Harry groaned as he reached his arms above his head. It had been a very long day, and his back ached from sitting still for so long. His classes had started before dawn, and had stretched on for eternity. When his final lesson was over, he was tempted to just go back to bed. He had too much energy though, and decided to visit the gym instead. With the knowledge that he had the following day off, Harry had taken the Knight Bus back to London.
His work out was gruelling. Harry always tried hard to push himself; he enjoyed the challenge. After a month of daily physical training the prospect of a day off should have been a welcome relief. Instead of wanting to go home to bed or to visit friends, however, Harry had found himself aching to get to work. He knew that he wasn't the only one. Before he had left for London to attend his regular Muggle gym where he wouldn't be recognised and bothered, he had seen many of his classmates wandering towards the campus gym themselves.
After thirty minutes of weight rotations, Harry moved towards the exercise bike to wear himself out. He switched the gears to make it more difficult for himself. The heart rate monitor that was clipped onto his finger began to beep as his pulse raced. Sweat collected at the small of his back and his breath quickened. When his thighs began to ache, Harry felt his spirits begin to soar.
Resisting the temptation to relax in the swimming pool, Harry made his way through to the changing rooms where he opened the locker he had used and brought out his things for a shower. A small slip of paper dropped unnoticed onto the damp tiled floor.
Water pounded onto the backs of his shoulders, forcing tension out of his muscles. He felt pleasantly weary, and let the spray lull him into a daze. Ginny's flat was no more than a fifteen minute walk away from here, and Harry decided that he would call in to visit her when he was done. Assuming he could remember the way.
It had been a week since he had last seen her, and he was surprised by how much he missed her already. Ginny had bounced back into his life completely unexpected. Absorbed in his busy life, he hadn't thought about Ginny for a long time. He had always harboured some residual feelings for her, but hadn't realised how much until he was told that she had been in the Leaky Cauldron with him and he had missed her.
Harry's heart had frozen momentarily. He was so disappointed. His rush out into the street had seemed futile, and was done merely to satisfy his curiosity. If he had have stayed in the pub with his friends, he would have been thinking about Ginny and his missed opportunity for weeks. Although he had fully expected to see nothing but an empty street, a thrill of excitement had flashed through him when he saw a head of bright red hair and a pale lemon coloured jacket blazing around the corner away from him.
Instead of satisfying his curiosity, Harry's short meeting with Ginny had fired up his interest in her. She plagued his waking thoughts and unsettled his dreams. Not exactly an unwelcome disturbance, but Harry still wished that he could focus on other things.
Their unofficial date a week ago had only served to make things worse. When he closed his eyes in the evening the feel of her lips on his and the sweet residue of lemonade on her tongue flashed into his memory. His arms wrapped around her time and time again as he slipped off into sleep.
He was beginning to crave her, he realised, as he turned the faucet off. He rubbed his towel through his hair before he wrapped it around his hips. A splash of platinum hair glinting in the light captured his attention.
"Potter," the man said plainly as he stepped into the cubicle beside Harry's.
"Malfoy."
Harry's mood dropped instantly. That bastard keeps showing up, Harry thought angrily. First at the Cauldron and now he's here at my gym.
He stepped out of the shower and padded back towards his locker, pulling his jeans on without bothering to dry properly. He pulled his polo neck jumper over his head and swiped his hand impatiently through his damp hair as he shoved his belongings ungraciously into his bag.
What is he doing here? Harry asked himself. This gym had become somewhat of a sanctuary to him over the past three or four years; somewhere he could work out and be completely without fear of another wizard bothering him. Of all the wizards who could have disturbed his peace, it just had to be Draco Malfoy.
Harry hated him. The animosity of their schooldays had been swollen with the passage of time. Logically, Harry knew that Draco had come a long way since Hogwarts. He was a successful entrepreneur, and he knew that Draco's mean mind had added considerably to the Malfoy fortune. Word in Diagon Alley was that he was a changed man. Still a Malfoy, of course, but he was no longer his father's son.
Harry may have realised all of this in his mind, but in his heart, he only knew the truth. Draco had tried to kill the only man who had consistently been there for him. Life without a father figure had been bearable with Albus Dumbledore guiding his hand. Even though Draco had not cast the curse that had killed the great wizard, Harry knew it was Draco's actions that had led to the moment when Snape had killed him.
Dumbledore's loss was Draco's fault, and Harry could not find it within himself to forgive him.
Harry had just grasped the cold door handle and was pulling the entrance open as a voice from behind interrupted his train of thought.
"Hey, mister?"
Harry turned around and looked at the young man. He was dressed in black cropped trousers and wore a red polo neck t-shirt emblazoned with the gym's logo. His flip-flops slapped against the tiled floor as he stepped towards Harry, holding out a piece of paper.
"You dropped this," he said, handing the wet paper to Harry.
"Thanks." Harry smiled at the boy and took the paper. He opened it carefully as he walked through the door, peeling the wet paper apart.
Harry froze on the spot.
A skull sketched out in black ink was in the middle of the page. The ink had spread with the water that had permeated the paper, but Harry could see exactly what the drawing had been. A smudged snake slithered out of the open jaw. A wizard had drawn this picture, and had cast a charm on it to make it move like the Dark Mark. Below the picture, scrawled in black ink, the word 'BEWARE' stared up at him.
Oomph. Harry toppled forwards as something hit him full in the back. He landed on his knees.
"Shit! Are you all right, mate?"
Harry turned his head slowly and saw the youth who had handed the paper to him. Brushing his question aside, Harry flipped the drawing back in half to cover its movement. "Where did you find this?"
"It was on the floor, next to where you changed. Didn't you drop it? Are you okay? I didn't see you there."
Harry nodded and picked himself up. He patted the young man on the shoulder as though to say 'it's all right, you're not in trouble' and headed out of the double glass doors in front of him.
His heart began to pound within his chest. Panic surged through his veins. Who would plant the Dark Mark on me?
Flinging his bag back onto his shoulder, Harry gave the road in front of him a cursory glance for cars before marching quickly across it. He found his way automatically, having travelled the journey from the Leaky Cauldron to Ginny's flat many times in his dreams.
His mind raced. Who drew it? When did they put it near my stuff? Who had the opportunity? On the Knight Bus? On the tube? In the gym? Malfoy!
A low rumbling growl emanated from his throat. He drew the glance of passers-by and realised that he was thinking aloud. He snapped his mouth closed and quickened his pace. Turning the corner, he recognised Ginny's street. He walked past a pharmacy and a small high street boutique before stopping in front of a plain but clean and tidy door.
A large silver intercom was fixed to the left of the door frame. The third button had a small slip of white paper beneath it, taped over the original name. "Morton and Weasley," the label read. Harry raised his eyebrow and pressed the bell. He hadn't realised that she didn't live alone.
"Hello?" called a very masculine voice.
"Uh, hi," Harry said, directing his face towards the microphone panel. "I'm looking for Ginny. Have I pressed the wrong button?"
"No, she's here. She's not, actually, she's out. Right button though, mate."
"Oh, right." Harry rolled his eyes. Typical. "Will she be back soon?"
"She'll be back when she's back," the voice explained. Harry sighed as the voice paused. "You can come up and wait for her if you want."
Harry nodded, and then realised that the man couldn't see him. "Thanks, that'd be great."
The intercom emitted a loud buzz, and Harry heard the door lock snap open. He pushed the front door and entered a dark hallway. The only light that came into the interior was filtered through the small mottled glass window in the door. A row of post boxes were fixed onto the wall to his right, and he took a quick look into "Morton and Weasley's." He pulled out three letters, all of which looked like junk mail and were addressed to a David Morton.
Taking the steps up two at a time, Harry wondered what the relationship between Ginny and David Morton was. She had said that she was newly single. Was she still living with her ex?
The hallway became lighter as he ascended the levels, and Harry realised that there was a skylight at the very top. Ginny's hallway was very green, with potted plants grouped in unobtrusive corners.
Three flights of steps had made the world of difference, and Harry realised why she liked living here. She had all the convenience of London without feeling like she was in the middle of it. The noise from the road was minimal, and if he hadn't have known better, he wouldn't know that he was in the centre of town.
He rapped lightly on the dark green door in front of him.
"Just coming," called the deep voice from the intercom. The door opened to show a tall and thin man smiling at him. "Hi."
"Hi," Harry said. "Er, these were in your mailbox."
"Oh, thanks." He took the envelopes from Harry's outstretched hand. "I'm David, come on in."
Harry stepped through the doorway and looked around their living room. It was a large room for a flat in the centre of London, and was decorated tastefully. The walls were an off-white shade which went well with the dark green carpet. Ginny clearly liked the colour green. The room was an oasis of calm, decorated carefully and warmly. The décor was enough to feel like it was lived in but not so much as to feel messy.
"I'm Harry," he said, offering his hand out to the tall man. The man had brown hair and equally dark eyes. His smile was open and friendly, and he shook Harry's hand firmly.
"She shouldn't be too long. She went out running about three hours ago. Even Ginny can't go on much longer than that, no matter how stressed out she is."
"Is she okay?" Harry asked, concern showing in his voice.
David took a breath. "Just life things," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He wandered through the archway into the kitchen and opened the tall fridge door. "Drink?"
"Please," Harry said.
"Stella?"
"Perfect."
"Glass?"
"Nah."
Harry took the icy cold can offered to him and popped open the pull. A satisfying hiss shot through the air. Harry slipped the can to his lips and took a deep mouthful as David reached into the freezer for a chilled glass for himself. He followed David back into the lounge and took a seat on the sofa. Sitting back against the chair, Harry stretched his legs out in front of him, pleased to have a drink in his hands. He was still on edge from finding that drawing.
"So how do you know our Ginny?" David asked, sitting opposite Harry in an armchair.
"Went to school together," he said. "Haven't seen her much since then, but we've been catching up over the past few weeks."
"Oh!" David laughed. "You're the new fella she was going on about. She does like you Private School types. I'd had a skinful when she was talking about you, I can't really remember."
Harry smiled and turned the can slowly in his hands. "Only good things, I hope."
"Aye. Well the only guy she speaks badly of is Blondie," David said, pulling in a mouthful of beer.
"Blondie?"
"Her recent ex," he explained.
Harry let out a long breath. That answered his question.
David laughed loudly. "Oh, I'm not her ex. I'm just a mate. We work together."
He grinned, feeling rather sheepish. They chatted friendlily and traded jokes. Harry found himself drawn to David, enjoying his company immensely. He was at ease here in Ginny's flat, and happily found himself distracted from thoughts of the Dark Mark.
Ginny closed the door gently behind her. The television was turned on and blaring noisily. She could see David's feet poking out from beside the sofa, crossed lazily at the ankles.
"Can you turn that down, Dave?" she asked, pulling her jogging pants and vest out of the bag Hermione had given her. "I'm going to bed."
"You're not," he said, sitting up straight and raising his head over the edge of the sofa.
"I'm too tired now," she interrupted. "We can talk about it tomorrow."
A polite cough drew her attention. Harry's head lifted over the back of the sofa too.
"You have company," David said unnecessarily, inclining his head towards his new friend. "He's been waiting here for you for hours."
"Harry!" Ginny felt a grin break over her face. She stepped towards him with her arms outstretched, waiting for him to stand up.
Harry grinned at her as he wrapped his arms about her. Delight shone in his eyes. He squeezed her tightly and lifted her gently off her feet. "It's about time you got here! We were about to go out looking for you. Any moment now."
"So I see," she said as she laughed, her eyes sweeping over the collection of empty cans on the coffee table. He really had been here a long time. At some point one of them must have gone downstairs to the Off License, Ginny realised. She knew that David didn't keep that many cans in the fridge. Her running clothes dropped from her hands and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to try and steady herself. "David kept you company, I see."
"They're new," David said, looking at her shoes. "You've been shopping. I've never seen that skirt before either. It's lovely."
"They're my friend Hermione's," she explained, tapping Harry's shoulder as a cue to put her down now. "I had to go and see her."
David nodded in understanding and leaned back in his chair, laughing merrily at the pair of them. "That's my bedroom, Champ," he said. Harry had begun walking towards the nearest door, Ginny still lifted from the floor. "You want that one over there." He pointed towards Ginny's bedroom.
"Thanks," Harry said, laughing drunkenly.
"This is so inelegant, Harry," Ginny complained. Her voice betrayed her happiness, although she did ache where he grasped had her.
Setting her down gently on the bed, Harry closed the door behind them. He kicked his shoes off carelessly and joined her in the middle of the bed, lying back and resting his head on her pillow.
"You should have told me you were coming." She smiled at him.
"I didn't know," he said. "I just decided."
She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. "Good decision," she agreed. "I really needed to see you today."
"You okay?"
Ginny sighed as she stretched out along the bed beside him. She lay on her side and rested her head on his chest. It felt like the most natural position to be in.
"Are you okay?" he asked again, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
She nodded and relaxed into his hold. The world was better with Harry around. His hand gently stroked her shoulder. His presence was so comforting.
Ginny nestled into his chest and closed her eyes, blocking out thoughts of the future in order to live in the now. She drifted gently to sleep.
Ginny's breathing was so slow and rhythmic it began to lull Harry towards sleep too. Mentally shaking himself, Harry kissed the top of her head. She smelled delicious. Stroking her shoulder, he pulled away slightly to look at her.
"Are you asleep?" he whispered. There was no reaction. Harry smiled and wrapped his other arm around Ginny too, cherishing having her so close. His head was spinning pleasantly, he had a beautiful woman in his arms, and he was starting a career he knew he belonged in. Why was his stomach tying itself in knots?
Ginny wasn't his woman, of course. Not yet. Her skin was so soft, and she felt so comfortable lying against his shoulder, Harry desperately didn't want to move and disturb her. Remembering the way she had stiffened when Harry had suggested her staying at his house a mere week ago, he knew he had to move. He didn't want her to be scared should she wake up still in his arms.
Hugging Ginny to him a little more tightly, Harry savoured the feeling of her in his arms. He tried to memorise the way every inch of his body felt pressed against her. Turning gently so as to push her away from him, Harry struggled to pull his shoulder from beneath her head without waking her up.
Ginny wriggled a little as she made herself comfortable without him beside her, and Harry smiled as he watched her settle down. He reached for her shoes and eased them off her feet slowly. They transfigured back into her trainers as he pulled them off, and Harry smiled. There was a reason Hermione was Transfigurations professor. She was excellent at her job. Pulling the blanket from the bottom of the bed, Harry folded the duvet over Ginny and picked up his own trainers. He paused momentarily at the door, drinking in the sight of her before leaving her bedroom.
David had gone to bed too. The television was off and the collection of lager cans had vanished. Harry could hear David rustling about in his bedroom, and he smiled, surprised at how well they had got on together. David was good fun, and had a brilliant sense of humour.
The sofa was more comfortable than he thought it would be, and Harry sighed as he stretched out along its length. He tossed Ginny's blanket over his legs and pulled off his polo-neck, dumping it messily on top of his trainers. The flat grew quiet as David settled down, and Harry lay listening to the sounds of London, wondering why he still didn't feel right.
Malfoy.
The memory of his pointed little face swept into Harry's mind. Harry could imagine the git smirking. It had to be Malfoy that planted the Dark Mark on him, didn't it?
