Chapter 24

Ginny woke up to hear an owl pecking at her window. Ginny yawned and rolled over, trying to ignore it.

"Bloody 'ell!" Harry yelled from his bedroom. "Shut that thing up, will you?"

Ginny laughed and stood up from the bed and opened the window, the owl stumbled in and Ginny could see that it was Ron and Hermione's owl, close to death. He was quite an ugly owl, they called him Illiad. They had gotten him as a wedding present from Charlie.

Ginny closed the window and walked barefoot in her nightgown into the living room where Hedwig's cage was sitting in the corner, Hedwig was gone, out delivering a letter she supposed, she grabbed some food and water and lugged it into her bedroom.

"What's going on?" Harry called drowsily.

"It's Ron and Hermione's owl!"

She heard a thud from his bedroom and then he opened the door suddenly. His hair was a complete mess, it almost made Ginny laugh. His pajama pants were to loose and were falling off, his shirt was dirty and also looked to big.

"Rough night?" she smiled up at him as she opened the parchment that Illiad had carried.

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled his pants up. "What does it say?"

When Ginny didn't answer Harry walked up behind her and read it over her shoulder.

---

Dearest Harry and Ginny,

We miss you dearly and are sorry we haven't come to visit you, but you to could have come to visit us.

We are all going to dinner at the Burrow on Sunday, Everyone is invited. We'd really like you to come along.

But if you aren't able to come then send us an owl and we'll have a dinner at your place.

We miss you two dearly and wish you wouldn't keep yourselves locked away like you do.

Anyway, we would love to get together with you.

Lots of love,

Hermione and Ron

---

"You want to go on Sunday?" Harry asked her gently.

"I don't think so, Mum would lecture me and beg me to move back home. I just don't think so..."

Harry nodded. "We'll have them over then... You know how to cook?"

Ginny laughed a little. "Sort of."

"Good, Because I am absolutely desperate when it comes to cooking."

Ginny smiled at him. "Are you working today."

Harry nodded.

"Me too..." Ginny grinned at him. "DidI mention that I got a job?"

Harry laughed, "No, but Ivan mentioned it when I was talking to him outside."

Ginny blushed, "What else did he mention?"

"Oh, nothing... " Harry felt his stomach jump, other than the fact that he is in love with you , nothing, he said nothing. "So you're working in a pub? That's a bit of an odd place for you to work."

Ginny looked up and Harry saw that she looked a bit embarassed. "Well... yes, but... It will be a fine job, I'll be working with Ivan so..." Why was she talking to Harry about Ivan? She didn't know but she quickly stopped herself.

Harry felt depressed as she said his name, Ivan. All of his hopes crushed in that one name,

Ginny suddenly felt sick, she couldn't go out with Ivan when he was just her second choice, if at any moment Harry said that he loved her and wanted to be with her, she would drop Ivan in a second. She couldn't go out with him when she knew that she could do that to him.

"I..." Ginny mumbled and Harry looked up quickly, in anticipation.

"I've got to go to work now." Harry said and stood quickly and rushed into the bathroom to have a shower and get ready for work.

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Ginny stood with her back towards Ivan. She was handing a man at the bar his vodka. Ivan walked up behind her and gently put his hands on her hips.

"You're doing good." he whispered and walked away again.

Ginny sighed, she had to tell him, even if it meant getting fired, She walked to the back of the pub, where Ivan kept the stocks of bottles neatly stacked in rows.

Ivan was organizing a few things and sipping a gin. He was quite able todrink large amounts of strong alcohol and still be completely himself. It was quite a talent.

"Ivan, can we talk?" Ginny asked as she stepped up behind him. Ivan looked up quickly and almost dropped his gin. He set it down on the table and looked back at her.

"Sure Ginny. But it can't be anything that leads to a makeout session, we have work to do." he teased. They hadn't kissed yet and he was always full of things like that, always saying they had done more than they had. It made Ginny a little angry.

"No Ivan." she said firmly, her eyes blazing. "That's the point... I'm sorry, I don't think we should go out with each other anymore."

Ivan looked shocked and then a little angry. " What do you mean, why not?"

Ginny sighed, she had hoped it would end well, with them still being friends, she did like Ivan after all. "I mean, we're not right for each other,I just don't think we should date each other."

"Why the bloody hell not?" He looked quite angry and it scared Ginny a little.

"B-Because... I just... I think we'd be better off as friends."

"I can't believe this!"

Ginny backed up against the shelves nearest her and waited for him to do something.

"You think you can do this to me, Damnit Ginny!" He yelled and she opened her eyes as a bottle came crashing next to her head.

Then Ivan had fallen to the ground, his head in his hands and he was crying. His body was shaking so hard from the sobs, Ginny was scared.

"I'm sorry Ivan." she whispered.

"I love you." he yelled.

"You don't even know me Ivan."

"Yes I do! I know everything, I know how you like your coffee, I know how you love to read, I know how you smell like flowers! I know everything!" He was pleading as he looked up at her his eyes were red.

"NO!" she screamed, he didn't know anything. "You don't know! You don't know how I was raped! You don't know anything!" Tears were falling down her cheeks as she looked into his shocked face.

"Ginny... I-"

"Don't. It's over. I'm sorry." she picked up her purse that was laying on the table and hurried out of the pub, hoping she would never go back there.