A/N: This is just to thank you guys for supporting me. It means a lot, even one little measly word for a review helps. So if you read this, please review! All right. I left you at a cliffhanger so I'll just let you read then shall I?
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'till it's gone?" –Joni Mitchell, 'Big Yellow Taxi'
--
Almost as soon as their lips made contact they broke away, both trying desperately to ignore the instant electrical shock sent through them. Ginny's eyes were as wide as golf balls, her hand over her mouth in shock. Draco's jaw had dropped. "You really are mad," he stated bluntly.
"Now well aware of that fact," Ginny replied sharply. "Ugh, that-that had to be some kind of spell!" Draco, who had sat down on the marble bench in shock, shot back up again, eyes blazing as fiery as ice can go.
"A spell! Are you accusing me of bewitching you?" he yelled furiously.
"Yes! Yes I am," Ginny said facing him confidently, but it was her eyes (as always) that gave her away. They were full of doubt and confusion.
"You're so full of shit Weasley. I'm going back in, press or no press."
"Fine!" Ginny yelled after him, hugging her arms due to the cold. "Go back to your bloody press! Tell them how dashing you are and how rich, and what fun!"
"I will!" He bellowed back at her, getting inside and slamming the door behind him. He looked around the cheerfully decorated ballroom and leaned against the wall wearily. Such bright colors were too vivid for his eyes at night when he was tired. "What a ruddy nightmare," he sighed, rubbing his temples and trying not to turn around and see what the girl was doing now outside. Grabbing a champagne flute off of a passing cart, he sipped it deeply and then cracked the glass almost casually with his hands. The shards of glass burst out onto the floor, blinking up at him innocently. Scowling, Draco made his way around the dance floor, a silent observer of the happy groups.
His eyes narrowed when he saw the Trio from his school days: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Only in this case, Ron had his arm draped tentatively around Hermione's bare shoulders while Harry seemed to be looking for someone. He's here with Weasley so he's looking for her, Draco realized quickly. Smirking, he made his way over, gently pushing past people to do so. When he got in front of them, it seemed as though the crowd parted for him to go through; they all saw who he was aiming for. Harry looked up to see what was going on and raised his eyebrow when he saw the unwelcome guest in front of them.
"What do you want Malfoy?" he asked tensely. The press huddled excitedly around, flashing puffs of smoke on occasion.
"Well, I was rather hoping to ask you that- you're looking for the Weaslette aren't you?" he asked. Hermione started, just seeming to realize Ginny wasn't there. Ron made a noise somewhat like a snarl in the back of his throat, which made Draco smirk more. "What's wrong?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned.
"Why do you care?" Ron demanded, ignoring the last question.
"Oh I don't care about her Weasley, don't get any ideas," Draco assured him lazily. "No no, it's just that she seems to be bored out of her mind out there and I was just wanting to confirm whether it really was you, Potter, who invoked the boredom or not. I got my answer." Smirking nastily, he started to walk towards the staircase where he could make an exit. Ron growled and started after him, but Hermione kept a surprisingly tight grip on his arm.
"Don't Ron, the cameras will catch every move," she hissed into his ear. Ron stopped and sighed.
"God what a prat," he and Harry muttered in unison. Hermione laughed.
"You two are incredible sometimes," she said as she waved the photographers away. "I wonder why she is outside though," she added frowning.
"Maybe she is bored," Harry said frowning. "Should I have asked her to dance or something?" he asked Hermione suddenly, looking a little lost. She grinned.
"No way, she's never bored with you."
"Oh," Harry said, embarrassed. "Well, I'll just wait here for her then, shall I?" Ron shrugged.
"Sure mate, but if she stays out there much longer I'd suggest being the chivalrous hero and all that, you know?" Harry nodded.
"Yeah you're right. I'll give her five minutes."
--
"Oh my God," Ginny said aloud to no one in particular. "Why did no one stop me?!?" she burst out abruptly, sending a few birds in nearby treetops to flight in fear. "Oh this is ridiculous," she mumbled to herself, putting her head in her hands and groaning. Why did I kiss him? Was the thought going 'round and 'round in her head as she sat there, I hate the bloody wanker, I wouldn't care if he disappeared off the face of the earth (again), in fact I'd be happy- so what with the smoochies? "Smoochies?" she said, horrified at her choice of words. "This is more serious than I thought."
The glass door opened up again making Ginny jump, but it was only Padma Patil who stood there this time, clad in a midnight blue dress. "Ginny?"
"Yeah hi," she replied absently, waving to a bench for her to sit on. Padma sat, wrapping her gauzy silver shawl around her tightly.
"It's chilly isn't it?" Padma asked Ginny, making idle conversation.
"Yup."
Padma brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and rummaged in her handbag. She came out triumphant with a pack of cigarettes and breathed a sigh of relief as she lit it and took a drag. "Thank God," she said gratefully, blowing out the smoke. Ginny made a face and scooted away from the billowing smoke clouds. "Yeah, Seamus doesn't like this either, I'm sorry," Padma apologized, seeing Ginny's expression and holding her hand so that the smoke would blow the opposite way. "It's just a habit, you know?" Ginny nodded.
"No, it's fine," Ginny reassured her. "Fred's practically a smokestack sometimes, I'm used to it." Padma laughed and took another drag.
"Once," she reflected, "he took away all my fags and flushed them down the toilet. He wouldn't even let me Apparate to the corner store to get a fresh pack!" She exhaled the smoke thoughtfully. "It was hell for a week- we couldn't stop fighting." Even Ginny, who was then preoccupied, could hear the sadness tinged in Padma's voice.
Is everything ok…with you and Seamus I mean?" she intrigued hesitantly. Padma looked up sharply and ground the cigarette under her heel.
"'Course. Everything's just dandy with him," she replied. Ginny frowned.
"No it's not, is it?" To Ginny's horror and surprise, Padma looked up with tears in her eyes.
"No," she said softly. "We can't agree on anything anymore Ginny…and at the end of these fights he just Apparates to a pub and comes back at 3 in the morning drunk as a duck." Ginny felt a pang of sympathy for the older girl. She and Seamus had married immediately following Hogwarts after a year and a half of dating, much to the dismay of Padma's mother Serena Patil. Ginny recalled her saying 'Never marry an Irish man, they're all worthless drunkards!' To everyone, they were Hogwarts' Cutest Couple, but apparently things had changed.
"Oh Padma I'm so sorry," Ginny said, coming to sit next to her. Padma shivered.
"It's all right. We'll get through it. We always do." She looked at Ginny, a flicker of hope nestled in her eyes. Ginny nodded and hugged her.
"Of course you will. If you-if you ever need to talk…"
"Thanks." There was a pause in which Padma lit another cigarette before the door opened again.
"Ginny?"
"Harry!" Holy shit, I forgot all about him! Ginny thought wildly, getting up and giving Padma a look like I've-got-to-go-now. Padma nodded and waved goodbye as Ginny followed Harry back into the ballroom. "I'm so sorry, I just-I needed some air." Harry nodded, looking relieved.
"That's good. I thought maybe something was wrong?" This was a question. Ginny shook her head vigorously, picking up a chocolate covered strawberry and popping it in her mouth.
"No, it's fabulous here," she replied, looking around. Harry looked at her closely.
"You're tired."
Ginny looked up at him and sighed, stopping herself from reaching for another strawberry. "I've been working a little more than usual lately," she explained. Harry frowned again.
"You know, I really could get you a nice job at the Ministry," he began, but Ginny cut him off.
"You know that scene didn't work out for me. It's not what I want to do." Harry raised an eyebrow that Ginny didn't like the look of.
"And waitressing is?" Inwardly shell-shocked, Ginny smiled and laughed. Ouch.
"I'm working on it." There was an awkward pause. Harry sighed and looked at her: at her carefully concealed dark circles and exhausted eyes that flickered outside every few seconds.
"Do you want me to take you home?" he offered. Ginny started.
"What?"
"I mean, you seem really tired- maybe you could use the rest." Ginny's mouth slowly formed into a smile.
"You mean it?" she asked, trying not to sound like a girl on Santa's lap.
"I mean it," he replied, smiling. Ginny grinned happily.
"Oh God thank you so much Harry," she exclaimed hugging him abruptly. Surprised, he patted her back.
"No problem. You really don't like these things do you?" he asked as they headed towards the steps, Ginny already delirious with happiness at the prospect of a full night's sleep.
"Hate them with a fiery passion," she agreed while nodding good night to the ghost butler.
"I'm not too fond of them myself," Harry said, taking her arm and walking out the door. "They're not my thing."
"I figured," Ginny said, looking at the eager photographers trying to follow them. "This is ridiculous, why do they have to follow you like that?" Harry shrugged.
"Well it's been pretty quiet lately. There's been some Dark activity, but all Muggles and they couldn't care less. Besides, we don't even know what the game is yet," he clarified for her. He nodded at her and they Apparated to the apartment. This time however, they had Apparated to the outside, right outside the brown door with the numbers '244' on it. Harry looked at the door. "This is it, right?" Ginny nodded. "Well…I'm sorry you're so tired. Maybe-maybe we could do something else some other time?" he asked. Ginny smiled wide.
"I'd love that," she said softly. Harry grinned.
"Then I'll send you an owl," he said.
"I'll be waiting." Harry looked at her and tipped her chin up slightly. He bent down, and as he did so Ginny's mind was saying 'This is it! What you've been waiting for for 10 years!' Gently, he kissed her. Ginny waited for the spark excitedly.
Nothing.
--
Hermione Apparated into the apartment at around two in the morning, slightly tipsy but on the whole still in tact. She happily threw herself down on the couch, thinking of the night. And what a night it was.
She and Ron had escaped the boredom of the Social by hightailing it to the bar the girls had gone to before the Social had begun. After laughing about Malfoy's face when the press showed up and Pansy's ridiculous feathered hat, they had actually talked. With the aid of alcohol, a somewhat open conversation had followed:
"So the Social was a bust then," laughed Hermione, playing with her shot glass.
"Yeah I guess…but the after party wasn't so bad," Ron remarked looking at her. Hermione dropped the shot glass, ignoring it as it rolled off the counter and fell onto the floor.
"Really?" she asked, acting as if she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Really. I took this great girl to a bar," Ron began, slightly slurred. "You see we're friends. But after this lame Social thingymabobber I'm not so sure if that's the best way to keep it."
"Oh?"
"Yup. You think she'd mind if I kissed her?" Ron asked as the bartender shot them a glare and swept up the shot glass mess. Hermione smiled wide.
"You know, I think she'd be okay with that," she replied.
Hermione leaned back contently into the sofa cushions and was just about to relive the kiss when an owl came in nosily and frantically, clamping a note in its beak. Alarmed, Hermione grabbed it and felt the warmth wash away from her face as she read.
--
Hermione was still sitting on the couch at six the next morning, looking scared and upset. Ginny didn't notice this as she had buried herself in the refrigerator to locate the milk (a hankering for a milkshake had overtaken her), but she heard had nodded hello to Hermione before. "Hermione what are you doing still in your-" she stood up and noticed with surprise Hermione's ashen face. "dress?" Hermione looked at her with tears settled on her lashes.
"Ginny…the Death Eaters, they got Seamus and Padma," she said weakly, sitting down. Ginny dropped the milk in astonishment, the thick white liquid spilling all over the blue linoleum surface like a creamy tidal wave; the déjà vu made her head spin. Sitting down on a stool, she was sure she was as pale as the milk she had upset.
"Oh my God," she said, not quite able to believe it.
"Yeah," Hermione said softly. "It was-it was in an attack last night, no one knew about it until this morning when…" she breathed in deeply. "…when Harry went to visit Seamus to talk to him about the Social last night and he found them on their bedroom floor." Ginny and Hermione both took a moment to think of the scene: Padma still in her sweatpants and shirt from sleeping, her raven hair tangled, on the floor next to her husband, who was no doubt already dressed and ready to go as he always was. "She even had a fresh cigarette in her hands, it was recent Gin, really recent."
"Why did they want them?" Ginny asked after the silence.
"I don't know," Hermione replied quietly. "It's all a mystery I suppose." Ginny nodded, resisting the urge to chew on her nails as she did when she was upset or anxious. She stood up slowly, sighing.
"I don't suppose they'd want us moping," Hermione said, doing the same as Ginny. Ginny shook her head, and they silently went into their own rooms.
--
A very loud and brisk knock on the door caused Draco to groan and roll over. "What do you want Marvelle?" He growled angrily. It burst open, making Draco sit up straight in fury. "Get the bloody hell out of my room!" He bellowed- then his eyes focused. "Potter?" he asked disbelievingly.
Harry pointed his wand at him, his arm shaking with rage. "You are now under the custody of the Ministry. Anything you say will be held against you."
--