Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Escaping the Monotony of Life
“Oi, Ginny! Wake up!”
Ginny heard the distant voice calling her name but she clenched her eyes shut harder. She wasn’t ready to bare the sunlight yet. Before even opening her eyes, it felt as though a hammer was repeatedly banging her head.
“Ginny, come on, I have to leave for work.” The voice said again, but this time it was louder. She reluctantly opened her eyes a crack, being sure to not make any sudden movements with her vision because the room was currently spinning a hundred miles a minute. The second the sunlight reached her corneas she almost audibly hissed, as the room slowly came into focus.
Where am I? She thought to herself as she gazed around the unfamiliar room. She was in a large queen sized bed with navy silk sheets that felt soft and expensive. Wherever she was, she was disappointed she had to leave. That is, until the homeowner stepped into her bedroom. None other than her boyfriend from her teenaged years; Michael Corner.
“Michael, oh my god!” Ginny shrieked, covering her body with the expensive sheets, although thankfully she was still fully clothed, “What-What am I doing here!?”
“Really? You don’t remember?” Michael looked unimpressed as he crossed his arms leaning up against the doorframe. His black hair which was shaggy when she dated him many years ago was now properly cut and styled. He looked much more mature and handsome, Ginny thought to herself, but that was not important at that moment.
“W-we didn’t sleep together, did we?” Ginny asked nervously. She swore to herself no more drunken hookups, especially with estranged ex-boyfriends.
“No, we did not sleep together. Although, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have intentions to try…” Michael explained with a tone of annoyance, “But once we arrived back at my flat from the bar you proceeded to finish my bottle of wine which was gifted to me from my father, sing nearly the entire Weird Sister’s discography, then passed out in the middle of the bed while I took the couch.”
Ginny felt absolutely mortified, “Oh my gosh, Michael, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what got into me, I swear I’m normally not like this!”
“It’s fine, we’ve all been there, but if you don’t mind I need to be leaving for work now…” He opened his door wider, making his hint even clearer to Ginny that she was overstaying her welcome. She immediately jumped out of bed, despite the world still spinning furiously, but took a moment to appreciate the beautiful bedroom Michael created for himself.
“Michael, your flat is gorgeous. I’m sure you told me a dozen times last night, but what exactly is it that you do for work?”
“I’m an aura commissioner,” He explained, “Actually just got a promotion with a pretty hefty raise, hence why I was celebrating so hard on a work night. What is it that you do?”
Ginny instantly began stumbling over her words and her cheeks turned crimson red, matching her hair, “Oh, I’m just…working in the family business. It’s too difficult to explain right now with such little time. I’d best let you leave for work now, thank you for being such a gentlemanly host! I’ll owl you a new bottle of wine!” Before Ginny finished her farewell she was out the door. Her hair was dishevelled, makeup was smeared all over her face, and her clothes smelled of stale wine.
It had been five years since the great war ended. After about three years of cleaning up the mess that was created from all of the havoc, imprisoning the guilty death eaters, and rebuilding a proper ministry the world actually felt fairly peaceful. For the longest time Ginny’s life was dictated by the war. She lost her dear brother, Fred, in the war, she constantly stressed over her brother and best friend’s whereabouts for half of her entire education, and on top of that she dated The Chosen One who saved the entire wizarding world. For years leading up to the war Ginny was stressed, exhausted, terrified – and after the war wasn’t much better. She still had another year left of Hogwarts once the war ended, and that year was record awful. She may not have feared for her life, but the media followed her, hounding her like she was a piece of meat and they were hungry dogs.
“Miss Weasley! Miss Weasley!” The reporters would shout the second she stepped out of the common room, “What is your relationship status with Harry Potter!? You are aware he was spotted kissing another woman last weekend, right!?”
Ginny shuddered from the memory. She had gotten over Harry by that point, despite him never fully moving on from her, however it still drove her absolutely mad having no sense of privacy. Any time she did anything remotely scandalous it would be in the Daily Prophet, blown out of proportion and typically mostly false. This long and invasive year sort of turned Ginny into a hermit. Upon graduating, instead of going off to Auror training or Healer school like her family expected, she simply spent the next couple of years helping her best friend Luna rebuild houses and gardens that were destroyed from the war. Luna was the perfect friend for Ginny, because it was as though she was able to read Ginny’s mind. When Ginny was in desperate need of solitude, Luna would pick up on it and give her space, and if Ginny needed some cheering up, Luna was right beside her with bottles of alcohol and chocolate.
Once Ginny and Luna contributed to their cause of restoring homes after the way as much as much as they could, Ginny felt lost. She no longer had the influence of the war to dictate any decisions in her life. Again, her parents pressured her to attend some post-Hogwarts training, but the only thing Ginny felt truly passionate for she didn’t have the proper requirements to pursue.
You see, Ginny Weasley absolutely adored potions. She admired every aspect of the trade. She was enamored with the endless combinations of ingredients all creating a unique product. The only problem with Ginny’s passion is that she realized it far too late. All throughout Hogwarts Ginny despised the class because of Professor Snape’s dull lectures, thus her grades were consistently below average. It wasn’t until she was a couple of years out of school that she fell in love with the trade, but unfortunately, by then all she could do was treat it as a hobby and research on her own time. As for Ginny’s career? The 21 year old helped her brother, George, run Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes. Her mother disapproved of Ginny’s decision, despite Ginny making is abundantly clear it was not a permanent position. But in the meantime, Ginny loved work working with her brother, George, and helping him invent new pranks. She always felt the presence of her late brother Fred while she was in the shop and that presence comforted her when she felt lost in the world. Fred never felt lost. Him and George were the most determined people she had ever met, and she was incredibly proud of George keeping the business afloat even after the incident.
“Oh fuck, I’m late.” Ginny just remembered that she was supposed to have tea with her mother at 10am, and her watch read 9:45. Ginny looked at her reflection in a store window and frowned. There was nothing worse than looking hungover when visiting your mother, but sadly, she had no time to run home to her flat to shower and change her clothes. And with that, she apparated to her childhood home, The Burrow.
“Ginny!” Mrs. Weasley squealed rushing towards her as she appeared in the kitchen, “Oh, I’m so happy you’re here!”
Ginny pulled her mom into a tight hug, “Hey, mum! How are you?”
Mrs. Weasley didn’t reply to the question though and instead scrunched her nose, “Ginny! You smell like a brewery!”
Ginny blushed in embarrassment, “I know, I know. I stayed at a friend’s house and didn’t have time to shower.”
“Ginny, you know you should not be drinking! And you better not be staying at any boy’s house!” Her mother said sternly.
“Of course not, mum!” Ginny lied. She loved her mom’s naivety and didn’t want to corrupt it with the truth of how Ginny typically spends a night out with friends.
“You’d better freshen up! Harry is coming over!” Mrs. Weasley winked and shoved a fresh towel and pair of clothes in Ginny’s arms. Harry was the only man Mrs. Weasley would ever approve of for Ginny, and it drove her nuts.
“Mum, I don’t need to dress to impress Harry. We already dated once, remember?”
“Never mind that! It was poor timing. The poorest of timing, even! You just need to give him another chance.” Mrs. Weasley tried convincing.
“I’ll make myself pretty but I’m not doing it to impress Harry.” Ginny compromised and headed up the stairs to the shower.
The shower instantly refreshed her, making her hangover feel infinitely more tolerable. She put on the pair of jeans and knitted sweater her mom gave her and looked in the mirror. She had grown into a beautiful woman. Her long crimson hair rippled down her back, perfectly framing her pale face which was sprinkled with freckles. Her large, brown, doe eyes gave her a look of innocence that was deceiving, considering her true mischievous nature.
“Ginny! Ron, Harry, and Hermione are here!” Her mother called from down the stairs. Ginny took one last look in the mirror and smiled at her reflection before making her way downstairs.
“Hey guys!” She said enthusiastically, and it was instantly met with huge hugs from her brother and two friends. She had remained close with them through everything, even Harry. Which is probably why her mother was so adamantly convinced they were soul mates.
The five of them spent the first hour sipping their tea and discussing the trip’s magnificent adventures in stopping crime and evil. Even though Ginny could not be happier for their immediate success she was also envious. It was exhausting constantly feeling compared to them.
“Oh, you three are doing marvellously! I’m so proud!” Mrs. Weasley beamed at the trio before turning to Ginny, “I really wish you three would convince Ginny to pursue something!”
“Mum!” Ginny shouted in defiance, “I don’t need convincing! I will “pursue something” when I’m ready, and for the record, I’m pursuing potions. I’ve recently perfected the draught of peace, and am planning on doing something even more advanced next.”
“If you want to work with potions I don’t understand why you don’t go to Healer School!” Her mom argued. Ginny rolled her eyes. I’m sure Harry and Hermione love visiting for tea only to have to awkwardly watch a Ginny Intervention, she thought.
“I don’t want to work with potions, I want to create potions!” Ginny argued back, “Besides, can we please talk about this later? It’s incredibly uncomfortable…” Ginny turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione who all gave her an awkward sympathetic smile.
They all finished their tea without much more excitement, besides Hermione needing to leave early for a work emergency. The two girls promised to meet up on the weekend for a much-needed girl’s day then hugged each other goodbye.
As Mrs. Weasley retreated to the kitchen to begin prepping dinner Ginny looked at her watch. “Shoot! I need to get down to the store! George has a major sale starting at 3 and we are expecting to get hit hard!”
She began packing up her stuff frantically. She didn’t notice Ron leave the room when Harry appeared right at her side.
“Hey, Ginny?” He asked quietly, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Harry, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime this week? I know of a great place…”
Ginny sighed. She hated rejecting him. “Harry, come on. I’m sorry but you know I’m not interested in dating you, or anyone, right now.”
“I know…you just look so amazing these days. And I can’t help but regret ever letting you go in the first place...You were the greatest girl I’ve ever been with.” He said sincerely, but Ginny simply rolled her eyes.
“Harry, I love you. I always have and I always will. But please, never say that you regret breaking up with me while we were teenagers. Best case scenario if you hadn’t dumped me is we would have dated for another year, broken up, and hated each other. At least this way we have remained friends!” Ginny explained her point of view, “Now, I’m really sorry, but I need to meet George at the store.”
She quickly kissed his cheek and apparated to the shop. She felt so guilty for constantly rejecting Harry. It wasn’t as though she didn’t like him, she really did! And a big part of her believed they would end up together in the end and make beautiful raven haired children. But it all just seemed so predictable and boring…Ginny needed to experience life more before making that kind of commitment. She knew that if she ever went on a single date with Harry it would essentially be marriage engagement in her Mother’s eyes. So she needed to make sure that she was 100% positive with her decision to date Harry before accepting his offer.
“Ginny! Thank god you’re here! Where were you!?” George hollered from behind a tower of prank filled boxes.
“I’m sorry! I woke up in a random house then had to meet Mum for tea! I’m here now though!” Ginny was frantically pulling on her apron with the initials W.W.W. sewn into it.
“Thank god. We’ve got about 20 minutes until the sale is live. We are going to get slammed.” He began handing her various colorful objects which she expertly placed on the shelves. They made an excellent team. “How’s mum doing?” he asked without pausing his work.
“Oh you know…the usual ‘what are you doing with your life and why aren’t you with Harry Potter?’ lecture.” Ginny sighed, “I don’t see what the big deal is! I’m financially stable, I have my own flat, I’m not pregnant with an unknown babydaddy… I’m not doing too bad for 21 years old!”
“Oh, you know how she gets. She’s just worried about you.” George explained sympathetically before adding, “But if she convinces my best worker to leave me I’m going to have some choice words with that mother of ours.”
Ginny chuckled in response and the two began to pick up the pace and work in silence. Ginny had gotten so distracted in her work she hadn’t even heard a customer walk into the store.
“Ahem” She heard a man cough behind her. As she turned around and saw who stood in front of her, her mouth dropped. There standing in all of his glory, with his platinum blonde hair, steel blue eyes, and perfectly ironed expensive suit was none other than Draco Malfoy.
“M-Malfoy?” Ginny stuttered out. She hadn’t seen him since the great war. He had barely even crossed her mind for a second and now he was standing directly in front of her.
“Really? I think we are over that teenaged ‘Last-Name’ nonsense, Ginevra.” He replied showing off his trademark smirk.
“Ginny. Call me Ginny.” She corrected him, loathing her full name.
“My apologies.” He said formally, “So, this is where you work?”
“Umm, yes.” Ginny began, feeling embarrassed. Draco Malfoy was the last person she would want to see at work. “It’s just temporary, though. Can I help you find anything?”
“Yes, actually! I was told you could find those famous Skiving Snackboxes here? My friend and I plan on ditching work tomorrow.” He replied, which caught Ginny off guard. It seemed like such an oddly humorous detail to share with Ginny, especially coming from Malfoy.
“Yeah, absolutely! Follow me!” She directed him down the long hallways stocked full of various products, “You came with excellent time. In about 10 minutes we are starting this huge annual sale and we are expecting half of Diagon Alley to apparate here any minute.”
“Lucky me!”
Draco chose a variety pack of the Skiving Snackboxes to ensure that his plans to skip work would be successful. Ginny was excited to get him out of the store. Despite his odd friendliness she still was not fond of him.
“So, what do you plan on doing after this? Seeing as you said it was temporary?” Draco asked, and Ginny winced at the question. Why do people feel it’s their business to know other people’s life plans? She asked herself.
“Umm…it’s silly, really. I love potions but I didn’t do well in the subject while in Hogwarts. So now I’m sort of training myself in hopes of getting skilled enough to make a name for myself without a formal education.”
“Really? That’s amazing! I never would have pegged you as an aspiring potions master.” He flashed a genuine smile at her which sent butterflies through Ginny’s stomach. She couldn’t deny he was incredibly attractive. She thought that would be the end of the subject until he suggested something she never would have expected:
“I think I might be able to help you out with your goal. How would you like to meet me for drinks tomorrow night and we can catch up?”
Ginny gawked at him, “Are you joking me?”
“Why would I be joking?”
“Because I’m Ginny Weasley and you spent the majority of your time at Hogwarts trying to make my life, and my family’s lives, horrible.” She said bluntly.
“People can change! So, are you interested?”
Ginny thought about it for a minute. On one hand, she wanted to reject his offer – she didn’t need help from Draco Malfoy! But on the other hand, she was incredibly intrigued by his proposal, she was looking for more excitement in her life, and she could not ignore how damn attractive he was. Three reasons against one!
“Sure, why not?”
Ginny heard the distant voice calling her name but she clenched her eyes shut harder. She wasn’t ready to bare the sunlight yet. Before even opening her eyes, it felt as though a hammer was repeatedly banging her head.
“Ginny, come on, I have to leave for work.” The voice said again, but this time it was louder. She reluctantly opened her eyes a crack, being sure to not make any sudden movements with her vision because the room was currently spinning a hundred miles a minute. The second the sunlight reached her corneas she almost audibly hissed, as the room slowly came into focus.
Where am I? She thought to herself as she gazed around the unfamiliar room. She was in a large queen sized bed with navy silk sheets that felt soft and expensive. Wherever she was, she was disappointed she had to leave. That is, until the homeowner stepped into her bedroom. None other than her boyfriend from her teenaged years; Michael Corner.
“Michael, oh my god!” Ginny shrieked, covering her body with the expensive sheets, although thankfully she was still fully clothed, “What-What am I doing here!?”
“Really? You don’t remember?” Michael looked unimpressed as he crossed his arms leaning up against the doorframe. His black hair which was shaggy when she dated him many years ago was now properly cut and styled. He looked much more mature and handsome, Ginny thought to herself, but that was not important at that moment.
“W-we didn’t sleep together, did we?” Ginny asked nervously. She swore to herself no more drunken hookups, especially with estranged ex-boyfriends.
“No, we did not sleep together. Although, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have intentions to try…” Michael explained with a tone of annoyance, “But once we arrived back at my flat from the bar you proceeded to finish my bottle of wine which was gifted to me from my father, sing nearly the entire Weird Sister’s discography, then passed out in the middle of the bed while I took the couch.”
Ginny felt absolutely mortified, “Oh my gosh, Michael, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what got into me, I swear I’m normally not like this!”
“It’s fine, we’ve all been there, but if you don’t mind I need to be leaving for work now…” He opened his door wider, making his hint even clearer to Ginny that she was overstaying her welcome. She immediately jumped out of bed, despite the world still spinning furiously, but took a moment to appreciate the beautiful bedroom Michael created for himself.
“Michael, your flat is gorgeous. I’m sure you told me a dozen times last night, but what exactly is it that you do for work?”
“I’m an aura commissioner,” He explained, “Actually just got a promotion with a pretty hefty raise, hence why I was celebrating so hard on a work night. What is it that you do?”
Ginny instantly began stumbling over her words and her cheeks turned crimson red, matching her hair, “Oh, I’m just…working in the family business. It’s too difficult to explain right now with such little time. I’d best let you leave for work now, thank you for being such a gentlemanly host! I’ll owl you a new bottle of wine!” Before Ginny finished her farewell she was out the door. Her hair was dishevelled, makeup was smeared all over her face, and her clothes smelled of stale wine.
It had been five years since the great war ended. After about three years of cleaning up the mess that was created from all of the havoc, imprisoning the guilty death eaters, and rebuilding a proper ministry the world actually felt fairly peaceful. For the longest time Ginny’s life was dictated by the war. She lost her dear brother, Fred, in the war, she constantly stressed over her brother and best friend’s whereabouts for half of her entire education, and on top of that she dated The Chosen One who saved the entire wizarding world. For years leading up to the war Ginny was stressed, exhausted, terrified – and after the war wasn’t much better. She still had another year left of Hogwarts once the war ended, and that year was record awful. She may not have feared for her life, but the media followed her, hounding her like she was a piece of meat and they were hungry dogs.
“Miss Weasley! Miss Weasley!” The reporters would shout the second she stepped out of the common room, “What is your relationship status with Harry Potter!? You are aware he was spotted kissing another woman last weekend, right!?”
Ginny shuddered from the memory. She had gotten over Harry by that point, despite him never fully moving on from her, however it still drove her absolutely mad having no sense of privacy. Any time she did anything remotely scandalous it would be in the Daily Prophet, blown out of proportion and typically mostly false. This long and invasive year sort of turned Ginny into a hermit. Upon graduating, instead of going off to Auror training or Healer school like her family expected, she simply spent the next couple of years helping her best friend Luna rebuild houses and gardens that were destroyed from the war. Luna was the perfect friend for Ginny, because it was as though she was able to read Ginny’s mind. When Ginny was in desperate need of solitude, Luna would pick up on it and give her space, and if Ginny needed some cheering up, Luna was right beside her with bottles of alcohol and chocolate.
Once Ginny and Luna contributed to their cause of restoring homes after the way as much as much as they could, Ginny felt lost. She no longer had the influence of the war to dictate any decisions in her life. Again, her parents pressured her to attend some post-Hogwarts training, but the only thing Ginny felt truly passionate for she didn’t have the proper requirements to pursue.
You see, Ginny Weasley absolutely adored potions. She admired every aspect of the trade. She was enamored with the endless combinations of ingredients all creating a unique product. The only problem with Ginny’s passion is that she realized it far too late. All throughout Hogwarts Ginny despised the class because of Professor Snape’s dull lectures, thus her grades were consistently below average. It wasn’t until she was a couple of years out of school that she fell in love with the trade, but unfortunately, by then all she could do was treat it as a hobby and research on her own time. As for Ginny’s career? The 21 year old helped her brother, George, run Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes. Her mother disapproved of Ginny’s decision, despite Ginny making is abundantly clear it was not a permanent position. But in the meantime, Ginny loved work working with her brother, George, and helping him invent new pranks. She always felt the presence of her late brother Fred while she was in the shop and that presence comforted her when she felt lost in the world. Fred never felt lost. Him and George were the most determined people she had ever met, and she was incredibly proud of George keeping the business afloat even after the incident.
“Oh fuck, I’m late.” Ginny just remembered that she was supposed to have tea with her mother at 10am, and her watch read 9:45. Ginny looked at her reflection in a store window and frowned. There was nothing worse than looking hungover when visiting your mother, but sadly, she had no time to run home to her flat to shower and change her clothes. And with that, she apparated to her childhood home, The Burrow.
“Ginny!” Mrs. Weasley squealed rushing towards her as she appeared in the kitchen, “Oh, I’m so happy you’re here!”
Ginny pulled her mom into a tight hug, “Hey, mum! How are you?”
Mrs. Weasley didn’t reply to the question though and instead scrunched her nose, “Ginny! You smell like a brewery!”
Ginny blushed in embarrassment, “I know, I know. I stayed at a friend’s house and didn’t have time to shower.”
“Ginny, you know you should not be drinking! And you better not be staying at any boy’s house!” Her mother said sternly.
“Of course not, mum!” Ginny lied. She loved her mom’s naivety and didn’t want to corrupt it with the truth of how Ginny typically spends a night out with friends.
“You’d better freshen up! Harry is coming over!” Mrs. Weasley winked and shoved a fresh towel and pair of clothes in Ginny’s arms. Harry was the only man Mrs. Weasley would ever approve of for Ginny, and it drove her nuts.
“Mum, I don’t need to dress to impress Harry. We already dated once, remember?”
“Never mind that! It was poor timing. The poorest of timing, even! You just need to give him another chance.” Mrs. Weasley tried convincing.
“I’ll make myself pretty but I’m not doing it to impress Harry.” Ginny compromised and headed up the stairs to the shower.
The shower instantly refreshed her, making her hangover feel infinitely more tolerable. She put on the pair of jeans and knitted sweater her mom gave her and looked in the mirror. She had grown into a beautiful woman. Her long crimson hair rippled down her back, perfectly framing her pale face which was sprinkled with freckles. Her large, brown, doe eyes gave her a look of innocence that was deceiving, considering her true mischievous nature.
“Ginny! Ron, Harry, and Hermione are here!” Her mother called from down the stairs. Ginny took one last look in the mirror and smiled at her reflection before making her way downstairs.
“Hey guys!” She said enthusiastically, and it was instantly met with huge hugs from her brother and two friends. She had remained close with them through everything, even Harry. Which is probably why her mother was so adamantly convinced they were soul mates.
The five of them spent the first hour sipping their tea and discussing the trip’s magnificent adventures in stopping crime and evil. Even though Ginny could not be happier for their immediate success she was also envious. It was exhausting constantly feeling compared to them.
“Oh, you three are doing marvellously! I’m so proud!” Mrs. Weasley beamed at the trio before turning to Ginny, “I really wish you three would convince Ginny to pursue something!”
“Mum!” Ginny shouted in defiance, “I don’t need convincing! I will “pursue something” when I’m ready, and for the record, I’m pursuing potions. I’ve recently perfected the draught of peace, and am planning on doing something even more advanced next.”
“If you want to work with potions I don’t understand why you don’t go to Healer School!” Her mom argued. Ginny rolled her eyes. I’m sure Harry and Hermione love visiting for tea only to have to awkwardly watch a Ginny Intervention, she thought.
“I don’t want to work with potions, I want to create potions!” Ginny argued back, “Besides, can we please talk about this later? It’s incredibly uncomfortable…” Ginny turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione who all gave her an awkward sympathetic smile.
They all finished their tea without much more excitement, besides Hermione needing to leave early for a work emergency. The two girls promised to meet up on the weekend for a much-needed girl’s day then hugged each other goodbye.
As Mrs. Weasley retreated to the kitchen to begin prepping dinner Ginny looked at her watch. “Shoot! I need to get down to the store! George has a major sale starting at 3 and we are expecting to get hit hard!”
She began packing up her stuff frantically. She didn’t notice Ron leave the room when Harry appeared right at her side.
“Hey, Ginny?” He asked quietly, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Harry, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime this week? I know of a great place…”
Ginny sighed. She hated rejecting him. “Harry, come on. I’m sorry but you know I’m not interested in dating you, or anyone, right now.”
“I know…you just look so amazing these days. And I can’t help but regret ever letting you go in the first place...You were the greatest girl I’ve ever been with.” He said sincerely, but Ginny simply rolled her eyes.
“Harry, I love you. I always have and I always will. But please, never say that you regret breaking up with me while we were teenagers. Best case scenario if you hadn’t dumped me is we would have dated for another year, broken up, and hated each other. At least this way we have remained friends!” Ginny explained her point of view, “Now, I’m really sorry, but I need to meet George at the store.”
She quickly kissed his cheek and apparated to the shop. She felt so guilty for constantly rejecting Harry. It wasn’t as though she didn’t like him, she really did! And a big part of her believed they would end up together in the end and make beautiful raven haired children. But it all just seemed so predictable and boring…Ginny needed to experience life more before making that kind of commitment. She knew that if she ever went on a single date with Harry it would essentially be marriage engagement in her Mother’s eyes. So she needed to make sure that she was 100% positive with her decision to date Harry before accepting his offer.
“Ginny! Thank god you’re here! Where were you!?” George hollered from behind a tower of prank filled boxes.
“I’m sorry! I woke up in a random house then had to meet Mum for tea! I’m here now though!” Ginny was frantically pulling on her apron with the initials W.W.W. sewn into it.
“Thank god. We’ve got about 20 minutes until the sale is live. We are going to get slammed.” He began handing her various colorful objects which she expertly placed on the shelves. They made an excellent team. “How’s mum doing?” he asked without pausing his work.
“Oh you know…the usual ‘what are you doing with your life and why aren’t you with Harry Potter?’ lecture.” Ginny sighed, “I don’t see what the big deal is! I’m financially stable, I have my own flat, I’m not pregnant with an unknown babydaddy… I’m not doing too bad for 21 years old!”
“Oh, you know how she gets. She’s just worried about you.” George explained sympathetically before adding, “But if she convinces my best worker to leave me I’m going to have some choice words with that mother of ours.”
Ginny chuckled in response and the two began to pick up the pace and work in silence. Ginny had gotten so distracted in her work she hadn’t even heard a customer walk into the store.
“Ahem” She heard a man cough behind her. As she turned around and saw who stood in front of her, her mouth dropped. There standing in all of his glory, with his platinum blonde hair, steel blue eyes, and perfectly ironed expensive suit was none other than Draco Malfoy.
“M-Malfoy?” Ginny stuttered out. She hadn’t seen him since the great war. He had barely even crossed her mind for a second and now he was standing directly in front of her.
“Really? I think we are over that teenaged ‘Last-Name’ nonsense, Ginevra.” He replied showing off his trademark smirk.
“Ginny. Call me Ginny.” She corrected him, loathing her full name.
“My apologies.” He said formally, “So, this is where you work?”
“Umm, yes.” Ginny began, feeling embarrassed. Draco Malfoy was the last person she would want to see at work. “It’s just temporary, though. Can I help you find anything?”
“Yes, actually! I was told you could find those famous Skiving Snackboxes here? My friend and I plan on ditching work tomorrow.” He replied, which caught Ginny off guard. It seemed like such an oddly humorous detail to share with Ginny, especially coming from Malfoy.
“Yeah, absolutely! Follow me!” She directed him down the long hallways stocked full of various products, “You came with excellent time. In about 10 minutes we are starting this huge annual sale and we are expecting half of Diagon Alley to apparate here any minute.”
“Lucky me!”
Draco chose a variety pack of the Skiving Snackboxes to ensure that his plans to skip work would be successful. Ginny was excited to get him out of the store. Despite his odd friendliness she still was not fond of him.
“So, what do you plan on doing after this? Seeing as you said it was temporary?” Draco asked, and Ginny winced at the question. Why do people feel it’s their business to know other people’s life plans? She asked herself.
“Umm…it’s silly, really. I love potions but I didn’t do well in the subject while in Hogwarts. So now I’m sort of training myself in hopes of getting skilled enough to make a name for myself without a formal education.”
“Really? That’s amazing! I never would have pegged you as an aspiring potions master.” He flashed a genuine smile at her which sent butterflies through Ginny’s stomach. She couldn’t deny he was incredibly attractive. She thought that would be the end of the subject until he suggested something she never would have expected:
“I think I might be able to help you out with your goal. How would you like to meet me for drinks tomorrow night and we can catch up?”
Ginny gawked at him, “Are you joking me?”
“Why would I be joking?”
“Because I’m Ginny Weasley and you spent the majority of your time at Hogwarts trying to make my life, and my family’s lives, horrible.” She said bluntly.
“People can change! So, are you interested?”
Ginny thought about it for a minute. On one hand, she wanted to reject his offer – she didn’t need help from Draco Malfoy! But on the other hand, she was incredibly intrigued by his proposal, she was looking for more excitement in her life, and she could not ignore how damn attractive he was. Three reasons against one!
“Sure, why not?”
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