Will I

CHAPTER-3

On Their flight to Delhi, the first thing Ginny had done was to take and give all the details of the project. Draco was at present in Jaipur, a city in the state of Rajasthan, currently married to Sarah, another immigrant witch in India. They presently worked in a muggle bank and coffee shop respectively, living a lavish muggle life nonetheless. Harry's conference would be in Entertainment Paradise, and their lodgings would be Hotel Clarks Amer, near the venue for the conference. They would be living along with the Malfoy family, pretending to visit the city, searching for clues and secretly investigating them (following the leads of Richard and his group).

The flights (they had to change one at Delhi, for Jaipur) were even more tiring than Ginny had anticipated. And it didn't help that she was pregnant and felt worse whenever the flight took off and landed. The food hadn't stayed in her stomach and she was lucky that she had been able to convince Harry that the vomiting was because of the flights.

"Of course, it must be. Flights are not comfortable for all," came the understanding reply.

It had been a 12 hrs journey in total and it was 5p.m in the evening in Jaipur when they reached their hotel entrance in the taxi.

"Ready, darling? We're here."

Ginny jumped when Harry enquired solicitously. Wanting to hear him call that and actually hearing him call her 'darling' made colour creep into Ginny's cheeks and she ducked her head to hide it. Harry's casual use of endearment confused her stable state of mind.

Does Harry talk like this to all of his past girl-friends? She thought.

They had checked in at the Reception and their luggage was already being loaded. A uniformed doorman held the door opened for their room.

"Is something the matter, darling," he asked her playfully.

"Must you keep calling me 'darling'?"

Harry shrugged, unperturbed. "It's good practice."

"But there's no need to pretend it in private," she hissed.

"You would be better prepared. Your face was shocked just now. At least now you won't act like that in front of Draco. He was a spy, don't forget that Gin!" he warned.

There was something that made things even more was about to come.

"You can't expect me to share a room with you!" she whispered desperately in undertone, as she finally registered the fact. It was becoming more and more difficult than she wanted it to be.

"Not a room but a suite. Married couples usually share sleeping quarters. Draco may check in any day and it may ring it to him to confirm our rooms." Harry's eyebrows arched in amusement.

Ginny had nothing to do but agree. It was becoming more difficult to hide her secret from Harry than she had anticipated. Her nights were not something people would call sweet and quiet. She tried to put on a bright smile as she turned back to him.

"You're right of course. Now which bedroom do you want me to take?"

A grin spread across his face, highlighting the dimple on his right cheek. "I don't suppose there's any point in saying the master bedroom?"

"None at all," she said briskly as she charmed her briefcase and landed it slowly on the bed.

"Magic is strictly prohibited, until life-threatening situations, Gin. This is a muggle dwelling and I want no publicity. Better lock your wand in your briefcase only," Harry warned her.

"Sorry!"

"Anyway, get fresh quickly. I have made reservations in the restaurant down here for the dinner. We need to spend more time together, in order to be convincing to Malfoy, who arrived here in the morning."

"What? He is coming so early?" she blurted.

"He intended to let us live in the hotels only till the meeting tomorrow in the morning. After that he intends to take us to his home," Harry checked his watch. "The reservations time is for seven o'clock, which gives you enough time to get fresh and change," he announced and went to his room.

Ginny had never worked on a project along with Harry in the entire span of her career as an Auror and it was now dawning on her why Harry was such a successful Auror. He went into the minor details of his project and carried it out unerringly. If Ginny hadn't been scared, she would have definitely appreciated his working style.

What did one wear to a dinner with one's so-called husband? Ginny thought suddenly. Then she remembered. Luckily, she had put in an evening gown.

It was open-back and sleeve-less, flowing green silk gown gifted to her by Ron and Hermione after they came from Paris. It flattered her figure, which was enough for her.

Aware of the fact that Harry's colleagues could also be there, she applied a little of make-up also to cover her paleness.

When Harry arrived at just five minutes before seven, he looked appreciatively at her. "That's a nice dress you've taken, Gin. You have my approval," he added after looking at her critically.

Ginny's eyes blazed. "I wasn't aware I needed it," she snapped in annoyance. The pregnancy had made her short-tempered and it was already difficult to control her anger now-a-days. She took a deep-breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you," she said finally.

Harry nodded. "Apology accepted!"

Ginny looked at him properly. A dinner-jacket suited him, she thought, as he came towards her. He had shaved and Ginny had to stop herself from appreciating his personality. She thought it strange how smart sometimes he could look in Muggle dressing, when he was a wizard and looked equally handsome in dress-robes.

They were sitting in 'Raj-E-Shahi' restaurant, and the 'waiter' came to them for their order.

"A bottle of Scotch for two, please," Harry ordered.

"No," Ginny interrupted sharply. Harry looked at her, confused. She explained hurriedly, "I'll just take coffee, thanks," she mumbled.

Harry nodded. "Ok, one coffee, and a bottle of Scotch." The waiter nodded and went away.

"Gin, I've got a good news-"

"If it isn't the famous Harry Potter!" interrupted an interested voice.

Harry looked around in surprise, clearly not expecting anyone who knew him. He found the person and smiled charmingly, concealing brilliantly the frown that Ginny noticed instantly.

As he rose to greet the person coming over to them, Ginny saw who it was, and was not at all pleased.

Petite in both height and figure, she was stunningly beautiful with china-doll features under her glossy-black hair. The hands she extended ended in perfect oval nails which shone with emerald nail-polish, matching with her dress.

Even before Harry made the introductions, Ginny knew who it was. It was Cho Chang, who currently taken the position of Rita Skeeter in the magical community. She worked for the Daily Prophet after Rita died, and soon had the name tag of 'Second Skeeter' along with her.

"Cho, this is Gin-" Ginny kicked him under the table. "-evra, Ginevra- my colleague at the Ministry," he introduced them, though he knew that there was no need. "And this is Cho Chang -the famous 'Second Skeeter'."

Cho's green, interested eyes rested on Ginny. "The only Weasley girl in her generation, isn't it? Yes, yes, the same red flaming hair," she mused, while Ginny fumed at the mention of her red hair.

She returned her attention to Harry. "Too bad I didn't know you were arriving or I would have brought my things," she said admiringly. "It would have been a nice interview."

He lifted his broad shoulders in an apologetic gesture. "Gin and I have business to discuss in any way."

"Of course, I forgot for a second what a workaholic you are. But you will save me dance surely, won't you?"

"I'll join the queue."

"Save the flattery." All the same she looked very happy as she went to her table.

Harry sat down back and drank a sip of his Scotch, which the waiter had delivered during their talk. "Sorry about the intervention. Cho and I are long standing friends," he said.

"From your third year at Hogwarts, I know," said Ginny, not at all sure about his meaning of 'long-standing friends'. She got a bit of hint from Cho's flirtatious manner and was disturbed that the idea bothered her.

Harry looked at her, amused at her perfect memory.

Without consulting about it more, Harry ordered the main course, Chinese dishes, making sure he didn't want to talk about it more.

"Business talks over yet?'

Raising her eyes to see who disturbed them the instant they had finished their dinner, Ginny saw Cho, who was looking sloe-eyed at Harry. He got smoothly to his feet, and with an exaggerated gallantry, offered his arm to Cho. "Would you do the honour to dance with me?" Cho giggled as she put her hand in his.

The five piece band struck up a waltz while Harry swung Cho expertly on the floor. Seeing his head bent down to catch something Cho was saying, Ginny felt a pang which she refused to recognize as jealousy.

As the music ended, Harry and Cho made no move to return to the table and this made Ginny unwillingly grab the bottle of Scotch Harry left half-empty and go to her suite, leaving Harry alone with Cho to finish their dance.

***

"Gin, are you there?" Harry called out in the darkness and switched on the lights.

He found her sitting on the sofa, a grudging expression on her face.

Ginny raised her eyes. "What happened? Didn't you and Cho finish your '4^th year's missed ball' together?" she asked.

Harry's eyes contracted for a second as the wheels in his mind worked for a second. Then he understood what she meant. "Does it bother you, Gin?" he asked her, amused.

"You asked me to act as your wife, while on the contrary you acted down there as nothing short of a bachelor!" her voice raised. "Nobody will believe that I am your wife after they saw you dancing so cozily with Cho just now!" she stood up and Harry went over to her, as she swayed slightly.

Harry wanted to laugh, but he knew not to do so, as Gin could be quite dangerous when angry. But the amusement clearly showed in his eyes. "Why, Gin? Are you jealous that I danced with Cho instead with you?"

Though he wanted the answer in affirmative, he was still shocked as Ginny agreed. "Of course I wanted too!" she smiled strangely. She leaned into him. "I was angry that you danced with that bitch," she said calculatingly, while wagging her finger.

Harry thought it was strange to hear Ginny talking like this. Though she was a Weasley, she never crossed the limit of cursing in public. He also couldn't miss how beautiful she looked tonight in her gown. Trying to control his feelings, he tried to continue their talk, still holding Ginny's arm, careful not to move them to her bare back. "Really, did you? You should have told me then!" he said.

Ginny waved her free hand in dismissal. "The thing is, now you should ask me before asking any other bitch," she said, suddenly looking blearily.

Harry couldn't control it for long. "Surely I will," he muttered huskily and claimed her lips. She let out a moan of longing. Her hands linked around his neck, her fingernails digging provocatively into his flesh. He tasted the sweet corner of her mouth and planted kisses on her throat. He moved his wand and the tape across the room played a slow tune, which Harry thought was perfect for the situation.

He put his arms around her waist and dipped her as low as possible, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.
Then he felt her sliding one of her legs along the back of his right leg. He'd had enough.
He raised her back to an upright position. With his hands firmly gripping her waist, he easily picked her up and sat her on one of the bar tables.
He smiled at Ginny. The tables were tall, so now they were the same height. He kissed her again, then trailed kisses across her cheek and down to her neck. She moaned in response.
Then she leaned forward and breathed into his ear, "You're cheating. You're distracting me, Potter. We were supposed to be dancing-"

And then, he felt her nibble on his earlobe. A shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to kiss her...NOW.
He turned his head and gave her a crushing kiss. Then he felt her tongue running along his lower lip for a split second. He tried to use his tongue to force entry into her mouth, but she wouldn't let him.
He almost growled out of frustration. He knew she wasn't going to give in. She was determined to prove something to him, and Ginevra Weasley never did anything halfheartedly. So he decided to return to nuzzling her neck.
Meanwhile, Ginny had started to unbutton his shirt. Apparently it was easier said than done, because it seemed that it was taking her a while.
Harry brought his head back up. He really wanted to rip off the damn shirt himself, but he fought the urge to do so and looked at her.
Ginny was biting her lip in concentration as she fumbled with the buttons. He decided to wait patiently, just watching her.
When she was finally done, she raised her head and looked him in the eyes.
She brought her lips up to Harry's neck, then slid her hands under his shirt. She slowly peeled it off of him as she ran her hands down his arms.
"You know, Potter, the Auror work has really done you good," she murmured.
He laughed. She gingerly ran her fingertips over the muscles.
Then he cupped her face in his hands, kissing her softly.
She felt his tongue running across the seam between her lips and opened her mouth willingly. She reveled in the feeling as he explored her mouth, then decided to take her own tour...
Harry suddenly snapped back to reality. He didn't want to stop, but...

"Gin, you are drunk?" he asked her, spotting the Scotch Bottle standing nearby.

She grinned at him. "Drunk, me?" she waved her hand towards the bar table. Harry saw the bottle of Scotch and swore silently. "Obviously, I'm not drunk! I drank only half-the bottle you left. Its not much, is it?" she asked.

He held the bottle up-side down. Not even a drop fell down. Now understanding what the matter was, he went over to Ginny, who had slumped on the bed. As he came nearer, Ginny tried to stand up. As he rushed over and helped her to stand properly, she leaned into him.

He drew away, while still holding her. He was already feeling guilty that he had misused her drunken state. He should not have kissed her. That's twice I did it at wrong time. Well, I will now save her more embarrassment. Harry thought firmly, and pushed her again on the bed.

"You need to sleep, Gin."

Ginny smiled at him with closed eyes. "Why should I?" she asked.

Harry quickly opened the almirah nearby and found sleeping pills for emergency. He quickly smashed one, dissolved it in water and went back to her. He handed her the glass of water.

"Here, drink the water," he said.

Ginny looked suspiciously at him and wagged a finger at him. "You can't fool me, I'm an Auror, you know," she said and laughed throatily.

"Of course," said Harry, thinking desperately what to say next. He had faced many situations, but none like this and he didn't know what he should do to make her drink the water. "This will make you feel better, I promise!" he finished lamely. But Ginny took it at face value.

"Will it? If the famous Harry Potter says it, then I'll definitely take it," she announced loudly. She suddenly grabbed the glass and drank it whole in a single gulp.

Harry breathed deeply; soon, she would be asleep. He kissed her lightly on her forehead.

As it turned out, it wasn't as soon as Harry had anticipated. Ginny talked with him for about a whole hour, with nothing important, or even sensible. Suddenly, she slumped on back on the bed. Harry put her properly on her bed, put the blanket on her, switched off the lights and went to his bedroom. It was going to be difficult for him to control his feelings even more than he anticipated.

***

Ginny woke suddenly next morning. She had a severe head-ache and found Harry sitting on the sofa nearby, reading the local newspaper. He saw her, and before she could mutter and word, he rushed quickly to the bathroom.

As soon as he kept the small tub near her, she retched violently into it.

"Your food didn't stay this time, I'm afraid," Harry said. He pinched his nose with one hand and carried the tub to the bathroom with the other. Ginny rubbed her head, hoping to ease away the pain. She didn't exactly remember what happened after she came to the room and had a feeling that something bad happened.

Harry returned with a clean tub and kept it in beside her bed.

"What happened yesterday?" she asked him.

Harry's eye-brows contracted. "Don't you remember anything?" he asked.

Ginny stammered, "N-No, why?"

He quickly re-posed his stance. "Nothing much happened, except that you drank the half a bottle of Scotch, and were already lying flat on the bed by the time I came," Harry twisted the fact. He didn't want Ginny to feel bad; it was not entirely her fault.

"Oh no, crap," she muttered suddenly and retched violently again into the tub. This time Harry quickly emptied the tub with his wand only.

"Harry, call a Healer fast, or I'm dead!" she whispered to him.

Harry was clearly confused. "What? Why do you need a Healer?" he asked. Suddenly he said, "Okay," and went over to the strange-'phon' and dialed a number on it.

"Hello," he said after a few seconds. "Reception? Yes, it is Mr. Potter from suite 403. My wife drank a little last evening and is not at all feeling well this morning. So could you please tell me the number of a Doctor nearby? Ok," he paused for a second. "2465938, Dr. Sharma, Thank you very much for you help. I'll call him myself," he thanked and put down the handle.

He picked up the phone again and dialed the number on it.

"Is it cell-phon?" Ginny asked.

"No, it is phone- but a one attached through wires," he explained hurriedly. "Mr. Sharma? Good morning doctor. Actually I am a visitor from England and my wife is not feeling well this morning. So could I bring her to your clinic for a check up please?" he asked politely on the phone. "Okay, I'll write down the address," he grabbed a pencil and wrote the address. "I'll bring her this instant, thank you doctor."

The visit to doctor's clinic was fast. Ginny had explained to him the whole situation (Harry waited outside), and asked whether the drink had affected the child.

"To be truthful, I don't think it should be that bad for the child as you are thinking. We usually recommend 'no-drinking during pregnancy' to ladies who are addicted or drink alcohol quite frequently. Once or twice during nine months is not much, though it should be in small quantities," the doctor explained.

Ginny ducked her head. "I drank half a bottle," she muttered.

The doctor shook his head. "According to what your husband told me on phone, you vomited quit a lot. Obviously much of the Scotch also went out, so I don't think there's something to worry about. But you must now avoid drinking as much as you can," he finished.

Just that moment Harry peered inside. "Are talks over yet?" he asked and entered. "Is Gin okay, doctor?" Harry asked with such concern that breath caught in her throat. It's only because he needs to sound a concerned husband. Ginny reasoned to herself.

"Your wife is absolutely fine and all she need is rest for a few days," the doctor said.

"Okay, then. We'll leave. Thank you Mr. Landis!" Harry shook his hands with the doctor. "You have been of extreme help."

"It's my job to do that, Mr. Potter!"

They went directly to the breakfast and Ginny had just settled down, with her plate full of fruits and a piece of sandwich. Harry was already about to finish his, with only a few melons pieces left in his plate, when someone drawled behind them. "Oh, Look -It's the famous Scar-Head and The Weaslette!"