Author's Note: I am so sorry this chapter took so long! Work has been crazy for the last couple of weeks but it's a bit more normal now and hopefully the next chapter will be coming out soon! I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am!
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, have any claim whatsoever to the world of Harry Potter which belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.
"Gin, this is not your best plan," Hermione pointed out as she grabbed a small handful of floo powder.
"I know, but it might be funny?" she offered halfheartedly before telling her friend the address that Theo had owled her earlier.
"I'm sure it will be a good laugh Ginny," Luna assured her before stepping into the green flames.
Ginny was not as sure as Luna, but at that point there really was no going back, so she tossed a pinch of floo powder into the grate and was whirled away to the home of one, Theodore Nott.
Theo was pacing around his flat half hoping that Stella did not even show up this evening, though he knew it would be too good to be true. Arista was reclining with Draco and Blaise on the couch talking about Theo's new penchant for red heads when the fire turned green. Theo shot them a look just before a familiar face popped out of the fireplace. Granger looked good, but then, she really always had.
"Hello Nott, Ginny will be right through, she was just setting the wards on her apartment before leaving," Hermione greeted her one time scholarly rival.
"Please, have a seat, it was good of you to come," Theo had received the list of people coming from Ginny earlier, so was not all too surprised that she had not been the first to arrive.
Luna and Ginny arrived in quick succession after Hermione and Ginny explained that her quidditch friends were held up at a publicity stunt at some new restaurant or another, but that they would be there.
"So I hear you got old Teddy to loosen up last night Weasley, good job," Draco stood and dusted his spotless pants while shooting Ginny a lewd grin.
"Pay no mind to Draco, he came untrained and seems resistant to our efforts" Arista pushed up off the couch and greeted the three girls warmly. She had been sent to an American school instead of Hogwarts because her mother was an alumni, so she had not ever met the three women currently in Theo's flat, but had heard a great deal about them.
"Oh we know," Hermione quipped, hoping it had not come out too snarky. Luckily the others simply laughed and she was a bit relieved.
The oddly assorted group settled in together on couches that appeared far too small, but held them all and would easily contain the new arrivals. Hermione and Blaise had struck up a conversation while Draco threw in jokes every now and again and Luna and Arista watched the scene play out while exchanging amused glances every once in a while. Theo and Ginny had gone into the kitchen to finish up the food Theo had thought to whip up, though they were doing more talking than cooking.
"Gin, I meant to apologize for last night," Theo was pulling glasses down from the cupboard by hand which Ginny found interesting. She had thought that anyone who had grown up with magic would just conjure what they needed.
"Theo, you were drunk, just forget it," Ginny did not want to dredge up what had happened the night before.
"So are we still okay? You aren't going to run out the door after this is over and wash your hands of me?" Theo tried for a lighter tone.
"Theodore, we are just fine. However, if you don't help me bring out these plates I'll throw you from the balcony," Ginny returned with a grin.
"I'd best get these out to the other then," Theo snagged the tray from her and brought it out to the sitting area while Ginny searched for a wine key in the drawers. She could hear the steady thrum of voices from the next room and was glad that things had not blown up in their faces yet. All the sudden it got quiet and she peaked her head around the corner to see what was happening. All the eyes in the room were trained on the front door and Ginny held tighter to the bottle opener she had found in the last drawer next to the sink. She watched Arista stalk toward the entry, but before she could get there, the door was thrown open by none other than Pansy Parkinson. What was strange was that Ginny recognized her fellow quidditch players as her companions.
"Pans, how good of you to come," Blaise drawled.
"Well, I simply could not resist after hearing that the lovely Miss Ellie was going to be in attendance," Pansy winked and Ginny's teammate blushed a rather bright shade of fuchsia.
"Now, now Pansy," Chaz wagged her finger at the black haired witch, "No more teasing Ellie. The poor dear just can't take any more."
Ginny's eyes had grown wider and wider throughout the exchange and was relieved to see that at least the other Slytherins were not phased at all by the circus at the door. Ellie rushed away from the others to give Ginny a hug and whisper in her ear, "Make them stop and I'll owe you forever." This made Ginny laugh and she redirected the conversation to what they were all doing together. As it turns out, everyone had been at the opening of a new restaurant in Diagon Alley and discovered that they were all heading to Theo's flat after. Eventually, the group settled in around the fireplace and popped open the first bottle of wine while they waited for the inevitable arrival of Theo's ex-love.
Nearly an hour of drinks and laughter later, a knock came at the door that no one rose to get immediately. Arista rose a few beats later to answer with an angry set to her shoulders and her chin jutting out.
"You need to leave," Arista said. The other voice was muffled, so no one was sure what exactly was said, though it made Ginny itch to have a set of extendable ears.
"Because you aren't wanted here," Arista said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Theodore, she isn't going to leave," Arista called inside.
"Stella, come get whatever it is you've left behind this time," Theo responded in a very tired voice.
Arista opened the door revealing the sitting room filled with people that were all glaring at Stella rather maliciously. The blonde witch looked hesitant at coming into the flat, but somehow got back her resolve and stepped through the entryway.
"Theo, I was hoping to have a word," she ignored everyone else and focused on the man sitting between Blaise and Ginny.
"Sorry, I'm clearly busy and I would like to enjoy my evening without you and the cloud of disreputable lies," Theo did not even stand to address her and promptly turned to engage Ginny in a conversation about her latest quidditch game. Stella was left standing awkwardly at the door looking a little off balance. She eventually scampered off to some corner of the flat where she packed away her things. When she reemerged a short time later, Theo called out to her, "I expect you to get the rest of your things out of here by tomorrow afternoon and I have no desire to see you anymore. The wards will be set against you for the whole floor of the building after three." Stella did not respond, but the loud manner in which she shut the door seemed to show her feelings on the matter.
"So do you feel better now?" Ginny asked him.
"A bit relieved and a bit empty," Theo responded honestly.
"It gets better, I promise," Ginny gave him a hug while Arista and Hermione exchanged conspiratorial grins.
The evening lasted longer than anyone had expected and soon they were setting up a get together for the following week at Pansy's place. Over time these get-togethers expanded both in number of attendees and frequency with more of Ginny's teammates joining them as well as more of Theo and Blaise's acquaintances.
Ginny found that the more time she spent with her new friends, the more things in her life became a bit more complicated. This was not to say that she did not enjoy it, but things were definitely different. She talked to Theo nearly every day and while part of her still wanted to be that girl in a bar with him, she never said anything aloud that would clue him into how she felt. Months passed and their friendship grew stronger making Ginny glad that she had kept her thoughts to herself rather than strain the wonderful relationship she had with him now.
"Theo, I'm not sure if I'm amused by this or if I'm greatly annoyed by the lack of privacy my life has taken on with you around," Ginny was eating lunch with Theo and had picked up a copy of the Prophet from a newsstand in front of the Vernal Café. Plastered on the front page of the entertainment section was a photo from the night before. Ginny and Theo had gone to dinner together and clearly the Prophet had taken a different approach on what was happening than they had. The two in the photo were smiling at each other while Theo pulled out her chair. Theo thought they looked like a rather handsome couple, though he would never say as much to the red head sitting across from him.
"I'm going to go with amused because you are an international quidditch player; you have no privacy anyways," Theo pointed out before taking a bite out of his scone to keep from jibing her further.
"I suppose, but if my mother gets ahold of this, I'm going to be roasted," she pointed out.
"But then she would not have anyone left to nitpick," Theo argued.
"Hmm, maybe she's par bake me first then," she agreed and picked the muffin up off her plate.
After breakfast, the pair separated with promises to meet up for a nightcap after Ginny's weekly dinner at the Burrow. She had tried to get him to accompany her, but Theo always refused on the grounds that the world could never move on if they were both put on Molly's spit. As it turns out, Theo had the right of it that morning. As soon as Ginny stepped into the Burrow, she knew something was up because her mother was acting too nice. By the time dinner arrived, Ginny was on the edge of her seat hoping that whatever it was she had done would be revealed to her. Going home made her feel like a kid again, but this time she did not have any of her siblings to back her up. For some reason none of them had been invited to dinner that night which had only served to make Ginny more anxious.
"Ginny dear, won't you pass the parsnips?" Molly asked.
"Mum, just tell me what it is you asked me over here for," Ginny said as she handed the vegetable laden bowl to her mother. She had a feeling this had to do with the Prophet article and she was less than pleased at being treated like a misbehaving child.
"Oh I just wanted to give you an opportunity to tell your father and I about your new boyfriend, but I suppose you must have other things on your mind," her mother had always been exceptionally gifted at guilt tripping her children, but this time, Ginny knew that her mother was not in the right of it and felt herself getting angry.
"I'm sure if I was dating anyone I would have let you know. I do think it's funny though that everyone seems to be believing this drivel that the prophet is trotting out these days. Theo and I were having a good laugh about it this morning. I did think that you would have more faith in me than that," Ginny's tone remained light and thoughtless, but insides she was seething.
"Now Ginny, don't you take that tone with me," Molly was using her best mum voice, but Ginny was too hurt to care.
"If you don't mind, I'm late to meet my friends, so goodnight," Ginny rose, gave her father a kiss on the cheek and swept out of the Burrow with her head held high filled with righteous anger. Her mother always assumed she could not take care of herself and it was disheartening to think that her mum thought that she would keep such big secrets from her family.
Theodore expected Ginny to arrive in a tizzy as she usually did after spending time with her mother, though he had not expected her so early. He had not even gotten a chance to pull out the vintage scotch he had picked up as a treat for her when there was a knock on the door of his flat. When he answered she looked up at him with her hair out of place and an angry flush spreading across her face. He knew it had not gone well and was unsurprised by the flood of indignation that came out of her mouth. Ginny was not exactly the most serene person, but luckily, only her family could push her buttons like this.
The evening mirrored that of their first meeting of drinks and friendly conversation until they were both slightly inebriated and Ginny's thoughts had turned completely away from the disastrous dinner with her mother. Theo was very aware of where his body ended and hers began, as they were sitting very close together on the couch. He was also very aware that if he closed the gap, there was a real possibility of him kissing Ginny Weasley and her inevitable reaction of never speaking to him again. Theo had to sit on his hands to resist reaching out to play with her hair and found his resolve growing weaker when there was a knock at the door.
When he opened the door, he half expected it to be Ginny's mother demanding that her daughter be returned to her custody for safekeeping, though that was probably just the excess of fine scotch in his system. He was pleasantly surprised therefore to see Pansy and Blaise with Hermione and Ellie in tow. They all crowded into the flat and it was clear they had already been drinking. Before long, the girls were all dancing around the sitting area and Pansy had cranked the music on Theo's radio set. Their shoes were scattered around the edges of the makeshift dance floor and the two men watched, mesmerized by the combination of insanity and beauty that was encompassed by their ridiculous friends. They spent the remainder of the night and the rest of Theo's alcohol while they intermittently danced and lay exhausted on the couches in turns.