Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Four:

Ginny entered the Burrow with bare feet. Her heels and hose in her hands, and her red windblown hair down, falling wildly around her face, was the evidence of an utterly failed date. She couldn't have made it worse if she'd tried and the minute she walked into the house she knew everyone would know.

The cherry on top that had this date qualifying for the worst date of her life was that he'd tried to kiss her. This rude, genius that he claimed to be, had the gall to try and kiss her.

This was most absolutely the worst date of my life…no contest.

Ginny flinched as she heard a loud crash and knew instantly that the boys had come home for dinner, confirming her fear and settling her embarrassment. "Why me?" She groaned.

They probably would tease her for being home at eight o'clock when she'd only just left two hours ago. She supposed she should be glad that claiming to have the flu bug worked every time, especially for health nuts like James.

"Ginny, maybe you can tell us why Mum has to cry every time we start to leave? She conned us into staying the night! I…" He extended the `I' and then paused for dramatic effect. "Am twenty-three years old, with a magnificently hot girlfriend, and here I am getting ready to sleep in my old bedroom with Harry," Ron hollered rambunctiously at her.

With a tenderness that disappeared as she progressively aged, she gave him a smile, trying to ignore the drowsy tug of gravity against her eyelids. She was thoroughly exhausted.

An evil grin played against her lips as she responded, feeling the tension from a failed date drain away. "Leave her alone. She's going through menopause."

Ron and Harry stared on in horror as Fred and George chuckled. "That's so horrible," Ron said shaking his head. "Why would you say that?"

Ginny shrugged and plopped down into a chair beside Harry. "Well, at least you all have something to look forward to when you reach around the age of forty-five through fifty-five. I mean, male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause. With female menopause, you gain weight and get hot flashes. With male menopause, you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles."

Harry snorted out his milk through his nose. "She's not bitter," he managed through gasps of laughter.

She leaned towards him and punched him in the arm. "Ewww-a, Harry!"

"Is this the shortest amount of time you've been on a date?" George grinned evilly.

Ginny turned her head and shrugged her shoulders. The tables had been turned, she should've expected this. "I'm lookin' to make a record I'd wager."

"No offense, but I think you've made it." Ron chuckled maniacally.

Ginny raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to punch him in the arm too. "Do you know what he said to me when I told him there basically wasn't a chance in hell I'd kiss him good night? He said `listen; if I wanted any lip from you I would've rattled my zipper.' I haven't a clue what stopped me from punching him right in the nose."

"That sounds like a line I should remember for the next lass, or at least for the ones who believe a single date is a license for marriage." Draco Malfoy smirked in the doorway of the kitchen.

Ginny pouted and slide into the wooden chair so that her hair spilled over the edge, and half of her lower end was closer to the floor as she tried to hide. "Oh no, what are you doing here?"

"Business," Fred and George said in unison, looking a little edgy.

Ginny shifted, sitting straight up, and raised an eyebrow, staring her brothers down. "Why wasn't I aware of this little meeting?" She turned to Malfoy and then it was as if someone had done a patronum on her."Oh God, your firing me aren't you? And you're trying to let my brothers down easily so they don't pummel you right?"

Malfoy scoffed. "I am not firing you. Get a hold of yourself. It isn't always about you."

Ginny took a deep shuddering breath and placed a hand over her heart. "Oh, that's a relief."

"It would probably do you good if Malfoy fired you, Gin," George said glancing up at his boss. "You could start doing what you love to do-paint."

"You can't paint and have the studio and the utensils without money honey!" Ginny paused and frowned at her unintentional rhyme.

Harry just shook his head and stared, blinking in shock occasionally. "I am desperately trying to figure out what planet you're from Gin."

"Says the Boy Who Wouldn't Shut-Up," Ginny said, give her voice an animalistic growl with each word.

"Amen." Malfoy said with a chuckle.

Ginny growled, her eyes narrowing in Malfoy's direction. "Don't side with me, it only makes me angrier."

He smirked and held his hands up in surrender.

Ginny stood up to drop her shoes in the corner of the kitchen as she headed towards the fridge, searching for Pumpkin Juice. She took a huge swig out of the carton and turned, leaving the door wide open as she glared at Malfoy.

Malfoy sighed heavily."Oh, I am so glad I decided to call it quits with the 'family' war between our families."

Ginny snorted and gave an obscene gesture before commenting. "Inserting sarcasm here."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, letting out another sigh. "Fred, George-shall we?"

"And Ginny is the winner!" She cried triumphantly, shaking her arms enough to spill a bit of the Pumpkin Juice.

Malfoy turned gave her a slight nod, with one of those stupid smiles. "Don't let it get to your head, Gin."

Ginny scowled as they left the room and continued to do so as she trotted back to her chair.

Stupid Malfoy!

"You know, Gin, I would have expected you to accept this little 'truth' between the Malfoy's by now. I mean if I can get past it, why can't you?" Ron asked. "Even Harry has learned to accept it."

Ginny slammed her fist into the table. "The bloody prat just knows how to push my buttons the wrong way."

"Everyone knows how to push your buttons." Harry mumbled under his breath.

It really wasn't some guarded secret. All the same…

"Do you want me to smack you in the back of the head?" Ginny said trying to hold back a grin.

"Violence will get you nowhere."

"Here, here." Ron declared, scooting out of Ginny's reach.

"I wish I had a sister." Ginny grumbled longingly. "She'd understand."

"Speaking of girls, have you ever thought about trying the same sex?" Harry commented as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

Ginny sputtered, her juice sloshing over the brim of her cup. "What?"

"I was looking through the Muggle ads-"

"You were looking for someone? You?" Ginny cried in disbelief.

"I wanted to go out with someone that didn't know me and didn't hang on every word just because I'm Harry Potter. Besides, Ginny, I know you pretty well and there's this girl in here that sounds like a perfect match. Just listen; she owns a famous art gallery-"

Ginny shifted towards him, trying not to let him know he'd caught her attention. "Which one?"

"That would take away the anonymous factor of personal ads that sparks the interest in the first place. It's the later stuff that snags the person to an individual."

"Fine, fine." She flipped a dismissive hand at him.

"As I was saying she owns a famous art gallery, but it also says she's a fan of Quidditch, which considering that this is a Muggle paper is pretty significant, you wouldn't have to worry about hiding the fact that you're a witch. Her favorite quote is "The painter makes real to others his/her innermost feelings about all that he/she cares for. A secret becomes known to everyone who views the picture through the intensity with which it is felt," by Lucien Freud. She didn't give a name though, I suppose she's going for full anonymity," Harry paused and lifted an eyebrow as he stared at Ginny. "Well, you seem slightly interested."

Ginny flinched and then quickly shook her head. "What? No, not even a little bit."

Harry shrugged and glanced over at Ron. "Fine," he said casually, "but if you do decide to do it, don't give any revealing information about you-I'd say just go with your first name and meet in a crowded place. Remember, females are better serial killers than males."

"Gee, thanks Harry, for thinking I'm completely incompetent, but I'm not going to do it anyway." She informed them, adding in a little chin tilt for defiance.

Harry dropped the paper in front of her and whispered something in Ron's ear, which caused him to hastily stand and leave the room.

"Think about it." Harry added. "This could be why you've been unsuccessful. Maybe you're looking at the wrong gender."

She watched him go and sighed. Ginny liked men, in fact she loved men, she'd never even thought about a girl though.

Ginny clucked her tongue and reached for the paper. "Hmm." She let her eye skim of the black ink as she glanced over it. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

She nibbled her bottom lip as she wrote down the girls address. "We could meet at the Three Broomsticks."

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