When Everything Breaks

"What do you want Harry?"

"What have we been summoned for?"

"I want to talk to you."

"I want Harry Potter! The person who brings him to me will be greatly rewarded."

Ginny opened the door. Draco opened his mouth.

***

Ginny raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

"What is it?"

"Shelly isn't a lesbian," Harry stated in reply.

"Really?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I asked and she isn't."

"Who'd you ask?" Ginny picked up her wand as she spoke and Harry took a tentative step back.

"I asked around the office."

"That right?" She put her hands on her hips and Harry faltered. "I'm late for a lunch appointment, so, if you have a point, kindly get to it."

"You have a date?" he asked quickly.

"Harry get out of my way," she replied, advancing on him as he stood motionless in the doorway.

"But you can't go on a date." She looked at him icily.

"And why is that Harry? Why wouldn't I?" She stepped around him and pulled the door shut behind them.

"Because--"

"Goodbye Harry." She walked away, leaving Harry to stare after her retreating form.

"...you're my girl," Harry finished quietly.

When Harry followed out into the Alley, Ginny was already gone. He walked away bewildered, assuming she had apparated to her destination. Ginny watched him through the jokeshop window, as a stray tear fell and she wiped at it distractedly. She was sick of feeling like her life should revolve around Harry Potter, he was not hers any more and she was strangely glad.

"Ginny, what are you looking at?" Fred asked, tapping her on the shoulder and making her jump.

"Nothing. There's nothing there," she replied.

As Ginny followed her brother into the shop, a small pop sounded in a deserted corner of the Alley and laughter echoed into the air.

***

There was a pop in the silent hall and Lucious Malfoy appeared. Voldemort looked up with disgust, and wondered how he had come to depend on this mostly incompetent wizard.

"You are late Malfoy," he called.

"I have good news," he replied simply.

"Do share." Voldemort stood from his chair as Malfoy approached him, and paced the dank and empty Riddle parlour.

"I've seen Harry Potter."

***

Ginny waved from the entranceway of her apartment and smiled to her brothers before disappearing inside. She collapsed into a chair beside the fire and sunk down into the soft cushioning.

"Hey Gin!" Ginny's eyes flew open at the intrusive voice beside her. She sat up and looked down into the fireplace, Shelly beamed back at her.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm perfect, and you?"

"I'm pretty good."

"Wonderful. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Not a lot, why?"

"Double date, Ginny my dear. You in?" she asked with a wink.

"Sure," Ginny replied.

"Great, I'll talk to you at work tomorrow then. Right now, I think I need some chocolate." She looked around. "Nice place." Shelly's head disappeared and Ginny relaxed back into her chair.

***

Draco stood, staring out into Knockturn Alley, and scratched the place on his arm where the Dark Mark had burnt earlier that day. How had he got here? Discontent and immobile.

He had not seen his father at the gathering, and as yet he had not stopped to wonder why. He did not care. He was long past caring about anything his father ever did.

Draco had little to do. He did not need to work, although he did. He had gone straight from Hogwarts to a corner office in the Ministry of Magic. Trust in the wizarding world was dwindling, but darkness and prejudice had always been increasing. He no longer knew who was a spy, such as Severus Snape had been before his marriage, and he did not care. He kept largely to himself, within and without the circle of Voldemort, with few friends and many acquaintances.

He had not been back to the Leaky Cauldron, for fear of seeing Ginny Weasley again. Or rather, for fear of her seeing him. If she were to recognise him, she would surely go running to Potter. Little did he know, she would have done no such thing.

He watched the people below him, hidden beneath dark cloaks and secluded by shadow, make their way along the Alley. He wondered who of these had been in that room with him that morning, a circle of masked faces. He placed his palm on the glass and tapped his fingers impatiently. Why couldn't he get her out of his head?

He could remember the last time he had been with her, even though it had been the best part of four years ago and what seemed like half his lifetime had passed. During The last week of his last year at Hogwarts, when his future had still been ambiguous. He could have followed Potter into the plains of war, but instead he chose to stand in his father's wake.

They had been sitting together in detention, and he was watching her out of the corner of his eye from across the room. He was weary of her, and that wavy red hair was a welcome distraction from his Transfiguration homework. She was concentrating, he could tell from the determined look on her face, on her Potions essay. Her quill had been stationary for about ten minutes and he couldn't help but feel smug, he had always received good marks for Potions and he barely had to try.

"Mr Malfoy, if you have something to say to Miss Weasley I suggest you wait till you are outside of my class," Professor McGonagall said sternly. Ginny looked back at Draco with irritation, and a hint of curiosity as to why McGonagall would think he wanted to talk to her.

"Yes Professor," he replied quietly, looking down to his own parchment. Ginny went back to scribbling on her Potions essay.

He had said nothing to her, even after McGonagall had dismissed them and then left herself. He had ignored her presence and lingering curiosity, packing his things away and walking briskly out.

That was the last time he really saw her, the next week Hogwarts was closed. He had seen her since then of course, but she had not seen him. He had learned to be stealthy and shielded, like a shadow on a merri-go-round.

"Jesus Malfoy, get a grip," he said aloud, stepping back from the window and letting his arm drop. He went to his bed to retrieve the book he had yet to finish.

***

Ginny woke in the morning, still curled up in her chair beside the dwindled fire. Her back creaked as she stood and stretched. She quickly got ready for work, and left her apartment deserted.

She worked slowly to her lunch break, which her and Shelly had arranged to spend together. She took care of the tasks she had leftover from the week before, and then began the work that had accumulated over the weekend and the early morning. Memos flew in and out of her Department and she sat for a while watching them. As one landed silently on her desk and unfolded itself, she began laughing. Written on the parchment were the words 'stop watching the dust settle, and lets go to lunch!' She looked up and Shelly was beckoning her with her manicured index finger.

They went into London, to a restaurant that Shelly's parents owned and ran, and ordered their usual meals.

"We haven't been here in ages, they've almost forgotten our usuals," Shelly said sadly. Ginny nodded and pulled her messy hair away from her face and out of her eyes.

"It's just not safe anymore, is it? There's been rumours," she replied.

"I know. Believe me, I know."

"You haven't been getting any trouble, have you?" Shelly, for once, looked at Ginny seriously, a hint of fear hidden behind her sparkling brown eyes. Being a Muggle-born and just out of Hogwarts at a time when pureblood families had progressively less empathy and sympathy for such, Shelly had seen her fair share of trouble. And Ginny was in awe of Shelly's always-contented demeanour, which she herself could not muster.

"Only from you Gin. Me, a lesbian?" She smiled crookedly and Ginny blushed.

"I panicked, sorry."

"That's okay, but I have been getting a few odd looks."

"From who?" The food arrived and Shelly shrugged.

Lunch was soon over and they had yet to discuss the date they were to have that night. They stood in the lift, paper hovering at their heads, and continued to remain silent. Ginny became impatient.

"So, what have you planned for tonight?" she asked finally, as they stopped on the second floor, where three memos and two wizards exited.

"You remember that guy I met last week? Cameron?" Shelly said in reply.

"The one that works at St Mungos?"

"Yeah. He wanted to double, to be safe you know, and you're the only single gal I know." Ginny smiled wanly.

"Indeed."

As Ginny settled back down to her work, she found herself thinking again of how things had been since Hogwarts. It had taken her five years to find herself, and she realised now that while she had been with Harry she had lost herself again. She had dreamt of Tom Riddle again the night before, it was always the same. It was the one thing she missed about Harry, she never dreamt at all when he was beside her. It was almost as if he took away anything that made her her. She became an extension of Harry Potter, and she wondered how she had ever been happy at all. She shuffled the parchments on her desk and diverted her attention back to her work.

Time soon passed away and her Monday afternoon was over.

"Ready to go Gin?" She looked up as Shelly sat on the edge of her desk and laced her fingers in her lap.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Her stomach lurched uncomfortably.

"That's the spirit," Shelly replied.

It turned out that Ginny's date was someone she had met before, Colin Creevey. They spent the whole night catching up and avoiding the subject of Harry Potter. Colin promised to call her during the week so they could have lunch, she doubted his sincerity but was not disappointed. She knew he was dying to talk of that one subject she never wanted to discuss with him.

She arrived home to find her door ajar; she looked around nervously and drew her wand.

"Hello?" she called. There was no answer. She started in, stopping just inside the threshold, and turned back towards the jokeshop.

She saw George emerge from the back of the store, when he saw her he smiled.

"Where you been?" he asked as he opened the door for her. She waved away his question with her hand.

"Have you been up to my place tonight?"

"No, why?"

"The door was open." George frowned and looked over her shoulder.

"Wait here," he said. He touched her shoulder with his hand as he stepped around her.

She started to get worried when he was not back after ten minutes; my place isn't that big. She was on the verge of calling for Fred when George came back, walking with a limp.

"What happened?" she asked, taking his arm.

"Your place is a mess, I tripped on something."

"So someone's been through there?"

"Yeah, I think we'd better call the aurors to take a look." George looked at her and the protest died on her lips. He was afraid.

"Alright, just not Harry," she replied.

***

Draco had expected to be summoned that afternoon, but it never came and he had instead spent the day immersed in paperwork. He had arrived home and again waited. But Still nothing. He sat at his kitchen table, rolling his wand between his hands. The smell of his burning dinner finally reached his consciousness and Draco jumped up from the table. He wasn't that hungry anyway.

He walked through into his living room and looked around. He saw, sitting on the coffee table, a box that had not been there earlier when he had returned from work. He lifted the lid, inside was a photo of Ginny. A recent photo.

***

The next day passed without incident, but when she apparated back to Diagon Alley Fred and George were waiting outside her apartment. Nothing suspicious had been found the night before, just a mess and nothing missing, but they were still a little weary.

"We're taking you out for dinner, Gin," Fred said.

"Go in and get changed," George added with a smile.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just thought the five of us could all go out, is all," George replied. She watched after them curiously as they wandered back to their store, and she went inside to change out of her work clothes.

Ginny took half an hour to sift through her clothes before choosing a dark blue shirt and black pants. She quickly tied her hair up as she slipped on her sandals and rushed back out the door. She hurriedly grabbed her cloak, with the wand concealed in the pocket, before the door closed on her.

Dinner was at first quite pleasant, despite Katie and Angelina's constant talk of children and the hints to their oblivious husbands. Nobody had asked her how she was, although perhaps she had spoken too soon. Angelina inclined her head to the side and smiled softly at her.

"How are you Ginny?" she asked. Ginny groaned.

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Oh, tonight isn't about me. It's about you." Ginny gripped her knife tighter. Her knuckles whitened.

"So how's work?" Katie asked.

"It's good."

"Busy?"

"I guess." She looked around at them, and they looked back at her like they were somehow expecting her to burst into tears.

"And so you've been good then?" Angelina said as she patted Ginny's hand in which her knife was gripped. She flipped the knife around; it felt so much better in an offensive position in her hand. One more word, she thought, just one more word and I'm going to scream.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Katie asked, "you look a little ill." Ginny raised her hand and stabbed down into the table. She stood and walked out without another word, into the deserted Alley.

She hadn't taken three steps when something grabbed her, hands clamped onto her arms as she tried to draw her wand. She struggled, which was probably her biggest mistake. Her wand flew from her hand and into the shadows.

"Well, well, Ginny Weasley. What are you doing out on a night like this? Alone," a voice asked her. She felt the pressure of a wand on the base of her neck, and she vaguely felt herself fall into waiting arms as she lost consciousness.