a/n: After some encouragement from a couple of friends, I have decided that there might be a bit more to tell in this story. This is my first attempt at installments, since usually I finish a story before I post it. We’ll see how it goes.
“So how did he get away?”
“He didn’t get away,” Ginny Weasley replied, as she stood before the Head Auror’s desk. “I let him go.”
Harry Potter pushed at the spectacles perched on his nose and repeated Ginny’s words in a deceptively calm voice, “You let him go.”
She inclined her head slightly. “Yes.”
Harry’s lips tightened into a thin line and in the same unemotional voice he said, “I see.”
There was more than a hint of amusement in her voice when she replied quietly, “Do you?”
Harry felt the grasp on the calm he was desperately holding onto slip when he looked up to see the smirk on Ginny’s face. The fact that it bore a startling resemblance to the trademark smirk of the Slytherin in question only served to infuriate him more.
He slammed a gigantic tome of spells on his desk shut with a loud and sudden thwap, making both Hermione and Ron, who’d been standing by the window trying to seem unobtrusive, jump.
“Yes, Ginny”, Harry answered finally, “I see a lot of things quite clearly now.”
“Well, then,” Ginny said, “I guess there’s no need for any further explanation.”
She turned and strode out of the office. She’d made it as far as the corner to turn into the corridor leading to the exit of the ministry building when she heard her brother call out to her. She didn’t turn around or stop, but she did slow down to allow him and her sister-in-law to catch up.
“Gin,” Ron exclaimed, out of breath, “what the bloody hell was that all about?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Ron,” she said, speeding up her pace again.
Ron reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and face him. “Why didn’t you just tell him Draco got away? That he didn’t show or something?”
“Because that wasn’t the truth. He did show. He didn’t get away. I let him go.”
“You know what sort of stress Harry’s been under lately. The whole Wizarding world is expecting him to clear up this sudden outbreak of Death Eater activities. That’s a lot of pressure. Merlin, he would have been in his rights to fire you Gin!”
The look of concern on Ron’s face should have given Ginny some comfort. Instead it pushed her beyond her last dregs of patience, coupled with that incredulous speech. Being unable to stand anymore, she unleashed her exasperation on her brother.
“Harry’s been under some sort of pressure or another since he was eleven years old. You’d think he’d be used to it by now. I told Harry I didn’t think it wise for me to take this assignment, and he knew all the reasons why I was right, and yet he chose to send me anyway. If Harry decides to fire me because of a direct result of his bad decision, then so be it.”
She turned to walk away, but Ron held fast to her arm. “Look, I’m only trying to think of you. There’s only so much you can expect to get by with, even if you are my sister, you know. I don’t know why you couldn’t have just told Harry that Malfoy didn’t show. I guess that insane infatuation with Malfoy affected you more than we thought. You certainly have acquired his arrogant pride. Poor Harry, I don’t know what he’ll do now. He was really counting on you Gin.”
Ginny turned to glare at her brother. “Why is it Ron that the first thing out of my family’s mouth when anything happens is to speculate on how it will affect Harry Potter? You claim to be thinking of me but the crux of it is how will it affect Harry, isn’t it? That seems to be the only time anyone notices anything I do. I often wonder, Ron, if Harry hadn’t been plagued with hearing the balisk, how long it would have taken anyone to notice I was missing when I opened the chamber.”
Ron blanched, and Ginny knew she’d hit the mark with her barb. He abruptly let her go and hurried back down the hallway.
Hermione Weasley, who’d been silent during the whole brother-sister tirade, turned to Ginny.
“Ron mentioned that Malfoy’s pride had rubbed off on you, Gin, but he forgot to add that you seem to have inherited his cruel streak as well”, she said quietly before turning to hurry after her husband.
Ginny watched them go for a moment and sighed. She hadn’t meant to hurt them, but neither was she in the mood to run after them and soothe their hurt feelings. She wasn’t sorry for letting Draco go, and she simply didn’t care enough to apologize.
She laid her head against the cool stone of the wall for a moment to collect herself. Let them all commiserate on her betrayal together. She was going home for a glass of wine and a good soak.
Ginny had almost gotten away. In fact, she was reaching for the door that led out of the building when she heard her name being called out. She recognized the voice of her boss, her friend and her adopted brother, Harry Potter.
Perhaps he had decided not to wait till he calmed down to fire her after all. For a moment she seriously contemplated the idea of pretending not to hear him and making a sprint to the Apparition point just outside, but then she took a deep breath and turned to face him.
As she watched the handsome black-haired man hurry down the corridor, she reflected on the broad scope of extremes that their relationship had taken over the years. Seeing him nervously smooth down his ever messy hair as he approached her made her smile. “Yes, Harry?” she said.
“Gin, I couldn’t let you leave that way,” he replied. “I’m trying to figure out what just happened. I’m sorry I was angry—”
“Harry, you have every right to be angry. I didn’t do my job, and I let Draco go purposefully. I understand your anger. In my defense though, I’d like to remind you that I strenuously objected to being sent on this particular assignment.”
“Is that why you did it Gin? Were you trying to prove some sort of a point? Getting back at me for sending you to catch Draco?”
Ginny sighed. “Oh, Harry, you don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I just don’t know what to believe, Gin. Ron was saying it was all about you being stubborn and prideful, and Hermione was implying that it all had something to do with the way our relationship ended in school, and honestly, Ginny, I’m just confused. It’s not like you to be so nonchalant about flubbing an assignment, to be so flippant towards me. You reminded me of….” Harry stopped, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Of Draco?” Ginny supplied for him.
“Well yes,” Harry agreed.
“Harry, I want you to know, I respect you enormously. Over the years, you’ve been my friend, my confidant, my hero even. You are truly my seventh brother and I love you. I’d do almost anything you asked me to do, catch anyone you asked me to catch. I’d go after the Dark Lord himself if he somehow managed to resurrect himself from that puddle of green slime you turned him into, if it’s what you needed me to do. But the one thing I won’t do for you, Harry, is cage Draco Malfoy. I don’t expect you to understand that, I’m not sure I do myself. And before you ask, no, I am not still in love with Draco, I barely think about him anymore. But I did love him once, Harry, and I just can’t be the one you depend on to bring him down. I’m sorry,” and with that Ginny turned and walked out the door and home to her tub.
“So how did he get away?”
“He didn’t get away,” Ginny Weasley replied, as she stood before the Head Auror’s desk. “I let him go.”
Harry Potter pushed at the spectacles perched on his nose and repeated Ginny’s words in a deceptively calm voice, “You let him go.”
She inclined her head slightly. “Yes.”
Harry’s lips tightened into a thin line and in the same unemotional voice he said, “I see.”
There was more than a hint of amusement in her voice when she replied quietly, “Do you?”
Harry felt the grasp on the calm he was desperately holding onto slip when he looked up to see the smirk on Ginny’s face. The fact that it bore a startling resemblance to the trademark smirk of the Slytherin in question only served to infuriate him more.
He slammed a gigantic tome of spells on his desk shut with a loud and sudden thwap, making both Hermione and Ron, who’d been standing by the window trying to seem unobtrusive, jump.
“Yes, Ginny”, Harry answered finally, “I see a lot of things quite clearly now.”
“Well, then,” Ginny said, “I guess there’s no need for any further explanation.”
She turned and strode out of the office. She’d made it as far as the corner to turn into the corridor leading to the exit of the ministry building when she heard her brother call out to her. She didn’t turn around or stop, but she did slow down to allow him and her sister-in-law to catch up.
“Gin,” Ron exclaimed, out of breath, “what the bloody hell was that all about?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Ron,” she said, speeding up her pace again.
Ron reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and face him. “Why didn’t you just tell him Draco got away? That he didn’t show or something?”
“Because that wasn’t the truth. He did show. He didn’t get away. I let him go.”
“You know what sort of stress Harry’s been under lately. The whole Wizarding world is expecting him to clear up this sudden outbreak of Death Eater activities. That’s a lot of pressure. Merlin, he would have been in his rights to fire you Gin!”
The look of concern on Ron’s face should have given Ginny some comfort. Instead it pushed her beyond her last dregs of patience, coupled with that incredulous speech. Being unable to stand anymore, she unleashed her exasperation on her brother.
“Harry’s been under some sort of pressure or another since he was eleven years old. You’d think he’d be used to it by now. I told Harry I didn’t think it wise for me to take this assignment, and he knew all the reasons why I was right, and yet he chose to send me anyway. If Harry decides to fire me because of a direct result of his bad decision, then so be it.”
She turned to walk away, but Ron held fast to her arm. “Look, I’m only trying to think of you. There’s only so much you can expect to get by with, even if you are my sister, you know. I don’t know why you couldn’t have just told Harry that Malfoy didn’t show. I guess that insane infatuation with Malfoy affected you more than we thought. You certainly have acquired his arrogant pride. Poor Harry, I don’t know what he’ll do now. He was really counting on you Gin.”
Ginny turned to glare at her brother. “Why is it Ron that the first thing out of my family’s mouth when anything happens is to speculate on how it will affect Harry Potter? You claim to be thinking of me but the crux of it is how will it affect Harry, isn’t it? That seems to be the only time anyone notices anything I do. I often wonder, Ron, if Harry hadn’t been plagued with hearing the balisk, how long it would have taken anyone to notice I was missing when I opened the chamber.”
Ron blanched, and Ginny knew she’d hit the mark with her barb. He abruptly let her go and hurried back down the hallway.
Hermione Weasley, who’d been silent during the whole brother-sister tirade, turned to Ginny.
“Ron mentioned that Malfoy’s pride had rubbed off on you, Gin, but he forgot to add that you seem to have inherited his cruel streak as well”, she said quietly before turning to hurry after her husband.
Ginny watched them go for a moment and sighed. She hadn’t meant to hurt them, but neither was she in the mood to run after them and soothe their hurt feelings. She wasn’t sorry for letting Draco go, and she simply didn’t care enough to apologize.
She laid her head against the cool stone of the wall for a moment to collect herself. Let them all commiserate on her betrayal together. She was going home for a glass of wine and a good soak.
Ginny had almost gotten away. In fact, she was reaching for the door that led out of the building when she heard her name being called out. She recognized the voice of her boss, her friend and her adopted brother, Harry Potter.
Perhaps he had decided not to wait till he calmed down to fire her after all. For a moment she seriously contemplated the idea of pretending not to hear him and making a sprint to the Apparition point just outside, but then she took a deep breath and turned to face him.
As she watched the handsome black-haired man hurry down the corridor, she reflected on the broad scope of extremes that their relationship had taken over the years. Seeing him nervously smooth down his ever messy hair as he approached her made her smile. “Yes, Harry?” she said.
“Gin, I couldn’t let you leave that way,” he replied. “I’m trying to figure out what just happened. I’m sorry I was angry—”
“Harry, you have every right to be angry. I didn’t do my job, and I let Draco go purposefully. I understand your anger. In my defense though, I’d like to remind you that I strenuously objected to being sent on this particular assignment.”
“Is that why you did it Gin? Were you trying to prove some sort of a point? Getting back at me for sending you to catch Draco?”
Ginny sighed. “Oh, Harry, you don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I just don’t know what to believe, Gin. Ron was saying it was all about you being stubborn and prideful, and Hermione was implying that it all had something to do with the way our relationship ended in school, and honestly, Ginny, I’m just confused. It’s not like you to be so nonchalant about flubbing an assignment, to be so flippant towards me. You reminded me of….” Harry stopped, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Of Draco?” Ginny supplied for him.
“Well yes,” Harry agreed.
“Harry, I want you to know, I respect you enormously. Over the years, you’ve been my friend, my confidant, my hero even. You are truly my seventh brother and I love you. I’d do almost anything you asked me to do, catch anyone you asked me to catch. I’d go after the Dark Lord himself if he somehow managed to resurrect himself from that puddle of green slime you turned him into, if it’s what you needed me to do. But the one thing I won’t do for you, Harry, is cage Draco Malfoy. I don’t expect you to understand that, I’m not sure I do myself. And before you ask, no, I am not still in love with Draco, I barely think about him anymore. But I did love him once, Harry, and I just can’t be the one you depend on to bring him down. I’m sorry,” and with that Ginny turned and walked out the door and home to her tub.
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