The Visitation and the Dare
I don’t own the characters, but JK Rowling does.
--I was purposely vague with some facts, because those are not the important things in this story. The interaction between Ginny and Draco is at the forefront, and some other things don’t need the same amount of explanation. However, if you are confused, please ask any questions you have and I am ready and willing to answer (that’s a roundabout way of asking for reviews).
Also, this is the section of the story that breaks the mold I had going. You’ll see why. I hope you enjoy this last installment.
------------------------------
Ginny walked, in long strides, through the flat she shared with Harry and Luna. ‘Just another reason for people think Harry and I are involved,’ she’d thought when she first heard Harry’s idea. And people did think Ginny and Harry had some sort of romantic relationship; that was blown skyward when Luna moved in with them too. Then people were confused and eventually the rumors stopped, when there was nothing new to add, just as Luna knew they would; Luna was good at ending rumors, at calming people down. And Harry generally needed calming, just as much as he needed his friends near him. Without them nearby, there was no guarantee anyone would ever hear from him again. They’d seen him at his worst, they reasoned, and it was no different to live with him and all his eccentricities. He needed them, pure and simple. Things, life, years spent had changed him, made him more jaded, and he needed to be around people who would to understand him and love him.
Hermione and Ron lived in the neighborhood, Hermione with Lavender and Pansy for flat mates, and Ron with Seamus, and Neville. Ginny had been surprised when Hermione announced she’d be living with Lavender and Pansy. Lavender was somewhat explicable, she and Hermione had been dorm mates at Hogwarts. Pansy was another story entirely; the girl was angry, spiteful, and dangerous. She guarded their flat like the watchdog she looked like. Ginny had even heard the girl snarl. Personally, SHE liked Pansy, but she didn’t think Hermione would; apparently she did, which was nice. Ginny also secretly hoped that Pansy would put some fire into Lavender. Lavender had earned the title “pansy” much more than the former Slytherin ever had.
The relationship had been treacherous (at best) at first, but they had all needed to share the flat; the price was much more reasonable when three people shared it, and there was plenty of room for them all. Plus, it was close to their respective workplaces; and for Hermione, it was also close to Ron.
The two had finally gotten over themselves and admitted to “uh… liking” each other. It had taken much too long, it most everyone’s opinion. They had started seriously dating only the year after they’d both graduated, after most people had given up hope of anything ever becoming of their relationship.
And now that they were into their twenties, there was time to devote to their romance. Ron was more mature than he had been, Hermione was more relaxed than anyone had ever seen her; they were out of the microcosm that was Hogwarts, and once everyone’s eyes weren’t so focused upon them, things began to happen.
It was Luna who’d actually managed to set the two on the road to a relationship, by “inadvertently” inviting them, and ONLY them, to a dinner party; once they were both there, she had excused herself for a moment, and she never came back. Ron and Hermione were slightly miffed at first, but neither really had the heart to blame Luna; they ended up thanking her, once they got over the shock of each other.
And then there was twenty-something Ginny, accused of being just as bitter as Harry often acted. She wasn’t bitter, really, perhaps just a bit lonely. She caught herself contemplating buying a small army of cats and had had to mentally berate herself for thinking she’d end up alone, wanting for company.
But there was no one to say she wouldn’t end up alone, as she never voiced her concerns to anyone and she wouldn’t hear other people when they told her she was “intelligent, beautiful, and amazing, really.” Empty flattery got old very quickly in the mind of Ginny Weasley.
And not to sound wistful, but most of the relatively few boys she’d dated after Draco seemed dull in comparison. He’d never “gone to the light,” as many people hoped he would; he’d been willing to help out Dumbledore and Harry, sure, but he never let anyone know about it. Many people still didn’t know he was dead; they thought he was just a reclusive, rich, eccentric who’d holed himself up in some mansion somewhere, obsessively counting his millions.
Ginny knew. No one in the Order had really liked the fact that she and he had been dating. Once they got over the fact that it was, indeed, Ginny Weasley with Draco Malfoy, people had moved on to the fact that ‘something could happen’ to either one of them. But neither of them cared much for that; they’d put themselves in the pathway of danger many times, and they refused to steer a safer way. They also refused to abandon the very things, the very people, they were fighting for.
God, how stupid that sounded. Yes, they had felt something that wasn’t totally lust for one another. Denial worked wonders on a person; they had never actually admitted to loving one another. At the time, it hadn’t seemed necessary, but a small part of Ginny thought it might have been nice to say it, once, before he’d disappeared and then wound up dead.
She hummed tunelessly, and rather badly, as she walked through the living room to the short hall leading to the door. Someone had just knocked. “I got it,” Ginny called to Harry and Luna.
“Okay,” Harry called from the kitchen; Luna was in the shower. Ginny whipped her long hair off her shoulder in an annoyed fashion; it was always getting in the way. She pulled a corner of her shirt down as she reached for the door handle.
“Shit!” she said aloud, quickly slamming the door and putting a hand to her heart, which was beating a tattoo against her breastbone. And now she was seeing ghosts. But even the ghost of Draco is better than no Draco at all, she thought. And then she got angry and wrenched the door open again, nearly ripping the door off its hinges.
“What the HELL are you doing here?” she snapped. He’d looked amused when she’d reopened the door; now he looked almost, but not quite, frightened. In her opinion, he was not nearly frightened enough. “Because you’re obviously alive, at least sort of. You always were the pale sort. So explain to me why you are standing ay my front door, staring like a moron. Answer me!” she yelled.
Draco laughed. Damn him, he always acted stupidly when she got emotional like that. She made a guttural sort of growling noise and he tensed up again. He replied smoothly, “Well, my little termagant, will you allow me the extreme pleasure of coming inside and explaining?”
“I refuse!”
“Ah, as kind as you ever were to me.”
Harry came in after hearing Ginny’s angry expletive. He saw Draco, raised a brow, rolled his eyes, and came up behind Ginny. Harry took her gently by the shoulder and guided her away from the door. She crossed her arms at this betrayal; Harry looked at Draco expectantly, knowing what Ginny needed. Draco saw the look as an invitation inside.
The men both saw Ginny sit on a chair and look pointedly at the one across from her. Harry, satisfied she wouldn’t kill her houseguest, left the room, chuckling to himself. Draco sat in the chair as humbly as his arrogance would allow; he still managed to slouch a bit.
“You were supposed to be dead. They told me you were dead.” She paused and looked at him quietly and stubbornly. “They told me so.”
“I almost died,” Draco said sadly, suddenly alert and leaning forward earnestly.
“I almost died too, Draco.” When he had still been ‘alive’ they’d competed, facetiously, to see who could achieve more near-death experiences, but it didn’t seem quite so amusing now.
“I hear you’re working at the Ministry now, Ginny. Sounds lucrative.” He was being evasive.
“Where have you been, Draco?” Ginny asked calmly, rationally, trying not to wring his neck
“Gone,” came his simple reply.
“Gone. I can see you’re as much a cretin as ever if you think you’re being cute. If you don’t tell me the truth, in its entirety, I will never willingly speak to you again.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s a tall order, Ginny. Where to begin?”
“Why are you here? Looking for a little ‘welcome back to the land of the living’ pity love? You’ve come to the wrong place. Pansy lives pretty close to here though, I’m sure she’d be much sweeter than I’m being.”
Now Draco seemed confused. “Pansy lives nearby?”
“Yeah. With Hermione. And Lavender.” Ginny wrinkled her nose at Draco’s look of surprise. “A lot changes in three or so years, ass.” Draco looked at her, waiting for the abusive onslaught. “What?”
“I’m waiting for you to run through the list of bad names you’re obviously working your way through, so I can tell you why I’m here.” Ginny pursed her lips and fell back onto the seat of the chair impatiently.
“Fine. Proceed.”
“I wanted to show you I’m not dead. I wanted you to hear it from me. I wanted to show you there are certain things too important to hear from rumors. I know you’re not feeling very receptive right now, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to show up.”
“A little warning would have been nice,” she replied. “Try telling a girl next time.”
“Next time? I don’t plan on being kidnapped again, thanks. Unless…” He trailed off.
“Yes?” she asked. She was warming to the situation, slightly. His eyes were on the ceiling, and then went around the walls and across the furniture.
“This is a nice flat you’ve got, Weasley. So you live here with Potter, huh?”
She raised a brow. “And Luna,” she replied, smirking.
“Oh. I see how it is,” Draco replied. “That Potter’s a lucky man.” He laughed as Ginny shot him amused but murderous glances.
Then Luna herself came into the room, wearing a pale blue shirt and an old, comfortable pair of jeans. Her long hair was still wet from her shower-- Luna preferred doing some things the non-magical way, and air-drying her hair was one of them. She had an open book in her hands as she walked through the room on her way to the kitchen. Not taking her eyes from the page, she said loftily, “Hello, Ginny. Pleasure to see you again, Draco,” and she walked on.
Draco looked from Luna’s retreating form to Ginny’s content face. She smiled at him as if to say nothing unusual was happening.
“Where is Potter?” Draco asked. “I’d like to have a discussion with him about living in sin.”
Ginny snorted. “Like you’ve got anything to preach to him about that. And anyway, Harry‘s not the type.”
“Oh,” Draco said quietly. “He doesn’t like girls?”
Ginny said something that sounded vaguely like “Arggh!” There was something about Draco that exasperated her.
“He’s not my boyfriend!” she said loudly.
“Ah,” Draco said magnanimously. “Well, who is? I’d like to meet him.” He’d gotten better at this lying thing. He rationalized she could barely tell he didn’t only want to meet her boyfriend, he wanted to kill the fortunate fellow.
“I’m looking at him,” she said, making direct eye contact with Draco, who, sadly, simply didn’t get it.
“What?” he said, after pulling his mind out of violent thoughts.
“I’m looking at my boyfriend,” she replied patiently.
“Hadn’t you better ask me first?” he replied, quickly catching on.
“Getting your sorry ass kidnapped does not make a relationship null and void, Draco.”
There was a loaded invitation if there ever was one. He stood up and caught her wrist, pulling her to her feet. “Kiss me?” he said, and she wasn’t sure it was a question or a command. She hadn’t kissed him in roughly three years-- the year after he graduated, he’d allegedly died. That tends to throw a wrench into the cogs of any relationship.
“Good thing whoever kidnapped you taught you some manners,” she replied before she kissed him; they kissed with the same finesse they’d always claimed to have. She pulled back ever so slightly “This conversation is not over, you--” But Draco cut her off.
“Shut up now, Weasley,” Draco replied a bit harshly, never opening his eyes to see her smile before he began kissing her again.
-----------------------
Draco joined Luna, Harry, and Ginny for dinner. Harry asked, partway into the meal, “I mean, you really didn’t run away and become a Death Eater, right? ‘Cause a lot of people think you did.”
“No, I didn’t,” Draco said, not quite tersely, but then again he’d never felt totally comfortable around Harry.
“Yeah. I didn’t think so.” Harry shot Ginny a look that might have meant something, but Ginny had trouble interpreting it. Luna simply smiled dreamily at Ginny and then Draco.
Draco went on. “I hear Pansy is living with Hermione and Lavender, and Ginny’s working at the Ministry, but I haven’t heard much else. What’s changed?”
“What, were you hogtied and kept in a cave?” Ginny asked. Draco gave her a look that told her she was being insufferable and that he didn’t want to talk about it yet. “You’ve really heard no news?” she asked, softening.
“Pansy’s dating Neville,” Luna said happily, as she picked up a fork. Three shocked faces turned towards her.
“What?” Draco choked. “The next thing you’re going to tell me is that other Weasley’s gotten Granger pregnant!”
“Oh no,” Luna replied placidly. “Not yet.” Draco grimaced and Ginny laughed loudly while Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Pansy will likely tear him apart,” Harry said quietly.
“I imagine,” Draco agreed. He paused. “But how do you know her?” Apparently more things than mere residences had changed since he’d been away.
Harry shrugged. “Dunno. We’re friends, I guess.” Harry never was one to talk unnecessarily.
“That’s good,” Draco replied awkwardly. “She can use as many as she can find, with that kind of attitude.”
“Oh please,” Ginny replied. “You’re the same way and you know it.”
“I’m not denying it, Ginny.” He turned to Luna and asked, “But how did you know it before these two?” He gestured to them with his head.
Luna’s large eyes widened. “I just know some things, Draco.” She got a mystical look on her face and made her eyes boggle a bit; it was slightly unnerving.
Draco smiled at this. “Knowing things without being told? That’s an unusual talent. Are you a Seer, or do you read minds or something?”
Luna merely sat and looked bemused. Harry and Ginny watched the spectacle, knowing how it would unfurl.
“Luna, what am I thinking right now?” Draco asked, feeling coy but sounding close to deadly serious.
Luna blinked twice, and began to blush. “Heavens!” she exclaimed. Then it was Draco’s turn to blush.
“Oh,” he replied, looking abashed.
“I’m not a freak, Draco,” she said softly, in such a way that Ginny and Harry knew that was not what he‘d been thinking.
“I know that,” he replied. He did, really, but he didn’t exactly know how to act around some people.
Ginny added, “That’s how he acts with everyone.”
Draco shot Ginny a glance. “What’s that mean?”
“You’re an ass,” Harry replied, joining in on the festival of torment.
The four of them then realized they had stopped eating, and began to do so again. After a bit of a silence, Luna said serenely, “So, Ginny, Draco.” They looked at her. “When’s the wedding?” Draco glared, and with the combination of all the strength of his years plus time spent in captivity, he looked quite intimidating.
Ginny was left cackling in the background while Harry merely said, “Oh, for the love of God.”
--------------------------------------
“I need a drink, Ginny.” Draco sounded as close to desperate as anyone would ever hear him, and Ginny could only tell because she knew him so well.
“Draco. You’ve met them already. They didn’t hurt you last time, why would they want to hurt you now?”
“Because they don’t like me!”
“They didn’t like you before! What does that have to do with the present situation?”
“I want your family to like me!” He WANTED her family to like him?
“Why?” Ginny wasn’t being patronizing, she was honestly wondering what had made up his mind that this meeting was so important.
“They’re your family.” His head was still filled with thoughts that secretly disgusted him, such as ‘And if all goes well, they could be my family too.’ WHAT had turned him into such a-- what had Ginny always called him? Milksop. He was a bleeding milksop. Shit.
“Yes, they‘re my family.”
“Aren’t you loyal to your family?”
She looked at him; she was trying not to smile or tease, while also trying not to sound grave. “Draco, I’m loyal to the people I love.” Her eyes glanced toward his and she grabbed his hand and led him to the door, mocking gently. “Come on then. I dare you.”