Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: After Hogwarts with Voldemort gone and Harry by her side, life should be perfect for Ginny Weasley, but when the lies start to pile up she starts to wonder. Maybe the chosen one is not so wonderful after all. D/G, Post-Hogwarts, rated M for later.
Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you like the chapter.
Thanks to Written Sparks for beta reading :)
Ginny walked into the Quidditch themed pub called The Golden Snidget and looked around for the telltale silver blond hair and tall frame. She could not spot him anywhere as she inspected the crowd of witches and wizards drinking butterbeer or enjoying lunch as Golden Snitches speed over their heads along with broomsticks holding candles hovering around the room. Posters of Quidditch teams and famous moments in Quidditch history lined the walls. Sighing she walked up to the counter and ordered a butterbeer while waiting. Unfortunately, the drunk Puddlemere United wizard who had been so intent on flirting had decided to drop in at the Golden Snidget as well.
"Hey, pretty lady, you came to see me, didn't ya," he slurred reeking of alcohol uncomfortably close to her ear. Ginny quickly stepped out of reach and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Piss off," she hissed and glared at him viciously.
She was about to pull out her wand when a cool voice spoke up behind her, "Well, I see Potter couldn't make it." She jumped a little and turned to face Malfoy. For once she was actually happy to see him. It stopped her from hexing the stupid Puddlemere United guy into oblivion in public. He was after all not worth the trouble she would get herself into if she did.
"I'm sure you noticed that he left for lunch early with my brother. Now, do you mind if we grab a table, I got someone breathing down my neck who simply does not understand the term 'I'm not interested'," Ginny replied in a sugary voice and forced a smile, hoping he would get it.
Malfoy smirked and signaled that she should follow him. Happy to leave the creep behind her, Ginny followed him, but on her way past the drunken scumbag she brushed into him and gracefully slipped some green powder unnoticed into his glass of Firewhiskey, without slowing down or changing her pace. The powder, which she had acquired from the twin's bedroom years ago, would dissolve instantly in the whiskey and give him uncomfortable itchy warts in non-public places. Content with what she accomplished, she tossed her hair back and continued to follow Malfoy to the back of the pub. To her surprise there were a few booths behind a screen that could not be seen from the rest of the pub.
"Huh, I had no idea there were tables back here," she commented and slid into the seat in one of the booths.
"Most people don't," Malfoy replied and picked up a menu. Ginny picked up the menu lying in front of her and scanned the content. There were many interesting choices, but she settled on pumpkin and goat's cheese risotto. She stated her order and the dish appeared in front of her (jut like it did at the Yule Ball).
"So, what do you think I should do about Harry?" Ginny asked after Malfoy ordered his food.
To her annoyance, the git smirked, "Dump him for lying, of course," he answered and started to eat.
"Look, I didn't come her to get relationship advise. I came here because you indicated that you knew a better way to find out why Harry is lying, so get to the bloody point," Ginny snapped angrily and glared at Malfoy. The glare usually scared most guys into doing what she wanted them to and hoped it would work on Malfoy. Unfortunately, it did not.
"Easy there, Weasley. You would think I am the one wanting help. Let me remind you that you are the one asking for my help. A Weasley asking a Malfoy for help nonetheless! I don't gain that much from helping you that I will tolerate any kind of disrespectful behaviour from you," Malfoy answered silkily, and Ginny had to fight the urge to strangle him.
"Then why did you seem so keen on helping me in the lift earlier?" she asked in what she hoped was a calmer voice. She decided to take a bite out of her lunch so she did not have to look at him; the temptation to hex him could become overpowering.
"Well, I can't pass up an opportunity to get Potter into trouble, can I?" Malfoy sneered evilly. Of course, she should have known, the rivalry between Malfoy and Harry had never really ended.
"I should have known there was a personal agenda of some kind behind all of this," she muttered and took a sip of her Butterbeer.
"Oh please, Weasley, don't be so naive. Of course I have some kind of motive behind helping you. I was sorted into Slytherin for a reason, you know. I do nothing without a good personal reason for doing it," Malfoy stated and rolled his eyes. Ginny blushed slightly.
"I suppose I should be more worried if you didn't have a scheme of some kind?"
"Exactly, that would mean I have reasons you are unaware off."
"Alright then, so you think whatever Harry is lying about would get him into trouble?" Ginny asked, steering the conversation back to the problem at hand.
"Otherwise he wouldn't have to lie," Malfoy replied matter-of-factly.
She realised that he did have a good point. She had been trying, without success, to figure out a good reason for Harry to lie that did not include him doing something wrong, but without success. She decided to eat some more, she was starving hungry. It bothered her that she was asking Malfoy for help, but she could not deny that he would be useful. He was sneaky enough and the fact that he hated Harry's guts could work into her advantage.
"How do we find out what he is lying about?" she finally asked, not wanting to call attention to the fact that she accepted that he was right.
Malfoy placed his silverware neatly on his empty plate, which disappeared, and tilted his head slightly, "You're lucky. I happen to be great at tracking and stalking. I will simply have to follow him and figure out what he's up to."
"You make that sound so simple," she replied and placed her knife and fork on her almost empty plate and watched as it vanished.
"It is simple," he replied and stretched in his seat, "it may interest you to know that I, in fact, saw your precious Potter last night."
"What? You saw him, where?" Ginny burst out before she could control herself. Hearing about Harry lying was one thing, but to hear Malfoy say he actually saw him was an entirely different matter.
"Yes, I saw him. I decided to walk to my flat last night instead of Apparating or Flooing and he almost bumped into me," Malfoy informed her in a neutral tone. Perhaps he noticed that the information alone tormented Ginny enough so he did not feel the need to add a sneer.
"Did he see you? And do you know where he came from?" Ginny whispered, not sure if she really wanted to know.
"I had cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself and he seemed to be in a hurry. He came from the short alley that Muggles can't see just off Carting Lane, do you know anyone who lives there?"
"I know Colin Creevey lives there and I think Seamus Finnigan does too. Other than that I don't know, none of my other friends live there," Ginny answered thoughtfully, racking her brains, trying to remember anyone else she might have heard in passing living there, but could not remember anyone.
"Well, maybe you should visit them more often. Especially at times when Potter claim to have Ministry business at strange times. Who knows, you might end up bumping into Potter there," Malfoy suggested and watched as a Snitch hovered into their booth.
"Alright. I have this week off practice so I should be able to notice his absences better. During the Quidditch season I have to admit I did not pay much attention to where he was and when," Ginny shared, still deep in thought. She was trying to recall times when Harry had gone to the Ministry at odd times and tried to remember if Ron had gone with him.
"Perfect. Let me know when he makes a random Auror training excuse and I can verify your suspicions. Perhaps even follow him," Malfoy said and looked rather mischievous. Ginny was again questioning her decision to let him help her, but figured there was no use in backing out now.
"Okay," she answered absentmindedly as the Snitch caught her attention. She quickly reached out her hand and caught it. To her surprise the Snitch opened and revealed a Chocolate Frog inside.
"As pleasant as it is plotting Potter's demise and seeing someone else realise that the Chosen One is not the saint he is made out to be, I must return to the Auror Office. You will hear from me," Malfoy stated and stood up to leave.
Ginny nodded as he walked away. She unwrapped the Chocolate Frog and ironically the wizard on the card inside was Harry Potter.
Two days passed and Ginny had not heard a word from Malfoy, nor had she had a reason to contact him. Harry had not been away on random Auror excursions without Ron, but he had been acting strangely. Something was definitely off in his behaviour. He was much more distant and avoided eye contact more often than he used to. Though, Ginny could not be sure if she was just being paranoid or if he indeed was distancing himself from her.
She sighed and looked out the kitchen window. She could see the buzzing streets of Diagon Alley from where she stood. September first was getting near so the streets were busier than usual; the letters from Hogwarts had probably arrived already. Ginny missed Hogwarts to an extent. She did not miss the rules and the curfew, but she missed the castle with its secret passageways and magical rooms. She also missed being able to grab a broom and go flying almost whenever she felt like it. Even though she was a professional Quidditch player she could not fly whenever she pleased, not since she lived in the middle of Diagon Alley. She dreamed of a house on the countryside, like the Burrow, where she could fly at any time of the day by just running out the front door.
In theory, she did have enough money to purchase a small cottage on the countryside; the Holyhead Harpies paid their players generously, but Harry was set on living close to the Ministry of Magic and right in the centre of activity of Diagon Alley. She was slightly disappointed as he used to talk about owning a place like the burrow all the time, but that was before he defeated Voldemort. He had told her that it made him able to excel at his career better, but she could not figure out why it made a difference. He Flooed to work everyday anyway.
Her eye caught the sight of yesterday's Daily Prophet. On the front cover was the entire Puddlemere United team beaming towards the camera. They seemed unable to stand still in the picture and quite a few of them seemed to need the support of their team members just to stand upright. Ginny huffed at the article. It was obvious that the journalist was a Puddlemere United fan. It was only thanks to Colin Creevey, the photographer, that the article was not absolutely terrible. At least, Ginny figured it was Colin that had made sure it was mentioned that most of the team was intoxicated.
She decided to visit him. It had been ages since she was been able to enjoy his company over a cup of tea. He always had interesting things to talk about since he worked at the Daily Prophet.
Ginny grabbed a light traveling cloak and prepared herself to Apparate. She did not want to use the Floo network as she was not sure if Colin was home or at work. Anyway, it was easy enough to Apparate to his place as the alley he lived in could not be seen by Muggles. She turned on the spot and the familiar feeling of being pressed into a too tight tube came over her. Finally, the uncomfortable feeling was gone and she was standing in the alley in London were Colin had his flat.
She walked into the building on the left and stopped in the foyer. She remembered that Draco had told her that it was in this alley he had seen Harry. Maybe he even had been visiting someone in the same building as Colin. She decided to take the stairs instead of the lift so she could read the names on the doors to see who else lived here.
She scanned the names on each floor; Turpin, Vane, Smith… she finally reached Creevey without reading any interesting names. Sure, she knew Romilda Vane had been crazy about Harry in school, but he detested her. There was no way Harry had been hanging out with her.
Ginny huffed disappointedly and rang the doorbell. Several seconds passed and she did not hear a sound. She rang the bell again, just in case, but no one answered. Instead the door to another flat opened.
"Hey Ginny, didn't expect to see you here! How have you been?" a familiar voice spoke behind her. She turned around and came face to face with Seamus Finnigan. She knew he lived somewhere in the alley, but had not noticed that he lived on the same floor as Colin.
"I'm doing just fine, thanks. I didn't know you lived so close to Colin! How are you doing?" Ginny asked cheerfully. She never really hung out very much with Seamus in Hogwarts even though they got along well.
"Good, good, got a job at the Ministry and all. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea, or maybe something stronger?" Seamus asked with a glint in his eye.
"Tea will be fine, thank you," Ginny replied evenly and walked past the handsome Irishman who was holding up the door for her.
"Then tea it is," he replied happily and hurried past her into what she figured must be the kitchen.
She smiled as she noted the miss match of coat hooks on the wall. They were all kinds of different materials, sizes, and shapes. She hung her traveling cloak on a wooden hook painted in bright orange.
Ginny walked into the kitchen and found Seamus watching the tea kettle skeptically.
"I'm not very good at tea, you know. It always turns out too strong or too bland," he muttered and scratched his head.
Ginny smiled and waved her wand. She cast a non-verbal spell on the brass tea kettle that her mother had thought her. It made the tea boil perfectly no matter what kind of tea it was.
"Huh, you witches and your cooking spells," Seamus muttered and placed two cups on a round small kitchen table, which had once been painted forrest green but the paint was peeling off.
"Hey," Ginny huffed, "I know many wizards who perform excellent spells in the kitchen," she retorted sternly.
"Sure, sure… Let me guess, Neville Longbottom?" he asked humourously.
"Well, yes, but he's not the only one," she replied and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.
Seamus did not reply, but sat down on a wobbly chair by the table. Ginny followed suit and chose a stool that looked a little more trustworthy. Seamus summoned the kettle and poured their tea.
"So, you said you're working for the Ministry, which department?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Magical Games and Sports," Seamus answered proudly, "I got it after spending two years in Ireland working for a top-of-the-range Quidditch store. Got some pretty good connections to the Ministry from there and now I'm here!"
"Nice, that sounds great," Ginny replied and took a sip of the tea. It was mint flavour, she noted.
"So, flying for the Harpies, eh?"
"Yeah, it always was my favourite team," Ginny replied and took another sip. She liked mint tea a lot.
"Sweet, always knew you were going to be a great Quidditch player," Seamus commented matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, well, you're one of the few. Just about everyone else was surprised…" Ginny trailed off looking out the kitchen window. She realised she had a perfect view of the alley from Seamus kitchen.
"Really? Well, your friends must be blind then. So, err… you're single now, or what?" Seamus asked carefully.
"No, I'm still with Harry… what made you think I'm single?" Ginny asked flabbergasted. Had she acted as if she was single? Or did Seamus know something she did not know?
"No, nothing really… Just saw Harry around here, but I guess he was just seeing an old friend or something," Seamus commented warily.
"Yeah, I guess he was…" Ginny answered absentmindedly, her mind spinning. It was one thing hearing from Malfoy that Harry had been off on random excursions that she was unaware off, but hearing it from an old friend… it was just mind boggling.
"Listen… he was probably just hanging out with Colin or something. I'm sure it was nothing," Seamus continued quickly, but avoided meeting her eyes.
Ginny decided to let the subject drop. She was not entirely comfortable with the conversation either, though it was definitely something she was going to think about later.
"Hmm, I'm sure you're right. Anyways, I should get going," she said and cast a cleaning spell on her tea cup.
"Alright… if you must. I hope it's not something I said?" Seamus said and looked down in his cup.
"No, no, not at all. I just really should get going. There is someone I need to see as soon as possible. Though now that I know you're back in the country I could get a bunch of people together and throw a party or something," Ginny insisted in a hurry. She did not want her friend to feel too awkward around her.
"That sounds like fun! Just let me know when and where and I'll be there," Seamus answered happily and followed her to the door.
"See you later then," Ginny said and waved goodbye.
Seamus waved back and closed the door behind her. Once the door shut Ginny brought out a piece of parchment. As much as she hated it, she had to meet up with Malfoy.