-Weasley Wickedly Lays Waste To Hero’s Heart!-


-Weasley Tart Tarnishes Harpies’ Reputation!-


-Weasley Caught Fraternizing With Enemy!-


-Wicked Weasley Adds New Notch To Broomstick!-


-Worst Weasley’s Wild Behavior Brings Beloved Matriarch To Tears!-


-Weasley’s Scandals Spread Into Spain!-


-Weasley Lambasted By French Minister At Award Ceremony!-



Draco was sure his eyebrows were lost somewhere in his hairline. The longish loose silver locks, perhaps a scant four inches in length from their origins upon his scalp, would have drawn attention had anyone cared much about the Malfoy name and image but those days were long past. To be honest, he found it somewhat relieving to not be caught under the critical eye of the Wizarding public. It was difficult enough to simply peruse the paper and see others being dragged by the inept journalists that made up the staff of the Daily Prophet.


He had been out of the country off and on for years now while handling business overseas in America and meanwhile the youngest Weasley had been making considerable waves back here in their homeland. Between the half dozen or so articles that had been deemed front-page worthy over the years, he doubted there was more than a paragraph of truth exposed. Whoever handled PR for the Harpies was in dire need of being fired, that was clear.


“What’s got you so disgruntled?” A familiar voice rang out in greeting as Blaise Zambini made his way through the semi-crowded cafe to reach the small table in the back that Draco had commandeered upon arrival some twenty minutes ago. The day Zambini managed to be on time to meet him would be the day Draco gave Perfect Potter a pat on the back and said thank you for saving the day.


“Just getting caught up on the typical hogwash.” Draco muttered in reply, putting the newspaper facedown on the coffee table. He was sure the Ginny in the picture was quite put out by the casual dismissal. The image playing out on the page had been one of Ginny in a slinky golden number giving the stink eye to the outraged looking Minister of France at the Creme de la Creme International Quidditch Stars Fabulous Fundraiser. An absolute mouthful of nonsense that drew the attention of nearly the entire world, no doubt.


Blaise spun a chair around to face out from the table and sat in a straddle position upon it so he could rest one arm along the back of the chair while he used the other to reach for the newspaper to give it a curious glance. He snorted when Ginny in the image gave him a saucy wink and blew him a kiss.


“Well, I don’t know what Domenique was expecting by taking up with Weasley,” Blaise shrugged. “She’s a whirlwind of a heartbreaker, that’s for sure. You’d think the first-ever female French Minister would be more concerned with establishing herself and not so much with following her heart or whatever nonsense they’re claiming explains the chasm between the two. I was there, mate. Ginbug was just there to do some publicity for the team, Dom is the one who showed up out of the blue to deliver a Howler in person. Then again, maybe it’ll help her win over the younger voters come the next election.” He mused thoughtfully.


Draco eyed his friend speculatively. “I forget that you had a dalliance of your own with the littlest Weasley.”


Snorting, Blaise flagged down a server to make his order before giving his attention back to Draco. “She’s not the littlest anymore, you know. There’s probably a dozen offspring running amuck at the Burrow these days. Potter’s polygamous relationship with Granger and Ron spawned at least two or three of the little buggers.”


“One thing I can give the man is credit for jumping into that with both feet before the Ministry could come along and try to ban that sort of thing.” Draco said then. “Merlin knows they’re gnashing their teeth about it now but what can they hope to do about it? Especially given that Potter was their poster boy for so long… they can’t just change the laws and sweep him under the carpet.”


“Oh, they can’t be too upset. If a relationship, however it is established, begets any new witches and wizards… well, that’s about all the Ministry seems concerned with these days. I think that’s half the reason they’re so brassed off about Ginny, truth be told.”


Draco cleared his throat and strove to look uninterested. “Oh?”


Blaise gave him a knowing look in response. “Don’t bother, Dray, your secret crush is safe with me. Though I think you’re a fool to not at least try to ride that dragon. Sure, she’ll probably buck you as soon as look at you but… well… mate, the girl is worth it. Personally I think she’d do you some good. You’ve been cooped up in that stuffy old manor-”


“The lakeshore cottage is not stuffy!”


“Cooped up in that stuffy old manor,” Blaise repeated louder. “Venturing out solely to deal with business woes… you could use a wild weekend. Be young for a minute before we’re too old! You paid your debts, you served your time… you don’t have to hold yourself imprisoned just because you’re worried about what the society papers will have to say about your doings.”


“I don’t care a whit what any of these vulgar tabloids choose to publish.” Draco insisted with a disdainful sniff.


Once again Blaise’s expression spoke volumes and Draco gave a harrumph for good measure.


The server returned with Blaise’s drink, which he paid for with a generous tip and a charming wink that made the young man blush, and Blaise busied himself for a bit with inhaling the aroma and taking a dainty sip. Eventually he sighed and gave his attention back to Draco.


“Face it, mate, you’re a curmudgeon. Take a page out of my book, let Ginny sink her claws in you, and just… live for a bit, would you? If it helps, just think of how pleased it would have made your mother for you to be happy… and how much that sort of behavior will make Lucius turn in his grave.”


Sighing, Draco shook his head. “She’s like a flashbang, Blaise. Here and gone in an instant. I’ll be the first to admit my crush is silly but indulging in it seems inadvisable at best. Why give myself a chance to experience that just to have it taken away when she loses interest after two minutes? Even Perfect Potter couldn’t satisfy her for long! Hell, even you got kicked to the curb after, what, a week?”


“Try two months,” Blaise preened. “And it was a mutual termination, mind you. I know what all the rags say, but that’s what we encouraged them to say. Ginbug is on that grind of fame right now and that means even bad publicity is good publicity. Keeping her name in the mouths of fans and haters alike is what gives her team that extra boost in ticket sales and what brings all sorts of merchandising opportunities to the table. She’s helped the Harpies rake in more these past six years than any other player in the past six decades! The majority of their profits don’t even stay with the team, you know, it’s all put out into various charities. The girl is making a difference the best way she knows how and if that means her name is slogged through the mud… well, she does it with a bit of flair that I know you envy.”


“Her nonchalant acceptance of ridicule is indeed something that garnered my attention in the first place.” Draco admitted. “Her brother riled up so fast it was almost boring. She was much more challenging.”


“You enjoy a good challenge… you’ve been sorely needing a good challenge… why not knock out two garden gnomes with one good toss? Get her out of your system and help her grace the tabloids with some new fodder, or… see if you can break the cycle and convince her to give a real relationship a go. Seems a win-win to me! You get a tumble in the sheets at the very least and at best… well, who can say?”


Draco regarded his friend with narrowed eyes. “You don’t think I’ll do it.”


Blaise laughed. “I’m desperately hoping you’ll give it a shot. I know you both quite well, after all. Watching you try is guaranteed to be amusing but if you manage to succeed… well, that’ll bring me a great deal of satisfaction as well. But sure, to engage your competitive spirit, let’s say I have my doubts about your capabilities. Prove me wrong, Draco.”



***



Ginny flew in lazy circles over the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. It was summer and the school was vacant save for the teaching staff, like her dear friend Neville, that lived at the castle. Ostensibly she was here at Hogwarts to visit said friend but Neville had been uncharacteristically absent when she showed up for their tea date.


Then again, he was currently seeing Blaise I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-anyone’s-time-but-my-own Zambini so she wasn’t exactly surprised that Neville had been late. Rather than sit around and be badgered by the ghosts (even, perhaps especially, Fred’s was best in small doses only) she had decided to take to the skies.


Nostalgia teased at her senses… the very air here just smelled so much like she was back in school, like she would be due to show up in classes within the next hour or two. There was a feeling in this place that tickled at her magic… so much possibility awaited, so much potential yearned to be unlocked. Here on the pitch was where she had found herself and begun the journey that would see her through some of the best and worst years of her life.


Quidditch was in her blood. It was all she lived and breathed for a while there after graduating school and it was such a welcome distraction from the heavy guilt (survivor’s guilt, Hermione had called it) and the heavy weight of what everyone seemed to expect from her. Everyone save Harry, of course. Jumping back into a relationship with him had been exactly what was demanded of them in the aftermath of it all. Harry, that self-sacrificing fool, had been too used to going along with what was asked of him to bother asking himself what he truly wanted and needed in life. Thankfully, Ginny herself had determined rather early in their rekindled relationship that being with Harry was not in either of their best interests.


It had taken many long nights of awkward and uncomfortable conversation to get him to admit he wasn’t ready to be tied up with anyone else. Or at least, not with her. She knew it had taken even longer for Hermione and Ron to convince Harry to give it a go, but she liked to think she had laid the groundwork for them by encouraging Harry to give life a shot on his own terms. She’d somewhat forced the issue by coming out to the Daily Prophet as the Harlot Who Broke Harry’s Heart! but that had let Harry stay the golden boy in society’s eyes. He had done too much for the Wizarding World and the last thing Ginny wanted was for them to tear him to pieces. So she’d taken the role of the villain herself.


It was surprisingly comfortable. She could stretch out and really go off the handle with it. And it was just the type of bewildering brashness that the public ate up with a spoon. They loved to hate her. It was almost disturbing how easy it was to control the way the world perceived her by acting out in the ways that garnered the most press. But being a she-devil was frankly too liberating for her to be at all bothered by the articles spun out on a near-weekly basis.


Thankfully, the PR manager for the Harpies agreed with her methods of staying in the spotlight. And it had been Hermione who kindly pointed out that she could do some actual good with her notoriety aside from just drawing attention. The Harpies had never been so popular and they’d done some truly impressive work with donations and fundraisers thanks to the “all eyes on Weasley” approach of not just the Prophet but of nearly all Wizarding publications.


After over five years though it was beginning to be almost a chore.


She wasn’t quite ready to settle down or anything as drastic as that. She certainly didn’t want to retire from the sport she adored so much. In fact Ginny wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted these days. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all of her nieces and nephews but she was very firmly against becoming a mother yet herself. She wasn’t sure if that pissed off her mother more or the Ministry itself but she was proud to advocate for women choosing career over rearing families. So, if not to retire and raise a brood of her own… what did she want?


Perhaps just a step back from the limelight.


Focusing solely on her career would be a novelty. She’d spent so many years now going through all the arduous training on top of flaunting herself in front of the camera… what would it be like to not have to put on a show? To be able to just… go to practice, go to the game, go home?


It was a daunting prospect. There was nothing waiting for her at home - hell, she barely had a home. Her studio apartment in Wales was currently occupied by Percy as he navigated a split from Penelope (a relationship they probably should have left off after Hogwarts but try telling her brother anything about how to live his life…) and she had long given up her room at the Burrow so that her parents could accommodate the hoard of grandchildren who now had run of the place.


Besides, a few hours there was all the time she could handle being around that much unrestrained energy.


Right now she was actually considering taking up Neville on his offer of letting her bunk here at the castle for the rest of summer. It would be cheaper and easier than occupying any of the hotels that would be glad to host her. Normally she’d go that route just for the convenience of being able to parade around her various suitors but she was so bored of all that these days.


The idea of having some downtime where she could just be by herself was enticing. Who was she these days? Who did she want to be?


A flash of something bright caught her eye and Ginny rolled over on her broom to peer in the direction of the castle entrance. Ahh, now there was a blast from the past. With the loss of his mother to a resurgence of Dragon Pox (heartbreaking, truth be told) and his father to what the Ministry generously termed “an accident” at Azkaban, there could only be one person to whom that head of silvery hair belonged.


What could Draco Malfoy be up to?


Her heart raced as she watched him approach and enter the grand building. Even from a distance the prat still looked fit. She’d hex anyone who called her out on having thought that during their school years (though think it she certainly had) but they were a far cry from children these days. Besides, the animosity of opposing school Houses had long faded. She’d dallied with Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins alike since becoming a single woman after she and Harry called it quits.


Malfoy was… well, he was something of a pariah still to be sure. He’d nearly made himself destitute with all the money he’d forked over after the trials and he’d spent a decent chunk of time on probation. Katie Bell, another Quidditch star, had confided to Ginny that Malfoy had reached out to her after the dust settled in an attempt to make amends for the incident with the amulet. She knew that no approach to Ron had happened but at the same time her brother had become rather more mature than Ginny had ever expected. She had heard him discuss the Matter of Malfoy a time or two with Harry when they’d both been training for Aurors before she had initiated their breakup and it was clear than neither considered any of the Malfoys to be a threat any longer and indeed had some rather grudging respect for the suffering they’d likely experienced while Voldemort dominated their home.


They’d been quick to donate Malfoy Manor to the Ministry - suggested it might do well as a house for the displaced children of the Second War, provided a few Curse Breakers could go through and clean the spot up. Bill had volunteered and Hermione had helped - mostly so she could control what happened to the extensive library found within the domicile. Trust Hermione to be concerned with ensuring intellectual property was not confiscated or destroyed.


At any rate, barring the relative tragedies of the deaths of his parents, not much had been in the papers about the Malfoy heir over the years. It seemed he kept to himself and stayed out of trouble, something her mother had actually sniffed at Ginny as to be something she ought to emulate! Truly they’d all come a long way from Hogwarts and the rivalries between Houses and families both.


Her interest in Malfoy’s doings was piqued. Her appreciation for Malfoy’s physique was nearly at a peak. All in all, Ginny found herself quite intrigued by what his presence here could mean and what her own intentions towards the wizard might be.


Perhaps this distraction was just what the soothsayer ordered…