July 26: Delays and Dropped Hats
Flopping back on my couch, I loosened my tie and placed my glasses on my chest, rubbing my eyes. I kicked my shoes off and crossed my legs at the ankle, tipping my hat forward and hooking an arm behind my head. My apartment was quiet and, while sleep was tempting, I had no interest in dozing. All the information that had been dumped on me the past few days was buzzing around in my brain, but I forced it all to go away for awhile, leaving me with a fair amount of emptiness to my thoughts.
As I had done many times in the past, I wished Ginny was here, the difference being, that, this time, she was really coming home to me at the end of the day. A tap at the window alerted me to the presence of an owl, and, looking out from under my hat, I groaned.
"That woman doesn't know when to quit," I muttered, standing and going to the window, throwing it open. "You stay for a minute," I commanded the heinous fowl that was Cho Chang's and took the rolled up parchment from it's leg. I didn't bother to even read it, choosing to scribble my sentiments on the back of it.
'The shoulder you are seeking to cry on has reached it's tearful capacity and must be drained before further use. Please consult your handbook entitled 'Crying Into One's Own Shoulder Despite Several Skeletal Hindrances' for further information on how to remedy this situation. Thank you.'
"Off with you and your tidings of woe," I shouted as it flew away.
"What was that?" a voice came from the door.
I turned and smiled.
"What?" she asked as Mr. Weasley set down a trunk in the entryway. Ginny put down the boxes she was carrying and looked at me.
"Just happy to see you."
"Hello, Harry," Arthur Weasley greeted happily, shaking my hand and pulling me into a bear hug, knocking my hat off my head. "So glad to see you again and under these circumstances."
"Likewise, sir," I gasped.
"Let him go, Dad. I like him much better breathing," Ginny cut in, prying me from her father's arms and placing my hat back on my head.
"Right then," the older man said, still grinning. "I'll leave you to it."
He left and I frowned good-humoredly at the red-headed girl beside me, wrapping my arms around her waist.
"To what?"
"To whatever it is that two people like you and I do when we're alone in an apartment."
I thought for a moment.
"Play rook?"
"Of course; where have you put your cards?" she smiled, trying to push me away, but I pulled her closer.
"I don't really want to play rook."
She arched an eyebrow.
"Gin rummy, then?"
"I like the Gin part."
She bit her lip and looked away. I kissed her cheek and worked my way down to her neck.
"I should unpack," she continued and I made a noise of agreement, directing her to the couch. "I mean, the day shouldn't be … wasted … on …" her voice trailed off and I laid her back on the settee. "A couple hours won't make too much of a difference," she gave in, finally.
"Where did you used to have this?" I called, racking my brain to remember.
"What is it?" she asked from the bedroom.
"This picture of you, Neville, Ron and me."
"On the sofa table."
"Ah, yes," I remembered. "This was when you were still with Neville wasn't it?"
"Yeah, right before Luna moved here and took him away." There was no bitterness in her voice.
"Sorry you got stuck with me," I joked, setting the picture down.
"I'm not."
I smiled to myself and pulled another picture from the box.
"I've never seen this one of Ron and Mione's wedding and I'm in it." It was of Ron, Neville and I, both groomsmen, and Hermione, Ginny and Luna, bridesmaids.
"I was with Draco then. Hermione sent it to me. I figured you would have had one."
"Not that I remember … Then again, I don't remember much from that time," I attested, placing the picture beside the one from school. "Oh, Gin?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want to come with me to the gala tomorrow night?"
"The what?" she asked, standing in the doorway of the bedroom in a bathrobe.
"There's going to be a party at Serpensmordre. Lucius invited Ron, Neville and me along with our escorts."
"Is Draco unveiling?"
I looked at her in confusion, "Excuse me?"
"Is he unveiling his new flavor?" she asked again.
"Lucius said it had to do with bubbly pop. I suppose that's what it is."
"I can't go with you. I have to go with Draco."
I made a face.
"Why?"
"Because this changes things," she stated, reaching for the dress she had been wearing earlier.
"What?!"
"No, Harry, I'm staying with you. I'll just have to keep up appearances until Tuesday," she explained, but it didn't do much to appease me.
"I don't want to keep up appearances until Tuesday. I want you here tonight and Monday night and every night from now until … forever."
She smiled a sad smile and kissed my cheek before turning to go into the bedroom.
"I'm coming back. I promise."
The door shut behind her, but I followed her inside.
"Harry! I'm changing!"
I flopped down on the bed, leaning against the headboard and watching her with a bored look.
"Like I've never seen it all before," I muttered and she shrugged out of the bathrobe. "Ginny …" I sighed, a thought occurring to me.
"I have to do this Harry," she cut me off as she dressed.
"Don't sleep with him."
She stopped and looked at me over her shoulder.
"What?"
"Don't sleep with him. I'm asking."
"That may prove to be a tough task."
"He's not faithful to you."
She laughed once.
"Neither were you. Could you give me a hand?"
I clenched my jaw, standing and going to her.
"I was after you left," I told her, buttoning the back of her dress and spinning her to face me. She quirked an eyebrow and cast me an incredulous glare.
"You're telling me you've not touched another woman in two years?"
"I didn't."
Her expression changed and she hugged me, her cheek against my chest.
"I won't hardly touch him," she promised.
"Just so you don't," I smiled and she kissed my sternum.
"I should leave though. He'll be wondering where I am."
Ginny made movements to let me go, but I grabbed her arms.
"We had dinner plans tonight, you know," I reminded her.
"Give me a rain check, baby. I'll be here Tuesday."
"When were you going to break it off with him?" I wondered, looking down at her.
"Tomorrow; after spending the night here," she answered, pulling away and walking out of the room. I groaned and went after her. At the front door, she kissed me.
"I love you. I'll see you tomorrow night," Ginny waved and descended the stairs. Retreating into my apartment, I started going through another one of Ginny's boxes, remembering. Once I'd unpacked all the familiar items and put them in their former place, I left the rest for her to deal with when she got back.
I went to the open window and sat on the ledge, looking up and down the street. Twilight had fallen an my neighborhood was fairly quiet. There were two apartment buildings in all of the city and they were across the street from one another, but there were only a few tenants in either. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing anyone else in this building except Luna. Ron and Hermione lived in the other building as well as Neville. It was a quaint arrangement, and I liked it. Our buildings were bookended with a few houses of small families with small children, who, in turn, provided entertainment on slow days.
There was shout and the sound of a struggle from an open window of one of the apartments across the road. I narrowed my eyes, looking from window to window, trying to find the source and catch sight of something. Movement in a window I knew to be Ron's caught my attention. Without thinking, I buttoned up my shirt, running downstairs and across the street. As I approached the building, something landed on the sidewalk next to me. It was Ron's hat.
Flopping back on my couch, I loosened my tie and placed my glasses on my chest, rubbing my eyes. I kicked my shoes off and crossed my legs at the ankle, tipping my hat forward and hooking an arm behind my head. My apartment was quiet and, while sleep was tempting, I had no interest in dozing. All the information that had been dumped on me the past few days was buzzing around in my brain, but I forced it all to go away for awhile, leaving me with a fair amount of emptiness to my thoughts.
As I had done many times in the past, I wished Ginny was here, the difference being, that, this time, she was really coming home to me at the end of the day. A tap at the window alerted me to the presence of an owl, and, looking out from under my hat, I groaned.
"That woman doesn't know when to quit," I muttered, standing and going to the window, throwing it open. "You stay for a minute," I commanded the heinous fowl that was Cho Chang's and took the rolled up parchment from it's leg. I didn't bother to even read it, choosing to scribble my sentiments on the back of it.
'The shoulder you are seeking to cry on has reached it's tearful capacity and must be drained before further use. Please consult your handbook entitled 'Crying Into One's Own Shoulder Despite Several Skeletal Hindrances' for further information on how to remedy this situation. Thank you.'
"Off with you and your tidings of woe," I shouted as it flew away.
"What was that?" a voice came from the door.
I turned and smiled.
"What?" she asked as Mr. Weasley set down a trunk in the entryway. Ginny put down the boxes she was carrying and looked at me.
"Just happy to see you."
"Hello, Harry," Arthur Weasley greeted happily, shaking my hand and pulling me into a bear hug, knocking my hat off my head. "So glad to see you again and under these circumstances."
"Likewise, sir," I gasped.
"Let him go, Dad. I like him much better breathing," Ginny cut in, prying me from her father's arms and placing my hat back on my head.
"Right then," the older man said, still grinning. "I'll leave you to it."
He left and I frowned good-humoredly at the red-headed girl beside me, wrapping my arms around her waist.
"To what?"
"To whatever it is that two people like you and I do when we're alone in an apartment."
I thought for a moment.
"Play rook?"
"Of course; where have you put your cards?" she smiled, trying to push me away, but I pulled her closer.
"I don't really want to play rook."
She arched an eyebrow.
"Gin rummy, then?"
"I like the Gin part."
She bit her lip and looked away. I kissed her cheek and worked my way down to her neck.
"I should unpack," she continued and I made a noise of agreement, directing her to the couch. "I mean, the day shouldn't be … wasted … on …" her voice trailed off and I laid her back on the settee. "A couple hours won't make too much of a difference," she gave in, finally.
"Where did you used to have this?" I called, racking my brain to remember.
"What is it?" she asked from the bedroom.
"This picture of you, Neville, Ron and me."
"On the sofa table."
"Ah, yes," I remembered. "This was when you were still with Neville wasn't it?"
"Yeah, right before Luna moved here and took him away." There was no bitterness in her voice.
"Sorry you got stuck with me," I joked, setting the picture down.
"I'm not."
I smiled to myself and pulled another picture from the box.
"I've never seen this one of Ron and Mione's wedding and I'm in it." It was of Ron, Neville and I, both groomsmen, and Hermione, Ginny and Luna, bridesmaids.
"I was with Draco then. Hermione sent it to me. I figured you would have had one."
"Not that I remember … Then again, I don't remember much from that time," I attested, placing the picture beside the one from school. "Oh, Gin?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want to come with me to the gala tomorrow night?"
"The what?" she asked, standing in the doorway of the bedroom in a bathrobe.
"There's going to be a party at Serpensmordre. Lucius invited Ron, Neville and me along with our escorts."
"Is Draco unveiling?"
I looked at her in confusion, "Excuse me?"
"Is he unveiling his new flavor?" she asked again.
"Lucius said it had to do with bubbly pop. I suppose that's what it is."
"I can't go with you. I have to go with Draco."
I made a face.
"Why?"
"Because this changes things," she stated, reaching for the dress she had been wearing earlier.
"What?!"
"No, Harry, I'm staying with you. I'll just have to keep up appearances until Tuesday," she explained, but it didn't do much to appease me.
"I don't want to keep up appearances until Tuesday. I want you here tonight and Monday night and every night from now until … forever."
She smiled a sad smile and kissed my cheek before turning to go into the bedroom.
"I'm coming back. I promise."
The door shut behind her, but I followed her inside.
"Harry! I'm changing!"
I flopped down on the bed, leaning against the headboard and watching her with a bored look.
"Like I've never seen it all before," I muttered and she shrugged out of the bathrobe. "Ginny …" I sighed, a thought occurring to me.
"I have to do this Harry," she cut me off as she dressed.
"Don't sleep with him."
She stopped and looked at me over her shoulder.
"What?"
"Don't sleep with him. I'm asking."
"That may prove to be a tough task."
"He's not faithful to you."
She laughed once.
"Neither were you. Could you give me a hand?"
I clenched my jaw, standing and going to her.
"I was after you left," I told her, buttoning the back of her dress and spinning her to face me. She quirked an eyebrow and cast me an incredulous glare.
"You're telling me you've not touched another woman in two years?"
"I didn't."
Her expression changed and she hugged me, her cheek against my chest.
"I won't hardly touch him," she promised.
"Just so you don't," I smiled and she kissed my sternum.
"I should leave though. He'll be wondering where I am."
Ginny made movements to let me go, but I grabbed her arms.
"We had dinner plans tonight, you know," I reminded her.
"Give me a rain check, baby. I'll be here Tuesday."
"When were you going to break it off with him?" I wondered, looking down at her.
"Tomorrow; after spending the night here," she answered, pulling away and walking out of the room. I groaned and went after her. At the front door, she kissed me.
"I love you. I'll see you tomorrow night," Ginny waved and descended the stairs. Retreating into my apartment, I started going through another one of Ginny's boxes, remembering. Once I'd unpacked all the familiar items and put them in their former place, I left the rest for her to deal with when she got back.
I went to the open window and sat on the ledge, looking up and down the street. Twilight had fallen an my neighborhood was fairly quiet. There were two apartment buildings in all of the city and they were across the street from one another, but there were only a few tenants in either. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing anyone else in this building except Luna. Ron and Hermione lived in the other building as well as Neville. It was a quaint arrangement, and I liked it. Our buildings were bookended with a few houses of small families with small children, who, in turn, provided entertainment on slow days.
There was shout and the sound of a struggle from an open window of one of the apartments across the road. I narrowed my eyes, looking from window to window, trying to find the source and catch sight of something. Movement in a window I knew to be Ron's caught my attention. Without thinking, I buttoned up my shirt, running downstairs and across the street. As I approached the building, something landed on the sidewalk next to me. It was Ron's hat.
