Unconventional Commitments

Chapter Eight

Of Karma and Irony

Okay, so the whole "yes" box incident was quite obviously a momentarily lapse in sanity. There is just no other explanation for it. Because I wouldn't voluntarily accept a date to go to some stuffy Ministry dinner with Harry…Please, as if I don't have a million better things to do.

All right, so maybe not a million better things…but I do have some. I am not a social freak or anything—I am not desperate enough to spend an evening at the Ministry. Besides, that would give Harry the impression that I am agreeing to a date, which I refuse to do. Because I gave up men about two—or was it three?—days ago, and I would like to keep that promise to myself for at least a week.

I glare at Hedwig, who is beginning to look impatient. Honestly, owls should not have the ability to appear impatient, there is just something wrong about that. I take out my wand and tap the check mark that I had made—with the assistance of magic, my blunder is no more. I chew on the end of the quill until an idea comes to me; I draw a third box and check it quickly before folding the letter and handing it back to Hedwig. The "maybe" box, is there anything greater? The decisiveness of indecision, it's a beautiful thing.

Feeling satisfied with myself for getting something done I make my way back to my bedroom. The way I look at it, I deserve a good night's rest, right?

I slip under the covers with a newfound excitement, is it terribly strange to get excited about the prospect of sleep? Deciding that I do not care if it is odd or not, I close my eyes and vow not to think anything but happy thoughts until at least tomorrow morning. Everything always looks better in the morning…

The sunlight streams through the windows as I wake with the delicious feeling of comfort and rest. A smile comes to my face as I stretch out with a sigh of contentment. I'm contemplating whether or not I should go back to sleep, when my arm strikes something hard.

I jump and immediately sit up to find…someone else? Okay, now I know that this could not happen to me twice in a span less than a week. No way, I am not that big of a slag to do the one-night-stand thing again. I learned a lesson, damn it!

Nevertheless, someone is there…but they are completely covered with sheets. Frankly, I'm almost afraid to find out who it even is. If it's Harry, well, that's bad because then I will in no way be able to get out of the relationship thing…and if it's not Harry, well, that makes me a complete whore. I'm just screwed either way. Er, perhaps "screwed" was a bad choice of word…

I take a deep breath and decide to just suck it up. I'm brave, right? I was a Gryffindor for some reason, surely. So, all I have to do is just lift up the sheet and find out…that's all there is to it. I close one eye and peek out of the other as I slowly lift the sheet up to find…a mass of raven black hair. Well, that is just terrific. Ginny Weasley, you have just won yourself a lifetime of quality "couple time." Congratu-bloody-lations.

I give a sigh of defeat and throw myself back onto the softness of the mattress—only to remember that my mattress is not soft in the least, I made the mistake of allowing my mother to pick it out, and she decided that firmness is much better for the back. However, I am not met with a harsh feeling; it is just what I had hoped for when I had committed the act of throwing myself…it is soft. It is…not my mattress!

I look around the room with a newfound panic, none of this is mine, and this is not my room at all! "Oh, my God," I say aloud, "what the hell did I do, sleepwalk?"

My intelligent decision to think aloud stirs my bedtime companion. Harry does his annoying "asleep to awake in three seconds flat" act and is all over me in all his concerned boyfriend glory.

"Gin, love," he says soothingly, "is everything all right?"

"Everything is peachy bloody keen," I respond sarcastically. Before I can even hear his response, I notice my hand for the first time. My eyes widen in utter shock and dismay as I see a band of gold gracing my left hand. "Oh…my…God," I breathe as I feel myself beginning to hyperventilate.

"Ginny," he says in a serious tone, "what is wrong? Do you need a Healer?"

"We're married!" I screech finally.

"And?"

"Harry, we are bloody married!"

"Ginny, we've been married for five years. You alright, love?"

I feel tears stinging my eyes. "I am not alright."

Harry's eyes narrow. "Well take a few minutes then. The kids will be downstairs waiting for breakfast."

"Kids?"

"Yeah, our two kids, Ginny." He pats my stomach, "Soon to be three, right sweetie?"

"Three?" I say stupidly. Suddenly the door swings open widely and two children—twins—come bounding up on the bed. All I hear is the word "mummy" being shouted repeatedly as I am practically suffocated by them

"Mummy, I want a broom!"

"Mummy, I can't find my bear!"

"Mummy, Zack stole my shoes!"

"Gin, breakfast? I have to get to work, you know."

The questions and orders just keep coming…so I do the only rational thing that there is to do: I promptly place my hands over my ears and scream.

I sit straight up in bed with a sharp gasp and immediately place a hand over my fast beating heart. I look around cautiously, it is pitch black out…I am in my room, my bed, and I am completely alone. Oh, thank God, it was only a dream. Or a nightmare.

That, I decide, certainly cannot be a good sign. I am simply not meant to even talk to Harry. He will surely lead me to my downfall; something must be attempting to tell me that. I'm no longer tired, and have absolutely no desire to go back to sleep in fear that the dream will happen again. I cannot even handle being a wife in a bloody dream—I am not cut out for the role, obviously.

I get up from the bed and make my way over to the closet, if I'm up, I might as well go out. If there is one thing I despise, it is just sitting around. That is the most boring act ever invented, just sitting. Bloody monotonous waste of time…

Once dressed I find a clock, it is midnight…where can one go at midnight? I shrug and decide that I might as well try for another night in the "alcoholic corner" of the pub. I could use a night of getting smashed.

I apparate to the pub and walk inside, everything appears to be pretty dead…well, good, I don't really want to talk to people anyway—except, someone is at my alcoholic table! Damn it, now I have to sit in the middle of the room and risk socialization.

Well, before I succumb to the horrors of that, I am going to see who is at my table, and find out if I can scare them off. I round the table, put on my best glare, and promptly find…Dean Thomas. Well now, that is certainly unexpected.

He looks up from the table and regards me with a mixture of surprise and horror. "Ginny," he gasps, "I…I…"

"Don't worry," I sigh, "you don't have to speak with me. I'll just leave you alone."

"No! I mean, you don't have to leave. Sit, please. I'll buy you a drink."

I shrug and take a seat at the table, who can resist a free drink? Even if it is with the one person that shares my worst memories.

"So, Dean," I say to make conversation, "how have you been?"

"Uh…good. I suppose. How have you been? You look absolutely fantastic."

I smile at him widely, "Thanks, you too. Things have been alright."

"Good, good. I'm really…happy for you then."

"I said alright, Dean, not great."

He laughs and the tension of our meeting is finally broken. "Right. So I'm slightly happy for you then. God, Gin, it's been so long."

"Yeah," I look away. "Last time we talked was when you left that…one summer."

He gulps. "Yes, that…one summer."

"But," I say as I accept my drink from the waitress, "no need to rehash all that, now is there?"

Dean gives a sigh of relief, "No, none at all. But I did want to apologize to you, for being such a bloody coward about it all."

"You weren't a coward, Dean. Don't worry about it."

He nods. "So, you with anyone now?"

"Sort of…well, not really. I don't know, it's complicated. You?"

"Yeah, I'm…kind of engaged."

"Kind of?" I repeat. "That's one of those you are or you aren't sort of things, Dean."

He gives me half smile, "Well, I suppose that I am then."

"I would say congratulations, but being that you are here drinking alone, I'd say that you aren't that thrilled about it."

"I don't know, Gin. I'm just not real keen on the whole marriage deal. I asked her and all, but it's like I was pressured into it. She has been dropping hints right and left for five months now…my family kept telling me to do it, my friends kept telling me to do it…so, I did it. And now I'm depressed."

"You…you don't like marriage?" No way is it possible that there is someone else who agrees with me here.

"No, not really. It's just the idea of the same repetitive routine over and over again. Moreover, you don't do anything else but be with that person, from the time that you wake up to the time that you go to sleep, you are with them. Every day for the rest of your life…I may be alone here, but that seems ruddy boring."

"You are not alone," I respond quickly. "I know exactly what you mean, I would completely get sick of the person, and you aren't even allowed to have a life of your own anymore. And the only people that you are friends with are other couples. If you have single friends you never even see them anymore, because all the sudden they are in a completely different class than you. You are married, and that suddenly defines who you are."

He looks at me incredulously for a minute. "Yeah…exactly." He starts to laugh as he swigs back his drink, "You know, I should have known that the one person to completely agree with me would be you."

"Why?"

"Because I've been avoiding you for so long. Irony, karma, whatever label you want to put on it. Do you want to…go…somewhere?"

"Yes," I respond without thinking it through.

Dean nods and stands from his seat, helping me out of my chair immediately after. "All right then, let's go."

A/N- Okay, all Harry fans chill before you get angry, lol. I promise no slagish activities from Ginny. In case anyone is interested; I posted a story titled "That One Summer" that tells the story of the summer so frequently mentioned in this story. It's going to be a few chapters, but don't feel obligated to read it or anything, you don't need to read that to get this. I just started it a few days ago and got into it…lol, I grew so attached to Dean that I had to drag him into this story.

As always, thank you so much to my lovely reviewers, I appreciate them beyond belief! Be sure to review again, it'll make my day!