Little bit of M rated stuff below. Enjoy.

London- 2004

Ginny awoke comfortably sandwiched with a pillow pressed against her front, and Harry spooning her back. It was a very pleasant way to wake-up. He was so snuggly warm behind her. Squinting at the light coming in through the window, best guess she had was that it was around 6 a.m.

Last night had been delicious. Dinner and dessert. Dessert of course being Harry.

She rubbed her thighs together at the memory. Her wiggling causing her bum pressed against his pelvis making him let out a very soft moan of appreciation.

They'd been so caught up in each other on his couch they didn't even make it off the couch, for the first round anyways. The second round they'd made it into his bedroom for.

Ginny properly opened her eyes and looked around the room. She hadn't taken any time to study the space last night. Her hormones had been driving her slightly mad with want. She had seen his desire in his eyes and felt his desperation for more of her through his trousers. It was more intoxicating than the wine.

Now she took her time to appraise his room.

He had a nice big window on the exterior wall, a walk in closet on the far side of the room, and another door that most likely led to a bathroom. There was an armoire against the wall separating the two doorways with a television on it. He had a full length mirror at an angle between the bathroom door and the door to the rest of the flat on the next wall.

The walls were a nice warm neutral color. Either Harry had very good taste, or he hired an interior designer. All of his furniture and walls were so perfect for the space.

A tinkling sound came from the other room. Ginny moaned. It was her mobile, and not the one she'd swiped from the bags yesterday to contact Harry with. She snuck out from under Harry's arm and rolled over the pillow to get out of the bed.

Picking up his white t-shirt from last night she pulled it over her naked form to pad along the cold floor to her jacket by the exit.

It was Bridgette. She was one of only a few people that had this number.

"Heyya." Ginny said quietly as she rubbed her eyes and carried on to the kitchen in search of a way to make coffee.

"Hey love, just checking in. You didn't come home yesterday, and weren't here this morning either. Got a little concerned. You on a new job?"

Ginny started opening cupboard doors. "No. Wound up having dinner at Harry's place. Then.. just stayed." She knew Bridgette would be able to hear the smile in her voice.

"That good in bed is he?"

"Best yet." She heard Bridgette yawn. "Everything still working good at work?"

"Oh. Yeah. Little exhausted. Mary got the bar shift last night. I had the pink room. Little sore right now."

Ginny set the kettle to fill, then placed it on the stove while she continued her search for caffeine. "Were some of the gents a little too rough last night?"

"No more than I'm used to. Wishing we had a tub here though."

Ginny hummed in assent, shifting herself slightly and noting some of the soreness that was a result of her own night of activities. "Well, don't know yet what my sleeping arrangement is for tonight either. I've told one of my brothers that I'd go to his for dinner." She cringed slightly.

"Eych. How do you think that's going to go?"

Bridgette had assumed that Ginny didn't get on with her family because of her 'chosen line of work' as a 'professional fluffer.' And Ginny wasn't about to tell her the truth. "I guess we'll see."

"So, I'll have to fend for myself for breakfast."

"There are bacon and bagels in the fridge for you." Ginny smiled to herself picturing her roommates pout.

"You're a doll. You'll at least send me a text tonight, let me know your brov didn't off you."

"Yes. And I'll definitely be home tomorrow night."

"Good, the girls are all looking forward to it."

"As am I. Get some sleep. I need to look for some coffee in this blasted place." Bridgette giggled and clicked off.

Ginny gave up on her search of the cupboards and pantry and went for her wand. "Accio coffee." There was a small 'thunk' that emanated from the freezer. Relieved, she went to the freezer and retrieved the coffee grounds when she heard the door open from Harry's bedroom.

"Everything alright?" He'd thrown on a pair of pajama bottoms and left his chest bare. His hair was even more disheveled than usual, it was a very nice sight. And had she already found a coffee making apparatus she would have probably taken more time to appreciate it.

"What do you have to turn this." She held up the coffee grounds. "Into something drinkable?" He gave her a sleepy grin and went to one of the cupboards under the counter in the island to pull out a French Press. "Okay. Now everything's alright." She smiled and took it from him to start measuring out the grounds.

"Did I hear you talking to someone?" He came to stand beside her, but didn't reach out.

"Mmhmm. Bridgette just called to check and make sure I was okay." She gave him a looking over, trying to gauge what he might be thinking about her being in his kitchen.

"Ah. Uh, how does she have your number? I thought you just got your phone yesterday?" He asked confused.

"I just got 'a' phone yesterday. I've had a mobile since the first day I arrived back. Unlike Ron, I knew what 'load' was." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

He just smiled softly and went about getting some breakfast ready. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Cooked." She said as the kettle whistled.

"Noted. Scrambled it is." He got out the frying and pulled the eggs and milk from the fridge, and popped some bread in the toaster.

Even after two nights together they moved around each other carefully. Still getting to know one another, and after their weird history it was easy for her to tell that neither of them really knew what this was between them.

"So, dinner tonight. Ron and Hermione's." Harry stated.

"A little mixed about that." She confirmed.

"I was surprised you agreed to it, to be honest. Aren't you worried about the other Weasley's finding out?"

She noted he was a little ridged asking that question. She set the kettle back down on the stove and pressed her front against his back slightly, kissed his bare shoulder and sighed. It was a familiar move, but her body instinctively put her there. It felt good to touch him. "I think part of me does want them to know." He tensed even more at that, and she let go of him, not quite sure if she'd gone out of bounds with his comfort level. Ginny continued, feeling slightly out of her own comfort level now. "I've been gone for so long, and they've thought wrong of me for so much longer." She grabbed a mug from the cupboard. "Do you actually drink coffee?" She asked.

"No." He admitted. "So, you want them to know? The whole truth?" There was a wrinkle between his brows.

"Christ, no!" Her eyes went wide at that idea. "I'm weary of anyone knowing my whole truth. But, I'm 24 now, and for the past 13 years I've been with out my family. It'd be nice to not have them blindly hate me anymore." She shrugged. Not letting on how truly nervous she was about even saying that out-loud. But Ron wanting to have her over for dinner had made her wonder if it was time for some sort of explanation to the rest of her family. A proper verbal one, that involved words coming out of her mouth and everything.

If things went well at dinner, then maybe, with Ron beside her, the rest of the family would finally listen. That kind of scared her. But she couldn't possibly tell them everything that had happened to her, even after so many years gone by, her mother would probably never forgive herself for standing by while that happened to her child.

"So, tonight is…" Harry started, and trailed off.

"Potentially going to be the first step to reconciliation?" She finished feeling a tight coil wrap in her belly at the intensity of it all.

He blew out a slow, serious breath. "What is the story you're planning on telling Hermione? Not that you're an Auror, surely." He was turned to face her, absentmindedly stirring the eggs with one arm.

"As close to the truth as possible with-out giving anything away about my career."

"She'll see right through that." He pointed out.

"Yes." She shrugged. "But she'll be smart enough not to pry." She grabbed two plates and pulled the toast form the toaster.

He made himself a cup of tea, then divided up the eggs on the plates. They ate breakfast in silence, both deep in thought about how that dinner might go. She collected the plates after they were both done and put them in the sink, resting back against the counter and wondering what it was exactly she should do now. He was sitting there, elbows on the counter, looking at her with an expression that was making her think about all they'd got up to before they fell asleep.

"You look good in that shirt." Harry commented. She smirked. The plain white shirt hung down to just past her bum. She'd caught him glancing at her chest a few times. The cold floor had made her nipples hard, and they were rather obvious through the cotton/polyester blend material. She licked her bottom lip quickly before biting it, then pulled back at the sides of the shirt so it clung to her front tighter.

"Think Is should wear it to work today? Or might someone notice and maybe think I'd spent the night with Auror Mitchel?" She teased.

He stood up and walked over to her, taking up the hem of the shirt and trailing his hand underneath along her naked side, and then pulled her close to him as she looked into his half hooded eyes. She felt her desire stirring, rather abruptly, in her nethers.

"No." He answered primally, before bringing his lips to her.

She hummed in satisfaction and melted against him. They might not have figured out what the hell they were to each other yet, but there was no question about this part of their relationship. He ran his hands down to her legs and lifted her up to seat her on the counter. Her legs parted to wrap around his middle, her hot center now pressed up to the skin just above where his bottoms sat.

His tongue invaded her mouth and they both moaned as she tightened her legs to bring him closer to her. His arms went around her. One into her hair and one pressing against the small of her back. She wanted him so badly to take her again.

"Apparate us to the bedroom." She demanded, pulling back from his mouth.

He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, clearing up the haze created by his arousal, before the crack resonated through the flat and he was now the only thing holding her up against him.

They fell back onto his bed and she used her feet to shift his bottoms down his legs. He didn't even bother taking them off all the way before plunging himself inside her. He held her hip down with one hand, using his other arm for leverage as he fucked her into the mattress.

She was still sensitive after being abstinent for so long, and he was well equipped and she could feel every move he made magnified ten fold. Her ecstasy ridden moans every time he was fully sheathed inside her were all she could manage to do to indicate she wanted it just as rough as he was giving it to her. He was hitting a spot deep inside her that was making her lose control. She wanted to rock against him, but the hold he had on her hip arrested her movements, and something about him exerting his power over her body was just spurring on her carnal desire, and giving her a higher high.

The pressure was building inside her at an alarming speed, then she felt as though a set of flood doors were opening and she was crying out her release after barely a minute. He groaned and growled as she tightened around him, never decreasing his speed.

"Ah. Fuck!" He groaned a moment later as he shot out his load inside her. He collapsed on top of her. "Holy fuck, you're so wet right now."

She giggled through her pleasure with her eyes still closed, enjoying the residual waves of pleasure from their frantic coupling. He took a few moments to catch his breath before he extracted himself.

"I need a shower." She sighed.

"Yeah." He replied.

Slowly she slid off the bed and tried to right her bow-leggedness before continuing on to the bathroom. She pulled the shirt over her head on the way there and tossed it back at the bed so it landed on him.

His bathroom was large. There was a toilet, bidet, a claw foot cast iron tub and a separate two person shower. Ginny shook her head at the luxury of it all. She checked the medicine cabinet and found a hair elastic. 'Probably left behind by one of his former conquests' she thought, and pulled her hair up.

If she went into the headquarters smelling of his shampoo someone might notice. She turned on the shower, waiting for the spray to warm up, then had to jump in as she felt something leak a bit down the inside of her leg. His and hers cum. He didn't have a retractable shower head, so she did her best to clean up her downstairs.

A moment after she'd cleaned up, Harry joined her. He grinned at her, taking up the soap and setting himself to rubbing it all over her. Then she took her turn on him.

Yeah. This part they definitely had down.

()()()()()()()()

Ginny felt trepidation about her training session for that day. She didn't when she arrived at the headquarters that morning, but she'd discussed what was going to be happening during the session with Head Auror Greyson and he handed her a file, as she had requested. It was a file on a case that had a missing link. Something that would require the Auror's to go over and over the information and try and figure it out.

The case was of two perpetrators that had been caught in the act of their crime. The evidence then had been irrefutable, and they'd admitted to their crimes under Veritaserum. But the mystery remained in how they came to be caught in the act. The person who caught them and brought them to justice was led to them by someone. That someone was the mystery.

As soon as she read the first name of the first perpetrator her breath hitched, and the trepidation set in. 'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.'

Ginny had been hoping for something else. Any other case really. It wasn't like she had an ego on her or anything, but she had gotten pretty good at her detective work over the years and wanted to be able to solve a cold case with her many skills, her experience, and ability to look at things from all angles.

But this. Well, this would just be cheating, it seemed to her.

Her apprehension was furthered when she remembered one of the victims was going to be in that morning's session. She sat at the table in the conference room wondering if she should request a different case. Initially, it hadn't mattered to her whether the cold case was going to get solved. It was just going to be an exercise of their minds and sleuthing skills. But, if she could finally close this case, then that was a good thing. It was her job.

Standing up, she flipped the case file closed and went to the door.

"Finnegan." She yelled into the bull pen. "I need to see you in here." She ignored the resounding 'Oooh's' that came from his colleagues. He entered the conference room wearily. "Close the door." She ordered. He did. She cast a silencing and locking charm on the door. "Take a seat." She saw his hesitation before sitting at the first desk.

He shifted uncertainly in his seat. "Did I-"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Ginny cut him off. "You've been doing very well so far. And I like your attitude." She told him straight faced. He relaxed slightly, but his face still portrayed his worry over being called out. "The issue I am having right now is due to concern with a case that we will be going over today. And I want to give you the opportunity to recuse yourself from today's session."

"Is it one of my old cases? Something get bungled?" His face was riddled with concern.

"No, not one of your old cases. It is an old case involving you that never had all the dots connected." She could see a far off look in his eyes that she knew meant he was thinking back to what she might mean. Then saw the light come on in his head.

"You mean…"

"Yes. The one involving you and Hannah Abbot." She said delicately.

He let out a troubled breath and slumped back in his chair. "But they were put away."

"Yes. And they weren't even part of the break-out in '96. They've been rotting there ever since they were convicted." She assured him. "But there was the one link that kept the case from being closed properly. Please know that I did not ask for this case specifically, and I don't think Head Auror Scrimgeour read through it before handing it over, so he didn't know your involvement."

"You think we can close the case?"

She was careful how she was phrasing this next part. "Any unsolved case is a good exercise for today's session. Whether it gets solved or not."

He nodded. "Then I don't want to recuse myself. I was a witness. If you have a source, you should use them, right?"

She wanted to grin at his bravado. Instead, she nodded once. "Good."

He stood up. "And I'd like to be in this afternoons session too if you don't mind. If I can be of any help in closing the case finally, I want to do it."

"I'll let the Head Auror know." She said in dismissal.

()()()()()

The morning's session had not solved the mystery, and having Seamus there for the afternoon session did not start out well. He didn't understand the point of the exercise.

"What are you doing here mate? Get yourself a do over?" Ron asked Seamus as the afternoon session took their seats.

"I offered to assist." He said proudly.

Harry and Ron took their seats, giving him a confused look. "She needs assistance?" Harry asked.

Ginny was standing at the front, listening to them. She shut the door behind the last person. There were now twelve people in this session, plus Seamus. Someone didn't notice an unstable firework under their desk before they accidentally kicked it and got a serious burn on their leg causing them to go to St. Mungo's.

"Everyone take your seats. You will see a copy of a case that has not yet been closed due to a missing link. In today's session we are going to brainstorm and try to find that link. I will create the story board for the case up here at the front, and you will all come at it from different angles so we can attempt to close it." She explained. "Also in front of you is a logic based puzzle called Sudoku. It is a Japanese number placement puzzle that requires you to fill in the missing boxes with the numbers one through nine. No row or sectioned off three by three square can have a repeating number. We will get the story board up and unless you have something to contribute to try and solve the case, you will be working on the puzzle.

"The reason I am having you do the puzzle while we solve the case is because this puzzle requires you to take in the whole picture, and solve each box by looking at the possible answer taking into account how the answer would be affected by the other squares. As such it could help your process." They all looked a little confused, but interested. "Mr. Finnegan is here to assist us as a witness to this case."

"It's a fake case?" Tonks asked confused.

"No, it's a real case. And I was really there." He told them.

"As he was in this morning's session, and assisted in finding potential answers, he offered to help with your session as well." Ginny explained. "Open your case files and lets get started."

The story board came together quickly. Unfortunately Seamus kept opening his mouth to answer the questions, or tell them what should be written down. The third time he did, she magically gagged him.

"I'll remove it for your interview." She told him.

He was eager to have the case solved, but didn't understand that the whole point was to get the others to reach conclusions on their own, unhampered by assumptions made by the mornings group. She removed Seamus' gag for him to relay the event as he remembered it, then put the gag back in place.

She had a list going on the wall of descriptions of the person they were looking for as decided by the team. After about a half hour of back and forth, the group seemed to be out of ideas.

"Alright, so once more. We are looking for someone who worked alone. Most likely a student, because a Professor would have shown themselves, a House Elf would tell, and a ghost would be incapable of using the wand to cast the incriminating spell. We are looking for someone that was a sixth year or above because, while the charms used were easy enough, the ability to make themselves completely unseen is something above OWL level. They are patient and methodical, and they are not afraid to break the rules, as they were out after curfew." She listed off their assumptions.

"There's a chance they could have died during the war." Ron said.

"There is, so when we list out the people who meet the description we will take the deceased into account." She went over to the board again to write 'Suspects'. "Several of you were at Hogwarts at the time. Who can you name that is all encompassing of these categories?"

No one spoke.

"Okay. Lets start removing assumptions." She blanked out the first assumption. "What if it wasn't someone working alone?"

Seamus pointed to Harry and Ron.

"That's removing two assumptions Seamus. They hadn't taken their OWL's yet." Ginny told the mute man.

"It wasn't us." Ron said to him angrily.

"Fred and George Weasley." Tonks offered.

"Nice, and from someone who didn't go to Hogwarts then no less." Ginny wrote down the twins names. "Anyone else?"

Nothing.

"Okay, next assumption. Not a student, but and Elf or Professor."

"Could have been Snape." Harry offered.

"But he was in his chamber when the Patronus went to him." Beverly said.

"He was the last to arrive. Could have been because he switched the wands, then bailed and came back."

Ginny wrote down Severus Snape. "Okay. Fifth year or lower?" Ginny moved her line down the list. She heard a breath suck in behind her and knew it had come from Harry. She turned to look at him. Her expression was completely neutral. "Do you have someone in mind?"

She saw his Adams apple bob once. "Ginny Weasley."

She nodded and turned around to put her own name on the list us suspects.

"Whoa, you think it was Ginny?" Ron asked.

"I think considering the assumptions, and given what we know now, she fits." Harry told him.

"Anyone else?" Ginny asked.

Nothing. There were no answers for the next two options of suspects with the removal of assumptions.

"Right. So unfortunately, we cannot ask Severus Snape if it was him, so that leaves us with the three Weasley's. Very interesting." She faced the group again. "Who thinks it was the twins?" No one raised their hands. "And Snape?" Still nothing. "And who thinks it was me?" Everyone raised their hands.

She didn't say anything to them. She went to the door and opened it wide. "Can I get everyone from the mornings group in here that's available." She shouted. Greyson Scrimgeour was at one of the desks. "You too." She called him in.

Once the last person came in she shut the door again and waved her wand to pull up the morning sessions board with their assumptions and suspects.

"This morning's session assumed either the Head Boy, or McGonagall. This afternoon's session was seeing red though, and guessed Snape and a few Weasley's. Me in particular." The whole room was completely silent.

Ginny swallowed down all of her nerves and turned to Seamus removing the spell. He still remained silent. "As I told Seamus this morning, I didn't know before I got this case file that it was the one we were going to be going over. I didn't even know if we would actually solve a case. Today's training was supposed to be about brainstorming and pattern recognition. But I wasn't going to pick a different case just because one of the victims was present, and I certainly wasn't going to leave a case open that I could close." She spoke to Seamus in particular now. "I am so sorry that I couldn't stop that from happening to you and Hannah." She said calmly and sincerely. "I've thought back over it several times in the years since, and I still believe that they had to be caught in the act at that point. If they'd have been stopped earlier, then the Veritaserum would not have been called for, and we wouldn't have known just how many victims there had been. I am sorry you had to watch what happened to her, but I did what I could to get the Professor there in time to hear the Unforgivable being used."

"It was you?" He asked dumbfounded. Ginny clenched her jaw and nodded.

"You put your first dark wizards away in Azkaban when you were fourteen?!" Ron burst out.

"Not an appropriate time Ronald." She growled. She faced the rest of the room again. "Thank-you to both groups for today's session, and congratulations on closing this case. Now, get out."

Seamus and Scrimgeour stayed where they were, everyone else got up and headed for the door. She sealed it behind the last of them.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked Seamus.

"Yeah. I mean. I guess. It was really rough for me after that happened. Hannah couldn't ever look at me again. When I learned what they'd been doing, it, well. It's the reason I wanted to become an Auror, even before the war really broke out." He stared down at his hands a minute, then looked her dead in the eyes. "Guess I thought I'd feel different once I had the answer, but… Thank you."

"You won't be able to fill out the report, because it would be a conflict of interest, but you can be here while Head Auror Scrimgeour does it." Ginny offered.

"Yeah, I want to."

"Okay then." She turned to Greyson. "Let's close this case properly."

()()()()()()()()()

"What's the story for Hermione?" Ginny asked Ron at 4:50 p.m. The case had been completely closed now and, against Ginny's wishes, Seamus had hugged her after.

Ron stared at her a moment. He looked to be a little in awe of her. He shook his head out of it. "Bumped into you, convinced you to come over to dinner because Hermione'd been nagging me to get in touch with you."

Ginny raised her eyebrow. "She's been nagging you about that?"

Hermione and she hadn't spoken much, even when they shared a room occasionally when she'd stayed at the Burrow. She'd been the only person that had made effort a few times to talk to Ginny in school but Ginny hadn't been in the right state of mind to accept it though, and she'd always felt bad about her poor reactions to her. Ginny had been truly happy that she and Ron had come together. She'd always liked Hermione.

"Yeah. A few times." Ron blushed a bit.

"And you'd dutifully ignored her." Ginny stated. He just blushed harder. Ginny looked over to Harry. "You ready to play along?"

"Not my first undercover mission." He shrugged with a hint of a smile.

Ginny pulled her eyes away from him to focus them on Ron. "Super, shall we go?"

()()

Ron Apparated her to their flat. Harry appeared a moment later.

"Mione won't be home yet. She, erm, she might be a bit. Or she might be a minute. It varies." Ron explained.

Ginny nodded. "Want to give me a tour then?"

Their place was about half the size of Harry's flat, and completely stacked with books. It was a one bedroom flat with a study, a living room/ dining room combo and a galley kitchen. There were little touches reminiscent of the Burrow everywhere. Items knitted, clearly by her mother, and obscure items on display, clutter on every other shelf. Ginny was surprised that someone as seemingly uptight as Hermione, was okay living like this.

She figured Hermione probably just wasn't very domesticated. Neither was Ron. Hermione also didn't know they were having a guest, and Ron wouldn't have thought to clean up the little piles of accumulation.

She smirked to herself. "Need help in the kitchen?" She asked Ron.

"Er. Right. Food." He led the way into the kitchen and she and Harry stood at either side of the entrance. Ron looked in the fridge and pulled out some cold cuts. "We normally just do sandwiches."

"You mean you normally just do sandwiches." Harry corrected with a smirk.

"Ah. Yeah. I'm not so good with the company cooking." Ron bashfully admitted. It was easy to see he was unsure of this situation. Long lost sister who may as well be a stranger, but unable to treat her as such.

"May I?" Ginny asked, indicating she wanted to see what they had to work with.

Ron put the cold cuts back and stepped back to the entryway. The first pantry door she opened there was rice and a butter chicken sauce jar. "Do you have chicken and onion?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Great. Butter Chicken it is." She handed him the Jar. "Don't forget to make the rice, and follow the instructions on the label."

"Uh. Right, I can do that." Ron switched places with her again.

"So, what has Hermione been up to in the past eight years?" She asked the pair of them.

Ginny and Harry stood back and directed Ron about dinner as he relayed Hermione's career in the Ministry over the years. She started at the Ministry Support Staff, then to the Department of Mysteries, now she'd settled into the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she'd been happily for the past three years.

"Did she ever get SPEW off the ground then?" Ginny asked. "I've never heard anything about it, but remember her handing out fliers in school."

Harry and Ron chuckled at the memory of those days. "No. But she did help institute a sector responsible for helping them report grievances against their owners. No House Elf has used it to my knowledge." Ron said. "And Ministry Elves were all given nicer living quarters and wages. Or the option at least. Some of 'em were still deeply offended at the idea."

There was a wooshing noise and a flash of green behind them. Tell tale signs of Floo travel.

"Sorry I'm late! Oh Harry, you brought someone, that's nice. Just give me a minute to get-" Hermione was standing in front of the fireplace patting the soot off of her. She'd only given a cursory glance toward the kitchen area. Then she did a double take. "Ginny!?"

She looked exactly the same as the last time Ginny had seen her. Maybe a little less frantic look about her, and her hair had calmed down a bit. But Hermione had always been, and looked, an old soul. Pretty, but an old soul.

"Uh. Look who I found." Ron smiled awkwardly.

"Smooth." Harry whispered.

Hermione ignored the two men and went to Ginny to pull her into a hug. Ginny had somewhat expected this reaction from her sister-in-law. She had never been prejudiced against her like everyone else, they had just simply never been friends.

"It is so good to see you!" Hermione pulled back. "You look great! What have you been doing? Where have you been? Do your parents know you're here? Where did you and Ron run into each other? We got your wedding gift! Put it up on the wall over here. I think it's beautiful. We would have loved for you to be at the wedding, but of course we didn't know how to contact you. The maple leaf is Canadian, right? Have you been in Canada this whole time? Was it lovely there?"

"Hermione!" Harry said in exasperation. "Calm down."

She was gripping Ginny's shoulders and rambling all of her questions and comments into one run-on sentence.

"She's here for dinner." Ron said. "You don't need to ask her everything all at once!"

"Dinner! Oh." She sniffed the air. "That smells lovely. Thank you Ron." She looked over at the dinner table, it was covered with parchment and books along with various odds and ends. "Oh bugger. This place is a mess." She waved her wand to make everything tidy itself.

"Harry, can you set the table?" Hermione looked back to Ginny. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back. I have to change. I've been dealing with Water Nymphs all day, and feel all warm and sticky. But I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" She ordered, as though concerned Ginny would turn to dust if she took her eye off of her for even a second.

Ginny's eyes were a little wide with a cautious smile on her face as she nodded once in promise. Hermione let go of her abruptly and bolted to the bedroom. "Well, she's excited to see me." She commented to the guys.

They both snickered. Harry set the plates down at the table. Hermione was back in a flash, dressed much more casually with her hair pulled up.

"Okay, so tell me everything. Start with where you've been." She took Ginny by her arm and led her to the table so they could sit down.

"Lots of places." Ginny began off somewhat awkwardly. "Started off in New Zealand after I graduated."

"Oh! Gorgeous. I've never been, but I've seen pictures. We went to Australia once, but it's really not the same thing, is it?"

"Uh, no. Australia was way different."

"Oh! Were you there too?" Hermione's face was lit up with excitement. Ginny was holding back her laughter at how boisterous she was.

"Yeah. Lived there for a bit too."

"Anywhere else?"

"Um. Yeah. South Africa, Canada. Last one was Puerto Rico for a few months." She said evenly.

"That's fantastic. Must have been nice." Hermione beamed. "Did you two already know?" She turned to Ron and Harry. "You're acting like this isn't a surprise. Or even interesting."

"Yeah. Well, we've already heard most of it." Ron admitted.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "When did you run into each other?"

"Recently." Ginny answered with a smirk.

Hermione looked at her puzzling. "And, what have you been doing for the past seven years? In all these different countries?"

Ginny tilted her head slightly, as tight and amused smile on her face. "This and that." She knew Hermione would connect the dots.

Sure enough, she kept looking between her husband, her best friend, and her sister-in-law. "Are you and Auror?"

"She's quick." Ginny commented to the boys.

"It's the only reason I could think of that explains why Ron seems so calm. Is this why the two of you got so drunk on Monday night?" She asked. "Have you known for four days with-out telling me?" She asked loudly.

"To be fair. He wasn't allowed to." Ginny told her. "I cast a compulsion spell on all the Auror's so they couldn't tell anyone."

"So, are you not back permanently?"

"No. Here on loan for a bit."

"What ever for?"

"That's classified." Ginny told her, accepting a glass of water from Harry. Out of habit she checked the glass for contaminants.

"You think I'd spike your glass with something?" He asked surprised and slightly offended when he noticed the faint glow emanating from the water, indicating it was safe to drink.

"Oh. Um. It's just habit." Ginny explained, somewhat apologetically.

"Well, you can check the dinner too." Ron said, not bothered, as he put a pan down in the middle of the table with the chicken dish followed by the pot of rice.

"And have you been an Auror since you left?" Hermione asked her.

"I was recruited not long after I got to New Zealand."

"And do you like it?"

Ginny was a little take aback by the question. It was what she knew, it felt right and she was good at it. "I supposed it feels good to be putting away dangerous criminals, yeah."

Hermione rested her chin on her palm, elbow on the table, observing her with fascination. "I've always wondered what happened to you. I even tried looking for you through the ministry resources."

Ginny smiled briefly at that. "You weren't checking the right resources. These two could have found me through the Auror's office." She pointed to Ron and Harry with her fork.

"We would have been able to check in headquarters?" Ron asked. "Like, cases you've done and whatnot?"

"Probably some of them. A lot of it might be redacted though. And a lot of it might be under my code name only."

"What's your code name?" Hermione asked brightly. The three Auror's stopped what they were doing with arms frozen in mid-movement to look at her expressionless. Her eyes darted between the three of them again. "Right. Stupid question." She bushed. "But. What about…" She paused. "Everyone else?"

Ginny saw Ron and Harry shift uncomfortable and then find their dinner fascinating. "We'll see." Ginny said. It was the only thing she could offer. "There's a lot of history there, and I don't think they want to see me."

"That's not true!" Hermione assured her. "I know that your parents would want to know that you're okay! They haven't taken you off the clock."

"What does it point to?" Ginny asked, cutting Hermione off. She was truly curious.

"I've seen it pointing to 'Traveling' every time I'm over." Ron said. "I, erm, saw it point to 'Mortal Peril' once, but it switched back to traveling really quickly, so I thought I might have just been seeing things."

"When was that?" Ginny asked him, trying to think of the last time she'd been properly in danger.

"Uh. Two years ago? Victoire's birthday, so it was April."

Ginny closed her eyes a moment, trying to suppress a shudder. "Oh." Was her only comment, the she started eating, hoping they'd move on.

"We're all going to the Burrow on Sunday." Hermione mentioned.

Ginny snorted and fought to swallow the rice in her mouth. "You aren't seriously suggesting I go, are you?" She looked incredulously at Hermione.

"Well… everyone will be there. You could just, I don't know, rip off the band-aid."

"I'd rather just take the cowards way out with this and send them a letter. Something like 'Hey. Still alive, not such a crazy evil bitch anymore. I've got references if you want to check.'" She was now looking at Hermione like she was crazy. "Probably less chance of giving my parents a heart attack."

"But you weren't actually crazy, or evil." Ron said. "It was all just, a mis-understanding." Ron pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. They thought I was." She pointed out right back.

"What did happen?" Hermione asked delicately. "Ron said you were so happy and eager to go to Hogwarts, but as soon as you got there you were a completely different person."

Ginny took a breath, then the accuracy of her description made her laugh. "Ahem. Sorry." She coughed and caught Harry's eye. "That's because I was." She admitted. "I was possessed for almost all of my first year."

Ron spit out his water across the table. "You were? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Ginny pushed her feelings down, just as she had needed to so many times before. It was her defensive response to dealing with any painful emotions. "I had tried." She said emotionlessly. "Tom had done a good job of destroying my relationships with everyone that knew me, and horribly tainting all new relationships with other students and professors. No one liked me, or wanted to listen to me. After a while I just gave up trying and did my best to be invisible."

"Tom? Tom Riddle?" Hermione asked quietly. She looked over at Harry. He was looking at Ginny with sadness and compassion. "You knew!" Hermione yelled in surprise, pointing a finger in his face.

Ginny just gave him a look that said 'you have no poker face'. "I told him two days ago." She admitted. "Thought he was owed the story first."

She put her hand back on the table, still narrowing her eyes at Harry for keeping something so important to himself. "Hmm. That's fair." Hermione said. Ron was looking surprised that Harry had that information for two days with out telling him either.

Ginny sighed knowing she had to get through the story, or Hermione would keep asking questions. She gave them all the cliffs notes version of her possession and coming out of it, including finding Hermione's note and sending it and the Diary to Dumbledore anonymously.

They all listen with rapt attention, and as soon as she started telling the story it just flowed out of her with complete ease. They moved from the table to the sitting area with an aperitif. Ron started pouring them as soon as they'd finished with dinner.

Ron downed his first one and poured himself another. "Ginny. Something's been bothering me."

She looked at him inquisitively. "Yeah?"

"Um. About today, and what we'd talked about."

"Yeah?" She urged him to continue through gritted teeth. Knowing what he was leading to.

"I remembered something from, well, from my fourth year and I've been feeling pretty gutted about it." Ginny sipped her drink and waited. "Remember when Dean and I came across you and... and I had assumed..."

She twirled the glass around in her hand, watching the liquid swirl around too. "I remember. You had pretty good timing."

"Ginny. That wasn't. I shouldn't have assumed." He muttered. "I'm sorry."

"You still managed to stop him." She placated quietly.

"He still managed to stop who? And from doing what?" Hermione asked angrily.

"One of the people talked about today did something when we were in fourth year? To you?" Harry asked Ginny startled, then turned to nearly shout at Ron. "What did you do? What did Dean do?"

Ron's ears turned red in embarrassment. Ginny didn't say anything. He had been the one in the wrong, and she wanted him to deal with the repercussions of his poor judgement. "Ahem, someone was making unwanted advances on Ginny, Dean and I caught them."

"What made you find me in that situation?" Ginny asked, rather viciously.

His face went a little more red. "We, erm, heard a scream."

Hermione went over to Ron and hit him upside the back of his head. "You heard her scream and still thought the worst of her? What did you do Ron?" She yelled.

"He told us that there were broom closets, so he wouldn't have to see that." Ginny answered.

"I'm sorry!" Ron pleaded. "I feel really awful about it."

"Good." Ginny said simply.

"And then you came back to Gryffindor and told everyone, didn't you." Harry asked angrily. "I remember now. That was when you started talking about her and Adrian Pucey!" He looked about ready to throw up at the name. Understandable considering how much they'd talked about him today.

"The one that got thrown into Azkaban for what he was doing with those poor girls!" Hermione nearly shrieked. She turned to Ginny in horror. "He didn't-"

"No." Ginny said quickly. "Had Ron and Dean come along when they did, I might not be able to say that." She conceded.

They all sat quietly staring into their drinks for a while. Hermione would glare over at Ron every few moments. Harry tossed him an angry look every now and then too. Once they'd finished their drinks there was too much tension in the air and Ginny wanted to pull the escape cord.

"Well, this has been... thank you for the dinner." She said to start excusing herself.

Hermione stood up abruptly and pulled her into another hug. "I'm so relieved to see you Ginny. So happy you're back, and that you came to see us." She walked her to the door. Harry was right behind them. "I want to meet up with you again before you leave. There's so much more I want to know. Can we do lunch one day?"

"Sure Hermione." Ginny nodded.

"I'll be heading out too." Harry told them both. "I'll leave you to deal with him." He jerked his thumb back towards where Ron was still sitting in his armchair.

Hermione gave another glare in his direction. "He'll be getting pretty familiar with that chair tonight." She snarled, and turned back to Ginny with a sad smile. "So glad you came back and told us what happened. That must have been so awful for you. Thank you for finally trusting me." She gave her another hug and bit farewell to Harry.

Ginny let out a relieved breath once the door closed behind them and leaned against the wall. "That was."

Harry subtly nudged her down the hall to the Apparation point, in case Hermione was looking through the peep hole. "My place?" He whispered.

She nodded and turned.

Once they were both in his foyer area she grabbed her phone and sent a quick message to Bridgette, letting her know she was at Harry's place again for the night. Then she went and joined Harry on the couch. He handed her a firewhiskey, she took it with out protest.

"I can't believe Ron." Was all Harry had to say.

"He didn't know any better." Ginny said in his defense, but no defensiveness behind her voice. "He did actually come to my rescue then."

"He was your brother." Harry said, as though that should have been enough.

"Harry." Ginny pleaded. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. It happened. Nothing happened." She said, meaning nothing happened with her and Pucey. "And that situation never came up again. I just had to deal with the rumors, but I was doing that before then anyways."

"Just let me be angry on your behalf please?" He said angrily, but then they both smiled at each other shyly.

"Can you be angry at the gym tomorrow or something?" She asked. "I don't want to talk about this any more tonight." She moved in a little closer to him. "Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?" He put his arm around her.

"Was Sirius Black an Animagus?"

I almost had to re-do this entire chapter because of an encryption thingy with my thumb drive. Not only had this chapter taken up hours of my time and sweat, it also took my money to get some site to get it un-encrypted, not a lot of money, but money none the less. Sufficed to say, I'd appreciate it if you all give me some nice reviews or follow or favorite the story. I like seeing those numbers go up.