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Something's Gotta Give Mei Queen
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Authoress' Note: This chapter is for XxXCrookshanksXxXP3 from WizardTales, who actually reviewed again in the hopes of getting me to update. This is proof that it works!! Another note- you all are absolutely fabulous, and I was so flattered at the response I got back from the first chapter. I was totally gobsmacked by how awesome some of your reviews were. Thank you all so much, and I hope I get to hear more from you all on this chapter! You rock my socks!
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Chapter 2: Blast from the Past
Ginny Weasley sighed, stirring the boiling pot of pasta on her stove. She allowed herself a quick glance at her clock. 6:49.
She had been on edge most of the day, impatiently waiting for the time when she could log on to chat and talk to the interesting man from the night before. He had been riddling her thoughts all day, making it near impossible to concentrate as she had tried to work on her novel all afternoon. At 6:30, she had finally come to the frustrating conclusion that she really was not going to get anything done on it that day, set the papers aside, and set herself to the usually depressing task of making dinner. Though dinner was usually just a sandwich, soup or something equally simple that didn't require a lot of thought, Ginny had decided to treat herself that night and was just finishing her famous spaghetti and meatballs. She cooked the Muggle way, just because it gave her hands something to do, and gave her some time for her thoughts to wander where they may. As she drained the pasta and added the sauce and meatballs to the mix, she glanced backed at the clock. The hour hand slid, as if it were choreographed, right into 7.
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***RavishingRed has entered WonderfulWitchChat1 at 19:03 hours***
RavishingRed, there are 19 members in this chatroom. Members of this chatroom are currently: BlondesdoitBetter, BrightonsBest, ColdplayFanatic, DrivemeWild, DyingtoDance, JigsawJunkie, JimlikeshisPimms, KissLikeYouMeanIt, LovesickRomeo, LovintheLadies, Modelizer, SecretDragon, Serendipity, SEXY79, SlavetoStarbucks, SomelikeitHOTT, TannedandToned, TheBoywhoScored, WestHamRocksSocks
BrightonsBest- how are you tonight, Red?
RavishingRed- good, thanks, BrightonsBest! And you?
BrightonsBest- Doing great, where are you from?
RavishingRed- near Bristol
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))PM from SecretDragon (19:07 hours)((
SecretDragon- Chat-flirting with another guy already? I turn my back for one moment, I swear…
RavishingRed- I wasn't! Really! He came on to me.
SecretDragon- I was just joking, Red =D…so you couldn't wait to talk to me, eh?
RavishingRed- What makes you say that?
SecretDragon- You practically logged on when the clock hit 7
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Ginny laughed, absentmindedly twirling the spaghetti on her fork. She had eaten alone since the divorce, but for some reason, it didn't seem as bad when one hand was responding to SecretDragon. It was usually a hurried affair that she didn't like to think about, but tonight her digestive system was thanking her as she enjoyed each languorous bite. Ginny didn't feel quite as lonely now that she had something to keep her mind off of her lack of dinner companions. It's definitely an improvement, she thought with a smile.
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RavishingRed- So? Maybe I just felt like being on at 7. Think of that?
SecretDragon- I like your spunk, you know that? …Oh, and btw, did you notice that Brighton guy is still trying to chat you up in the main room?
RavishingRed- No way. Bloke doesn't get a hint, does he?
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Ginny clicked out of her private chat, moving back into the main room. Sure enough, quite a few fellows were attempting to chat her up, BrightonsBest being the most persistent of the lot.
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BrightonsBest- Red? I asked if you wanted to PM?
LovintheLadies- Red, huh? You sound fiery =D
WestHamRocksSocks- I'm around Bristol, Red…maybe we should catch a coffee sometime
BrightonsBest- Red! PM?!
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Bloody ridiculous, Ginny thought to herself with a giggle. They certainly were persistent in here. In a moment, she realized exactly why all of them were pursuing her with such relentless enthusiasm. I'm the only girl, she noticed with a laugh, checking the chatroom's current participants. Ginevra was the only female in the room that was not idle, and this led to a definite monopoly on the males. Not that she cared, really. She had gotten on because she wanted to talk to SecretDragon again, and that was just what she was going to do.
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RavishingRed- No PM unless you have something worthwhile to say, please.
BrightonsBest- Should I take offence to that?
RavishingRed- *shrugs*…it's only an insult if you have nothing to say
LovintheLadies- What about me, Red? Can I PM you?
RavishingRed- Same criteria, Lovin. Oh, and WestHamRockSocks, I'll only meet people from here that I've chatted with extensively.
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))PM Window((
RavishingRed- well, hopefully that will take care of that issue.
SecretDragon- I wouldn't be so sure…they certainly seem like a pack of hungry wolves, don't they?
RavishingRed- I was going to go for the 'dementors that have been caged in Azkaban for a few years and had nobody to torture' analogy, but wolves is efficient as well *smirks*
SecretDragon- lol! I must tell you, you are one of the few birds I've met on here with a sense of humour. Most of them can't take a joke in the slightest.
RavishingRed- I'm very resilient, I like to think. Probably because all of my siblings are brothers, and boys show no mercy =D
SecretDragon- I'm jealous! I'm an only child, so I never got that teasing
RavishingRed- trust me, you aren't missing much. I love them, but I'm constantly getting punches practiced on me, pranked at all hours of the night, babied, I couldn't even ruddy date without one of them threatening to beat up my boyfriend of the time! They're a frustrating lot
SecretDragon- Yeah, they probably are. But you don't know what you would do without them… do you?
RavishingRed- You're right, I don't. They're a part of me…a part that forces me to sleep with a Beater bat by my bed when they come to stay, lol
SecretDragon- To protect them from intruders? That's mighty macho of you
RavishingRed- No, of course not. It's to protect me from their "hilarious" midnight prank ideas…last time, I had to cut twenty centimeters off of my hair!
SecretDragon- lol! The things I missed from being an only child!
RavishingRed- Seriously. Your childhood must have been so sane.
SecretDragon- lol it was mainly really boring, actually. I never got around to asking, how was your day?
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Ginny smiled as she propped her head up on her hand, elbow supported by the cool granite countertop. This was lovely. She was talking to a nice man, had a frothy cup of cocoa, and was watching the sunset through her glass sliding doors. Things just couldn't get any better.
Ginevra should have known that it was too good to last.
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))PM from TheBoyWhoScored (19:42 hours)((
TheBoyWhoScored- So, Brighton? I'm close to there
RavishingRed- Yup. That's nice. This may sound odd, but your nick seems…familiar.
TheBoyWhoScored- Oh, it's a nick I got in Hogwarts…it rather stuck, I'm afraid.
RavishingRed- Oh, no. Did you look at my profile yet?
TheBoyWhoScored- No. Why?
RavishingRed- Look at it, by all means. I have a feeling you'll be very surprised.
TheBoyWhoScored- …oh. Hi, Ginny.
RavishingRed- *sigh* Hello, Harry.
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Ginny Weasley buried her face in her hands, expelling a long sigh. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Harry Potter was on here; Hermione probably set him up an account, too. But really, what is the likelihood that you will run into your recent ex-husband online in the same chatroom? There are millions of rooms, and he had to walk into mine, Ginny thought dryly.
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))PM Window((
SecretDragon- Red? Are you there? You're awfully quiet…
RavishingRed- Oh, shit, I'm sorry. My day's been awfully dull, actually. I've had a terrible case of writer's block lately.
SecretDragon- What were you doing?
RavishingRed- When?
SecretDragon- Just then, when you took about twenty minutes to tell me one sentence about your day
RavishingRed- Oh. Just chatting with a blast from my past, that's all
SecretDragon- Good blast or bad blast?
RavishingRed- Uncomfortable blast.
SecretDragon- Ugh, I'm sorry, Red. Sucks how a lot of people are on these things.
RavishingRed- Yeah, sometimes it does. So what about you? How was your day?
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Ginny was relieved to have an opportunity to turn the topic back to SecretDragon, because after a two-year divorce, she had realized a valuable lesson- the less you say about yourself, the less that people will know…and think you insane.
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))PM Window((
TheBoyWhoScored- So how have you been?
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Are you kidding? Harry is just too nice for his own good sometimes. He realizes he's talking to his estranged ex-wife, and what does he do? Asks her how she's been! Too bloody polite, she thought with a laugh. It's a pity things didn't work out with us, Ginny couldn't help thinking with a stab of regret as she brought her steaming mug to her lips. Harry was really lovely.
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))PM Window((
SecretDragon- Good thanks. Mainly just bossing a few people around, shaking a few hands, same old business nonsense.
SecretDragon- …not much for business, then?
SecretDragon- Oh, for the love of Merlin! Red! What are you doing?
RavishingRed- Shit, once again, I'm sorry…this person keeps talking to me
SecretDragon- blast from the past bloke?
RavishingRed- that's him, all right.
SecretDragon- I could go tell him to leave you alone if you like
RavishingRed- No, it's all right. This is something I should deal with on my own.
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))PM Window((
TheBoyWhoScored- Gin? Are you there?
RavishingRed- Yeah. I've been good, thanks, and you?
TheBoyWhoScored- Good, I guess. I do miss you.
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Ginny felt her heart seize in her chest. Those were words she had been waiting so long to hear. If Harry had simply said those three words to her in her Hogwarts days, she could have died happy. But now as they flickered ominously on her laptop screen, she was hit by a surprising thought- It's not enough. It's too little, too late…and I…I don't care. Though she felt ridiculously heartless for thinking it, it was a somewhat liberating thought. For once in her life, Ginny Weasley did not care one bit about whether Harry Potter missed her. Harry had caused her two years of heart-wrenching pain, the best seven years of her life in a soulless marriage, and now she knew- she did not want to go back to what they had, not when she had the rest of her life to find something better.
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))PM Window((
RavishingRed- I'm sorry, Harry…it's not enough.
SecretDragon- Harry? Wrong window. …Are you talking to Harry Potter?
RavishingRed- Shit. Yeah…I am.
SecretDragon- That's the blast from your past, then?
RavishingRed- Um…yes…he is.
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She sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Long night, she thought grimly. Lowering her fingers to the keyboard, she clicked open the correct private message window to continue her conversation with her old flame.
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))PM Window((
RavishingRed- I'm sorry. But it's not enough
TheBoyWhoScored- You're sure, then? Are you happy?
RavishingRed- I'm sure…after two years spent in court, I'm very sure, Harry. And yeah, I'm happy. Not completely, admittedly, but it gets closer and closer with each day that goes by.
TheBoyWhoScored- I'm glad to hear that, Ginny. You mean a lot to me…I hope that we can eventually be friends.
RavishingRed- Not anytime soon, but maybe eventually…I'm not totally over it, but when I am, you'll be the first to know =D
TheBoyWhoScored- Good. Well, when you're up for it, I'll reserve the Pitch and we can see who's the better player after all these years
RavishingRed- Be careful, I might take you up on that, lol!
TheBoyWhoScored- Looking forward to it, Gin. Well, I gotta go, but I hope you have a good night…feel free to msg me on here if you ever want to talk, and you still have my #, right?
RavishingRed- Yeah, I still have it. Take care, Harry.
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Her hands trembled a little as she typed the words. It felt somewhat odd, typing goodbye to someone who she was so sure just a decade ago that she would never have to say goodbye to again. Ginny surprised herself slightly when she realized that the pang of sadness was momentary, and was instead replaced with a great sense of relief. She got to have a little closure by her chat with Harry, and that chat helped her to realize something she hadn't actually expected: that she really was ready to move on.
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))PM Window((
SecretDragon- What do the rest of us have going for us…how can I compete with Harry bleeding Potter, anyway?
RavishingRed- you don't have to compete with him, he's actually out of my life, really
SecretDragon- Are you sad about it?
RavishingRed- I'm surprised to say that I'm not, actually.
SecretDragon- Wow. Well…are you done with your other PM conversations…do I have your undivided attention now?
RavishingRed- yes you do *looks guilty at her previous lack of attention*. I'm sorry about that
SecretDragon- No apologies necessary, Red. I just wanted to ask if you would ever think of meeting me.
RavishingRed- I'm not going to lie, meeting scares the mickey out of me. But if we continued talking like we are, I might be swayed
SecretDragon- So there's hope, then?
RavishingRed- Yes, there is definitely hope.
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And as Ginny Weasley typed the last sentence, she realized just how true it really was. Though Harry Potter had been the dominating male force in her life for longer than she could remember, she was finally beginning to feel empowered all on her own. She wasn't as afraid to date as she thought that she would be. She was beginning to feel more sexy and self-confident. Moreover, she thought to herself with a giggle, I'm really beginning to like this guy.
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