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SIYE Time:13:54 on 29th March 2024
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Seeking the Truth
By Been Reading

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Genres: Drama, Fluff
Warnings: Death, Sexual Situations
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 364
Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated since 2006 ***

**March Dumbledore Silver Trinket Award winner for Best Drama and Best Romance**

Ginny Weasley's excited about starting her first real job after finishing school, except for one small thing: she'll have to face Harry Potter for the first time in over a year. Ginny struggles to deal with feelings she thought she had long put behind her, and with figuring out what really happened between Harry and Ron to fuel Ron's sudden hatred of his ex-best mate. Ginny is forced to make the ultimate decision... true love or family loyalty.
Hitcount: Story Total: 93600; Chapter Total: 4763
Awards: View Trophy Room






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Being Delayed


Ginny was curled up on the sofa, reading an old romance novel of her mother’s she had found. She was trying to pass the time until she heard from Harry, or at least until Ron or her father arrived back at the Burrow so she wouldn’t feel quite so bored. Ginny was beginning to think that being alone was a curse to her well-being. She didn’t like the paths her mind began to wander down recently. So, she was currently losing herself in the world of Rosalyn the Healer and her long lost love, Damien.

Just as Rosalyn was about to see Damien for the first time in five years, Ginny heard the familiar sound of her father Apparating. She marked her place in the book and set it down before walking into the kitchen. Her father was hanging his cloak on the rack by the door, mumbling about something under his breath.

“Long day?” Ginny asked smiling.

“It was very… tiring…” he said, looking like he was about to collapse.

Ginny looked at her father, unsure of what would call him into the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts on a weekend that would be so tiring. She assumed it was some sort of raid or something. Regardless, he looked like he was about to pass out. Ginny actually thought that he looked a little pale.

“Dad, what have you been doing all day? You don’t normally work on Saturdays, do you? I mean, no offense, but you look terrible,” Ginny said.

“Ginny, sit down with me,” Mr. Weasley said, motioning to the kitchen table. Ginny hesitantly walked over to the table and sat down, wondering what kind of bomb was about to be dropped now. From the look on her father’s face, it couldn’t be anything good.

“Dad, if you have bad news please just get it all out now,” Ginny said. She didn’t want to prolong whatever it was her father was going to tell her.

He smiled at her gently. “I’m sorry; there isn’t any bad news. I just had to participate in something that I probably shouldn’t have been a part of.”

“Where were you today?” Ginny asked, suddenly not believing her raid theory.

“I was with Harry at the Ministry. There are only a few people that know about his case, and if something happens, we’re all involved.”

“Is something wrong with Harry?” Ginny asked urgently.

Mr. Weasley shook his head. “He’s better than ever, thanks to you. I’m just glad that you gave me some warning about your recent, um, sleeping arrangements. It would have made the situation today even more awkward.”

Ginny felt her cheeks flush. She couldn’t believe that her father had apparently been part of a conversation about her relationship with Harry and the affects she had on him.

Mr. Weasley looked at her as if he had just realized that she was not his little girl anymore before speaking again. “Ginny, dear, no father should ever want to sit in a meeting where his daughter’s potential intimacy with her boyfriend is being discussed.”

Ginny’s eyes grew wide and she wanted to hide under the table. That was what they were discussing with Harry at the Ministry today? “Oh, Dad, I’m so sorry.”

He chuckled. “You don’t look nearly as bad as poor Harry did today.”

“Oh, I bet he was mortified to share all of this personal stuff,” Ginny replied. She looked at her father and tried to build up her nerve. “So, what was the consensus?”

“Not to disturb anything that was working,” Mr. Weasley said. “Minister Bones has decided that it is in everyone’s best interests if you continue to, er, stay with Harry. She doesn’t want you to flaunt your relationship, but if Mr. Perry finds out, she’ll take care of it.”

“Oh that’s wonderful,” Ginny gushed.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll think this next little bit is even more wonderful. Minister Bones has arranged for you to be able to spend all of your nights with Harry, only if that’s what you want of course,” Mr. Weasley said.

Ginny couldn’t help but notice that her father looked more than a little put out by his news. She reached out and held his hand.

“Dad, as much as I care about Harry, I’m not going to do anything that you’re not comfortable with,” Ginny said. “I won’t be okay with being with Harry if I know that you don’t approve.”

“I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea of you sharing a bed with Harry every night, but I know what the benefits are for Harry. What’s more important to me, however, is that I’ve seen firsthand how much happier you’ve been lately. So I’m willing to accept this for what it is. Besides, you are an adult now.”

Ginny couldn’t help but grin. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I did tell you before that it is purely innocent… we’re not ready to take that step in our relationship and I’m not sure we will be for a long time.” An obvious look of relief crossed over her father’s face and Ginny felt bad for continuing her speech. “But one day we will be, and whether it’s when we’re married or engaged or just good friends, you’re going to have to accept that we’re adults and it’s our decision to make.”

“I can accept that,” he replied, obviously not completely at ease with what he was saying. “As much as I’m enjoying our honesty, don’t feel completely obligated to inform me if and when you do reach that point in your relationship.”

“Understood,” Ginny said, feeling much better.

“It’s times like these when I really wish your mother were here. She’s better in handling this kind of thing,” Mr. Weasley said wistfully. Ginny couldn’t help but agree. Somehow, the idea of talking to her mother about her potential sex life instead of her father seemed to be much less awkward.

“So, how am I supposed to get to Harry? Did they change the wards at his flat?” Ginny asked.

“Actually they did, but that’s not how you’re going to get there,” Mr. Weasley said.

Ginny was thoroughly confused when her father handed her a small box. She opened it and saw a silver bracelet. It was exquisite; it had a band about an inch thick, words that were engraved in a language Ginny didn’t recognize, and a rose in the middle of the writing.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s a reusable Portkey,” Mr. Weasley explained. “It’ll be activated when you put your thumb over the rose, so be careful when you wear it. It’s designed to recognize your thumbprint.”

“So this will take me to Harry’s flat?” Ginny asked, clasping the bracelet on her wrist.

“This will take you to Harry, actually. He’s got a matching ring that the bracelet will take you within five feet of. So he’ll have to be careful of where he’s standing when he knows you’re coming.”

“So the ring and bracelet can track each other?”

“Basically, yes. His ring has the same capacities as your bracelet, so he could just pop in at any time.”

“I think the odds of him doing that are doubtful as long as I’m at the Burrow,” Ginny said with a chuckle. “Did Harry have any message for me or anything?” she asked hopefully.

“Actually, he suggested that I tell you to test out the bracelet tonight,” he said with a wink. “I’ll just be at the shed and try my new fellyvision. I’ll see you tomorrow morning before you leave.”

Ginny stood up and kissed her father on the cheek. “Good night, Dad.” She rushed to her bedroom, and pulled out the bag she’d used the night before. She gathered her things and threw the bag over her shoulder. She turned over the bracelet so the rose was facing her. She placed her thumb over the rose, and five seconds later, she felt a familiar tug at her navel.

She arrived in Harry’s kitchen to find his back to her. He was standing over the stove, muttering to himself. He seemed to be so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn’t even notice Ginny’s presence in the room.

Ginny walked over to him and slipped her arms around his waist, causing him to jump. “Smells heavenly,” she said.

Harry turned around in her grasp and smiled at her. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“Confident that I would?” Ginny asked, teasing. Harry replied by placing a light kiss on her lips. “Okay, so I would have done anything to get here,” she admitted with a chuckle. “Now, what are you doing in here?”

“Fixing you dinner,” Harry replied, turning his attention back to the stove.

“Shouldn’t I be cooking for you? It is your birthday,” Ginny pointed out.

“I wanted to do this,” Harry said with a shrug.

“Well, is there at least anything I can do to help?”

Harry shook his head. “Just sit down and make yourself comfortable. Hermione’s out for the night, so it’s just us here.”

“What are you fixing?”

“Roast beef and roasted potatoes.”

“I wasn’t aware you could cook,” Ginny commented while she watched Harry make his way expertly around the kitchen. “I seem to remember you talking about never eating properly.”

“Yes, but that was lack of motivation, not lack of skill,” Harry said. “Would you like a glass of wine or something?”

Ginny shook her head. The mere memory of her hangover was enough to make her not want to drink again any time soon. “I’ll pass.”

“Yeah, me too.” Ginny couldn’t help but notice Harry seemed to wince at the thought of alcohol. It amused her to think that he had been as miserable as she had.

While Harry finished their dinner, Ginny told him about her visits with her brothers and the progress she had made at possibly reuniting him with her family. Harry seemed to perk up at the news, but he couldn’t resist pointing out that everything still relied on getting Ron to accept him. By the time Ginny had finished telling Harry about her day, he was done cooking.

Harry brought two plates over to the table, both filled with roast beef and potatoes. Ginny thanked him as he set the plate down in front of her. The food looked delicious and smelled fantastic. As they started to eat, Ginny was reminded of something that had occurred the night before at the party.

“Harry, did you happen to see who Malfoy was talking to before I ran into him?”

“Actually, I was trying to keep one eye on him and one eye on you for most of the night,” Harry admitted. “I was actually talking to Dustin about it when you first ran into Malfoy… otherwise I would have been there to help you sooner.”

“Well, what’d Dustin say? Why was he with Malfoy?” Ginny asked urgently.

Harry took a bite of his beef and finished chewing before he replied, “He said that his family was good friends with the Malfoys. He used to watch Malfoy while their parents had business meetings. Apparently, he didn’t know what a smarmy git he turned into.”

“I can believe that. Although it’d be hard not to see it coming with the Malfoys,” Ginny said bitterly. She would never forgive Lucius Malfoy for all of the trouble he had caused in her life. Actually, trouble was a very mild description for what he inflicted on her.

“Well, you have to keep in mind that Dustin wasn’t brought up the same way you were. He was raised with the ‘pure blood’ mentality, even if he did outgrow it eventually,” Harry pointed out.

“What about Jeff, then?” Ginny asked.

“Grew up in France,” Harry said before stuffing a forkful of potatoes in his mouth. “Doesn’t have a clue who Malfoy is.”

“I guess I can believe all that,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes at Harry’s stuffed mouth. “I just think we should be extra careful around Dustin. I want to trust him–I want to trust everyone on the team, in fact–but right now we can’t be too careful. Who knows what Malfoy would try to pull?”

Ginny pushed the leftover food around on her plate while she waited for Harry to finish eating. She tried not to dwell on her run-in with Malfoy; she didn’t want to let it ruin her evening. But something in the back of her mind kept telling her she needed to be on the look out for him; he might try and force his way back into their lives. And having Malfoy in your life was definitely not a good thing.

“All done?” Harry asked, snapping Ginny from her thoughts.

“Yes, it was wonderful. You really didn’t have to cook for me tonight,” she said.

Harry stood up from the table and brought both of their dishes over to the sink. “I wanted to,” he replied before setting the Cleaning Charm on the dishes. “Shall we move this into the other room?” Harry asked, extending his arm to Ginny.

Ginny nodded and took his arm. Harry led her into the sitting room and they sat down on the sofa.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment; both seemed to be afraid to make a move. Ginny remembered the intensity she had felt for Harry the night before, and it honestly scared her. She didn’t want to rush things with Harry, even if she wanted to be with him. But when she looked into his green eyes filled with hope, admiration, and a little lust, she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him.

The tension in the room snapped as Harry and Ginny met on the couch in a smoldering kiss. Ginny clasped her hands behind Harry’s neck, trying to hang on for dear life. She could feel herself getting lost in Harry: in his kiss, in his touch. Somewhere in the back on Ginny’s mind she heard a small voice telling her they needed to slow things down, but that voice was easily ignored. The second voice that she heard in her head, however, was unavoidable.

“Ginny dear, no father should ever have to sit in a meeting where his daughter’s potential intimacy with her boyfriend is being discussed.” As soon as she heard her father’s voice, Ginny pulled away from Harry as if her father was actually in the room. Harry looked at her curiously, but Ginny could only think of her own words to her father.

“Too fast,” Ginny said as she tried to catch her breath. It appeared to Ginny that the reality of their situation hadn’t dawned on Harry until that very moment. A blush covered his skin and he looked like a small child that was about to be reprimanded.

“I’m so sorry,” Harry said quickly.

“Oh, Harry! You didn’t do anything wrong! We both just tend to get a little carried away around each other,” Ginny assured him. “I would say it’s perfectly natural, but this is honestly one of the most intense things I’ve ever felt.”

“I know what you mean,” Harry replied, the pink tint fading from his skin.

“It’s not that I don’t want to experience this kind of thing with you, I just think we’re moving a little too fast,” Ginny explained.

“And we’re not quite ready for this kind of thing yet,” Harry finished for her. “I mean, we’ve barely been on speaking terms for a month, and you just told most of your family about us today. I think we should maybe try to take things slower until we’ve taken our relationship public.”

Ginny let out a sigh of relief. She was worried that she was going to hurt Harry’s feelings, but apparently they were on the same page. “I agree completely.”

“Not that it’ll be hard,” Harry commented, grinning at her. “Especially since the Ministry has officially recommended that we share a bed as much as possible.”

“We’ll just have to consider our time in bed as an official Ministry function instead of ‘us’ time,” Ginny said, laughing.

“I wonder if they’ll make us write reports about it,” Harry added, joining in her laughter.

“Merlin, it must have been horrible for you today, having to go through all of that questioning. My poor dad looked like he never wanted to leave the house again!”

“It was more than a little embarrassing,” Harry admitted. “But it was worth it because it gave us a way to be together.”

“I just can’t wait for the day when I don’t have to sneak around to be with you.”

Harry’s expression softened and he brushed a stray lock of Ginny’s hair behind her ear. Ginny shivered under his touch, remembering the intensity they had only minutes ago. He left his hand on her face, and Ginny tilted her head so it was leaning into it.

“I’m counting down the days, Gin,” he said softly. “Sometimes I want to throw the match against Japan so it will all be over.”

“You can’t do that,” Ginny replied, her voice barely a whisper. “We have to be strong… people are depending on us.”

Harry removed his hand from Ginny’s face and sighed. “I know.”

Ginny tried to smile brightly. She hated that she was bringing down the mood on Harry’s birthday. “Well, I haven’t given you your birthday present yet.” She stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen where she had dropped her bag on the floor. She returned holding the bag that contained Harry’s present. “I hope you like it,” she said shyly.

Harry opened the card and read it slowly. “Gin,” he started to say but Ginny cut him off.

“Just open the present,” she said, shaking her head. Ginny was a little embarrassed at how she had seemed to spill her heart in her note, and she wasn’t quite ready to verbalize all of the things she had written.

Harry pulled the present out of the bag and was on the last sheet of tissue paper covering it. Ginny waited anxiously, hoping that she had picked out something he would like, and praying that she hadn’t crossed any lines by including Harry’s mum.

Finally, the pocket watch was revealed. Harry held it in front of him by the chain, watching it twirl back and forth in the air. In seemed to entrance him, and Ginny began to get worried that he hated it.

“Open it,” she said quietly.

Harry slowly opened the watch. He didn’t seem to notice the pictures at first, but it was obvious the moment he did. Ginny saw his eyes turn glassy behind his glasses, and she began to worry even more that it had upset him. She felt the sudden need to explain her actions before Harry got too upset with her.

“I wanted your mums to watch over you… I wanted to give you the sense that they’re always with you,” Ginny said quietly. Harry finally looked at Ginny, and she was relieved to see that his eyes were filled with gratitude instead of anger.

Harry reached out, took her hand, brought it up to his mouth, and kissed it. “Thank you,” he whispered. “This really means a lot to me.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I’ve never really thanked you for sharing your mum with me. There were so many of you already, and I just took away more of your time with her. It’s really because of me that she died.”

“Don’t ever say that again!” Ginny exclaimed. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. Harry’s comments upset her greatly, but the last thing she wanted to do was lash out at him.

“Harry,” she began slowly, “my mum chose to love you like one of her own. It wasn’t my decision to make, but I would have happily shared my mum with you if it were my choice. It’s not like she only had so much love she could give; she had an endless supply of it in that huge heart of hers. And if you ever say her death was your fault again I will walk out that door and never come back. She made her own choices, and she would have given her life for any of us.”

Harry looked at Ginny, seemingly ashamed of his words. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just stop thinking like that,” Ginny said. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

“But Bill–”

“Bill was a grown man,” Ginny interrupted, tears filling her eyes. “His death allowed you to take down Voldemort. If he were still here, you might not be. If he were still alive, Voldemort may still be here as well.”

Harry reached over and brushed the tears from Ginny’s face. “I’m sorry to bring you down like this. I know this is the last thing you need right now.”

Ginny shook her head. “I think it’s good for me to talk about this. I can’t just hold all of these in anymore. I think I proved that yesterday.”

Harry moved over on the couch so he could put his arm around her. Ginny dropped her head onto his shoulder and got comfortable.

Harry leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for my birthday present. It’s perfect.”

“You’re welcome.”

“This has been a very long day,” Harry commented.

“Yes it has,” Ginny agreed, suddenly feeling very sleepy. She could feel her eyes closing, and she wished that she could always feel this safe and secure. As she began to drift off to sleep, Ginny pictured herself laying with Harry on a deserted beach somewhere, just enjoying each other’s company while they basked under the sun.




Ginny woke up the next morning feeling more than a little stiff. She realized that they had fallen asleep on the couch and had never woken up. She gently moved from out of Harry’s grasp and made her way to the bathroom.

A quick look in the mirror told her that she was a mess. Her hair was tangled and knotted, and the little bit of makeup she had worn the night before now left dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes were wrinkled and obviously showed that they had been slept in. Ginny looked down at her watch and realized that they were about leave for Japan in two hours.

Ginny hurried back into the sitting room and gently woke Harry up. “Harry, you have to get up. We’re leaving the country in about two hours… we can’t be late.” Harry mumbled something in his sleep and tried to get more comfortable. “Harry,” Ginny said, more insistently this time. “Wake up.” When Harry didn’t respond again, Ginny pulled her wand out and whispered an incantation. Harry jumped off the couch as he was covered in ice-cold water.

“What’d you do that for?” Harry asked, his teeth chattering.

“Because you won’t get up and I have to go,” Ginny explained. “We’re due at the Ministry in two hours and I have to make sure that I’m all packed. Plus, I have to get back home before Ron realizes I’m missing.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I do have to pack,” Harry commented offhandedly.

“You haven’t even packed yet?” Ginny screeched.

Harry shrugged. “Not like it’ll take me all that long.”

“Well, you better not be late,” Ginny warned as she picked up her bag from where she had left if the night before and threw it over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She leaned over and placed a small kiss on Harry’s cheek.

“Is that all I get?” Harry asked cheekily.

“As long as you’re that wet, yes,” Ginny replied, laughing. “So I can Apparate in and out of here now?”

“Yup,” Harry answered. “Someone came home with me from the Ministry yesterday and changed the wards. The bracelet is just so you will come directly to me, and for when we’re traveling with the team.”

“Okay, so I’ll see you later,” Ginny repeated. “Bye, Harry.”

“Bye Gin.”




An hour and a half later, Ginny was sitting at her desk in the Ministry, making sure that all of the last minute details were taken care of. The team would take a Portkey to Wajima, and then t a boat out to the island. They would stay on the boat before the match, and if they won, they would get a brief vacation by sailing back, at magical speeds, to England. If they lost, however, they were to Portkey back.

Ginny couldn’t wait to see the boat itself. It was like a hotel on water, but it should move like the Knight Bus. Well, hopefully it would be a smoother ride than the Knight Bus, but it was supposed to rival it for its speed. Ginny thought it would be thrilling to be on the ocean for several days. She would be thoroughly disappointed if the team lost and she missed out on her chance.

“Good afternoon, Ginny.”

Ginny looked up from her work to see her boss standing in her office. She couldn’t help but notice that he looked more than a little stressed. All of the planning involved in the World Cup must have finally caught up with him. “Good afternoon, Mr. Perry. All ready to head to Japan?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here,” Mr. Perry said cautiously. “I’m afraid you won’t be traveling with us today.”

Ginny’s jaw dropped. “What? Why?”

Instead of replying, Mr. Perry pulled out a magazine and dropped it on her desk. Ginny was looking at a picture of Harry from the Ministry party talking closely with Hermione. If Ginny hadn’t been there that night herself, the picture on the cover would have made her think that it had been Hermione Harry wanted to sneak away with.

“So what does a picture of Harry on the cover of Witch Weekly have to do with me going to Japan?” she asked meekly.

“The article was very slanderous towards Harry. It talked about his history jumping around from witch to witch, just spending enough time with each one to get into their beds. They even went as far as saying he’s got several illegitimate children! Then it goes on to say that he actually wasn’t qualified to make the team, and anonymous team members have stated that he hasn’t been performing well in practice.”

“That can’t be true!” Ginny exclaimed. “Who wrote that article?”

“I don’t know; the name is Valerie Valkyrie. I think it’s a pen name because I’ve never heard of her. The article also mentioned that Harry has lost touch with his best friend from Hogwarts, and eye witnesses reported that they got into a big fight at the party.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” Ginny said with a groan.

“I need you to track this person down so we can put a stop to any future articles,” Mr. Perry explained. “We’ve already doubled the security over the team while they’re in Japan, which was not an easy task. Did you know that there is actually an extreme shortage in Aurors right now? They’ve cut down the training program and are giving them all more ‘in field’ experience.”

“So how am I supposed to track this person down?” Ginny asked, accepting her fate. It sounded like an impossible task if she’d ever heard one. There was no way Witch Weekly was going to give up a reporter that could come up with that kind of scoop, true or not.

“I don’t know,” Mr. Perry admitted. “But we’ve got to do something. If you can’t figure anything out, just head to Japan tonight. Minister Bones has assured me she’ll find a way for you to meet up with the team. She’s the one who wanted me to take care of this so quickly.”

“I understand,” Ginny said. “I guess I should get out of the office and try to find Miss Valkyrie. Tell the team I’ll be joining them as soon as I can.”

“I will, and thank you for doing this,” Mr. Perry said. “Oh, and we’re trying to keep this article’s existence away from Harry until after the match. The last thing we need is for him to be worrying over something silly like this.”

“He needs to know,” Ginny insisted.

“He will, just not until after the match on Monday,” Mr. Perry assured her.

“Well, then I guess I better get going,” Ginny said. “Bye, Mr. Perry.”

“Bye, Ginny. I’ll see you in Japan.”




Frustrated wasn’t nearly a powerful enough word to describe the way Ginny was feeling. She had been on a wild goose chase all afternoon trying to track down the mysterious reporter. The people at the Witch Weekly office refused to tell her anything other than that the article was sent in my owl post, and that they protected the confidentiality of all their reporters.

So now, Ginny was walking down Diagon Alley and heading towards the Leaky Cauldron to meet with the one reporter in the wizarding world she trusted: Luna Lovegood. Sure, Luna had a hard time paying attention to anything for a period of time, and sure, Luna tended to believe in anything that wasn’t logical, but Luna tended to pick up on things faster than most other people. Besides that, she was Ginny’s last hope. If Luna couldn’t help her at all, then no one could.

Ginny walked into the pub, and saw her old friend sitting at a table, chewing absently on a straw. It made Ginny feel good to realize that some people never changed. She headed over to Luna’s table and took the chair opposite of her.

“Hello, Luna. Thank you for meeting me here,” Ginny said warmly.

“Oh! I didn’t even see you come in,” Luna said, setting the straw down on the table.

“Not a problem,” Ginny replied. “I know I was a little vague in my note, but I’m glad you came anyway.”

“I thought you might want to talk about my latest article about the Snorkack,” Luna commented offhandedly.

“Well, I did want to talk to you about your job,” Ginny said, trying to steer Luna back on the right track. “Have you seen the newest edition of Witch Weekly?”

“Oh yes, Dad insists that we stay up to date with the lies our competition is reporting.”

Ginny would have felt very happy to hear someone talk about Witch Weekly publishing lies, if that person hadn’t just commented on their latest article on Snorkacks.

“Well, then I’m assuming you saw the article about Harry,” Ginny said. “We’re trying to track down who wrote the article, and I was wondering if you had any idea.”

“What was the name?”

“Valerie Valkyrie.”

“There was a girl two years ahead of us at Hogwarts named Valerie that used to steal my things,” Luna commented.

“Was her last name Valkyrie?” Ginny asked patiently.

“No,” Luna replied. “I think it may have been Davis or Dennison, maybe.”

“So you have no clue who this person is,” Ginny concluded.

“No, but it sounds like she isn’t very fond of Harry, like she has a grudge against him,” Luna replied. “Maybe I should see if Dad will rerun the article we did on Harry during his fifth year. Maybe that would remind the people of everything Harry’s been through.”

“No,” Ginny said, her mind developing an idea faster than she could process. “But we could do a new article on Harry. “Luna, do you want to do an article on Harry? I mean it obviously couldn’t be done right now since he’s in Japan, but sometime soon. There’s been too much bad publicity surrounding Harry.”

“Sure. Maybe we could even take a picture of him with a Snorkack,” Luna suggested. “It would do wonders for the public’s perception of them.”

“We’ll see,” Ginny said, too excited about the article to care about Luna’s ramblings. “I’m so sorry to run, but I’m supposed to go to Japan this morning. We’re staying on a boat.”

“Oh, then do be careful about the kappas.”

“What?” Ginny asked.

“Water imps,” Luna explained. “They’re common around there. I’m thinking about doing an article on them. Quite fascinating creatures really; they look like scaly monkeys and they use their webbed hands to try and strangle swimmers …”

Ginny figured if she didn’t cut Luna off then she’d be likely to ramble on about kappas for days. “Right, well, we’ll have to get together again when I have more time to catch up. It’s been good seeing you,” Ginny said honestly. Strangely enough, she did miss her batty friend. She vowed that when her life calmed back down she would try and get back in touch with everyone she was friends with before the end of the war.

“That sounds lovely,” Luna replied. “Have fun.”

“Bye, Luna.”

“Bye, Ginny.”




An hour later, Ginny was walking up the front path of the Burrow. She had dropped off her trunk back home before she headed out on her search for that Valerie Valkyrie. Now all she had to do was gather her trunk and she could join the team in Japan via her connection with Harry. She walked into the front door and found Ron, Padma, and her father in the sitting room. Ginny was surprised at the image, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Ginny! What are you doing here?” Mr. Weasley asked, looking more than slightly confused at her presence.

“There was an emergency with the team I had to take care of,” Ginny explained.

“You mean the article, don’t you?” Ron asked. Ginny couldn’t help but think he sounded smug.

“Yes. I take that you saw it?” she asked coolly. She hadn’t really had a chance to talk to Ron since the night of the party, and Ginny wasn’t about to let him off the hook for all of the things he had said.

“How could we miss it?” Padma answered for him. “My boss called me into work this morning and yelled at me for over an hour for being scooped. I was supposed to be the one with the inside track on the team and I missed all of this.”

“Good career move since it’s a load of rubbish,” Ginny said shortly.

“So he’s told you?” Ron replied.

Ginny glared at him. “Come off it, Ron. He isn’t nearly as bad as you’d like to think he is. If you would just listen to him for five minutes you might be surprised.”

“That’s enough,” Mr. Weasley said calmly. “Are you going with the three of us tomorrow morning now?”

“No, they’ve arranged for me to go on tonight. I just need to get my trunk,” Ginny said, sending a significant look to her father. “You’re coming Padma?”

“I have my press pass, but Ron invited me join him in the Top Box,” she replied, placing her hand over Ron’s and smiled.

“That’s lovely,” Ginny replied, trying her hardest to sound sincere. It was odd for her to think of her brother finally starting to move on with his life. Maybe it was a good thing, though. Maybe finding happiness with Padma would allow Ron to open up to Harry again. “Well, I’m going to go grab my trunk and then I’ll be leaving. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Mr. Weasley stood up from his seat and hugged Ginny. “Good luck, and behave,” he whispered into her ear. “Bye, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Dad, Ron, Padma. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Ginny hurried out of the room and up the stairs to where her trunk was waiting for her. She was halfway up the stairs when she realized someone was following her. Ginny turned around and was surprised to see Ron standing directly behind her.

“Yes, Ron?”

“Well, I wanted to apologize again. I keep acting like a prat towards you…”

“You do,” Ginny interrupted.

“Yes, well, I’m trying to stop. Seeing Harry does bad things to me, and seeing you with Harry does the worst.”

Ginny’s heart sank a little at his comment, but she continued to hear him out.

“I kind of got tricked into going out with Padma last night, but I had a surprisingly good time. She’s a really nice person, and she makes me laugh. For the first time I forgot about everything that happened to us. And for the first time since leaving Hogwarts, I’ve wanted to move on with my life. I’m trying to move on, and spending time with Padma is helping.”

Ginny smiled genuinely at Ron. “I’m glad she’s making you happy. It was time for you to move on.”

“I think it’s time you started looking for someone to move on with, too,” Ron added. “You need to find someone who can make you happy.”

“As soon as my life calms down, Ron,” Ginny replied. She didn’t think now was the time to tell him that she had found someone that made her very happy. For some strange reason, she didn’t think he’d approve.

“Well, I’ll let you go. I just didn’t want you to leave with things still so bad between us. Have fun, Ginny.”

“Bye, Ron.”

Ginny watched Ron retreat down the stairs before she went to her room and finished getting ready. She gave herself a quick once over in the mirror and, after approving her appearance, she grabbed her trunk and pressed her thumb against the rose on her wrist.

When Ginny arrived in her new destination, she was momentarily confused as to where she was; the long distance trip made her feel a little disoriented. She realized she must be in Harry’s room on the boat, but she couldn’t figure out why she was surrounded by steam. Ginny squinted her eyes and tried to get a better picture or her surroundings. She was afraid to call out to Harry in case he wasn’t alone.

Ginny noticed the counter in front of her and realized that the noise she was hearing was the shower. Ginny felt her heart begin to beat a little faster at the thought of catching Harry in the shower. She tried to slowly back out of the room, but unfortunately she forgot about her trunk. She let out a pained yelp as she fell backwards over the trunk and landed on the floor on her bum.

“Who’s there?” a startled Harry asked. Ginny got her first glimpse of him since that morning as he stuck his head out from the shower curtain. That small glimpse was enough to make her catch her breath before responding.

“It’s me, Harry,” she called out.

“What are you doing down there?”

“Well, I’m not having a picnic,” Ginny retorted. “I fell over my trunk.” She struggled to stand up, rubbing her now sore bum.

“But why are you in my bathroom?”

“Are you still wearing your ring?” Ginny asked patiently.

“Oh,” Harry commented dumbly. “Well, um, do you mind if I finish my shower?”

“I was actually trying to leave when I fell,” Ginny explained. She grabbed the handle of her trunk and dragged it out of the bathroom.

“Your room is connected to mine,” Harry called as Ginny closed the bathroom door behind her. Ginny stepped into the room and was amazed at its size and beauty. She couldn’t believe that this room was on a boat. She noticed two doors and assumed that one lead to her bedroom. Ginny dropped her trunk in Harry’s room and walked over to the window. It was dark outside, and she could see the stars shining. There was also a pool right outside of Harry’s room.

“Hey,” Harry said, walking into the room in a robe. “Sorry about that.”

“It was my fault,” Ginny said. “I should have sent word that I was coming.” She turned her attention back to the window. “Shouldn’t it be morning here?”

“They charmed the windows so we could get some sleep without throwing off our systems,” Harry explained. “I actually should have been in bed but I was worried to sleep without you.” Harry looked like a little boy without his glasses and his hair still wet from his shower. It made Ginny want to hold him and take care of him… not that she didn’t always want to do that.

“Sorry I was so late, but you know how busy things can be,” Ginny said, careful not to say anything to Harry about the article. “So how does this work?”

“Well, your room is right through that door. There’s an Auror and a trainee assigned to every two rooms, and Tonks is our Auror. You can stay in here at night, and then leave for your room in the morning… which is about five hours from now.”

“Five hours!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Technically it’s already morning, but we’re on a tight schedule. Coach Mason wants us to have a long warm up before the match.”

“Well then, you need your sleep. Let me drop off my trunk and change clothes and then I’ll be right back,” Ginny said. She hurried into her room and got ready for bed. She’d worry about unpacking later, if she actually got to stay on the boat for more than one night.

When she walked back into Harry’s bedroom, he was already in bed waiting for her. She climbed into bed next to him and snuggled up with him.

“I’ve missed you today,” Harry said as he kissed the top of her head.

“I missed you, too,” Ginny replied with a yawn. She thought about her impossible mission for the day, and debated whether or not she should tell Harry about the article. She knew Mr. Perry didn’t want him to know, and she could see how it would distract him from the game, but Ginny had made a promise to herself that she was going to be truthful with Harry.

“Harry?” she asked tentatively.

“Yeah?”

“I have something to tell you, but I think it’s going to upset you. I’m not supposed to tell you, but I promised myself that I wouldn’t keep secrets from you.”

“Ginny, you’re rambling,” Harry said patiently. “Just tell me what it is, and I promise I won’t get upset or let it distract me tomorrow.”

Ginny felt like Harry had been reading her thoughts. When she thought about it, she realized there was a real possibility he had been. “There was an article published about you today. It was filled with lies and was very negative,” Ginny said very quickly.

Harry let out a long sigh. “Well, it’s happened before and it’ll happen again. I’ll read it after the match.”

Ginny couldn’t help but feel like she made the right decision when she heard his response. She should have known he’d be used to being portrayed negatively in the press by now. She looked over at him and noticed that his eyes seemed to be drooping behind his glasses. “You need your sleep for tomorrow,” she said, pulling his glasses off his face and setting them down on the night table.

Harry leaned over and gave her a small kiss. “I know. Good night, Gin.”

“Good night, Harry.”
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