AN: Hello all! This idea to type this just sort of came to me one day, so I just kinda typed it up, considered it worthy to be put on the site, and did so. Read and enjoy! (And review, too!) And no, although it may sort of seem like it (I realized this after re-reading it), Ron IS NOT gay. There is NO slash and NO incest in this story.
Summary: AFTER HOGWARTS: Most everyone that we know and love from the HP series is living a typical life. But when a mystery arises and the authorities do nothing about it, it is up to Ron and Hermione to figure it out. Rated for language and implied violence.
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For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Ginny found herself momentarily blinded by a camera flash. Her fake, Barbie-like smile disappeared instantly after the shutter of the camera closed, and she sighed and slouched away from the bright white background. Some days, like today, being a model for Witch Weekly was terribly tiring, especially since they had started this "muggle clothing" fad that past spring. Rather than the normal three-outfit, three-hour day that fit her schedule very conveniently, today was much more involved.
"It's Saturday! You know what that means!" her manager had said cheerfully at 10:30 that morning. Ginny had groaned.
"Yes, I know, two more outfits that usual," she had glumly replied. As it turned out, instead of five outfits today, she had seven. Seven! It was outrageous. Never, in the history of her modeling career, had she had to do seven outfits in one day. Sure, other models did it, but not her. She had specifically requested a light schedule. But today . . . today she had even rushed her photographer, and she still spent six and a half hours there, and ended up stuck with what she thought were less-than-perfect shots. But at the moment, as she slipped into her dressing room, she figured that she didn't much care.
She glanced into the mirror that covered the left wall of her dressing room at her last outfit today. Because it was nearing December, she had been modeling in mostly black lately. This particular outfit she was rather impressed with. It was a long, black, off-the-shoulder dress that had one side, the left, touching the floor, and then slanting up until the right side stopped at her knees. It had a silver, glitter edge around the bottom and had a large flower outlined in silver in the bottom left corner. With matching black gloves that came up about six inches above her elbows and sleek, black, tight leather boots that came up about five inches above her ankles, it made the overall appearance of the outfit very elegant. Of course, the selling price was around 150 galleons, so not many "average" people would be buying this particular outfit.
She sighed as she thought back to who she used to be, only five years ago, when she was just a simple, poor, school girl in an family of seven children in her graduating year. Now, at age 22, she was a model, and the exact opposite of "poor." Rich, wealthy, however you wanted to put it, she had money to blow. However, despite this wealth and her current feeling of extreme tiredness, she was greatly looking forward to dinner later with her youngest brother, Ron. She was supposed to meet him at 7:00 in (believe it or not) Hogsmeade – the Three Broomsticks to be exact – for a casual, reminiscent dinner of their school years. She hadn't been to Hogsmeade since her seventh year at Hogwarts, and she found herself feeling like a giddy school girl again as she changed out the black dress and into casual clothes. She liked to think of them as her "just-got-back-from-the-gym" clothes. A pair of black warm-up pants plus a matching black shirt and a white, zip-up hoodie made her look like she had just gotten done working out at a gym and was heading home for a nice, hot shower; and at the moment, the latter of the two actually correct. She tossed the black dress in the dry-cleaning hamper and then stepped out of her dressing room. She was stopped on her way to the lobby, however, by her photographer.
"Ginny, you were great today! I realize that you had to go through seven outfits, but the pictures are fabulous nonetheless!"
"Why, thank you, Jonathan, that's very flattering," said Ginny with a smile.
"As a matter of fact, I just talked with your manager, and that last dress you were wearing is going to be on the cover of January's issue!" said Jonathan excitedly.
"The – the cover?" repeated Ginny. She was rich, yes, and she was a model, yes, but she had never been on the cover yet in her career, never. This could be her big break! Now everyone would know who Ginny Weasley was!
"Yes, ma'am, the cover of Witch Weekly," Jonathan was babbling on. "Teenage and older witches alike all over the countryside will be looking at that issue and saying, 'Wow, I wish I could be just like her.'"
"This is great, Jon. I wish I could stay and talk about it, but I have a dinner appointment with my brother this evening, and I really should be going," said Ginny, checking her watch. It was 5:30.
"Not a problem, Ginny. I'll see you on Monday." Ginny gave him a nod and apparated to her rather large house. Once inside, she immediately headed upstairs for a shower.
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Ron hummed tunelessly as he walked around his flat. It was 5:30, and in an hour and half, he would be seeing his sister. He hadn't seen her for several months, and contrary to many people's assumptions (aside from those who knew him well), he loved his sister dearly. Although, he didn't much approve of this boyfriend she had. Maybe it was just his brotherly over-protectiveness, or maybe it was the fact that her boyfriend was a muggle, but Ron just didn't like him. He thought that Ginny deserved someone much better than that. He felt his heart wrench.
Someone like Harry.
It brought tears to his eyes to think of his lost friend. Shortly after Harry turned 18, after he had defeated Voldemort, he had been found dead in his flat. It was clear to the investigators that he had been tortured to death. A year later, they pinned the act on several ex-Death Eaters that were raving lunatics, wanting revenge for their master's sake.
Ron tried to gain control of himself as he felt tears rolling down his face. It was silly . . . it have been five years since he had found out. Five years. He shouldn't still be this upset over it. He should have moved on by now, but every time he thought about even the slightest reminder of Harry, his eyes welled up with tears. Ron smiled slightly, however, when he thought of the first time he ever met Harry.
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.
Harry nodded.
"Oh – well, I just thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got – you know . . ."
He pointed at Harry's forehead.
Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.
"So that's where You-Know-Who --?"
"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."
"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.
"Well, I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."
"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he quickly looked out of the window again.
Ron nearly laughed out loud at how he had marveled at Harry back then, twelve years ago, but within a week, it became completely normal to have the world's most famous wizard as your best friend. He took a few deep breaths, then, satisfied that he was totally composed, decided to go outside for an afternoon walk to clear his thoughts.
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Ginny arrived in Hogsmeade dressed casually, so as not to draw attention to herself, and entered the Three Broomsticks a little earlier than planned. Because she was fifteen minutes early, she sat down at the bar to char with Madame Rosmerta. However, she had barely started up conversation when the door to the bar opened, letting in both cold air and a person that Ginny vaguely recognized, but couldn't quite place as to who it was. She stared at him for a moment before turning back around to Madame Rosmerta and had her mouth through saying "Anyway" when she heard her name being called.
"Ginny?" came the male voice. She again turned around to see the man that had walked in the door.
"Yes?" she asked hesitantly.
"Don't you remember me?" he asked.
"Sort of, but not really. Refresh my memory."
"It's me, Neville, from school!" he said, and then Ginny was able to see the similarities between the forgetful schoolboy and the grown man that stood in front of her.
"Oh, Neville! It's so good to see you, how've you been?"
"I've been great, and apparently you have, too," he stated
"How would you know?" she teased.
"Well, my girlfriend reads Witch Weekly, and she saw you in one of the pictures and asked me if it was that "little red-headed friend of mine" from school. I told her it was you. She sort of stared at it for a minute and then tore it out of the magazine and gave it to me, said I could keep it. She said she didn't like the outfit. So, to please her, I put it in my pocket, but never took it out. I just discovered it there today when I arrived in Hogsmeade. How strange that I would see you the same day!" he remarked. He then paused for a second or two. "This is you, right?" he asked hesitantly, pulling out a folded magazine page from his pocket and showing it to her. Ginny recognized it as being from the July issue, and she blushed. She was wearing a pink halter top, a denim mini skirt, and matching pink flip-flops. It was a rather revealing outfit in her opinion, and not the best for someone like Neville to be recognizing her in.
"Yeah, that's me all right," she spoke in a shaky voice. "I'm, uh, I'm not exactly fond of that picture."
"It's okay, I can understand why," he said. "So, what brings someone like yourself to Hogsmeade today?"
"Oh, I'm having dinner with Ron, he should be here soon," Ginny responded.
"Your brother Ron?"
"Yes, that's the only Ron I know after all," said Ginny with a laugh. She heard the door open yet again and turned to see who it was.
"Ron!" she said excitedly. "Please excuse me, Neville," she said, and jumped off of the barstool to greet the red-headed man that walked in. She gave him a rather large hug.
"It's good to see you too, Ginny, now, if you don't mind, I'm having a bit of trouble breathing . . ." came Ron's struggled reply.
"Oh, sorry," said Ginny, hurriedly letting go of him. "So, how have you been?"
"The same as I was when you last saw me, just fine," he replied. "How about you?"
"The same. Oh, and guess who blew in?"
"'Blew in'?" asked a bewildered Ron.
"Okay, guess who showed up?"
"I have absolutely no idea, who?"
"Neville!"
"Longbottom?" asked Ron. Ginny nodded. "Really? I haven't seen him since the Christmas party last year!" he exclaimed. "Where is he?"
"Just over there, by the bar," Ginny pointed him out and Ron strolled over to him. They met each other with a rowdy greeting and Ginny just rolled her eyes.
"Boys . . ." she muttered to herself, and slipped over to an empty table. Madame Rosmerta came over to her when she saw Ginny sitting alone.
"Can I get you something to drink while you're waiting for your brother?" she asked with a smile.
"Sure, can I have a butterbeer please?"
"Certainly, I'll be right, and I'll try to get Ron over here to keep you company."
"Thanks," said Ginny, and she smiled. She watched Madame Rosmerta go behind the bar, and her way to getting Ginny's butterbeer she tapped Ron on the shoulder. Ginny couldn't hear what she said – the place was too noisy – but she did notice Madame Rosmerta nod in Ginny's direction. Ginny quickly turned her head away from the direction of the bar, but saw Ron look her way out of the corner of her eye. He soon made his way over to Ginny and sat down across from her.
"I feel so unloved, Ron," sobbed Ginny, faking tears.
"Ginny . . ."
"I can't believe you would want to talk to some guy instead of your only sister!" she continued to feign crying.
"Ginny, now, come on, act your age, won't you?" scolded her brother. Ginny stopped "sobbing" immediately.
"Fine then," she pouted. Madame Rosmerta returned with two butterbeers and placed one in front of Ginny and the other in front of Ron, along with two menus. Ginny picked hers up and opened it.
"What can I get you two to eat?"MadameRosmertaasked.
"I'm not really sure . . . what do you want, Ron?" asked Ginny.
"What I've been getting since sixth year. We'll have a large pepperoni pizza, please," said Ron, without even glancing at his menu, which still lay closed in front of him.
"Okay then, I suppose that will do," said Ginny, closing her menu and handing it to Madame Rosmerta. Ron did the same.
"One pepperoni pizza it is, then. I'll be right back," she said, and walked away with their menus.
"That was a quick decision," Ginny commented.
"What can I say? I love pizza," he replied. Ginny just laughed.
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AN: Well, there it is. Oh, and if anyone caught it, there was a little link in here between this story and Malfoy's Twin. Personal shout-outs next chapter to anyone who guesses correctly and doesn't cheat!
xXx SpicySugar xXx