Chapter 2 – Meeting Old Friends and Enemies
"Healer Weasley, there's someone outside to see you!" Audrey, her secretary, told her in the middle of the morning, between patients.
"Who is it?" Ginny asked, drinking her fresh water.
"Miss Hermione Granger... Do I tell her to make an appointment?" Audrey asked.
"Of course not! Please, send her in at once!" Ginny said, standing up from her chair and running to the office door, to welcome her best friend. "Hermione!"
A tall brunette turned around at the sound of her name. Seeing Ginny, she smiled widely and hugged her sweet friend.
"Ginny! It has been so long..." Hermione smiled, looking at Ginny from head to toes. "You sure look different!"
"I know... We have a lot to talk about, after two months without seeing each other!" Ginny complained, gesturing for Hermione to enter her office.
"Healer Weasley, there are 3 more patients outside to see you!" Audrey said, shocked with Ginny's relaxed behaviour.
"I know, Audrey... I'll see them in a few moments!" Ginny replied as she shut the door and turned around to smile at Hermione. "Oh Mione, I'm in desperate need to talk with you... How was your visit to old Europe?"
"It was... incredible! Harry and I had a wonderful time together, if you know what I mean!" Hermione said with a wicked smile.
"Oh, you naughty girl!" Ginny laughed, sitting again. "Merlin, I've missed laughing for these two months..."
"What's going on, Gin? Your mother said she's worried with you, that lately your always looking sad and that you don't laugh like you used to!" Hermione asked, concerned with her best friend.
"It's a long story, Mione... Can we have lunch today? I have patients outside waiting for me..." Ginny asked, sadly.
"Of course... I miss our lunches at the Three Broomsticks! I'll meet you there at 1 pm!" Hermione replied, standing up to leave.
Ginny looked at Hermione and noticed how different she was from her old days at Hogwarts. Her hair was still long, but now it wasn't bushy. By the contrary, it was silky and straight, framing her perfectly made-up face. She was wearing white pants and a pink top... so unlike her old days, when she would cover her body, in shame.
She was a beautiful woman now, and a lucky one, because she had landed with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice...
'Oh, I miss old days, when I didn't have a worry and all we did was have fun!' she thought, as Hermione closed the door after her.
Finally Ginny finished her morning patients and left the Clinic. It was 1:15 pm and she was late for her lunch with Hermione.
Diagon Alley's streets were empty, as everyone avoided the extreme heat at that hour of the day, making it easier for Ginny to walk to the Three Broomsticks. The only problem was that her heels kept on getting stuck on the stone floor, making her trip and almost fall, for several times.
Ginny was taking the last turn, that would take her to the famous bar, when she tripped again and this time was unable to keep her balance.
Closing her eyes, she thrust her hands in front of her body and closed her eyes, waiting for the impact against the floor... but it never came. There were two strong arms around her small waist, keeping her from touching the stones floor.
Sighing in relief, Ginny straightened her self and tried to look at her saviour, but the sun was behind his face and against her eyes, making it impossible to see his features. But one thing was sure; he had a hell of a body.
"Thank you so much... I swear I'll never walk in Diagon Alley with this shoes again!" she smiled sweetly, straightening her skirt and top.
"I think the problem it's not the shoes... It's the blood, Weasel!" a male voice said, making her head shoot up in alarm and a cold shiver run through her body, although it was extremely hot outside.
'There's only one person capable of saying such thing about my family...' she thought, narrowing her eyes. 'Draco Malfoy!'
"Malfoy... Now I wish you hadn't kept me from falling! I would rather heal my knees than have your ferrety hands touching me..." Ginny replied, keeping a cold facade, although she was furious and nervous on the inside.
"Hey, I'm the one who will have to sterilize his hands after this run-in!" he complained, starting to move, finally allowing Ginny to take a good look at her old nemesis, from Hogwarts, and her crush on her Bad-Boy phase.
'Well, well, well... Just look at that! The Slytherin Sex God looks even better now, than he did in the old days!' Ginny thought, looking at his long blond hair, flowing around his slightly tanned face; his silver eyes watching her with curiosity and his full lips begging to be kissed.
Can you imagine Draco wearing kaki pants and a baby blue tight polo, showing off his well-defined chest and arms' muscles? Well, that's what Ginny's seeing right now and trying hard not to drool.
Shaking those dangerous thoughts from her head, Ginny took off her sandals and started to walk barefoot to the Three Broomsticks.
"Bye Ferret-boy!" she waved a hand, without stopping to watch his reaction.
'Little Weasel has gown up quite nicely...' he thought, watching her walking slowly, her sandals hanging from one of her hands and her beautiful body glowing under the hot sunlight. 'Oh Merlin, I've been to long on the sun to be thinking like this! That must be it...'
Turning around, Draco Malfoy kept walking on his way. He had a lunch meeting right now...
"Ginny? What happened, why are you barefoot?" Hermione asked with a smiled, when Ginny finally arrived to their table.
"I kept on tripping on the road stones and I almost fell, but someone saved me..." she explained, putting her shoes on, again. "Imagine who was my saviour!"
"Who?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Draco Malfoy, the one and only!" Ginny smiled at Hermione's shocked face.
"No... It can't be! I thought he had left England after we graduated..." she replied, surprised.
"Well, looks like he's back and his personality hasn't changed at all, Mione. But his body... that's another matter!" Ginny giggled like a teenager, at the memory of Draco's physical appearance. "I wish I had patients with that body, to massage for hours!"
"Ginevra Weasley, I can't believe you! If you're blushing like a 15 y-old teenager, than I'm sure he looks incredibly well... I've got to see him!" Hermione laughed, amused at Ginny's flushed face.
"You have Harry... He has a nice body as well!" Ginny pointed out.
"Ginny, I don't want you looking at my man's body! He's all mine to explore!" Hermione sounded serious, but she had a wicked smile on her face. "So, let's change this conversation... Why are you so sad, lately?"
The smile disappeared from Ginny's lips, and she became sad again.
"I'm tired, Hermione... After so many years, dreaming about helping children overcome their handicaps, I'm working for people I despise. All that I've studied it's not being put to good use... I hate how Carlo treats me and I'm tired of trying to be Miss Perfect!" Ginny explained, sighing with relief for finally telling someone how she truly felt. "He keeps on trying to change me, and I try to... I really do, but it's not in my nature to be a snob little bitch, like the ones he's surrounded with in all those high- class parties!"
"Ok... That's a lot inside of mind, right now! First of all, what's wrong with Carlo?" Hermione asked gently, placing a friendly hand on top of Ginny's shoulder.
"Well, when we are alone he's so sweet, always pampering me, behaving like a normal boyfriend... But when we are in front of other people, he just kind of shows me off, as if stating that he dates the Minister of Magic's daughter. He never lets me talk in front of important people, he makes me wear extravagant clothes to attract attentions and he's always telling me how I'm not good enough for his public image!" Ginny said, playing with her lunch, not feeling hungry at all. "I used to like him a lot... Maybe I even loved him, but now, I always find my self wishing he doesn't visit me, or owl me or even he doesn't come to my office... I'm tired of everything Mione!"
"You sound truly depressed, Ginny... And, I'm don't want to force my opinion on you, so please, just listen to me and think about what you'll hear. Then, take your own conclusions, ok?" Hermione said in a soft whisper. "You say you hate the clinic, you hate the social events, you hate how you're treated by your own boyfriend... Ginny, you are a successful Healer, and a good-looking one at that! You can have any man you want and you can have any job you want... Just try to clear your mind and decide what's best for you, what's best for your future and what's best for your emotional and mental health!"
"Wow, Mione... You really have to drop the Aurors and start a business where you give good advices to people in need! You'd be rich in no time!" Ginny joked, and smiled at her good old friend. "I'll think about what you just told me, and I'll let you know what I've decided. Thank you for hearing me out and helping me. You really are like the sister I always wished for..."
"Ow, don't you dare make me cry! Harry and I will be going to the Burrow tomorrow for dinner... We'll talk some more then, ok?" Hermione smiled happily.
"Sure... I'm sorry for taking all our lunch time together talking about my miserable life!" Ginny said, dropping some galleons on the table to pay for their lunch. "I'm dying to know how was your two months travel around the Europe with Harry!"
"I'll tell you everything tomorrow, with details, of course!" Hermione laughed. "Bye Gin!"
With a soft pop Hermione Disapparated and Ginny walked back to the Moretti clinic, for another afternoon full of perfectly healthy patients whom insisted on having fake diseases.
"Healer Weasley, there's someone outside to see you!" Audrey, her secretary, told her in the middle of the morning, between patients.
"Who is it?" Ginny asked, drinking her fresh water.
"Miss Hermione Granger... Do I tell her to make an appointment?" Audrey asked.
"Of course not! Please, send her in at once!" Ginny said, standing up from her chair and running to the office door, to welcome her best friend. "Hermione!"
A tall brunette turned around at the sound of her name. Seeing Ginny, she smiled widely and hugged her sweet friend.
"Ginny! It has been so long..." Hermione smiled, looking at Ginny from head to toes. "You sure look different!"
"I know... We have a lot to talk about, after two months without seeing each other!" Ginny complained, gesturing for Hermione to enter her office.
"Healer Weasley, there are 3 more patients outside to see you!" Audrey said, shocked with Ginny's relaxed behaviour.
"I know, Audrey... I'll see them in a few moments!" Ginny replied as she shut the door and turned around to smile at Hermione. "Oh Mione, I'm in desperate need to talk with you... How was your visit to old Europe?"
"It was... incredible! Harry and I had a wonderful time together, if you know what I mean!" Hermione said with a wicked smile.
"Oh, you naughty girl!" Ginny laughed, sitting again. "Merlin, I've missed laughing for these two months..."
"What's going on, Gin? Your mother said she's worried with you, that lately your always looking sad and that you don't laugh like you used to!" Hermione asked, concerned with her best friend.
"It's a long story, Mione... Can we have lunch today? I have patients outside waiting for me..." Ginny asked, sadly.
"Of course... I miss our lunches at the Three Broomsticks! I'll meet you there at 1 pm!" Hermione replied, standing up to leave.
Ginny looked at Hermione and noticed how different she was from her old days at Hogwarts. Her hair was still long, but now it wasn't bushy. By the contrary, it was silky and straight, framing her perfectly made-up face. She was wearing white pants and a pink top... so unlike her old days, when she would cover her body, in shame.
She was a beautiful woman now, and a lucky one, because she had landed with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice...
'Oh, I miss old days, when I didn't have a worry and all we did was have fun!' she thought, as Hermione closed the door after her.
Finally Ginny finished her morning patients and left the Clinic. It was 1:15 pm and she was late for her lunch with Hermione.
Diagon Alley's streets were empty, as everyone avoided the extreme heat at that hour of the day, making it easier for Ginny to walk to the Three Broomsticks. The only problem was that her heels kept on getting stuck on the stone floor, making her trip and almost fall, for several times.
Ginny was taking the last turn, that would take her to the famous bar, when she tripped again and this time was unable to keep her balance.
Closing her eyes, she thrust her hands in front of her body and closed her eyes, waiting for the impact against the floor... but it never came. There were two strong arms around her small waist, keeping her from touching the stones floor.
Sighing in relief, Ginny straightened her self and tried to look at her saviour, but the sun was behind his face and against her eyes, making it impossible to see his features. But one thing was sure; he had a hell of a body.
"Thank you so much... I swear I'll never walk in Diagon Alley with this shoes again!" she smiled sweetly, straightening her skirt and top.
"I think the problem it's not the shoes... It's the blood, Weasel!" a male voice said, making her head shoot up in alarm and a cold shiver run through her body, although it was extremely hot outside.
'There's only one person capable of saying such thing about my family...' she thought, narrowing her eyes. 'Draco Malfoy!'
"Malfoy... Now I wish you hadn't kept me from falling! I would rather heal my knees than have your ferrety hands touching me..." Ginny replied, keeping a cold facade, although she was furious and nervous on the inside.
"Hey, I'm the one who will have to sterilize his hands after this run-in!" he complained, starting to move, finally allowing Ginny to take a good look at her old nemesis, from Hogwarts, and her crush on her Bad-Boy phase.
'Well, well, well... Just look at that! The Slytherin Sex God looks even better now, than he did in the old days!' Ginny thought, looking at his long blond hair, flowing around his slightly tanned face; his silver eyes watching her with curiosity and his full lips begging to be kissed.
Can you imagine Draco wearing kaki pants and a baby blue tight polo, showing off his well-defined chest and arms' muscles? Well, that's what Ginny's seeing right now and trying hard not to drool.
Shaking those dangerous thoughts from her head, Ginny took off her sandals and started to walk barefoot to the Three Broomsticks.
"Bye Ferret-boy!" she waved a hand, without stopping to watch his reaction.
'Little Weasel has gown up quite nicely...' he thought, watching her walking slowly, her sandals hanging from one of her hands and her beautiful body glowing under the hot sunlight. 'Oh Merlin, I've been to long on the sun to be thinking like this! That must be it...'
Turning around, Draco Malfoy kept walking on his way. He had a lunch meeting right now...
"Ginny? What happened, why are you barefoot?" Hermione asked with a smiled, when Ginny finally arrived to their table.
"I kept on tripping on the road stones and I almost fell, but someone saved me..." she explained, putting her shoes on, again. "Imagine who was my saviour!"
"Who?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Draco Malfoy, the one and only!" Ginny smiled at Hermione's shocked face.
"No... It can't be! I thought he had left England after we graduated..." she replied, surprised.
"Well, looks like he's back and his personality hasn't changed at all, Mione. But his body... that's another matter!" Ginny giggled like a teenager, at the memory of Draco's physical appearance. "I wish I had patients with that body, to massage for hours!"
"Ginevra Weasley, I can't believe you! If you're blushing like a 15 y-old teenager, than I'm sure he looks incredibly well... I've got to see him!" Hermione laughed, amused at Ginny's flushed face.
"You have Harry... He has a nice body as well!" Ginny pointed out.
"Ginny, I don't want you looking at my man's body! He's all mine to explore!" Hermione sounded serious, but she had a wicked smile on her face. "So, let's change this conversation... Why are you so sad, lately?"
The smile disappeared from Ginny's lips, and she became sad again.
"I'm tired, Hermione... After so many years, dreaming about helping children overcome their handicaps, I'm working for people I despise. All that I've studied it's not being put to good use... I hate how Carlo treats me and I'm tired of trying to be Miss Perfect!" Ginny explained, sighing with relief for finally telling someone how she truly felt. "He keeps on trying to change me, and I try to... I really do, but it's not in my nature to be a snob little bitch, like the ones he's surrounded with in all those high- class parties!"
"Ok... That's a lot inside of mind, right now! First of all, what's wrong with Carlo?" Hermione asked gently, placing a friendly hand on top of Ginny's shoulder.
"Well, when we are alone he's so sweet, always pampering me, behaving like a normal boyfriend... But when we are in front of other people, he just kind of shows me off, as if stating that he dates the Minister of Magic's daughter. He never lets me talk in front of important people, he makes me wear extravagant clothes to attract attentions and he's always telling me how I'm not good enough for his public image!" Ginny said, playing with her lunch, not feeling hungry at all. "I used to like him a lot... Maybe I even loved him, but now, I always find my self wishing he doesn't visit me, or owl me or even he doesn't come to my office... I'm tired of everything Mione!"
"You sound truly depressed, Ginny... And, I'm don't want to force my opinion on you, so please, just listen to me and think about what you'll hear. Then, take your own conclusions, ok?" Hermione said in a soft whisper. "You say you hate the clinic, you hate the social events, you hate how you're treated by your own boyfriend... Ginny, you are a successful Healer, and a good-looking one at that! You can have any man you want and you can have any job you want... Just try to clear your mind and decide what's best for you, what's best for your future and what's best for your emotional and mental health!"
"Wow, Mione... You really have to drop the Aurors and start a business where you give good advices to people in need! You'd be rich in no time!" Ginny joked, and smiled at her good old friend. "I'll think about what you just told me, and I'll let you know what I've decided. Thank you for hearing me out and helping me. You really are like the sister I always wished for..."
"Ow, don't you dare make me cry! Harry and I will be going to the Burrow tomorrow for dinner... We'll talk some more then, ok?" Hermione smiled happily.
"Sure... I'm sorry for taking all our lunch time together talking about my miserable life!" Ginny said, dropping some galleons on the table to pay for their lunch. "I'm dying to know how was your two months travel around the Europe with Harry!"
"I'll tell you everything tomorrow, with details, of course!" Hermione laughed. "Bye Gin!"
With a soft pop Hermione Disapparated and Ginny walked back to the Moretti clinic, for another afternoon full of perfectly healthy patients whom insisted on having fake diseases.