Chapter 16

"I thought this was Hermione's flat," Harry said tiredly, leaning back further into his chair. Ginny bristled. How dare he invade her personal space?

"You didn't answer the question," Ginny snapped.

"It's my shift."

"They couldn't find someone else?" Ginny narrowed her eyes at Harry. "Or is this about Michael? You see a couple of photos in the Prophet and think you ought to check up on me?"

"Fuck, Ginny! No one else was available! Why do you have to assume that I'm purposefully spying on you? I've been giving you space-"

"Oh this is what you call space?"

"Don't turn this into a conspiracy!"

"Not a single other MLE officer or Auror could possibly take the shift-"

"I'm just trying to keep you safe!" Harry bellowed, completely out of patience.

"Safe from what, Michael? From my moving on?"

"Now you're just trying to pick a fight, Ginevra."

"Oh because Holier Than Thou Harry Saint Fucking Savior Potter is the mature one always there to save the damsel in distress with his gigantic bloody hero complex-" Ginny swore.

"Ginny," Michael began, trying to intervene.

"Stay out of it, Michael," Ginny spat.

"You know what, fuck this. Fuck you, Ginny. I can't just stop caring about you just because we broke up! I don't want you to die, for Godric's sake! I'm doing my fucking job, and I'm sorry it isn't comfortable or easy or full of sparkly rainbow marshmallows to cushion your delicate fucking sensibilities but since you're too dumb-"

"Oh now I'm dumb, too-" Ginny interrupted Harry's tirade, but he continued speaking over her anyways.

"-to move to a safe house when your life is in bloody danger-"

"Why is your life in danger?" Michael asked, horrified.

"You're stuck with whatever auror is assigned to your case-"

"Of course it'd be you-"

"And, fucking sorry, Ginevra," Harry snapped sarcastically, "for a teensy bit of your life, you're stuck with me for your own bloody sake! Deal with it!" Harry shouted.

"Why is your life in danger?" Michael asked Ginny.

"Don't you go starting your hero complex too," Ginny whirled on him, eyes burning with anger.

Michael held up his hands. "I'm not your enemy, Ginevra," he said softly.

"Neither am I, but she doesn't seem to be able to wrap her mind around that yet," Harry snarked, and Ginny snarled, pulling her wand out to shoot a nasty bat bogey hex in Harry's direction. Harry blocked it boredly, expecting her move.

"Can we all just calm down?" Michael asked desperately, holding onto Ginny's wand arm.

"I don't fucking think so," Ginny growled, struggling out of Michael's grasp. "Let go, Michael!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Get over yourself, Ginny. It's simply my fucking shift."

Michael eventually let her go after she had calmed down some, and breathing in deeply, he turned Ginny around to look him in the eye.

"Ginevra, what's going on?" Michael asked concernedly. "Why are the aurors taking shifts at your place?"

Ginny stomped her foot childishly. "There's some suspicious people that have moved into the flat next door. It's just a paranoid security measure."

"Paranoid?" Harry scoffed. "Know what the muggle mafia is? This is the magical one, right across. Peek through the window and maybe chance an Avada?" Harry pointed behind him.

"That sounds rather d-dangerous," Michael stuttered, shocked. "Shouldn't you… shouldn't you stay somewhere else then? You're welcome to stay at my place," Michael offered. Before Ginny could answer, Harry cut in.

"Yes, Ginevra, I wonder why you wouldn't just stay at your new beau's place, or at one of your families', hmm?" Harry asked annoyingly. "Or a fucking safe house."

"Enough, Potter," Michael snapped, as he noticed Ginny's instantaneous tension.

"Fuck off," Ginny swore, storming away. She slammed the door behind her, and both Michael and Harry looked at each other awkwardly.

"I guess I'll leave now?" Michael asked, breaking the silence.

"Don't do that, she'll just get more angry. Let her cool off and come back out later," Harry said sagely, years of experience coloring his tone.

Michael frowned. "You know her very well."

Harry nodded. "And you don't."

Michael sighed, some slight insecurities bubbling to the surface. "Then why are you purposefully inciting her?"

Harry ducked his head, ashamed. "I had a long day. It's not an excuse, but when you and Ginny came in together… and when you mentioned the Reflecting Pool..." Harry trailed off. Michael inhaled sharply. He knew what that Reflecting Pool meant to Harry - it had been where he had proposed to Ginny, and she had sweetly told him not yet, but soon. It must have stung to hear that.

"It was stupid," Harry continued, shaking his head. "I'll apologize to her when she comes out again, but I'm really frustrated with her. I don't understand why she won't stay somewhere safe! "

"Maybe…" Michael paused, looking anywhere but at Harry.

"Maybe what?" Harry prompted. Michael forced himself to look Harry in the eye. He was startled by the intensity with which Harry held his gaze.

"Maybe she doesn't consider anywhere else really… safe. In the emotional sense. She really only has your place or her parents', and from the little that I do know, staying with you isn't an option, and her parents vacillate between harping about restarting a relationship with you to being still so broken up about Fred… it's been a rollercoaster at the Burrow."

"Perceptive," Harry stated, and Michael looked at him questioningly. "You're perceptive. I'm about as perceptive as a brick, as both Hermione and Ginny like to tell me. No wonder she likes you."

Michael laughed nervously. "Well, I fancy her quite a bit, so I'd like to think she does too. I wish she'd feel comfortable staying at my flat instead, but I realize we're not at that stage yet-"

"Yet?" Harry asked. "So this isn't just some rebound. Not to you."

"It is, and it isn't," Michael shrugged. "I know it must hurt, to hear about the Reflecting Pool, but Ginny and I are just trying to air out our baggage. Our first date this time was the same restaurant to which I brought Susan, and our second date just now was at a park where I said 'I love you' for the first time to Susan, too. Maybe you wouldn't understand, but-"

"I do," Harry said with sudden clarity. "Thanks for the context."

"Of course," Michael said, but shifted his weight uncertainly. There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"But there's more to it than that," Harry stated. It wasn't a question. "For you, anyways."

"Um," Michael fumbled for words. "Well-"

"You look at her like you've got something to prove. Maybe you didn't do things right the first time, and you're looking at this like it's your second chance," Harry suggested.

"Well, I never really had a chance the first time. She was still in love with you. In fact, it might not even be any different this time either. She may still be in love with you," Michael said sadly.

"Are you not still in love with Susan?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure I'll ever stop loving her, but I think it's a different type of love now," Michael answered.

"Maybe it'll be the same with me and Ginny," Harry shrugged. "Maybe we thought we had one type of love when we really confused it for another. Maybe we were more in love with the idea of each other that we never really understood what real love is. Maybe I don't know what real love is."

Michael cocked his head. "And they say you aren't perceptive?"

Four weeks later...

Harry had once again inserted himself into Ginny's life, a fact she came to reaccept. Upon apologizing, he sat every Wednesday and Friday evening quietly at the dining room table, a cup of green tea and a takeout box of treacle tarts in hand. He always faced the Floo and the front door, training that had been ingrained in him since Moody's first raspy lectures. She and Michael would stumble through the Floo, acknowledge Harry's presence, and retire to Ginny's room. A few hours later, Michael would emerge, bid Harry goodnight, and floo back to his flat. Ginny might grab a late night snack from the kitchen and ask Harry how his day was, and vice versa, but soon as the pleasantries were over, she'd head back to bed, while he settled further into his chair with his case files and other paperwork.

Sometimes, on the rare chance that Harry's replacement was late on Thursday or Saturday morning, he and Ginny would silently work together at the dining room table. She'd put a kettle on, pour his typical Irish Breakfast while she'd pour herself some Oolong, and accept a plate of Harry's heartily prepared full English breakfast. She'd dive into the bacon and eggs hungrily, pulling out the latest Quidditch statistics and jot a few notes down for her column at the Prophet, and he'd continue working on his cases in preparation for trial. They'd only part ways when Harry's replacement, Trevor Bartlow, would finally floo over, or if Ginny had to get ready for Quidditch practice.

Their routine was simple. It was easy. It was familiar.

At the end of four weeks, when Michael and Ginny came tumbling in, Harry wasn't sitting, but standing.

"Harry," Michael greeted, and Ginny managed a short "Hullo."

"Good news," Harry said a bit stiffly. "They're gone. The Aurors managed to catch them practicing Unforgiveables, so we've put the Cascioferras away. They're clearly inept with magic, and they didn't know our laws well enough to stay under the radar. You won't be needing a security post anymore."

"Excellent!" Michael said, turning to Ginny excitedly. "You're safe!"

"Yes, that's rather nice," she nodded, a little too apathetically. Michael deflated a bit, confused.

"I'll get out of your hair, then," Harry said. "Just wanted to deliver the news so you didn't worry without having a post here."

Ginny nodded. "Thanks, Harry. Want a cuppa before you leave? Since you're already here, that is."

Harry looked from Ginny to Michael, and finding no hint of protest, nodded. "That would be great, Gin, thanks."

Michael watched as Ginny moved back into the kitchen with practiced ease, and Harry settled back into the dining room table. As oddly disconnected as they were, there was something rather domestic about it. Exclusive.

Michael suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Err, well, I've actually got to head back. Work stuff, y'know," Michael called towards the kitchen. A faint whistling began, and Ginny poked her head around the corner.

"Work stuff?" Ginny asked skeptically. "I thought you were-"

"I just remembered I have to prepare some analyses for a client, but I'll see you soon? Tuesday, after practice? My client meeting is on Monday, and I'll just have administrative work on Tuesday."

"All right," Ginny agreed. "I'll see you then."

"Goodnight," Michael waved before jumping through the floo.

Ginny frowned, and Harry, without paperwork to occupy himself as he hadn't been planning on staying, noticed.

"All right there Gin?" he asked.

"He usually kisses me on the cheek at least when he says goodbye," she said honestly before ducking back into the kitchen when the kettle squealed in earnest.

Eventually, she brought him his mug, and they sat at their spots at the table, sipping their drinks.

"Serious about him, then?" Harry asked hesitantly, not knowing how Ginny would respond.

"Probably not," Ginny replied. "Maybe. He's a good person."

"He seems it," Harry nodded, then falling silent. The only noise in the flat for a few minutes was their quiet sips or the occasional stirring, their spoons clinking against the ceramic sides of their mugs.

"Do you…" Ginny began, almost backing down for fear of the answer. She summoned her Gryffindor courage. "Do you still love me?" she asked bluntly.

Harry frowned into his mug, his glasses steaming up as he refused to look at her. "Do you?" he asked.

Ginny rolled her shoulders to relieve some of the knots before answering. "I don't know. I think I do, still. I still want the world for you, Harry. But…" She searched for words, finding none.

"But it's a different type of love," Harry said. "You don't know if you're in love anymore."

Ginny nodded. "That's it."

"Me too," Harry answered.

Ginny nodded again, as if expecting his comment. "Honestly I don't even really understand why we broke up in the first place. Hermione and Ron's relationship had nothing to do with ours, really. We could've made it if we wanted to - focused on ourselves."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe we were both looking for a way out subconsciously."

Ginny pondered that for a moment. "I don't know. Things seemed to be going so well."

Harry fiddled with his glasses for a moment. "I don't know. I thought things changed after I… after I proposed."

Ginny looked at him worriedly. "You do understand that I just wasn't ready yet? We're awfully young still, Harry. I was always under the impression that we'd marry eventually. I just… I don't know. I wasn't ready. It's not that I rejected you, or that I didn't want to marry you at all. I thought I made that clear?"

"I knew," Harry said. He frowned, and after a beat, answered Ginny's questioning look. "Well, perhaps it's different knowing your reasoning rationally versus feeling your reasoning emotionally, as Hermione sometimes points out."

Ginny nodded sadly. "I understand."

Harry smiled. "It's okay. Maybe you weren't ready because you felt something like this might happen." Ginny started to protest, but he waved his hand. "Subconsciously, I mean."

"Hm," Ginny shrugged. "Maybe."

They sat together in comfortable silence for another few moments.

"So we're really done then?" she asked.

"Probably," Harry said. "I think… I think I need to figure out myself. I don't know if I know what love is. I never really experienced it until I met your family. I hate to say it… but maybe I fell in love with the love your family had…"

"Rather than falling in love with me for me," Ginny finished. Harry sighed.

"That's it," he echoed. "And I don't know if I know how to love."

"You do," Ginny said. "I've seen it. It wasn't all bad, you know."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "It wasn't."

"No more fights?" Ginny asked. "No more biting, sarcastic comments? Friends again?"

"I can't promise you on the sarcasm," Harry said honestly, and Ginny giggled. "But yes. Friends again."

One week later...

In one week, Ginny and Michael had had seven fights. And the latest one didn't even make any sense!

Michael had finally convinced Ginny to stay over a night - no expectations attached - simply because they had been talking late into the night and she looked too tired to floo. But he was regretting it at 4 in the morning when she demanded that they go out to get paella, a Spanish dish that Michael hadn't had since he was fourteen.

"Ginny, for the last time, it's 4am! Nothing's open right now!" Michael shouted, exasperated.

"There's ALWAYS something open, you just don't have the nerve!" Ginny shouted back, tears streaming down her face.

"Look, I can make you some food right now, all right? I don't have the ingredients for a paella, but I can make a mean fried rice - Cho taught me-" Michael tried to reason, rubbing his swollen eyes that were drooping with sleep deprivation. Ginny suddenly shrieked, losing any semblance of sanity.

"WHY AM I ALWAYS COMPETING WITH CHO CHANG?" she sobbed. "FIRST HARRY! THEN YOU! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER! I HATE HER!"

"I'm sorry - I forgot Harry had a history with her," Michael attempted to apologize.

"Maybe I should have married Harry," Ginny sniffled, her nose running as she reached for more tissues. "Maybe then Cho never would be able to steal my men away from me again."

"Ginny, I think you're really exhausted. Can we please just go to bed?" Michael asked patiently.

"Fuck off, Michael." Ginny didn't even shout it. She stated it, finally resembling her calmer self.

"Can I at least floo you back?" Michael asked, pinching the bridge of his nose and gritting his teeth. She shook her head, bursting into tears again.

"Nobody wants me," she blubbered. "Not you. Not Harry. I was just a beard for Dean when he and Seamus were experimenting."

"I thought Seamus had a thing for Lav?" Michael asked, suddenly curious.

"FUCK OFF MICHAEL!" Ginny screamed.

"You know what, Ginevra? I don't know what's gotten into you this past week, but I've had it! I've been so incredibly patient! You tell me you're not stressed about the Harpies, or the Prophet, or Harry's reemergence as a friend, but you're fucking screaming at me for no reason! Because of paella! At Rowena's saggy tits four o'clock in the morning, and you refuse to let me help you! And you're telling me to fuck off?" Michael shouted, chest heaving and teeth clenching. "Get out of my fucking flat. We're done."

Wobbly, Ginny stood up, and brandishing her wand, yelled REDUCTO! towards Michael's dresser, exploding it into wooden shrapnel.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Michael roared. "GET OUT!"

Ginny spat at him before apparating back to her flat and collapsing onto her bed, a pile of tears, snot, and broken hearts.

The next day, Ginny groggily awoke to a splitting headache, before suddenly feeling the unstoppable urge to vomit. She had barely transfigured her pillow into a bucket before she dry heaved over it, the distinct taste of bile unpleasantly lingering in her mouth.

Ginny frowned. She hadn't had anything remotely alcoholic to drink the night before, and she had no idea why she had gotten so worked up over paella. She needed to floo call Michael and apologize. She really hoped he hadn't meant that they were really over. She felt horrible, but she couldn't figure out why.

She attempted to make herself breakfast, but the eggs tasted like rubber and the sausage smelled like it had gone bad, though she thought she had just purchased a new package the day before yesterday. Eventually, she found herself over the toilet bowl vomiting up her stomach's contents. The nausea never really subsided, but once she could wash her mouth out with water and drink a glass without immediately upchucking it again, she called it a success. She must be coming down with some sort of food poisoning - maybe it had been the restaurant she and Michael had gone to the night before.

She had planned on visiting Hannah for lunch, which wasn't too long now, and she thought she might at least try to make it. Hannah's busy schedule as a potioneer never left much leisure time, and it had taken them the last few months to figure out something that fit both Ginny's quidditch schedule and Hannah's work. A little stomach bug wouldn't stop Ginny from reconnecting with the former Hufflepuff - she'd just have to watch that she only ate a light lunch and things that wouldn't set her off.

Ginny got herself ready and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, figuring that she would be too nauseous to try apparating. Eventually, she caught sight of Hannah and greeted her before grabbing two seats at the bar.

"How have you been?" Hannah asked after they had exchanged greetings.

"Been better," Ginny croaked. "Bit of a stomach flu this morning, so I'm not sure I can eat a very heavy lunch today. Michael and I have been fighting a lot the past week, too, and he broke up with me last night."

"Oh no," Hannah cried. "That's awful! I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled sadly. "I was acting pretty crazy last night, so I need to at least talk to him to apologize. I hope it's not already the end, but this week has been awful."

Tom swung by to take their orders, and Ginny ordered a simple fruit salad so as not to upset her stomach. Hannah looked worriedly at her, but ordered a fuller meal.

"You can always grab chunks of mine if you feel up to it," Hannah reasoned, and Ginny thanked her for being so kind.

The conversation turned to Hannah's work on the latest version of wolfsbane, where she and her coworkers were hoping to reduce the side effects by adding certain stabilizing herbs, crystals, or longer incubation times. Sometimes the timing of the brewing made an impact as well, so they had lots of variables that they were hoping would eventually produce something useful. Ginny talked about quidditch and how she was feeling so much more sluggish recently, and that she was thinking about taking over the Prophet's sports section full time. The main sports staff writer was retiring in the next year, and Ginny felt that there were only so many more bludgers that she could take before having serious health problems.

"Magic is great," Hannah said sagely, "but even magic has its limitations. Life is one of those such boundaries."

Eventually, Ginny described the horror her past week had been, finding it cathartic to have a non-judgemental ear. But as Ginny continued to explain her exhaustion, random mood swings and her bad luck with a stomach bug, Hannah began to wonder.

"Ginny… I hate to ask this, but I feel as a friend that it's my duty. Is there any chance you might be… pregnant?" Hannah asked gently. "I mean, the mood swings, the nausea, the vomiting… sounds a lot like morning sickness."

Ginny shook her head vehemently. "No way, Michael and I never went there. Plus, the morning sickness would be way too soon even if we had…" she trailed off, the color draining from her face. "Fuck. My p-period. H-Hannah," Ginny stuttered, gulping. "How l-l-long ago w-was Hermione's… send-off party?"

"Around five weeks, Gin, but if you and Michael never-"

"Oh Merlin," Ginny sobbed. "Oh for the love of Godric," she whimpered. Hannah's eyes widened in understanding.

"It isn't…?" Hannah asked, not wanting to upset Ginny further.

"I've… I've skipped at least two-"

"First, let's do the test. This might be much ado about nothing, yes? Let's go to the bathroom - here you are - Tom! Watch our jackets while we're in the loo, all right?" Hannah maneuvered Ginny around the barstools and towards the restroom. Once safely inside, brought out her wand.

"Here, let's do this first before we freak out, all right? Examinitas gravidius," she cast on Ginny's abdomen, and it glowed a soft green light.

"Do it again," Ginny whispered hoarsely.

Hannah waved her wand, and again, a soft green light lit up at the end of Hannah's wand.

"Do it to yourself, please?" Ginny begged. Hannah did so, but this time, a dull red light emitted from Hannah's wand.

"Oh Ginny," Hannah said. "Is it?"

"It's Harry's," Ginny confirmed in horror.

AN: Hello, hello! Thanks all for sticking with the story! I thought it would be nice to check back in with Ginny and those back home, and we've left it off with a bang. Thoughts? Do people want Ginny and Michael back together? Ginny and Harry? How do you think Ginny/Harry/Michael would deal with her pregnancy? It's a sticky situation… would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the review box below. Enjoy the spring flowers!