Chapter 14: Another Man's Girl
Ginny fumbled for the zipper of her dress – a pale, form-fitting thing – and sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. She reached for her wand to magic it up, but there was a knock on the door. She bounced two steps across the room, twisting her body awkwardly to pull on her heels as she went, and pulled it open.
"Harry! Perfect timing – zip me up!" she said cheerfully, turning around and pulling her hair over her shoulder expectantly.
"Wow, going somewhere fancy?" Harry said, reaching for the back of her dress. His fingers brushed her bare back ever-so-slightly, and Ginny felt him hesitate the tiniest bit before sliding the zipper up. She shook the thought away and whirled to face him. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to grab dinner in the Great Hall, but I think you're a little too dressed up for that," he added.
"Dinner in London," she said.
"With Malfoy?" Harry asked. His voice was light, and Ginny followed his lead.
"Yeah, a sort of celebratory thing…for the new job and all," she replied.
"All right," Harry said, turning to go. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."
Ginny smiled, "Okay, I'll see you later."
When Harry had gone, Ginny checked herself in the mirror one last time, then grabbed her bag and headed out the door. The last bit of summer, which had been clinging to the weather for weeks, was on its last legs, and Ginny immediately regretted not bringing a coat. She considered going back into the castle for it, but just then Draco Apparated into view beyond the castle gate, and she thought better of it. If she dodged back into the castle, Draco would want to come with her, and then there was the possibility that he would see Harry. Ginny sighed. Why did this feel like cheating?
Brushing the guilt from her mind, she plastered a smile onto her face and bounded down the castle steps to meet him midway down the entrance path.
"Well, hello there Professor Weasley," Draco said, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips.
"Mmm, hello," Ginny replied, grasping his hand. "So, where are we headed?"
"I made a reservation in London," he said. "Hang on." He squeezed her hand gently, and Ginny shut her eyes tight against the disorienting feeling of being whirled away to an unknown location.
"I'm never going to get used to that," she muttered, glancing around. They were in the middle of a deserted street. A broken streetlamp flickered from the corner and Ginny stepped left to avoid a Muggle newspaper that was blowing softly in the breeze. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"
Draco just smirked and put an arm around her, leading them up to the door of a run-down house a few feet before them. Looking significantly at Ginny, he pulled out his wand and tapped it twice on the door frame. She grinned as the edges of the door momentarily gleamed bright blue. "I'm surprised I've never been here before…Dad loves to come in to Muggle London and…."
Her breath caught in her throat as Draco pushed open the door to reveal a huge room, almost the size of a Quidditch pitch, and incredibly richly decorated. There were sparkling chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling, gold-colored wallpaper lined the room, and it was milling with witches and wizards in formal clothing. Ginny turned to Draco, eyes wide. "Where in Merlin's name are we?"
"It's called Pura," Draco said, grinning. He paused for a moment and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Or at least, it was the last time I was here. I have a feeling they've changed it by now."
Draco hailed a waiter, who hurried over and bowed deferentially to them. "Follow me, please, Sir and Miss." Ginny raised her eyebrows at Draco, who visibly suppressed a chuckle at her facial expression.
When they were seated at their table, Draco scanned the wine list with an expert eye and pointed to one with a name Ginny didn't recognize. "Excellent choice, right away, Sir," the waiter said, bowing again as he backed away.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Ginny turned sharply to Draco. "So," she said, "Is dinner going to cost me my whole year's pay, because I really don't think I should blow it all in one place."
Draco laughed aloud. "Hardly," he said, "I'm paying. It's your congratulatory dinner, remember?"
"Hmph," Ginny grumbled, but she nudged his foot appreciatively beneath the table.
"Anyway, it's well worth the price," Draco continued, "The steaks are incredible, and the service alone…."
"About that," Ginny said, "How do you know about this place again? Bloody hell, there aren't even prices on this menu…," she muttered, trailing a finger down the list of dishes.
Draco chuckled. "My parents and I used to come here all the time," he said nonchalantly. "I didn't think it would still be running, let alone this popular, now that there's been a very permanent shift in power, but apparently the new Ministry is a very forgiving group."
"Ah," Ginny said, finally understanding. "Pura."
"Indeed," Draco said. "It wasn't technically restricted to purebloods, but the clientele did tend to lean that way."
"Well," Ginny said, "I don't really know how I feel about having dinner in the bastion of prejudice, but…."
"Trust me," he said, "the food is worth it."
Looking up at his smirking face, Ginny was hard-pressed to maintain a stern expression. "You are such a spoiled git, do you know that?"
"Don't you mean dashing and worldly?" he teased.
"No. I mean spoiled and git-like," she dead-panned, and he laughed.
They spent the next forty minutes discussing recent developments in their apartment building (Draco informed her that there had been issues with the water billing) and talking about work. He asked her lightly if anything was new at Hogwarts, and Ginny felt a heavy knot of guilt rising in her stomach. But she told him no anyway, reasoning that telling him about Harry would only ruin this wonderful date. Draco was right about the food, and by the time they were polishing off their dessert, Ginny was sitting back in her seat, thoroughly stuffed.
"You know," she said teasingly, "You really had some nerve bringing me here."
"Whatever do you mean?" Draco said, meeting her gaze innocently.
"I mean," Ginny laughed, tossing her napkin at him across the table, "that this is a bloody Slytherin haunt and you've just made me fall in love with the enemy's steak and potatoes."
"Slytherins are your enemies?" Draco replied easily, "And here I thought we were making so much progress."
"Oh, sod off," Ginny returned.
"Anyway," Draco continued, "I think this place really represents something important about what Scarhead and your git of a brother and his girlfriend have accomplished. What used to be a 'Slytherin haunt,' as you so flatteringly call it, is now nothing more than a fancy restaurant that serves incredibly well-cooked beef products." He smirked at her, daring her to contradict him.
She met his eyes for three full seconds and then burst into laughter. "You are so full of it, Malfoy," she managed between desperate breaths.
"Plus," Draco added, "Pushing your buttons is half the fun."
"So you planned this whole evening with the intention of working me up, is that right?" Ginny said. And from the way his pale skin reddened ever-so-slightly around his high cheekbones, Ginny knew that he had caught on to the double meaning behind her words. She smirked a little; that little flush had all but confirmed that he had felt her absence from his bed very acutely. For a split second she congratulated herself on winning their constant battle of flirtatious banter, but Draco was nothing if not smooth.
He leaned forward, looked her right in the eye with challenging gleam, and said in a low voice, lingering deliciously on each word, "That's exactly right."
He held her gaze just long enough to make her shiver a little – bloody hell, why did he always have this effect on her? – and then he turned nonchalantly and asked for the bill.
By the time they got back to Hogwarts, Ginny was feeling heady with anticipation. These sorts of biting, challenging evenings always ended the same way. She led him quickly through the castle halls to her room, his fingertips searing her own like a brand. She opened the door to her room and let him inside, tossing her bag onto one of the armchairs and nudging the door closed with her hip.
"So," she said, once they were alone in the room, "this is it." His eyes flicked briefly over the furniture, hesitating a moment longer on the bed, and slid back to her.
"It's nice," he said. "I hate that you're living away from me, though," he added.
"Missed me last night, eh?" Ginny grinned.
"You have no idea," he said. "I guess I just got used to having you in my bed every night."
Ginny tutted teasingly. "You'll get used to it eventually."
Draco shook his head, a smirk playing around his lower lip. "Never," he said, and before she could answer, he closed the distance between them and pulled her against him. They never made it to the bed.
The next morning, Ginny woke and immediately sat up straight, disoriented. Everything was too tall – she was at the level of a chair leg – and why wasn't she in her bed?
"Mmm, come back," Draco mumbled from beside her, wrapping an arm around her midriff and pulling her back onto the fur rug he had Summoned the night before. She sighed with relief and lay back down, her cheek against his warm, hard chest.
"What time is it?" he murmured. Ginny glanced out the window; a dewy sort of light shone in between half-closed curtains.
"Early," she replied softly. "Probably about five. What time do you have to leave for work?"
"Later," he said vaguely. She lay comfortably for a while, feeling his heartbeat against her cheek.
"Hungry," Draco groaned after a moment, still not opening his eyes. Ginny looked up at him and chuckled.
"You'll probably have to get up before we can go get breakfast. I feel bad calling the house elves at this hour."
"Can't get up," he moaned. "You wore me out, you bloody minx." He rolled toward her, eyes still firmly shut, and dotted kisses along her neckline.
Ginny laughed at his antics and pushed herself away from him. "All right, lazybones," she said, "I'll go get us some breakfast from the Great Hall. You stay here…I'll be right back."
"Thank you," Draco mumbled, lifting his arm so she could scoot out from beneath it and stand. Ginny threw on a pair of denim shorts and an oversized t-shirt – one of Draco's that she had pilfered long ago – and with an affectionate glance back at Draco's sleeping form, left the room.
As expected, the Great Hall was largely empty. Ginny ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten out the tangles that remained from last night's…she blushed and grinned to herself…activities. She planned to sneak down, grab a plate of eggs, toast, and sausages and head back upstairs unnoticed. It wasn't until she had actually grabbed a plate and began spooning eggs onto her plate that she noticed Harry sitting at the end of Gryffindor's house table, regarding her with surprise.
"Harry!" she cried, "You scared me!"
"Sorry," Harry said, smiling. "You're up early. Here, sit down," he added, patting the bench beside him. "How was dinner?"
Ginny cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm actually just going to eat in my room," she said slowly.
"Antisocial," he teased.
"No, actually" Ginny muttered, "I...er…have company upstairs."
"Company?" Harry said, smiling confusedly. She watched understanding pass across his face like a flash, "Oh. Company. Well," he said embarrassedly.
Ginny turned away from the visibly uncomfortable expression and continue scooping food onto her plate. "You're up rather early yourself," she said. "I don't seem to remember early rising being one of your virtues."
When she turned back to face him, plate full, he had adjusted his expression to an easygoing smile. "It definitely wasn't, but I woke up early a lot while I was gone…and I don't sleep well anyway."
"Nightmares?" Ginny said knowingly. Harry nodded. "I had a problem with that while you were gone too. It helps if…." She stopped short, realizing that her only advice was to spend the night with someone and let them rub your back and say soothing things into your ear. She didn't think Harry would want to get that advice from her.
"If?" he said curiously.
She shook her head and forced a wide smile onto her face. "Nevermind," she said. "Well…I'm going to -."
She was cut off as the doors to the hall burst open loudly and Draco stormed in, his expression irate. His eyes flew to Ginny and his mouth opened in a retort, but then he noticed Harry, who had sprung up and drawn his wand with a speed that made Ginny's head spin. Draco's face darkened with fury.
"Potter, what the hell -," Draco hissed. He crossed the hall to them in five strides, and before Ginny could open her mouth to react, threw a punch that landed squarely on Harry's jaw.
"DRACO!" Ginny shrieked, thrusting the plate aside as Harry reeled back. In a moment, the dark-haired man was upright, wand aloft, the words of a spell on his lips.
"HARRY, WAIT!" Ginny cried, throwing herself between them and pushing Harry back, forcing his wand arm down. She whirled to face Draco, who had drawn his own wand. "Draco, what the bloody hell are you playing at!"
"What is he doing here!" Draco yelled. "You know what, Potter," he spat at Harry over Ginny's shoulder, "I knew you were full of it, spouting all of your heroic bullshit, but I thought you at least had enough honor to keep the hell away from another man's girlfriend!"
"What the hell are you talking about, Malfoy!" Harry retorted, raising his wand again.
"Wait just a second!" Ginny yelled over them. "Draco, what are you talking about!"
Draco finally tore his gaze from Harry and fixed Ginny with a look so angry and accusing that she physically flinched. He threw a newspaper that she hadn't noticed before down on the table beside them. "This," he said harshly, "came just now. To your room."
Ginny looked at the paper, moving it along the table so that Harry could see it without closing any of the distance separating him from Draco. It was this morning's Daily Prophet, and the headline made Ginny's stomach drop. "Oh no," she whispered, and she heard Harry's sharp intake of breath beside her.
MAN-WHO-CONQUERED REKINDLES ROMANCE WITH HOGWARTS SWEETHEART!
Beneath the blaring headline and spanning the entire rest of the front page were two photographs. The first showed Ginny and Harry laughing together in The Three Broomsticks with – Ginny cringed – their hands clasped atop the table. The second photograph was perhaps more damning than the first. It showed Harry and Ginny standing on the front steps of Hogwarts, talking seriously, and then Harry pulling Ginny into a hug. The hug played over and over, and Ginny forcibly turned the page and scanned the article, her heart sinking with each moment.
Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived turned Man-Who-Conquered, seems to have rekindled more than just the hope of the wizarding world. Potter, 21, was spotted yesterday on a romantic date with Ginny Weasley, 20, in Hogsmeade. The two were seen laughing, holding hands, and hugging throughout the afternoon. Dagny Wakefield, a barmaid at The Three Broomsticks, said: "They seemed very much in love. Everyone could see it…it was so obvious!"
Potter and Weasley have a long history; they dated during their schooldays at Hogwarts. According to a former classmate who asked to remain anonymous, they "were inseparable. I don't think [Ronald Weasley, Potter's best friend and Weasley's brother] was too thrilled about it, but they didn't seem to care. They were all over each other. Once, a professor caught them snogging in a broom cupboard and they got detention for a week!" It was reported when Potter disappeared four years ago that he and Weasley had ended their relationship, but it seems that since Potter's return, the couple are giving it another go.
The rest of the article waxed eloquent about what was known of Harry's mission and then recounted every piece of gossip the reporter had managed to dredge up about their relationship at Hogwarts and Ginny's past "flings."
Ginny turned to face Draco, whose expression was still clouded with anger. "Draco," she said softly, "I can explain…."
"So you're not denying it then," he hissed.
"Of course I'm denying it!" Ginny said quickly. "They've blown it totally out of proportion…we were just having a friendly lunch and they got entirely the wrong idea…."
"Did they!" Draco said, his voice rising quickly, "Because I'm pretty damn sure that anyone looking at those pictures is going to get the exact same bloody idea, Ginny!"
"Hey," Harry cut in harshly, "Stop talking to her like that and let her explain…."
"Stay the hell out of this, Potter!" Draco yelled.
"Harry, please," Ginny said appeasingly. "Draco, it really was just a friendly lunch."
"Then what in Merlin's name is he doing here right now!" he demanded.
"He works here!" Ginny burst out. Draco swallowed his next retort and fell silent, eyes boring into her. "Look, he works here, all right? He's the new Defense professor. We went to lunch after McGonagall's presentation, and the Prophet just took those photos completely out of context and just wrote whatever the hell they bloody wanted! It's nothing!"
"And you knew he was going to be working here?" Draco said slowly.
"No!" Ginny insisted, "I didn't know he would be here until I saw him yesterday, I swear!"
Draco regarded her silently for a moment, and it felt like an eternity. Ginny found she was holding her breath.
"It really was just lunch, Malfoy," Harry said from behind her. Draco didn't even look at him.
Suddenly, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the hall. Ginny was stunned for a moment.
"Draco, wait!" she said, rushing after him. She caught up with him in the entrance hall outside. The halls were still mercifully deserted. "Draco, wait! Talk to me!" she repeated, grabbing hold of his arm.
He whirled to face her, and his face was harsh and stone-cold. For the second time, his expression made her flinch. "Why did you lie to me?" he said, voice low.
"What? I didn't…."
"You did. I asked you multiple times if there was anything new going on at school, and you said there was nothing. You looked me in the face and said nothing was new. You might as well have lied."
The ball of guilt exploded in Ginny's stomach. "Draco," she said pleadingly, "I'm so sorry. I know I was wrong. I should have…."
"You should have told me the moment – the bloody moment – you knew he was working here," Draco cut in.
"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated. "But I didn't think it would make any difference, really…he's…."
"It's like he followed you here, Ginny," Draco said, screwing the bases of his palms into his eyes in a frustrated gesture, "and I don't like it. Bloody hell, this is exactly what I was afraid -."
He stopped short again and Ginny knew that, once again, he wasn't going to be honest with her about what he was really afraid of. "He didn't follow me here!" Ginny insisted, "He didn't even know I would be here…he was just as surprised as me! And it's not like that," she added, "Harry's not in love with me or pursuing me or anything like that!"
Draco's eyes pierced into hers for a long moment. "You better be bloody well sure of that, Ginny," he said, voice hard. "Because I'm not."
"I'm sure," Ginny said. Most of her mind was confident of that; she ignored the part that wasn't.
Draco sighed and broke their gaze. "I'm going to work," he said suddenly.
"Okay," Ginny said softly. "Draco?" she said as he turned away of her. "Are we okay?"
He didn't turn around. His shoulders were tense. "Yeah," he said sharply, and then he walked away.
Author's Note: ACK, SO MUCH DRAMA! What do you think? I hope it made up for the short-ish, boring-ish last chapter. Please review! :)