Updated 2022
Caution- Smut ahead. Also, in this AU not everyone knows the name on Voldemort's birth certificate.
()()()
London- 2004
"I can feel your eyes on me and can tell I've been followed home, you may as well show yourself," Ginny said as she pulled out her keys to let herself into the flat.
"Sorry," Harry he said as he removed his Disillusionment charm after checking he wouldn't be noticed. He hadn't been making noise, but intuition had told him when he'd been followed a time or two also. He shouldn't have been surprised. He'd also let himself get pretty close to her; any Auror worth their salt would have felt something was off.
"Why did you follow me?" she turned to him. "Were you trying to get the drop on me, or did you want something?" Ginny could tell he wanted something. From the once over he was giving her she could tell what he truly wanted, but knew there was no way he had the inclination to act on those desires. It did please her though.
"Wanted something. To talk to you." He looked from her up to the building; it was a plain while complex on a row of other plain white complexes not more than two kilometers from Diagon Alley. Opposite way from his own home.
She looked him over carefully. She'd noticed it at the gym, and she noticed it now; he had gotten quite fit over the years. His tousled hair and bright green eyes made him very attractive with his hard jaw line and nicely shaped lips. They looked soft.
"Come on in then," she held the door open. He walked through and she indicated for him to go up the stairs. She was on the fourth floor.
The door to her flat led immediately to small passageway with two-bedroom doors then the passage turned, went past the lavatory, and led to an open living room with a small kitchenette.
"Temporary flat rental?" He didn't see how it could be, it was well lived in.
"Renting a room. Just for the month." She took off her jacket and placed it on the chair at the small eating table. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."
She went back down the hall, and he heard a door open and close. The living area had a convertible bed, a television, plants, art on the walls of generic things, and the table with four chairs. The kitchen had a microwave, fridge, small oven and stove and a washing machine. This was a Muggle flat. 'Why would Ginny be living in a Muggle flat?' he wondered. 'Unless she was trying to stay out of the magical world she was raised in as much as possible,' he realized.
He heard a door open again, and then another one open and close, then water running. She was in the loo. He looked out the window. There wasn't much of a view, just the street and other flats across the way. The door opened again, and he turned around. His mouth went dry.
She had certainly made herself comfortable. Her hair was pulled up in a knot on top of her head, she was wearing a large jumper that was obviously designed with someone with her frame in mind as it hung off one of her shoulders but still hugged her hips, he could see a black bra strap. But her legs. He could see almost all of her legs in the short form fitting pajama shorts she had on.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked as she made her way to the kitchen.
It took him a second to figure out was she was meant. His eyes were on her bum, and his brain was showing him what it would feel like to run his hand up her leg from the ankle to that bum.
"Apologies," he said finally. She turned her torso and head to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Several years too late."
"Try being specific. I don't recall you doing anything to apologize for. With the exception of staring at me from behind a tree while I was swimming in the pond."
"You saw me?!" he started.
She poured a glass of milk and handed it to him. "Yes."
He sat at the table and stared down into the glass. "Then, yeah. Let's start there." Then he looked from the glass, to her, then back to the glass again.
"I didn't do anything to it," she smiled teasingly, and she returned to the kitchen, pulling out a frying pan.
"Constant Vigilance is telling me not to trust you right now," he cracked back at her and pulled out his wand to check for any poisons. It was clear.
"Good job, Harry. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones that won't wind up in the hospital this week." She was pulling ingredients out and a mixing bowl. She put bacon on the frying pan and started stirring things together in the bowl.
"I am sorry for staring at you at the pond. I was young and fascinated," he said before he took a sip of the milk. "I shouldn't have done it. I blame it on my teenage hormones and my obvious inability to talk to you."
She continued stirring with the mixing bowl in one arm, balanced against her stomach, while she leaned back against the counter to observe him a moment. "Thank you for saying that. Now, what was it you originally came to apologize about?"
"Everything," he replied evenly. "For all the times I never second guessed the rumors, and even more so for the times I did second guess them but didn't do anything about them."
She turned back around and poured the substance from the mixing bowl into the frying pan carefully. It smelled like breakfast. Then she put the coffee machine on. He was confused at why she would be making breakfast at nearly six o'clock in the evening, but he carried on.
"Look, I was abused as a child with those Muggle relatives I had to live with, and when I came to Hogwarts, it was a life saver. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized that your life had gone the opposite way. I started out my life getting blamed for everything, unloved, and called names. Then I met your brother and the rest of your family, and I finally felt like I belonged. I'm devastated with myself for not realizing that you had been victimized all through school for things that were beyond your control. Lies spread about you, and just treated horribly." He clutched the glass in his hand hard. "So, I hope you will believe me when I say that I am so, so very sorry."
Ginny has been reaching out for the spatula and was frozen while he had been apologizing. It had been a long time since she'd been the victim. And being back and seeing these people that had tortured her for so long had been immensely difficult. Hearing an apology from Harry Potter was not something she had tried to mentally prepare herself for. It was bringing up emotions that she had long suppressed. Especially with having already had an interaction with Ron only a few hours earlier.
They both heard another door open. "Ginny, do I smell bacon?" asked a woman's voice.
Ginny turned to look at Harry and mouthed 'Muggle'. He put his wand away.
Brigette came in the room in her oversized sleep t-shirt and baggy track pants. "Oh! Hello." she waved politely at Harry. "Sorry I look a fright!" She grinned and turned to Ginny, "what did I ever do without you, love?"
"Made you some coffee too."
"Ugh, that's it. Move in permanently and be my lover. I can kick Chantelle to the curb. She never makes me breakfast." Brigette wrapped her arms around Ginny's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.
"I promise if I ever go that way, I will be on you lickedie split," she winked at her and smiled. "See what I did there?"
Brigette laughed loudly and grabbed a coffee cup. "Trust me darling, you turn to my side and you'd have a lot of my friends lining up to 'Lickedie your split'. Or is that what this dashing man is doing here?" she nodded toward Harry.
Harry was sitting there, mouth agape, trying to figure out if his ears had been deceiving him. Ginny was completely relaxed and joking about going down on this woman. This woman that she lived with. This woman Ginny lived with wanted to go down on Ginny. As if seeing Ginny's legs hadn't already sent blood flowing to his dick. He so badly wanted to palm himself right then. Harry felt himself blush slightly. He coughed a bit, "I'm just here for… We were just…"
Ginny actually grinned at his discomfort. He knew he was all flushed and flustered. Brigette and her had that effect on the male population it seemed. "Brigette, this is Harry. I've known him for over a decade. Harry, this is Brigette. She works nights, which is why I am making her breakfast right now."
"Yes, and it smells delicious." Brigette took the plate that Ginny handed her and went to sit at the table with Harry. "So, you two go way back?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm good friends with her brothers," Harry said, managing to sound as unaffected by what had just happened as possible.
"Ginny! You have brothers? Any of them live around here?" Bridgette turned around in her chair to look at her.
Harry looked from Brigette to Ginny. He felt an 'oh shit' moment coming on. Obviously, she hadn't mentioned her family to her flat mate. Why would she have?
"I have six brothers. I'm estranged from all of them," Ginny deadpanned as she pulled more items out of the fridge.
Brigette nodded and made the gesture of touching her nose in understanding. Harry was not clear on what that gesture was supposed to imply. There was no way that she'd known that Ginny was a witch was there? "And so, Harry. What brings you here today? Did you two just run into each other and want to catch up on old times?" she asked him nicely while she dug into her meal.
"Something like that," he smiled and finished off his milk.
"Harry here was just apologizing for not realizing he was being an ass while we were in school together," Ginny smirked at him before returning to slicing something up.
Brigette gave him the once over again and sipped her coffee cup. "Well then. I'll just step right in and give him a talking to right now." She narrowed her eyes at Harry; she actually looked quite intimidating. "I've only known our girl here for a few weeks, but she's one of the best and most wonderful people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. If you are going to apologize to her for something, you'd better mean it and not just be trying to get in her knickers. Because if I come to find that you've hurt her, I'll hunt you down and end you." She picked up her fork and made a threatening gesture with it.
Harry wasn't sure whether to feel threatened or amused, he opted to hold up his hands in an innocent gesture. "I swear to you I am truly sorry for all of my past actions, and it is not a ploy to get her into bed."
Brigette turned to look at Ginny. "Do you even like it in a bed? It is so old fashioned."
Ginny chuckled at her. "You can't discount comfort of the ability to sleep immediately after a good screaming 'O'."
Brigette grinned at her, then it dropped to a simple smile for Harry before clearing her dishes to the sink. "I'm going to grab a shower and get ready."
Ginny nodded and continued making her food. When Brigette was in the loo and they heard the shower running, she turned to him with two plates in hand. "She's probably still listening at the door."
"She seems nice," he said uncertainly.
"She is. I found her a that brothel your two idiots visited. She was the brunette they talked about," she replied and watched his reaction.
Harry shifted uncomfortably at the memory of what Andrews had said about having the two of them alone together. "Ahem, so. Erm. You've been here for a few weeks then?"
"Of course. I had to gather all my intel first and set up that sting with the owner of the brothel. He's very happy with the changes I implemented there. The way they were doing things before was so clinical," she shook her head.
Harry couldn't believe she could talk about such things with so much ease. He looked down at the plate she'd placed in front of him. A simple chicken salad with a delicious smelling dressing. "You didn't have to feed me."
"You were here, I was hungry. It is rude to invite someone into your home and then eat in front of that someone and not at least offer." She stared at him and smiled a little. Almost daring him to check the meal for anything harmful to his health. She would never do that to someone she'd invited into her home, but he didn't know that.
Harry glanced over at the bathroom door and quickly cast the spell. Then he picked up his fork and took a bite. "You should really learn to do that silently," she pointed out.
"You can do non-verbal magic?" Harry shook his head and held up a hand. "Never mind. Stupid question. Of course you can." She let out a single laugh and started digging into her dinner. The two of them sat there in companionable silence until their plates were clean. He leaned back in his chair and observed her. "Thank you. The last time I had someone make dinner for two I was in a tent on a hunt for Horcruxes." He had said it in an effort to lighten the mood slightly, but he saw her jaw clench a bit. "What is it?"
She stared at him a moment then collected their plates and put them in the sink. "Do you know the last time I saw you was right before you killed the final piece of Tom?" She leaned back against the kitchen counter again.
"Tom?" Harry asked slowly. It wasn't common knowledge that Voldemort's real name was Tom Riddle. Ginny had never been included in the Order of the Phoenix, and even Draco Malfoy hadn't known until Harry told him two years ago.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," she said just as slowly.
He sucked in a breath. "How did you learn his real name?" he asked carefully.
"How did you find out about the Horcruxes?" she countered. She kept her tone and volume even. If she was going to finally tell someone what happened to her when she was eleven, she'd long since come to the conclusion that it should be Harry.
He had never done anything out and out to offend her, bully her, or otherwise. Sure, he never jumped to her defense, but neither had anyone else. He'd also had a Horcrux make a home inside him, if anyone would have believed her, or understood, it would be him. Her family probably wouldn't even listen, and she had failed at every attempt to tell them.
Harry was observing her carefully, trying to make up his mind about whether she should know the truth. "Dumbledore discovered it. He'd found the first one, a diary, and that led him to find all memories he could from people who'd had interactions with Tom Riddle to try and track down the others."
"And how exactly did he find the diary?"
"It was left to him with a note."
"And who do you think may have sent it?"
Harry stared at her lost in thought. He didn't know. He wasn't sure Dumbledore even knew. The Locket had been found because one of the Death Eaters had found it and tried to destroy it. They had all assumed that the same had happened with the diary.
"Do you know who left it to him? Was it someone in Slytherin when you were there?"
"It was," she answered simply. "Tell me, Harry. You had that Horcrux in you for seventeen years. Once you got rid of it, did you feel different?"
He blinked at her. They heard the shower shut off and Ginny gestured for him to follow her. She led him into the first bedroom. It was just large enough for a double bed and a small dresser. She climbed onto the bed and patted the spot beside her.
He closed the door. "The questions you are asking are very personal, you realize," he said as he stood in front of her.
"How badly do you want to know what I know?" she asked. She couldn't help but enjoy the sight of him standing in her room alone with her. He looked so good, and it had been so long since she'd been alone with a man this intimately.
He did want answers, and she looked enticing sitting there, inviting him onto her bed. So, he kicked off his shoes and sat beside her. He settled in, his back against the wall, like her, and they were leaning on each other slightly. She smelled good he noticed. They heard Brigette turn on the blow dryer in the bathroom. It was loud but muffled enough that they wouldn't need to raise their voices.
"My entire childhood my Uncle Vernon had called me a freak, belittled me, and told me I was good for nothing. Until the Horcrux was gone from my head it was like my uncle had been sitting there at the back of my mind all the time. Then he was gone," he'd been looking down at his hands as he said it. Then he checked to see her reaction. It was like her beautiful brown eyes were boring into his soul. He instantly fought the urge to lean over and kiss her.
"Did he ever take you over? Possess your body?"
He furrowed his brow, "only one time, at the Ministry of Magic in my fifth year. But that wasn't the Horcrux, it was the actual Voldemort that did that."
"You were lucky," she sounded slightly defeated.
He looked at her astounded, "lucky? I had a piece of him inside me for seventeen years! I had to fight him almost every year while I was at school. You call that lucky?" He was angry. Yes, she had been through some rough times, but she had no right!
He made to move off the bed and she stopped him.
Ginny stopped him by straddling him and pushing his shoulders back against the wall. "You are lucky that the piece of him never took over your body. Controlled your actions. Made your decisions for you. Sorted you into the wrong house. I understand that you lost your parents in the process of that Horcruxes creation, but I lost mine too, but they are still alive and can't bear to look at me anymore. At least you know that your parents loved you right up until the end. I lost everything because of that fucking diary, so don't you dare get offended."
Harry was stunned. Her confession was astounding, and straddling him had effectively removed any thoughts he had had about leaving. "That was why you were sorted into Slytherin? You were possessed by Him?" he whispered.
She swallowed hard and nodded. "It took me months to throw him off. When I finally did, I left that Diary to Dumbledore to find a way to destroy it. I tried to tell people, but I was young, and I couldn't form the words. The damage had already been done with peoples perceptions of me. Dealing with the hatred of me everyone was showing, I wasn't the happy girl I had been anymore. No one wanted me. Not even my parents. To this day I don't know what happened those first few months."
Nothing that she had said had been in anyway good or life affirming, but discovering that there was this innate link between the two of them had his adrenaline going, and this primal need built up. She had bared herself to him and his body was responding. She was straddling him for Merlin's sakes! He didn't care if she was going to kick his ass and send him to St. Mungo's for it, or if she killed him. He had to kiss her.
He snapped his head forward meet her lips, cupping the back of her head at the same time. She didn't fight him, she responded. Her lips moved in tandem with his and she pressed her body closer to his. She rocked her hips against him, and he let out a guttural groan.
Her hand snaked into his hair as she pressed his head closer to her. He rolled her so she was laying on the bed with him on top of her and ran his hand under her sweater, up to her breast. She arched up and pulled her sweater off.
Harry didn't have time to marvel at her form, he knew she looked phenomenal, he needed to taste her. He licked and kissed down her neck to the valley between her breasts. She tugged at his shirt to get it off over his head. Then she undid the clasp on her bra.
Frantically he pushed the bra up and attacked her nipples with his mouth. She wrapped her legs around him in response and scratched his back as her head rolled back at the sensations. Harry let his hands wander down to her bottoms and slipped them off without asking if he could. He couldn't stop himself.
She didn't need him to slow down at all. She wanted him too. In a second, she'd banished his trousers and boxers and pulled him to her. Their lips found each other again and he dove into her without hesitation. They both moaned loudly as he filled her.
His brain was already hazy, the adrenaline had made him delirious with want. He thrust into her and buried his head in her neck. She was gripping his hips, showing him the pace she wanted. Meeting him half way and moaning every time he was fully sheathed inside her. He drove into her with a blind, mad passion and she was responding with as much vigor as he was giving out.
Ginny's hands went up to the wall behind her to push back against each thrust as hard as he was giving it to her.
"Fuck you feel good," he said with-out realizing. Her scent, her sounds, her touch, her fucking wet tight pussy. He was already so close to cumming.
"I'm close, not yet," she moaned. He growled and tried desperately to hold back.
It felt amazing to her. It had been so long, and she wanted him. His feral, desperate approach to their coupling was doing it for her. And he was very well equipped. She could feel herself reaching that precipice. Her walls were closing in around him. She was so close. So close. He kept pumping into her balls deep. She bit her lip as her orgasm built higher and higher until if finally crashed around her and she arched back with an uncontrolled scream of pleasure.
He could feel her tighten around him and came inside her as she arched back.
Never in his life had he felt so satisfied after. He'd never cum at the exact same time as his partner before. He'd never crashed so hard after that he could barely move before either. He shifted just enough that he wasn't fully on top of her, or inside her, anymore.
Ginny felt so dazed after and sleepy. She couldn't move, and she didn't want him to either. She conjured the blanket up to cover them and nuzzled into him a bit and was asleep in an instant.
()
Harry awoke in the middle of the night, he was incredibly comfortable and relaxed. He wasn't sure what exactly had woken him. He shifted slightly, then he felt something else move. He opened his eyes and made out the shape and scent of a woman.
He'd gotten laid last night? He paused a moment to try to get his brain to clear out the cobwebs. What had happened? He idly wondered if he'd met someone at the pub.
Then it came back to him.
The passionate shagging that occurred between he and Ginny. He stared at her sleeping form intently as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. She was snuggled into his side, and though her head rested almost on his shoulder it was at the perfect angle with the pillow that his arm wasn't asleep.
Harry didn't know what to do though, or what it meant. She'd told him the tale of the diary and that shared piece of her history had spurred an animalistic need to take her. Though, with how she went at him as well it couldn't really be considered 'taking'.
He wanted to reach over and trace her cheek, run a finger across her lips. She looked so peaceful. But that seemed too intimate. Sure, they had just copulated, but they hadn't discussed feelings. And the two of them having so many years of a misunderstanding between them, he had no idea what it all meant.
"Stop staring at me while I sleep," she mumbled.
Harry bit his lip in an effort not to smile. "Sorry."
She stretched and rolled over to check the time. "It's only three," she looked back at him. She was leaning back on her elbows looking to him. The blanket had shifted down slightly and he could make out the gentle crest of her bosom. "Staying or going?" she asked simply.
"What?" he was confused at the question.
"If you are uncomfortable and want to leave, you can leave," she stated plainly. Then she lay back down to much the position she had been in before, but with about an inch separating them. "But if you want to stay and fall back asleep, you can do that."
Harry hadn't even considered leaving. Right now, he was considering if she would be up for another go around. And he also really needed to pee.
"I want to stay," he said, but he pulled back the blanket. "But I need to use the facilities." He was happy it was so dark in there; she couldn't see him blush slightly, nor could she make out his features exactly.
He got off the bed and made for the bathroom. As soon as he vacated his spot, she moved into it burrowing into the warmth it radiated.
Ginny had felt him shift and wake. She'd shifted slightly, hoping he would just go back to sleep and she would follow right after. But his breath on her face was not that of someone asleep.
They'd fallen asleep before seven, so she was now quite awake after checking the time. Ginny thought back to the screaming orgasm that had knocked her out. She bit her lip and smiled while she wondered if he could illicit that response from her every time, or if it was a one off.
The smile dropped from her face while she pondered if it had been a mistake or not. Harry was probably confused. They had both acted on impulse, but the heat that was building up again between her legs was telling her to go for round two. Same night, same guy. Did that even count?
She heard the toilet flush and the sink run. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness when he'd come back into the bedroom and she could make out that he wasn't exactly flaccid at the moment. That sent a tingle through her. She wanted him again.
He climbed back into the bed and they both lay there silently. "Are. Are you awake?" he asked softly.
"Very," she responded simply and turned on her side to face him.
"Right," he turned to face her as well. "I don't generally sleep around a lot, and I'm certainly not going to go ahead and assume that you do either."
Ginny chuckled. "Worried now that some of the rumors were true?" she teased.
"No," he answered quickly. "What I was getting at was that, well, that was probably the best sex I've ever had." He was so glad it was dark. Pillow talk was a real thing; confessions you couldn't say normally were so much easier in bed in the dark.
She shifted closer to him and reached out to trace the length of his arm. He almost moaned at the simple pleasure of her touch. "I've very much the same feelings about it," she said in a low voice.
He was hard again, she felt him as he went from six to noon. He moved closer to her and kissed her neck. She purred and pressed her breasts against him. "What is this?" he asked between kisses and licks.
She wrapped her leg around him and pushed so he was on his back and she on top of him. "An attempt to put us both back to sleep," she said before kissing him.
Harry wasn't going to question it. The beautiful girl he'd wanted for so long was on top of him naked. Her hot center was so close to his erection. Thinking was overrated. He wanted to be back inside her.
Ginny kissed him from his mouth down his jaw line and neck to just above where his chest hair started. She curved her back so she could grind herself against his shaft and smiled at his groan. She wanted to tease him right now, see if he'd go all animalistic on her again.
Harry cupped her cheek and brought her mouth to his, delving his tongue into her mouth. He then moved his hands down to her hips and traced circles with his thumbs closer and closer to where he wanted.
Ginny matched his tongue movements and snaked her hand down to his member. He hissed when she made contact. "Please," he begged.
She sat up and lifted herself up over him. Both of their eyes rolled back as she slid him into her. Sitting up the way she was he was so much deeper inside her. She braced herself on his chest and set a steady rhythm.
She groaned every time their pelvises met completely. He gripped her hips harder as she rode him. He was letting out breathy profanity and raising his hips to meet hers with every descent. She felt so good!
He needed more skin contact. He pulled her down so he could feel her breasts grazing his chest as she moved. Ginny buried her head into the pillow beside his head. The added sensations to her clit from this position were bringing her closer to her finish. She tightened around him again and let out a satisfied moan as she came.
He hadn't finished yet. She couldn't keep up with her pace after cumming though so he rolled her over so he could take the lead and get to his finish. She was so much tighter and wetter now. It took less than a minute more before he reached his ecstasy. He groaned his finish and she traced a hand up and down his arm until he moved himself to lay beside her.
They both fell asleep again in a matter of minutes.
()()()
The smell of coffee was what woke him for the second time that morning. It was encompassing his senses. He cracked and eye open and looked up at an amused Ginny holding out the mug near his nose.
"Good morning," she said simply. Harry sat up and took the cup.
The light was now pouring in through her single window in the bedroom. "Thank you." He took a sip. He made a slight grimace at the taste of the black coffee.
"I didn't know what you took in it," she responded to his expression as she took up the spot on the bed at the far end from where he was now reclining.
"It's fine," he assured her. She was already dressed in jeans and a light sweater. He felt slightly exposed being naked under the comforter. "So…"
She looked amused at him. "So…" she nodded. "Last night was a little unexpected."
He gave her a half grin, half grimace. "Certainly was."
She bit her lip and examined him as she brought her coffee to her lips. Ginny took a sip then rested the mug back down. "Right, I'm just going to say it. I enjoyed what we did last night. I'm only here for a while longer and I'd like to do it again before I leave."
Harry stared at her. She didn't look overly embarrassed at her confession just a slight blush on her cheeks, and she seemed a completely different person from who she was at the Ministry. He'd noticed it last night, it was like as soon as she stepped outside of the Magical world she could breathe again, and it looked good on her.
"Yes," he said, "I want that too. But I confess I want to truly get to know you. If I don't, I know I will regret it. So… Ginny Weasley can I take you out tonight?"
Ginny smiled at him and shook her head side to side. "No," she smiled. Harry's face dropped. Didn't she just ask for this? Maybe she only wanted to use him for sex? "But I will let you cook me dinner," she went on. Harry felt his eyebrows go into his hair line. "I don't generally eat out in restaurants, and if we are going to get to know each other I'd prefer we not be overheard."
Harry's grin was as wide as it would go. He'd said as much to Ron the day before.
He was picturing her at his place now, sitting on the kitchen countertop while he spoon-fed her pasta sauce for tasting, then licking it off her lips.
"Come on. We need some food before we head into the office." She led the way into the main area. He made to stand up and follow her, forgetting for a moment that he was actually naked.
"Erm, I'll be in there in a moment," he blushed and put his coffee down on the dresser. Quickly he pulled on his clothes from the day before, casting a freshening charm on them.
When he made it to the front of the flat with his coffee mug in hand her found her sitting at the table with toast in her mouth and her one leg propped up on the chair in front of her, the morning paper spread out on the table.
"What time did you get up?" he asked. She'd made coffee, currently had toast with jam and peanut butter on it and seemed to be halfway through the paper.
"Crack of dawn. It's only half past six right now, but I thought you might want the chance to run home and change before work," she pushed a plate of toast towards him.
He sat down across from her and took another sip of his coffee, cringing again.
Without saying anything she stood and took his mug away. "Um…" his brow furrowed. She grabbed milk from the fridge, poured a splash in, then added a bit of sugar, stirred, then set it back down in front of him. He took another sip. This time it was much more pleasant.
"Better?" she asked. He nodded at her. Then she chewed her lip again, "so, look, Harry." She took a moment, looking straight into his eyes. "I don't know if you find all this quite odd, or what it is you're expecting. But please know that I have no interest in my family finding out what just happened between us. It could be incredibly uncomfortable. For you, I guess, since I don't really have contact with them."
"I realize that," he jumped in. It was obvious that she had more to tell him but felt the need to assure her. "There is no way that I'm going to mention it to Ron, and though I am close with your family." He caught the momentary uptick of her nose. "What I mean to say is, I won't tell anyone unless you say it's okay."
"Right." Then he noticed a smirk play about her lips. "I also feel the need to point out that I will not be taking it easy on you in training, nor will I be interacting with you at all differently from how I did at the office yesterday."
"Completely understood," he nodded.
She was so different from how she had been at school. So much less guarded. Lighter. Back at school he had been only physically attracted to her. Meanwhile, when he had been getting sloppy drunk with Ron two nights ago he had marveled at how sexy it was that she was so… dangerous. The boys telling him about her and Brigette at the brothel had stirred up all kinds of images in his head. Ginny Weasley really was one of a kind, and he very much wanted to get to know her better. Less than two weeks now before she left, and he was sure he could only just crack the surface of her.
Harry picked up a piece of toast and buttered it. "So, tell me what it was like when you first moved to New Zealand," he asked her.
She opened her mouth to respond, but then the flat door opened and Brigette stumbled in. "GINNY!" she hollered and hiccupped. Ginny gave him a tight smile. Brigette stumbled towards her. She had a grey trench coat on that was not buttoned up in the front. The white lingerie she had on was peeping out from underneath. And she was very drunk. "Good, you're here!" she swaggered over and laid down on the floor by the table. "The girls want to take you out! They're making tips hand over fist now, wink wink, and we all want to say THANK YOU! Friday! Alright?"
Ginny was trying not to laugh, and Harry couldn't help keeping his slightly judging look off his face. It was six in the morning and this woman was drunk off her ass and just walked through the streets of London in an outfit that screamed for her to be attacked.
"Hand over fist you say?" Ginny snickered lightly and got up from the table to help lift Bridgette back to her feet. Bridgette let out a snort. "That sounds fantastic. Why don't we get you in to bed now?"
"Mmm, I knew you wanted to take me to bed. That guy didn't quite do the job for you did he?" Bridgette had leaned in and nuzzled Ginny's neck as she was assisted to her bedroom.
"Now, now. I know you overheard the spectacular finish last night. No teasing the poor man." Ginny looked back and winked at Harry before they disappeared down the hall to the bedrooms.
"So, I guess you're going out Friday night?" Harry asked when she came back into the room.
"Looks that way."
"Um. Don't mean to judge, but does she always come home like that? It seems dangerous."
Ginny shrugged. "Sometimes. But she is a grown woman. What can you do? Most of the people around here know her, and most at 6 a.m. would be intimidated or scared of her at this early hour the way she is." Ginny sat back down and picked up her coffee.
Harry's eyes trailed over her. She was so relaxed. She was such a treat to his eyes in this state. He could imagine coming home to her and waking up with her every morning. Wrapping his arms around her middle while she prepared food at the stove and kissing her neck. He would never have imagined this happening two days ago.
It had only been two days, he reminded himself.
"What have you got planned for us today?" he asked, searching for something to switch the subject to.
"Not telling. I'm not going to give you an edge," she smiled softly.
"Sorry. I didn't mean," he sighed. "I was just looking for something to talk about."
"Here's one we didn't touch on yesterday. How is it that the great Harry Potter is still single?"
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head slightly at the question. "I dated a bit before the war properly broke out, and then not again until at least a year after. It was very hard to tell who was properly interested in me, as opposed to my notoriety. Then I just kind of started having one-night stands," he blushed. Ginny didn't seem any more than amused by his admission.
"None of them worthy of a repeat?"
Harry's eyes darkened as he looked at her. He wanted multiple repeats of last night with her. "Not until now." Ginny licked her bottom lip slightly before biting it looking at him and smiling. "What about you? Where have you been at in the romance department over the last few years?"
"After spending all of my school life on guard for sexual predators it took me a while to let my guard down in that department. Wasn't until a year after I left Britain that I shagged for the first time. Then I… made up for lost time for a while. Never anyone serious. I moved around too much to develop a proper relationship."
That was the end of that conversation, and they both gave a look at each other like they were satisfied with the others answers.
()()()()()()
Ron and Harry gave each other a confused look.
They were slotted for the afternoon training session again. No clue what they were going to be getting into, but the morning session had only started about ten minutes ago, and now they were all filing out and headed for the exit. Some looking confident, some completely perplexed.
Everyone who had been sitting at their desks popped their heads up to follow the trail of early session Aurors with their eyes, looking for any indication of what was happening.
"I didn't see her with them," Ron said, referring to Ginny.
Harry leaned over in his chair to try and see into the conference room. She was still in there. Her Blundstone shoes were propped up on the table she sat at, crossed casually. Harry looked back at Ron and shrugged, turning back to his report littered desk.
Paperwork had been the bulk of his Auror career. He'd thought it would be mission after mission, but it was more noise complaint after misunderstanding. Lots of forms to be filled out. They were all getting this training because they were becoming 'lazy', and he couldn't help but attribute that in part to the paperwork.
And they knew, especially due to the way Ginny had embarrassed them, how unacceptable that was.
"So, do you think I should go in and ask her to dinner now?" Ron asked Harry nervously. He'd mentioned it to Harry the day previous. Harry was actually not sure Ron would follow through on it.
He almost told Ron she couldn't do it tonight but stopped himself. How would he have explained how he knew that Ginny had dinner plans already? "Yeah, go ahead. She's alone right now."
"Right. Yeah. I'll do it now," Ron nodded his head.
He was trying to psyche himself up. Harry smiled to himself at Ron's nervousness. He understood it though. He would be nervous too, and he had shagged her last night. Twice. And it had been amazing.
She said she wanted to keep meeting up with him while she was still there, but he didn't know if he was just supposed to invite her over, or follow her home again? He'd never done this before, and she was very much not just some regular girl.
He watched Ron bob in his seat a few more times before he stood up. It was amusing to watch actually; Ron looked for any and all distractions along the way. Stopped by Cuthbert's desk to ask about how he was healing up after the Bubotuber incident, commented on a cute picture on Williams' desk of his kids, then he went to the kitchen to cast a detection spell on the coffee pot.
Finally, he made it into the conference room and shut the door behind him.
Less than two minutes later he was back at his desk.
"Tomorrow," Ron said, red faced. Didn't look like his complexion it was due to embarrassment or anger.
"Feeling better?" Harry asked.
Ron swallowed. "I think I'm going to be sick. But I'm relieved, you know?"
"Sure. Now what are you going to tell Hermione?"
"Uh… bringing home two people from work for dinner?"
"Then, when Ginny shows up, won't 'Mione ask you to elaborate on the 'from work' comment?"
"Right. So, maybe I'll just say it's going to be you and … a surprise guest?"
"You don't think Mione is going to pick that one apart?"
"Okay. So, I'll just say you're coming, and Mioine will have an actual surprise guest."
"Seems safest."
"Good," Ron relaxed into his chair, problem fixed.
They got sent out on a quick disturbance call, when they returned a few of the morning training session attendees were back at their desks. Half of them were still missing though. The one's that were back weren't allowed to talk about what happened, but they seemed pretty happy.
At exactly 1p.m. their group was called in. Still twelve members of the afternoon session, no one had gotten sent to St. Mungo's in the last 24 hours.
Harry took his seat at the front table with Ron beside him again. Ginny had her back to him; she was double checking items in bags on her table. He couldn't help how his eyes travelled over her, taking in the way her jeans were hugging the curves on her lower half. He remembered the feeling of his hands grazing and gripping her bum in the early hours of that morning. Her hair was plaited down the middle of her back right now, it wasn't quite as neat as it had been when she'd first plaited it after breakfast though.
She was shifting on her feet, still checking the contents of the bags, then she abruptly turned around.
"Okay." Ginny flicked her wand at the door and it closed, "who can tell me what they noticed about this morning's group?" She was standing tall and confident, with a serious look on her face.
Beverly Hansen spoke up first, "the group was in here for approximately ten minutes, they all left at the same time, but had a staggered return time."
"And was there anything special you noticed about the one's that returned first?"
Beverly thought on it a minute, "erm. They seemed really happy with themselves?"
Ginny's lip twitched at that. "Anyone else? Guesses?"
"We were out on assignment," Ron pipped up. "Didn't see them come back."
"I saw you leave, and I saw you come back. Some of the people from this morning's session still hadn't returned. What can you tell me about the one's that had?"
"I, erm. Just that they seemed smug," Ron's face tinged pink.
"Alright. You'll understand what I'm asking you for after you learn your assignment," she submitted. "I honestly would have been very surprised, and slightly concerned, if someone was able to tell me what they had in common."
Ginny took the bags from the table and handed them out.
"In these bags you will find everything you need to complete your assignments for today, as well as a piece of paper detailing exactly what your assignment is." She went back to the front. "Each of you should have a ten pound note, an Oyster Card and map of the underground, some of you will have a fifty pound pre-paid credit card or a disposable camera. Read your assignments. You will see that each of you have been assigned to complete a menial task in the Muggle World.
"No magic will be allowed. None of you has the same task. One of you simply has to find a pizza shop and order up a slice. One of you has to get your photo taken on Tower Bridge, then get it developed and bring it back. The most difficult one involves going to an internet café and playing a game of Solitaire."
All of the Auror's, Harry included, were staring at her gape mouthed, waiting for some kind of explanation why.
"Blending in with Muggles is something we should all be able to do. They have customs and expressions that the majority of our world do not understand, and their technology is getting far more advanced than most could even comprehend. Keeping up with them is difficult, but you must know how to convincingly play stupid. They are not privy to our world, but we are to theirs. It is amazing how much intel you can find out through confused Muggles."
She looked over at Ron and Harry, "like when they see flying cars and need to be obliviated." The two of them looked down at their table a moment as the other Aurors snickered. "I had one case where I had to regular a Muggle coffee shop and kept having to talk with the Barista about some television show called 'Hollyoaks' in between joking about the topic I'd actually been wanting intel on," she told them seriously. "Now. Who can tell me what they noticed about the ones who returned from their task quickly this morning?"
"They were all Muggleborns or half-bloods," Lupin said.
"Yep," Ginny nodded and took her seat. "Now go and complete your assignments, then bring everything back here. You should aim to complete your task in roughly an hour." They all stood up. "Oh! One last thing. No helping each other. You can only get assistance from Muggles," she called out.
Harry heard Ron curse under his breath. Hermione had tried to get him to learn more about the Muggle world, but he'd resisted it for the most part, save for the breakfast cereals, he loved the breakfast cereals. Harry was sure that Ron was planning on getting Harry to assist him.
Harry had checked the bag he got to make sure it had the items she'd mentioned. His task was to find a Primark and purchase jeans and a white t-shirt. He had to chat with a sales associate and bring back the receipt wearing the clothes.
He smiled at his assignment. It was a completely normal task, for a Muggle. He really hoped that the Auror that had to go to the internet café was at least a half-blood. Even Harry would have trouble with that one.
It took him a while to locate a Primark, he had to use the Oyster card to get on the underground in order to get to the clothing store and back in under an hour. He asked the store clerk about if he'd watched the previous night's football game, then another one he asked permission to change into his new purchases before leaving the store. Then he took the tube back and was at the office in under fifty minutes.
It looked like he was the first one back. Ginny was still sitting at her table at the front of the room. She was bent over, scribbling on parchment with… an ear bud in her ear. She was listening to something on a Muggle device.
He entered the room and closed the door behind him. She looked up and held a finger to her lips, then reached her hand out, indicating she wanted his bag back. He handed it over and she traced the shoulder strap and took a small rectangular black box out of a hidden compartment. She clicked one of the buttons on it, then leaned back in her chair, smiling demurely.
"Looking good Potter," she appraised him in his new clothes.
"Is this what you want me wearing for our dinner tonight?" he flirted, puffing out his chest a bit.
She pouted slightly, pretending to think it over. "You can if you want to, but I will say one thing about Primark clothes," she smiled and traced her upper teeth with her tongue slowly, then leaned forward and lowered her voice, "they'll rip right off you pretty easily."
Harry sucked in a shallow breath. Dam this girl was hot. He needed to change the subject back to a work topic before she gave him a full-on erection. These jeans would not hide that.
"Was that a recording device?" he asked her.
She sat up and put her professional demeanor back into place, just giving him a look that said she wouldn't tell. "You can go back to your work now. There will be a meeting at four in here to discuss today's assignment."
Harry nodded and returned to his desk. He saw Carson Mitchel from the mornings group dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. They gave each other a half smile, and he got back to his paperwork.
Ron came back nearly an hour later. He went into the conference room and dropped off his bag. It didn't look like he said much more to her than 'here' and headed back to his desk. He sank into his chair and gave a frustrated sigh, running his hands over his face.
"You didn't get the internet café one, did you?" Harry laughed.
"No, I had to get a mobile phone. It was the most confusing experience of my life. I still don't understand 90 percent of what the bloke said. What the fuck is 'load'? And why did he keep pressing me to buy it?"
Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing uproariously in his friend's face.
()()()
The meeting at four was for both groups to attend. Once everyone was back, Harry could tell that the general consensus was that the Auror's really approved of the days task they'd been assigned. It was out of the box and should probably have been part of their initial Auror training.
They'd all been concerned after yesterday's lesson that every day would test their magic like they had never been tested before. But after today, they were relieved to know it wasn't all going to be like that.
Lupin was actually smiling at Harry and Ron when they sat by her for the meeting.
"I got the pizza task! I'd never had it before!" she told them. "I'm bringing a whole pizza home for Remus and Teddy tonight. Can't believe my dad never got us one while I was growing up! Totally robbed!" Her hair was the electric blue that it went when she was completely jazzed about something.
The jovial murmuring in the room went away completely when Ginny walked in.
Even Head Auror Scrimgeour didn't command that kind of attention.
She went up to the board at the front and stuck two large photos' up; both of Auror's at Tower Bridge. One was Beverly looking stiff, the other was Seamus striking a pose and winking.
"The majority of you were able to complete your assignments with minimal complications," she told the room. "Some of you blended in perfectly, some of you … not so much." She cast a cursory glance at a few people. "What only one of you realized, right at the end, is that I was recording you so that I would be able to hear exactly what you did."
A few people sat up straight at that. "For the most part, what I've heard so far has been entertaining. Some of you can string together an impressive amount of profanity." Harry and Lupin exchanged a look before the took in Ron's demeanor.
Ginny continued, "I was not happy to discover that some of you cheated and used magic. Those that did will be pulled aside for a meeting with the Head Auror later. But, overall, well done. My suggestion to everyone that had trouble with the Muggle terminology is to practice and accent." She cleared her throat slightly and put on an American, southern, accent, "y'all'll be more believable if they think yer from somewhere that don't call cellphone's mobiles, or kin claim that them machines just work so different back home."
She switched back to her regular voice, "by now you've discussed what your assignments were, and exchanged your stories." They all nodded. "Who thinks they had the hardest?" Five people raised their hands. She pointed at one, "what was your assignment?"
"Had to go and get pizza."
"What?!" Lupin asked loudly. "I had the same one. How was that hard?"
"I had to find somewhere that makes it!" he defended. "I wound up asking a Muggle where I should go, and they told me to get on the 'tube' to 'Eleph and Cas' for a 'wicked good slice, innit.' Wound up staring at the stupid underground map for ages until I realized they meant Elephant and Castle station. It was just one set of confusing directions after another."
The whole room was laughing, even Ginny had a smile on her face. "I did quite enjoy listening to that one," she admitted.
The rest were along the same lines. Just confusing Muggle conversations, mostly involving talking to chavs.
"Right then, so, as I said, overall good job. I hope each of you will have learned something from today's assignment. Dismissed." She headed out and into the Head Auror's office.
Everyone else lingered, sharing the rest of their stories of crazy Muggles.
"Want to grab a pint at the Leaky before I head home?" Ron asked Harry.
"No, thanks. You go home to Hermione and tell her about dinner tomorrow night. I'm going to go home and veg on the couch. See you tomorrow."
Ron cringed a bit but nodded and grabbed his cloak, then headed out. Harry looked around to see if he could find Ginny. She wasn't anywhere to be found.
They had discussed her going over to his for dinner, but not the specifics on how they would meet up. Knowing her she probably had already found out his address somehow.
He pulled on his jacket and headed out, hoping she'd track him down.
He'd just gotten on to Diagon Alley when he heard two synchronized dings come from his jacket pocket. He put his hand in the pocket and pulled out a little blue Nokia mobile. A slow smile came to his face. She'd stuck on to the phones purchased from today's assignments and slipped it into his jacket. He pressed one of the buttons and the phone lit up. There was a text message.
"Sainsbury. 1 km NW of Leaky. 15 min. G"
He didn't know how to text her back, but he liked her methods.
The grocers she wanted to meet him at was on the way to his place, and he would have had to stop and get food to make for dinner anyways. He couldn't help smiling to himself the entire walk to the grocers.
Once in the store, Harry grabbed a basket and started perusing the aisles. She'd made them a pretty healthy dinner and a standard breakfast. He wasn't sure what to make for her though. He'd never made dinner for a girl before; he'd always gone out on his dates.
If he brought someone back to his place, the most he'd do was dessert and how hard was it to assemble ice cream and chocolate sauce?
He paused in the aisle at the thought of whether Ginny would let him lick chocolate sauce off of her. He blinked a few times and shook the thought out of his head.
Dinner.
He needed to find something for dinner.
"Ever tried Gnocchi?" came a female voice behind him.
"Can't say I have," he smiled and turned around to face her. She looked fairly relaxed again. There was a healthy glow on her cheeks. There was something about her eyes too. At the headquarters they seemed so strict, or lifeless. Now they had this playful glimmer about them. Maybe that was just her transforming to match her surroundings, they did call her the Chameleon after all.
"What is Gnocchi? Please don't tell me it's like kale or something. Or complicated to make."
She laughed a light tinkling laugh and walked around him down the aisle. "It's just like pasta, except easier." She bent down at the pasta shelf and grabbed a package of what looked like little dumplings. "What do you have at home?" she asked, putting the packet in his basket.
"Best to assume I've got nothing," he said, to be on the safe side. She smiled and led him down to the soups. "You put it in soup?" he was puzzled. She said it was like pasta, didn't she?
"No, this is going to be turned into a nice sauce," she explained, adding a cream of mushroom soup to his basket. "Just because it is marketed as one thing, doesn't mean it doesn't have multiple uses."
"Huh. Condensed soup as a sauce." He looked at the price tag on the shelf. "Hey! It's cheaper too! I've been getting ripped off."
She shook her head and glanced back at him, still smiling as she carried on towards the meat department. "Probably want lamb or chicken with this," she said looking at the pre-wrapped selections.
"Let's do lamb. I've got some nice herbs that'd be well suited." She popped a small pack of lamb in the basket, then some sharp cheese.
Harry couldn't help but think how nice this was; doing the shopping with someone, then they were going to go to his place to make up this delicious dinner. She had a wider culinary knowledge than he did, that much was obvious from the cheese alone, he was sure he'd love whatever dishes she suggested. Whatever dressing was on their salad last night had certainly turned a simple chicken salad into something amazing.
They made their way to the cash and she grabbed a bottle of white wine too. "There, all the food groups. Meat, breads, dairy," she handled the wine bottle teasingly, "fruits and vegetables." He laughed at that.
They didn't say much of anything after he paid for the food and they made their way to his place. It was a very comfortable silence between them. He boldly linked his arm with hers, and felt a little warmth go through him when she didn't pull away.
Harry let them into his building. He'd moved into his flat after getting rid of Grimmauld Place about three years ago; that place was too dark and depressing. And there was only him to occupy it after Ron and Hermione bought their own place. Harry couldn't maintain it, and didn't want another House Elf, so he sold it, along with almost everything in it, save for the mounted House Elf heads, that were disposed of.
His flat was about three times the size of the place Ginny was staying. He was on the third floor, it had two bedrooms and a study, hardwood floors, as rather large bathroom, without a separate water closet, which was surprisingly rare for flats his size.
The space felt open, and light. It was all pleasant colored walls and comforting area rugs. Hermione helped him pick out furniture and really bring the place together.
"So, er, welcome to my place," Harry said as he opened the door for her. He saw a flicker of surprise and admiration cross her face. He'd had the same reaction the first time he saw the space.
The front door opened to the wide sitting room. The windows made the room seem larger than it was. The kitchen was immediately to his right, the bedrooms and such were all to the left.
"Very nice place Potter."
"Thanks," he smiled. "I'm quite proud of it."
"I'll bet." She kicked off her boots and wandered into the room more while Harry took his groceries to the kitchen.
The kitchen wasn't closed off from the sitting room, the main functional parts of the kitchen were along the wall, with a big island separating it from the rest of the room. He pulled out some cookware and read the instructions on the Gnocchi, telling him how to deal with it. Then he glanced over at Ginny and saw her looking at the pictures he had framed on the wall and had a momentary panic.
The pictures were mostly him with her family at weddings and birthdays. He wasn't sure if he should say something. What was he going to do? Apologize for him being there, and not her? He decided that the wine would probably help, so he grabbed two glasses and filled them up to bring one over to her.
"Is this your mum and dad?" she asked accepting the glass from him.
She was looking at the photo of James Potter and, at the time, Lily Evans dancing around and spinning, laughing in a courtyard somewhere.
"Yeah," he smiled. "I love that one."
"I see there's several from the Weasley events too," she pointed and said in a tone he took to indicate that she didn't need him to avoid that topic.
He sighed, "yeah. I'm at The Burrow at least once a month for some event of another."
"Mmhmm. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings," she listed off.
"Baby showers, job promotions, etcetera," he added on.
"And I'm sure if there's a lull in any of those, my mum will come up with something," she said lightly.
"Your dad actually owled me about one on Sunday."
Ginny nodded, "where Percy will tell you all that his wife is pregnant, and you will act surprised."
Harry's head snapped over to her at that. She had a playful smile on her lips. "How do you know that?"
She turned her attention to look him in the eyes. "Maybe I pulled the Weasley health records, or maybe I'm a Seer," she widened her eyes in an attempt to look innocent and took a sip of her wine.
"Or?" he indulged her.
She smiled widely, "or maybe I heard something in the lift when I was… shall we say, not myself."
Harry let out a single laugh, then turned back to the 'Wall of Weasley.' "You don't mind?" he gestured broadly to all the photos. "All of this?"
"You mean, do I mind that while I may be a part of the Weasley's by blood, you were adopted in, while I was essentially considered dangerous and forgotten?"
He sighed again, "yeah. That."
She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a personal and comfortable move on her part. He felt pleasantly warm again. He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her in tighter to his side.
"I came to terms with it long ago. I'm sure you still would have been a part of the family, even if I hadn't been given that blasted Diary, but I choose to look at it like I wouldn't be the same person, or put away as many evil bastards as I have if things went differently," she shrugged. She gestured broadly to the wall, just as he had done, "it is nice to know that they are all happy."
"But are you happy?" he asked her honestly.
She tilted her head up to look at him, he lowered his head to look back at her. She reached up and kissed him. It was a brief kiss but felt like something they'd been doing for years; familiar and complete.
"I'm happy enough," she said. "And I'll be happier with some food."
"Right. Dinner," he smiled and they headed back to the kitchen area. "Okay. So, I'm familiar enough with the flavor of cream of mushroom soup that I think I can get the lamb taken care of, if you can deal with the other bits."
Ginny smiled and set down her wine glass. "Deal."
They chatted all the way through dinner prep and dinner about the exploits the Auror's had with their Muggle experience that day. She did a pretty spot-on impression of Ron and his colorful language used whilst trying to navigate purchasing a mobile phone that had Harry choking on his Gnocchi. After, Harry put the dishes to clean themselves and they moved over to sit on the couch.
Then they were laying on the couch, completely entangled in each other. He had just enough presence of mind to make sure the privacy spell was indeed on the windows before he gave the neighbors a good show of him completely ravishing his redheaded seductress in plain view of the city.
()()()
This was originally two chapters, but that didn't work for the timeline of past and present (meaning 2004) chapters.
Always have mixed feelings about even reading reviews, so just add me to your Favorites, or Follows if you like it.
And a shout out to the Guest reader who tore apart a bad review for me, pretty sure one of the 'terms' you have to agree to when posting a story is that you will 'suck it up' (paraphrasing) when someone decides your work is stupid. So, thank you, because that one had me in a funk.