Chapter 21
Steam spiraled from the many pots simmering on the old stove, and Delicious odors filled the air. A tawny and grey calico cat sat back on his haunches, waiting for his master to drop the tiniest morsel of food and a wizarding wireless played gentle music in the background.
Ginny hummed as she cooked, taking pride in what she was making and ignoring the begging cat that sat at her feet. Her hair was piled in a messy bun and she was wearing her favorite pair of well-worn jeans and a black t-shirt, an outfit that was barely noticeable under the cover of a very frilly, strawberry pink apron.
She wanted this meal to be perfect. A very old friend of hers was coming to visit and the excitement was almost more than she could bear.
Hermione Granger, one of her oldest and dearest friends would be knocking on her door in less than an hour. She thought of the bushy haired woman as the sister she never had.
Both of them had been hit very hard by Ron's death and they had clung to each other, becoming closer than ever before, especially after Harry never came back. Hermione had felt completely abandoned and lost and it was Ginny who had convinced her to take the job as a Spell Researcher. The job allowed her friend to travel all over the world, discovering undiscovered magic and spells and documenting the findings. It was right up Ms. Granger's alley. She had refused at first, but Ginny and her temper could be very convincing.
They hadn't seen each other in six months and the redhead couldn't wait until she saw her friend again, there was so much to share, some much had happened since they had last seen each other.
The last time they had spoken, Ginny and Draco had been partners for around a month. So much had happened in the time since. Owl post was nice, but speaking in person after so long would be wonderful.
Especially after the week she had, had- and it was only Wednesday.
It had all started when she had arrived to work on Monday morning. The halls were filled with whispers, and she caught snatches of the latest gossip as she made her way through the halls towards her office.
Auror Malfoy had dumped Auror Torres.
As the day wound on, she heard all kinds of stories about why the month-long relationship had ended so abruptly, some ridiculous and some almost believable. No one seemed to know the truth. However, everyone did know that Rosa Torres was heartbroken. She followed him around, asking him why he had ended things and moping through out the work day.
Ginny knew this for a fact, had seen it. She had been minding her own business, walking to Clara's desk to see if they could have lunch together when she stumbled upon the former-couple standing in the hallway.
They were standing close together, Rosa leaning towards him while he leaned back, away from the dark haired woman. Rosa was speaking heatedly, tears in her eyes and Draco looked unaffected.
"Why? I just want to know why you ended it, that's all!" Rosa's voice had carried over to where Ginny was, as she walked towards them.
Draco sighed, annoyed, "Because. You're too clingy, too submissive; we're just not right for each other. Don't call me I'll call you, and all that"
Rosa's face scrunched up in frustration, "But that doesn't answer me why! Just be honest with me!"
The clicking of Ginny's shoes on the floor had brought Draco's eyes snapping up to hers, and he kept her gaze as he finally answered Rosa's question- Honestly. "I broke it off with you because I want to be with someone else…"
Ginny froze in place, lost in his eyes, Swirling depths of molten silver.
A few beats later, he turned his eyes back to Rosa and shrugged apologetically. Without another word, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed in the opposite direction—down the hall.
Ginny lifted the lid of the boiling pot to her right and stirred it slowly before replacing the lid, and setting the pot aside to cool. It was warm in the kitchen now, and she wiped her brow with a corner of her apron, and puffing out her cheeks, released a deep sigh.
Draco…
She had scoffed when several girls who worked in different departments of the ministry-upon finding out that he was single again- had shamelessly flirted with the blond, and asked him out.
And she had been shocked when the notorious playboy and opportunist turned each and every bubbly female down- flat
She and Draco hadn't spoken much in the last few days. They tended to ignore each other, or to generally stay out of each other's way. This was and easy feat because, currently, there were no leads on their case.
Draco hadn't made any advances of any kind towards her recently, which was nice, because it meant that Ginny didn't have to worry about whether or not she would reject them.
A woman could only take so much.
The magical timer beside the stove went off with a loud wail and she jumped to attention, moving pots and removing biscuits and chicken from the oven.
With a swish of her wand the table was set and with another flick she sent the wine (which had been left open to breathe on the counter) to the table as well.
She checked her watch and was pleased to find that she had just enough time to get cleaned up before her friend arrived. After a quick shower and drying spell she was feeling fresh and ready.
Ginny was just putting the last touches on the elaborate meal she had created when there was a knock on the door.
A wide and white smile lit up her face as she rushed towards the door. She gave the main room of her apartment one last once over, making sure everything looked nicely tucked away before placing her hand on the door knob.
There was another sharp knock and she laughed, twisting the handle, excitement flooding her veins, she pulled the door open.
She was in the middle of shouting out a greeting when suddenly the words died on her lips.
In front of her was the petite and bushy-haired frame of her friend, but there was someone with her and Ginny found herself trapped in a sharp, and intoxicating, green eyed gaze.
She could feel the blood rush from her face, the excitement of moments ago now frozen in shock.
Harry Potter had returned, and he was standing on her doorstep.
o..o..o..o..o..o..o..o..o..o...o..o..
A/N: MAUAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAH! cough oh, sorry... Well, that shakes things up a bit. To those who called it, congratulations! you were right! Harry is back. Dun dun dun
Thanks to my recent reviewers! Robin,AuntAnnie, harrypotterchick4ever, seeker17,Dumbledore's Troop, minx, QueenBee11, jhaycita, babi-gurl-chels, aRebel aSaint, kasey07, SilverUnicorn66! Your support is so inspiring and wonderful!
I finally have some time to answer some of your questions, so here goes...
Robin : Who is Mr. X... hmm, I cant give that away, sorry! But, yes, he is someone from the books wink
QueenBee11: Who am I? Aww! I'm quite boring, actually. I put a short bio on my profile page since you asked! But in short: I'm 22 and live in the U.S. Oh! And my name is Amy grin
babi-gurl-chels: There you go! Rosa is officially out of the picture! hahahah