Though Far Apart

Chapter Two: The Problems

A/N: In this chapter, I use lyrics from Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah'. All rights to that song are his. I am not profiting from it, or Harry Potter in any way. But again, we all knew that:D Also, I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews. It brightens my day each time I get a new review, for any of my stories, and encourages me to keep writing. So again, thank you.

That was five years ago. Ginny was twenty-one now, Draco twenty-two. Things changed, they grew apart. The divorce was finalized two years after Ginny graduated; Professor Dumbledore was a reluctant witness. Sometimes she still thought of Draco, when she came across the odd photograph or letter that stirred memories from long ago. They hadn't spoken in months; they put on airs that they just didn't care anymore. But sometimes, late at night, when Ginny was trying to fall asleep, she found herself missing his arms around her. She knew, in her heart, that she couldn't completely sever all ties with him, just like that. And she hoped the same was true for Draco.

I heard there was a secret chord

that David played and it pleased the Lord

but you don't really care for music do ya

well it goes like this the fourth the fifth

the minor fall and the major lift

the baffled king composing Hallelujah

Since the divorce, Ginny had left Europe all together and bought a studio apartment in New York City. She got a job as cheif editor of a prominent fashion magazine, and tried to leave the wizarding world behind. Infact, she only saw her family once a year at Christmas time. And aside from juggling her job, and grey tabby cat Vixen, she was in a long-distance relationship with Harry Potter, who still lived in Britain.

well your faith was strong but you needed proof

you saw her bathing on the roof

her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya

she tied you to a kitchen chair

she broke your throne and she cut you hair

and from your lips she drew the hallelujah

One Monday after work, she came home to a plate of cookie crumbs on the table and a pair of men's boots by the door. With a bewildered look on her face, Ginny shrugged off her blazer and hung her purse on the doorknob. She made her way to her bedroom, all the while looking for the intruder. She opened the bedroom door-- and found Harry staring back at her.

"Harry!" she cried, surprised and startled, "What are you doing here?"

He shoved the rest of a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth and gave her a hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Do I have to have a reason for visiting my girlfriend?"

Ginny laughed and wiped the crumbs from his shirt. "Yes you do, when your girlfriend lives a continent away."

"I did some thinking, and I decided we don't see enough of each other, so I used some of my vacation time, and here I am!"

Ginny reached down and took off her shoes, holding on to Harry's arm. "I didn't know Aurors could take vacations," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"They can when they're dating the Minister of Magic's daughter," he replied with a grin, leaning down to kiss her."

After dinner Ginny stood over the sink, rinsing plates. Harry was leaning on the counter, scraping the last of the potato salad from a bowl.

"So how's my family?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, Ron was made captain of the Cannons two weeks ago, and Fred and George are franchizing their joke shop."

"Oh, that's nice," she said, not really paying attention.

"And guess who I ran into the other day, at a jewelry store?"

"Who?"

"Draco Malfoy. He was trying to sell a locket, but the jeweler wouldn't buy it because of the inscription on the back. Isn't that funny?" Harry put the empty bowl in the sink and turned on the water.

"Hilarious," Ginny replied, her mouth going dry. She set the glass down she'd been drying and looked at her hands. "It was my locket he was trying to sell. He gave it to me for my nineteenth birthday, just before... I moved out. I left it under my pillow, and I guess he found it." She ran a hand under her eyes, trying to brush away a wayward tear.

"Oh, Gin, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot..." Harry put an arm around her, silently berating himself, but she shrugged it off, wiping more tears away.

"No, it's fine." She turned off the water. "I'm going to take a walk."

"In New York? At night?"

"Yeah." She brushed past him and made her way to the front door, grabbing her coat.

baby I've been there before

I've seen this room and I've walked this floor

you know I used to live alone before I knew ya

and I've seen your flag on the marble arch

and love is not a victory march

it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Ginny paced the streets of Times Square, brushing past all the people, most of them on cell phones. So Draco had tried to sell her locket. Maybe he needed money. No, it was Draco; he would never need money. Maybe he was trying to put her out of his life for good. Maybe...

She pulled her coat tighter around her body; the wind was strong. She looked up to see a couple trudging down the street, laughing and holding hands. Ginny found herself wondering why she was hardly ever that happy when she was with Harry. She hadn't seen him in almost three months, and then he showed up at her doorstep and she had to admit she wasn't as excited as she should be. Maybe it was because she hadn't let go of Draco yet. Maybe it was because things had never really been settled between them. Maybe...

well there was a time when you let me know

what's really going on below

but now you never show that to me do ya

but remember when I moved in you

and the Holy dove was moving too

and every breath we drew was hallelujah

"Harry, I'm going back to London."

"What? Why?" He sat up in his chair and gave her a peculiar look. Ginny set Vixen in her lap and listened to her purr.

"I've done some thinking of my own, and I have some things I need to smooth over."

"You mean Draco?"

She nodded. "Yes. And I want you to stay here, watch the flat, feed Vixen, you know, that kind of thing."

Harry shook his head, looking skeptical. "I don't know, I don't think I like the idea of you looking up Malfoy and starting something up again," he said protectively. Ginny laughed a little.

"Harry, it's over between Draco and me, I swear."

Ginny stood outside the front gate of an attractive- looking house, white brick with a wrap-around porch. She tightened her grip on the handle of her suitcase, took a deep breath, and opened the gate.

well maybe there's a God above

but al I've ever learned from love

was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya

The walk up the cobblestone pathway to the front door seemed to take an eternity, and with each step Ginny wanted to turn around.

and it's not a cry that you hear at night

it's not somebody who's seen the light

She reached the porch, a familiar sight. When they were married she would often come out in the mornings and sit on the swing, thinking. Draco had always wanted to get rid of it, because he thought it was a "tacky Muggle toy", but he'd kept around because she loved it.

Ginny looked over to the right, expecting to see empty floor, but the swing still hung there. Ginny almost smiled inspite of herself. She took another deep breath, smoothed her skirt, and rung the door bell, something that felt unnatural to her. She waited for a moment, her heart pounding wildly, before she heard footsteps from inside. Draco opened the door and looked right at her. She couldn't read his expression.

"Hello, Draco," she said nervously.

it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

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In the next chapter: a reconciliation is in the works, with a little help from a House Elf.