"Did you want this gift wrapped?" the girl behind the counter asked as she rang up his 's eyes stopped wandering around the store and came back to the cashier. "Sorry? Oh, gift. Yes please." The girl nodded and he presented his card, signing the electronic pad and feeling happy that the girl had no idea who he was. He watched as she deftly wrapped the box in colored tissue and put it in a very sleek and stylish bag and handed it to him. "Cheers," he smiled and was rewarded with a blush as he left the store.
Stepping out into the windy street, he fumbled in his jacket pocket for his sunglasses and put them on before walking down the street to an alleyway that he had been informed was an approved Apparition point by the local Wizarding Council. Taking a quick glance around, he concentrated on his destination and Disapparated, coming back a moment later in another secluded alley across the city from where he had been just seconds before.
Pulling out a slip of paper with an address on it, he got out his wand and whispered, "Point me," setting off in the indicated direction. From the alley Harry emerged onto a residential street on a steep hill. Mindful of the direction his wand had pointed, he sighed and began walking up the hill, appraising the neighborhood for any hidden dangers. The street seemed quiet enough, but several of the buildings looked a little more run down than he would have liked. He gained the top of the hill and made a right turn. This street had more traffic and some businesses with apartments on top, including a small grocery and laundromat. He stopped in front of a building with a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor and double-checked the address. "This should be it," he murmured, walking around to the side of the building that had the staircase to the second floor.
He saw the door had recently been painted a bright blue and a new, brass letter "B" had been affixed to it. Smiling, he quickly rapped his knuckles on the door, announcing his presence. "Just a minute," he heard from the inside and a moment later the door was swung wide open. "Harry!" Ginny exclaimed with a smile before drawing him into a swift hug.
"Hey, Gin." Harry returned the hug, lifting Ginny off her feet. "It's so good to see you!" he said when they broke apart.
"Oh, you too! I haven't seen anyone familiar since Mum and Dad left last week! Come in, come in!" She stepped back and let him into her small studio apartment. Slipping his sunglasses on top of his head, he looked around and decided he liked what he saw. She had managed to create separate living, sleeping and study areas from what was essentially one large room. A worktop with a sink separated the kitchen area from the rest of the flat and he saw a doorway that he surmised must lead to the toilet.
"Here, let me take your jacket. How did you like that climb?" she asked as he handed her his light windbreaker and sat down on her settee, putting his shopping bag down on the floor next to him.
"Are all the streets around here like that one? I can imagine you'll be developing rock hard calves if you have to go up and down that one and more like it out here." Harry smiled at her and looked around the room some more, looking for possible security hazards.
"San Francisco is famous for hilly streets," she said airily, hanging his windbreaker up on a coat rack by the front door. "You should see the ones that actually have steps in the walkways! Are you thirsty?" Harry shook his head and turned to look at her still standing by the coat rack. She had gotten her hair cut and it was the shortest he'd ever seen, the dark red hair even with her jaw line. It had the effect of making her look younger, if that were possible. She had on an old threadbare maroon jumper with a giant "R" on the front and faded blue jeans.
"Well, I certainly am," she said and he heard the sound of water filling a glass. She came back into view and sat across from him in her desk chair and took a long drink.
"Do you mind if I take a look around?" Harry asked, getting up from the settee and taking out his wand.
"There's not much to see, but go ahead." Ginny waved her hand around the small flat. "Do your Auror thing."
"My Auror thing indeed," he murmured, inspecting the small fireplace that already had a fire laid in it. He didn't even want to think of trying to Floo into something that cramped—with his luck he'd get stuck! He moved on to the windows, casting Unbreakable charms on them and then finally on to the loo, charming that window as well even though it was too small for a person to get through. He would need Ginny's help for a Protection charm on the front door that would allow only her or someone she invited in over the threshold. "Okay, so far so good. I'll need your help for this door."
"You mean you'll need my blood." Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste but came to stand next to him. She pointed her wand at her fingertip and whispered a spell. A small drop of blood began oozing from it and she dropped it on the threshold of the door, sucking on the injured finger afterwards. Harry bent down and finished the spell, satisfied to see a dull red light glow and fade away.
"Is all of this really necessary?" she asked after they sat back down.
"You know your Mum would kill me if anything happened to you out here. And you have to admit, this neighborhood is a bit dodgy."
"Dodgy, but cheap. Besides, I can defend myself quite nicely, thank you."
"No thanks necessary. Ron and I didn't mind at all knocking you on your arse a few times." Harry grinned at the memories of the self defense lessons Molly had insisted he and Ron give to Ginny before she left the Burrow to live on her own in London.
"Ha ha. So funny I forgot to laugh," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. She turned to set her water glass on the desk and smiled. "Harry, did I show you what George got me?" She unplugged a couple of cords from the laptop computer quietly sitting on her desk and sat down next to him, handing Harry the sleek machine. "This has got to be the most expensive thing I've ever owned."br/
"That reminds me. This is for you." He picked up the bag and handed it to her, watching her eyes go wide when she noticed the company logo on the bag. He opened up the laptop and ran his fingers over the keys as the screen brightened.
"Oh no, Harry! You shouldn't have! I can't take this!" Ginny had removed the tissue from the box and looked up at him in dismay.
"Well it's too late because I have and you will. It's to go with this." He indicated the computer and grinned.
Still protesting quietly, she opened the box and looked at the device inside. "It's beautiful," she cooed, lifting the digital music player out of the packaging. She threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tight. "Thank you thank you thank you so much!"
Laughing, he patted her on the back and watched as she began playing with it. "It doesn't have anything on it yet. I can show you what to do, if you like."
"Of course you can…wait a minute! How did you know I had a laptop computer?"
Harry smiled shyly. "Well, who do you think picked it out? George knows jokes and tricks but he doesn't have any idea of Muggle computers nor what would be the best fit for you. Can you imagine if I had left him to it on his own?"
"I should have known. Well, thank you for that too." Ginny leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
"Anytime Gin, anytime." He placed his hand affectionately on top of her shining hair and smiled fondly as she looked through the rest of the contents of the box. He ran his hand down her hair and rested it comfortably at the nape of her neck. "I like your hair like this."
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just got it done yesterday. It's so windy here and I got tired of it blowing around and looking like a bird's nest. Short, all one length, no muss, no fuss." She took her hand and swept her hair back, shaking her head and smiling at Harry. "I'm glad you like it. I'm still getting used to it." She put her new toy back in the box and closed it up carefully and set the box and the laptop on the low coffee table in front of the settee. "Now, how long are you here for? Mum and Dad said you'd be along, but I don't know much more than that."
"I'm here for a week. Consulting for some local magical law fellows, also known as sitting on my arse in boring meetings all bloody day. I'm free in the evenings though." He stretched his arms up over his head and unsuccessfully stifled a jaw-cracking yawn. "Today though is Sunday and your wish is my command."
Ginny leaned back against the back of the settee and grinned. "My every wish? Well, no, I suppose that would be too cruel," she mused with a wicked grin. "What would you like to do? Have you been able to see much of the city?"
"No, I just got in late last night."
"Oh. Well, if you'd rather have a rest day, then we could do something tomorrow evening, I suppose."br/
"No, no. I want to spend the day with you Gin. Come on; let's do something fun. Let's be tourists."
"That sounds grand! Hold on." Ginny moved over to her desk and rummaged through some papers. "Here it is." She sat back down on the settee and Harry peered over her shoulder at the paper she held in her hands. It was a booklet entitled "The Wizarding Guide to San Francisco. Everything The Magical Traveler Needs To Know For A Safe and Magical Stay." It was quite thick and as Ginny paged through it, he could see that it included information on sightseeing, exchanging Wizarding money for Muggle, designated Apparition areas, Wizard-populated neighborhoods and Wizard-exclusive shops.
"Hmm…" Ginny paged through the sightseeing guide. "There's Alcatraz—that's an old Muggle prison. Quite famous. They have tours on it now. It's out on an island and they say no one has ever made a successful escape."
"A prison? Bit of a busman's holiday, don't you think?" Ginny shot him a confused look. "You know. A Muggle bus driver who drives a bus all day every day goes on holiday and has to drive somewhere. I'm an Auror, going to tour a decrepit old prison?"
"Oh, I see. Yeah I guess I hadn't thought of that! Well, how about if we head down to Fisherman's Wharf? There's quite a lot to do there. Do you like boats?"
Harry cocked his head and furrowed his brow. "I reckon I don't know. Haven't been on very many. We can certainly go on one though. One condition."
"Which is?"
"My treat. All day." Ginny began to protest, gesturing to his earlier gift. "No. I'm already a week late for your birthday. I owe you." Reluctantly Ginny nodded and smiled at him. "That's better. Now come on, get your shoes on." He stood and stretched, shaking his head a little to clear it. "Ready?" he asked after zipping up his windbreaker and settling his sunglasses on his nose.
Decision made, Ginny set the locking charm on the door and they studied the pamphlet for the approved Apparition spot closest to Fisherman's Wharf. Moments later, they were there. Harry let Ginny take the lead and they moved through the bustling crowds and onto Pier 39. "I brought Mum and Dad here. They loved it. We had lunch there," she said, pointing to a small shop that promised authentic English fish and chips. "It wasn't very authentic. Are you hungry?"
"Mm, getting there. You?"
"Yes. Do you mind looking around a bit first?"
"Not at all. Lead on."
"Oh, come this way!" Ginny took hold of his hand and pulled him toward a chocolate shop, pausing just inside the doorway. She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "Smell that. Just like Honeyduke's!" Harry couldn't have agreed more and they spent several happy minutes walking through the store, exclaiming at the confections and making several selections. True to his word, he made Ginny put away her money and paid for their treats.
Sharing the delicious chocolate, they walked slowly to the end of the pier and gazed out into the bay, the wind blowing Harry's already untidy hair into an even bigger mess. "There. That's Alcatraz." Ginny pointed out the island and the squat structures that populated it.
Harry leaned against the rail and looked out at it. "Huh. Kind of reminds me of Azkaban, island prison and all that." The day was bright and sunny but the wind off the water was cold. "Are you warm enough? That jumper's kind of...old."
"I'm fine. I know it's old but it's still warm and I can't bear to part with it. I think this is from Ron's third or fourth year." She pointed over to the left. "Look over there. That's the Golden Gate Bridge."
"Very nice. Can you walk on it or is it just for cars?"
"Oh no, you can walk on it. Did you want to?"
"Let's see how the day goes, yeah?" Harry turned his back on the former prison and faced Ginny. "What's your next wish, my lady?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. That chocolate just made me hungrier. Let's get something to eat!" They ambled along the pier, stopping to watch the sea lions gathered on the docks for a few minutes before moving on to the restaurant. "Look, they have outdoor seating! Can we sit outside?"
"We can do whatever you want." Harry smiled at her excitement and followed Ginny and the hostess out to the outdoor deck, his stomach beginning to rumble when the wonderful smells reached his nose.
They ordered drinks and an appetizer and when his beer came, Harry took a long drink and sighed, glad to be out of the crowd of people for a little while. "Are you doing all right?" Ginny asked him, a slight frown of concern on her face. "You're not too tired from travel?"
"I am brilliant, Ginny. It's a beautiful day, I'm sitting in a lovely restaurant with my brilliant and beautiful friend and I'm about to fill my belly. What else could be better?"
Ginny blushed and looked down at the butter she was spreading on the excellent sourdough bread. "Well, when you put it that way…" As they ate lunch, they looked through the visitor guide pamphlet, heads close together over the table and decided that a cruise around the bay sounded like the most excellent undertaking for after lunch.
Harry purchased the tickets and they got in a very long line. The boat was just coming back from the previous trip and Harry watched it dock with interest,not having much experience with boats. "Do you have a preference?" Ginny asked him.
"On what?"
"Where to ride, silly." She punched him in the arm and he looked down at her.
Her brown eyes were sparkling and her hair was beyond recovery. He could see her nose beginning to turn red already and figured his own would be burnt as well. "Oh, right. I want to ride outside in the front. That okay?"
"Oh yes. It'll be windy I'm sure, but that really looks like the best spot, doesn't it?" Harry nodded in agreement and the line finally began to move. He saw they were posing groups of people in front of a sign with the cruise company's name on it and taking pictures. He and Ginny dutifully posed and got on the boat, positioning themselves in the bow.
When they began to move, Ginny gave out a little whoop of excitement and Harry threw back his head and laughed. Out here, on the west coast of the United States, Harry Potter was a short entry in a history textbook and he had so far not been recognized on sight by any of the Wizard folk he knew had been around them today.
Once out of the docking area, the boat picked up speed and moved up and down on the choppy water. The wind was fierce and tears began to stream out of Harry's eyes, even from behind the protection of his sunglasses. Ginny grabbed on to the rail of the bow and held on tightly, her hair blown straight back. She huddled closer to Harry and he put his arms around her, holding her tight against his warm body. He wasn't as tall as Ron, but he was still a fair bit taller than Ginny and they fit well together. Briefly closing his eyes, Harry relished the feeling of his arms around her.
They progressed steadily to the Golden Gate, now enshrouded in a fog that had rolled in during their lunch. He could barely make out a recording being played on a speaker nearby and wondered why they even bothered. Surely they knew that there was no way that anyone could possibly hear anything over the sound of the wind.
Passing under the bridge, Harry looked up and marveled at the feat of Muggle engineering its construction represented. "Amazing, isn't it?" he shouted to Ginny who nodded in answer. A little way past the bridge, they turned around and abruptly, the wind ceased and the sun's warmth came back to them. Warmer now, Ginny remained where she was and Harry left his arms around her. He realized he wasn't having any trouble hearing the commentary coming over the loudspeaker now and rather wished it would stop.
"We're going to pass close to the island. This should be interesting." She pointed out to the prison perched on top of the rock jutting out of the water. "Can you imagine? Being locked up there, able to see a whole city of free people and not being able to do a bloody thing about it?"
"Huh. Sounds like this Alcatraz didn't need Dementors." Too soon, the ride was over and they disembarked. Harry dutifully bought the picture that had been taken of him and Ginny, noting that yes indeed, his nose and cheeks were red. Together they strolled down the wharf, stopping to watch some street performers and do a little window-shopping. At one point, Ginny had reached out to take Harry's hand and he felt a warm glow of pleasure.
Away from the water, it was a quite a bit warmer and Ginny had tied her jumper around her waist, revealing a bright red Gryffindor tee shirt. Following her example, Harry did the same with his windbreaker, glad to be wearing at least a dark green tee shirt for once rather than a black one. He looked at Ginny's again and grinned. "That's mine. I looked for that, you know," he said, pointing at the word "Seeker" embroidered on the left breast above the Gryffindor lion. "Do you actually wear any of your own clothes?"
Ginny flushed and looked down at her trainers. "Yes. These shoes are mine and I think the knickers are." She looked back up at him and grinned. "Come on, you left this at our house a whole summer."
"Yes, I'm quite sure I 'left' it there. You chisler. You've probably knicked Ron's too."
She nodded in the affirmative. "It's so huge, I use it to sleep in." The image of Ginny wearing Ron's old tee shirt and nothing else popped into his head and he felt his face heating up, glad that his cheeks were already a bit reddened by the sun and wind.
They walked on in companionable silence, reaching Ghiradelli Square and stopped to rest on a shaded bench. Harry took off his sunglasses and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. When he opened them again, he saw Ginny looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. "How are your eyes doing?"
"They're all right. I'll need to see a Healer again soon, things are starting to get a little blurry again." Harry put his sunglasses back on sighed. "I usually only need to wear my glasses again when I'm very tired or doing a lot of reading."
Ginny nodded and took off his sunglasses to peer professionally into his eyes, holding his eyelid up and directing him to look in different directions. "Yeah, it looks like you're about due for another boost." She was quiet for a moment and gave him back his shades. "It's not lasting as long, anymore, is it?"
Harry shook his head, leaning his elbows on his knees. "No. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I can't be an Auror if I have to worry constantly about getting my damn glasses knocked off in a fight or breaking them. Ministry has very strict rules about visual impairments."
"What about Muggle contact lenses?"
"I tried that. Bloody uncomfortable and they're not always reliable. I lost one during a training drill and caught hell from my instructor." Harry shuddered at the memory of the very public dressing down.
Ginny pursed her lips and thought. "There's that Muggle surgery. With the lasers?"
"No way." Harry emphatically shook his head. "I'll let you lot muck around because I trust you, but some crazy Muggle with a laser? Forget it. I'd rather be blind."
"Well, maybe with my studies here with Muggle medicine I can develop a new treatment. I'm really hoping this doesn't turn out to be a waste of time and money," she said sincerely, wrapping her arms around herself.
Harry sat up and put his arm around her. "I'm sure you'll come up with a ton of new treatments—you're brilliant with this medical stuff."
"Thanks." Ginny leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Have I told you lately how glad I am that you're my friend?"
"I'm glad you're my friend, too, Ginny." He glanced down at his watch and raised his eyebrows at the time. "It's coming up on half five. If there's nothing else you want to do, how about a birthday dinner around eight?"
Ginny sat back up and ran her fingers through her messy hair. "That sounds great. I feel like we just ate, but dinner sounds wonderful. I do need to freshen up and I would like to change."
"So do I." Harry got up and held his hand out to her. "What kind of restaurant do you want for tonight?"
"Well, I've had my fill of Chinese food lately...how about Italian?"
"That sounds brilliant." They walked to the apparition point and Harry escorted her back to her flat, promising to be back at 7:30 on the dot. "This time, wear something that you haven't stolen from your brothers." Not wanting to take the time to walk back to the deserted alley, he looked quickly around and Disapparated directly to his hotel room from Ginny's front door.
He stood contemplating the bed and laid down on it without even bothering to take off his windbreaker or shoes. He set the alarm on his watch to wake him after half an hour and quickly fell into a sound sleep. Thirty minutes later, he felt refreshed and headed into the shower. Deciding shaving could wait until the morning he did the best he could with his hair and dressed in charcoal gray slacks and a dark blue button down shirt, skipping the tie, but shaking out his sport coat, glad that he had brought it to wear to his meetings this week.
Harry checked the time on his watch and used the telephone to call down to the concierge desk for a recommendation on a good Italian restaurant and asked him to make reservations for two. Ten minutes later he was knocking on Ginny's door, precisely at 7:30. Ginny opened the door at his knock and smiled widely, looking very lovely in a dark green dress made out of a material that clung to her curves and a deep vee neckline. The hemline fell to just above her knee and flared out just a little. "Wow," Harry said appreciatively. Ginny blushed and stood aside to let him in. "I can't Gin, you have to invite me."
"Oh sorry! I forgot. You were on the one at my old flat. Harry, please come in." Harry stepped across the threshold and closed the door. "You look great Harry. Who knew you cleaned up this well?"
"I'm just full of surprises. I could easily say the same for you. I don't think I've seen you in a dress like that since you finished your Healer training. You're usually running around in shapeless Healer's robes or tatty pieces of stolen clothing." She walked away from him into the loo and Harry took the opportunity to eye her shapely figure in the dress, raising an eyebrow when she closed the door with an emphatic snap.
Harry stood and waited next to the fireplace, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He felt the small package in his pocket and made a mental note to remember to give it to Ginny at dinner. She emerged from the loo a few minutes later and picked up her purse and a wrap that matched the dress from the back of the settee.
"Where are we going?" Ginny stood in front of Harry and straightened and smoothed his collar and sport coat lapels.
"I knew I was forgetting something! Where is that guide you had earlier?" Ginny got it from her desk and he quickly found the information for Apparating to North Beach. They studied the information for a moment until Ginny nodded her head that she was ready. Drawing their wands, they Apparated to the designated spot and a few minutes later were ensconced at the restaurant's bar, waiting for their table.
Sipping her red wine, Ginny looked around at the richly paneled walls and smiled at Harry. "Nice place. Did you have the concierge at your hotel set it up?"
"Hey, this place was recommended to me by a bloke I have a lot of faith and trust in."
"Oh? Who would that be?"
"Joe, the concierge." Harry gave her a cheeky smile and took a sip of his scotch and soda. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the hostess signal him and he took Ginny's hand to lead her to their table. As he had requested when he checked in, they were seated in a quiet corner that allowed him a view of the entrance rather than one of the more popular spots by the windows. When they had come in and gone to the bar, he had mentally run through and cataloged all of the entrances and exits, not because he thought they would need the information but because it had become as natural to him as breathing.
After briefly scanning the menu, Harry decided on the grilled salmon with a calamari appetizer to share and quickly closed it, dismayed at the blurriness of the smaller print. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at Ginny when she looked up at him over her own menu. "We'll need to take care of that tonight. Can't play Auror if you can't see the bad guys." Her light tone belied the concern in her eyes and Harry turned his gaze away until he was sure her attention was focused back on her menu.
Not wanting to concentrate on any other small print, Harry asked for a wine recommendation rather than look at the list and relaxed against the rather comfortable dining chair. He remembered the package in his pocket and took it out, pushing it across the table to Ginny. "Another gift?" She brought her brown eyes up from the small velvet box to Harry's green ones and raised an eyebrow.
"I take no responsibility for that one. That's from Ron and Hermione."
Ginny smiled and shook her head, picking up the box. Gingerly, she opened it and Harry saw her mouth turn into an "o" of surprise. "It's beautiful," she breathed, taking the necklace out of the box. She leaned in closer to the candle on the table and studied the pendant in the shape of a caduceus, the gold of the chain and pendant glinting in the candlelight. She looked at Harry and he could see the shine of unshed tears in her eyes, making his own prickle just a little. She held the delicate chain out to him, hands shaking just a little. "Help me put it on?"
Harry took the chain and moved behind her, easily fastening it around her neck once she moved her short hair out of the way. He resisted the urge to place a small kiss on the back of her lovely, freckled neck and sat back down, grinning at her pleasure in the gift. "We're all so proud of you, Gin."
"Don't be too proud yet. I've got a lot of hard work in front of me. We'll see if I succeed." Their calamari appetizer had arrived and she nibbled delicately at a piece and sipped her wine.
"Hey, don't put yourself down. Getting into this school in the first place is tough. I looked at the criteria for foreign students and they don't take just anybody. Don't forget that you are already a fully-qualified and stellar Healer in your own right. You probably already know a lot of what they're going to teach you."
"Oh, Harry. That means so much to me to hear you say that. I just need to remember who I am and what I've already accomplished myself." She looked back down at her plate. "It's definitely going to be harder this time around, though. This is the farthest I've ever been from home and it's going to be for a long time. I can't just pop over to yours and Ron's flat whenever I get lonely."
Taking another sip of wine to hide his smile, Harry reached across the table and took her hand. "You'll be fine, Gin. This is hardly your first time away from home and I have to admit that I'm quite jealous of how easily you make friends. Besides, you have a computer now—we can even use it to talk to each other."
"Really? Can you help me with that stuff before you leave? You know so much more about that Muggle stuff than I do." She took another bit of calamari. "I'm really going to have to learn that computer and fast. Half of things that need to be done for my classes are on computer."
"You'll do fine, Gin. You're brilliant at this stuff." They finished their appetizer in companionable silence and soon after, their entrees arrived. Ginny pronounced her chicken breast with prosciutto excellent and Harry agreed regarding his own grilled salmon dish.
"I haven't heard from Hermione in a while. How did she like her first summer off as a professor?" she asked as Harry refilled her wine glass.
"She loved it. Ron is delighted of course. I don't think he'd really thought of the implications of Hermione having the whole summer off. Of course, he wanted to go on vacation and laze about the house before starting law. Hermione wanted to spend the summer planning the next school year. McGonagall made her head of Gryffindor."
"Oh, I hadn't heard that yet. How wonderful for her!"
"Decision was made just before I left to come here. I swear I heard her shout all the way down in London."
"Poor Ron. She's going to be doubly hard on him now." Ginny shook her head in sympathy for her favorite brother.
"Oh, you know she's loosened up quite a bit since we were at school. Now that Ron's taking law though…poor bastard." Harry grinned widely, remembering how Hermione had taken over the planning of Ron's study time once she had gotten a hold of his course list for his first term of magical law.
"Do you miss him? From the department, I mean."
"Oh yeah. Of course. I mean, we've been together since Academy. Partners after that. I feel like my right arm is gone." He finished his own wine and refilled his glass. "But I wouldn't dream of holding him back. This is what he wants to do and he's got my full support."
"You're a great friend Harry. I hope Ron appreciates you!" Ginny fixed him with a mock severe look and then giggled, turning red at the sound. "Oh no! I think I'm done for wine tonight!"
Harry laughed softly and signaled their waiter for coffee and dessert. He requested a tiramisu with two spoons when Ginny insisted she was too full to manage a dessert on her own. "So Harry, have you given any thought to what you'll do when…you can't be an Auror anymore?"
Breathing deeply through his nose, Harry let the wonderful tiramisu melt on his tongue and took a sip of his coffee before answering. "I'm sorry if I've offended you…" Ginny trailed off, a stricken look on her face. "You know me, sometimes I open my mouth before thinking things through."
"No Gin, you didn't offend me." He smiled gently at her, reassuring her that he was not upset. "It's not something I like to dwell on, yeah? But I have been, since Ron decided to get out and go back to school." He took another spoonful of dessert and leaned back in his chair, looking at the sweet on his spoon rather than at Ginny. "If Ron was still in, I wouldn't even be thinking of 'What's Next For Harry Potter.' Now, I'm not blaming him—he wants to go on to different things and that's great. I'm happy for him. I know Hermione will be happier, not having to constantly worry about him." Harry finally ate the tiramisu on his spoon and washed it down with coffee.
"For me, it was always different, being an Auror. I've always felt like it was who I was, for Ron it was something he did. But as far as what's next, there doesn't even have to be a what's next. I could retire and become the playboy of the Wizarding world like I know some people expect. But, I have some things in the works. Nothing I can talk about right now."
Ginny still looked a little upset about the question she had asked almost thoughtlessly. "Look, Harry, I'm really sorry. I hope you don't think I was trying to force you into talking about something you don't want to."
"Not at all Gin. I'm glad I have you to talk to. Ron would feel guilty and Hermione, well, she'd spend half an hour trying to talk me out of it and then another half an hour planning the next half of my life. You don't do that." He looked at her and then it was Ginny's turn to look away and fiddle with her spoon. "You've always just let me be me and make my own mistakes. Thanks."
"You're welcome," she murmured and self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear. Looking up, she flashed him a dazzling smile. "I for one and glad to hear that you have some sort of plan. Just don't think you can come crying to me when you fall flat on your arse."
Harry laughed and dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "Woman! Struck down by my own true friend!" He finished his coffee and swept up the last bite of tiramisu. "Come on, let's get out of here." He motioned for the waiter to bring the check and handed the man his card without even looking at the bill. Ginny took the opportunity to use the ladies' room and joined Harry at the door.
"Where to next? Or would you rather call it a night?" she asked, taking the peppermint he held out to her.
"No, it's early yet. Come on, there's something I want to take a look at down here." They began walking down the street, Harry's hand resting easily on Ginny's back. "Did I say earlier that I like your dress?"
"No, all you said was 'wow'. Thank you." She fingered the silky material on the bodice. "It's new. Mum insisted I have something for dates and things." She snorted softly. "As if I'm going to have time for dates."
"Oh, you never know, Gin. Some dashing medical student might come along and sweep you off of your feet."
"Have you ever met any male medical students, Harry? They're much too busy to even string two words together, never mind asking a girl out. A lot of them also seem to lack certain…social graces as well." She looked sideways at him and smirked. "Besides, what about you? You're what, twenty-six now? Tick-tock, tick-tock."
"Hmm. I think I take back what I said about you earlier."
"What's the matter, you can dish it out but you can't take it?"
Harry ruefully shook his head. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. Come on." The wind from earlier in the day had died and the night air was still and warm enough that Ginny had let her wrap slip down her shoulders and he allowed himself to walk a little behind her, admiring the pale skin dusted with freckles against the dark green of the dress. Another few minutes walk brought them to their destination and Harry took her hand and led her towards the store.
"Harry, what are we doing here?" She looked at the sign above the store. "Amoeba Music?"
"Come on! You've got to get something to put on your new toy. I've seen your CD collection and it's pathetic!" Harry was smiling and his eyes were bright and Ginny could only smile at his enthusiasm. She gave up her protesting and followed him into the store, looking at the vast selection of CDs.
"I don't know that many Muggle groups, Harry," she whispered, watching as he looked through the "B" section. "The ones I know are the ones I already have."
"Don't worry, I'll get you set up with the essentials, yeah? Go look around some and bring me anything you think you might like."
"Okay." Harry watched Ginny move off across the store and start looking through one of the bins. He let her wander around the store and began looking in earnest for music he thought Ginny would like. His own taste ran to older rock and roll classics and some blues artists, but he wasn't exactly up to the minute. Trying to remember what he'd played for her when she would visit at his and Ron's shared flat, he moved down the aisle, gathering quite a stack of CDs.
He reached the end of the alphabet for the rock section and looked around for a basket for the 25 or so CDs he thought she'd like and saw a stack of them at the end of the row. Putting them in the basket, he spied Ginny on the other side of the store, looking at the movies. It looked like she was talking to the young man standing next to her, smiling up at him and laughing at something he said.
Watching them, Harry wasn't sure how he should feel about Ginny's reaction to the man, a student by the looks of him, or his obvious attraction to her. Come on Potter, she doesn't belong to anyone. If she wants to chat up some bloke in a shop, that's her business. You've had plenty of chances to be with her and she's never wanted you. Still, knowing she didn't belong to anyone, least of all him, and seeing her actually flirting with someone were two different things and Harry felt himself propelled toward the two of them. He approached them silently, Auror stealth as second nature to him as knowing that there were five ways to get out of the music store and laid a hand on Ginny's smooth shoulder. "Find something you like?"
Ginny squeaked in surprise and turned to face Harry, eyes wide. "Harry you sneaky blighter! You frightened me!" She swatted his arm and turned back to look at her movie browsing companion. "This is Steve, I told him I don't know very many American movies and he was recommending some to me. Steve, this is my friend Harry." Harry looked at Steve over Ginny's head and gave him his best Auror stare. "Yeah? Let's see what he's recommended," he said, keeping his voice polite and friendly while his look conveyed a very different message that Steve had no trouble receiving.
"It was really nice meeting you. Maybe we'll run into each other again?" Steve cast a nervous glance back at Harry and moved off at a quick pace to the cash register.
Ginny looked up at Harry in consternation. "Harry! What did you do to him?"
He schooled his features into his best "Innocent Harry" look and looked down at her. "What did I do? Nothing! I was standing here the whole time. You heard me—I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"
She simply raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. "I swear, you're as bad as Ron sometimes. We were just talking about movies, it's not like I was going to leave with him."
"You may not have been thinking of it, but I can guarantee you he was. I know exactly what blokes think when they see a pretty girl." He glanced back up at the cashier and saw the younger man walk out of the store, casting a nervous glance at him and he relaxed his stance a little. "So, what have you got there? Your machine should play these."
Ginny shook her head in defeat and showed him some of the movies she'd been considering and what Steve had recommended for someone unfamiliar with "American" cinema. Harry helped her pick out three that he'd heard were good and they went up to the cashier, Ginny's eyes practically bugging out when she saw all of the CDs that Harry had picked out for her. "Harry! Those can't all be for me!" she protested.
"They're not. This one," he held up one of the discs, "is for me."
"No, put some of those back," she hissed, too embarrassed to look at the cashier who was steadily ringing up the merchandise.
"No Gin. I want to do this for you. Please? Let me spoil my only friend in America, okay?" Knowing it was pointless to argue with him, she waved her hands at him and covered her face, unwilling to look at the mounting total on the register display.
Harry smiled and watched her turn away and gaze toward the back of the store. It amazed him that she still thought of herself as a poor kid, even though he knew that Healers were very well compensated. She'd never learned to treat herself, insisting on living in that tiny flat she'd been in since qualifying as a Healer long after she could afford something better. Like him, she was generous to a fault and delighted in shopping for the perfect gifts for the ones she loved and seldom batted an eye at price when it wasn't for her. The watch he was wearing was testament to that. He supposed she was going to find it difficult to adjust back to being a student and having to reign in her spending where friends and family were concerned. He knew that almost all of her Muggle medical education was being paid for from her bequest from Sirius, but he also knew that there was no way it could cover all of it and that she'd worked with the board of governors at St. Mungo's to secure a small research endowment to cover the rest.
He hoisted the two heavy bags from the counter and said, "Okay, it's all over. You can look now."
Ginny turned around and smiled weakly. "You really shouldn't have. It's too much."
"You can pay me back later with free medical care. Come on, let's go."
"I already give you free medical care."
"See? You've already built up credit with me." They walked until they found a quiet, deserted stretch of street and Apparated directly back to Ginny's flat. She opened the door and looked in consternation at Harry on the doorstep.
"Why didn't you Apparate into here?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in after she'd invited him.
"I need to add my blood to the seal before I can do that." Harry set the heavy bags down on the coffee table.
"Well why don't you go ahead and do that now?" Ginny took off her wrap and hung it up on the coat rack.
"Are you sure you want me to?" Harry asked, watching as she sank down on the settee and took off her high heeled shoes, wiggling her toes happily.
"Yes, of course. I can't be answering the door every five minutes for you. And what if I'm not here?"
"Gin, I'm only going to be here for a week." Harry took his wand and used a spell to draw a bead of blood from the tip of one finger, adding it to the seal on the threshold. "I don't want to invade your privacy."
Ginny snorted in response. "Come on, you've seen it all anyway. It's hardly an invasion, isn't it? Besides, I'll feel better, knowing you can get in any time you need to. Humor me, okay?" She leaned down and massaged her left foot with a groan. "Ugh, now I remember why I don't wear heels very often."
"Here, let me do that." Harry hung his sport coat on the coat rack and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows.
"Yes please!" Ginny settled her feet in Harry's lap and laid her head back on the settee, looking up at the ceiling and sighing happily.
As he worked on her small feet, Harry thought about the times he had seen it all before, quite by accident at the Burrow at first and then, when they were older, not by accident at all. They had convinced themselves that they only slept with each other to gain experience, after all, who better to practice with than your best friend? She had always insisted that her schoolgirl crush on him was just that and that they were just friends, but with benefits. For his part, Harry loved being with Ginny; to him it was as natural as breathing. Even now, he found it easy to touch her—a hand on her arm, holding her hand, rubbing the nape of her neck.
Ginny leaned forward and pulled one of the heavy bags into her lap. "Let's see what's in here," she said, taking out several CDs and examining them closely.
Later, when they were more experienced and no longer had that excuse to lean on, they continued to come together when life got too stressful and called it comfort sex. They saw other people, had other relationships but those others never seemed to last very long. Not that he or Ginny were promiscuous then; Harry certainly never liked the idea of sleeping with anyone he did not feel any affection for at all and he'd only had three or four other partners besides Ginny.
Then, three years ago, she had met Matthew Hudson and had come to Harry and told him that they couldn't be friends with benefits anymore, that they had to be just friends for real. Matthew, a fellow Healer at St. Mungo's with a specialty in Accidental Magic Reversal was the one for her. Ginny had never put any claims on Harry, had never treated him like he belonged only to her, so he felt it was only fair to do the same for her, even though doing so made him feel like an essential part of him was missing and he tried to distract himself with work, always insisting on the toughest assignments.
As he worked, he realized Ginny was talking to him. "Sorry?"
"I've never heard of most of these people. Oh, The Beatles. I know them. These rest though..." She held out her right foot to him now and he obliged, drawing a satisfied sound from her.
Soon he was wrapped up in his own thoughts again. He had met Matthew in the course of family gatherings and had a complete background workup on him done (Ravenclaw, four years ahead of Ginny, no Death Eater activity in his family, maternal great-grandmother had been a Muggle, no arrests or outstanding warrants) and found that he just didn't like the bloke. He was nice enough and seemed to treat Ginny well. He'd stared at his scar only once on their first meeting, but still Harry didn't like him. He was too tall, too blond, too confident, too not right for Ginny.
One night last summer Ginny was convinced that Matthew was going to ask her to marry him. Unfortunately for her, that was the night he told her he had an opportunity to work in a magical hospital in Norway, a research position and he felt it would be better for both of them if they weren't tied down to each other. Absolutely heartbroken, she had sought out Harry and their kind of comfort and after three years of feeling like part of him was missing, he found it again. He tried to make her stay, but she demurred, saying it was too soon after Matthew for another relationship and once again, he'd honored her wishes.
Just a few weeks after that bittersweet night, she told him she was working on an opportunity to study Muggle medicine in the States and he'd done what friends do and supported her all the way. The night Matthew had dumped her was the last time they'd slept together, the last night he'd slept with anyone. Pushing the thoughts aside, Harry sighed and finished massaging Ginny's feet and patted her knee. "Better?"
"Mmm, yes." Catlike, Ginny stretched her arms and legs and smiled widely at him.
"Good. Look, I'm going to use the loo and when I come back, be ready to attack those," he said, standing up off the floor and nodding his head at the two bags of CDs. When he emerged a few minutes later, Ginny was sitting cross-legged on the floor wearing Ron's overlarge keeper tee shirt and looking through the stacks she'd made in front of her. She had neatly banished the wrappers and had the computer open next to her on the floor.
"Okay. Where's the internet plug?" Harry sat on the floor next to her, rubbing his hands in anticipation of a good teaching session. Ginny motioned to the desk and he grabbed the cord, bringing it under the desk and plugging it into the machine.
"What do you need it for?"
"Patience, you'll see. Give me one of those CDs." Ginny passed over a Clash album. "You'll like this, bunch of loud angry Englishmen. Should remind you of your brothers." Harry put it in and watched the application bounce in the bar at the bottom and then launch. Ginny watched closely as the album information came up on the screen.
"How did it do that?"
"When you have this connected," Harry pointed to the cable, "and a CD is put in, the machine goes out on the internet to find the information for it. If you didn't have it plugged in, the CD would still play, but you wouldn't have any of the information put in for you automatically. You'd have to do it yourself and believe me, it's a pain in the arse." He clicked a button and "London Calling" began to play. "If you just want to play it, you press this button. If you want to save it on your machine, you press this one." He clicked on "Import" and watched the progress bar.
"Why do I want to save it on my machine if it's already on the CD thing?" Ginny asked, looking perplexed.
"So you can put it on your little music player. Where is it?" Ginny's eyes lit up and she retrieved the box from behind her. She carefully opened it and took out the player. Harry showed her how to plug in the cable and went through the initial setup with her and showed her how to put the music from the CD on to it. When it was done, he plugged in the tiny earphones and fitted them into her ears. Ginny pressed the play button and gave a small jump as the loud music was piped directly to her ears.
"Harry, this is fantastic!" she shouted over the music only she could hear. "Ron is going to be so," Harry stopped the music and Ginny continued shouting, "jealous!" Eyes wide, she covered her mouth and giggled. "Oops! Guess I'll have to get used to that."
"Come on, do some more of them. I want to make sure you know how to do it on your own." Harry took off his shoes and moved to the bed, stretching out on his stomach to watch her go through the procedure of saving the music on her computer and transfer it to the portable music player. She was playing a Beatles album now, "Rubber Soul" by the sound of it and he closed his eyes, glad he wasn't looking closely at the computer screen anymore. What seemed like a few seconds later, Harry felt the bed dip as Ginny sat next to him and placed her hand gently on his back.
"Harry," she said quietly, rubbing her hand along his shoulders.
"I'm awake." He turned over onto his back and smiled up at her, rubbing his eyes.
"More like you're awake now. You were out for an hour." She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his perpetually untidy hair. "You want to head back to your hotel?"
Harry grunted and raised his wrist, squinting at his watch. Bloody hell, I can barely see my watch now. He gave up and let his hand fall to his stomach. "What time is it?"
"After midnight. Sit up, I want to fix your eyes." Harry sat up in front of Ginny and grimaced, anticipating the uncomfortable procedure. She angled the shade on the bedside lamp to shine more light on his face and got her wand ready. Her demeanor was completely professional now and Harry couldn't repress his smile.
"What's so funny?" she asked as she peered into his eyes. "Follow my wand," she commanded as she moved it back and forth and up and down.
Harry did as she asked and said, "Well, it's not every day I have a beautiful Healer examining me wearing nothing but an old tee shirt."
"You should be so lucky. I'm wearing knickers too." She smiled at him again and placed a hand against the side of his face. "Ready?" Harry nodded and looked straight into her intense brown eyes as she performed the procedure. He felt the familiar uncomfortable pressure and tightening sensation and suddenly things snapped back into focus, causing him to blink rapidly. Along with the sudden focus was a slight headache and he closed his eyes against the light, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He saw darkness against his eyelids and knew Ginny had turned off the lamp. Harry opened his eyes again and allowed them to adjust to the dimly lit room. "That's so much better. Thanks a million, Gin."
"Anytime Harry." She adjusted her position on the bed and Harry moved over to make room for her. "If you don't mind my asking, when was the last time you had it done?"
"Middle of June."
"Oh Harry. That's not good. It's lasting barely two months now. Does anyone in the department know?" Harry shook his head, looking down at the bedspread. "You know the risks of the procedure, right?"
He let out an explosive breath and looked up at the ceiling. "My vision could get progressively worse and I could even end up blind. I know."
"You could have that Muggle procedure…"
"No, Gin. No crazy Muggles with lasers, I told you." He attempted a weak smile. "I'm…getting out of the department." He said this in a rush, almost as if he believed saying it quickly would lessen the impact of the words.
"You mentioned that earlier today."
"Friday was my last day." Ginny opened her mouth in shock. "I'm out. I'm officially unemployed."
"What about other areas of the Ministry? Harry, I'm sure Dad could…"
"Your dad already did. I don't want it. I'm tired of the Ministry and all the politics. It's bollocks. I'm not a politician and I'm not a pencil pusher. I knew that if the department got wind of how bad my vision had gotten, I'd be assigned to a desk job faster than you would believe. There's still a lot of value in having my name attached to the department, but no thanks."
"What about the business you're in town for? The meetings?"
"Oh, I am consulting for San Francisco Magical Law Enforcement, but that's completely independent of the department. I'm also exploring some other options while I'm out here."
"What other options?" Ginny asked, shifting closer to him on the bed.
"You remember that Academy Hermione had an offer from? The one in Berkeley?" Ginny nodded and Harry continued. "They're looking for a defense professor. They want me."
"That's wonderful! Are you going to take it? I'm sure McGonagall would love to have you at Hogwarts if you don't want this one."
"She's tried to get me at Hogwarts for years. You should have seen her pounce when Ron left the Aurors. I don't want that either." Harry stretched his legs in front of him and bent forward, touching his forehead almost to his knees, using the stretch to get away from Ginny's intense gaze for a moment. "I don't want to teach there, have half of England talking of how the most famous Auror in England, the famous Harry Potter, is teaching the next generation of dark wizard catchers. I don't want the other half of England waiting for me to make a mistake and fall flat on my arse like they did when I joined the department."
Feeling restless and unable to stay in one position, he lay back down on his back and put his hands behind his head. "Out here, nobody cares about famous Harry Potter. I'm a blip on the radar, a paragraph in the history books, not a whole bloody chapter."
Ginny sat quiet and still, her hand resting easily on his chest, moving up and down with his breathing. "I want to teach, but I want to do it my way. There are too many expectations, preconceived notions back home. It's a day school, no house rivalries. I don't have to worry about teaching any of Malfoy's little sods." Harry snorted. "Christ, listen to me. I'm whinging like a spoilt child."
"No you're not. You're thinking about yourself for once in your life." Ginny lay down next to him and stretched out, resting her head on his chest. "In all the years I've known you, you've done what was expected of you or what would serve the greater good. Never what you really wanted to do."
"If I'd done that, I would have disappeared off to a tropical island and had pretty girls bring me drinks in coconuts." Harry gathered Ginny closer to him, turning to face her.
"You're not considering that school just because of me, are you?"
"No. I won't deny that it would be brilliant to have you close by, but that's not the only reason. I've had offers from schools in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston. I like it out here though. They tend to be a bit stuffy and traditional back east and I've had enough of that, thank you very much." He was quiet for a moment, savoring the feeling of Ginny laying next to him after such a long time. "Besides, here they're pretty much giving me free reign—I get to design the curriculum myself. Those kids are going to be top-notch."
"See, you still want to serve the greater good, only now you want to do it in your own way."
Harry let out a long sigh. "No island girls for me, then."
"If you did that, I'd have to be jealous." She turned her body and rested her chin on his chest, looking at him.
"Would you be, Gin? Jealous? You've never been…before."
Now it was Ginny's turn to let out a long sigh. She turned her head away from Harry and looked down toward his feet instead. Harry felt his heartbeat speed up and the prickle of sweat on his upper lip. "You and I are too much alike, Harry. Always sacrificing something we want for the greater good." Harry didn't say anything and she continued on. "I felt like I was being greedy, keeping you all for myself. Like I was holding you back from everything you could be by keeping you with me. Tying you down." His hand came up to stroke her hair. "I thought if we stayed friends, you could reach your full potential, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean." Harry saw her wipe her eyes. Is she crying?
"I couldn't help myself though—I still wanted you. But I still wanted to just be friends, to have you but still leave us free. How selfish is that?"
"I was just as selfish, Gin. Come here." Harry helped her settle against his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. "I could have tried harder, come after you. Punched Matthew's face in. I didn't though. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too." He kissed the top of her head. "When I start at the Academy though, that's going to change. You're not going to be able to get rid of me."
"You've decided, then?" Ginny looked up and met his eyes. Harry nodded. "Have you even visited the place yet?" He shook is head. "Harry, that's mad! What if it's horrible?"
"Hermione visited and she told me all about it. She said I'd love it and I trust her judgment completely. Besides," he raised his eyebrows, "have you seen what they charge for tuition?" He let out a huge yawn and looked at his watch. "It's almost one in the morning. I should go if I'm going to make any of my meetings tomorrow." Harry moved to sit up, but Ginny hovered over him and pressed him down.
He looked up at her, the light from the lamp by the settee making golden highlights in her hair. Her necklace had come out of her shirt and dangled in front of him. He reached out and touched it with his finger, setting it swinging. She moved her hand on his chest and began to unbutton his shirt, spreading it open and running her palm over his warm skin. "Gin…" Harry closed his eyes and felt goose bumps break out on his arms.
"Shh, Harry." She kissed him softly and smoothed his hair away from his brow. "Stay here with me."
He looked at her, searching her face for any hint of doubt. "If I stay with you tonight, I'm not leaving. No more 'just friends', yeah?" He kissed her, hard and insistent, thrilling to her response as she kissed him back just as hard. "I love you," he whispered fiercely when they broke apart.
Harry felt his heartbeat fluttering rapidly as she took his hand and placed it against her own chest, and he could feel her heart racing, matching his own. "No, no more just friends. Now it's just us."