Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Summary: Everyone in the Ministry knows that being transferred to Cloffice really means you're being sacked. But when she herself is "transferred" Ginny finds out that common knowledge isn't always right, and is shown a world and life she never knew existed. DGB
(a/n: thank you to everyone for reading, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.
Read on, oh faithful ones...)
...
Chapter Three
...
"I still don't know why you need to leave home, dear," Molly said, looking at Ginny with a frown.
"I just think it's time for me to move out. You and Daddy are always saying how you would travel if we weren't in the house, and I think Ron's capable of looking after himself," Ginny said. She paused for a moment, and then continued with a grin, "Well, you might want to get a babysitter," she said, laughing now.
Ron turned red with indignation, spluttered at his sister and finally glared. "I'm older than you; I don't need a babysitter!" he said, folding his arms and turning away.
Molly started pampering Ron, and Ginny was glad that she had managed to turn the conversation away from her. George grinned at her knowingly, then left to the lounge room. Ginny saw the time, and followed George quietly. Not quietly enough, as she heard Ron's voice follow her down the corridor.
"Where's she going then?" Ron said grumpily, starting to protest her departure.
"It's Sunday," Molly replied, the realisation making Ron go quiet.
Ginny and George Apparated with loud bangs.
...
They walked down the all-too-familiar path of the cemetery. Both Ginny and George were silent, as they had had been for the past five years they had been doing this ritual.
In the beginning, straight after the war, the cemeteries had been filled with so many people that it was hard for anyone to move around. Now, the cemeteries were only filled to that extent on the annual Deceased Day that had been created in memory for those who had died during the war.
As they walked along the path, Ginny noticed a few people around a grave. It was probably the deceased's birthday, or it was some anniversary, or special occasion.
Despite how harsh it sounded, even to herself, Ginny hoped that they would leave soon. The way that she and George mourned wasn't appreciated by others...
Within a few minutes, the people around the grave Disapparated home, taking a sobbing woman with them.
George spread the blanket out while Ginny laid two chocolate frogs on Fred's grave. He never was one for flowers.
"Ready, sister dearest?"
"Ready, dearest brother," Ginny said with a grin.
George held out a hand and helped Ginny onto the blanket before sitting across from her.
"I heard a new joke the other day. I thought it was lame, but the guy who told me wouldn't stop laughing," George said, starting the conversation. "He acted as if it was the funniest joke since cheese-bread!"
Ginny just shook her head, and passed George his sandwich.
"It was just a 'why did the chicken cross the road' joke, at that! Nothing even worth repeating," George muttered, biting into his sandwich.
"Well, you're already this far into the story you might as well decrease my IQ and tell me the joke," Ginny replied, starting on her own lunch.
"Fine," George said, but obviously not happy about it. "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"I don't know, why?"
"To get to the other side," George said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What?" Ginny exclaimed, almost choking on her sandwich. "That's it?"
"He said it was so funny because everyone tries to think of the hundred other answers there are, and never think of the one straight in front of them. I think he was deluded," George said.
"Definitely deluded," Ginny agreed.
"He didn't believe me when I told him he was," George said, rubbing his jaw with a wince.
"The idiot hit you because you didn't like his joke?"
"No, the idiot hit me because I started insulting him over his lame joke. I said that he was a menace to public safety, and that hit a nerve I think," he said, grinning.
"Yeah, the nerve on your face," Ginny replied, shaking her head at her brother.
"Oh, please. That wimp didn't hurt me, especially not with a closed fist," George said.
"And did you let him walk around with a broken hand?"
"Of course. I love to see people hurt themselves over bad jokes," he said sarcastically, then stopped. "Actually, I do, so that was a bad example. Yes, I healed him. Happy now, Mother?" George taunted his sister, grinning again.
"Very," Ginny replied with a grin of her own.
"Your turn," George said, nodding at her.
"I haven't heard any new jokes this week. Quite disappointing, really," she muttered.
"I'll say! All right, onto weekly news..." George said, reaching for a Butterbeer.
George launched into his version of weekly news, consisting of who was dating who, who had bought what items in their store - some of which showed a lot about that person's character - and finally, the pranks and new store items.
"My personal favourite is the Spy-Sock," George said, grinning. "It's like the Extendable Ear, but has more features. And it's not as noticeable. Everyone has a spare sock in their drawer, and no one ever thinks that a sock can be listening in on their conversation... It's a bit harder to slip one into someone's pocket though. Not everyone has a spare sock in their robe," he mused.
"Can't you just make a range of them? A quill is much less noticeable," Ginny offered.
"It's harder to work the magic into a quill. They're too whimsy, and easy to break," George replied.
"A leaf?" Ginny asked, brushing a leaf from her robe.
Witches and wizards always seemed to find leaves or branches in their robes. Something to do with flying and being closer to nature. Ginny still didn't understand it, but she always found a leaf or two in her belongings.
"It would be easier for the magic to connect, but they're still too easy to break. Keep thinking," George said, taking another swig of his Butterbeer.
"A Knut?"
"Can't anymore. After Granger did that spell on the Galleons, and the Ministry found out, they've put protective spells on their money so no one can modify them," he replied, sounding annoyed.
Ginny continued to think. It took her a few moments to realise that George had called Hermione 'Granger', something unheard of in the Weasley family. Especially around Ron. "You called her Granger!"
George looked embarrassed for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, she annoys me."
"Explain how Hermione Granger annoys you," Ginny said, surprised that she was only finding this out now.
"Her entire manner is annoying. She acts as if she's so much better than all of us, and she thinks ... " George paled as he realised what he'd said, then shook his head. "Never mind, I just don't like her that much, okay?"
"Not okay, George! You're explaining all of this, sooner or later," Ginny said with a glare.
"Later, it will make more sense then," George said quickly, offering her a grin.
Ginny glowered, but nodded and turned her attention back to Fred's tombstone. Over the top of it, she could see some more mourners arriving at the cemetery. "Mourners," she muttered, almost annoyed at their presence.
It was a place of sorrow, available to everyone, she reminded herself with a wry grin. Dead or alive, pun intended.
George nodded and they packed up quickly and efficiently. They had Disapparated in less than five minutes, the Chocolate Frogs the only evidence of their stay.
...
Disapparating after eight Butterbeers was not a good idea, Ginny thought to herself as she swayed and her stomach turned.
She sat on the couch in George's apartment, putting her head between her legs and trying to regulate her breathing.
"Mind if I stay here tonight?" she asked.
Those eight Butterbeers were definitely not going to let her off lightly!
"Not at all," George replied with a grin. "You'll be living here soon enough anyway, so I'm pretty sure that you can stay and be sick tonight!" he said jovially.
"'Kay," Ginny groaned, crawling off to the bathroom.
George shook his head after her, then went to make sure she didn't ruin his bathroom.
...
Pansy sighed, pushing some scrolls away from her. She was tired, and in just a few hours, the sun would rise and she would be dealing with another four recruits for the Cloffice. One of whom was Ginevra Molly Weasley. She was extremely promising, especially if she was half as talented as George said. The other three had some potential, although she had a feeling they would be assigned to one specific field, instead of a range.
Pansy felt her throat tighten as she thought of George, and inevitably of Fred. She had loved them both, and even though Fred was gone, she still loved George just as she had before. But he wouldn't let her get close. He would barely look at her, especially if they happened to be alone.
She watched him joking and laughing, the sadness beneath his eyes tearing her heart to shreds. His ear was still gone, and he could barely hear with it, but he wasn't letting it hold him back in any way. She admired it, and loved him just all that more for it.
Gods', she wanted to hold him, just as she had five years ago. There had been three of them, then. And now, it was just two. George wouldn't want her without Fred.
It was all in the past, she told herself briskly. She wiped the tear that had escaped her control and set her business face on, pulling the scrolls back to her.
Just as she had for the past five years, Pansy would throw herself into her work to relieve the pain, or at least to make it nothing more than a dull ache in the back of her mind.
...
"Come on, sister dearest!" George called, his voice loud and cheerful.
Too cheerful for the time of the morning, Ginny thought to herself blearily.
"Time to get up! You don't want to be late, do you?" George said, grinning as he flipped the blanket over.
Ginny shivered as the cool morning air floated across her skin, and opened an eye to glare at her brother. "Bugger off. Ten more minutes," she groaned.
"Not happening, dearest. Get up!" George said, pulling the blanket off completely this time.
Ginny tried to reach for the blanket, then sighed and sat up in defeat. "I could hate you," she muttered.
"But I'd still love you," George said with a wink.
He left before she could reply, whistling cheerfully. She sighed and got off the bed, heading to the bathroom with her robe.
...
Ginny rummaged through her robes, trying to find the piece of twisted metal she'd put in one of the pockets. Finally finding the metal, Ginny carefully tied a piece of string around it, then attached it to the inner loop in her robe pocket.
"See you in the office some time," George said, grinning.
He stepped into the fireplace, and Flooed with a wave.
Ginny shook her head. Sighing, she still couldn't believe that she had been woken up before four thirty. She was just grateful that George had forced her to have a sobering potion the night before, or else she would have had a hangover as well.
At quarter to five, Ginny took hold of the Portkey.
Quickly brushing her robe off, Ginny looked around, wondering where she had to report to. The reception area looked vaguely familiar, as did the witch behind the front desk. She was the same witch who had been at The Quibbler.
"Good morning, Miss Weasley. It's a pleasure to have you on board at The Quibbler. I look forward to reading your articles. Please follow the red parchment to your office. The editor will meet you at seven to explain your job description in more detail," the witch added as Ginny went to ask a question. "You can get a feel for your office until then," she said cheerfully, smiling.
With a nod, Ginny followed the red parchment to her 'office'. It was the same plain door she'd entered last week for her interview, but the interior was completely different. It was what she had originally expected: a fireplace for Floo's and firecalls, a desk with a few quills scattered on the top and drawers on the side, filled with messy newspaper and magazine articles of importance, a chair that seemed to be broken, the carpet was lost beneath stacks of more newspapers and magazines, the bookcase was holding everything from trinkets and charms, but apparently no books, and the tiny window was covered in soot.
Had something gone wrong at the Cloffice, and she was now expected to work as a journalist for The Quibbler? she wondered. As much as she enjoyed reading the magazine, Ginny doubted she would be able to write anything worth publishing!
"You're early, Miss Weasley," a voice said from the fireplace.
Ginny turned to see Pansy stepping out of the green flames. She almost sagged in relief.
"Everyone who works at The Quibbler thinks that you work here too," Pansy said, ignoring Ginny's look of relief. "The witch at the front desk doesn't know about the Cloffice any more than the rest of the wizarding population. You will be expected to come in every morning for a five o'clock start, write and research for the entire day, and hand something into the editor by five that night," Pansy said.
Pansy looked at the desk as if it was a three-headed Flobberworm, and tried not to breathe.
"Am I expected to do all of that while working at the Cloffice as well?" Ginny asked, the mere prospect horrifying.
"Of course not. We expect you to train at the Cloffice from five until eight that night. You cannot train with us and have another job on the side; it's just not possible. Someone in the Cloffice has been hired to write articles for you. They will be on your editor's desk at four thirty sharp every evening. And you will have a copy sent to the apartment the night before printing so you will be able to look over what you have supposedly written," Pansy informed her.
Ginny let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and thanked the gods' silently. She knew that her mother would read every single article she 'published' and then she would be tested every time she went to the Burrow.
"I suggest you spend some time this morning cleaning your area to better suit your style. You will have to see this every morning and night, and I sincerely doubt that it will be pleasant," Pansy drawled.
She would have shuddered when something on the desk actually moved, but Pansy had been trained by the Cloffice and could hold her emotions better than that.
Except when it came to George, a cruel inner voice reminded her.
"I need to go attend to the other recruits. Once you have finished in this ... office, use the Floo system to get to the Cloffice. Just say 'Cloffice' and it will let you through," Pansy said.
She didn't wait for Ginny to respond, simply Apparating to the next workplace.
Ginny looked at the office again and shut her eyes, willing herself the strength to get through the morning.
...
An hour later, Ginny was finally pleased with the state of the office.
The chair was mended and no longer smelled of spilled coffee. The drawers had been emptied, and the newspaper and magazine articles filed or discarded. The quills that had been scattered were now in the top drawer, along with an ink pot (found beneath the desk, amazingly unbroken) and other stationery. The colour of the carpet could actually be identified as grey, and the window was no longer covered in a film of soot and grease. The bookcase was tidied, and now holding actual books as well as the trinkets and charms.
Fixing her robe and cleaning herself up, Ginny threw some Floo powder in the fireplace and stepped inside the green flames with ease. "Cloffice," she said clearly.
As her newly cleaned office disappeared from her sight, Ginny briefly wondered who The Quibbler's editor would meet in her absence.
...
"Welcome to the Cloffice's training centre. Please, take a seat while I inform the director of your arrival," a wizard said with a smile, indicating to the seats behind Ginny.
She thanked him, and headed over to the seats. One person was already waiting there, a witch she didn't recognise, but Ginny assumed that she was one of the other recruits Pansy had mentioned. The witch looked a bit apprehensive, the same way that Ginny was feeling.
"Hi, I'm Morrigan," the witch said, smiling despite the nerves resounding in her voice.
"A pleasure to meet you, Morrigan. I'm Ginny," she replied, shaking her hand.
"I'm so glad that someone else arrived. I've been here since five thirty after I finished cleaning my office. I thought that I was going to be the only one!" Morrigan said, her voice breathless. "Are you as nervous as I am? I mean, everything that this represents! It's just amazing!" Morrigan barely finished one sentence before continuing onto the next. "I was so shocked when they offered this to me. I wasn't anything special where I worked before, so this is just ... " she trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief.
Morrigan continued to talk to Ginny, her rapid speech forcing Ginny to pay attention just to keep up. Ten minutes later, another person arrived via Portkey. She walked over to the seats, sized up both Ginny and Morrigan in a way that only women can, then sat at the very edge of the seats, ignoring Morrigan's attempts to introduce herself and Ginny.
"She must have a broom up her arse or something," Morrigan said in a voice that wasn't quite a whisper.
The woman stiffened slightly, then set her jaw and proceeded to ignore them with even more fervour.
"She's probably just as nervous as we are, but won't show it," Ginny said, then turned to Morrigan again. "So what did you do before you came here?"
That started Morrigan on her job as an experimenter within the Ministry's Department of Potions and Mixtures. It was pretty much as it was titled: Morrigan's job had been to find out what mixture of different herbs and ingredients would create a potion worth using. She would have shown Ginny her scars from some particularly nasty results, but then the fourth recruit arrived.
As he walked over to the seats, Morrigan stopped talking and her jaw dropped slightly. The wizard had short brown hair, bright blue eyes and a chiseled jaw that only caused imaginations to fall into the gutter at the thought of the rest of his body. He grinned at Ginny and Morrigan, the action illuminating his face and brightening his eyes considerably.
"Hi, I'm Jordan," he introduced, holding a hand out to shake.
Ginny shook his hand and introduced herself. She had to nudge Morrigan before she would come out of her stupor and introduce herself.
"Morrigan. Great to meet you," she gushed, her face going a shade of red as she realised that she'd been staring.
Jordan grinned again, then went to introduce himself to the other woman. She would have ignored him, but Ginny didn't think that the woman had that much willpower.
"Claudia," she said, shaking his hand and looking at him with unhindered desire.
Jordan looked a bit uncomfortable, and withdrew his hand. There was a minute of uncomfortable silence, but then Morrigan's nerves couldn't stand it and she started talking to Ginny once more. Jordan joined in their conversation, seemingly thankful to find out that he wasn't the only nervous one. Claudia returned to ignoring them once more.
Pansy walked in a few minutes later, smiling briefly when she saw them all talking animatedly. Well, almost all.
"It's not that dangerous, really. You just need to know about the properties of plants and other ingredients," Morrigan said.
Jordan still looked impressed at her previous job, and said as much, making Morrigan go bright red.
"Pansy's here," Ginny said quietly, and Morrigan stopped talking quickly, looking over to the front desk where Pansy was standing.
"If you will all follow me, I can show you around Training Centre One," Pansy said.
She turned and walked away without waiting.
Claudia was the first one after her. Ginny and Jordan waited as Morrigan picked up her multiple bags, trying to find a quill and parchment.
"Got it. Sorry," Morrigan said with a guilty grin.
She shrank her bags and put them in her pocket, then they hurried after Pansy and Claudia.
"Thank you for joining us," Pansy said in a clipped tone.
Claudia looked smug.
"Why didn't you wait with them?" Pansy asked Claudia in the same tone, wiping the smug grin off her face quickly.
"I ... " she trailed off, unable to think of a response.
"You will be training together for the better part of the next four months, so I suggest that you work on a pleasant atmosphere, if you cannot all be friends," Pansy said, then turned and continued down the corridor.
On hearing Pansy's words, Ginny was surprised to say the least. A Slytherin was encouraging them to be friends? In her school days, it would have been unheard of, and as it was, Ginny had to remind herself that she was no longer at Hogwarts with House prejudices.
"This is Training Centre One. There are four training centres around England, and you will spend one month in each as you progress in your training. All of the locations are kept secret, even to some of the highest ranking Cloffice officials. The views shown in the windows are magically simulated, so don't be surprised if you see Big Ben one day, and the Stonehenge the next," Pansy said with a slight grin. "Your schedules have been sent to your workplace desks. No one else will see them, so don't fret over someone accidentally noticing it."
"What are we supposed to do today if we don't have our schedules now?" the question seemed to burst out of Morrigan.
"I will be showing you the entire centre for today, to give you a feel for the layout of the building. Don't worry if you get lost over the next few weeks. It takes some time to remember all of the right corridors," she added, and Morrigan looked relieved. "We are on the ground floor at the moment. It is a general area to report and catch up with friends, or colleagues, so there are a few bathroom facilities and a very large cafeteria. There is also gym facilities available at any time of the day or night, and it is recommended that you make use of it, as it will help with your training. The cafeteria can be accessed in six different ways, although we do ask that you try not to go through the kitchen. If you do enter in via the kitchen staff entrance, you will be serving lunch instead of eating it," Pansy said.
They laughed a little nervously, stopping when they realised that Pansy was serious. Claudia looked ill at the prospect of serving food to someone.
Pansy stopped at a yellow door, turning to look at the recruits again. "It's the breakfast break now, so the noise may startle you," she warned, then walked into the cafeteria. "The yellow door is the kitchen entrance," she added, having to raise her voice over the kitchen's noise.
People were calling orders and questions, pots and pans were rattling, sizzling and bubbling in every corner of the room. As they neared the front of the cafeteria, the noise increased. Hundreds of recruits were sitting at tables scattered around the room, others were standing and talking to the serving staff. Every so often someone noticed Pansy and called out to her, grinning at the new recruits in a secretive way. Pansy just raised her hand in return, then led them back out to the corridor, away from the noise and distraction.
She showed them the gymnasium, a range of equipment available, both Muggle and wizard. In the corner of one room was a large wireless. As they entered music began, only stopping when Pansy hit it with her wand.
"The wireless will turn on as soon as you enter the room. You can change the type of music to suit your preferences. It will go to general music if there's more than one person in the room," Pansy said.
She led them out of the gymnasium, and headed down the corridor.
"Each floor contains five classrooms," Pansy said as she started down a staircase. "In the rooms on the first floor you will learn basic Muggle self defence, basic wizard defence, health and nutrition. Inside of the fourth room you will learn to fine tune your Apparation skills so that you can do it as loud or quiet as you prefer, or Apparate within a few centimetres of yourself. The fifth classroom is specifically for basic healing," Pansy said.
The stopped outside of one room, and Pansy indicated for them to look into the window. There were six people inside, paired off and punching at each other, kicking, or throwing each other on the floor. Their wands were nowhere in sight, something unheard of.
"Muggle self defence. It may seem crude, but it often has the ability to surprise opponents," Pansy said.
"How does it surprise them?" Jordan asked curiously.
"If you are disarmed, then your opponent will think you weak. Imagine their surprise when you are still able to fight back even without your wand," Pansy said. "It will be discussed in the class, so let's continue on," she said, going to the next room.
They looked in this window, and this scene was familiar to Ginny. It reminded her of the DA room they used in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. There was a dummy in the middle of the room, a clear area on either side for target practice, and hexes and spells. Four people were inside, throwing hexes at each other with fierce determination.
Pansy led them to the next room. They were surprised to see a kitchen, tables and chairs with a large blackboard nearby. Various fruit and vegetables were listed on the boards, and the students inside were arguing over tomatoes. From the kitchen large flames rose as someone prepared a meal under the watchful eye of a nearby chef.
"We can enter the Apparation room. It is good for the recruits to understand what distractions can do while they're Apparating," Pansy said, smirking.
They went inside, attempting to be quiet. Pansy on the other hand, brought her wand out, loud noises erupting and making them all jump.
"Splinched!" a recruit shouted.
"I said to concentrate! Noises should mean nothing when you're Apparating!" the person in charge yelled angrily, fixing up the splinched person with ease.
"Nice one, Pansy. Scare the living shit out of them, why don't you?" someone muttered beside them.
The four recruits turned to look at who had spoken to Pansy in such a tone. Ginny paled when she recognised the person as none other than Draco Malfoy.
"That was the idea, Draco. Return to your Apparating," Pansy said, waving him off dismissively. "And don't think I can't see you there, Blaise. You're not as quiet as you think you are," she turned, glaring at Blaise Zabini, who had Apparated silently behind her.
"Did you see him Apparate?" Morrigan asked quietly, her eyes wide.
Ginny shook her head.
"Recruits! Return to your stations!" the person yelled at Draco and Blaise.
They smirked at each other, and Apparated without a sound. Ginny stared at them for about a minute, surprised at their presence.
"Let's continue to the next room, shall we?" Pansy said.
She was annoyed at Draco and Blaise's behaviour. They should know better than to do that to her, especially when she was with new recruits. Although, Ginevra's facial expression had been amusing...
"This room, as I mentioned earlier, is to do with healing. You practice healing magic as well as Muggle healing methods on dummies that have various maladies," Pansy said.
There was no window to look into, so they had to take Pansy's word for it.
"Do you have any questions?" Pansy asked, grinning at Morrigan for a split second.
"If we aren't able to finish training, what happens to us?" Morrigan asked.
"Your memories are modified. We cannot have any of this leaking to the public. They would not understand, and I assure you that most witches and wizards are quite content believing that the Aurors and Ministry are keeping them safe," Pansy replied.
"Do we return to our previous jobs?" Ginny asked curiously.
"No. Unfortunately that results in far too many memory modifications. You believe that you lost your job, and have spent the last few weeks or months wallowing in self pity. The Cloffice keeps an eye on the people so that they don't attempt to do something harmful," Pansy added. "A few people have been recorded to dream about the Cloffice, but they fade after a few months."
"Where are the bathrooms?" Morrigan asked, barely quelling her urgency.
"Oh, of course. The women's bathrooms are at the end of the corridor, and on the right. Men's are on the left. You can all have a break. I will meet you upstairs in the cafeteria in five minutes," Pansy said, going back down the corridor.
Morrigan waited until Pansy was out of sight, then practically ran down to the end of the corridor. The others followed. Jordan hurried to the men's room, the door practically slamming behind him. Claudia only went into the bathroom because she didn't want to stand in the corridor alone. Ginny went inside to try and compose herself.
Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were recruited by the Cloffice. It did seem to make sense, if she thought about it.
After the war, they'd both gone abroad to escape the public scrutiny. They'd returned after two years, both still bachelors to the surprise of a lot of people. There were a few balls to welcome the Malfoy and Zabini heirs back to England, and the usual Malfoy Annual Ball was held with every politician and Ministry bigwig invited. Again, surprising everyone, they had both decided to go job hunting. Not for the money, obviously, but for something to do. Sitting at home all day wasn't all it was cracked up to be, no matter how luxurious the surroundings. They'd both secured Ministry jobs easily, and in less than six months, they had climbed to the top of the ladder as if it was nothing more than a matter of stepping over a puddle. Then, a month ago, they'd both quit. Rumours and theories flew around tables for some time, until an interview was conducted with them. They both said that the working life wasn't what they wanted anymore, and they were content to simply attend various balls worldwide instead. They'd apparently done exactly that, disappearing off the earth without so much as a smirk.
Now, Ginny knew where they had disappeared to.
She had to get her breathing under control, then she could deal with her mind. She'd gone into some sort of shock at seeing them, and had left her mind wide open. She hadn't missed Pansy's look of amusement, and that was enough to make her put the barriers up even stronger than before.
It didn't help that they had actually matured and were good looking. Harry melted to the back recess of her mind as she imagined their faces again.
Draco was pale as usual, his face not as pointy as it once had been as a child. His shoulders were broader too, and she could practically imagine his body. It would be firm, and since he would use the gym, he would have muscles too. Nothing too obnoxious, Draco would have subtle muscles, ones that would be seen better with a sheen of sexual sweat.
Blaise looked every part the Italian god he had as a teen, only not so much as a poser this time. Now, he would most likely have the knowledge that he used to pretend he had at Hogwarts. He would know how to make love to a woman, making sure to bring her to the peak ...
"Ginny? Are you all right?" Morrigan called, knocking on the cubicle door lightly.
Ginny flushed as she realised what she'd been thinking, and more specifically, who she'd been thinking about.
Not good, Ginny, she scolded herself.
"Fine. I'll be out in a minute," she called back to Morrigan.
"Okay," Morrigan said.
She left the bathroom and Ginny sighed. She left the cubicle in a few minutes and looked at herself as she washed her hands. She was slightly pale, most likely from the shock of seeing Draco and Blaise so close.
"Get a grip on yourself, Ginny," she muttered.
Only one week ago she'd been a successful witch within the Ministry. She had seen Draco and Blaise around the Ministry before, and had never had this kind of reaction. But then, she hadn't seen them this close. Hadn't been able to smell their expensive cologne, the scent fogging her senses... But she would remain in control. She had kept herself in control with every promotion she received at the Ministry, she had focused on the job she was doing. One hundred and ten percent. And she would do the same now. She wouldn't let them affect her.
Ginny splashed her face, dried herself off and hurried out of the bathroom where the other three were waiting.
"Sorry about the delay," she said quickly, grinning apologetically.
They headed up the corridor, towards the stairs.
"Don't apologise. I'm not even sure if I can get the butterflies to stop so that I can eat," Morrigan said with a grin.
"We're in training, what do you have to be nervous about?" Claudia asked.
There was a sneer to her voice, but it seemed like she tried to suppress it.
"A lot," Morrigan answered. "Training means a lot of opportunities for me to stuff up," she said, grinning.
Claudia looked wary. They were all silent as they headed up the stairs and towards the cafeteria.
Ginny looked around, trying to spot where Pansy was. She saw her on the other side of the cafeteria, surrounded by recruits.
"Geez, she's popular," Morrigan said. "Where are we going to sit then? Is there a table free anywhere?"
"I think there's one over this way," Jordan said, heading to a corner of the cafeteria.
The others followed him quickly.
"That's our table," a male voice growled a minute or two after they'd sat down.
The looked up to see four angry males surrounding the table. They were all intimidating, with large muscles and their wands in their hands.
Ginny gritted her teeth at how this was reminding her of Hogwarts and the Common Room. Everyone had sat in their own little groups, and she had loathed the division even back then. She really loathed this kind of childish behaviour, especially when it came from adults! They should know better... Ginny's temper flared and she pushed herself out her seat angrily.
"Just exactly how is it your table?" she growled, glaring at him.
The men all spluttered at her response, and started to turn red in anger.
"Gentlemen, I do believe my friend here has misunderstood the seating arrangements in the cafeteria," a voice cut in smoothly.
Ginny would have glared and told Malfoy to fuck off, but he gave her a look of warning and her temper stilled.
"She a friend of yours then, Malfoy?" one of the guys leered.
"Quite, I have known her since Hogwarts," Draco replied. "Get your friends away this instant, Ginevra," he hissed at her, then returned his attention to the four men. "I'm sure you would all agree that Hogwarts is a far better magical institution than any of the others England has to offer. Beaubaxtons, for instance," he drawled, as if offended by the school's name itself.
"I went to Beaubaxtons. You got a problem with it?" one of the men growled.
"Oh, of course not. I'm sure your tutelage there will greatly benefit in the fourth week," Draco said, the hint of a smirk on his mouth.
"You're in your fourth week?" one of them asked curiously.
"Not yet, but you've all heard the rumours, I'm sure," Draco said, the smirk there in full now.
The men grinned at each other, a secret smile on their faces. Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to know what the rumours about the fourth week were.
As Draco had been talking, Ginny had got the other three and left the table. They all stood back, not sure what to do, simply watching as Draco defused the angry situation that had formed. As the four men sat down, complacent once more. Pansy rose from her chair and applauded Draco, a smirk on her face.
"Congratulations, Draco Malfoy. Ginevra, you used exactly the kind of tempermental outburst that we condone against. You will be an excellent before and after. If you complete the first four weeks," Pansy said with a grin.
It took Ginny a moment to realise that Pansy was talking to her, and she was complimenting her. Sort of.
"And you four," Pansy continued, her tone scathing now. "This is not school, and the table doesn't belong to you. Get to my office the moment you finish lunch. Understood?" she said, glaring at them in a way that made all of the four grown men pale and nod.
Everyone returned to their lunch, and Ginny shook her head in disbelief. They were acting as if it was a daily occurrence!
"So where do we sit now?" Morrigan asked.
Her question brought Ginny out of her thoughts and she looked around the cafeteria. Since those four muscle-heads had taken their seats, every table was now occupied.
"You may sit with us, if you care to join us," Blaise offered, grinning at Ginny.
"We'd love to," Claudia said immediately, sounding breathless.
Ginny wanted to roll her eyes and hit Claudia, but refrained with some difficulty. Morrigan, on the other hand, did roll her eyes, and batted her eyelashes mockingly. The action made Ginny tremble as she tried to repress her laughter.
Claudia led the way and the others followed, Ginny somewhat reluctantly. Blaise was looking at her like he knew what she had been thinking about him only ten minutes ago.
...
Ginny arrived at the apartment, feeling completely exhausted. She mumbled a brief 'hello' to George, then collapsed on the lounge.
It was the end of her third day of training at the Cloffice's Training Centre One. After getting into the Cloffice at five in the morning, they had started by looking at three different kinds of both Muggle and wizard weaponry, continued by an hour of exercise, an hour of nutrition, and then two straight hours of Apparation and Disapparation practice. After lunch had been more training, this time in self defence and attacking, basic healing that didn't seem quite so basic, more Apparation tuning, and then some fitness training.
Pansy had said that the gym was 'recommended'. The thought made Ginny laugh. Slightly hysterically at that...
"Tough day at the office?" George asked with a chuckle.
"How did you survive the first week?" Ginny groaned, rolling over and wincing with every movement.
George laughed again, this time grabbing a chair and sitting in front of her. "I think it was sheer willpower and determination that kept me going. It was a month after Fred had died, and I felt like I was being given a second chance. I was being given the chance to help someone in the way that I couldn't help Fred."
"It wasn't your fault," Ginny said, sitting up quickly, her pain forgotten for the moment.
"I know that, dearest sister. Everyone says that, and after five years, I can agree with them. But there's this small voice in the back of my mind saying that I could have used this spell, or this charm, or done something else a certain way, and then Fred would still be alive."
"And if you had done that spell, or that charm, or done something else a certain way, would you still be alive?"
She was given no answer, which was answer enough. "If you had done any of that, then it would be Fred sitting here saying the exact same thing," she said quietly, hugging George tightly.
He nodded briefly, and attempted to give her a smile.
"Don't put on that face with me, brother dearest. I know you too well. Now go sit down and I'll make dinner," Ginny said.
"If you know me so well then you would know that I already ordered Chinese," he answered, a chuckle escaping again.
If you knew me at all, you would know the loss I still feel every day. And not just for my brother, but also for our lover.
...
(a/n: Thank you for reading.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!)
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