AN: A lot of thanks go out to my beta, MinistryMalcontent on SIYE. He helped me quite a lot!
Ginny took a sip of her tea contemplatively. Why was everyone being so, so, cryptic with her? She sighed, almost choking on the tea. She shook her head, and set the cup down.
She decided she would try to figure it out. But not right now, she had too much of a headache as it was. She never liked it when things were difficult for her to understand- because usually things came so easily to her. She couldn't deny that she was a bit lazy.
"Hey Mia!" Ginny called out to her friend. A plan for their empty day made it's way to her mind.
"Yeah?" Mia asked as she poured her coffee.
"You've never been to Diagon Alley, have you?"
"Nope," she said, popping the P. "Why?"
"I was thinking I could show you the shopping center of my childhood."
"What time do you want to go?" Mia asked eagerly.
"Erm... When we finish breakfast?"
"Alrighty, what do British witches wear out?"
"Robes. Everyone here is much more attached to their culture," Ginny explained.
"Great," Mia said. She wondered if she should wear black or a pretty color.
"Black, Mims."
Mia looked at her questioningly.
"I know you have some exuberant robes... but please, you do not want to stick out in Diagon Alley."
Mia nodded, draining her cup of coffee. She began to sing "Do The Hippogriff" to herself.
Ginny rolled her eyes slightly. The Weird Sisters were too, weird, for her.
SNSNSNSNSN
Ginny and Mia wandered through Diagon Alley, Ginny telling her about various places and what had happened there during her Hogwarts years.
"That's Flourish and Blotts, where that diary was slipped into my cauldron before my first year. And where Gilderoy Lockhart was, did you know he was finally released from St. Mungo's a few years back? I was shocked," Ginny prattled.
"Yes, Ginny. You ranted about it. He's got a new book out, too. It's called My Magical Maladies and Memory Loss."
"That is... completely cheesy!"
"I know, but I kind of want to read it. And meet him, see if he's changed at all."
"He'll probably have a book signing sometime in August, when everyone shops for school supplies," Ginny guessed.
"That makes sense," Mia muttered.
"D'ya want to go into the book shop?" Ginny asked.
"Sure," Mia affirmed. "Why not? I've been meaning to pick up some books."
They walked into Flourish And Blotts, and Ginny immediately recognized many witches and wizards.
She tried to walk past them all, but a few of them recognized her and stopped her.
"What books have you been wanting?" Ginny asked.
"Well," Mia said lowering her voice. "Enchanted Encounters by Fifi LaFolle."
Ginny giggled. "You do secretly enjoy those bodice rippers, don't you?"
"Yeah, but we don't need that to get out, do we?"
"No," Ginny said.
"I've liked them since age fourteen," Mia told her.
"That young?" Ginny exclaimed.
"Well, my roommate Rowena introduced me to them," she explained.
"Yeah, you've told me before, Mims."
"Well, let's get on with it, then," Mia said.
SNSNSN
When they exited Flourish and Blott's, they decided to get ice cream at Florean Fortescue's, despite the fact that it was barely noon.
"They've got all kinds of interesting flavours," Ginny said excitedly. "They've got Dragon's Blood, Bewitching Attraction, Know-It-All Ape Grape, Frog and Pickle Express, and Strawberry/Chocolate Twist. They also have some cultural flavours, from Mexico and America!"
Ginny seemed a bit excited to Mia. "What is your favourite?" she asked.
"I personally like Bewitching Attraction," Ginny said, still almost bouncing.
"Are you okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're…. hyper. And kind of annoying."
"It's probably just the cheering charm I cast on myself in the loo."
"Ginny!" Mia admonished. "It's dangerous to cast those on yourself!
"The thing is… I am tired of feeling sad and guilty. I don't even know what I feel guilty for."
"Well, Ginny, at this point you'd be better off drinking."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"At least it's safer than cheering charms," Mia explained, trying to remain patient. Her friend had never been so lost before. "Those are even more addicting that alcohol."
"Well I don't drink. Not after June twentieth, at least."
"Okay, well, come here," Mia made a come here gesture.
"What?"
"Finite Incantatem!"
"What was that for?" Ginny asked grumpily.
"You were annoying. Come on, ice cream will surely make you feel better."
"What flavour are you going to get?"
"I was thinking strawberry/chocolate twist."
"Be careful with that one, it turns your hair colours."
"Cool!"
"Better than red, I guess."
"Pink is?"
"Definitely."
"Well, now I'm definitely getting that one!"
SNSNSNSN
After their foray into Diagon Alley, Ginny and Mia walked into muggle London.
"I love the energy here," Mia said. "So lively and… not quiet. Not like Wichita."
"It was quite quiet there, wasn't it?" Ginny asked.
"Yes… it wasn't peaceful, but it wasn't exciting either. The most exciting thing one would see is a hooker."
"There were prostitutes near where you lived?"
"No… they were downtown a lot. At least I know they were there. There were probably some near where I lived… but I've never encountered one there."
"I briefly considered becoming a prostitute when I graduated," Ginny said.
Mia shot a look at her, as if to say yeah, right.
"Okay, fine, I didn't. It was pretty much either Quidditch or becoming an Auror. And being an Auror takes much more training than Quidditch."
"Well, I figured as much. Anyways, I love this city. I hope I get to live here for a while. Ten years ago, my mom would have flipped out. My brother found one of my Daily Prophets talking about Voldemort… and she was so upset. You have no idea how much work it was to convince her to let me go back to school."
"You wanted to go back to school?"
"Well, I wanted to learn magic, and see my friends, even though I didn't appreciate when I'd have three essays do in one week."
"Yeah, I was almost expelled after my first year, and I wanted to go back so desperately," Ginny said. "That year, it changed me completely."
Ginny knew her eyes must have looked haunted judging from the look on Mia's face. She wondered how they had gotten on such a dark topic. She didn't like remembering that year. It had been the darkest of her life. If it hadn't been for Colin and Luna, she probably would have gone insane in her second year.
"On a lighter note," Ginny said, forcing her voice to sound chipper. "I love London, too."
Mia smiled at her, and they continued walking.
SNSNSNSN
Harry sat on a park bench, wondering what he should do. He hadn't brooded in years, but here he was again. Ginny seemed to do that to him.
He watched as a red-haired woman jogged by, and he sat on full alert until he noticed that it wasn't Ginny. Probably just some muggle. He put his head into his hands, groaning. She was driving him insane.
That alone made up his mind.
SNSNSNSN
Ginny was stirring the soup they were going to have for supper. Potato au gratin. She smiled in anticipation, as it was her favourite soup.
She heard a faint pop, and assumed that Mia was Apparating in from the grocery store located in Hogsmeade. "You didn't forget the milk, did you?" she asked without turning around.
"I didn't know I was supposed to bring milk," a voice that definitely wasn't Mia's said. Harry.
She spun around, letting go of the spoon she'd been using, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you," he said. She looked into his eyes, and noted that they were dark, almost black. No longer the colour of a fresh pickled toad.
"About?" she asked.
"Draco Malfoy," he said, his voice tense.
Ginny didn't know whether to cry or smile, so she did neither. She peered into his eyes again, an eyebrow raised. It had taken her years to perfect the eyebrow raise, but it came in handy in times like these.
"Hermione told me why you went on a date with him," his voice was deadly quiet. She suddenly knew that he was angry. Incredibly angry. And her anger reacted to his.
"Did she now?"
"Yes, it was quite enlightening, really."
Bloody woman can't ever keep her mouth shut when it matters, Ginny thought.
Ginny raised an eyebrow, again.
"You wanted to break Cho and I up." It wasn't a question.
"Why would you think that?"
"Because Hermione told you to go to my pub. Not anyone else's, but mine. And there is no possible way that you wouldn't know that I wasn't somehow involved with that pub, given the name."
"Is it really a crime to go on a date to my friend's pub?" Ginny questioned.
"It is when you're going to an old boyfriend's pub, with his former rival, after he's found out while they were together she had a crush on said rival!" he was shouting now.
Something broke within her. "I never liked him!" Ginny yelled. "I barely like him now!"
"So you admit that you went out with him to make me jealous? Is it because you regret what you did? Or is it because you've never liked Cho?"
"What did I do Harry? What did I do to you?" Tears were welling up in her eyes.
"You left me," it came out in a whisper.
"I left you?" she asked hysterically. "I left you? You left me!"
"Why would I have left you?" he yelled again.
"I don't know. Maybe I was a quick shag! Maybe you didn't really love me! Maybe you just tricked me so I would shag you! I don't know!"
Harry walked towards her, and she could feel the room heating up with accidental magic. If neither of them watched it, something might catch on fire.
"Is that really what you think I'm like?" he yelled.
"You could have tricked me all that time!"
"Then you don't know me at all!"
He counted to ten, and Disapparated on eleven.
SNSNSNSN
When he got to his flat, Harry roared, kicking a hole into the wall. He still didn't know what to think. And he most definitely did not want to talk to Ginny Weasley to sort it all out.
He conjured a target and aimed a blasting hex at it.
SNSNSN
Ginny slowly turned back to her soup, shaking. She wiped away the tears, telling herself that it was going to be alright. You've already lived five years without him near you, she reminded herself. You were fine until now.
She splashed water on her face, and began to wash her hands. She decided not to cast another cheering charm, as Mia was right. But she would hide this the best she could. She washed her hands a second time, realizing that she had not done the right thing is seeking Draco's help.
She heard the lock of the door turn, and she spun around to make sure it was Mia. It was.
Mia came into the kitchen, carrying a brown paper bag. "I got the milk you wanted," she said. She looked up at Ginny, and somehow instantly knew. "What's wrong?"
"Harry showed up," Ginny explained, her voice a little shaking.
"He just showed up?" Mia asked. "Just like that?"
"Yeah. I don't even know how he got our coordinates. Anyways, he confronted me about Draco, and why didn't you tell me your reservations? Looking back, I can tell what you thought about it."
"I had to let you figure it out on your own. I know it makes me sound like a piss-poor friend, but you did. You wouldn't have listened anyways, Gin. I know you."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at her friend, but then decided she wouldn't argue with her as well. Mia seemed to have noticed this is well, because she put the grocery bag down on the floor and moved to hug Ginny.
Ginny thought about rejecting the hug, but knew that she needed all the comfort she could get. She let herself crumble in her best friend's arms, the tears escaping for the first time in front of someone else.
When Ginny's sobs quieted, Mia pulled away. "I think the soup is burnt, but no matter. Let me turn off the burner," Mia pulled out her wand and gave it a quick twist. "Let's get you to your room."
She guided Ginny to her bedroom, opening the door and pulling back the covers. Ginny automatically walked towards her bed and laid down. Mia pulled the covers back over her friend's form. "Just get some sleep, and we'll talk in the morning, all right?"
Ginny clamped her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. She buried herself under the covers, feeling dejected and broken again.
SNSNSNSNSN
Harry repaired the walls in his flat, the anger fading just slightly. He mostly felt saddened. He had gone nutters for a few moments when Ginny had tried to talk her way out of the corner she'd backed herself into.
He had vowed he would never act that way towards Ginny, but a lot of things had changed in five years. They'd never even officially broken up, but they'd obviously seen other people, and changed a great deal.
He wondered if they'd even be able to make it work if they were to give a relationship a chance. She'd barely been back a week and a half and they'd already had a row- well a one sided row.
Harry couldn't contemplate any kind of relationship right now. He didn't even want to report to Quidditch practice the next day. He didn't think he could handle looking for the snitch.
He sighed, sinking down into the sofa. Could he even show his face around the Weasley family now?
SNSNSNSN
Ginny set her quill down, her brown eyes taking on a cold glare. She fought the smirk that was working it's way onto her face, wondering what was happening. She fought against standing up, but it happened anyways.
"Give up," a man's voice whispered to her.
She finally gave in, because it hurt too much.
She woke up, wondering how she'd gotten the feathers sticking to her robes.
SNSNSNSN
Ginny woke up with a headache. That should have been her first clue that it was not going to be a good day. But then she got into the shower, when she squirted shampoo into her eye. After she dealt with this, she almost slipped trying to climb out of the tub. And as she was brushing her hair, the previous evening pushed itself to the forefront of her mind.
She continued brushing her hair as she contemplated how Mia had helped her. Ginny felt so weak as she recalled how she hadn't even functioned. She had cried, and she was sure looking back that she'd gotten snot on Mia's blouse.
She felt the brush pulling on her locks, and closed her eyes as the feeling overtook her. It felt better than the pain she felt, once again, over Harry.
She opened her eyes and began to plait her fiery locks. They seemed more like a crayon to her today, but maybe it was just the blur that seemed to cover her eyes.
She pulled on a nightdress, crawling back into bed. When Mia next came in she would wake her up. She didn't feel the need to talk right at the moment.
SNSNSNSN
Mia walked into Ginny's bedroom, carrying a tub of ice cream. "Ginny."
Ginny's head appeared from the top of the covers, looking blearily in Mia's direction.
"I know that it's only nine, but I brought some ice cream, we can even eat it out of the carton," she explained, conjuring two spoons.
Ginny finally sat up, and seemed to ponder the thought of ice cream. "What kind?" she asked.
"Chocolate," she sing-songed.
"Gimme some," Ginny said, her eyes looking a bit more alive.
Mia handed her a spoon, and they both began to dig into the carton.
SNSNSNSNSN
Harry awoke to rain splattering on the roof. He rolled over in his bed, trying to fall back into sweet sleep. He threw his pillow on top of his head, trying to block out the city sounds emanating from the streets beyond his walls.
He finally made himself wake up, because he was supposed to meet Ron at The Marauder's Map for breakfast. Harry knew he needed to apologize to Hermione. She was one of his best friends, and hadn't truly meant any harm. She had sensed what Harry had been feeling for months.
She had been there for him when even Ron had abandoned him, and she didn't deserve the treatment he had given her, no matter how much she'd stung him.
He felt like he was dealing with this much better than he would have when he was fifteen. He thought back to that year. The first year he had began to notice Ginny, but never really noticed that he had noticed. The year that Sirius had died. The year that he had been possessed for mere minutes. The year he'd had his first kiss with his ex-fiancée- no matter how terrible it had been.
And yet, somehow he was handling this better. Maybe it was because he hadn't let the anger roil in his stomach for too long. Maybe it was because he was older. Or maybe it was because he felt as if he were a different person now. Whatever the reason, he knew that he needed to apologize to Hermione, and not just because she was his best mate's girl. She was his sister.
He didn't bother to shower, just pulling on a clean pair of robes and running his fingers through his untamable hair. It would work. He was just going to see Ron, after all.
SNSNSNSN
Ginny peered at the bottom of the ice cream carton, wondering how it had gone so quickly. "Do we have anymore?" she asked.
Mia shook her head sadly, also wishing there were more. It was the best emotional binge flavor, besides sherbet.
They had talked about the argument between Harry and Ginny, and Mia tried to explain the wrongness of what Ginny had done. Ginny had looked down at the ice cream for five minutes when she had finally understood. She felt ashamed at herself. She hated herself once again, this time for chasing Harry away while trying to draw him back.
"I wish I could have a time-turner," Ginny murmured.
"To eat the ice cream again?" Mia asked confusedly.
"So I could change what's happened. But I don't think it would work. I would probably have bat-bogeyed myself. I can't take back the past, so perhaps I should just… live with it."
"That's the spirit, Gin."