A/N: Things in my life are going to be busier for the next month or so, so my writing is going to slow down a bit. No more posting chapters from this and Servant of Death at the same time anymore. But I'm in the middle of the next chapter of that fic and will get it up as soon as possible.

Ginny saw Harry twice before the Arrows left on their next road trip, and both times, he was politely distant. The first was the morning after dinner at the Burrow; she left for her morning run earlier than usual, and ran into the entire team out in front of the building. Privately, Ginny was starting to wonder if any of them ever really used the secure back entrance at all. Harry was signing autographs for a couple of witches she was certain already had multiple copies of his photo, and she walked by more slowly than normal, hoping to catch his eye for a friendly hello. He didn't look up, although Ginny had the odd sensation he knew she was there.

Dam noticed her, of course, and jogged over with a big smile. "Ginny!" he crowed, arms open wide. "Coming along for a run with us?"

Ginny groaned to herself. Leave it to Dam to make her sound no better than one of the fanwitches, timing my comings and goings to run into the team. She shook her head and smirked. "I don't think you could keep up with me," she teased. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Harry tense.

Dam barked a laugh. "Now there's a challenge," he said. "I think you have to come with us now."

"Yeah," said one of the Vincenti twins – Ginny wasn't quite sure if it was Sors or Coelus. "Aren't you an Auror? We could use the protection." He waved at the crowd of fans. "I bet you could scare them off."

"Auror trainee," Ginny corrected. "And you have a wand, don't you? I think you can handle a couple of fanwitches; its not like they're going to be practicing Dark Magic on you."

"I have a wand, yes," grinned the Vincenti twin. "I'm just not sure who I want to use it on yet."

Ginny groaned. She was about to retort when Harry walked over.

"Our regular security is more than adequate to cover our run," he said quietly. "We certainly pay them enough."

Ginny strongly doubted that any of the burly security wizards waiting patiently at the end of the walkway would be half as effective as Harry himself, should any of them run into trouble. She'd seen their type before, more brawn than brains, with a repertoire of three or four basic – but incapacitating – hexes that they never hesitated to use. They were as much for show as protection, and Harry knew it too; many had been ended up in private security after being rejected from Magical Law Enforcement or the Aurors. It had become a joking threat of Ginny's mum when her boys were younger, that if they (usually meaning Charlie or the twins) didn't buckle down, they would end up no better than a security troll.

For a moment, it seemed like Harry remembered the joke too; he caught her eye, lips tight with suppressed amusement, and then looked at the largest guard, whose t-shirt barely covered his paunch. But a second later his face was a mask again and he turned away.

But Dam wasn't finished. "Come on, Ginny, take a run with us. Everyone's been lagging lately; I bet they'll run faster if you're in front of them."

Ginny's 'fuck no,' she wasn't going to let the team watch her bum as she ran, was on her lips when Harry spoke up again.

"Give it up, Dam. Ginny doesn't want to be ogled while she runs." Harry didn't look at her when he spoke.

"Actually, being ogled will probably make me run faster," said Ginny lightly. She leaned down and touched her toes. "What's your regular pace and distance?" She smiled up at Dam, knowing without looking that Harry had turned to stare at her. That's what he gets for speaking for me. She started jogging in place. "I'm ready when you are."

The second time Ginny saw Harry was the next morning at the door to his apartment. She had knocked, intending to ask Ron if he wanted to walk with her to the Ministry that day, even though she strongly suspected she would actually be waking him up instead.

Harry answered almost immediately. He was in his Arsenal training uniform and Ginny saw a duffle bag behind him on the floor. Too late, she realized it was earlier than she'd thought. She rocked awkwardly back on her heels.

"I guess Ron doesn't want to walk to work with me," she said after a moment of silence. Harry gave her a small grin.

"Ron isn't even awake yet," He confirmed. "Is that really a surprise?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm sure he'll Floo into the Ministry at the last minute like always," she said. "Not even Hermione's been able to change his habits yet."

"It will be a miracle if she can," said Harry.

This was a commonly repeated topic of conversation, and by the formal tone in Harry's voice, Ginny knew he was only half paying attention to what he was saying. He hadn't made eye contact with her either, but when he backed into the flat and began fiddling with the tags on his duffle, she followed, letting the door swing shut.

"I didn't know you were leaving again. Where are you going?" she asked.

Harry gave her a sharp look. "Wimbourne and then Holyhead," he said. "Before home against Puddlemere and then Holyhead again. You had a talk about our schedule yesterday with Dam while you ran, didn't you? I heard you discussing the Harpies' new Chaser and her possible weaknesses."

Ginny flushed. Leave it to Harry to have overheard the conversation and then catch her in the lie. She tried some offense. "I didn't realize you were in the habit of listening in on my conversations," she said coolly. "Does Dam know you eavesdrop? He's your captain, you know."

Harry looked annoyed. "I know," he said. "And you're an Auror, aren't you? I assume they've already reiterated the importance of assuming every conversation can be overheard." He paused for a second. "Or are you just bad at Muffliato?"

That was low and he knew it. Ginny shrugged. "I don't know, am I? You're the one who taught me during the DA"

Instead of another retort, Harry just sighed. "You were one of the best," he said. "And I bet you are at the Aurors too. Ron even says so."

Ginny bit back her comment about whether Ron was even awake enough at training to notice – she had crossed enough lines already -and just nodded. "Thanks Harry. You were a good teacher." She paused. "And I shouldn't have made that comment about going to the Ministry. I . . . I know you have your reasons, even if I don't know what they are." It was true, but she couldn't help but let a little bit of bitterness into her next comment. "I know Ron knows your reasons, and Hermione. That's enough."

Harry nodded. "And your parents too, and Bill," he said. "You trust all them, don't you?"

Again, Ginny bit back a rush of irritation at how many members of her family Harry had confided in. She knew it was irrational, but given that she was now training to be an Auror, and Ron's equal, it would have been nice to have been included. Damn if she'd admit it though. She nodded instead. "I trust them," she agreed.

Harry nodded. "I suppose that's good enough," he said. He turned around and picked up his duffle. "Thanks Ginny," he said, as formally as he had when she'd apologized at the Burrow.

Ginny knew she was missing something, or had said something wrong, but unlike before, she didn't know what it was. There was no time to question it anyway. A series of banging doors from the hallway revealed that the rest of the Arrows were readying for their road trip. Harry moved past her to the door.

"Don't abuse Ron too much when you wake him; I think Hermione was over late last night," said Harry with a small grin.

Ginny nodded. "Good luck," she said. "And watch out for that Harpies' Chaser."

Harry gave her one more small smile before leaving. "I will, thanks Ginny."

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Training that day started out better than usual; their morning lecturer had called in sick, so the trainees had an impromptu practice in minor jinxes and hexes. Not surprisingly, the former DA members had quickly established themselves as the best in the class, and Ginny felt some of the tension of the recent days ease as she dodged the simple jinxes a witch called Gemma Solis tried to throw at her. Gemma was fairly predictable, alternating back and forth between a basic stunning spell and then the jelly-legs jinx. Ginny threw up a shield and then sent a quick Impedimenta around it, followed by Petrificus Totalus, watching in satisfaction as her opponent toppled over.

Ginny removed the jinx and helped Gemma to her feet, shrugging off the witch's admiration. "I've had a lot of practice," she said.

Gemma nodded. "I heard Harry Potter ran a special defense class when he was at Hogwarts; is that where you learned?"

Ginny nodded. "Not just me; Ron and Parvati and Ernie were in the class too. And Terry," she added belatedly, thinking of her former classmate who had already quit training.

"You're all really good; Harry must have known a lot. I wonder why he didn't continue on with it?" The woman's question was devoid of any of the suspicion or innuendo Ginny had heard others use when talking about Harry, so her response was equally mild.

"I think he just likes Quidditch a lot," she said carefully. "He started on his house team when he was only eleven, you know."

Gemma looked thoughtful. "True, but . . ."

"GINNY! You're going down!" Ron bounded over, interrupting whatever Gemma was about to say, a gleeful look on his face. "Solis, you're against Copernicus now, unless you'd rather watch me destroy my sister."

"Big talk from a bloke who tripped over his own feet stepping out of the Floo this morning," countered Ginny. She raised her wand. "Better watch out, or I'm going to hex you in a location that both you and Hermione will find rather inconvenient."

Ron blanched, and Ginny took the opportunity to immobilize him with a quick non-verbal spell. "Thought so," she said in satisfaction.

But Ron was more than decent at dueling when he wasn't trying to take the mickey instead of focusing, and he and Ginny stayed evenly matched until the very end, when she had a sudden idea and shot a stream of cold water at his face. Ron sputtered and rubbed at his eyes in surprise while Ginny neatly conjured binding ropes to wrap around him. The room broke into applause, and for the first time, Ginny realized that all the other trainees had stopped their own sparring to watch. She gave a joking curtsey and freed Ron, who gave her a rueful grin and then a high five. "Nice one, Gin," he said.

"Yes, yes, quite excellent. Quite excellent indeed." The voice was familiar, but still, Ginny was surprised. Head Auror Gawain Robards had not yet bothered to meet with the new training class. He stood at the edge of the room with several of their instructors and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic. Ginny supposed she should be more nervous to have been observed dueling in front of the Minister, as opposed to the head of the Aurors, but she'd known Kingsley since she was fourteen. It was rather difficult to be awed by someone who'd taught her and her brothers how to make and then drink something called a "Dragon in Hell" while sitting around her kitchen table at the Burrow.

Robards was another matter. He'd become head of the Aurors under Rufus Scrimgeour after Cornelius Fudge was sacked as Minister, and had held the position throughout the War, even under Voldemort's puppet minister, Pius Thicknesse. No one questioned his loyalty, exactly, but at the same time, Ginny knew she wasn't the only one who considered what kind of character it took to remain in a position of power throughout so many changes in government. Her first week of training, Ginny had seen Gawain from a afar, talking in what appeared a friendly manner with Dolores Umbridge, and that alone was enough to put her on her guard.

"Miss Weasley, isn't it?" Robards separated himself from the other senior Aurors and walked up to her. "That was an impressive display of defense; you seem to have been born for this type of work."

Robards was obviously buttering her up for something; the compliment was too exaggerated to be genuine. Ginny shrugged. "They were fairly simple defensive spells; we learned most of them at Hogwarts." Too late, it occurred to her that Robards probably knew exactly where she'd learned the spells and who had taught her and the other former DA members. He didn't seem upset though, just looked rather thoughtful.

"Well, it was a particularly strong display of wandwork anyway," he said. "And if you have a few minutes, I'd like to have a word with you in my office. We can talk about what you think of Auror training so far." The request was obviously not as optional as Robards made it sound. Ginny nodded stiffly, and, with time for more than a quick glance at Ron, followed the Auror out of the room.

The Head Auror's office was less ostentatious than Ginny expected. File cabinets crowded against one wall, their drawers opening and closing in random order as papers from a large pile flew into the correct folders. Another wall held an enormous map of Britain with tiny, sparkling pins presumably marking places of suspicious activity. Robards' desk was wide, but rather battered looking, and the chair he gestured Ginny into was uncomfortable. He settled himself behind the desk.

"Tea?" he asked. A pot on the credenza was already beginning to steam.

"Yes, thank you," said Ginny. She needed something to do with her hands. She watched carefully as the pot of tea poured itself into two cups and then floated gently across the room. Once Robards had taken a sip, Ginny did too, and he smiled.

"You paid attention in your lesson on poisonings, I see," he said.

"That, and when I was at Hogwarts, Umbridge tried to get information out of us by serving tea spiked with Veritaserum," said Ginny bluntly. She didn't know what Robards' reaction would be, but the Auror merely smiled benignly.

"Ahh yes. Some of Dolores' methods might have been a bit . . . overly enthusiastic while she was at Hogwarts," he said. "But I cannot fault her dedication to the Ministry and to the education of young witches and wizards."

"As long as they're pure blood, you mean," said Ginny.

Robards' mouth tightened for a minute before he relaxed it into a smile again. "That was an . . . unfortunate agenda, born out of a need to remain in the favor of those running the Ministry at the time. As you know, tests of blood status have been abolished for nearly a year, and Dolores has been properly admonished. She is working hard for the current administration." The Auror peered at her. "I assume you don't have any objections to our present Minister of Magic?"

Ginny sighed to herself. Her father had been right; Umbridge was going to get away with her treatment of the DA while at Hogwarts and her abuse of Muggleborns during the War. She shook her head slowly. "I like Kingsley," she said.

"Minister Shacklebolt's platform for reforming the Ministry is somewhat unconventional, abolishing so many of our former departments and committees," said Robards. "But he has, for now, left me to run the Auror department as I see fit, given my experience and loyalty." He paused for a moment, and Ginny wondered if she was supposed to agree. She gave an odd little bob to her head and sipped her tea instead. It seemed to be enough. Robards nodded back before continuing.

"What the majority of the public does not seem to understand is that the elimination of Lord Voldemort has not eliminated the risks from Dark Magic. It has greatly reduced them, for now, but we cannot afford to be complacent, not for a single minute." Robards put both hands on his desk and peered at her, waiting.

Ginny nodded. "Constant vigilance, like Moody used to say. It's why I joined the Aurors." It wasn't her only reason, of course, or even the most important one, but she knew it was the right answer here.

Indeed, Robards nodded, looking pleased. "You have the right attitude, Miss Weasley. And the skills and talent to follow through." His lips tightened. "Unlike others, who, despite their considerable and unique power and knowledge, persist in their refusals to help."

And there it was, Robards' reason for the meeting. Ginny put down her tea, debating how much to say. She decided on ignorance. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Robards seemed to buy her act. He leaned back in his chair again. "I assume you are aware that Harry Potter did some work on behalf of the Ministry after Voldemort was vanquished? He's close friends with your family, is he not?" Ginny noted immediately that the Auror did not acknowledge it was Harry who had done the vanquishing. She knew that denying a connection would be futile. Instead, she wrinkled her nose as if confused.

"He and my brother are best mates, yes," she admitted. "And they worked together rebuilding Hogwarts. But plenty of others did too." She gave a little shrug. "But they never really included me in their plans; I'm just the annoying little sister, you know?" She didn't really have to act that part.

Robards nodded, a tad impatiently. "Yes, yes, he helped with the rebuilding. But his talents were better suited elsewhere; there is so much important work to be done. And in the middle of it all he just . . . quit. No explanation."

"He got an amazing offer to play for the Arrows," said Ginny. "I'm sure that was the reason."

Robards shook his head. "Our intelligence shows that Harry and the Arrows did not connect until after he refused . . . I mean, after he decided to stop working for the Aurors." The man gave an aggrieved sigh. "We were going to allow him to skip training completely; give him his own office and all means necessary to pursue this particularly vital mission. He was . . . he is. . . uniquely qualified for it. For a number of reasons. And now we're scrambling." He fixed Ginny with a serious stare. "It would be an enormous benefit to the Aurors, not to mention, I should add, to your own career, if you could use your personal connections to convince Harry to return to his previous work."

"You want me to talk Harry into quitting professional Quidditch and returning to the Aurors?" Ginny spoke slowly. Robards nodded, pleased that she'd understood so quickly.

"Yes, exactly. We plan to speak to your brother Ron, but he's not likely . . . I mean, his relationship to Harry makes things a bit trickier, you understand. But you . . . you could convince him that he's really needed here."

Ginny bit back a snort at Robards' assumption she had any influence over Harry at all; insulting her boss, particularly this boss, was unwise. But that didn't mean she had to agree with the man either, particularly when it was obvious that his interest had no consideration at all for Harry's well-being. "I don't think Harry is the type to ever be convinced to do something he doesn't want to," she said. It wasn't exactly true; Ginny knew how much Harry valued the opinions of her parents and Ron. He'd probably listen to Bill too, and might be persuaded by any of them, depending on the issue. But there was no way in hell she was going to talk to Harry about rejoining the Aurors when he obviously didn't want to. And listening to Robards made Ginny suspect that Harry's "good reasons" for walking away were actually great ones.

"Harry doesn't really respect my opinion," she said. "I'm kind of like a little sister to him, and I don't think he's quite realized I'm not a little girl anymore." Ginny was exaggerating; she knew Harry's opinion of her wasn't quite as patronizing as she made it sound, not anymore. But it wasn't lying to say Harry wouldn't listen to her opinion about something as important as rejoining the Aurors. She wasn't even sure what he thought about her own decision to work for them. She shook her head firmly. "I'm the wrong person to ask."

"And is there a 'right' person?" Robards was obviously not going to let the matter die. "After all, Miss Weasley, I think you are being a bit too modest about your abilities. Member of the DA, fought at the Ministry of Magic and when Hogwarts was invaded by Death Eaters, plus your participation in the final battle." He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "Not to mention, of course, that you are one of the few people alive who can say they've been possessed by Lord Voldemort himself. Harry being another."

Ginny forced herself to count to ten. Still, she couldn't quite keep the anger out of her voice when she replied. "You want to exploit what happened to me in the Chamber. When I was eleven." It wasn't a question.

For the first time, Robards looked a little unsettled. "I don't think 'exploit' is the right word, Miss Weasley," he said. "But you and Mr. Potter have a unique shared experience that could be extremely useful to the Aurors' work going forward." Ginny detected a sudden eagerness on the man's face. "Both of you possessed, and yet, neither of you turned Dark. Why is that, do you think? Harry was even able to save you from the Chamber and the diary despite harboring a second bit of Voldemort's soul inside him – why do you think that is? It could be an interesting thing to explore. And, as I mentioned before, it might be possible for you to . . . skip certain aspects of your training year in exchange?"

Ginny shook her head. Who did this man think he was, offering what was nearly a bribe, in exchange for her cooperation in something that was intensely personal and still painful? In the years since her First, she had only rarely talked about the Chamber, and then only with people she both respected and trusted. Robards was neither. She and Harry hadn't discussed it since their fight after her father had been attacked by Nagini; there was really nothing more to say about it. Besides, Robards had it wrong.

"My brother Ron saved me, mostly. Harry didn't get there until the end. He brought Fawkes." She grimaced. "And I'm sure Harry feels the same way as I do, that revisiting our experiences with possession is not something to do lightly, as if we were curiosities to be studied. Voldemort is gone, and there is no way he can possess anyone ever again. That's the end of it."

Robards opened his mouth as if to say something, appeared to think better of it, and then closed his mouth again. He nodded. "Very well, Miss Weasley. I can see you're mind is made up. For now at least."

Ginny didn't like the implied threat in the man's voice, but she nodded. "It is, yes."

Robards stood up. "I daresay, some of the information you will be learning in your training may serve to change your mind about assisting. The best Aurors understand the importance of putting their own personal . . . concerns behind the fight against Dark Magic. Our job is to protect the innocent from evil, you know."

Ginny nodded stiffly. Robards' speech sounded a little too close to the notion of 'The Greater Good' that had fueled Grindelwald's rise to power. She didn't say so though; she only wanted to leave the meeting as quickly as possible. "I understand, sir," she said.

When Ginny arrived back with her training class, Ron looked at her curiously, but she gave a slight shake of her head, telling him she'd explain later. She'd have to warn him that Robards may be reaching out to him next, too. She sighed before walking over to a table with a number of small vials on it; apparently they were leaning to identify way dangerous poisons might be hidden in innocuous potions. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of her senior instructors leave the room abruptly after glancing at her; if she had to guess, she'd bet Robards had just sent the man a message. She sighed. Training was likely about to get a lot more difficult for her. Still, she wouldn't have done it any differently.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ginny stared at the mountain of dirty clothes in the corner of her flat and groaned to herself. There was no way around it, either she had to visit laundry room or else start wearing pajamas to work. She waved her wand and the clothes piled themselves messily into the brand new laundry basket her mum had given her when she moved in. Shirts and trousers spilled over the side and Ginny sighed. This was going to take her all night.

Indeed, she'd only been in the laundry room for ten minutes before she realized just how unprepared she was to do something as simple as clean her own clothing. The building, fancy as it was, boasted the newest sort of washing equipment. Ginny knew the spell to get them to start, but no matter how many times she tapped her wand on the top of the lid and said the words, it refused to turn on. She swore, wondering if she was actually going to have to resort to contacting her mum.

"It's Separate – Water – Inside – Spell – Hang. Or SWISH."

Ginny turned around. Harry was standing at the door to the laundry room, a large bag slung over his shoulder. He walked in and pointed at the metal bin into which Ginny had shoved her clothes. "Water first, then put the clothing inside. It won't work otherwise."

"Thanks," she muttered, pulling everything back out. "We wash differently at home. I haven't used one of these."

Harry was carefully dividing his clothing between two more of the bins, white things in one and the darker clothing in the other. "I forgot to separate my first time," he admitted. "All my sheets and towels and . . . pants and things turned rather gray." He sealed the bins and tapped each one with his wand, murmuring something under his breath. After a minute Ginny heard the sound a water sloshing inside.

Ginny frowned at her pile of clothes, which she had removed from a single washer. "Separate first, right," she said.

"I can help," said Harry easily. "It takes practice to know which clothing goes where at first; I had to ask your mum for help the first few times."

Ginny snorted. "I'm sure my mum is just waiting for me to ask her," she said. "She gave me lessons in basic cleaning spells before I moved in, but I'll admit I probably didn't pay as much attention as I should have."

"She came to me right after a visit to Fred and George's," laughed Harry. "She told me that she usually only gives one of her children six months to learn how to keep house, but I guess with Fred's being injured and all, he and George got an extension."

Ginny shuddered at the mention of Fred; she still hadn't been able to completely erase the image of him, bloody and battered, being carried into the Great Hall by George and Percy. That they'd laid him next to Remus' and Tonks' bodies while her mum and Fleur and Madam Pomfrey worked frantically to save his life hadn't made the memories any easier, despite his eventual recovery. She didn't say anything for a minute, but shoved a shirt into one of the bins with a bit more force than necessary.

Harry misunderstood. "Don't worry, I won't touch anything delicate," he said.

It broke the tension Ginny was feeling. She bit back a laugh. "Thanks," she said with a grin. "I won't either." She pointed to the floor, where a pair of boxers covered with little arrows had missed the wash. "You have team underwear?"

Harry scooped them up, blushing. "They were a gift from a fan," he said. "And . . . I may have waited a bit too long to do my laundry once. They were the only ones I had left."

Why are you doing your own laundry anyway? Doesn't the team hire someone for that?"

Harry shrugged. "My uniforms, yes; the team has a service for them. And I guess most of the rest of the blokes send their regular laundry out instead of doing it themselves."

"Why don't you?" Ginny could think of any number of things she'd rather be doing than her laundry, if she could afford to have someone else take care of it.

Harry shrugged again. "I don't mind. It's not something I need to spend my money on anyway." He was quiet for second. "Ron does his own laundry, so I figured I would too."

"Oh." Ginny mentally kicked herself. Of course Harry would be sensitive to the fact that Ron couldn't afford to send his laundry out; couldn't have afforded it even if he wasn't already paying part of Ginny's rent. She sighed. Stupid, noble git, Harry was.

"Umm, now that I know how, if you ever need . . . I mean, if you or Ron ever need . . . since you travel a lot, you probably don't have as much time. And I do. Have the time, I mean." Ginny stuttered over the offer. "I could do your laundry. If you ever needed it." It was the least she could offer; Harry was making it possible for Ginny to live in her flat. She wasn't even sure she'd ever properly thanked him, actually. The proposal had been presented to her soon after she'd announced she was joining the Aurors and started looking for a place to live; she'd been more annoyed than grateful at what she assumed was her mum's meddling. By the time she had come to appreciate her luck at living here, it felt too late to say anything about it. But now that omission felt glaringly rude. She stumbled over her words again.

"If I didn't say it before, and I'm pretty sure I didn't, umm, thank you. For letting Ron live with you so he can pay part of my rent."

Harry looked surprised. "I would have let Ron live with me anyway; I'm kind of used to him by now, you know?" He smirked. "And now that he has his own room, I don't have to hear him snore."

"But to not charge him rent, that's very generous," Ginny persisted. "I'm sure there are a lot of other things you could do with that money." If she was going to thank Harry, the least he could do was acknowledge it.

Harry looked embarrassed. "Yeah, well, umm, the Arrows pay pretty well. And . . . I haven't really had a lot of things to spend money on before, you know? So I umm . . . . I've saved up enough."

He's modestly reminding you how rich he is, Ginny. The voice in her head sounded a bit like Ron, and Ginny remembered overhearing her brother talking to the twins about seeing Harry's vault at Gringotts. He probably didn't even notice the money he was spending on the flat. But Ginny couldn't fault Harry for his wealth, indeed, he was so quiet about it, she suspected most people didn't know about it at all. He was quite the contrast to that prat from school, Draco Malfoy, who'd never missed an opportunity let everyone know exactly how much money he had and exactly how he planned to spend it. Other than the new wireless she'd seen in his flat, Ginny wasn't sure Harry had spent any of his money on enjoyment at all.

"Well, it's nice of you anyway," she said. "Thank you. And the offer still stands; I'm able to do your laundry if you ever need it." She smirked. "Before you have to resort to wearing fan-witch underwear again."

Harry smiled. "Thank you. I may take you up on that after our next extended road trip." His face grew more serious. "But that's not the only thing I have to thank you for, it seems." He leaned back against one of the washers. "I heard about your meeting with Robards."

"Who told you . . ." Ginny began. "Ron, right?" She'd told her brother about her meeting with Robards during the week of the Arrows' road trip; they'd had dinner together twice when Hermione had been working late.

Harry nodded. "I hope you don't mind."

Ginny shook her head; she wouldn't have expected her brother to keep news like that from Harry. And, truth be told, it was easier than trying to tell Harry herself. He'd already made it clear that Ron knew a lot more than she did about his reasons for leaving the Aurors.

"I hope I didn't say the wrong thing."

"You didn't! You were great!" Harry's vehemence surprised her. "I know how persuasive Robards can be; he offered to give you a boost at the Aurors didn't he?"

Ginny nodded. "It made me feel like all I had to do was present you to him on platter and boom, I'd leapfrog through training." She grimaced. "What an arse."

"So you didn't consider it, for even a minute?" Harry's voice was quiet.

Now it was Ginny's turn for vehemence. "Absolutely not." She felt a pang of something, and then realized it was hurt. She shook her head. "I would never . . .I hope you know I would never . . ." She was horrified to feel a sudden prickling in her eyes. She turned away as if she was checking to make sure her washer was still running, poking at it with her wand while she tried to control her breath.

She was surprised a second later to feel a soft hand on her shoulder. "Now I'm the arse. I'm so sorry, Ginny. I know you would never do that." Harry gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "That was a moronic thing to say."

Ginny finally turned around, stepping out of Harry's touch. "It was," she confirmed. "But I guess we've both stuck our feet in our mouths lately. I suppose we should call it even."

"Deal," said Harry. He held out his hand. Ginny took it, and as they shook, she had the sudden incongruous thought that this was the first time she and Harry had ever touched in a way that was anything more than teasing. She took a deep breath.

"There's something more," she said. "Something I didn't even completely tell Ron." Her statement coincided in the completion of the wash cycles in the machines, and the sudden silence made what she was going to say feel heavier.

Harry's eyes were wary. "What?" he asked. "I know Robards gave you a guilt trip about the importance of using all means necessary to fight dark magic." He shook his head. "I can't fault him for his dedication to the elimination of evil, I just wish he . . ." Harry stopped. "But there's more?"

Ginny nodded. She opened on of her washing bins and contemplated the wet clothes inside. "This thing will dry them too?"

Harry understood she wasn't quite ready to talk. He walked over. "The proper drying charm will make sure nothing shrinks." He closed the bin again and pointed his wand at it. The spell was the same as the ordinary drying charm Ginny used on her hair, although the wand movement was different. She moved to the second bin.

"Robards thinks that you and I, together, would be especially successful at fighting Dark Magic." She kept her back to him. "Because we've both been possessed by Voldemort."

Harry was quiet for so long that Ginny wondered if he'd heard her. She was about to turn around when she heard him take a breath in.

"And did he tell you exactly what he wanted us to do with this experience?" Harry's voice was close. She shook her head.

"He didn't say, not exactly. I was too busy telling him that you would never listen to me about coming back to the Aurors." She turned around. "But you know, don't you?"

Harry nodded. He looked . . . guilty? "It's related to what I was doing for the Aurors last year. Before . . . before I quit. Because of what they wanted me to do next." He took a step forward and grabbed her hand. "Ginny, I'm so sorry. This is my fault. I should have told you a long time ago, before you joined the Aurors. I should have known they'd try to . . ." He broke off.

"Try to what? Exploit our experience? That's what I told Robards I wouldn't let them do to us."

Harry looked surprised. "You actually said that to him? To his face?" He gave a low whistle. "Good for you." He sighed. "Hopefully he'll let it drop."

Ginny knew there was more Harry wasn't telling her, that there was a bigger reason Robards was so eager to have both her and Harry working together. And she knew Harry would tell her everything if she asked him to. The thought should have pleased her. Instead, she suddenly didn't want to know, despite – or maybe because of – the fact that it concerned her. Talking to Harry about the Chamber always seemed to end badly; the last time, Ginny'd had nightmares for a week. Now she was an Auror; she couldn't make her work so personal, or she'd end up going crazy, or quitting like Terry Boot had.

Harry was still looking at her and Ginny realized she'd been quiet for a while. She looked back at the washing bins. "How long do they take to dry?"

"About ten minutes for a normal load. And then I'd offer to teach you the folding spells, but I'm terrible at them." He gave her a small grin. "I just pile everything back in my laundry bag and dump it on the floor of my closet.

Ginny's memory of Harry's almost unnaturally tidy room revised itself in her mind. She grinned. "Maybe my mum will come and give us both a lesson. Especially if we include Ron too. She'd hate to think all three of us were walking around wrinkled."

Harry nodded. "Sounds good. . . . And Ginny?" His voice was serious again.

Ginny waited.

"I umm, I just want you to know that I would listen to your opinion. About a lot of things. I guess I haven't ever asked you before. About what you thought."

It was a huge recognition on his part, Ginny knew. She walked forward and touched his arm. "I haven't always acted in a way that would make you think my opinion was important."

"Maybe not always, but definitely some things," he said. "I should have asked your opinion about joining the Arrows, for example. You would have had a particularly good insight, I think. Because . . ."

"There you are, Harry! Is this how you get Ginny alone? By hiding out in the laundry room where the rest of us don't go?" Damacles' voice sounded overly loud and he seemed to take up a lot of space in the small laundry room.

Harry backed quickly away from Ginny; whatever he'd been about to say to her was lost. He gave his captain a casual grin. "Just making sure she knows how to do her laundry, Dam. I promised her mum I'd show her how." He pleaded an apology with his eyes and Ginny gave him a small nod of understanding. She scooped up her basket of clean clothes. "I'm about done here anyway. Thanks for your help, Harry. I'll bet my mum sends you a treacle tart for helping me."

Dam darted forward and poked his wand at the basket. A pair of Ginny's lacy pink knickers floated into air. "I'll help you next time, Ginny. As long as I get to look at things like these."

Ginny didn't even have to put her laundry down to use her wand. Dam yelped as he suddenly rose several inches off the ground, suspended by his own underwear.

Harry barked a laugh. "I warned you the first day she moved in, didn't I?" He looked at Ginny. "You'd better let him down or he won't be able to sit on his broom tomorrow."

Once he was back on the ground, Dam rubbed his bum and gave Ginny an appraising look. "I'm liking you more and more, Miss Weasley. You'll have to come watch a game one of these days. So you can see me at my best."

Ginny nodded, speaking more to Harry than Dam. "I'd like that," she said.

Dam nodded too, as if it was settled. "Good then. I'll talk to our publicist about getting some tickets sent over." He clapped Harry on the back. "We're off to the Leaky, are you joining us?"

Harry nodded. "Let me just put my laundry away." He touched Ginny's arm. "Talk to you later?"

Ginny nodded, feeling oddly disappointed. "Of course," she said. "Anytime."