Chapter 4

Pretty in Pink

"Hermione, he is just perfect!" beamed Ginny, as she was getting ready for her date with Andrew that night.

Andrew had taken Ginny out to lunch every day for the rest of the week and asked her out for dinner tonight. Everything about Andrew seemed perfect. He was a muggle who knew nothing about her past; he was well educated and seemed to have a bright future.

Hermione was concerned; it had been a little over three weeks since the final battle and Harry breaking up with Ginny. "Don't you think it's a little too soon to be dating again?"

"Please. Harry decided we should see other people so I am; besides I have wasted enough time on Harry. I waited for two years for him and then he drops me like a fly! I am not going to waste anymore of my time on him. Besides," she started with a dreamy tone, "Drew is perfect." She finished her rant with a smile.

"So, where is he taking you tonight?"

"Oh I don't know, some fancy muggle restaurant. How does this look?" Ginny asked as she walked out of her closet wearing a beautiful silky navy blue dress.

"You look gorgeous Ginny," Hermione smiled back at her.

"So what are you doing tonight?

"Ron and Harry are coming over to listen to Quidditch over our wireless," Hermione said looking annoyed. "You would think that after two years of dating your prat of a brother would get the idea and bring me on a date!"

"Ron, get the idea, I don't think so. If you haven't met my brother yet he happens to be the thickest git on earth," Ginny giggled then as she heard a knock on the door smiled happily. "He must be here, how do I look?"

"Wonderful!" Hermione replied.

Ginny ran to the front door as she heard another knock, "I'm coming!"

Smiling she opened the door but her smile quickly turned into a frown, "Oh, its you two," she said upon seeing Harry and Ron at the door.

"Well thanks Ginny, glad to see how much you care," retorted Ron.

"Hi, Ginny," Harry said not even daring to look at her.

"Where are you going? Got a hot date?" Ron questioned her.

"Yes, but that's none of your business," she chanced a look at Harry who looked completely and utterly dejected, "and don't start listening to Quidditch until after he comes, he is a muggle."

"Well I want to meet him, make sure he is alright for my little sister," Ron said getting into his overprotective big brother mode.

"No, need," said Hermione as she walked into the living room, "I have known Andrew since I was little, he is perfectly upstanding, well educated and smart and he has a job. I think you would like him Ron, he is a big football fan."

Again, Ginny glanced from her brother and Hermione to Harry, who was standing a little away from the conversation, at this praise for her suitor Harry looked as if his whole world had been taken away from him.

A knock came, "And there he is now!" Ginny beamed as she turned to open the door.

"Hello Ginny, these are for you," Drew said handing her a bouquet of roses. She thought she heard Harry mumble something that sounded oddly like, "She likes daisies."

"They are beautiful," She said giving Drew a hug and a peck on the cheek, "come in, you can meet my brother."

She led Drew into the room, "This is my older brother Ron, and that's Harry."

"Nice to meet you Ron, Ginny and Hermione talk very highly of you," he said holing his hand out.

Ron took his hand; he seemed to like this guy already, "Nice to meet you."

"Ah, Harry, you must be the ex-boyfriend, so what brings you here?" Drew said without offering his hand in greeting.

"Friend of Ron and Hermione," said a very defeated sounding Harry while staring at his shoes.

"Oh, yes she did mention that. Anyway, we best be off, won't want to be late for our reservations," Drew said while giving Ginny his arm.

"Hermione, please put these in water," Ginny said handing Hermione the flowers.

"Have a good time Ginny," Hermione, replied as the couple walked arm and arm out the door.

Drew walked Ginny downstairs to the street where a small expensive-looking sports car was parked. He opened the door for Ginny and soon they were on their way driving through the streets of London. They soon arrived at a very fancy and expensive-looking restaurant, and were quickly seated.

"I thought you didn't like that Harry guy?" Drew started the evening after they had been seated.

"I don't, but he is a really good friend of the family, and he was Ron and Hermione's friend way before he was my boyfriend," Ginny replied looking slightly annoyed, "but who cares about Harry, I am over him now."

"Well that's good to know, because he didn't seem like he was over you," Drew replied setting Ginny off into deep contemplation.

Harry was not over her? Did he still think she would be interested in him after he had dumped her? But that was absolutely preposterous! Harry had to be over it, he was the one who suggested that they "see other people".

"Well, don't worry, I am most definitely over Harry Potter," Ginny said with a smile.

"His name is Potter, Harry Potter? That name sounds familiar, is he famous or something, I could have sworn my cousin said something about him last weekend.

"No, probably not, it's a dull common name," replied Ginny wonder who this cousin was wondering if he was a muggle too.

"Yes, very common, especially when you are talking to someone named Ginerva Molly Weasley," Drew gave her a cheeky smile.

"Ah, yes well that's a nervy thing to say coming from you, I mean Andrew James Richardson is a plain name as well!" Ginny returned with a wide smile.

Drew laughed, "So Ginny, tell me about your family, all I have heard is that you have six brothers, I have heard about Ron from you and Hermione but what about the other five."

"Well," Ginny started, " this could take all night, but I'll give you the short version since you will be meeting them all tomorrow night at dinner.

"Bill is the oldest and he is married to Fleur, who is French so you can hardly understand her. Oh, and Fleur is eight months pregnant so we should be expecting the new baby soon. Then there is Charlie, he works with animals in Romania, so you won't be meeting him, yet. After Charlie there is Percy, he had a falling out with my parents a few years back but has recently come back into good favor, and he is married to Penelope. Then there are the twins, Fred and George, never trust them, don't eat anything they offer you no matter what, they are pranksters and work developing pranks for their joke shop, you have been warned!" Ginny ended with a laugh as their food came.

"So, what about you? Tell me about your family," Ginny smiled as she ate her food.

"Well, first off its not nearly as exciting as yours," he said with his divine smile, "Well, I have a mother and my father died a few years ago."

"Oh, I am so sorry," Ginny said meaningfully.

"Don't worry about it, he was old. Then I have an older sister, Mary, who leads a very boring life as a lawyer."

"Well that sounds nice, but I like a big family full of lots of people, nothing is ever dull and there is always noise going on." Ginny smiled.

"Well I don't know, I think I would like to wait until I was much older to have kids and start a family."

"Oh," Ginny said before taking a bite of some very bland food, nothing like what you would get from Molly Weasley.

The rest of dinner followed with rather dull conversation, too dull to recount. Drew left her with a kiss at her front door, promising to see her the next night for dinner with her family.

When she walked into her flat she thought she would find Hermione in the corner with a book, while the boys would be prancing around the living room regaling the finer points of that night's game they had heard over the wireless. Instead, she was horrified if not mortified to find Ron and Hermione in a flat out snog, her brother's shirt was missing and she was sure a pair of trousers were soon to follow, and Harry was no where to be seen.

"Hem, Hem!" she cleared her throat in a very Professor Umbridge way.

Upon hearing, this Hermione shot up, knocking Ron off his place on top of her on the couch. "Oh, Hi Ginny!" squeaked a very red Hermione as she scrambled to button her top.

"Well, I am just going to bed now, umm try not to make any babies on the couch please," said an increasingly red Ginny, "I don't fancy having to buy an new one because my brother decided to go for a shag on it." She turned leaving the room and a two very red faced people.

The next morning she woke to find a very embarrassed Hermione, "So, umm, Ginny, we didn't do anything."

"Yes, and thank the lord I arrived home when I did. I really don't care if you shag my brother but have the decency to do it in your room."

"I'm sorry Ginny, its just Harry left, and then Ron didn't feel like listening to the game without Harry and one thing led to another," Hermione trailed off.

"So where did Mr. Potter go off to?"

"Well, after you left he looked at moody again, remember the summer before our fifth year?"

"Yikes!"

"Yeah, well he looked all moody and then he started questioning me about Andrew, and why I was letting you go out with him. I told him that I have known Andrew my whole life and I sincerely hoped he wouldn't hurt you, and I didn't decide who you dated."

"Why should Harry care? He is the one who decided we should 'see other people'," Ginny said in a mimicking tone and air apostrophes for added affect, "I am just doing what the git suggested!" Ginny let out exasperatedly.

"So Ginny, is Drew coming to dinner tonight?"

"Yup!" Ginny replied with a smile.

"You do know your brothers and Harry will be here?" Hermione looked Nervous.

"Oh, I know, That's exactly the reason I invited him," Hermione shot Ginny a truly sinister glare. "I like Drew and all he is just, I don't know. I guess I need to see if he can stand up to my family, because if he can't I automatically know not to stay with him." Hermione continued to stare at her friend, "It's…Just…I don't know!" frustration was evident in Ginny's voice. "I guess I have recently been hurt, really, really badly, and frankly I don't want that again, I have to know if he can stand up to my brothers before anything can go further."

"Are you sure that's all?" as Ginny nodded Hermione gave her an even more piercing stare, "Really?"

"Ok, fine you caught me," Ginny said with a guilty look on her face and her hands up in the air, "I also really, really want to make Harry squirm!"

"You are truly evil, Ginny Weasley," Hermione replied with a look on her face that Ginny couldn't tell if she was upset with her or was smirking at her.

Later that night, when the Weasleys and Harry had arrived Ginny sat them in the living room to explain her new boyfriend to them.

"My boyfriend is coming to dinner tonight," Ginny started her anxiety building.

"Don't you think it early to start thinking about a new boyfriend?" Her mother inquired with George nodding behind her.

"No, I want to see new people," she emphasized the last part while looking directly at Harry whom had taken a sudden interest to his shoelaces.

"Ginny, I don't like how you are skipping from boyfriend to boyfriend," started Bill.

Ignoring him Ginny continued, "Well, anyway, Andrew is a very nice guy, and I really like him, don't ruin it for me!" she said this directed at the twins. "He is going to be a dentist and has a great future, I really, really like him," she paused noticing Bill shooting an apologetic glance at an increasingly green Harry. Deciding to disregard this she went on, "Andrew, just happens to be a muggle." At this her father looked positively delighted, "So, there shall be no talk of Quidditch, jobs, the war, Hogwarts, the joke shop, anything magic related!"

"WHAT?" the twins said in unison.

"So here are some magazines, get yourselves accustomed to muggles, and try and read up on football in your spare time, so maybe you guys can go to a game with him! Please don't scare him off," she begged her brothers, "I really like this one."

She left the room to go and check on dinner, about ten minutes later the doorbell rang. She smoothed out her dress and checked herself in the mirror before answering.

"Drew!" she squealed as she opened the door, and her greeted her with a kiss.

"Hello Beautiful," he smiled out her.

"Your in luck, not everyone could make it tonight! Fleur was too tired of being pregnant, Charlie is back in Romania, and Percy and Penelope had work," she whispered as she helped him with his coat.

"Well that's good, love, lets go meet your family."

They walked across the hall into the living room, where Ginny introduced him to her family.

"Everybody I would like you to meet Drew, Drew these are my parents, my brother Bill, the twins Fred and George and you've already met Ron and my surrogate brother Harry," she added the last part and looked directly at Harry to gauge how much this would sting him. The look of his eyes, of hurt, pain and rejection, almost sent pity to her heart, almost.

After she had introduced everybody, there was an intense silence, which Mrs. Weasley broke. She stood up and gave Andrew a hug, "Lovely to meet you dear," she said in her motherly tone. After shaking everyone's hand, Andrew sat down and started to talk to Arthur and her brothers about his job.

Meanwhile, Molly brought Ginny back into the kitchen where Hermione was helping with dinner by making lemonade.

"So, Mum, what do you think? Do you like him?"

"I think he is a really nice boy Ginny," her mum smiled at her weakly.

"I think he could be the one!" Ginny beamed as she turned around to fix the salad for dinner, so she missed the horrified look exchanged between her mum and Hermione.

Dinner was going very well in Ginny's opinion. Her father, Drew, Bill, Fred, and George had gotten into a conversation about starting small businesses. Ron and Harry were talking heatedly to each other about something, which Ginny heard snippets of, but sounded something like starting a job. Meanwhile, her mum, Hermione and Ginny herself were immersed in a conversation about Ginny's new job, and other current events when Molly suddenly looked questioningly at her. "Ginny Dear, you have barely touched any of your food, are you feeling alright?"

"I am perfectly fine mum, don't worry," Ginny laughed it off with a smile. In truth, her appetite had been almost no existent for the past week, and she had constant headaches, but that was all from the stress of moving and starting a new job all in one week.

"Are you sure your ok?" asked Harry, a worried tone in his voice. The whole table had gone silent, it was the first time Harry had spoken to Ginny during dinner.

"YES! I am perfectly fine!" she got up from the table in a huff and walked into the living room followed closely by Drew.

Rubbing her back, Drew looked at her intently, "You sure your fine?"

"Yes," Ginny looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Okay love," he said whilst giving her a peck on the forehead.

Ginny looked over Drew's shoulder to see her whole family staring at them intently and a wanting looking in Harry's eyes.

A few minutes later the rest of the party had joined the couple in the living room, while the boys played a chess tournament, muggle chess. As always Ron dominated the tournament, but surprisingly had some competition from Drew. After about an hour of talking and playing chess the party started to break up.

"I better get home to Fleur," Bill said as he saw the time. " Bye guys, thanks for having me," he said while giving his sister a hug.

The rest of her family soon followed, by leaving and making their way down to the Leaky Cauldron, but not before Mrs. Weasley took Hermione to the side. There was no doubt in Ginny's mind that her mother was asking Hermione to 'look after her' like she was a baby.

After everybody had left Hermione retreated to her room, leaving Ginny and Drew to themselves. "So," Ginny smiled at him taking his lips with hers.

"So, what?" he looked back at her kissing her back.

"What did you think about my family?" she asked while deepening the kiss.

"I liked them, your parents are really nice, better than mine ever were and your brothers are great," he said while leaning her back on the sofa and continuing to kiss her face.

After snogging for what must have been half an hour but felt like a lifetime Ginny looked into Drew's eyes, "I love you Drew."