"What? You can't be serious. I - no- but you see. I just- Please, couldn't I get an extension?"

Ginny Weasley was on her cell phone in the process of pacing around her flat, about five seconds away from flailing her arms around in frustration. A pair of concerned blue eyes followed her as she angrily rounded her braided floor rug for what had to be the thirtieth time since the phone call had started. Seamus Finnigan was probably the last person Ginny would have expected to be her best friend.

A loud snapping noise signaled the end of the phone conversation as Ginny flipped her phone shut with a growl. Seamus sat up straighter on Ginny's loveseat and waited for her to actually turn to him. He knew her well enough to see that when she was in this sort of fluster letting her speak first was always best.

"They won't even give me an extension. They said I have had two so far and another is not worth their time. What am I supposed to do? I can't take out another loan, so I can't get the money and if I can't get the money then I miss the start of Uni and I'll be behind." Frowning, she paced a few more times around her rug before plopping herself onto the couch. "What am I going to do?" She leaned her head on Seamus' shoulder and closed her eyes in a defeated manner. Apparently she was past the tirade phase of her mood now. That was good.

"So they won't give ye another extension. How much time do ye have before te money is due?" Seamus was trying very hard to be logical about this. Ginny could be erratic enough for the both of them. What they needed was a plan of some sort.

"I have two weeks."

Seamus could hear the defeat in her voice and it damped even his usually highly optimistic spirits. There had to be a solution. There was one for every sort of problem. Finding it was merely the hardest part. Ginny's money solution had to be here somewhere. "What about asking yer boss fer an advance?" He turned his head to her direction.

"I've already done that, I can't ask for me. He was already unhappy." She sighed.

"Well dinna sound so pathetic. Ye've already given up! We'll figure something out, Gin. Even if I have to give ye te money myself."

"No, Seamus!" She sat up and turned to face him directly, a refusal clear in her expression. "I don't want you to do that. You're saving that money for you and Dean. I won't take it." There had been plenty of conversations about Seamus lending her money. She also knew that finances could be a strain on a relationship. Forcing that sort of problem into Seamus and Dean's was not something she wanted to be responsible for. Besides, she wanted to be independent as much as possible. She wanted to live alone, she wanted to pay her own rent, pay her own schooling and live her own way. It also was not as if she could ask her parents for money. She was more uncomfortable with that than anything else.

"Alright, alright, I just wanted te offer." Seamus slumped down into his seat and propped his feet up on the coffee table that sat in the middle of the rug Ginny had been pacing around. Silence settled as they both thought, until Seamus' eyes fell on yesterday's paper. "Gin! I have te perfect solution." The sudden excitement in his voice appeared to have startled his redheaded friend wide eyed. "TH!" He could see the confusion clouding her face. "Thuban Hawthorn? The hottest photographer of te moment? Oh fer Merlin's sake, woman, ye work in a cafe in the art district, how do ye ni know who this is?"

"I have better things to do than eavesdrop, Shay! Even if I knew who it was, how is Hawthorn supposed to help me? I need money, not to have my picture taken."

Seamus was grinning in a way that Ginny swore was not unlike the Twins when they knew something hilarious and not telling you only added to the hilarity of it all.

"I know yer ni this daft," he said, still grinning. "He pays his models quite well, I heard. Bit of an odd one, so maybe te money makes up fer his eccentricities." He shrugged slightly. "Te point, Gin, is that he's looking fer models now. He's probably shootin' next week. If ye get te money up front you can make yer deadline! It's brilliant!"

Ginny didn't know what to think. The thought that first came to mind was how ludicrous the whole idea was. Still, it wasn't like she had a lot of options and her time was quickly running out. "So what's the catch?"

"What do ye mean?" Seamus titled his head curiously.

"I mean, there has to be more than just sitting down and getting my picture taken. You said he was odd.. what's wrong with him?" Her eyes narrowed just a bit.

"Well nothing like ye make it sound." Seamus rubbed the back of his neck lightly. "He doesn't use te same models more than once and he likes te keep his identity as hidden as possible. Whatever he is shooting is supposed te be as well received as his last shows. I dinna see what te problem is, Gin. Yer a gorgeous girl, it's ni like your going te be turned down."

Ginny found herself with slightly hot cheeks. Flattery had generally made her uncomfortable, even when it came from her gay best friend. Even so, there seemed to be something Seamus was holding back from her.

"There is one thin' ye might ni like."

"And that is?" Ginny raised a brow.

"He tends te photograph nudes."

Her jaw dropped as she jumped up from her seat. "I have to be naked? No, Seamus. I don't care how much I need the money. Do you know what that sort of thing would do to my parents if they found out? Let alone Ron. Harry would die knowing I let some random bloke take naked pictures of me. Are you insane?" She started pacing again.

"Calm down, Gin! There's a difference between nude an' naked. Nudes have always been in art! It's not pornography.. it's art!"

"I don't care what it is, I won't do it!"

"Fine. Ye can't go back te school an' all the hard work ye've done will mean less because ye're actin' like a prude."

Ginny turned on Seamus as she rounded the coffee table again. "I am not a prude!"

"Well, ye ar' actin' like one right now."

She didn't have any quips in reply other than to plop herself down on the couch again and cross her arms in silence.

"Look, G." Seamus turned to her, speaking in his kindest tone. "I ken it's a weird idea, but I think it could work. It's te easiest thing, an' I can even go with ye if that makes you feel better. I think it will be te best solution fer now. If ye had more time it could be something else."

Ginny didn't say a word or make a sound for a while. The idea was more than strange. Not merely the idea, but presenting the idea to other people. She doubted Harry would enjoy having his girlfriend being photographed naked or nude. It was probably all the same thing to him. Ron would be even worse as there was no convincing him of anything once he saw something a certain way.

"Alright, Seamus, but this is just between you and me. You cannot even tell Dean."

"Ye have mi word. Not a single soul will hear from me." Seamus grinned.