CHAPTER 4
"What are you proposing, Ginny?" Harry asked, one eyebrow arched, questioningly. "Please don't get mad." She said pleadingly before continuing. "See, I won't be home for around six months every year. I don't know about you, Harry, but I can't go that long without physical contact. What I want to propose is that during the six months I'm off playing Quidditch, our relationship can be suspended," she stopped when she saw Harry's green eyes growing wide in horror, but consoled him immediately. "temporarily, Harry. So we can see other people and sleep with others just for our own well being. Once I'm back, we can go back to the way it used to be." Ginny bit her lip nervously, wondering what Harry would say.
Harry on the other hand, was feeling a bit stunned at what she had just proposed. "You are trying to say, that it is OK for me to sleep with other women, and you to sleep with other men when you're out playing Quidditch just so that we remain healthy? How does sleeping with others keep us healthy?" he asked, completely bewildered. "Well, at least you got the deal part right." Ginny said with a giggle. "You see my dear, innocent Harry, sexual activity releases all sorts of hormones and other stuff that improves the working of our body. And it also makes us feel better. So, it keeps us healthy." She said with a smirk. "Oh." Harry said brilliantly. "Now, how about we do what you had planned for us to do yesterday?" she asked sweetly, coyly, batting her lashes. "What?" Harry asked dumbly. He was still not fully recovered from his hangover, and he was never really good at understanding such delicately, riddling sentences; the hangover just made it worse. "I'll tell you!" she said, towing Harry to their bedroom.
Once Ginny believed she had spent some 'quality time' with Harry, she went off to sleep. But not Harry. He was usually the one who fell asleep first after 'quality time', but this time, he was wide awake, thinking. Though he would never admit it to Ginny, he was thinking even during their 'quality time'; and the thought that was distracting Harry was the deal Ginny had proposed. Yes, he did feel very, VERY sexually frustrated during the six months she was away, and it had also affected his work too.
During the course of the six months, he had become a proper Auror, with his own desk at the Auror Office. The Auror Office (which everyone, including Aurors called 'AO') had a few assistants, who helped sending paperwork to various departments, write a proper report using the facts written by the Aurors, and even at times bringing them some coffee and snacks. Once, a very attractive assistant caught Harry's eye, and he badly wanted to take her out. Then, he remembered Ginny and suppressed his urges. It didn't end very well, and the poor assistant got the worse of it.
He thought more and more about the deal. It was pretty sound, and it also made sense. No sexual activity had driven Harry rather crazy. He hoped that this deal with Ginny made things better the next time she was away.
Harry and Ginny spent six happy months together, enjoying each others' company to the fullest. Sometimes, Harry left work a bit early to go and see Ginny practice. These little ventures usually ended up in disasters. All the other players, being women, fawned over Harry and blatantly flirted with him. This drove Ginny mad, and Harry had to admit, that an angry Ginny was the most hilarious thing he had ever seen; a red haired lady, with a red, angry face, wearing red Quidditch robes and holding a red Quaffle in one hand and a wand in the other. Harry literally had to restrain Ginny, otherwise her team mates would have been suffering from serious bogeys in the shape of bats. And, it also stopped practice for a while. All in all, the coach pleaded with Harry to never come for a practice session, because his presence and the players' antics suspended practice till Harry left. Harry, being the insufferable Gryffindor he was, obliged and just waited at Grimmauld Place for Ginny to come on her own.
Inevitably, the day for Ginny to leave came. Before taking the Portkey, she hugged Harry. "Remember our deal, Harry. It's OK for you and me to sleep with others. And we needn't feel guilty about doing it, nor need we divulge whom we slept with, alright?" she murmured. The Portkey started glowing. Giving Harry a quick kiss, she clutched her bag and trunk and gave a little wave before catching the Portkey and leaving Harry alone in a big, silent and empty feeling Grimmauld Place.