Warning: SLASH AHEAD.
Chapter 12:
Draco woke slowly, feeling a warmth against his side that hadn't been there for almost a week. It was the longest that they had been apart in what seemed like years. Smiling, he tightened his hold on Blaise's waist, pulling him tight to his chest.
"Mmm." Blaise murmured into the bedding, "You're so damn warm."
Chuckling softly, Draco leaned forward to place a kiss on the back of Blaise's shoulder. Again, it seemed like it had been so long since it was just the two of them, but as always, he was so incredibly comfortable around Blaise.
So much was left unspoken between them, but Blaise was content for the moment not to push him. He had watched Draco retreat behind his expressionless mask the last time he had brought up Ginny's name, and didn't want to push him again.
His lips still against Blaise's smooth skin, Draco quietly wondered aloud what they would do for the holidays, which was set to begin the very next day.
"Do you want to go home?" Blaise asked, trepidation in his voice.
"No." Was the only answer he received. Draco sighed, and kiss his shoulder again in a silent apology for the hint of anger, "Do you still want to go into muggle London this year? Go to a hotel… clubs, drinking, all of that? Pansy mentioned a hotel that we could stay at that she liked. She even said she would make us reservations, if we liked."
"Definitely." Blaise turned his head to look at the blond closely, "You in muggle London? That sounds like it could be highly entertaining."
Draco smirked at him, "So glad I can provide you with some amusement."
Grinning, Blaise leaned further to brush a kiss along Draco's lips, knowing exactly why Draco had suggested that. "I think I'm going to like getting my way."
Chuckling softly, Draco hugged him tightly, "Don't get used to it, it won't last much longer."
Turning in Draco's arms to face him, Blaise stared into his mercury eyes, feeling his smile fade slowly as they darkened. Running his fingers over the pale golden eyebrows, down a smooth cheek, across silken lips, Blaise closed his eyes as if to memorize his friend and lover's familiar face.
Draco lay motionless under Blaise's fingers. Everything Blaise did, seemed to carry an air of finality, and though he knew it was due to his close call, and stay in the hospital, Draco was finding it hard to accept his attitude.
Sighing, he grabbed Blaise's wrists, and held them to his chest, leaning in to run his lips over full lips. "Stop that. You're not dead, and you're not dying."
Cheeks reddening, Blaise opened his navy eyes to look at Draco again, "I didn't realize that was what I was doing."
"Well, you were. And it's bloody irritating." Contradicting his harsh words, Draco rubbed his thumbs in circles on the sensitive skin of Blaise's inner wrists, feeling the raised skin of the scars gently, tenderly.
Hearing Blaise's breath catch, Draco smiled slightly before letting go and leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on the side of his neck. Blaise's hands found their way to the back of his neck, urging him forward wordlessly, and Draco increased his ministrations.
Exploring the cords of muscle he found where Blaise's neck met shoulder, Draco slowly pushed him to lay on his back, leaning over him to find the responsive spot just behind his ear. As Blaise moaned, Draco laved the spot with his tongue, sucking on the spot, before moving down slowly, his lips, tongue, and teeth, exploring the pale skin.
Making his way down to a flat pink nipple, Draco paused slightly to glance up at Blaise's gasping face, smirking slightly as his tongue reached out to flick the hard nub lightly. Blaise's fingers bunched into the pillow on either side of his head, biting his lower lip as Draco's hand found him hard beneath the thin sheet.
Exploring the contours and ridges of the muscles tensed along his chest and abdomen, Draco grinned against the soft skin as he re-familiarized himself with the body he had known for years. Tracing a line with his tongue, following his fingers, feeling Blaise straining, arching into him.
Blaise moaned as he was sure Draco was intent on driving him out of his mind. He looked down to see Draco staring up at him with slate eyes, his tongue still on the skin of his lower stomach. He reached out with one slightly shaking hand to run his fingers through the soft hair at Draco's temple.
Closing his eyes, Draco leaned into the hand, almost purring at the contact. Shuddering, he again dragged his hand down to stroke Blaise's length with gentle fingers.
In the Hogwarts tower, Ginny flopped onto her stomache, breathing heavily as the aftermath of an intense orgasm crashed through her. Pushing her sweaty hair off of her forehead, she groaned into her pillow, glad that Seamus had never taken the silencio off of her bed.
She missed Blaise and Draco… and knowing that they were together, and projecting sexual energy like that was incredibly difficult for her. They obviously weren't as affected by their separation as she was, and that hurt.
--
Fred grinned at Mara, before walking over to glare menacingly at a group of teenaged boys who had their sticky little fingers entirely too close to a tub of lemon drops.
Life was more than good… He had gone from being the ultimate bachelor, to trying to hold back from giving her the ring that was in his bureau drawer. They had only been dating for about four months, and he knew that she was not quite ready for something that permanent, but it was a surprising feeling for him to want it so badly.
He had met Mara when she had come in for an interview as a shop assistant, fresh from graduation at Beauxbaton's Academy in France, and he had instantly determined that he wanted into her pants. Not quite love-at-first-sight, but it worked for them.
It had been strange not to have her around the Diagon Alley store as much when she had taken over the accounting for the Hogsmeade branch, but he tried to spend at least a few days of the week over there to 'help her out', as he called it, 'being a bloody pain in the arse' was the way she chose to term it.
Mara watched her boyfriend with a grin. As she pulled out the shop's ledgers, she wondered idly how long it would take Fred to get over his nervousness, and pull out that ring she had spotted in his drawer the week before.
"Hey Love," Fred's well-defined arms slid around her waist from behind. She smiled and leaned back against him as he continued, "Let me take you out tonight. You work too hard."
Chuckling, Mara turned to link her arms over his shoulders, "I work too hard? Darling, everyone works too hard in comparison to you and your slacker brother." Fred grinned at the slang that she had picked up in the short time she had been in England from the Weasley twins. It sounded odd with her soft French accent.
"Exactly!" He grinned widely, showing off the dimple in his left cheek that she loved so much, "You work too damn hard. Let's go out… dinner, dancing, the works."
Arching a dark eyebrow up at him, sparkling green eyes caught his own, "Any special occasion?"
Was it wrong that she found amusement in his discomfort? Was he blushing? She almost laughed out loud, but caught herself just in time.
"No reason." He looked around shiftily, trying to avoid Mara's penetrating gaze. It always felt like he couldn't lie to her, and that almost scared him, that he really had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.
Mara eyed him again. Yep, he was definitely uncomfortable. She gleefully wondered how far she could push this before he caught on. Maybe she could get George involved in some way….
George threw the bezoar in his cauldron with disinterest, trying to think about the Ministry's offer that he and Fred had received the day before. They didn't seem to want to appreciate the fact that the spell was not yet completely tested… they just wanted to slap it on the Aurors as soon as possible.
Tying his hair back with a strip of leather, George went back over the as-yet-untitled spell, rubbing his inner elbow. He had finally kicked his habit of tugging on his hair when he was stressed, only to replace it with rubbing his tattoo.
"Weasley?" A loud female voice sounded from the fireplace, and George frowned at the interruption. Stalking into the living room, he muttered "lumos" so he didn't accidentally take out his shin on the coffee table again.
"Patil?" He blinked at the sight of her head hanging in the fireplace, "What do you want?"
"You are going to help finish this ridiculousness." She crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at him.
George lowered his long frame onto the couch, and grinned back at her. For some reason, she never seemed entirely happy to see him. "What would that be? Don't get me wrong, our chats are always… interesting… and I always enjoy them, but I know of no ridiculousness that I am accountable for. Well…" He paused to clarify, "Nothing that you would know of anyway."
"Ginny, Blaise, and Draco. They're all behaving as if they were five, and you are going to help them get over it." Padma ignored his little speech, and got straight to the point with a roll of her dark eyes.
"You think I have some say in my sister's life?" George chuckled at the notion, "Look, Padma, it's disconcerting to be talking to you like this. Just come over, and I'll get you a drink."
Padma watched as he raised a pale eyebrow at her, a smirk across his lips. "I would, but we're to leave Hogwarts tomorrow, and I have homework. Too bad, huh. Draco and Blaise will be staying at the Presidential Suite in the Savoy over the break. Make sure she's there Christmas Eve… or I will have to hurt you."
"You're always titillating me with these threats, Padma. Do you ever make good on them? Or is it just a tease?" He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and stared at her, "What are you up to this break?"
"Oh, you like pain then?" Padma smirked back at him, deciding to ignore his question, "Not really my thing, George. Just get her there."
Leaning back from the fireplace, Padma shook her head. Talking with George Weasley could almost be considered a sport. It would be so easy for her to like him, but she was if anything, a self-preservationist.
Rolling her eyes once again at George Weasley's flirting, she decided it was time to head down to the library and finish that Transfiguration essay that McGonagall had decided was due the day after they got back from Christmas break.
Muttering to herself about the evil Hogwarts' staff, Padma checked her bag for her Transfiguration text as she left the Ravenclaw tower. Not having the text would make writing her essay rather difficult.
A hand suddenly reached out to grab her upper arm, pulling her into an alcove behind a suit of armor, making Padma yell out before a hand was clapped over her mouth. Reacting instinctively, Padma kicked the shin behind her. Hard.
George shrieked, "Are you insane?" He let go of her to rub his aching appendage, looking up to glare at her.
Padma gasped when she recognized him, and gave him another swift kick just for startling her. George yelled again, and quickly jumped back, out of striking range.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Padma quickly regained her composure, smoothing the few loose strands of her hair back into her braid, straightening her robes.
Watching Padma with wide eyes, George stared as he saw her visibly turn from a spitfire to a composed, elegant witch. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. Gaping, he tried to find the words, but was unable to think of what he wanted to say.
Arching a dark eyebrow at the silent redhead, Padma spoke, "Are you going to explain why you accosted me?" She looked at his blank face, and sighed in irritation, "Can you understand me?" Speaking slowly, enunciating every word as she would with a child, Padma smirked at him.
George scowled at her, the expression feeling odd on a face that was more accustomed to grinning devilishly. Rubbing his inner elbow absentmindedly, he stared down at her, "Well, at least you didn't call me a buffoon this time."
"Aw, are you missing the nickname?" Padma glanced at her nails as she waited for him to gain some composure. He certainly seemed skittish.
"I was trying to ask you out," He glared at her with cinnamon eyes, a tendril of hair falling across the side of his cheek in an endearing manner.
"Oh really?" Padma crossed her arms over her chest, and watched with cynical detachment as his eyes flew to where her robes pulled tight across her curves. "I hadn't realized. You weren't completely obvious, and so damned cocky that I wanted to smack you."
George grinned at her, showing off bright white even teeth against his tanned skin, "There you go with those promises of pain again." He crossed the room to stand in front of her, "Come out with me."
"No." She smirked at him, and moved to walk past him, stopping only when he grabbed her hand. "George…"
"What are you so afraid of, Padma?" He tugged her closer to him gently, "Give me a chance."
Padma stared at him, before pulling her hand away, "Look, George, I'm flattered, but I actually like someone else."
Dropping her hand, he watched her intently, "Why aren't you with him then?"
"Right now?"
"No, you smartass." He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, "I meant in general. I never thought I would say this to anyone else, but please cut the sarcasm, and answer the bloody question."
Padma watched his serious face in something akin to shock. This was definitely not the George Weasley she had become accustomed to. The shock spurred her into answering him honestly, "Well, he happens to be in love with your sister."
"Good lord, are you another of Draco Malfoy's groupies? Because this is getting ridiculous."
Glaring at him again, she clarified, "No, it's not Draco, or Blaise for that matter. I don't see how it is any of your concern, however."
"Ah, so it's an unrequited love then. How romantic." He smirked at her, and moved closer, "You still haven't answered why he isn't with you then."
"Are you daft?" Padma glared before taking a step back, frantically trying to figure out how much room she had in the small alcove before she would hit a wall, without giving George the satisfaction of knowing she was nervous. By his continued grin, she would guess she hadn't fooled him in the slightest. "I did answer. He's still in love with her, end of story."
"So… why do you still like him?"
"You can't help who you like!"
"But, you can choose to move beyond it." He took another step forward, and rubbed his arm again as he contemplated her. Padma's eyes quickly caught the movement, and they narrowed. "Why do you keep rubbing your arm?"
"Never mind that," George forced his hand down to his side, making a mental note to be careful with his nervous habits around her, she had the eyes of a hawk. "You know what I think?"
"Good lord. Are you going to tell me?" She took another step back, not caring if she hit the wall at this point, she just wanted away from his too-knowing bright brown eyes.
"Yes, yes I am." Taking another step forward, he elaborated, "I think… that liking someone you know will never like you back, gives you some sort of power over your love life. You take no chances… you don't get hurt."
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Of course it does… I know about you, Miss. Patil. You're always in control, and that's not how it works with relationships." Placing his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders, he leaned in close, "If you never take a chance, you definitely won't get hurt, I agree with that. But you miss out on all of the good stuff too."
"Well, aren't you a secret pseudo-psychologist. Who knew? Now, I have to go, because unlike some people, I plan on finishing my education."
"You can be a bitch to me all you like, Padma, but you can't fool me." He grinned at her scowl, and brushed a long strand of dark brown hair behind her shoulder, making a mental note of how soft it was. Sighing inwardly, he took a step back, putting some space between them, "Give me a shout when you feel like playing with the big kids, okay?"
Padma watched him duck out of the alcove with her mouth open, unable to think of a comeback. There was only one word that came to her mind. Fuck.
--
Blaise took a sip of his pumpkin juice, and glanced idly around the Great Hall. Draco had left awhile earlier to go practice on the pitch, and Blaise had no desire to freeze his arse off in the snow just to watch Draco show off on a broom.
Grinning at the double entendre of the image for a moment, Blaise then noticed Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table, a pale eyebrow raised at him. Looking at her quizzically, she subtly nodded her head toward the door. He nodded slightly, and bid his housemates goodbye as he went to meet her.
Looking around for Luna, Blaise noticed a flash of long golden hair turn the corner, and he followed with a roll of his eyes. Why hadn't she just waited for him? Seriously, the girl had a flair for the dramatic sometimes.
This theory was compounded by the fact that when he rounded the corner, she popped out from behind a suit of armor and screamed "Boo!" at him.
After making sure he wouldn't need a clean pair of pants, Blaise glared at her, "What did you want? You know, other than trying to freak me out."
Luna smoothed her hair behind her shoulders, and adjusted her butterbeer cork necklace before she looked at him with her dreamy blue eyes, "Have I told you about the alliance between the puffskeins and the thestrals in the Forbidden Forest? They're plotting against the giant squid in the lake, you know…"
"Don't start that shit with me," Blaise grinned at her, "Now, what did you want?"
"Hey, that's probably a perfectly valid idea." Luna's eyes sharpened, and she laughed quietly, before a more serious look passed over her face. "I heard something from a little birdy at lunch…"
"A little birdy?" Blaise arched a dark eyebrow at her. Luna sighed in mock exasperation, "Fine, I was eavesdropping on Padma and Parvati." Blaise grinned, and nodded at her to continue.
"Well, apparently, Mr. Malfoy had an interesting encounter with George Weasley a few weeks ago, along with Padma."
"George?" Blinking in confusion, Blaise nodded at her to continue.
"Well, he apparently was waiting for Padma outside of Ravenclaw yesterday, and Malfoy happened upon him," Luna paused to scratch the side of her nose, "Padma doesn't know what he said, because he took off as soon as he saw her. Which really, if you think about it, wasn't all that polite."
"Well, Draco has never exactly been Miss. Manners." Blaise pushed his dark hair out of his eyes, "Did Padma mention why George wanted to see her?"
"Well, here is where it gets a bit interesting… Apparently, Padma went to visit Ginny with him."
"Really?" Blaise arched an eyebrow at her, watching the light in the hallway flicker off of her golden skin. "What happened?"
Listening intently as Luna's dreamy voice outlined Padma going to visit Ginny, Blaise narrowed his navy eyes as she mentioned a letter.
--
Theo walked into the Slytherin seventh year boy's dorm to throw his school bag on his bed, and turned to see Vince casually leaning against the wall, watching him.
"What do you want?" He asked tightly, trying to find his good robe for the leaving feast, which he was currently late for.
"I know you're up to something." Vince spoke quietly, his soft voice at odds with his large physique.
"Oh really?" Theo gave up looking to give Vince his full attention. "I'm not up to anything."
"You are." Vince asserted confidently, his face serene, "I'm not going to give you a whole speech about how stupid it is to take on a Zabini and a Malfoy… or a girl with six older, and very protective brothers, but I want to leave you with another idea."
Theo blinked at him, Vince had never really said this much to him, or in his presence, before, "And what might that be?"
"That you are your own person." Vince slowly pushed away from the wall to stroll slowly to the door as he spoke, "You are not your father, and you are not only defined through your family. At some point, you are going to have to live your own life, and taking on family prejudices and grievances will not make you happy."
"What the fuck?" Theo asked, angrily, "You know dick. You're currently dating a girl from a family that has completely turned away from the Dark Lord, and you're trying to give me advice?"
"I never said I was perfect, and I would appreciate if you could keep Pansy out of this." Vince made no effort to deny the relationship, he was simply surprised it had taken anyone this long to say anything, "This is about you. The Dark Lord was defeated by a baby last time… a baby. Why would you follow someone like that? Why would you follow your father?"
Pausing in the act of opening the door, Vince turned to look at Theo's dumbstruck expression once again, "It really comes down to you. The minute you go against them, Blaise and Draco will turn on you. Keep that in mind. If you stay neutral, or stay with them, you have the support of all of us."
Vince quietly left the room to go to the Great Hall where Pansy waited for him with a smile across her face, her striking silky smooth hair resting on her forehead. Deciding to heed his own advice, he made a decision.
Walking right to where she was seated next to Draco and Greg, he leaned down, and placed his hands on either side of her face, tilting it up so that her mouth met his.
Pulling away, Pansy blinked at him, "What are you doing?" She hissed, "Your father-" She was cut off as Vince leaned forward to quickly place his lips on her's once again, tracing her full lower lip with the tip of his tongue, angling to deepen the kiss, amid the general shock of the Slytherin table.
Draco watched the display beside him with raised eyebrows, and turned back to his pudding, "About fucking time."
Padma noticed a commotion over at Slytherin and caught the end of what looked like a very thorough kiss, leaving Pansy looking quite shaken, and not her usual impassive, smirking self. Grinning, she turned to see Luna watching her with dreamy blue eyes.
Frowning slightly, she looked away. She really didn't know Luna all that well, but the younger girl made her slightly nervous. There was a lot more to that dreamer than she let the world see, Padma had a feeling, and it wouldn't do to let her know what she was thinking. Plus, she had noticed Luna hanging around earlier when Padma was talking to her twin, and she was certain that she had listened in on the conversation. To what purpose, Padma had no idea.
--
Ginny stared out the window of the Ministry car as they drove out of London towards the Burrow. Her mother sat beside her, and had not stopped talking since she had picked Ginny up from the train station.
Leaning her forehead against the cool glass, Ginny winced as she realized she was already wanting to be back at school. She loved her mum, but she couldn't change her nature, and her nature was to gossip, scold, and criticize all within one breath. It was somewhat disconcerting if you weren't used to it, and exhausting even if you were.
"Yes, mum." She said automatically at an expectant lull, and perked up slightly at the familiar sight of the house coming into view. No matter what, she always missed 'home'.
Another two 'yes, mum's to the door, and she closed her eyes as she breathed in the familiar smells of cooking, cleaning solution, and gunpowder. An odd combination, to be sure, but it worked for the Burrow.
Catching something about a surprise waiting for Ginny upstairs, she blinked, and realized she should have paid a bit more attention to the preceding conversation, "Excuse me?"
"Your surprise, dear." Molly Weasley smiled at her indulgently, "It's upstairs. Go take a look! I can't wait to see your reaction."
With some sense of foreboding, Ginny made her way up the rickety staircase, and opened her bedroom door. Oh, it was definitely a surprise all right.
"Hi Gin." He smiled at her softly, with his emerald eyes shining brightly from his seat at her small desk, looking strange surrounded by the remnants of her childhood.
"Harry…." She clutched the doorframe in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Laughing quietly, he stood to face her, "Surprising you, hopefully."
"Oh, I'm surprised." Ginny sank down on the edge of her bed, feeling the old mattress give beneath her in a slightly uncomfortable way. The older boy quickly came to sit beside her, and she narrowed her vibrant blue eyes slightly at the familiarity of the action.
"We managed to get some time to come home for Christmas. Ron and Hermione are still at Grimmauld house, tying up some loose ends, but I couldn't wait to see you."
"Really."
Harry carried on, not seeming to notice the general lack of enthusiasm in her tone or body language. "I missed you, Ginny. I thought about you a lot… How is Hogwarts? How is Gryffindor doing with Quidditch this year?"
Laughing wryly at the fact that Hogwarts and Quidditch got asked about, Ginny just shook her head, and stood. "I'm actually really tired from the train ride, and so on. Can you give me awhile to get cleaned up and changed, and I will meet you downstairs?"
"Sure." He stood up, and smiled at her before leaning in to gently kiss her cheek. "See you soon."
"See you soon." She echoed as he left the room.
Ginny sat back down on her bed, and started to laugh. There was really no other way to react. It was either that, or tears. The one time her mum allowed a boy into her room with her, and it had to be like this. Tears were starting to look better and better.
Worried that if she stayed in her room, Harry would come looking for her, she made her way down to the living room to find the Golden Trio out in full force speaking with her excited mother. Sighing, she joined them.
"Oh Ginny, isn't it wonderful? I'm so happy you're all home for Christmas!" Molly said ecstatically with a teary smile. Ginny smiled tightly at her as she went to give Ron, followed by Hermione, genuine hugs. Molly wiped the tears from her eyes, before excusing herself to go make supper.
"So, Ginny, how's Hogwarts been treating you since we've left?" Ron grinned down at her, looking a little thinner, and more tired than usual, but well other than that.
"Oh, you know, same old."
Hermione glanced at her sharply, taking in her incredibly non-committal and overly casual answer, "Are you doing okay with the curriculum? Would you like some help over the break? I'm staying with my parents, but I can floo in if you'd like. I've finally managed to convince them to allow our fireplace to be connected to the network. It's a bit easier for me."
Ginny smiled at her genuinely, Hermione had always felt like something of an older sister to her, "I'm fine, it's just busy with Quidditch and all. Thanks 'Mione."
"How is Gryffindor doing this year?" Harry asked excitedly, "Who's the new captain?"
"Ah, well, Dean Thomas is now the captain, and we're tied with Slytherin for the cup at the moment." She grinned at him, out of habit on the topic of such familiarity between the two of them.
"Slytherin?" Ron made a disgusted face, "We heard that Draco Malfoy somehow made his way back to school this year. You'd think McGonagall wouldn't allow scum like that on the property, huh."
Ginny glared at him, her temper rising at the insult, "Actually, he's still their seeker, and he's really good-" She was cut off by Ron's snort of incredulity, as well as Harry's condescendingly, indulgent smile. Hermione just watched her, appraisingly, again seeing everything, yet not enough.
"He cheats. That's the only reason Slytherin ever came close to winning." Harry shook his head in disappointment, "The new seeker must truly be crap if he's allowing Malfoy to win."
She really couldn't help the fact that her fingers itched for her wand, and her mind worked out just how much damage she could do with her mother just in the other room. Instead of acting on the impulse, she settled for narrowing her eyes dangerously, and biting out, "I'm actually the new seeker, thanks."
Dinner that evening was awkward. Very awkward. Ginny had managed to wedge herself between her mum, and Percy, who had finally decided to grace them with his presence.
He and Ron were the only two of her brothers who had managed to make their way home, the rest would be there the following evening for Christmas Eve, including Fleur and Lila, for the first time.
Actively encouraging Percy to talk about cauldron depths, Ginny could feel Hermione's questioning eyes on her as she ignored Harry's emotive looks. Thankfully, her mum was just so damned happy to have Percy back at the family table, that she didn't notice anything amiss, and her dad and Ron were so upset about it, that they did the same.
Making a quick exit from the table immediately following pudding, Ginny escaped upstairs, determined to be in bed and pretending to be asleep before Harry, or Hermione, could catch her.
Laying awake, watching the moonlight out her window, Ginny started to feel angry. She was sick of feeling sad and pathetic, it went against her character.
She felt angry at Draco, for being a prat and not listening. She was angry at Blaise, for rejecting her. She was angry at Harry for abandoning her without a word and then making fun of her Quidditch abilities, and expecting things to remain the same. She was angry at Seamus for putting her in an awkward position.
She was angry at Padma… well, she wasn't really angry at Padma, but she was tied into the Seamus situation. She was angry at her mum, who had decided to play a demented matchmaker. She was angry at Hermione for… well, again, she wasn't really made a Hermione for anything, but she was on a roll. She was angry at Ron for being oblivious. God, she needed a drink.
Knowing her mum didn't allow firewhiskey in the house after the last family holiday, and the altercation that had occurred after one of the twin's more ambitious pranks, Ginny decided to floo the twins. Thank gods she was one of the only people that were permanently allowed past their wards. Not even their mum had that privilege, as she had griped on a few occasions.
George awoke to a loud thud, and a muffled curse from the living room. "What the…" He muttered, as he sprang out of bed. "Good Gods, if that's Mara and Fred again, I swear, I will kill him. I won't even be creative about it."
"It's 3 in the bloody morning!" He griped pitifully, as he wandered into the room, and stopped short at the sight of his baby sister rifling through their liquor cabinet. "Well, that's something you don't see everyday."
"Come on George, we're gonna get smashed." She triumphantly held up the firewhiskey, as well as a few muggle bottles of alcohol that she didn't recognize.
"Huh." He watched her pull out a few shot glasses, "Any reason?"
"Harry is at the Burrow with Ron and Hermione." Ginny concentrated on measuring out the liquid before looking at him expectantly.
George nodded, and seated himself on the floor across from her, the coffee table between them holding the tools necessary. "Well then, bottoms up."
Fred let himself into the apartment an hour later, a goofy grin in place. Mara had finally confronted him about the ring, and said that if he didn't ask her within the next ten minutes, she would have to simply take the ring and ask herself.
No wonder she had looked so unhappy after their big date the night before when he had lost the courage after all the setup of a fancy dinner and dancing.
Thinking about the soon-to-be Mara Weasley, Fred was unprepared for the scene that welcomed him into the flat. George and Ginny were rolling around the floor giggling hysterically, the smell of firewhiskey heavy in the air.
Sighing, Fred thanked his lucky stars that Mara had decided to go back to her own home despite his pleadings. She might have changed her mind if she had seen this.
--
Ginny woke up the next morning with her head pounding. "Oh gods…" Thanking her lucky stars that Hermione was not staying in her room, she opened her eyes to find herself curled up in George's bed, his bright red walls making her eyes hurt.
"Gin?" Fred called from the kitchen, figuring that she had slept long enough, "There's a pepper-up sobering potion beside your bed. Drink it, and come out for breakfast."
George stumbled out of the bathroom, his hang-over marginally better due to the potion, and sat at the table, looking around blearily. There was no sign of their night of drinking in the living room where he had eventually passed out and been left, and he glanced at Fred questioning.
"You are so lucky I was in such a good mood, or there would be no way I'd clean up after you two, and put Ginny to bed." Fred remarked, flicking his wand at the eggs that he had cooking. A large wooden spoon shot over to scramble them, and toast shot onto plates that hovered nearby.
"And you're making breakfast?" George shook his head in bemusement, "Mara must have said yes. Did she like the ring?"
"Damn straight she did." Fred grinned happily, and sank down across the table from him, "I told you I have bloody good taste in jewelry."
"You are the only straight man that would be happy to admit that." George remarked, watching the plate float towards him with anticipation.
Fred just grinned again, and stood up to go back over to George's bedroom door, "Ginny! Get out here now! Breakfast is on the table!"
"Fuck off!" George grinned at the groggy yell, Ginny obviously had not taken the potion yet.
"Take the potion, and get your arse out here, or I will come in and get you." Fred banged on the door once more, before seating himself again at the table. "Good lord, she's got a temper huh."
"I'm sorry, have you met our mother?"
"Good point."
Ginny pulled herself out of bed, and reached for the small potions bottle, gulping the liquid quickly, before the taste could stop her. Gasping, she shuddered and looked around as it worked it's way through her system. Within moments, she was feeling better, and breakfast was sounding more appealing.
Sitting down to eat with the twins was an experience. She was still unused to trusting anything that they gave her to eat, but she was so hungry that it seemed not to matter at the moment.
"Happy Christmas Eve by the way." Fred mentioned sardonically as he ate piece of toast, strawberry jam spread liberally over it.
"Ah, mum is probably looking for me." Ginny remarked, "And bloody Harry."
"Oh, so that's the reason for the booze." Nodding in acceptance, Fred pointed his wand in the direction of the icebox, juice floating over to fill his glass, "I was wondering. I just assumed it was due to having to listen to Percy again. That's why George wasn't at dinner last night."
"Why weren't you?" Ginny looked at Fred intently for the first time, "And why are you suddenly so domesticated? It's frightening."
"Mara said yes." George decided to clue Ginny in, as Fred was again grinning like a complete moron.
"Oh." Ginny thought about it for a moment, before her eyes widened, "Oh!" She jumped up to rush around the table, enveloping Fred in a large hug, "That's great!"
Clapping her hands, she danced around slightly, "You're getting married! To Mara! I like Mara!"
George ignored her in favour for his eggs. Fred just kept grinning, "I like Mara too, so all is well."
"Oh my gods, you better treat her right Fred." She calmed down enough to level him with a glare, and poked him in the shoulder with her index finger, "She's great. Don't use her as a test subject, don't try to be sneaky, nothing. None of your usual tricks."
Fred opened his mouth to retort indignantly, but was cut off by a slightly disjointed voice speaking from a small painting beside the fireplace, "Molly Weasley requests an audience with Fred and/or George Weasley."
Ginny sighed as George calmly stood up to go answer, leaving Fred and her at the table.
"So, have you told mum about Mara?" Ginny asked casually as she poured herself a glass of juice.
"Have I mentioned Mara as a girlfriend? Yes. Have I told her I intend to marry her? No. Has she met mum? No."
"Ah. That should make Christmas extra fun, huh."
"Undoubtedly."
--
Bill, Fleur, and their baby girl Lila showed up at just the right time. Ginny sighed in relief as she heard their entrance, and was saved from yet another almost-conversation with Harry, who was looking more and more perplexed.
Rushing over with arms outstretched to hold Lila, Ginny grinned at her brother and Fleur, and then began cooing over the baby in earnest.
Bill laughed as Fleur smiled tenderly at their daughter, and the couple went in search of Molly and Arthur, leaving the baby in Ginny's capable hands with the admonishment not to drop her.
"Hello Miss. Lila. Welcome to the family." Ginny spoke softly, looking down at the sleeping baby, the tufts of red hair already evident, as were the soft freckles across her delicate cheeks. A true Weasley.
"You look good with a baby, Gin." Harry walked into the living room, and grinned at her, trying to illicit some response.
"Thanks." She replied coldly, and turned away.
"Ginny…" Harry paused to lick his lips, nervous, "What did I do? Why won't you speak to me?"
"I am speaking to you."
"Come on Ginny. Don't behave like I'm an idiot."
"Harry, you left. What did you think was going to happen? That I'd wait for you?"
Harry looked shocked for a moment, at her words, and at the cool tone that he had never heard from her, "I thought what we had was stronger than anything."
"Harry, we had sex." Ginny spoke harshly, not allowing herself to feel the lingering pain that his departure had caused. "And then you left. Yes, you had to leave, but the way you did it was all wrong. And I've moved on."
"What?" He couldn't believe his ears, "You've loved me for so long… I love you! What is the problem?"
"No, Harry, I haven't loved you. I was infatuated with the idea of you. And you don't love me, you barely know me." Ginny felt Lila stir in her arms, and turned to head towards the kitchen where Bill and Fleur were still chatting with Molly, "Look, I have to go."
Watching her walk away, Harry frowned. He had no idea what her game was. She had declared her love and admiration for him since day one, and it felt that the moment he returned the sentiment, she renounced her words. His mouth tightened. There was no way he could let the woman he loved walk out of his life.
A/N: Ok, longest chapter I've written for 'Complicate You'. I anticipate about two more chapters, and we shall wrap this up… before the sequel, which I've already started to write. Yay! I even have the title, which is exciting. Yeah, I've expanded to a ton of characters, and I hope that you can keep them all straight. I want to expand Luna more, but that will happen in the sequel, I think. Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas/hopes, as I love to hear about it.
It was interesting with this chapter, as I used a lot of material I had written for previous chapters and saved, and it all seemed to fit here with little to no editing. Yeah, Draco and Blaise's relationship is complex without the addition of Ginny, but I'm trying to be realistic here. Things are not all hearts and flowers, because that is boring. Padma and George will also be expanded, but I make no promises. Padma has her own issues.
Thank you for all of the awesome reviews. I LOVE reading them. Honestly, they make my day. I always forget to say thank you, but please believe me, I mean it. It keeps me going. THANK YOU.