SPLITTING GINNY...OR HAIRS...WHICHEVER

Harry can tell Ron's angry even before he enters the warehouse. A crackle of magical energy precedes him and without saying anything to the others, he meets Ron at the door.

'You and I need to talk,' Ron says and his voice is so serious and low that Harry doesn't even think twice about arguing. Instead, he nods his head and they walk outside, out of earshot of the others.

'What is it?' Harry asks, attempting to remain calm in the face of Ron's red cheeks.

'Tell me this isn't about her. Tell me or I'll walk off the job right now.'

Harry plays dumb, though he knows exactly what Ron is talking about. It's the secret part of it, the part he didn't have the heart to tell his former brother-in-law. He makes his face blank and Ron seethes.

'Ginny. She's with Draco Malfoy now. Tell me this isn't about screwing the guy who's screwing your wife.'

'Ex-wife,' Harry says with a sigh.

Ron's hackles rise and the energy in the air intensifies. 'Tell me,' he says and his voice is even lower still, even more dangerous.

Harry hangs his head. 'It isn't about that,' he says and Ron visibly relaxes. 'Entirely.'

Ron stares at him, a mixture of anger and disbelief on his freckled face. Harry tries to ride it out, tries to get past that anger and disbelief, but they've been friends for a long time and he can't hold the weight of it.

'You told me you needed a reason,' he says, almost pleadingly, and Ron nods for him to continue. 'Well, this is mine.'

'Harry…'

'Ron, when we started in this business, we had three rules: We weren't gonna hurt anybody; we weren't gonna steal from anybody who didn't have it coming; and we were gonna play the game like we had nothing to lose. Well I lost something. Someone. That's why I'm here.'

Ron stares at him a moment later and Harry can see the comprehension on his face, knows that Ron understands the hell he went through when he lost Ginny the first time. He just hopes that his best friend will help him get her back.

'Here's the problem, Harry: we're stealing two things now and when push comes to shove, if you can't have them both, which are you gonna choose? Because Ginny doesn't divide eleven ways.'

Harry knows he can't, has known it since the beginning, which is why he figured it into the plan.

'If things go to plan, I won't be the one making that choice.'

They stare at each other a beat or two longer, before Rod nods his agreement and the tension in the air dissipates. Harry looks off into the Nevada desert.

'How'd she look, by the way? Ginny…' he asks.

Ron frowns. 'I've seen her happier.'

They've been waiting for this painting for weeks now. Ginny was only recently able to convince the seller to fly in from Montreal with the canvas and now, staring at it with her most critical eye, she really can't understand the appeal of it – or, for that matter, why Draco was so enamored with it from the start.

'You like it?' she asks from his right side, just enough out of the way so he can stand and enjoy it on his own without her interference.

He turns and smiles at her. 'I like that you like it.'

Honestly, she doesn't, but if that's what he needs to tell himself…

'Are we on for dinner this evening?' she asks and he nods.

'I'll see you tonight,' he says.

She leans in to kiss him and he recoils ever so slightly, his eyes wandering up to the security cameras focused on them and the gallery.

'We're alone, Draco,' she says with a slight hint of annoyance.

He points to the cameras and she looks up at them with a frown. 'In my hotels, someone is always watching,' he says and kisses her cheek instead. 'I'll see you tonight.'

She watches him go and not for the first time wonders why in Merlin's name she ever started dating him in the first place.

The high rollers room at the Bellagio is grand, with high ceilings, lush carpeting, and gold everywhere. Seated at small table near the door is Albus in his roll as Lyman Zerga. Next to him is an older man who appears to be as annoying as his betting tactics.

Albus takes a deep breath and pops another Rolaids. He's getting too old for this stuff.

'Weak stomach, Mr. Zerga?' the man next to him asks and Albus wonders what would happen if he pulled out his wand and turned the man into a toad.

'I don't believe in weakness. It costs too much.' He throws down 3,000 on his current bet. 'I don't believe in questions, either.'

The old man shuts his mouth and plays silently. Albus isn't too engrossed in the game, which makes it easy for him to spot Malfoy when the younger man enters the room. Malfoy approaches his pit boss and Albus trains his invisible extendable ear (a gift from the Weasleys) towards the two men.

'Eddie. Anything for me?' he asks.

'Mr. Zerga, sir,' Eddie says and nods in Albus' direction. 'In the third position. Wishes to speak with you privately.'

'Who is he?' Malfoy asks, definitely curious.

Some things never change, Albus thinks to himself.

'Businessman of some kind, working mostly in Europe. He's very vague, but I asked around. Word is, he deals primarily in arms. One of the biggest.'

Albus wonders why anyone would be an arms dealer. He thinks that legs would be a hotter commodity in the world market these days.

'Zerga?' Malfoy asks and Eddie nods. 'Never heard of him.'

'Yessir. That's why I don't doubt it.'

'He's staying here?'

'He checked in two nights ago and is staying in the Mirador Suite.'

Malfoy's eyes are boring holes into the back of Albus' head, but he refuses to turn around.

'How's he doing?'

'Up. Almost forty grand.'

He can almost sense the sneer on Malfoy's face. 'How nice for him.'

Ginny checks her watch and wonders again where Draco is. Almost on cue, a pair of heavy hands fall on her shoulders and squeeze and she turns with a smile, saying 'You're thirty seconds late. I was about to send out a search party…'

When she recognizes the hands on her shoulders, she tenses immediately.

'Harry…' she says.

Harry grins from his standing position. 'Hello, Ginny.'

She honestly can't decide if she's happy to see him, horrified to see him, or some strange combination of the two.

'What are you doing here?'

'I'm out,' he says as he comes around to the side of the table.

'You're out.'

'Of prison,' he clarifies. 'You remember. The day I went out for fags and never came back. You must have noticed.'

She smiles a little too bitterly for his taste. 'I don't smoke,' she says and he begins to sit down. 'Don't sit -'

He does anyway. 'They said I'd paid my debt to society.'

The brittle smile doesn't leave. 'Funny. I never got a check.'

Harry smiles at her and she throws as much hatred into her stare as she can.

'You can't stay,' she says.

'It's good to see you,' he says at the same time.

They stare at each other a moment longer before Harry's eyes wander down to her hands – her left hand, to be specific. There's something missing.

'You're not wearing your ring,' he says.

She looks down at her hand, a little surprised. 'I sold it,' she says. 'And I don't have a husband. Or didn't you get those papers I sent you?'

He smiles slightly. 'My last day inside.'

'I told you I'd write.'

He reaches for her left hand – the ringless one – and she notices that his still bears his wedding ring, a silver claddagh band that once meant something to the both of them. She pulls her hands out of his reach, drops them down to her lap.

'Harry. Go. Now. Before…'

'Malfoy?'

She freezes slightly – she didn't think that he knew. He smiles at her to reassure her before catching the attention of a passing waiter.

'Whiskey,' he holds his fingers two inches apart, 'and whiskey,' holds them an inch apart. The waiter scurries off to fill the order. He turns to Ginny again. 'You're doing a great job curating the museum.'

She sighs, exasperated, and leans back in her chair, away from him.

'The Vermeer is quite good, simple but vibrant. Although, his work definitely fell off as he got older.'

Ginny smiles a little. 'Remind you of anyone?'

'And I still get Monet and Manet confused,' he continues, ignoring her interruption. 'Which one married his mistress?'

'Monet.'

'Right. Manet had syphilis.'

Her sardonic frown isn't lost on him – he just chooses to ignore it.

'They also painted occasionally,' she says.

He stares at her with a smile. 'You don't know how many times I played this conversation out in my head over the last few years.'

'Did it always go this poorly?' she asks with a small smile.

'Yes.'

'Sounds frustrating.'

'You were never easy,' he says with grin and she shrugs. 'Look, Ginny, I came here for you. I am going to get on with my life and I want you with me.'

'You're a thief and a liar,' she says.

'Yes, but I only ever lied about being a thief.' He smiles once more and she hates that his smile is so wonderful, so warm and inviting. 'I don't do that anymore.'

'Steal?' she asks.

'Lie.'

She sighs. 'I'm with someone now who doesn't have to make that kind of distinction.'

Harry leans back in his chair and nods. 'Yes, he's quite clear on both.'

'Nice,' she says with a frown. 'Work on that for two years?'

'Year and a half.'

The light smile she gives him is genuine.

'Do you know what your problem is, Harry?'

'I have only one?'

She ignores him. 'You've met too many people like you.' She fiddles with the napkin in her lap and refuses to look at him. 'I'm with Draco now.'

He regards her with serious eyes, studies her, and she squirms a little under his gaze.

'Does he make you happy?' he asks.

She looks up at him and locks his eyes with hers.

'He doesn't make me cry.'