Chapter 4: ‘Cause I Don’t Need to Think
“Now tell me, Ghazi, what do you think the dream means? Obviously, there’s a reason that you have been having fantasies about your sister-in-law’s…cat.”
“But she’s so soft, Healer. Every time we visit that stupid sister-in-law of mine, Fluffers is the only thing that can make me happy. I’m just so happy then.”
Oh my. This man was nutters. “Surely you’re happy when you’re with your wife. She’s lovely. Maybe you should try to spend time with her instead of Fluffers.”
He seemed shocked at the mere thought of it. “Oh, no! I couldn’t betray Fluffers like that. She’s the love of my life!”
Ding! “I’m so sorry. But our time’s up.”
Muttering about his Healer’s inability to understand love, the patient left the office to schedule his next appointment. If every patient was as crazy as he was, she would have driven herself crazy a long time ago. Thankfully, he had been her last visit of the day.
It was already three, and her date with Aleks was going to start in an hour. She quickly went to the loo and re-did her hair and makeup; the glamour spells were beginning to wear off slightly. A quick spin revealed that her black jumper and crisp grey trousers were still pristine; the pearl necklace and earrings she wore were presents to herself for finishing her schooling. It was a professional outfit, but a few buttons could be undone for a more relaxed look. It was quite sophisticated if Ginny said so herself. Glancing at her watch, she decided to leave the office early and walk there.
When she arrived at approximately 3:45, she was surprised to see Aleks there already, waiting at an outdoor table. Most men she knew seemed to have a terrible sense of time. Except for the man her LD period was devoted to. Pushing him from her mind, again, she walked over to their table. Aleks immediately stood up and kissed her on her check. Well, hello to you too, Mr. Ukraine.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Ginevra. You look stunning!” he gestured towards the teapot and said, “Please, you first. Would you like anything to eat? I wasn’t sure what you would want.”
“Thank you. Um, I’ll just have a Victoria sponge?” He really seemed to be covering his bases.
“Alright, I’ll go in and order it,” he said as he stood up, nodded his head, and went inside.
While he was gone, Ginny surveyed the restaurant. There were couples, young and old. Families with adorable children. It made her wonder if she was ever going to have that. At one time, she thought that was exactly where her life was headed. Now she wasn’t so sure.
An hour later, it was obvious to Ginny that Aleksander was very interested in her. While she wasn’t exactly besotted with him, he did seem nice enough. He asked her great questions about her line of work and didn’t appear bored by anything she said. She decided that, while he didn’t appear to be the next great love of her life, she wouldn’t mind seeing him again.
“…fascinating. I always wondered how people like that are treated. The new advancements you mentioned are amazing. When will they be approved for use on children? Ginny?”
“Hmm?” Snapping back to reality, she realized he had asked her a question. “Oh, I’m sorry, Aleks. I’m just a little tired from work today.”
“Then, by all means, let me walk you home.” Another man seeing her apartment? She didn’t know how she felt about that. She supposed, however, that she didn’t have to invite him in.
“All right. Thank you,” she murmured when he pulled out her chair for her to stand. They walked back with some distance between them. Ginny felt strangely relieved when he didn’t try to take her arm or hand. When they reached her loft, he did grasp her arm softly.
“I had a nice time with you,” Aleks told her, his voice suddenly an octave lower. “I would really like to see you more.”
“I think I’d like that too.” And she meant it. She enjoyed the positive male attention. Before she could suggest another time for them to meet, he had leant in and brushed his lips against hers. He didn’t attempt to do any more. After, he squeezed her hand and promised to Floo her soon.
Once she had gone into her apart, she leaned against the door. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that kiss. It had been…odd. It wasn’t that he was a bad kisser or anything. She was just comparing him to her dragon. Yes, that was it.
From that night on, Ginny and Aleks met at least once a week. Sometimes for tea or dinner. Other times they went to nice clubs. Once, Aleks even made the trek out to the Burrow for Sunday brunch. And it didn’t go well at all.
As soon as they had arrived at the door, her mum had swept Ginny into a rather tight hug. From there, Ginny had been essentially tossed around from George to Percy to Charlie and so on. When she had finally reached Ron, he had an odd look on his face.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing someone today,” he had quietly said.
“Well, I’ve been seeing Aleks casually for about a month and a half. It seemed like it was time for him to meet everyone casually. Is something wrong?” Ginny asked. It did seem like something was out of place; Ron just had such a weird look on his face.
“I just…bloody hell, I’m going to sound like such a poofter. I’m not sure if I can get along with another boyfriend of yours. Dean and Harry, they were already friends of mine. But I kind of learned to like Draco. Merlin, I think I may actually miss him!”
“Ron, get a hold of yourself. And yes, you do sound like a poofter.” At that moment, Aleks came over to shake Ron’s hand and also put an arm around her shoulders.
“Hello there. I’m Aleks. You must be Ron, right? Pleasure.”
Grumbling, all Ron could manage was a “same here.”
“Now, you work with George at the joke shop? That sounds like a lot of fun. How did you two start the company?”
Ginny felt the familiar sting of tears. She didn’t want anyone to tell Aleks about how Ron had not been one of the two founders of WWW. She put her hand on his chest, at the same time saying, “Oh, that’s neither here nor there. Why don’t we go sit?”
Throughout the dinner, all of the Weasley boys made thinly veiled references to how they liked her former lover much more. They had asked Aleks if he ever considered dyeing his hair blond, if he enjoyed dragons, or if the face he’d just made could be classified as a smirk. Aleks had been clueless, but Ginny just became more and more enraged. She was trying to get over him, and none of them were helping. Of course she found Draco better. Draco, though, didn’t find her better than his new life.
She felt like a broken record repeating that she wanted to move on. But no one would let her!
After, she and Aleks had ended up back at her flat. For some reason, they always ended up being closer to hers than his. They had lain on the couch, cuddling and kissing. When he had tried to initiate something more, however, she had pushed him away. He hadn’t gotten the message until she had pushed him away for a third time.
“Aleks, I mean it! Stop it,” she firmly stated.
“Why don’t you tell me the rules?”
What? “Rules? What do you mean?” Really, what was he talking about?
“The things,” he began, “that I have to say or do to take us to the next level. C’mon, Gin. I’ve met your family now. Surely that warrants me something.”
“Yeah, it does.” His eyes lit up. “It ensures you a good kick in the arse and me showing you the door. Go.”
“Is that what you really want?” he growled, trying to sound seductive. He failed.
“Yes, it is. It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I’ll give you two.” She refused to be pushed into something she didn’t want.
“Fine,” he snapped. And with that, he had left and slammed the front door behind him.
She hadn’t been shaken by the event but flabbergasted. She had never seen a side of Aleks other than the one he’d first shown her at the bar. He was always disarmingly suave. She was didn’t want to see him for some time.
He had Floo’d her a few days later, saying he had been ill and short with her. She had accepted the apology but refused his invitation to a club opening the following day. And the gala he’d been invited to at the French Ministry. In fact, she had declined at least five offerings. Every time she turned him down, he became more and more agitated.
“Look,” he had said after her fourth refusal, “this is ridiculous. I’m sorry I tried to push you. I just wasn’t myself that day.”
“I understand that. Especially since you’ve told me that several times. Aleks, I think all this was a mistake. We need a break.”
“A break? We aren’t even truly dating. We kiss, we cuddle, and that’s all. You won’t let me shag you! If anything, I should want a break from you!”
“That’s perfect then. We can both break from each other. Good day.” She had blocked his access to her Floo and had instructed her doorman to turn him away.
It was early fall, about a month after she had broken things off with Aleks. She hadn’t seen him anywhere—neither at the tea place nor at any bars she’d been to with Luna. One day, she had thought she’d seen another man from her past. At least ten meters in front of her, she had seen a man dressed in all black. And that man had had the palest blond hair she’d ever seen. She had seen it before. Draco. Ginny had stopped in the middle of the road; she lost her breath.
She was just about to call out to him when she felt someone grasp her arm from behind. Turning quickly, she came face to face with Aleks.
“Ginny, I want you to know how sorry I am. Again. I’m just so happy with you. Please give me another chance.”
By the time she had looked over her should, any trace of her dragon was gone. Damn it. She glanced at Aleksander. “I just don’t think this will work. We could be friends but nothing more. I’m sorry, too. But this isn’t right for either of us.”
She quickly walked away from him. She didn’t slow down when she heard him call her name. For the first time, she was walking away from something because she wanted to. As she realized this, she added a bit of a wiggle to her walk.
He had only been walking through London to clear his head. Every night, he dreamed about Ginevra. She consumed his thoughts during prayer, too. So he’d just been minding his own business when he heard a woman behind him yelp. He went to lean against a wall, to make it seem like he wasn’t spying, when he’d seen her. Gin. With some man. Some man who had his hands on her. Draco could feel his hands forming fists. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could tell from Ginny’s stiff posture that it wasn’t anything good. She had pushed herself past the unknown man, not turning when he’d called her name.
He had stood there for a few more minutes, as had the stranger. Draco walked into an alley with the intention of Apparating back home. At the same time, Ginny’s man shuffled into the shadows.
“Hello, I’m Aleks. I just figured I should introduce myself because I noticed you spying on me earlier. Did you need something?” Hell, Draco thought he’d been smoother than that.
“No, nothing. I just heard the lady gasp and wanted to make sure there was no trouble. Was there?” He asked sternly. He didn’t want this Aleks to know just how well he knew the lady.
“Just some bitch who won’t give me what I want. A bloody prude, she is. But, not to worry, I have plans for her.”
“And what,” Draco curiously questioned, “would those plans entail?”
“Let’s just say she won’t refuse me again.”
Right then, Draco knew he would have to pay a visit to Ginevra Weasley. No matter how painful it might be.
“Now tell me, Ghazi, what do you think the dream means? Obviously, there’s a reason that you have been having fantasies about your sister-in-law’s…cat.”
“But she’s so soft, Healer. Every time we visit that stupid sister-in-law of mine, Fluffers is the only thing that can make me happy. I’m just so happy then.”
Oh my. This man was nutters. “Surely you’re happy when you’re with your wife. She’s lovely. Maybe you should try to spend time with her instead of Fluffers.”
He seemed shocked at the mere thought of it. “Oh, no! I couldn’t betray Fluffers like that. She’s the love of my life!”
Ding! “I’m so sorry. But our time’s up.”
Muttering about his Healer’s inability to understand love, the patient left the office to schedule his next appointment. If every patient was as crazy as he was, she would have driven herself crazy a long time ago. Thankfully, he had been her last visit of the day.
It was already three, and her date with Aleks was going to start in an hour. She quickly went to the loo and re-did her hair and makeup; the glamour spells were beginning to wear off slightly. A quick spin revealed that her black jumper and crisp grey trousers were still pristine; the pearl necklace and earrings she wore were presents to herself for finishing her schooling. It was a professional outfit, but a few buttons could be undone for a more relaxed look. It was quite sophisticated if Ginny said so herself. Glancing at her watch, she decided to leave the office early and walk there.
When she arrived at approximately 3:45, she was surprised to see Aleks there already, waiting at an outdoor table. Most men she knew seemed to have a terrible sense of time. Except for the man her LD period was devoted to. Pushing him from her mind, again, she walked over to their table. Aleks immediately stood up and kissed her on her check. Well, hello to you too, Mr. Ukraine.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Ginevra. You look stunning!” he gestured towards the teapot and said, “Please, you first. Would you like anything to eat? I wasn’t sure what you would want.”
“Thank you. Um, I’ll just have a Victoria sponge?” He really seemed to be covering his bases.
“Alright, I’ll go in and order it,” he said as he stood up, nodded his head, and went inside.
While he was gone, Ginny surveyed the restaurant. There were couples, young and old. Families with adorable children. It made her wonder if she was ever going to have that. At one time, she thought that was exactly where her life was headed. Now she wasn’t so sure.
An hour later, it was obvious to Ginny that Aleksander was very interested in her. While she wasn’t exactly besotted with him, he did seem nice enough. He asked her great questions about her line of work and didn’t appear bored by anything she said. She decided that, while he didn’t appear to be the next great love of her life, she wouldn’t mind seeing him again.
“…fascinating. I always wondered how people like that are treated. The new advancements you mentioned are amazing. When will they be approved for use on children? Ginny?”
“Hmm?” Snapping back to reality, she realized he had asked her a question. “Oh, I’m sorry, Aleks. I’m just a little tired from work today.”
“Then, by all means, let me walk you home.” Another man seeing her apartment? She didn’t know how she felt about that. She supposed, however, that she didn’t have to invite him in.
“All right. Thank you,” she murmured when he pulled out her chair for her to stand. They walked back with some distance between them. Ginny felt strangely relieved when he didn’t try to take her arm or hand. When they reached her loft, he did grasp her arm softly.
“I had a nice time with you,” Aleks told her, his voice suddenly an octave lower. “I would really like to see you more.”
“I think I’d like that too.” And she meant it. She enjoyed the positive male attention. Before she could suggest another time for them to meet, he had leant in and brushed his lips against hers. He didn’t attempt to do any more. After, he squeezed her hand and promised to Floo her soon.
Once she had gone into her apart, she leaned against the door. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that kiss. It had been…odd. It wasn’t that he was a bad kisser or anything. She was just comparing him to her dragon. Yes, that was it.
From that night on, Ginny and Aleks met at least once a week. Sometimes for tea or dinner. Other times they went to nice clubs. Once, Aleks even made the trek out to the Burrow for Sunday brunch. And it didn’t go well at all.
As soon as they had arrived at the door, her mum had swept Ginny into a rather tight hug. From there, Ginny had been essentially tossed around from George to Percy to Charlie and so on. When she had finally reached Ron, he had an odd look on his face.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing someone today,” he had quietly said.
“Well, I’ve been seeing Aleks casually for about a month and a half. It seemed like it was time for him to meet everyone casually. Is something wrong?” Ginny asked. It did seem like something was out of place; Ron just had such a weird look on his face.
“I just…bloody hell, I’m going to sound like such a poofter. I’m not sure if I can get along with another boyfriend of yours. Dean and Harry, they were already friends of mine. But I kind of learned to like Draco. Merlin, I think I may actually miss him!”
“Ron, get a hold of yourself. And yes, you do sound like a poofter.” At that moment, Aleks came over to shake Ron’s hand and also put an arm around her shoulders.
“Hello there. I’m Aleks. You must be Ron, right? Pleasure.”
Grumbling, all Ron could manage was a “same here.”
“Now, you work with George at the joke shop? That sounds like a lot of fun. How did you two start the company?”
Ginny felt the familiar sting of tears. She didn’t want anyone to tell Aleks about how Ron had not been one of the two founders of WWW. She put her hand on his chest, at the same time saying, “Oh, that’s neither here nor there. Why don’t we go sit?”
Throughout the dinner, all of the Weasley boys made thinly veiled references to how they liked her former lover much more. They had asked Aleks if he ever considered dyeing his hair blond, if he enjoyed dragons, or if the face he’d just made could be classified as a smirk. Aleks had been clueless, but Ginny just became more and more enraged. She was trying to get over him, and none of them were helping. Of course she found Draco better. Draco, though, didn’t find her better than his new life.
She felt like a broken record repeating that she wanted to move on. But no one would let her!
After, she and Aleks had ended up back at her flat. For some reason, they always ended up being closer to hers than his. They had lain on the couch, cuddling and kissing. When he had tried to initiate something more, however, she had pushed him away. He hadn’t gotten the message until she had pushed him away for a third time.
“Aleks, I mean it! Stop it,” she firmly stated.
“Why don’t you tell me the rules?”
What? “Rules? What do you mean?” Really, what was he talking about?
“The things,” he began, “that I have to say or do to take us to the next level. C’mon, Gin. I’ve met your family now. Surely that warrants me something.”
“Yeah, it does.” His eyes lit up. “It ensures you a good kick in the arse and me showing you the door. Go.”
“Is that what you really want?” he growled, trying to sound seductive. He failed.
“Yes, it is. It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I’ll give you two.” She refused to be pushed into something she didn’t want.
“Fine,” he snapped. And with that, he had left and slammed the front door behind him.
She hadn’t been shaken by the event but flabbergasted. She had never seen a side of Aleks other than the one he’d first shown her at the bar. He was always disarmingly suave. She was didn’t want to see him for some time.
He had Floo’d her a few days later, saying he had been ill and short with her. She had accepted the apology but refused his invitation to a club opening the following day. And the gala he’d been invited to at the French Ministry. In fact, she had declined at least five offerings. Every time she turned him down, he became more and more agitated.
“Look,” he had said after her fourth refusal, “this is ridiculous. I’m sorry I tried to push you. I just wasn’t myself that day.”
“I understand that. Especially since you’ve told me that several times. Aleks, I think all this was a mistake. We need a break.”
“A break? We aren’t even truly dating. We kiss, we cuddle, and that’s all. You won’t let me shag you! If anything, I should want a break from you!”
“That’s perfect then. We can both break from each other. Good day.” She had blocked his access to her Floo and had instructed her doorman to turn him away.
It was early fall, about a month after she had broken things off with Aleks. She hadn’t seen him anywhere—neither at the tea place nor at any bars she’d been to with Luna. One day, she had thought she’d seen another man from her past. At least ten meters in front of her, she had seen a man dressed in all black. And that man had had the palest blond hair she’d ever seen. She had seen it before. Draco. Ginny had stopped in the middle of the road; she lost her breath.
She was just about to call out to him when she felt someone grasp her arm from behind. Turning quickly, she came face to face with Aleks.
“Ginny, I want you to know how sorry I am. Again. I’m just so happy with you. Please give me another chance.”
By the time she had looked over her should, any trace of her dragon was gone. Damn it. She glanced at Aleksander. “I just don’t think this will work. We could be friends but nothing more. I’m sorry, too. But this isn’t right for either of us.”
She quickly walked away from him. She didn’t slow down when she heard him call her name. For the first time, she was walking away from something because she wanted to. As she realized this, she added a bit of a wiggle to her walk.
He had only been walking through London to clear his head. Every night, he dreamed about Ginevra. She consumed his thoughts during prayer, too. So he’d just been minding his own business when he heard a woman behind him yelp. He went to lean against a wall, to make it seem like he wasn’t spying, when he’d seen her. Gin. With some man. Some man who had his hands on her. Draco could feel his hands forming fists. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could tell from Ginny’s stiff posture that it wasn’t anything good. She had pushed herself past the unknown man, not turning when he’d called her name.
He had stood there for a few more minutes, as had the stranger. Draco walked into an alley with the intention of Apparating back home. At the same time, Ginny’s man shuffled into the shadows.
“Hello, I’m Aleks. I just figured I should introduce myself because I noticed you spying on me earlier. Did you need something?” Hell, Draco thought he’d been smoother than that.
“No, nothing. I just heard the lady gasp and wanted to make sure there was no trouble. Was there?” He asked sternly. He didn’t want this Aleks to know just how well he knew the lady.
“Just some bitch who won’t give me what I want. A bloody prude, she is. But, not to worry, I have plans for her.”
“And what,” Draco curiously questioned, “would those plans entail?”
“Let’s just say she won’t refuse me again.”
Right then, Draco knew he would have to pay a visit to Ginevra Weasley. No matter how painful it might be.
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