Disclaimer: I don't own it. You know that already, but the rules save I have to put it up anyway. Oh well, maybe the information will reach a different one of your multiple personalities; who knows.
Notes: This is going to be an odd chapter, I'll warn you before hand. Lots of info, and yet no info at all. Well, have fun reading it!
~*~
Ron continued to stare blankly at the wall, and as always, Hermione soon grew uncomfortable. She had no idea why she even bothered to come anymore, except that it seemed traitorous to leave him alone and without comfort. Besides, Ron received no other company. Mrs. Weasley had banned her family from visiting them after going into hysterics; and Hermione had banned Harry from visiting after he had sunk into complete depression during his other visits. However, she continued to attend, because she was the only one who hold her sanity and accomplish the feat of being with him in one time period.
Sighing softly, she spoke once more. "We're getting farther, Moody and I. Don't worry; we'll cure you, eventually. There has to be way." The determination in her voice was meager, but she continued on, despite the fact that Ron was still oblivious to her speech. "We have the first line, even. It ended up being an ancient version of Glindorang, which is what the old goblins used to speak, a few thousand years ago--Before Cleopatra wiped the majority from the earth after one magicked her cat. Never mind the history though; the important thing is that it's translated. It says 'One of closest blood'; so we've have Harry marking Ginny. Mind you, we had to threaten him, but he's doing it. I do hope that they sort themselves out; I still don't understand what happened to begin with. They were such strange times..." Her voice drifted, letting the words hang as moments stretched into infinity. "Well, I'll tell you when we find out something new, I promise. I just hope that the next line comes quicker than the last, spending two years over a legendarily unexplainable cure is difficult. It's worth it though; it will be when we have you back."
Tear trickled slowly from her eyes, and her hand rose to swiftly brush them away before she hurried out of the room and back down the eerily light hallway. Hermione thrust through the door, her heart wrenching as the name echoed after her swift steps. "Thank you for visiting The Department for Incurable Maladies: Kiss Division."
~*~
Ginny strode down Erised Alley shortly after departing from Harry, deep in thought. Her head was bent towards the cobblestone street beneath her feet, unaware of the world around her. It was for this reason, perhaps, that she leapt nearly six inches into the air when a part of well muscled arms wrapped idly around her waist. "Calm down," a soft voice commanded in her ear. "It's only me."
She twisted her head to gaze upwards, meeting a cool, silver gaze. "That's supposed to calm me down, Malfoy? I though I told you to sod off."
He smirked; the Malfoy charmer characteristic. It was a smirk that would melt iron, but Ginny Weasley was a fire unmatched, and there was no weakening of the knees over Draco's looks. Ice blond tendrils cascaded lightly over his argent eyes, having ditched his slicked back look after disowning his father and picking up new habits. He was tall; somewhere around six and a half feet, with a muscular build and the silver robes draping over his form were the best money could buy. Ginny could spot a number of women already throwing jealously cold looks her way.
"You wound me, dear Ginny. Don't I get a second chance?" His voice was tantalizing, dripping in smooth ice and yet somehow burning a blazing passion.
"No, you don't. Now let me go." She struggled in his arms, but powerful as he was, Draco was not about to budge.
He leaned down, just enough to whisper in her ear. "C'mon Ginny, you're giving our amazing hero-boy a second chance, aren't you? You didn't tell Potter to go away."
She stiffened, was Malfoy spying on her? Stupid git, she wouldn't stand for that. "Eat bubotuber pus, Malfoy." (A/N-That one's for you, phantom!)
He chuckled softly, his lips still near her ear. "Don't worry, Miss Weasley. I'm not spying on you, just keeping tabs on our precious Potter."
"Oh, and since when has Potter been yours?" She smiled, arm creeping slowly down between his arms and to her pocket.
"Your quick wit and sarcasm continue to amaze me. Don't turn me down again, its truly heartbreaking."
She slid her arm the final distance, snatching up her wand and drawing it roughly out, while throwing her weight against his arms. He broke away, and Ginny spun to face him, wand pointed towards his chest. "I told you to sod off. Blimey, how thick can you get?"
He stepped back, hands raised in defeat. "Fine, fine, whatever you wish. But don't I say I didn't warn you when Potter crushes your heart again." Draco spun away from her in a flurry of silvery cloth, strutting back towards Diagon Alley.
Ginny was left glaring at his back, far past the point of annoyance. However, vexation was soon traded for musings as she pondered over his words. What did Harry want with her? He had gone from never so much as inquiring after her to stealing her wand in order to force her to accept his dinner invitation. Well, whatever he wanted, she only wanted answers, Ginny decided. Once she knew why, she could retreat safely into the promise she had sworn upon the letter and forget about him. Yes, there was always the letter to rely on. Only…
Ginny's hand plunged into her pocket, searching recklessly for the folded parchment. She had forgotten that the letter was now in Potter's possession; there was nothing at all to stop her from taking yet another tumble into the land of the impossible. "Damn," Ginny whispered into empty air, her facial expression falling drastically.
~*~
Harry arrived at Ginny's door promptly at seven o'clock, dressed casually in deep green, hooded robes. He fiddled nervously with his wand, praying that he had made no mistake in using a dinner invitation, and a revelation of secrets, in order to initiate a friendship with the spirited Weasley. He waited a long moment before the plain, dark wood door before knocking lightly upon the solid barrier.
Several moments later, a series of locks clicked, and Harry could detect a number of magical spells falling away. (Auror training had included a spell upon his contacts enabling him to 'feel' small spells, most aurors just wore sunglasses.) A moment later, the door swung back to reveal the rather enchanting figure of Virginia Weasley. Harry had to force his mouth from dropping, for she looked absolutely stunning, and she clearly hadn't put any work into it.
Her crimson hair was brushed, flowing down her back. A myriad of fiery darts danced across the scarlet waves, created by the glow of multiple candles flowing into the shadowed hall way. She had changed out of her other robes, and was instead dressed in a midnight blue garment, speckled along the hem and cuffs with miniature stars. The pearly radiance cast off by the stars was thrown around her, illuminating the magnificence of her dark eyes, and Harry found something tear at him.
Her lips grew thin with the silence, before she commented dryly, "I don't have all night, Potter."
He grinned, stepping back from the doorway. "Good evening to you too, Gin." She almost smiled; the corners of her mouth quirking up while she tried to force them from showering her face. Harry was struck by the sudden memory of his mother in Snape's pensieve, and how very alike they seemed to be. It was almost a frightening resemblance, and he wondered why he had never noticed before.
It was then that he realized he was staring at Ginny once again, and soon felt his cheeks grow hot. Luckily, the dark of the hallway shielded the rose color from sight. He offered her a miniscule smile before starting off towards the exit, and they soon found themselves wandering down Erised Alley in complete silence.
Soon after they entered Diagon Alley, Harry decided to give conversation a shot. "So, what have you been up to? Work and all, since Hermione and Neville won't reveal anything."
Her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, surprised by the fact that he had asked anyone at all about her. "Actually, that's disclosed information. Hermione doesn't even know, since I'm not permitted to tell."
"Really?" Well that was interesting. He didn't know where she worked, Moody hadn't told him, probably because he had forgotten to ask. However, if the information was secret she must have had an important job, though it didn't make sense for Neville to know and not Hermione. Hermione was Head of Impossibly Insolvable Intelligence, it was her job to know everything about anything that one could know, should know, or did know. "How does Neville know, then?"
"I worked with him, for a time. I would be surprised that he hadn't blundered and told anyone, but apparently the new secrecy charms are highly resilient." She shrugged, offering no more information on the subject. "So, when do you start Quidditch?"
"In a few days. It's going to be hell, I haven't flown in years. They only took me to increase ticket sales, but it'll be nice to play again, regardless." He sighed softly, focusing for the first time since that morning what exactly his new position was going to mean. He would be able to fly, Lord, how he missed being on a broomstick.
Ginny watched him carefully, speculating. He turned to meet her searching gaze, his hopeful smile that had began with the though of playing seeker once more vanishing at an alarming rate. "What? Did I turn into a goblin or something?"
She shook her head, turning her eyes away and back towards the approaching brick wall. "Sorry, just got a bit caught up in my thoughts."
"It happens to the best of us." He replied languidly, tapping the correct brick upon the wall so that they could enter The Leaky Cauldron.
Striding inside, he quickly approached Tom, the bartender. "Can we borrow the fireplace for a minute?" He nodded before hurrying along in his work, clearly having expected the request.
"What? We're not eating here?" Ginny asked as he stepped towards the fireplace, pulling out two small packets of Floo Powder and tossing her one.
"Believe me, Gin; I don't want to get one of your lectures in front of the whole pub. Neville said they're getting to be as bad as your mother's." He gave her an absentminded grin before opening his packet of powder and pouring it into the palm of his hand. "The place is called The Dancing Lily." He informed her, before stepping into the flames, throwing down the powder, and proudly declaring his destination.
When he emerged, it was into a neat, cozy room. The furniture was a mix of whites, creams, and various shades of yellow. The carpet underneath was a deep green shade, and the walls were covered in large painting of various medieval witches and wizards. Large windows allowed a pale sparkle of sunlight within the room, and the only others within the room were a small family and a group of four men who appeared to be doing business.
Ginny stepped from the fireplace a moment later, brushing soot of her sleeve before casting a glance around. "Wow." Her voice broke into the quiet, a shadow of a whisper. "This is lovely, Harry."
He noted happily that she had called him Harry, before responding politely. "Moony said it was my mother's favorite. I've only been here twice before." He didn't mention that it had been the times in which he felt that he most needed a parent, nor that he had been alone on both occasions. "Let's sit down."
He led her to a small table by one of the windows, where the sun was only just beginning to set. A timid witch approached to get their beverage order, a lily tucked behind her left ear. "Good evening, my name is Alice; can I get you something to drink?"
Harry turned to Ginny as she scanned the list that had suddenly appeared before her. "Purple Pixie Tea sounds good, please." She requested, and Harry requested the same.
As soon as the witch walked away, Harry studied her, watching as she settled her hands on the table and gazed out the window. "Ginny," she turned to look at him, curious. "I promised you answers." At once, her attention was focused fully on him, and he slowly began to explain.
~*~
That was fun! I decided that the Ron info and bringing forth of Malfoy was plenty for one chapter, and you all can wait another chapter before you get to know why! ((Actually, I just need time to come up with a reason. Any suggestions?)) However, I promise to have the next chapter up by Thursday, so don't fret! Just review!