft, slightly horrified voice, so it was rather easy for Daphne to pretend that she didn't hear it at all. "Please."

Ginny sunk in her seat as Ron started apologizing profusely and stuttering like a tongue-tied buffoon. Hopefully the Cannons would hurry up and lose this game so she could go home.

The Cannons took about two hours to lose and all the while, Daphne would do things like shift slightly so her arm brushed against Ginny's, or lean over, pretending to get a better look at the game so she would get a nice view of her breasts. The only ones who were actually focused on the game were Astoria and Ron, who were cheering and groaning like they thought the Cannons actually had a shot.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Ginny hissed as soon as the Cannons lost. Astoria was at the railing with Ron, waving to the players.

"Maybe next time then." Daphne shrugged and then glanced at her nails. "If you aren't around next game, I'll just ask Weasley where you are. I'm sure he'd love to hear the reason you aren't here."

"You're blackmailing me?" Ginny had no idea why she was surprised. It was low, but then again, she was dealing with a Slytherin.

Again, Daphne shrugged. "How about I put a Gryffindor spin on it? Just for you. I'm giving you an excuse to go, since you won't even allow yourself to consciously think about being interested... But, yes. I am blackmailing you. I want you, and I don't want to give up on you because you're afraid."

I'm not afraid! Ginny almost barked. It wasn't that at all. She didn't want to be attracted to women. Just because she didn't like something about herself… Okay. She never dared act on her feelings sober, but that was because… It was because…

"Ready to go, Gin?" Ron asked before she could explain her feelings to herself. Suddenly, Ginny felt incredibly tired.

Before Daphne could open her big mouth, she said quietly, "Actually, Daphne wanted to interview me one more time. Can you tell Mum that I'll grab something to eat with her?"

Despite the triumphant look on Daphne's face, Ron was as oblivious as ever. "Sure thing, Gin. I'll eat the leftovers she saves you too."

"Thanks." Ginny felt her heart leap to her throat when Daphne grabbed her clammy hand to lead her away. She already wanted to back out.

They apparated to Diagon Alley, and Ginny was too nervous to speak as zipped through the streets. Daphne had yet to let go of her hand, even though it was slick with sweat. What if someone saw?

"I didn't think that would work," she said breathlessly. "I was thinking about throwing pebbles at your window like a lovesick Hufflepuff."

"My guard dog Snuffles would rip your leg off," Ginny lied smoothly. "And this isn't a date. I'm just hungry."

"Say what you want. It's a date to me." Daphne pointed to a restaurant that looked more like a small mansion to Ginny. "We're eating there. You can pick next time."

Next time? It wasn't too late to apparate home to Mum. Daphne already started heading for the restaurant, tugging Ginny along like her arm was a leash. It was just dinner, Ginny told herself. She wasn't committing to anything, and tomorrow, she could act like it never happened. Once she got through the evening, she could tell herself how horrible it was and use it as an excuse to never so much as look at a woman the wrong way again.

Daphne took Ginny to a restaurant that she was sure she would have to have three jobs to afford one meal at. The waiters were better dressed than she was, making her feel out of place, but Daphne didn't seem to care. She ordered a beer like it was nothing, feeling so at home in a place that was another world to Ginny. This was a mistake.

"Is this your first date with a woman?" A smile touched Daphne's full, pouty lips. Ginny tried not to look at them. "Because you're terrible at it."

"Maybe I just don't like you." Ginny slid her eyes to her lap, where her sweaty hands were struggling to stay folded. If Daphne didn't know where she worked, she would go to the bathroom and apparate home.

Daphne snorted as the waiter returned with her beer. She didn't even bother to look at the menu. "We'll have the goose with asparagus and potatoes. And for Merlin's sake, ask her what she wants to drink!"

Ginny narrowed her eyes as she waved the terrified waiter off. So she thought she could order for her. "I'm allergic to goose."

"Is that possible?" Daphne raised an eyebrow and ran a finger around the rim of her beer glass. It probably would've been better if she said asparagus.

"Probably not," Ginny said coolly. "But I prefer chicken."

With a hum that sounded almost like a laugh, Daphne leaned over the table so their faces were inches apart. Ginny backed away as if slapped, causing her to flash an infuriatingly cocky grin. "This is your first date with a woman. And here I thought you were secretly shagging your team captain."

"I should go." Before she could try to stop her, Ginny shot out of her seat and hurried out of the restaurant. If only apparating in the middle of it wouldn't bring so much attention to herself.

She shouldn't have tripped on the stone stairs on her way out. Then she would have had enough time to escape, but no. Daphne had to catch her and make her heart speed up when her warm, soft hands touched her arms.

Almost lazily, Daphne spun her around and looked into her eyes with a small frown. Her beautiful face held no anger, only slight confusion. "I don't date much either. People find me intimidating. But you don't. So why are you running?"

Ginny said nothing. There was no one outside. She could easily apparate, go home, and do her best to forget this stupid mistake. Instead of doing so, she sighed and looked away.

"You also have yet to reject me because I don't have a penis." Daphne's frown only deepened. "Is it your parents? Because I don't take the Muggle loving Weasleys as the type to be more than surprised. It can't be your friends because they seem even more open minded. So that only leaves you, Ginevra."

"Don't act like you know anything about me." Ginny did her best to sneer, despite the fact that the other girl's words made her want to cry. She just wanted to be normal.

Daphne didn't seem to know what to say. She folded her arms over her chest and looked a little disappointed. "Fine. You can leave, and I won't say anything... If you kiss me first."

Or what? Ginny almost challenged but didn't dare to. Not only was she dealing with a Slytherin but a reporter too. An icy breezy tore through them, causing Ginny to shiver. Daphne barely reacted at all. She only waited.

"Fine. But I—"

She barely agreed before Daphne closed the distance between them and kissed her. Her lips were soft but not gentle. She wasn't aggressive but didn't hesitate either. Ginny hated herself for kissing her back, opening her mouth a little so she could taste her. She was disgusted with herself, or at least, she thought she should be. The excitement coursing through her veins, the heat flushing her skin… The feeling was too powerful. She had never felt more alive.

What did you think? Next up is Astoria and Ron!