The sound of returning reporters could be heard outside.
With a sigh, she straightened her head and shoulders and went out to meet them. "Well hello again," she welcomed them as though they were old friends. "What can I do for you today?"
"Are you the chairwoman of the board?"
"Come, chairwoman is such a cumbersome word. Call me the chairman, it is correct; it's called grammatical gender. Or better yet, just call me the chair," she answered easily.
"Will you release the names of the other board members yet?" came the first question.
"No," was her succinct reply.
"Will you be admitting other members?"
"Perhaps at some point in the future we will need more input, but for now we can manage as we are." The interview was calming her nerves and she began to feel more in control.
"Has the ministry contacted you in any way?"
"Oh, are they not answering your questions? I'm sorry. And no, they have not as of yet had anything to say to me." They laughed a little when she expressed her sympathy.
"How will you respond if they attempt to stop you?"
"Is there reason to believe they will? There is no legal ground for them to do so and it is common practice to avoid lawsuits in which you don't have a leg to stand on." She sounded confident and even managed to express confidence in the ministry.
There was a great deal of murmuring in the crowd and someone announced the arrival of the Minister of Magic.
Gin set her jaw and awaited his approach. When he reached her, she politely extended her hand and took his. "Harry," she said a bit stiffly.
"Ginny, it's good to see you again. We need to talk."
"Yes," she looked out at the reporters, "but you would agree this is not the time.
He turned to the press and waved politely.
"Mr. Minister, how do you feel about her return?"
"It is indeed a pleasure to see an old friend again," he answered genuinely.
"Is it true that the two of you once dated?"
Harry laughed and Gin tensed. He managed to answer first and she felt like slapping him. "Yes, for a short time at the end of my sixth year in school we did date. Life, however, had different plans for us as it often does." She hated giving the press personal information and he had not right to do so without asking her first.
Fortunately, the conference took a business turn after that.
"Mr. Minister, what is the reaction to her plans? Is there going to be official opposition?"
"As of right now there is no 'official opposition.' We have found no grounds on which to disapprove of what is taking place, but we will be monitoring the situation." Yes, he had certainly learned politics.
"Are you under pressure to find grounds?"
Harry laughed, "If I ever discover a situation in which every possible course of action is not represented among the lobbyists, I will think I've died and gone to heaven."
The press laughed before someone asked another question. "How strong are those opposed?"
"How to answer that question...they are certainly not in the majority, yet. Then again, there are quite a few of my advisors and many among the lobbyists and representatives that have yet to take a stand." He was quite adept at not taking a position and leaving all options open for the future. Gin was actually impressed. "If that is all for now..." he ignored their continued questioning and held the door open for Gin.
Once they were inside, she led him to her office. "There can be no official opposition, you know that, don't you?" she asked seriously.
"We cannot order you to cease, this is true," he also maintained a business tone. "We can, however, stand opposed and advise against involvement."
She sighed and walked around her desk. "Is that what you came here to talk about?"
He sat down in an extra chair she had brought in the day before. "Why haven't gone home, or at least contacted your family?" He sounded very tired.
She stiffened and began to examine the papers before her.
"Damn it, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed and stood again. "Why do you do this? You always complained that people didn't know you but you always shut them out."
She looked up at with sharp eyes. "I don't shut anyone out, Minister, I let them know how far away they have chosen to stand. Your question should not have been asked, but even still there are those who would understand my answer."
"And I suppose those would be Zabini and Malfoy," he intoned bitterly.
"Yes, actually." She whistled and Blaise entered the room. "Blaise, Harry here wants to know why I haven't gone home."
Blaise sighed. He looked at Harry, "Let me guess, she completely ignored you and started fidgeting, shuffling papers or something." He didn't wait for a confirmation. "Let me remind you of something before I interpret. She was thrown out. They told her never to return. They plainly told her that any letters she sent them would be burned, that they had no interest in her life and she should just accept it. As far as I know, none of this has been rescinded. As for her reaction, can you honestly expect her to willingly relive all of that pain by outlining it for you today?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and left. Remembering his own reaction a couple days again, he added before closing the door, "And if your upset that she keeps you at a distance, you might want to look at yourself. You just mind find fear and your own arms-length restraining order placed on her."
Turning back to Gin, Harry spoke. "We may not be able to shut you down, but we can place so many regulations, restrictions, and codes that you will find it impossible to proceed."
"Correction, virtually impossible, but not entirely. If you attempt such a course of action, I will give you one day before turning your own supporters around on you with complaints of over-active over-powerful government. You know as well as I that freedom, or the threat of its loss, is a more powerful incentive than fear of the past." She met his gaze and his threat without wavering.
Harry Potter inhaled deeply before taking his leave reluctantly, the interview had not gone as he had hoped. She was just as stubborn as always, but then again, so was he and her family. Perhaps people don't change after all.
After he had gone, she sat down and placed her head in her hands. That was where Draco found her. After leaving her office, Blaise had gone to find him. He was, after all, the only one who could ever talk to her about her family.
"Blaise told me what he asked." Draco took a seat across from her. He would have preferred going after the Minister and punching him in the jaw, but he had outgrown the freedom to behave in such irresponsible manners.
"Yeah, well, he missed the threat," she answered without looking up.
"He threatened you?" he asked in disbelief.
"In no uncertain terms. As soon as the door was shut he informed me that while they may not be able to legally shut us down they can bury us beneath red tape." Her voice sounded so weary.
"And he would consequently be buried in intrusive government complaints." Draco tried to sound unconcerned. It was harder than he had imagined. Not that he was worried about the ministry, but he was worried about the girl.
She looked up at him. "That isn't the point. If he is willing to get me back there by any means necessary, by threatening me, it means they still believe I owe the first apology."
"For what, trusting Snape and saving their asses or complying with their wishes?" he asked menacingly.
"For all I know, both." She sighed. "He didn't agree with them, you know. Maybe he's just sick of the division."
"He may not have agreed with sending you away, but he was all in favour of imprisoning you until you saw reason." Draco was just as angry over the memory as she was hurt. "It certainly seems like he's favouring their position this time as well."
"How the hell is it that I can convince mortal enemies to stand united behind a publicized traitor but I can't convince my family that a man with documented evidence to support him is telling the truth?" Pain infused her voice and he remembered the rarity with which she allowed that to happen.
"I'm sure that my being part of the bargain didn't help any," was all he could offer.
"If I go back there, and it isn't home, it hasn't been home in ever so long, without an actual invitation it will end as horribly as the last time I was there. Even with and express invitation there's no guarantee that things would go well." She tried not to sound hopeless. "Anyway," she sat up straight and was once again characterized by determination, "I should get back to work."
"Yeah," Draco said a bit emptily. Taking a risk, he decided to ask a question. "Why is it that I'm the only one you'll talk to about your family? Blaise won't even try anymore."
She looked at him curiously. "You're the only one willing to. They see the pain it causes me and back off. You don't."
"Would you rather I did?" he asked honestly.
"No." She turned back to her papers and he left without another word.
When the door shut behind him, she just stared at it. "Well," she said to the empty room, "we didn't yell."