You Can't Deal Alone

Ginny left the Professor's Lounge deep in thought. She had just attended a meeting about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. Being a serious shopper Ginny had volunteered to supervise immediately - at the same moment as Draco Malfoy.

The halls were empty as it was well past curfew. Her simple black flats made a dull clicking. Enveloped by the silence, Ginny began talking to herself.

"If I had known he was going, I certainly wouldn't have volunteered. I took enough of his guff in school and now I have to spend an entire day with him. I had just started feeling lucky that I hadn't had a run-in with him when this happened." Her monologue continued in this vein as she entered her quarters and prepared for bed. It was as she was brushing her teeth that a new thought skipped through her mind.

"Pull it together, Weasley," she scolded. "You're acting like your students. It's true that he taunted you and degraded your family," she paused to fume.

"There was that one time," she continued. Turning bright red she pushed the though aside. "Ugh, no, don't think of that. Think of how he surprised everyone by joining the Order. And he did prove to be invaluable. He's changed. Let's hope, anyway."

Ginny crawled under the covers and slowly fell asleep.

***

It was the day of the Hogsmeade trip, not to mention Valentine's Day. Ginny's hair was in thick Velcro rollers as she tore through her closet. Her right hand held a fag that Ginny was occasionally puffing at but mostly ignoring.

Professors and students alike were allowed to wear clothes other than their robes to Hogsmeade, if they chose to do so. Two of Ginny's closest students, Maritole and Anna, came to her often for fashion advice. Being the youngest employee Ginny had a closer connection with the students and many of the girls expected her to look stunning.

Which explained the pile of clothes strewn across her bedroom floor. "Honestly, Ginny," she chastised herself. "You're as bad as Jenny was before her date with Robert." Jenny was another student who had frantically looked to Ginny for advice.

Ginny glanced at her clock. Harry's hand was pointing to "Quidditch Practice" while Ginny's own was at "late." In honour of the holiday, Ginny finally chose a light pink cardigan with beading sprinkling from her left shoulder down and across. Over a pair of opaque black tights she wore a black skirt that flowed to just below her knee. It had a layer of gauze over it so it swished when she walked. Ginny barely had time to remove her rollers and give one more quick pat of powder on her nose before she was bolting out the door.

She passed a tall mirror on the wall and did a double-take. Ginny was not one to extol her virtues, but she couldn't ignore how pleasant she looked. Her ginger hair fell in gentle waves just past her shoulders and bounced lightly when she turned her head. The pink jumper covered the weight that settled uncomfortably on her lower stomach. The skirt and black tights complimented the sweater beautifully. Ginny's cheeks were flushed from rushing and her large brown eyes seemed to sparkle. The freckles that Ginny usually thought looked childish only complimented her face.

Ginny arrived to the Great Hall much later (she had to backtrack for her cloak). Maritole was admiring her outfit when her face lost its jovial look and she backed away slightly. Confused, Ginny turned to face Draco Malfoy.

It was the closest she had been to him since her sixth year. Despite her built-up dislike for him, she had to admire him. He no longer slicked his hair back, but instead let it fall onto his forehead. The colour of his hair had darkened. It was now the shade of sand in the late summer - almost a brown, but still undeniably blonde. His eyes were still silver, and Ginny now found their piercing gaze to be enticing.

"A little late, Weasley?" he whispered into her ear. Ginny shivered and followed the students walking towards Hogsmeade.

"A little old for childish nicknames, Malfoy?" she retorted. "Look, we have to spend the day together, so we might as well try to be civil."

Draco smirked and Ginny unwillingly found it extremely attractive. As they walked in silence Ginny concentrated on Harry's image.

They stepped outside and the wind took Ginny by surprise. Her cloak was on her arm, and she began to put it on when Draco slipped it over her shoulders for her. She looked up at him suspiciously.

Before striding ahead of her, Draco leaned dangerously close to her and whispered, "You're looking good, Professor."

His closeness and deep voice stirred something below her bellybutton. "I have a boyfriend," she called weakly after him.

"Don't flatter yourself," he responded, not looking back at her.

Embarrassed and confused, Ginny continued to Hogsmeade alone.

***

"Alright boys," Kathryn Ellerby addressed the seventeen men in front of her. "We have a match against the Wigtown Wanderers in four days. It's on their pitch. We'll be heading down there the day before the game - that's the 17^th - in hopes that we can steal the pitch to practice for an hour or so. That's it, hit the showers. Oh - happy Valentine's Day."

The eleven quidditch team members headed to one door, the six various coaches mumbled goodnights and left through another.

To their lovers, Kathryn, manager of the Tutshill Tornados, thought miserably. She sank into a leather chair and closed her eyes. She loved her job - and Merlin knows she loved the money - but it got lonely fast being the only witch. Being grown up didn't mean she didn't need girl friends to talk with. When they had had tryouts in the beginning of the season she had hoped one of the four reserve players would be a girl, but she had no such luck.

Kathryn must have sat with her head in her hands longer than she thought, because suddenly Harry Potter was next to her, showered and fresh. Kathryn observed him with interest - aside from him being the most revered wizard, there was no question that he was handsome. Extremely handsome. Gorgeous.

"Hello, Kathryn," he said. She smiled and returned the greeting. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a glass of butterbeer."

She almost declined his offer but changed her mind after a moment's consideration. "I'd love to, Harry," she responded.

"Great!" He stood and pulled out his wand. "Meet you at the 3 Broomsticks?" Kathryn nodded. With two small "pops" they were gone.

Hours at the 3 Broomsticks passed quickly. Harry left two galleons on the table and walked with Kathryn up the stairs. The team had rooms above the restaurant until their next match.

The two stumbled up the stairs, laughing loudly. The innocent butterbeer trip had turned into firewhisky. As an athlete Harry drank very rarely, therefore having a low tolerance. Kathryn had downed more than he, but Harry couldn't accurately keep track when seeing double.

They finally arrived at Kathryn's room. Her cheeks were rosy against her olive complexion. Her lips were parted in a smile, showing a row of straight white teeth. Her hair was an ordinary brown, but it was layered and a stray piece fell into her eyes. Harry fought the urge to push it behind her ear so he could see into her. She had such captivating eyes. They were a strong blue, with a ring of brown around the pupil and a greenish tint flowing through.

Harry wondered how it was possible that he was seeing her eyes with such clarity. Suddenly he realized it was because they were only centimeters apart, breathing heavily, both pairs of eyes locking nervously. The back of Harry's brain was sending off sirens, but the reason didn't come to him. All he could think of was Kathryn and how incredibly much he had drunk.

Their lips finally touched and it was as if some humongous built up tension had snapped. It wasn't kissing as Harry had ever experienced. They were lost in pure, sinful lust. Kathryn let out a drunken giggle and Harry got a sinking feeling - he didn't have a condom. He never carried them as Ginny didn't believe in premarital sex.

Ginny! His brain screamed. Harry broke the kiss. Kathryn looked at him curiously, but then doubled over. Harry startled and held her shoulders.

"Kathryn?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Kathryn stood straight and waved him away. "Just nausea. Look, you better go to your room... I drank more than I ought to have." Harry nodded but didn't move.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Kathryn insisted, using the hand that wasn't on her stomach to push him lightly toward his room. "Thanks for the evening - see you tomorrow at practice."

Kathryn then clamped her hand over her mouth and bolted into the room. Harry closed her door and left feeling worried. He was also sick to his stomach, although he wasn't sure his illness was because of the alcohol.