A/N: It has just occurred to me that I never put a disclaimer on this. So here it goes. I own nothing even remotely Harry Potter related, except a few copies of the books. I also have no rights, except for that whole bit about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness thing, and I am making no profit from this other than my own sheer entertainment. Now, a disclaimer to the disclaimer: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is from "The Declaration of Independence." I guess that's it. Did I miss anything?
Chapter 5: Got a Costume?
"Ginny!" Harry said as he stood from his chair in the café to greet his friend.
"Oh Harry, it is so good to see you," Ginny said as she gave her long-time friend a sisterly kiss on the cheek, while holding the hand of a sneering Ben.
"It's good to see you, too," he said smiling. "And how are you today, Ben?" Harry said, squatting down to be eye-level with the three-year old.
Ben's scowl only grew as the annoying man impeded his vision. Harry seemed not to notice and pulled a stuffed dog from behind his back. He offered it to the child as he said, "Look what I found, Ben. Now whatever am I supposed to do with this? Do you know someone who may want it?"
Ben looked bored as he glanced at the dog and then looked back to Harry with the same expression. Harry's face began to fall as Ginny decided to step in. She smiled as she took the toy from Harry and said, "Thank you so much, Harry. I'm sure Ben loves it; he's just hungry. We only had enough time to grab a few cereal bars on the way out the door this morning. I know I'm starving."
Harry started smiling again as he straightened and helped Ginny put Ben in his booster seat.
After eating, Ginny asked Harry how he was enjoying his vacation. He had practically been ordered to take a vacation after his last assignment.
He just closed his eyes and slowly said, "I am so bored. There's absolutely nothing to do. I spend most of the day just sitting in the flat, flipping through old Quidditch magazines."
Ginny looked amused and said, "You could always pick up a book. You know, read something."
Harry just made face, so she rolled her eyes and asked how long he was off.
"According to the last owl I got, indefinitely. It'll be at least another week. I think they're just waiting for something to come along. We're a little over-staffed right now, and no one has any breathing room. Even with both me and Ron on vacation, there are still too many people. Being an Auror just isn't as much fun when there's not enough to stay busy. I've thought about doing something else, but there isn't anything else I want to do," Harry said.
"You could always play Quidditch. The Cannons need a new seeker, and I'm sure they'd take you in a heartbeat," Ginny said confidently.
"Yeah, I guess, but… I don't know. I'll have to think about it. Anyway," Harry said glancing at his watch, "I've got to get going. I'm supposed to be at Ron and Luna's soon. Did you want to come? I'm sure they'd love to see you again."
"I'd really love to, but I have to finish Ben's costume," Ginny said while she wiped the aforementioned Ben's face and hands.
"Oh that's right. Today is Halloween, oh, and the party's tonight. I don't know how I forgot about that. So, what are you going as?"
"It's a surprise," Ginny said as she winked.
The two friends gave each other one final hug and said their goodbyes as they apparated to their respective destinations.
~~~~~
Pansy, resigned to the fact that she was going to have to help Draco, said, "Fine, I'll help you, but I refuse to do anything that might hurt her."
"Don't worry; I'm not going to touch her," he said, waving her off.
Pansy looked directly into Draco's eyes and said seriously, "That's not what I mean, and you know it."
He avoided her gaze and said, "All I need is information."
"What kind of information?" Pansy asked suspiciously.
"What can I do to show her that being married to me isn't such a terrible idea? She really doesn't seem like the type to be swayed by the money and prestige it would bring her like most girls."
"No, she isn't," Pansy said immediately.
"Exactly; now what I need to know is what would sway her. At the moment, she won't even talk to me," Draco scowled.
Pansy suppressed a giggle at the thought of Ginny refusing to talk to her "suave" friend and said, "I really don't see her marrying anyone for any reason other than love."
"Damn! Well, how do I make her fall in love with me?" Draco asked imploringly.
Pansy looked at him strangely. "Draco, it doesn't work that way. You can't make someone else fall in love. You can't even make yourself fall in love. It just happens."
He raised his eyebrows and nearly yelled, "Then how on earth am I supposed to do this? It's supposed to just happen?!"
"You can't make her love you, but you can help it along." Pansy paused and thought for a moment and said, "The biggest obstacle is going to be Ben."
"What do you mean? He's just a kid," Draco asked confused.
Pansy looked at Draco incredulously and said, "He's a kid who envelops her entire life. The main reason she
doesn't really date is that Ben doesn't like strangers and she would never be with anyone that Ben didn't
love as well."
"So you're saying that on top of somehow getting Weaslette to fall in love with me, I have to make the kid like me, too? And I have to do it all in three months! This is impossible!"
"It's not impossible, but it will be some work. Whenever you went to see her at the store, did you see Ben?"
"Yeah. He just kind of sat there and stared at me. It was weird. Is he okay… you know," he said while gesturing to his head.
Pansy scoffed and said, "I don't care what anyone says; there is nothing wrong with that child's mental capacity. In fact, I think he's rather intelligent for his age. It just takes a while for him to start to like people. It was months before he would let me pick him up. He's had such a hard life for someone so young, and trust doesn't come easy, especially with men. So he didn't scream or cry or anything when he saw you?"
"No, he just looked at me funny."
"That's odd, really good, but odd. Maybe this won't be that hard after all. Although, he may have just been too tired to deal with the whole screaming thing, but we won't think about that."
Draco looked concerned and said, "Okay, so the kid may possibly not hate me. Now what do I do?"
Pansy stared at the ceiling in concentration and said, "Well, you can come to the party with me and Blaise tonight. Ginny will be there with Ben. I'll somehow convince her to hear you out. I'm not sure how I'll pull that one off, but I'll think of something."
"Tonight? Good. Is there anything else I should know?"
"The most important thing is to be completely honest with her. If you lie to her and she finds out, it'll be over. She can't stand lying."
"So I should tell her about the will," Draco said slowly.
"Yes, definitely. She'll find out about it eventually anyway. If you want to stand a chance, tell her everything up front," Pansy said as she looked at him seriously.
He sighed and said, "Alright. So what kind of party is this anyway? What should I wear?"
"Got a costume?" It was Pansy's turn to grin madly and Draco's to groan.
A/N: I would just like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed. It really is appreciated. You never understand how happy reviews make writers until you've become a writer yourself. And as to the comment that I "borrowed" a line from Chicago, "moth to a flame" is a cliché dating back hundreds of years. Besides, I still haven't seen Chicago. (I know, I'm sad.) Have a happy day, and until next time,
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