Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS
CHAPTER ONE
June 2002
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Ginny felt dead. It seemed to take every fiber of her being to walk out of St. Mungo's doors. Her mother walked next to her, fretting. Molly Weasley could handle many things, but when it came to one of her children being hurt, she lost it. This hadn't been the first time she had to meet her daughter at the hospital, given that Ginny was a professional Quidditch player on the Holyhead Harpies. This new accident had happened during practice when she got blindsided by a bludger. She was knocked from her broom and fell a hundred feet to the ground.
Normally this wouldn't bother her, but the Healers stated that her career would be over. There had been a recent cap as to how many times you could get bones mended in the league. She had received a broken collar bone, arm, and a couple of ribs - one of which had punctured a lung. They had mended her good as new, but hearing the words "no more Quidditch" made her world fall apart.
"Maybe it's for the best," Molly sighed as they walked out to the street. "Now you and Harry can get married and settle down."
Ginny froze at the mention of Harry. Her mother looked at her with a smile of joy. She hadn't told her mother the latest news on that front. In fact she hadn't told any of her family what happened. About a month before George welcomed a son, they had gotten into a row. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for them. They fought over never seeing each other. Harry was constantly at the Ministry doing paperwork, the joys of being an Auror. Ginny was hardly home between practices and matches. Plus both of them were constantly attending benefits without the other.
"I assume he is going to be home?" Molly sighed. "It seems like ages since I've seen him."
"I wouldn't know." Ginny admitted. "He moved out."
Molly looked at her daughter with a raised brow. "He moved out? Why?"
"We broke up." Before her mother could start Ginny explained. "We never see each other. I can't think of the last time we had dinner together. We decided to end things mutually."
She stared at her mother hoping that she wouldn't have an infamous Molly Weasley meltdown. The matriarch stood there processing the words for a moment, tapping her foot and clucking her tongue. "Perhaps this is a good thing. You both can get your priorities straightened out." She tapped Ginny's cheek. "Everything will work out sweetheart. Now to get you home."
Ginny followed her mother begrudgingly.
June 2002
Ministry of Magic
Department of International Magical Cooperation
"Mr. Malfoy, if I could have a quick word?"
Draco looked up from his desk to see the department head staring him down from her office door. She looked down her crooked nose over her glasses, eyes narrowed. Agnes Brouchard, the new head of the D.I.M.C., she was small and almost sweet looking, but she was a nightmare. People said she had a right, she lost several family members in the Second War. This meant she basically had it out for Draco since he started working there a couple years after he graduated Hogwarts.
"Yes, ma'am." The blonde replied, getting up from his desk.
He followed her into his office. "Sit." She pointed to the chair in front of her desk while she took her place behind it. Draco sat down, pretending in his mind that he wasn't nervous to be chatting with the crone. "I hear that you were in correspondence with Bulgaria about the upcoming conference on the new laws about dragon trade."
"I was yes," Draco replied, "They were reluctant to attend because they view that their sale of dragon hides fell completely in the law." Agnes raised a brow. "However after a consultation with several dragonologists, I came to learn that they were mishandling the dragons by skinning young ones versus the old. I also learned that most of their herd was obtained illegally in a black market scheme."
Agnes took a quill and jotted this down. "Do you know what I spent doing most of this morning?" Draco shook his head. "I had to floo the Minister of Magic in Bulgaria and get my ear chewed off about how we are 'attacking' their country." Draco fidgeted in his seat. "Do you have anything to say?"
"I will personally contact the minister and apologize?"
He didn't mean for it to come out like a question. "Get out of my office."
Draco stood up and walked out. He let out a deep sigh as soon as the door shut.
June 2002
The Leaky Cauldron
Ginny stared down at her drink. Why couldn't she have kept her mouth shut? The moment her mother got her back to her flat, she went into a rant about how she would talk Harry into his senses. That then caused Ginny to inform her mother that they had been broken up for nearly three months and that he had just started dating a girl from work. That caused a Molly Weasley tantrum. She threw out words like money, marriage and babies. The headache she had from that confrontation had Ginny wishing the drink were a bit stronger.
"Can I get a firewhiskey? Make it a double." A low drawl sounded from beside her.
The redhead turned to see a familiar face, that if a certain blonde Slytherin. She took in his appearance as he sat down. The once neatly pressed robes were traded for a white button down, sleeves rolled up, and tie undone. He raked his hand through his usually imaculent hair, disheveling it. Yes, it is true, the Slytherin was wearing the uniform of someone who had had a bad work day
"Bad day, Malfoy?" She asked.
He turned to look at her. "Weasley." She was happy he didn't call her Weaselette. "Piss horrible. My boss is a right bitch." He took his drink from the bartender. "You don't look too happy yourself."
Ginny took a drink. "I got some pretty bad news today."
He nodded. "Heard the Harpies aren't going to be even close to the running for the World Cup?"
"That...is bad news, but this is worse."
"What could be worse?" Draco ask taking a swig and stifling a cough.
Ginny turned to look at him, leaning on her elbow. "How would you feel if you were told you couldn't do your job anymore? A job that you love beyond compare?" He gave her a sympathetic glance. "I've been benched for the rest of the season and get to retire after that, thanks to new rules and regulations."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said raising his glass to her. "I do not love my job and would give anything to not have it, but I need it."
She raised her glass to him. "To fantastically horrible days."
"So I told her that we broke up and that he has moved on."
"I take it she was pissed?"
"She turned a new shade of red."
Draco and Ginny laughed. They were sitting across from each other in a booth, sharing a bottle of firewhiskey. For two hours they had sat there talking like two old friends. Any sign of the blood feud their families had was out the window.
"I heard your brother got married." Draco state, pouring them each a new glass.
"Thank you," Ginny sighed taking her drink, "but which brother are we speaking about?"
Draco pointed at her. "Touche."
She swirled her glass around. "They're all married now, save Charlie. Bill and Fleur are expecting their second child. Percy and his wife are expecting. George and Angelina just had a baby. Ron and Hermione are celebrating their first anniversary." She giggled into her drink. "And I just dumped Harry Potter."
Draco stared at her, noting the sadness in her eyes. "I completely cut myself off from my parents, well mainly my father. I could live a lavish life, but I'm working on a small ministry salary."
Ginny cocked her head and folded her arms. "Draco Malfoy, god of the Slytherins, living a life with us mere mortals." They both laughed. "It's good for you, though, you can make a name for yourself."
He nodded. "However, I don't see myself working for the ministry for long...my boss hates me."
"She's a twat that is probably in desperate need of a shag." Draco blanched. "Maybe she fantasizes about you bending-" He put his hand over her mouth.
"Please stop, you're making my drink taste bad."
"So what are you thinking of doing next?"
They were walking down the street, having closed out The Leaky Cauldron. Ginny was carrying her shoes in her hand, splashing her bare feet in puddles. It had rained in the few hours they spent in the pub, fitting for their day. Draco was amused by her childlike behavior.
"I dunno," she sighed, "Two years ago I saw myself being married. I would willingly retire and start a family. Funny how things change." She paused and looked up at the sky. "There are so many possibilities and I have no one to hold me back."
They started walking again until they made it to her flat. It would have been faster to floo or apparated, but both had been intent on continuing the conversation. As they stood outside her door, Ginny looked up at Draco with a curious stare. She had one question burning on the tip of her tongue all night long.
"Why did you sit down next to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"The pub was empty." This was true. Being that it was the beginning of the week, no one really went out to drink. "You could have sat anywhere."
"Yeah, but then I would have had no one to talk to," Draco sighed, "I've grown fond of our conversations."
Ginny gave him a small smile. "The last time we talked was the night before the final battle."
"That talk helped me through." Draco gave her a serious look. "You were a better friend than the idiots I called friends."