Leaky Cauldron

Chapter 3

            Ginny apparated back to St. Mungo's and slowly walked into the room. Before she entered, she stopped. She could hear the low sobbing of a young woman. Ginny knew Ron didn't share a room with anyone. The woman spoke, in a hushed whisper and Ginny knew immediately who it was.

            "Hi Ron. Sorry I haven't come to see you in a while, I've just been so mixed up lately. I guess now that Ginny is here, I have to face new things. One being you. I know that you'll wake up someday and I've dreamed for that day to come, but…I just don't know anymore. Life is so hard now, even harsher then the war. I need you…but then again I don't know what I need."

            Hermione.

            She continued, "Sorry I kind of left you're side. I remembered when I promised I'd never do that and look at me now, I broke that promise. But I'm here now, I won't leave again. Yeah…"

            Her voice stopped and Ginny waited a few seconds before entering.

            "Hey 'Mione…" She greeted.

            Hermione sat on a chair next to Ron's bed, "Oh, Hi Ginny."

            "Where are the others?" Ginny asked.

            "Well the two had to go back to the shop and Harry got an owl from the ministry. I volunteered to stay here and wait till you got back." Hermione explained.

            Ginny crossed the room, "Thanks…"

            "It's no problem," she assured her, "Anything for an old friend…"

            "Yeah…" Ginny whispered, "An old friend…"

            Hermione didn't hear her, "Well, the ministry is going to be looking for me. Sorry I have to leave you. Expect us to get in touch with you very soon." Hermione got stood up.

            "Oh, it's perfectly fine. I have to get some things done myself."

            "Alright, I'll see you sometime then…" Hermione smiled and gave her a hug before apparating out. Ginny stared a bit at her lifeless brother and then turned away, tears immediately forming in her eyes.

            "I'll see you sometime Ron…"

            She then apparated back to her apartment.

***

            Draco lay in his bed with his face against his pillow. He was used to his schedule for the past year. He would always stay in bed till the late afternoon and go to the bar for the rest of the day. It wasn't like he had to do anything. He didn't need to work, considering he had all of his father's money, and that was quite a large sum. He was always distant from people and once someone got to know him they'd distant themselves from him knowing he was the son of the notorious death eater.

            He didn't need people. That's what he always told himself. Why would he try to be social and get pushed away? It was easier to abandon the world then to cope with it abandoning you. So, for the past year after the war was over he had done nothing, absolutely nothing. He didn't help with the rebuilding, nor was he persecuted as a death eater.

            The past six years of war as well as the following years he had been the most miserable. He was more miserable during the war then he had ever been in Hogwarts as a teenager, having to face his parents, grades, teachers, and peers.

            His life had meant nothing.

            He was not persecuted as a death eater as the ministry no real evidence. When he was eighteen, he refused the dark mark and was disowned from his family. He didn't want to deal with any of it. He didn't want to deal with the bitter hatred that he had been dealing with since he was born and he didn't want to deal with the ugliness of politics. He had never been one to lead. He was more of the person to criticize those around him. So, he deemed that everyone should go to hell.

            And as he thought that in his early twenties, he found himself in his own little hell. Without his fellow Slytherin death eaters to be backed up upon and without trust of the other side, he found himself alone. Even with the smallest glance of either side, they would jump and attack him. Whether it was because of his betrayal or past acts, he was constantly hunted. When he left the manor, in order to lead whatever was left of his normal life, he had condemned himself to a nightmare. A nightmare he had still not been able to wake up from.

            Even after seven years, he could not find his way out of the labyrinth of hatred and anger he felt toward the world. He supposed that this might be his punishment, a complex web that he would not be able to escape from. Or could he?

            He thought to himself every night in which sleep abandoned him, could he live the life he wanted? His horrible life was the only thing he knew. But, he felt something. Maybe, he had just a slight chance. Maybe there was that last turn in the road that can bring him to his own Eden. It was possible, maybe just slight, but possible. He had always saw life as just a game. Maybe it was and that meant maybe he had one last move to make.

            And so, with thought jumbled up in his head, he formed a plan. With whatever life he had left in him, he'd do something. Something drastic, something unsuspected. All he needed was the right time and the right act.

            And everything he ever wanted would be his.

            The blonde rolled onto his back and faced the ceiling. "I'll make a deal with you." He said to no one in particular, "You bring me something worth living for and I'll do something to surprise the world."

***

Ginny stood in her apartment and began to clean it out. She threw out things she didn't need and packed everything she did need. It was a good thing she never had that much money to begin with, otherwise her apartment wouldn't be so empty. She was nearly done when she spotted something on the ground. She picked it up and stared at it for a while. The shimmering diamond attached to a gold band was pleasant to her eyes. It was something she pictured ever since she was a little girl. But, the real thing was far from what she imagined.

A muffled ring broke her out of her reverie. She followed the sound to the couch and looked threw the cushions. She looked down at a small cell phone she after all of the craziness going around. "Hm, sorry…I seemed to have forgotten about you."

            Ginny looked at the text: 32 missed calls. She laughed, "Persistent little bugger, now aren't you?" She answered the phone with a hello.

            "Oh! Good! Ginny! Baby! Uhh…look…" The sound of her fiancé wasn't surprising. She hung up the phone, put it on silent, and slipped it into her coat pocket. This wasn't the time for it. She grabbed the ring off the ground and put that into her pocket as well.

            She looked around her apartment one last time, before apparating to her room in the Leaky Cauldron. She dropped off her stuff and headed to the pub to get a drink.

***

            Draco Malfoy entered the bar at his usual time and sat at his usual table. Nearing his 5th drink, he swore as he saw the red-headed Weaslette walk into the bar. After getting herself a drink she took a seat and completely ignored the fact that he was staring at her. Either that or she didn't even notice him, which Draco thought was even worse (who would even think about not noticing him?).

            Then he thought to himself, should he pick a fight? It wasn't like he had anything better to do. He was about to throw a rude comment at her when she heavily sighed and took out an object from her pocket. He continued to stare.

            He couldn't figure out what the little black thing was. She flipped it open and held it up to her ear. He figured it must be a muggle invention of such since he couldn't come up with any other ideas. He heard her talk annoyingly to herself. Or was it to herself? Maybe she was going crazy, talking to inanimate objects and such.

            Draco scowled. He knew he should've taken muggle studies. But of course, his dear father told him it wasn't necessary.

            "Well hello Mark! My dear fiancé, did you happen to have fun earlier?" He heard her say. She was engaged?

            "Listen, you slept with another woman and you expect me to be happy about that?" The pieces were falling into place. Draco understood what was happening. Her fiancé had cheated on her and she retreated back to mommy and daddy. But, mommy and daddy were dead, weren't they? A bitter smile crept upon his face.

            But what did he care anyway?

***

            What did anything matter? Here she was, drinking way more then usual, just because life wasn't a bowl of cherries. This place really was still the hell she left so long ago. Maybe she didn't belong here, but she didn't want to go back to her other life.

            She wanted to strangle herself. She wanted to walk in two directions, knowing it was impossible. But, would things get better? She did hope so…

            She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. The vibrating stopped. The vibrating started again. She sighed. She would have to deal with it sometime. There was no use in being immature about it. Her phone rang for the near fiftieth time. She picked it up, ignoring the staring wizards.

            "Hello" She answered

            "Finally! Honey…"

            She ignored the greeting and cut him off, "Well hello Mark! My dear fiancé, did you happen to have fun earlier?"

            "Why do you have to be like that?" He asked.

"Listen, you slept with another woman and you expect me to be happy about that?" She said, annoyed.

            "Look, it wasn't anything serious, I mean…I love you so much and I would never do that to you!" He told her.

           "Well sorry to burst you're bubble, but you already did." Ginny was aggravated, but her voice was peaceful as usual.

            "Yeah…well I'm sorry. Please don't act this way…I can understand you not picking up you're phone…but please don't cut things off with me." He pleaded with her.

            "I wasn't ignoring you're calls - well not at the first 32 calls - I was home. I mean, not at the apartment. I was back to my old life before I moved there. There was a life I left behind, Mark." She sighed, "It's different where I come from. You wouldn't be able to understand…but, I left this life behind and decided to never go back. But, I can just feel it…it's like it's calling me back. For some reason, I can't stay there…I need to be back home."

            "What do you mean? Without me?" He asked.

            Ginny sighed at the stupid question. The silence at the other end gave her fiancé the 'What the hell, are you stupid? I would think that is a rhetorical question' feeling. He got the picture.

            Her ex-fiancé's voice was rising. "You can't do this to me! My family is expecting a wedding and a wife and children!"

            "Well Mark," She pointed out, "You were the one who did this. It's absolutely not my fault. If you want to have a wife and children so badly then why don't you go get married and screw that slut you were with?"

            "Don't say that, you don't mean it."

            "Oh! Excuse me, so you suddenly know what I mean and what I don't. Listen up. You don't know anything about me. So you know my address, phone number, name, job, and what not, but you have no idea about my past or any of the hell I've been through. Don't tell me that I don't mean what I say because I mean every single word." Ginny took a breath before she continued, "So don't put the blame on me because it's not my fault. You are responsible for your actions and I am responsible for mine."

            His voice suddenly got soft, "You mean so much to me baby and I just can't let you go. Ever since I meant you I couldn't think of anyone but you. Believe me because I would do anything for you."

            Ginny was disgusted. What made him think he could sweet talk his way to her heart? That wasn't how it worked, "Don't give me that bloody bullshit Mark. I can't be with you and I've made my decision. Please don't fight me on this one. It's not just the fact that you cheated on me. Our lives have just taken two very different roads. I just can't be with you when I'm at this point in my life physically and emotionally. Please, can you understand? Can you let me go?"

            "No, I just can't understand. But, I'll let you go because I know that's what you really want."

            "Thank you." She said with a sigh. He didn't respond. She heard the phone hang up and she hung her phone as well.

            She gulped down her drink without a second thought. Nearly a few minutes later, a man approached her.

            "I don't see you around her often…" He began.

            Ginny nearly laughed as she stared at her drink. Is he trying to hit on her? Did he hear her conversation with Mark? If so then he's one who doesn't give a girl time to breathe. "I just arrived." She replied.

            He held out his hand and greeted her, "My name is Dexter, Dex for short and I own the Leaky Cauldron." She looked up and the first thing she noticed was his eyes. His eyes could be mistaken afar for amber, but they were much more of a notable red. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds, before breaking away and noticing the rest of him. His hair was brownish and he had a welcoming smile.

            Ginny shook his hand, "My name is Virginia, Ginny for short."

            He raised an eyebrow, "No wonder you looks so familiar, the famous Weasley kids. You're the extraordinary healer that left the war."

            "Hm, so I'm famous for being a coward, is that it?"

            He shook his head, "No, you were brave enough to abandon everything you knew for a better life. That took real courage."

            "…a better life." She repeated quietly.

            "Most people are pretty broken from the war. We're all a little lost, not knowing where to go from here. You're lucky you got out." He said.

            "Oh, am I? I left the only life I knew and went into this totally new realm where I had to keep my whole life a secret. So I started a new life, with no family or friends and with all the guilt riding on my back. And what did I get from it all? Evicted from my apartment, a fiancé who cheated with me and no money whatsoever? I'm just as lost and broken as the rest of you." She said resentfully.

            "I didn't mean to offend you." He said in his defense.

            Ginny sulked back into her chair.

***

            From the destruction of innocent to the fires of the battlefield, Harry Potter was scarred. Not in the sense of a physical such as the one that still lay on his forehead, but a larger scar emotionally wise. He had seen more then any man would ever see in there life time and he was less then 30 years old.

            When he finished his last year at Hogwarts, things began to get rough. Rumors flew about the beginning of the war and the several students who would be major players. All fingers pointed at him and his two best friends. But a few people hushly whispered about one lone figure, the 'bloody git' known as Draco Malfoy. Everyone obviously suspected him as a death eater it was almost as they were screaming it aloud at him.

            Harry never knew what had become of the Malfoy and he had never realized that until the day Ginny showed up. The last thing he ever heard Malfoy say was some ambiguous comment about him, but that was old news. He truly believed that the slytherin deserved his place in Azkaban. But as his schooling ended at Hogwarts and the war began, he didn't give a rat's ass about what happened to Malfoy.

            Being the famous Harry Potter caused him so much grief and the beginning of the war caused him to fall into a deep depression. He allowed himself to get angry and impatient with everyone around him, but they all had deep concern for him. They never gave up hope for him. That was when he last saw Ginny. He had somewhat blamed himself for her leaving, although he knew that wasn't the case. He thought that if he was there for her for even a few more minutes, she wouldn't have left her family and friends.

            Her leaving caused him to come back to reality. He realized that this was very much real. He had always been living in a dream world ever since Hagrid told him he was a wizard, and now he had finally awakened. Life was much more of a nightmare then a dream. When Ginny left he was even a bit happy that there was one more innocent out of the way. But there were still thousands out there dying. He didn't want this, so he continued fighting.

           He pulled his life together, with the help of his two best friends of course. Ron and Hermione were always by his side, even when he was away from them. He spent so much time in the front lines that they depended on each other and formed a relationship. Harry was happy that they had each other.

            He was especially happy that they had each other when the Burrow was burnt down. Going from such a large family to one brother and a lost sister had to be hard. Harry noticed that Ron took it well and was sure his temper and urge for revenge was toned down because of Hermione. Nevertheless, Ron fought as hard as Harry did and in the end, it caused him to be in great danger. He was found unconscious on the battlefield and no one knew what to do.

            Harry's heart went out to Hermione. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head. They both were good friends, but because he was away all the time…things seemed to be different between them. Now, two years since, they were really good friends, just like they were before. They both worked with the ministry on special cases.

            This brought him to where he was today; here with his best friend in his boss' office learning of his new assignment. He explained, they listened and Harry was deep in thought. His boss told them to get help on this one and Harry was sure he would need all the help possible.

****

A/N: Well, hello there readers! Here's the deal, my life has been an emotional rollercoaster and I had my list of priorities (this story, as well as my other stories, not on the top of that list, sorry if that disappoints anyone). So, I stopped writing for a bit, but now I'm back! I really liked the idea of this story in my head, but it wasn't coming out the way I wanted. So, I rewrote it!

            Only a few things changed in the first 3 chapters. Yes…I killed George! I just couldn't keep both of the twins alive, and George was the one I choose to die! Sorry! If you liked George better then Fred, then just pretend Fred is George. ^_~

            I might not update in a while…sorry!! (reviews would help though…) ^^;;;

            FEEDBACK PEOPLE!!! Click that bottom to the bottom left and review away!

            ~ Gin