A great deal of thanks for the lovely reviews. It's been exactly one week since the last chapter, and having noticed that, I felt a bit bad for taking this long to update after a slightly cliffy chapter...My bad. Really. Maybe I'd be slightly more urged to update with more reviews...No, no ignore that, that was selfish.

Well, this was just brilliant of you, Ginny's mind chastised, why don't you ask Voldermort to tea, first chance you get? Yes, I know he's dead!

Ginny sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was showered, she was dressed in plain jeans and a white halter, having given up on hiding her various tattoos, and had her hair piled up in a messy bun that was falling so much it was practically a ponytail.

"There's really no way out of this, is there?" she asked her owl, who had followed her to sit up in her windowsill.

"Hoo."

"That's your answer for everything. Merlin, this place is stressing me out, Lei. What made me think this would be a good idea, coming here?"

"Hoo."

"I am not a drunk! Why, you dirty bird!"

"Uh, Ginny?"

"Lei?!"

"No, it's me, it's Hilary, I'm outside the door. Are you almost ready?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I'm ready. Where do you want to go?"

Ginny slipped out of the door, to a very nervous looking Hilary.

"Got any place in mind?" Ginny asked cordially, pretty sure the poor girl was going to start shaking at any moment.

"My cousin owns a place in Diagon Alley, a little café. He usually manages to find room for me."

"Sounds good."

The two made their way over the restaurant, Hilary giving Harry a quick good bye kiss before they left and then blushing profusely as she realized Ginny was watching and waiting. Harry failed to meet Ginny's eye after that, and merely mumbled a goodbye as the pair set off.

The café was rather nice, and the two managed to get a patio table, and spent the first ten minutes chatting about the weather.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Ginny finally asked, unable to take the situation without some stress reliever.

"I guess not, although it's not good for you."

"Are you serious? Bloody hell! Why hasn't anyone told me this before?" Ginny remarked sarcastically as she lit her cigarette.

"Right, guess you've heard that one." Hilary sheepishly grinned.

"Yeah, it's come up in other conversations." Ginny said as she blew a rather large puff of smoke away from the other girl. "So how did you and Harry meet? School?"

"Oh, no, I was a couple years behind him, never had any classes or anything. Too young when all the big things were happening. Plus I was in Ravenclaw." Hilary explained, rather excited that Ginny was able to talk about this so easily.

"Yeah? I had a few friends in Ravenclaw, I'm sure you knew them."

"Right, I remember, you dated Michael Corner, didn't you? Gods, he was cute."

"I did date him, just ages ago. I should call him up…"

"And didn't you talk to Loony Lovegood? Merlin, she was odd, I'll never forget those ridiculous earrings." Hilary laughed, relaxing as the conversation went on.

"Still do." Ginny said curtly.

"What?"

"Still hang out with Luna Lovegood. Even work for her dad. Nice people, they are. Nicest, even." Ginny tapped her cigarette ash into a small pot of flowers that was set on the table between them, but Hilary didn't know where she was looking at the time as she was sporting some very dark, off-putting glasses.

"I--I didn't realize, I apologize--"

"Don't worry about it, that attitudes pretty much the norm. So where did you and Harry meet, if it's not Hogwarts."

"We work together, actually, he asked me out to lunch two years ago, and we've been together ever since."

"You an Auror?"

"Oh, no I work in getting the new laws known to the public. Kinda like PR for the Ministry. What exactly do you do?"

"Me? I do lots of things, this that, everything, really. Never was able to settle down. Lucky for you, I guess."

After a brief fit of awkward laughter on Hilary's part, the blond made sure to keep the conversation on lighter subjects. All in all, Ginny found it polite, nice, and boring. She was pretty relieved when the check arrived.

"Are you heading back to the Burrow?" Hilary asked as they left the little café.

"Actually, I think I'll head down to the joke shop, haven't seen it for awhile, y'know? Are you heading back?"

"Yes, Molly and I have some plans to finish."

"My mum's really planning your wedding, huh?"

"Mmhmm, she insisted, since it'll be there and all…Oh, gods, no one told you, did they? I can tell by your face…"

"No, no one mentioned my ex getting married to someone else in my own backyard…funny how things work out sometimes. Guess I'll see you 'round, then." Ginny gave a little wave as she hurried down the street, careful not to look back. Hilary seemed nice, just…unlucky when it came to dealing with Ginny.

The joke shop was simply packed, which wasn't surprising since it was summer Saturday afternoon, but still it didn't take long for Ginny to find a familiar face.

"George!" she called over the crowd, avoiding a pack of young wizards who were trying to zap each other with the latest product.

"Ginny! What a pleasure. You just pop up unexpected everywhere, don't you?" George grinned.

"Come take a break with me, George. I need ice cream." Ginny begged, knowing it wouldn't be hard to talk George away from work.

"I dunno, I really shouldn't. Aw, what the hey, I'm the boss! Ron's not even here today, he and the wife-y wanted to do something all couple-y. Don't tell Angelina, she'll want to start doing all these couple-y things, and I didn't have a kid to keep being a husband! It's just down right selfish to want me to work both ways!"

"You're still terrible, George. Simply terrible." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

It only took a few minutes of joking as they split a sundae before George changed the subject.

"Now, really Gin, where've you been?" he asked her, giving a rather serious look.

"I've been everywhere." she said simply, taking another bite as she watched his right eyebrow creep up towards his hair line.

"Where is everywhere?"

"Well…first I was in Glasgow, Scotland, that lasted for about six months, and then I went to Rome for about a year and half, from there I went to China, stayed in a little village outside Beijing for a year or so, from there I went to Russia, worked as a nanny and tutor in St. Petersburg for a year, after that I was sick of the cold, so I spent a year in Phoenix, Arizona in the states after that, before I ended up with this Romanian circus, traveling all around that area for not quite two years. Between that I'd either wander aimlessly or stay with friends."

"You're joking."

"I am not!"

"That's amazing. I mean, really."

"It's the truth, I promise."

"No, I believe you, it's just that--that is all incredible. How could you go so many places? How could you afford to live like that?"

"Oh, I wrote for Phil Lovegood, got pretty good at cards, gambling and such, and I worked as a waitress in Glasgow, but the only reason I left there is because this sweet old Italian man, Mossimo, hired me as his assistant. Poor old dear died, though. Left me everything of his."

"You two didn't have a romantic relationship did you?" George asked, his older brother sentiment suddenly sky rocketing.

"Merlin, no! He was 180 years older than me! Died before he turned 200, said it'd be too much like being 20 again, he didn't like being 20."

George just kinda stared at her about that comment, he knew she wasn't lying, even if she was a very good liar, no one could make all that up and keep a straight face.

"I know what you're thinking, but c'mon, we're magic, sometimes the truth is better than anything you could ever make up." Ginny grinned, Mossimo had been one of her favorite people she had met while roaming around the world.

"And through all this, you never stopped to yourself and thought 'oi, this might be a good time to drop a line back to the fam, let 'em know I'm not dead'?"

"Yeah, that would have been brilliant. 'Dear Mum and Dad, sorry 'bout running way, still not coming back, just wanted to let you know I ain't dead yet, hope all's well. Sincerely, that damned daughter.'"

"You could have put it a bit nicer than that."

"Face it George, after that first month, there was no going back."

"Why'd you have to leave at all?"

"I--It's complicated." Ginny sighed, she had known this was coming from the start, and part of her was glad it was her friendliest brother talking to her about it. George wasn't the scolding type, he nor was he the one to sigh and say he was so disappointed.

"How complicated could it be? Mum told you to take out your nose ring and you wouldn't!"

"No, Mum kicked me out over a nose ring and I had no place to go and nothing but the clothes on my back. It was sheer luck my wand was in my pocket."

"You could have com to the joke shop! Or to Shell Cottage, or straight to Romania, hell, you could have gone to Aunt Muriel's even!"

"Just to be sent back to Mum's and have the same things happen over and over again! Face it, George, I made the best decision I could at the time, and there's no turning back now, so here I am, all grown up in my own way, with more stories from more lives than most people ever live, much less by the age of 25."

"So you don't regret any of it?"

"Are you joking? I regret all of it. But there's no point wallowing over the past, changing it will only ruin the reality we believe in now."

"That we believe in? What? You don't believe in reality?"

"Reality is just an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

"Nice, make that up yourself?"

"Hah, I wish, that comes from Albert Einstein."

"You are the Einstein of the Weasley family. At least, until my son starts talking and then he will truly outsmart us all." George grinned, chest swelling with pride.

Ginny grinned at her brother as he started talking about his young son, who, according to George, was already showing signs of brilliance unbeknownst to the world up to this point in time. He was sure to be Minister by the age of 30, if not sooner.

"Ginny? Is that really you?" Ginny nearly jumped at the almost familiar voice and didn't bother to hide her surprise as she looked up at the voice.

"Wow, Dean? You look great!" she grinned. There's something very nice about running into an ex who's happy to see you. George just watched what he was sure would end up being a train wreck.

"What're you doing here? I mean, besides the obvious. Last I heard you were MIA." Dean said, pulling up a chair. He really did look nice, his hair cut short, his dark skin practically flawless, Ginny couldn't help but smile at him.

"Oh, I've just been wandering about the world. What about you though? Finally settle down?"

"Me? No, not the settling type. Seamus and I have this little networking business, helping people connect for business reasons, finding shops would want certain products to sell, worked with your brothers a few times." he explained, giving George a friendly grin.

"And the finders fee is a mere arm and a leg! Good thing he's not charging ears." George grinned back. He liked Dean, he really did. But Ginny and Dean? That wouldn't go so well. The two of them had a…bumpy relationship back in school.

"Gin, if you're free tonight, I would be thrilled to show you around our part of the world again, I mean, I know it's not nearly exciting as what you've seen, but there are some very exciting clubs that have been put in." Dean said, flashing a dazzling white grin.

Please say no, please don't do this, George thought, though he hid it behind a smile.

"That sounds amazing." Ginny purred, "Should we meet back here tonight?"

"I'll be here at seven."