Special delivery for Lyras (part II) Title: Of Greetings And Goodbyes Author:eeyore9990 Recipient's LJ name:lyras Rating: NC-17 Summary: Ginny finds her life in upheaval when a tragedy from the past comes back to haunt her. With the love and support of friends and family, she slowly finds her way forward. Pairing(s): Neville/Ginny, mentions Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Luna/Various Word Count: ~15,500 Warnings (if any): EWE (canon character deaths occur before the beginning of the fic) Authors notes: Thank you to A, A, A, A, B, and K for all the wonderful help, beta-work, and general hand-holding. I cannot thank you all enough. lyras, I hope you enjoy this!
Part II: Moving On
"Let's call this Girl's Night to order with a round of good, old-fashioned, man-bitching," Hermione said, raising her shot glass in a toast. "May all men everywhere go to bed alone tonight!"
Ginny laughed and shook her head. "I really don't feel the need for man-bitching. I am perfectly all right with the way things worked out. Harry and I are still wonderful friends and now we're free to find other people without worrying about hurting each other."
"That's a lovely sentiment. Wrong-headed, but very lovely," Luna said before picking up her lager and draining it in several long swallows.
Hermione shrugged and downed her shot, grimacing and choking for a moment on the potent alcohol. "It's tradition," she gasped. "You break up with a man, your friends take you out for drinks and man-bitching."
The second shot went down easier than the first, at least to Ginny's eyes, and she laughed softly. "Are you trying to get pissed, Hermione?"
Hermione blinked up at her slowly, shared a look with Luna, and glanced back before saying, "That is the point, Ginny. We get drunk, let down our hair, and—"
"Dance naked under the full moon?" Luna suggested excitedly.
Ginny giggled and said, "Can I pass on that? Only it's about minus two outside and a bit too cold for naked dancing."
Luna sighed; the sound tinged with tragedy, and said, "I suppose it's for the best. It's only a quarter moon tonight, after all."
Ginny laughed again and turned back to catch Hermione lining up her empty shot-glasses. Four already. Ginny winced and said, "Shall I Firecall Ron and tell him to be ready to come pick you up?"
Hermione's grin was slow and had the distinctly sloppy edges of a woman well into her cups. "You can call him and tell him to be ready to come, but I don't need him to pick me up."
Ginny grimaced and signalled the waitress. "Something red," she muttered. "In a big glass with lots of alcohol."
The waitress laughed and nodded, walking off in the direction of another table.
"Hermione," Ginny said, turning back to her companions, "You are aware that, as my brother, I really, really don't relish the idea of thinking of Ron in any capacity that would require the removal of clothes. Beyond that, the thought of him having sex, even with you, is enough to turn my stomach."
Luna looked up with a frown. "But you shared showers in the Quidditch locker room all those years. Surely you saw him in some form?"
Ginny goggled for a moment before laughing. "No, no, no! There were separate showers for the girls."
Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she let out a long breath. "Ohhhhhhhhh, well. That certainly puts paid to all those stories that ran wild in the dorms."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when Ron was dating Lavender, she would get all worked up into jealous fits, thinking Ron was indulging himself in one of the post-match orgies everyone always imagined was going on in the locker room."
"Post-match orgies?" Ginny looked from Hermione to Luna incredulously. "We never had…" She shuddered and reached for the glass the waitress was handing her, gulping the sweet drink in the hopes that it would erase the images that had just sprung to her mind. "You do realise," she said thickly, wincing around the sudden stabbing ache in her head, "my brother was on the team with me?"
Luna nodded dreamily. "The thought of all that ginger hair…"
"Oh my God!" Ginny moaned, reaching across the table for one of Hermione's shots. She thought briefly of throwing it in her eyes in the hopes of burning them out, but realised that wouldn't help.
Hermione was leaning against Luna, giggling drunkenly—the occasional snort rumbled out of her nose—when she rallied herself enough to say, "You don't know what you're missing, Gin. Ron is a god in the sack. I'll have to remember to send Lavender a thank-you note!" The last half of her sentence was nearly incomprehensible from her laughter.
Luna patted her on the head and surprised both of the other girls when she said, "It wasn't Lavender, love. And there's no need to thank me. It was purely my pleasure."
Ginny howled with laughter at the gobsmacked look on Hermione's face. "You… and Ron?" she asked, gasping and holding her sides. "When did that happen?!"
"Fifth year," Luna said matter-of-factly, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she signalled for another lager. "Just after you broke it off with Dean and started dating Harry."
"I didn't even know the two of you ever dated!" Hermione said, almost sober from this revelation into a part of her Ron's past.
"We didn't date," Luna said, shrugging. "We shagged. You're a lucky one, Hermione; he's very inventive."
Hermione grinned slyly. "I know."
"What else don't we know about you?" Ginny asked, running her finger along the edge of her new drink. "This fetish you apparently have for red-headed incest, shagging my brother… My goodness, Luna, you're quite the woman of mystery!"
"I'm so glad you asked! No one else was ever interested in the results of my study!"
Ginny and Hermione shared a long look before turning back to Luna. "What study?"
Luna pulled out her wand and looped it lazily through the air, producing a parchment that she duplicated before handing one to each of her companions. Ginny looked hers over quickly before she burst into new gales of laughter. It was the published results of an experiment apparently conducted by Luna during her fifth year at Hogwarts wherein she slept with a sampling of members of each House to find out which one really had the best lovers. Beside Hufflepuff was a handwritten note that said clumsy but eager and enthusiastic; for Ravenclaw it had been clinical and detached; Slytherin had wonderfully seductive and nicely rough. Gryffindor boys were—
"Luna?"
"Mmm?"
"These were just the boys you slept with, right?"
"Oh, yes. Sixth year didn't work out the way I had planned, so I wasn't able to complete the follow-up experiment and it wouldn't be proper to publish results with an incomplete set of data."
"And that's why I should stop asking questions I don't really want the answer to," Ginny mumbled under her breath, looking back down at the results for Gryffindor. Each subject was unique in their own approach to lovemaking, but in the end, they were eager as Hufflepuffs, attentive as Ravenclaws, and seductive as Slytherins. They were also more focused on giving rather than receiving pleasure.
Ginny coughed politely and set the parchment aside, raising her eyebrows at Hermione, who had finished slightly ahead of her. "Well, that was…"
Hermione turned to Luna, her eyes wide and curious. "Ron and who?"
"Hmm?"
"Who else besides Ron?"
"Oh, Ron wasn't part of the study; he was simply the inspiration for the study. I thought he might be one of the best lovers in the school, but it wouldn't have been fair to make such a judgment call without a comparison."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I see. Very scientific. Was Harry one?"
Ginny let out a laugh before she could stop herself, then blushed slightly and said, "Erm, sorry. Don't mind me."
"Oh, no," Hermione said, zeroing in on her. "You can't laugh at that and not say why. Don't you want to know?"
"Well, truthfully, it's none of my business—"
"Since when has that mattered?!"
"But I'm fairly certain, judging by this… ahh, data, that Harry wasn't one of the participants of the study."
"Ohhh… He's not very—what did it say?—focused on giving pleasure?"
"No, no," Ginny said, suddenly uncomfortable. "It's not that."
Hermione refilled the shot glass in front of Ginny and said, "Drink up and 'fess all, love. This is Girl's Night. You're supposed to bitch about your ex here!"
Ginny shook her head and closed her eyes, groaning. "Okay, but this does not leave this table!" Drawing a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and said in a rush, "Harry's a tits and bits man." She cringed then, waiting for their reaction. What she got was two blank stares.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Tits and bits? What does that mean?"
Ginny took the shot and gasped for a moment past the burn before she said, "Well, you know. His idea of foreplay is kissing and nipple rubbing. And then he goes straight for the fanny."
"Ohhhh," they said in concert and their identically pitying looks made Ginny blush, uncomfortable.
"Well, I was his first. I mean," Ginny shrugged helplessly. "I probably taught him wrong or something."
Hermione and Luna looked at her for a long moment, Hermione's eyes pinching more and more as Luna's lips twitched at the corners. Finally, Ginny rolled her eyes which caused them both to completely lose control. They laughed so hard that Luna ended up with a case of hiccoughs that shook her whole body and extended Hermione's giggling fit.
"Darling," Hermione finally said, reaching across the table to lay her hand over Ginny's, "you can't blame yourself. Some men need a bit of variety to become good lovers. I'm quite happy that Ron had a bit of… well, of Luna, apparently—" more giggles, then, "before we really started dating."
"I know," Ginny said, making a face. "You really enjoy Ron's lovemaking. Can we please change the subject?"
Hermione nodded sympathetically and turned back to Luna. "So, who were the others? Not Harry and Ron, so…?"
Luna, however, was looking across the Leaky, her attention caught on something else. Hermione and Ginny followed her gaze to see that Neville and Seamus had just walked in. Ginny felt a flutter of nervousness as Neville spotted her, wondering if he was remembering her total breakdown of the day before.
"Neville! Come join us!" Luna shouted, half-leaning over the table as she waved her hand. "Bring Seamus, too."
"Ginny!" Hermione hissed, rattling Luna's parchment. Ginny's eyes went wide and she grabbed hers, tapping it with her wand and incanting the spell they'd all learned back in fourth year when hiding their Quibblers from Umbridge. Looking up, her eyes landed on Hermione and she started giggling. "You didn't have to stuff it down your shirt, Hermione," she said, just as Seamus and Neville arrived.
Neville looked curiously at Hermione but seemed to think better of asking after his eyes landed on the half-empty bottle of alcohol that Hermione was holding in her hand. He greeted Luna and Hermione before turning to Ginny and, gesturing to the seat beside her, said, "May I? We won't be able to stay long, but until Dean gets here…"
She smiled and nodded, sliding over a bit in the booth to make room just as Luna dragged Hermione around the horseshoe corner to create space for Seamus on the other side.
Neville slid into the booth and turned to Ginny, leaning over to ask softly, "How are you feeling?"
She smiled at him and brandished her drink glass. "I'm well. Thank you."
Hermione leaned over Luna and pushed Ginny back to say, "What are you two doing here? I thought you'd be out with Harry and Ron?"
Neville tilted his head, a frown forming between his eyes as he glanced between the three women. "No, just Seamus and Dean since Seamus is in town. I tried to Firecall Ron and Harry yesterday, but neither of them were at home and the owl came back unopened."
"Oh, dear," Ginny said. She'd also thought Ron would have dragged Neville along on last night's excursion to the Three Broomsticks—no boy who'd ever gone through Hogwarts could resist a spot of Rosmerta watching—and the fact that he hadn't likely meant he wasn't aware of the recent developments in Ginny and Harry's relationship. It also meant he'd been asking after her because of her emotional state over her dead brother and not because he assumed she would be crying into her cups over a failed relationship. Oh, dear.
"Erm, Neville, I think I should—"
"You two can't stay, you know." Hermione's voice drowned out Ginny's so she sat back with a small sigh and a weak smile in Seamus' direction. Not that he was paying any attention, what with his eyes locked to the place Hermione's shirt was oddly bulging.
"She's taken, Seamus."
"Ron's a good mate, surely he'll share?"
Hermione, oblivious to their discussion, waved her bottle and said, "This is a proper Girl's Night. You can stay for a moment, but tha's it."
"Oh, lord, she's slurring."
"Is that bad?" Neville asked.
"Hermione. Hermione Granger. Is slurring."
"Ah, good point." Neville lifted his eyebrows and cleared his throat pointedly, making a little wince as Hermione managed to whack Luna in the shoulder with the bottle.
"What's a Girl's Night?" Seamus asked, leaning forward with his chin on his hand as he gave up on Hermione and turned his attention to Luna. Or rather, Luna's breasts.
"When you split with your significant other, a night of drunken carousing is mandatory."
"You split with Ron?" Seamus asked, his interest in Hermione suddenly renewed ten-fold.
Hermione gasped in shock and said, "Of course not! Ginny 'n Harry spit. Split. Sp-lit."
Seamus' eager gaze snapped to Ginny, who raised one eyebrow at him and said, "Don't even think it. Horny bed hoppers are not to my taste."
"A shame, that," Seamus said, winking extravagantly before he returned to his perusal of Luna.
"You and Harry split?" Neville asked, his voice soft with sympathy.
Ginny drew a breath and nodded, sliding a weak smile his way. "I thought that's what you were referring to when you asked how I was earlier." She shrugged and said, "It was perfectly mutual and very friendly, all things considered."
"Oh!" Hermione's voice cut through the din of the bar and she pointed to Ginny, flapping her hand as she said, "Your earring!"
Ginny gasped and her hand went immediately to her ear, her heart racing in dread even as her fingers found the delicate hoop still attached, though barely. "Oh, thank God." She fumbled with it for several long moments, trying to rehook the tiny clasp, but without a mirror it was useless. "Damn," she muttered, and pulled the earring free. Looking at Neville with a roll of her eyes, she said, "Could you let me out? I need to go to the Ladies' and try to get this back in."
Neville nodded and started to move but suddenly stopped and turned to her. "If you need help, I can probably do it."
Ginny blinked at him a few times before smiling and shrugging. "Better than fighting the hordes of witches waiting for one of the two working stalls." She carefully handed him the earring and turned, pulling back her hair to give him better access to her ear.
His fingers brushed against her neck, causing her to jump, gooseflesh breaking out on her skin. She laughed lightly and relaxed into the seat, whispering, "Sorry, I'm a bit ticklish."
He chuckled distractedly and said, "It's no problem. If my head weren't blocking the light, this would be easier."
Ginny glanced across at Hermione and said, "Hey, love, give us a light over here?"
Hermione blinked at her stupidly for a moment—alcohol always had that effect—before sitting upright and saying, "Oh! Of course. Lumos!"
Ginny and Neville both winced at the bright light that burst from Hermione's wand tip, but it served its purpose. Ginny closed her eyes so as not to be completely blinded and realised that might not be the best idea she'd ever had. It served to turn the simple reattachment of an earring into a sensual, erotic moment that had no place at this table with these people.
Neville's fingers tugged gently on her earlobe, his knuckles lightly brushing the sensitive ridge of bone just behind it. His breath washed over her neck as he ducked his head to see better. A shiver caught her unawares and she heard him catch his breath just before he said, "Sorry, Gin, this is being… ah! There! All done."
Ginny reached up and touched it again, relief washing the momentary lust from her. "Thank you, Neville. I probably shouldn't have worn these tonight. It would kill me to lose one."
"Oh. Did Harry—"
Ginny shook her head. "The twins bought them for me the Christmas after they opened the shop."
"All right, the two of you need to leave now," Hermione said, banging her bottle on the table. Ginny frowned in slight irritation until Hermione explained herself. "Dean's here. Besides, we can't man-bitch properly with you here. So shoo. Go 'way."
Neville and Seamus laughed and stood up, Neville waving to attract Dean's attention while Seamus reached across the table and lifted Luna's hand. "Darling Luna. If ever you're in Ireland, sweet lady—"
"Why wait? You're in London."
Seamus blinked in astonishment and lost a bit of his flirtatious demeanour for a moment before he smiled wickedly and said, "That I am. Neville won't mind an extra guest, will you, mate?"
Neville rolled his eyes and said, "Come along, Seamus. Let the girls have their drinks in peace."
"Whaaaat? She's happy enough to—Firecall me! I'm staying with Neville!" he shouted as Neville dragged him away.
Ginny smiled after the pair, her eyes lingering for a moment on the way Neville's shoulders filled his shirt before Luna drew her attention again. "There's a man who knows how to use his tongue."
Ginny and Hermione's laughter rose again above the dull roar that filled the room before the three friends went back to the serious pursuit of drunkenness and debauchery.
~*~
During the next week, Ginny bumped into Neville everywhere. It became so she began to teasingly ask if he was following her whenever they both happened to have a moment to speak. First there was Gringotts, where she went to have the goblins provide a Muggle-ready account statement. She had decided to look both in Muggle and wizarding London for a new flat and found out from Hermione that the Muggles would want proof of income.
After that, she saw him at Flourish & Blotts, in the foyer of the Ministry, hurrying along Diagon Alley during a brief afternoon rainstorm… He was just suddenly everywhere. As they shared a conveniently empty overhang to escape the freezing rain, Ginny turned to Neville and started laughing.
"I can't believe us. Witches and wizards all, and yet, when the skies open, we still instinctually run for a dry spot instead of casting a Weather Repelling Charm." She giggled and drew her wand, casting the charm that would part the rain for them. Hooking her arm through Neville's damp one, she stepped out from under the overhang, pulling him with her.
With a laugh, she splashed in a slushy puddle and looked up at him to invite him to do the same when her breath caught in her throat. He was staring down at her with a look that was a mixture of wistful and needy and she felt the power of it rush through her. The moment stretched out as she watched a left-over drop of water slide down a strand of his hair, dropping in what felt like slow motion onto his cheek.
He blinked then, breaking the spell. Ginny sucked in a sharp breath as soon as she was free to do so and opened her mouth to say something, anything, when his face relaxed back into lines of gentle friendliness.
"I'm sorry, Ginny, I just remembered an appointment. Say hello to your family for me, will you?" He quickly extricated his arm from where hers was gripping it and squeezed her hand briefly before turning and dashing across the street, leaving Ginny standing there wondering when reality had decided to stand on its head.
~*~
Later that same night, Ginny stared at Neville's door, frowning as she decided whether or not to knock. She raised and lowered her hand, silently arguing with herself. "Stupid," she muttered, lowering her hand one last time and turning with a sigh. When she had one foot hovering over the top step, the door opened behind her, startling her so that she missed the top step and stumbled, narrowly avoiding a nasty fall as she clutched desperately at the railing. Easing her feet onto the closest step, she winced and rubbed her thigh before craning around to see Neville standing in his doorway, his eyes wide as he looked down at her.
Clearing her throat, she smiled weakly and said, "Hullo, Neville."
He appeared stunned… and half-naked. "Ginny, my God, are you all right?"
"Nothing hurt but my pride," she sighed, not mentioning the small, inconsequential twinge in her thigh. The pain was fading anyway in light of the fact that he was bare-chested and wearing nicely thin drawstring pyjama bottoms.
"What are you doing here? It's nearly midnight. Come in, you must be half-frozen." Swinging the door open all the way, he stepped onto the ice-covered stoop and gripped her arm, helping her up the slick steps. She decided not to mention that she'd managed to get up them by herself the first time, knowing it was simply his nature to help others.
After shutting the door behind them, Neville briskly rubbed his arms and said, "Come into the living room. I'll start a fire." He went ahead of her, asking over his shoulder, "Is everything all right?"
"It's fine, Neville. I'm terribly sorry to… Wait. How did you know…? Ahh, wards?"
He turned and grinned sheepishly at her. "Yeah."
Mentally kicking herself again, she smiled brightly and said, "Well done, that." Looking around, she noticed that the house, while not filled with Dark artefacts, was nearly as gloomy as Grimmauld Place had been.
Neville must have seen something in her expression because he grimaced and said, "Sorry. Gran always said it was a waste of money to remodel again so soon after the last one… which was sometime in the last half of the eighteenth century."
Ginny winced and laughed softly, perching on the edge of a red velvet settee. "Well, you've seen the Burrow. We're not exactly sitting on a goblin-mine there."
Neville, having started the fire, remained in a crouch in front of it, staring at her for a long moment. Ginny shifted on the sofa, swallowing uncomfortably at his patient silence. After another few seconds, she leapt to her feet and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come so late. I'll… Tomorrow would be better. In the afternoon? Tea? I do owe you, after all."
Neville blinked rapidly, slowly standing as he tried to piece together her jumble of rushed words. "What? No! Now is fine. I—Well, I'm awake. What's on your mind? Here, sit. Actually, wait a moment while I fetch some clothes."
Ginny literally bit her tongue to stop herself from foolishly calling him back. "Yes, idiot, telling him not to bother with clothing on your account would be just dandy," she grumbled under her breath, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "What am I doing here?" She jumped up again, pacing to the door and back as she fought with herself over making a too-hasty exit.
"Ginny?"
She whirled to see Neville standing just inside the doorway, a pair of denims and a slightly wrinkled tee shirt—apparently a memento from The Weird Sisters reunion tour from this past summer—replacing his sleep attire. Her gaze wandered down and she found herself ridiculously happy to see that he'd forgone shoes or socks.
"I was just leaving," she said, addressing his feet. Dragging her eyes back up to his, she made vague hand gestures behind herself and said, "I'm sorry you went to all this trouble. I really didn't mean to disturb you, especially so late. I just… ahh, I was in the neighbourhood—" Stop. Speaking. Now.
Nodding quickly, she skirted around him and nearly made it to freedom when he said, "I've threatened to hex my friends before. I didn't want to do it then and I don't want to do it now, but if I must, I will. Come back, sit down, and tell me why you're here." The exasperation was evident in his tone.
Ginny bit her lip and stepped toward the small sofa before her nervous energy flowed up from her belly and she heard herself say in a rush of words, "Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"
Neville dropped heavily into an armchair by the fire, staring at her in a mixture of shock and amazement. "Uhhh, I'm sorry. What?"
Ginny drew in a deep breath and took firm control of herself as she said, "I'd like to go out with you, Neville. Tomorrow night. Dinner?"
He blinked rapidly for a long moment before he squared his shoulders, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "No."
Ginny was already smiling in anticipation of his acceptance when what he'd said penetrated. She sagged with shock and dismay before managing to snap her mouth closed—it was gaping open—and nodded. "I… I see. Oh. Well." She tried to smile, but it sort of slid off her face before it really got a chance to form.
"Ginny—"
"No, no, it's… fine. It's fine, Neville. Thank you. I mean, for… Well, I apologise for disturbing you and—"
"Ginny—"
She shook her head, her eyes wide in an attempt to hold back the mortification that wanted to stream out of them, and backed out of the room into the hallway.
"Ginny, please stop, let me explain." He was coming toward her, his eyes shining with concern.
"Oh, God," she moaned, able to see the door. "Please don’t. Please, please don't. I'm sorry, Neville. I… I'll see you later, okay? I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry." Her hand was on the doorknob, turning it.
"Ginny, wait!"
She smiled tremulously and said, "Really, Neville, it's fine. You're not interested and it's late and I should let you get back to sleep. I'll see you later, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, she opened the door and rushed through it, closing it behind her before he could stop her. It was silly and cowardly, but something about that very decisive no of his had made the need to leave too urgent to deny.
She gripped her wand and turned on the spot, thinking longingly of home as she Disapparated with a crack.
~*~
"Oh God, Hermione, it was awful. Awful," Ginny moaned into her arms where they were crossed on top of the table. She was having tea at Ron and Hermione's, replaying the events of the previous evening—after booting Ron to the far corner of the house—soaking up council from her friends on the current situation.
"Well, it could have been worse," Hermione said fatalistically, the rattle of china telling Ginny she'd picked up her teacup.
Ginny raised her head to stare incredulously at her friend and said, "Exactly how could it have been worse?"
"He could have laughed at you."
"Or been fully clothed." That last had come from Penelope, who was sitting across the table from Ginny, her hair swept back into a business-like bun. Luna had been unable to come around for the gory details, but Ginny's sister-in-law had been visiting with Hermione when Ginny popped in and made a handy last minute third.
Ginny sighed and flattened her fingers over her eyes, pulling at the skin around them as she said flatly, "Yes, and thanks for reminding me of what I can't have."
Hermione laughed and said, "You know, I think there's always this thought in the back of my mind that Neville is still that round-faced boy that he was back in first year. It's completely unfair to him, and I know intellectually that he's grown up and become a man, but I sort of miss the boy he was, all stammers and awkwardness."
"Really? Not helping."
"No," Penelope said, her eyes taking on a dreamy cast, "I think he's a lot like Percy. All nice and gentle on the outside, but a real tiger underneath it all."
Ginny scowled and pushed her teacup away. "I seriously need to get new friends. Ones that haven't been romantically involved with one of my brothers. Or at least ones that don't go dropping stories of their sexual prowess into every conversation."
"I'm sorry, love, we're trying to help, it's just that this is all a bit unusual for us. We've not had to deal with romantic ups and downs from you at all and then, suddenly, in one week… Bam!" Hermione said, slapping her hand on the table and causing the other two women to jump. "Twice." She shrugged again and waved her wand over a bit of tea that had sloshed out of Ginny's cup.
"Besides," Penelope said, her lips curving into a devious smile that most people rarely saw. "It'd be terribly difficult for you to find a single female under the age of forty that doesn't have carnal knowledge of one of your brothers. Hell, the twins alone account for a good half of the British female population."
Ginny laughed along with Penelope and Hermione, and it took a few moments for her to realise that the mention of the twins hadn't caused her heart to clench with anguish. She'd been able to laugh at a fond memory instead of cry, and that had to count for something.
Raising her teacup, she brought it to her lips and took a long sip as Hermione said, "Well, at least you answered one question for yourself."
"Hmm? How so?"
Hermione tilted her head and said, "You know you're ready to move on and date again. That's something good, right?"
Ginny gave a little half smile as she turned those words over in her head. Looking up, she smiled at her friends and said, "Yes. Yes I am. Here's to moving on."
The women clinked their cups together, their pinkies raised in a show of female solidarity. Or proper tea etiquette. Sometimes it's all the same thing.
~*~
Ginny heard the knock at the door, her brow furrowed as she wondered who it could possibly be. Calling out to her mum that she'd answer it, she skipped lightly down the last three stairs and walked over to flip the curtain back from the window that looked out on the porch. She was surprised to see Harry standing there, drumming his hands nervously against his thighs. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, a smile fixed on her face.
"Harry! How nice to see you. Come in, please." She stepped aside and watched as he ducked through the door, his whole body tense as if he expected someone to jump out and hex him. She sighed softly and laid her hand on his arm, lips tightening as he nearly leapt out of his skin. "Harry… there's no reason for you to be so nervous."
"I'm not—" He shrugged sheepishly as her raised eyebrow stopped him from completing that lie. "I am, but… well, it's just… weird is all."
"I was your friend first, Harry. I want us to be friends again. Can we do that?"
He pulled a face and said, "Sorry, it's just… I do want to be friends, Gin. I really do. But when you say it like that, it seems like such a—" He cut himself off and flailed his hands a bit, searching for the words.
Ginny laughed and punched his shoulder lightly. "Sounds like I'm sloughing you off, eh?" Raising her voice to a high falsetto, she said, "Let's just be friends."
He laughed, relaxing a bit, and ran a hand through his hair as he said, "Yeah. A bit."
"I'm not, though. Have you had second thoughts about us?" she asked, holding her breath.
He met her eyes then, his expression caught between panic and surprise. "I, uh… no, not really. Have you? Oh God, Gin, if you have…"
Ginny breathed a small sigh of relief and shook her head. "No. I mean, I love you. You know that. But… well, we're not really meant for one another, are we?"
Harry sagged for a moment where he stood before he shook his head and said, "I think we both wanted the idea of us more than… well, more than what it really was."
Ginny nodded and hooked her arm through his, leading him into the living room. "You're right, of course. That's exactly the point. We fell in love with falling in love. We both wanted what Ron and Hermione have and, well, we didn't take into consideration that they're just strange."
Harry grinned at her and nudged her in the side. "I agree, but don't ever tell them that."
"Ditto."
She pulled him down onto the sofa next to her and relaxed back, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, tell me. What has the Chosen One been doing with his life these past two weeks?"
"Gin, you may not be my girlfriend anymore, but you're still under a lifetime ban from calling me that. What on earth does the wizarding world have with these ridiculous names?!"
"You know, it's odd. They didn't give Neville one."
"Do you think it's because they like him better than me?"
"Nah, I think it's something to do with not being able to think of a good name that combines swords and flaming hats. Might give the wrong impression to those who don't know the whole story."
Harry thought about that for a moment before he barked out a sharp, shocked laugh. Ginny grinned and a small part of her that had still been holding its breath loosened. If she and Harry could laugh together like this again, they'd be fine. Nudging him, she said, "Really, how are you?"
"Horny," he said with a long sigh. This time it was Ginny's turn for surprised laughter. He shrugged and said, "One thing you have to give us… we had a lot of sex."
Ginny coughed, about to interrupt him, when Harry threw his arm around her shoulders and said, "Wouldn't mind a little friends with benefits arrangement, would you?" His voice was light with humour, but there was an underlying thread of seriousness that Ginny couldn't ignore.
However, before she could say anything, a pair of square, freckled hands wrapped around Harry's neck and squeezed before Charlie said, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, mate."
Harry went absolutely still, his green eyes wide and pleading while Ginny bit her lip and shrugged sheepishly. "Did I mention Charlie's home for the party on Friday?" The Weasley Christmas party was nearly infamous now; everyone in their circle of acquaintances would be there.
Harry glared at her as Charlie chuckled and released him. "No, I can't say you did there, Gin. Thanks so much."
"Don't mention it," she said with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, speaking of the party… err."
"You have to be here, Harry."
"Umm, well, that's the thing. Ahh."
"Harry."
"Yes?"
"You will be here."
"Yes, yes, I will. I just… well. I… That is. Ah, hmm."
"Spit it out, mate."
"Err, Charlie?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't mind if Gin and I…?"
"You going to try to get in her knickers again?"
"Oh! No, ahh… no."
Ginny tried to hide her amusement at the way Harry's face turned nearly green under Charlie's threatening stare, but she couldn't quite hold it back. Standing, she grabbed Harry's hand and tugged, flipping Charlie a two-fingered salute—
Molly's voice cracked sharply through the house. "Ginevra! I saw that!"
Damn, she'd never been able to pull one over at the Burrow! Rolling her eyes, she dragged Harry into the hallway and lowered her voice.
"What's going on, Harry?"
"I just… I want to… but I don't want to make you uncomfortable or hurt you or…"
Ginny put one hand over his mouth, stopping the flow of words. "Take a deep breath and calm down. I have no intention of hexing you, no matter what you say, all right? Just tell me whatever it is that's on your mind." Harry nodded and sighed, the warm, moist gust flowing over Ginny's fingers before she pulled them back. "What is it?" she asked again.
"I ran into Hannah earlier this week… Err, Hannah Abbot?"
"Oh." Ginny blinked, knocked a bit speechless at the knowledge that Harry had got a date already. Not that there was anything wrong with that; after all, she'd been all set to start dating Neville, but… well. "I, hmm."
"Yeah."
Ginny drew a deep breath and forced herself to look into his eyes. "Bring her."
"Gin—"
She smiled; it was a bit tremulous, but it was real. "I'll be fine, Harry. I won't say it isn't a bit of a shock, but I'm not upset. Really. Please bring her."
"But… what about you?"
Ginny laughed lightly. "What about me?"
"I don't want you to be alone."
Ginny sighed and stretched up to kiss his cheek. "I won't be. I'll have a tonne of friends and family there."
Harry stared at her for a long moment before his shoulders relaxed a bit and he nodded. "All right. Oh! I actually came for a different reason…" He dug in his trouser pockets before bringing out a small black box. "These are some things I thought you might want right away. Be careful, though, I shrank them individually before putting them in the box and shrinking the whole thing again."
Ginny nodded and wrinkled her nose at him. "I have been doing magic for a long time, Harry." She laughed softly at his blush and chucked him on the shoulder. "Thanks, love. I would have been by for them, but mum's been absolutely unbearable with the party just a few days off."
Harry's eyes went wide and he peeked around her down the hallway. "Does she know I'm here?"
"Not yet."
"Can I sneak out before she puts me to work de-gnoming the garden?"
Ginny grinned evilly. "What do you have to bribe me with?"
Harry scowled at her and whispered, "Don't be a brat!"
She batted her eyelashes at him and replied, "You owe me an extra large box of Honeyduke's Dark."
"Done." Their transaction complete, Harry left as quickly as his feet could carry him.
Ginny waited for the crack of Apparation before she burst into laughter. "Silly boy, don't you know Mum will have already had Charlie and Ron do the de-gnoming?"
Still chuckling, she stepped back into the living room to see Charlie sitting there, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "So, care to explain?"
Ginny blinked, taken aback. "Explain what?"
"I distinctly heard Harry talking about 'all the sex' the two of you had been having."
Ginny flashed him a dazzling smile before backing away toward the door. "I think I hear Mum…"
"Gin-ny…"
At the warning tone in his voice, Ginny spun on her heel and ran for it.
Being an adult was all well and good, but big brothers just didn't understand some things.
~*~
Ginny looked around the room at the smiling faces of friends and family, a feeling of relief rushing through her when she realised that the wounds of their world were healing. It was a slow process, but the rifts and divisions had run deep. She drew a deep breath, turning to smile at Ron as he held a glass of elf-made wine out to her. She lifted it in a toast to Hermione, grinning devilishly at her friend as she watched Hermione wince slightly into her own glass.
Apparently the lovely Miss Granger was regretting her previous indulgences. Ginny snickered into her wine before taking a small sip. It flowed smoothly over her tongue, the purity of the flavour inviting one to savour it slowly.
She lowered her glass, about to say something to Ron, when a hand on her elbow stopped her. Turning, she saw Neville, his eyes pinched with worry.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice a hushed whisper.
She blinked up at him, lingering embarrassment and confusion warring within her. After a long moment, she finally found her tongue to say, "Ahh, yes? Why wouldn't I be?"
Neville looked up, glaring across the room at someone. Ginny turned her head to see Harry standing there, chatting amiably with Luna and Seamus, arms gesturing wildly as he told some story. She looked around and spotted Hannah over by the tree, her pretty face lit by the fairy lights as Molly pointed to various ornaments.
"What's the matter?" she asked, keeping her voice low automatically.
"I can't believe he did this."
Ginny waited for a heartbeat, then another, and finally asked the question that didn't seem to be finding its own answer. "Who did what?"
Neville looked back down at her, his whole expression soft with sympathy. "Harry. I can't believe he brought another girl to the party."
Ginny gaped at him for a moment before turning back to Ron and nudging him in the shoulder. "Hold my glass for a moment, will you?" she asked when she had his attention. "Neville and I need to step outside for a bit. I'll be back though, so don't let Hermione drink it all."
A sharp objection from Hermione made her giggle before she turned back to Neville and said, "Let's go outside so we can talk. You're upset for no reason."
After shooting another dirty look at Harry, Neville softened a bit and nodded. "Yeah, all right."
Ginny led him through the throng that had congregated in the kitchen, then out the back door and onto the porch. The cold night had kept the rest of the party from seeking privacy out here, but Ginny simply cast a localised warming charm and sat down on the double-wide swing, patting the space next to her in invitation.
He glanced down at it and rolled his lips under, obviously weighing his options before Ginny sighed heavily and said, "I promise not to make any untoward advances, Neville. Sit."
He blinked at her, his mouth opening a bit before he closed it again, chagrined. He sat, setting the swing in motion, and Ginny helped it along with a little push. She'd always loved this swing, and it helped to soothe her now.
Taking a deep breath, she half-turned to look at him and said, "I'm not quite sure why you're so upset with Harry. Why don't we start there?"
She watched Neville as he swallowed and looked out toward the garden wall that, even in the dark of night, showed the outline of the gnomes as they scurried into the yard. They'd have to do another clearing out soon.
"Your mum sent me an invitation to the party last week. I suppose Ron didn't know, or maybe… I don't know. Anyway, he sent me another one today. He said he'd be here with Hermione, Seamus and Luna and Dean and everyone'd be here. And Harry was bringing Hannah." He trailed off and turned to look at her, his eyes as kind and gentle as she had ever seen. "I couldn't believe he would do that."
"But why? I don't understand why that upsets you—"
"How could he bring a date here when… Why aren't you upset?"
"Hannah's a lovely girl. Why would I be upset that he brought her?"
"But the two of you just split! It hasn't even been… what? Two weeks?"
Ginny blinked and thought back. "A bit over that, yeah. He's moving on, Neville. I'm happy for him."
He stared at her for a long moment, slowly shaking his head. "I don't understand that."
Ginny frowned, slightly disturbed at his statement.
"I don't understand how he can just move on. He had you."
That surprised a laugh out of Ginny before she could stop it. Shrugging, she said, "Neville, Harry and I… we might have just split two weeks ago, but it's something we should have done long before then." She gave the swing another push, gathering her thoughts before she said, "We loved each other too much to hurt one another, but the longer we stayed together, the more it did hurt, because we weren't what the other needed. I love him, I probably always will. He's a wonderful friend. But that's really all he is anymore, all he should have been after the war." She shook her head. "We didn't know how much we'd both changed. Not for the worse, but just… changed. So much had gone wrong then that we grabbed onto each other, thinking that would keep us going. But it hurt to talk, so we didn't. Not about the things we needed to talk about, anyway."
"Fred?"
Ginny swallowed heavily, her throat closing up for a moment. Clearing it, she softly said, "And everything else. It wasn't really anyone's fault, and by the time we split, we both knew it was right. And we're all right. I meant it when I said it doesn't hurt me to see him with Hannah. I want him to be happy. I want him to move on with his life and find happiness."
They sat in silence for a long moment before Ginny tried to lighten the moment. Nudging his knee with her own, she said, "Besides, I could have had a date, too. Only this bloke I know turned me down…" She peeked at him under her lashes, a small grin fighting to be set free.
Neville, however, didn't seem to see the humour and simply said, "I'm sorry, Ginny. I thought… I thought it was just," he spread his hands, searching for the words, "temporary. I mean, I really thought you and Harry would get back together again and I didn't want to have done anything that might cause hard feelings. I didn't want to ruin my friendship with you or Harry by taking you out. I missed the opportunity of a lifetime and now I just feel like an idiot."
Ginny bit her lip and leaned over to give him a quick hug. "You aren't an idiot, Neville. I'm sorry you thought that. It would have been lovely, going out with you."
Neville went slightly stiff before he turned his head, brushing his cheek against hers as he murmured, "Is it too late to say yes?"