A/N: I think a lot of people started reading The Harry Games thinking it was going to be a light piece of fluff, and were a little thrown when it veered kind of dark. This story feels like it starts out a bit dark, but as long as everyone behaves while I write, it's not going to stay that way. I'm hoping to keep it mostly light and rather amusing and sometimes relationship-angsty and eventually sexy. But Harry and Ginny are infamous for having minds of their own when I try to write them, so we'll see what happens.
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Harry gave the pot on the stove a final stir and grimaced at the smell. "What is this supposed to be again?" he asked. "Because it smells like the time we had to help Professor Sprout boil bubotuber pus she'd gathered for a remedy Madame Pomfrey needed." He took a tiny taste and grimaced. "Tastes like it too."
"It's stew," said Sirius mildly from his seat at the kitchen table. "And how do you know what bubotuber pus tastes like anyway? Was eating it part of your lessons?"
Harry gave him a withering look. "I don't see you jumping up to grab a bowl." He sniffed again and turned away from the cooker. "Honestly, some of the muck Hermione managed to make for us to eat while we were hunting Horcruxes was better than this."
Sirius shrugged, nonplussed. "We could go to the Burrow for dinner. Molly invited . . ."
"No," said Harry sharply. His shoulders sagged. "I mean, we ate there last week. I don't want to take advantage." He didn't want to think about their last visit to the Burrow right now.
"You're another of their sons, as far as Molly and Arthur are concerned," said Sirius. He poured a healthy shot of Firewhiskey and slid it across the table. "Present circumstances excepted or not."
Harry sat heavily in a chair and picked up the glass. "Thanks," he said, taking a deep pull and letting the heat course through him. It dissipated some of the tension he was feeling. "I just don't want to have to think about it tonight," he said. "And I'm sure Ginny needs a break too. Let them all have dinner in peace." He took another drink.
"If that's what you want, okay." Sirius spoke in a placating tone. "But you're going to have to face things at some point. You and Ginny both." Sirius waved his wand in the direction of the cooker and the pot of stew vanished. Harry took a deep breath.
"That's better," he said. "Ginny's angry and Ron feels guilty, which is ridiculous. He was 14, and no one had any idea what Crouch Jr. had done." Harry shook his head. "I just need a night free of all that."
Sirius reached out and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's order in takeaway," he said gently. "And finish off more of this bottle while I tell you stories about your mum and dad. Magical love contracts and the mess they cause can wait until tomorrow."
Harry grinned. "Or the next day, depending on how much Firewhiskey we get through. Isn't that the job of a godfather? To teach his godson how to hold his liquor?"
Sirius grinned back. "That's my boy," he said. He got up from the table. "Now, do you want Chinese or pizza?"
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Harry had already Apparated to the point nearest both the Ministry and his favorite coffee shop before it occurred to him that Ron was likely going to ask why Harry and Sirius hadn't been at dinner the previous night. He paid for his coffee, careful not to let the Muggle at the till see any of the Sickles in his hand among the pounds and pence he kept specifically for this purchase, and then blew thoughtfully on his cup as he walked down the street towards the Ministry entrance reserved for those who worked there. The morning chill was burning off and as Harry carefully sidestepped a display of pumpkins outside a shop, he considered whether he should make an excuse for his absence first or let Ron ask about it.
He didn't have long to think. As Harry approached the lift inside the Atrium, he couldn't miss the red of Ron's hair, set off by his dark Auror trainee robes. When they'd first been fitted for them, Harry joked that on him, one couldn't tell where his hair ended and the robes began, making it look as though he had no neck. He'd regretted the comment a moment later when at least a half dozen of the witches in their training class had jumped in to assure Harry that no, he looked all manner of dashing in his robes, as if he'd only made the comment to fish for compliments. But Ron had smirked and and muttered under his breath that Harry would have his pick of the new Auror class and better him than Ron, who was quite happy with Hermione, thank you very much.
That had been in August, and Harry hadn't even bothered telling Ron that he had no interest in getting involved with anyone. But now it was October and Harry wished more than anything that he was currently distracted with thoughts of one of his co-trainees. Ron turned around and accepted the second coffee Harry carried.
"Thanks," he said. He tapped the side of the cup with his wand.
"It should be cooled off already," said Harry. He refrained from mentioning that Ron should know that, since Harry had been using the same charm every day for two months.
"Right," said Ron. He took a sip. "Right." He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet and looked around the Atrium as if searching for someone.
Harry stifled his irritation. He knew Ron would say something eventually, and it actually showed how much he'd grown that he wasn't blurting it out right there, but still, Harry just wanted to get it over with. He considered preempting the discussion with a comment that he'd been knackered last night, but knew Ron wouldn't buy it; it wasn't like Harry did a lot on the weekends besides listen to Quidditch and go flying or for a run. Not for the first time he wished Ginny had gone back to Hogwarts for her seventh year instead of finishing her classes in the abbreviated program the Ministry had established in London for the oldest students. Harry hadn't even considered it for himself; when Kingsley had offered him a place to train with the Aurors he'd jumped at the chance immediately and Ron had followed soon after. They were learning at least as much as they would have at school, he'd told Sirius, and helping mop up the remaining mess left by rogue Death Eaters at the same time.
Now he waited silently for Ron to comment about Harry's absence at dinner. The lift arrived first and a number of other people got in with them. They rode past several floors without speaking, but before arriving at level two, Ron finally turned to Harry.
"Busy last night?" he asked casually.
For a brief, wicked moment Harry considered telling Ron he'd been getting laid and just as quickly abandoned the idea. Given the present circumstances, it wasn't a funny joke and anyway, Ron wouldn't believe him - not anymore. Instead, he shrugged.
"Just needed a night of quiet," he said, hoping that would be enough. If not, he added something more failsafe. "Sirius and I talked. About my parents." It was a blatant cop-out, but one Harry only used when he really needed it, like now.
Ron huffed. "Fine," he said. "But you need to talk to Ginny soon - really talk to her, not whatever that was at the Burrow the other day. I know Bill's trying to figure out a plan as quickly as he can, but even he doesn't know how long it's going to take. It's not fair to her."
"And it is to me?" asked Harry, before he could stop himself. "I didn't do this on purpose, you know."
It was the wrong thing to say, and Harry knew it before he'd even finished his sentence. Ron stared at him for a moment and then shut his mouth before turning away to step out of the lift. He didn't speak to Harry as they walked together to the trainee classroom and refused to catch his eye during the entire two hours of morning lecture on stealth and tracking techniques. Normally, Harry and Ron would be carrying on silent conversations whenever the lecturer's back was turned, particularly if he or she was as boring as that morning's instructor, who seemed more interested in talking about the development and history of tracking techniques than he was teaching the class anything useful and current. But Ron kept his eyes trained firmly on the front of the room and Harry resigned himself to having to apologize during their break.
Not surprisingly, Ron jumped up as soon as the trainees were given ten minutes and engaged himself in conversation with Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson. Harry rolled his eyes to himself and walked over.
". . . glad you were both able to come last night," Ron was saying. "I think it's good for George and Fred to have their family and friends around as much as possible right now." He gave Harry a sidelong glance.
Harry decided not to play games. "I'm sorry Sirius and I weren't there," he said bluntly, looking directly at Ron and emphasizing the sorry as much as he could without sounding daft. "You're right, we should have been there to support the twins." He pulled a sad face. "Not to mention, Sirius's cooking leaves a lot to be desired."
Everyone chuckled, even Ron, and Harry hoped that would be it. But then Angelina looked thoughtful. "Seems like Ginny needed some support last night too," she said. "George told me there's some mess with a contract, but they don't know enough yet?" She turned to Harry, obviously aware that he was involved too. "What's that all about?"
Harry didn't care that Angelina (and probably Lee) knew that something was wrong between him and Ginny. They would protect the secret as much as any of the Weasley's themselves, but in that case they deserved to understand what was really going on.
"We'll talk at lunch," he said tersely as their break was called to an end. "I'll explain then."
It was a good thing that the lecturer after their break was as boring and useless as before, because now that Harry was faced with having to talk about everything, it was hard not to keep thinking about it. Lee and Angelina had been Sixth Years when the Tri-Wizard tournament took place, and with a start, Harry remembered that Angelina had actually been old enough to enter, and had, losing out as Hogwarts champion to Cedric Diggory. He glanced at her now, wondering if things would have happened the same if Angelina had been his competition instead of Cedric. She would have certainly found out about the dragons from Fred and George; so who would have told Harry how to open his egg? Without really realizing it, he slipped back into memories of that year.
The fight with Ron had been terrible, but Harry had hoped that he'd come around before too long. Instead, the first thing Harry had seen when he finished the first task was Ron's face - still as angry and jealous and annoyed as it had been since the day the Goblet had spit out Harry's name as the fourth champion. They'd had a row in the common room, where Ron had accused Harry of exaggerating his injuries for attention and Harry had told Ron to grow up and grow a pair and stop blaming Harry for things he had absolutely no control over. He may have even told Ron to go carve a scar on his own forehead and see what it felt like, and after that Ron had gone back to giving him the silent treatment.
They still weren't speaking by the Yule Ball and Harry had muddled alone through trying to figure out a date until Ginny had taken pity on him when she'd overheard him lamenting to the twins and said she'd go with him, which only angered Ron further. He'd warned Harry so many times to not even look the wrong way at his sister that by the time the dance finally came around, Harry was leery of even holding hands with Ginny to dance. They'd ended up having a decent time of it, even if their two main topics of conversation had been what a prat Ron was being about Hermione going to the dance with Viktor Krum and who might be responsible for putting Harry's name in the Goblet. They'd shared a couple of laughs over watching various snogging couples get blasted out their hiding spots by Snape and at the end of the evening Harry had admitted to himself that it hadn't been a horrible time. He'd spoken to Ginny a few times after that - again usually about Ron-the-prat - but as the second task had approached, Harry's time for socialization had evaporated and he'd barely seen Ginny at all.
And then he'd dived into the water (thanks to Dobby's help) and swam past the grindylows and mer-people to find that the 'thing he'd miss the most' was Ginny Weasley, bound to a pole, her red hair floating around her like a watery flame. Harry had been so shocked that he'd barely registered it as Krum had rescued Hermione and then Cedric had come for Cho. Only when the head merman had indicated in no uncertain terms that Harry needed to get moving had he finally cut both Ginny and Gabrielle Delacroix free of their bindings and pushed them to the surface, his head swirling from much more than lack of oxygen.
Later, it occurred to Harry that things would have ended up much better off if he and Ginny had talked straightaway. But whether from embarrassment, frustration, or confusion about the entire situation, Harry didn't seek Ginny out in those first few days and neither did she try to talk to him. And ironically, Harry and Ginny ignoring each other seemed to be the push Ron needed to start talking to Harry again. He never came right out with an apology, and after a while Harry found he didn't really care if he got one. By the time the horror of Voldemort's return and Cedric's death were behind them all, Harry felt that he and Ron were mostly back to normal. Some things would always be different though; never again would Harry take Ron's feelings for granted. He may not understand them, but he never wanted to go so long without speaking to his best mate, and thus allowed Ron some greater leeway of opinion, even when Harry didn't agree.
And as if in exchange for getting his best friend back, Harry and Ginny stopped talking. The fledgling friendship that had begun at the Yule Ball burned out completely and even the summer weeks spent together at Grimmauld Place and then after Arthur Weasley's injury and the DA the following year hadn't rekindled it. Things had finally come to a head at the end of Harry's fifth year. He and Ron had fought over the truth of Harry's visions of Sirius being tortured, the worst disagreement they'd had since the Tri-Wizard tournament. Ginny had backed her brother and Hermione had tried to make Harry see reason and in the end he'd flown off to the Ministry alone and had found his way to the corridor and room that had haunted his dreams, and removed the orb from the shelf by himself . . .
Harry shook his head. He didn't want to think of the rest of that night right now, that night that had resulted in Sirius nearly being killed by his cousin Bellatrix and Voldemort proving to Harry just how easy it was for him to crawl into Harry's head. Harry had swallowed his ire (and his pride) and thanked Ron and Hermione later for having the courage to go to Snape, who'd called the Order in time for them to arrive at the Ministry only minutes after Harry. He hadn't thought to thank Ginny too, and by the time Hermione mentioned it, it was really too late to say something.
Most of that was already known to Angelina and Lee. The two were close enough to the Weasley family that they'd been around almost constantly in recent months, at first waiting to see if Fred would survive nearly being crushed a falling wall during the Final Battle and then to help George manage the shop while Fred recovered. Harry didn't know exactly what they thought about him and Ginny, but he supposed he was about to find out. It was nearly time for lunch.
They met at a Muggle sandwich shop not far from the Ministry and Ron subtly set a Mufffliato around their table once they had their food. Everyone looked expectantly at Harry, and he shuffled around about how to start. So much of it was embarrassing and personal, but couldn't be kept secret anyway, so after a moment, he dove right in.
"I've never had a girlfriend, you know." He didn't make it a question. In the first weeks after the second Tri-Wizard task, Rita Skeeter's articles had been the most blatant about Harry and Ginny's supposed secret romance, but she certainly hadn't been the only one wanting a story. And after the Final Battle, the attention on his love life had only gotten worse and Harry understood that if and when he actually fancied a witch, the press would have a field day with the news. That hadn't happened yet, but only in the last few weeks had he understood why.
"Well, you've had a bit on your mind," said Angelina. "Rather difficult to think of love when you're on the run."
"Not to mention that when the only girl you're on the run with fancies your best mate," joked Lee. Harry chuckled.
"Hermione is like a sister to me; always has been." It wasn't an issue between him and Ron anymore, but Harry knew Ron wouldn't mind hearing him say it. Indeed, Ron sat up a bit straighter in his chair.
"I had to learn not to be a jealous arse," he said. He grimaced then. "Of course, if I'd been a bit faster, Harry and Ginny wouldn't be in their mess, now would they?"
Harry tried not to roll his eyes. They'd been over this too many times. "Ron, stop. You know it wasn't your fault. If anyone, it was Barty Crouch Jr."
Ron shrugged. "Still, I didn't make it easy, even after the lake."
"What the hell?" Ron pulled Harry roughly out of the water and shoved a towel in his direction. "I knew I shouldn't have let you take her to the Yule Ball; you fancy her, don't you?" Ron's voice was loud enough that Ginny, being attended to by Hermione, could hear. She glared at her brother and Harry jumped to answer before she could say anything.
"I've barely talked to her since then; I have no idea why it picked her," he said testily. Across the water he could see Dumbledore deep in conversation with one of the merpeople Harry had seen at the bottom of the lake. Everyone else seemed to be staring back and forth between Harry and Ginny, whispering to each other. Harry tried not to listen; he was freezing and exhausted and only wanted to be alone and for those reasons probably spoke to Ron more harshly than was called for. "Maybe it was intended to be you instead, but with the way you've been acting, it's not likely I'd miss you right now anyway, is it?" He tried to keep his teeth from chattering. "Personally I'd be perfectly happy not to hear you accusing me again of doing all this for attention."
"Wait," said Angelina, interrupting Harry's thoughts. "Neither of you are making any sense." She looked between Harry and Ron. "This is about Barty Jr. putting Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire? That was years ago. What's he got to do with Harry and Ginny and a love contract?" She scrunched her forehead in thought. "Is this because it was Ginny you had to rescue from the lake?
Harry was relieved not to have to explain more. He nodded. "Apparently so. Even though were barely friends at the time."
"You took her to the Yule Ball," Angelina pointed out.
"Only because I needed a date," said Harry. "Not because I fancied her." He looked at Lee. "Remember? I was complaining to you and the twins and she overheard and offered to go with me."
Angelina shrugged. "So whomever picked the person each champion would miss the most must have known that, and figured you were together."
Harry shook his head. "Barty Jr., as Moody, chose for me; I asked Dumbledore after Crouch was kissed. Dumbledore was so angry with himself not to have seen Crouch for who he was. And we didn't think anything of it, until . . . he shook his head. "Ginny never dated anyone either, at Hogwarts. Dean Thomas, my roommate, fancied her for a while but she never showed any interest back. She never showed interest in anyone; neither of us did."
Lee leaned forward. "And I'm sensing that is significant."
Harry appreciated his bluntness, and nodded. "It is," he agreed. He hoped he wouldn't have to explain exactly how they'd come to figure it out, a truly humiliating several hours that had included discussions with Ginny's oldest brother and a few curse-breakers, about Harry's and Ginny's wanking habits and emotional connections - or more specifically, their absence.
"Ginny was talking about it with Hermione," he said. "Girl talk, I mean." He felt his face heat. "And Ginny mentioned that she hasn't . . . that she isn't. . ." He stopped, not wanting to tell Ginny's part of the story. "And Hermione knew that she'd once fancied me when she was younger, Ginny had, but didn't anymore, and hadn't for a while. And then Hermione suspected that I've never fancied anyone, or felt . . . that, for anyone." He shook his head, unable to say anything more specific about how Hermione had figured out something was going on.
Ron filled in the blanks. "When Crouch entered Harry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament as an extra champion, he had to make up some bits so the Goblet wouldn't identify him as a Hogwarts student. And we think . . . well, Bill thinks . . . that Crouch had to do a spell, to figure out who Harry would miss the most. And for some reason, it picked Ginny." He grimaced. "I was being a prat at the time, as you know."
"And Bill thinks that if you'd not been fighting, the spell would have picked you." Angelina said decisively.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. That point had been the subject of debate and disagreement. Harry insisted that of course, it should have been Ron. But Bill and his colleagues had been less certain, although so far Harry had refused to entertain discussion of the issue. "It doesn't matter what might have been," he said quickly. "Because what did happen is that I saved Ginny at a time when she wasn't the 'thing I'd miss the most.' And that created a mess." He looked at Lee and Angelina. "An unfulfilled contract."
"And what exactly does that mean?" asked Lee. It was clear from his voice that he already had an idea what was going on.
"It means that neither Ginny or I can be with someone else, romantically," said Harry flatly. "We can't even feel attracted to anyone else."
"But you can to . . . each other?" asked Angelina carefully.
Harry ran his hand through his hair. This had been the hardest part to accept, even harder than realizing it wasn't exactly normal for him never to have felt attraction for anyone. He nodded tersely.
"We can fancy each other," he said. "We have to, apparently, to satisfy the contract. If we don't, then we'll never be able to be with anyone. Ever." He picked up his sandwich and took a large bite, focusing carefully and for longer than necessary on chewing. Lee and Angelina and Ron got the hint. They began a conversation about Quidditch and Harry let himself slip back into his own thoughts. This time he only went back two weeks, to the moments at the Burrow immediately after the curse breakers Bill had called in had finished explaining how Harry and Ginny were trapped in what one of them had called a contract to love. Even now the name made Harry cringe.
Ginny got up, silent now after her earlier disbelief and fury, and stalked out of the sitting room. Before he'd even heard the kitchen door slam behind her, Harry was on his feet too. In the moment he didn't know if he intended to follow her or run away back to Grimmauld Place, but when he got outside and saw Ginny walking towards the garden he called her name.
It was an instinctive act, and when Ginny stopped and turned around, Harry realized he had no idea what to say. After a long moment, Ginny made an impatient sound and turned back towards the garden.
"No, wait." Again, Harry spoke impulsively. He took a couple of steps towards Ginny's retreating back. "We need to talk about this."
Ginny's shoulders slumped. "I know," she said. She stopped walking but didn't look at Harry again. "But do we have to talk right now?" There was little emotion in her voice, as if she'd used it all up earlier. Harry had never seen Ginny so angry, and he couldn't be completely sure that some of her ire wasn't directed at him. She'd accused the situation of 'taking her free will' and 'using Dark Magic to force her into choices she didn't want,' and although Harry agreed with the sentiment, it was still hard to hear, knowing that he was the person Ginny was so disinclined to be together with.
There hadn't been much time yet for Harry to examine his own feelings, and he suspected Ginny's strong response influenced them anyway. Would it have been easier for Harry to entertain the idea of a relationship with Ginny if she hadn't been so immediately opposed to the notion? He didn't know. Now he just thought they should talk at least, but Ginny didn't seem to feel the same way about even that.
There was a dilapidated bench outside the entrance to the garden and Ginny sat down at one end and put her head into her hands. Harry took this as much of an invitation as he was likely to get and settled at the other. She didn't immediately tell him to leave and so he waited, trying to figure out what to say and hoping that maybe Ginny would speak first, even though Harry was the one who'd followed her here.
"I'm so sorry," he said finally. "I never meant for this to happen."
Ginny looked up at him then, frustration clearly etched on her face. "I know that," she said. "But it doesn't help, does it?" Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, a gesture Harry had never seen from her before.
Harry shook his head. "No, I guess it doesn't." It was a weak response but somehow it seemed to loosen something in Ginny.
"We haven't even talked to each other in years," she exclaimed. "Beyond the niceties of 'please pass the salt' and 'have you seen Ron?'" She shook her head. "Not since . . ." her voice trailed off.
"Not since the lake," Harry finished for her. "I know."
"I know you know, Harry," said Ginny peevishly. "I just can't believe that a bloke I barely speak to is now suddenly my only chance at ever having a . . . or ever being . . . Urrgh!" She collapsed against the back of the bench.
Harry didn't know what to do with this. The long term repercussions of the contract felt less pressing than trying to get his head around the here and now, but then, he wasn't a witch. Obviously, it was something that mattered to Ginny and obviously it was the first place her mind had gone when they'd learned of their situation.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Again, Harry spoke without thinking. But maybe that was part of the reason Ginny was so upset. But she huffed again.
"I've never had a boyfriend," she said crossly. "Isn't that the point?" She shook her head. "I figured I just needed to meet the right one, and then it would happen naturally. Once I was finished with Hogwarts." She turned towards Harry, and he was surprised to see the depth of despair in her eyes. "And now . . ."
"And now I'm obviously not the right one," finished Harry for her. He didn't even feel that upset about it; after all, he didn't have feelings for Ginny either.
She blushed. "I don't like having my choices taken away from me," she said quietly. "Regardless of what those choices might have been otherwise."
Having one's choices taken away was something Harry was all too familiar with, and it was his own experience he was thinking about when he answered. "Yes, well, sometimes when there's only one path forward, you take it. It's better than ignoring it, or running away or something. You might be surprised at what you find." His thoughts jumped to his parents and Remus, and then to Teddy. The harshness in Ginny's voice jerked him out of the Forest and back to the present.
"So what you're saying is, we should just, I don't know, go for it then?"
Harry blinked at her. "What?"
Ginny stood up. "I get it. Since we don't have a choice, might as well give up and give in." She played with the bottom of her jumper. "Should we have a snog first or just go find a bed?"
Harry jumped up too. "That's not what I meant," he said. "I just . . ."
"Isn't it?" interrupted Ginny cooly. She took a step closer. "Might as well get it over with. You know, since we don't have a choice." Her voice was bitter, but after a moment of Harry standing there, frozen, all the fight seemed to go out of her. She turned away. "I told you I didn't want to talk about it right now," she said quietly. "You shouldn't have come out here."
Harry found his voice. "Right," he said. "I'll just . . ." he gestured weakly away from them, not sure if he was meaning to return to the Burrow or continue off to the Apparition point. His head was swirling. It was true he and Ginny hadn't spoken about anything personal in years, and her brothers definitely joked about her temper, but Harry thought he'd have remembered hearing Ginny sound as resentful as she did just then. He probably should just leave; Sirius would figure it out and meet him back at Grimmauld Place later. But something made him pause.
"We'll figure it out," he said, as firmly as he could. Ginny turned and looked at him, her expression unreadable, but she'd stopped walking away. Harry plunged on. "You'll be able to have a . . . to find your . . . it won't be me," he said finally. "It won't have to be me. I promise."
Ginny gave him a small smile. "I appreciate you trying, Harry," she said. "But I need to be alone now. I know we need to talk more. I just . . . can't, yet." She turned quickly away and Harry heard her breath hitch. Before he could think of anything else to say, she was walking quickly back towards the Burrow. This time, he let her go.
"Harry . . . Harry?" Ron was tapping his arm.
Harry stopped thinking about the look on Ginny's face right before she'd turned away and focused on his friends. All four of their plates were empty; Harry didn't even remember eating. "Right," he said, pushing back his chair. "We need to get back."
"We still have a few minutes," said Angelina, looking at her watch. She looked as though she was about to pat Harry's arm and he was glad when she didn't. "I hope Bill and the others can figure it out."
Harry appreciated that neither she nor Lee tried to reassure him that of course everything would be okay. They knew as well as Harry did that not all curses could be reversed and that sometimes, everything was not, in fact, okay. Now Lee leaned forward.
"If there's anything we can do, let us know," he said. He tugged at one of his dreadlocks. "I know a couple of blokes in the DMLE; have you spoken to anyone there yet?"
Harry shook his head. Speaking to someone in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was a logical next step, but also one that threatened to spread the news more widely than he - and likely Ginny - wanted right now. "We will," he promised. "But not yet. I need to . . . I mean, we need to get our heads around all this first." It felt uncomfortable to include Ginny in his thoughts but he supposed that was something he needed to get used to doing. And that probably included using her name. "Ginny and I need to talk some more."
Ron opened his mouth - possibly to say something about Harry and Ginny's first attempt to talk - and then closed it again. Harry sighed. He needed to talk to Ron too, he suspected. Better to know up front what Ron thought about his best mate and little sister being forced into a love match when neither of them had any intention of loving the other at all. It put Ron rather in the middle, and Harry wanted to know exactly where his best mate stood. He rubbed his temples, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on. Maybe Sirius would agree to get takeaway again tonight. Normally they tried to cook at least three or four nights a week - Sirius joked that he may be a consummate bachelor but he didn't need to live like one - but Harry figured that since last night's stew had been a bust he could beg out of his night at the stove as well.
Fortunately, his friends picked up on his mood and there was no more talk of love contracts or Ginny Weasley or the Tri-Wizard tournament. Harry forced himself to focus all afternoon, a task made easier by the fact that they were finally done with the day's lecture and could now move onto practical work. He had no trouble disillusioning himself; after all, he'd done it dozens of times while on the run. Now he easily hid himself against a wall, in a mock city street, and then he and Ron beat every other team setting up wards around a fake campsite that was supposed to be a location for a stakeout. Unfortunately, the ease of their practice meant that Harry had more room in his head to dwell on everything he'd talked about at lunch. Currently he was debating his decision not to go straight to the DMLE. Even though it risked having his private business - and Ginny's - leaked to the public, maybe someone there would have a quick and simple answer to their dilemma. For all Harry knew, people made love contracts all the time, and the DMLE had an easy remedy that would have him and Ginny free of each other in a trice.
Pushing aside the thought that if it was really that easy, Bill or someone would have figured it out already, Harry said goodbye to Ron and the others. His headache was now a full-fledged pounding in his skull, and Harry hoped no one cared that his leaving was rather perfunctory. Deciding that the Floo would be kinder on him than Apparition, he headed for the line of fireplaces at the edge of the Ministry, thinking of nothing more than getting home and taking a hot shower before sitting down with his godfather for a hot meal and the quiet of the sitting room. The weather called for rain and Harry envisioned adding a roaring fire to the scene as well.
Ten minutes later, he stumbled out of the Floo into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, his mind on the Italian restaurant down the block, to find Ginny Weasley sitting at the table, waiting for him.