A/N: This is how much I adore you guys…I am writing this from my hospital bed. Yes, Monday evening, my husband brought me to the hospital (no, not the psychiatric ward) and I have been here ever since. Put that on top of the fact that I live in NC…Hurricane Isabel…and this has been one heck of a week. So, with much anticipation (mostly my own), I present Chapter Seven.
The next morning, Ginny thought the situation did not look any better than it did the night before. Draco's letter asking her to the Ministry Ball had only confused her more.
Ginny found herself up too early for any normal human being on a Saturday morning; showered, dressed, fed and staring into her blazing fire wondering how she had gone from no suitors to two suitors in a matter of days.
She sighed again for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning. She briefly closed her eyes, rubbed her forehead with her right hand, and began her thinking processes again - determined to solve this quagmire before Saturday morning breakfast at the Burrow. That and she needed to give Draco an answer in a timely manner.
Harry-Harry-Harry- Though she had eventually dated other people at Hogwarts and afterwards, Harry had always held her heart. Well, until he had brutally told her that there was no chance of them ever being together. That and he most assuredly did not love her.
But she did love him and he wanted her now. Could she live with knowing he wanted her, but did not love her?
Harry 'damn he looks g-oo-oo-oo-d' Potter- His beautiful, green eyes that revealed all his emotions. She would love to see those eyes full of latent passion for her. That untidy, black hair that somehow perfectly framed his angular, delectable face. His exercise toned body…those well defined washboard abs, those amazing, ever flexing biceps, that perfectly firm ass…Yum-um-my!
Ginny giggled to herself. Who knew that you could make the word yummy have more than two syllables? Of course, Harry was worth every single syllable because he was definitely scrumptious. He was fairly tall, probably about 6'1". Ginny, at her immense 5'2", found that he was now almost a foot taller than her and she liked to look up at her men…okay, man. Oh all right…male teenaged friends from when she was still in school. The truth was…she had not been in a serious relationship since Colin and talk about the blind leading the blind.
Ugh! Why now? Why did he have to come back now spouting his undying love? Had he stayed away for just another week, just one itty bitty week, she could have easily fallen into Draco's arms and never looked back. Instead, she was sitting here ready to pull her hair out.
Draco-Draco-Draco- A gorgeous blonde who was as sexy as the Greek God, Adonis. A body that some of the Greek Statues would want to have. He was slightly taller than Harry, which meant he was over a foot taller than her. When she looked up at him, her head had to tip back. She liked that. It made her feel secure with him around, even more secure than Harry "I saved the world" Potter. That counted for something, right?
He, too, had an amazing body. First, there was just the fact that he was strikingly, aristocratic looking. Even after several glances it was hard to tell if it was either the features of his face or his demeanor that gave him the aristocratic look. Come to think of it, it was probably both.
His eyes were the most amazing silver-grey color. To be honest, they were a color all their own. Maybe his eye color should get its very own color name, "Draco's eye color that makes women of any age swoon and grown men cower." Ginny snorted at her own joke.
After dinner the other night, she also had to admit that Draco Malfoy was a changed man. Well, maybe not a changed man, maybe he just grew up. Either way, he was a temptation to any woman's senses and most definitely to hers, but was it enough? Could she love him? Could he make her forget Harry "but I want you now" Potter?
"Ginny, you are already fifteen minutes late for breakfast! Get up off that couch and get your cute little butt to the Burrow, now! Or else, I will go get mom and let her come get you!"
Ginny startled out of her musings to see George's head bouncing in the now green flames of her fireplace.
"Bite me, George!"
"Tut-tut…don't make me call the Dailey Prophet and report that the 'MOM' has a potty mouth!"
"Ha ha! Don't make me call Hermione and tell her that you forgot Valentine's Day and the flowers she received were MINE!"
"Shhh," George said with his right index finger to his mouth, "that woman has hearing better than a dog! You win! Just get here, okay? We all want to see you!"
Ginny gave him a cocky 'I won' smile and said, "I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to put on my shoes and freshen up, okay?"
"Yep, see you in a few, little sis." George said before his head disappeared from the fireplace.
Several minutes later, Ginny, without having made a decision, found herself landing elegantly in the Burrow's fireplace and dusting herself off.
She was almost immediately swept into a giant bear hug by her eldest brother, Bill followed quickly by Charlie and James. Ginny gave herself up to their hugs.
As soon as she was released from their hugs, Cara, Rose and Hermione were pulling her in the kitchen to discuss the latest gossip from around the wizarding world. Her mother was standing in front of the old, brick fire oven tending to a freshly removed pan of bread. The aroma was heavenly and Ginny inhaled deeply.
"Ginny, did you hear? Apparently, your father overheard yesterday at the office that Seamus Finnegan, who went to school with you at Hogwarts, is to be named as the new flying instructor there!" Ginny's mother asked.
Ginny knew. She had signed the okay slip for Albus. She gave her mother a stern look, well as stern a look as one can give their mother, and said, "You know I cannot discuss gossip from the office."
Her mother, as she flipped the pan over and let the bread pop out onto a cooling rack, rolled her eyes.
"Really Ginny, I was not asking; I was telling!"
Ginny laughed and said, "I know. I was just yanking your chain."
"Hermione, smack that daughter of mine on the back of her head."
Hermione nodded, reached over and gave her a light smack on the back of her head.
"Hey, do that again and I will tell George about your little secret."
"What secret?" Hermione asked in a perplexed tone.
"You know, Valentine's Day. You forgetting about it…and me saving your sweet arse!"
"Shush! That man of mine still uses those stupid extended ear thingies!"
Ginny shook her head. It was nice being in a big family. You knew all kinds of dirt on everyone and it kept you out of trouble.
"Let's eat!" Molly Weasley's voice, magically enhanced, boomed throughout the house and surrounding land.
Soon, the kitchen was bustling with hungry Weasleys. Ginny stepped back and planned on going last. She was surprised when she felt a light pressure on her lower back. Before she could turn around, a head, from behind, was leaning into her ear and said, "Hi Ginny!"
She knew that voice. It was Harry "damn that voice is sexy" Potter. She briefly turned her head, returned his greeting with a smile and delicately moved away from his touch. She didn't get very far before another voice was greeting her in the same manner only on the other side of her head. This voice, while not creating shivers down her spine, did fan some interesting flames within her body.
She turned around and gave a brief greeting to Draco followed by a friendly smile. Draco winked and walked past her grabbing Harry and turning them both towards the food.
Interesting, Ginny thought, did Draco understand that she wanted to be left alone, or was he simply insuring that Harry did not corner her all to himself?
Soon, everyone had gotten their food and found a place to sit. Some were digging into the food with a hearty gusto, while others used the meal to talk to other family members. Ginny, who found herself stuck between Bill and Charlie, did not do either. Rather, she watched those around her and kept quiet. In particular, she was watching Harry "can I lick that dribble of scrumptious jelly off his chin?" Potter and Draco, the Greek god.
What was so interesting about the school nemesis's interactions was that they no longer were showing open hostility. In fact, they almost seemed to be friends until one of them looked at Ginny. Then, the other would scowl and pull their attention from Ginny.
Ginny sighed. Here she was, attracting two of the most eligible bachelors in the wizarding world, and she could not decide which one.
Ugh, Ginny thought, as she brought another bite of omelet to her mouth.
The morning passed quickly at the Burrow. It was filled with jokes, laughter, a few tears and love. Ginny had missed this lately and was glad that she had been able to attend. Just as she was about to head back to her apartment for a nice quiet evening at home, the flames in the fireplace turned green. Within the green flames, was one of Ginny's bodyguards' head and he did not look happy.
"Minister," he began, "we have a situation. Please return, via floo, to your apartment immediately."
He disappeared from the flames. Ginny grabbed a handful of floo powder and yelled, "Minister's flat."
Draco and Harry followed directly behind her.