I own nothing.

This is not my usual paring but I couldn't stop once I started it. I hope you enjoy the odd pairing and reviews are always lovely to get!

Ginny Weasley slowly opened her eyes against the morning sun coming through the window and turned her head to look at the man still sleeping behind her. He looked….peaceful wasn't the right word. Calm, maybe, she supposed. Much better than when he'd come through the door last night looking as though he'd been to hell and back, which she supposed he very well could have done. His lips were in almost a straight line, but that was much than the scowl that usually graced it when he was awake, his jaw not clenched and looking as if he would crack a tooth at any moment. The light brown stubble that was on his jaw would be rather course if she ran her hand over it but she thought it made him look dashing, though she knew he only kept it because he seldom had time to do more than brush the hair out of his eyes when he was on a mission.

"Surprised you're not already slipping out." His deep voice rumbled over here, making her close her eyes at the sound and wish upon all that would listen she could be the type to beg him to stay, not go back out there where Gods knows what could happen at any turn, but she knew why he did it and she agreed that it needed to be done so she simply took a breath before shrugging.

"I figured it was an anniversary of sorts, it couldn't hurt to stay a few minutes longer."

"Ah, yes. What is it, one year?" she nodded, trying not to show her surprise at his remembering. "Yes, one year of sneaking out at night to meet your dirty secret in a hotel room. Pity I forgot the get something for you."

Clenching her jaw the redhead rolled out of his embrace and off of the bed before she began to dress. It was always the same argument every time. She'd learned to slip out before he woke up to simply avoid this entire scene but today was special. She'd thought to talk to him a bit about how he was getting on, if there were anything she could do to help in between the missions to help ease anything for him but then he'd gone and opened his mouth.

"Come on, Weasley, nothing to say?" she heard the smirk in his voice and spun around from buttoning the side of her skirt up.

"You know how to ruin just about anything, don't you, Pucey?" she all but spat at him, folding her arms across her front as she watched him raise up on the bed to sit on the side of it, his feet tapping on the floor almost as soon as they hit.

"Whaddya mean, woman?" he asked with a tilt of his head, his hand waving carelessly towards his trousers on the floor to send a hand rolled cigarette into the other hand, another wave lighting it before he brought it to his mouth to inhale deeply. He took his time to slowly blow smoke rings around his head before continuing. "That's what this is, yeah? You sneak off every few weeks to fuck Adrian Pucey, big bad former Death Eater, then go back to your life, dating blokes you can take home to mum and dad, making the front page as the unofficial 4th of the trio who's still doing good for the wizarding world. Everything prim and proper that a man with a dark mark on his arm would just muck up so I'm left to be a secret left only for the dark."

"Come off it, Pucey, you're worse than me." she retorted, rolling her eyes but refusing to stomp her foot, though she wanted to. "You only owl me when you're looking for a roll in the hay and I can't…."

"I'm on a bloody job, woman! What do you expect of me, to have owls coming back and forth from a safe house Gods knows where, giving away the location to any stray Death Eater out for a stroll? Do you know how hard it is to be on the run from people who were trained just as well as yourself? You act as though I haven't flood you only to be fussed at for it, mum and dad over at the time, wouldn't do for them to find out….."

"That wasn't why at all, you arse!" She shot back, remembering the exact day he was talking about, her parents just having gotten there before the flames turned green and Adrian had called for her. She done exactly like he'd said, talked in hard whispers to him before closing the conversation but it hadn't been for the reasons he'd thought. "If you must know I was…."

"Oh come off it, Ginerva. If I called round for a chat over coffee when I'm on holiday you'd turn me down flat. We both know what this is, don't go making it into what it's not."

"That's not it, Adrian!"

"Then what is it, then Weasley? Explain to me why you just as soon pass me on the street but can't keep your bloody hands off of me when we're in a dark corner? Explain why you stayed because of an anniversary no one can even know about."

"There are still Death Eaters out there, Adrian!"

"What do you think I do for the ministry, you daft woman, chase down pigmy puffs?"

"If they knew we're talking they'd kill you. Don't you get that?" she demanded, crossing to him and pushing at his chest, trying to get her point across. "They don't even know you've been helping to track and locate the ones that are still trying to keep with the teachings of their good for nothing former 'master' and you want to be seen walking down the street with me, a blood traitor? Are you as stupid as stealthy? You don't think I want you around for sunday dinner at the Burrow? You think I want my mum setting up on dates with men with that are like paste to talk to?" she shoved her finger in his shoulder at every question, staring into his hazel eyes to get her point across.

She'd never seen Adrian Levidicus Pucey speechless and she would have enjoyed it if she hadn't been so surprised herself at her outburst. It wasn't at all in her nature to be emotional and she'd never intended to tell him half of what had just so easily come out of her mouth. In truth, she had been contemplating more and more about telling at least her family about Adrian but she didn't know what to say. They'd started this after a night of too many fire whiskey and had just continued on from there but there had never been any promises of an owl tomorrow or any type of relationship other than physical.

"It's not your job to worry about mine." He answered quietly, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"But I can't help but worry." she answered, flinching only a bit when she heard her mother in her response.

"I…."

Anything he would have said was cut off from a tapping on the window. They both looked over to see an owl just perching on the ledge. The muttered curse from Adrian let Ginny know he knew the sender as she walked to open the window. The owl flew directly to the wizard still on the bed and after getting a pet on the beak in thanks flew out of the window. She watched as he unrolled the parchment and scowled before pinching out the cigarette and standing to dress.

"Have to go?" she asked, watching as he incinerated the letter and straightened his collar before making his way to the door.

"I'll be in touch when I can. We're not done here." he said curtly before leaving her alone in the small room to think over the unexpected conversation that had just gone on.

Ginny sat in the back garden at the Burrow watching as Harry and Luna walked off with Ron and Hermione to the village close by and smiled. Even though the war had been over for 5 years and life was generally peaceful, it was still nice to see her family members happy and able to enjoy life.

"Ginny, dear, come help me with the table. You know how George is if I ask him….that child I swear…"

She smiled as she got up to go help her mum, remembering quite vividly the spoons that had turned to forks when dipped in soup and knives that turned to rubber when it touched any food firmer than porridge. Her mum had been so furious that she'd refused to let him eat with anything but the utensils any time he'd come over for a month. She was still smiling when she turned to the table and looked up towards the doorway after hearing a throat clear.

"Hello." Adrian warily from his casual stance. His face almost blank and he looked at her then around the kitchen just inside the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked setting the cutlery down and pulling out her wand to set the forks and knives to their proper places on the table as she continued to stare at him.

"You said something about having me around for Sunday meals." he answered, one side of his mouth curling slightly up as he continued to look at her.

"And you said you'd be in touch." she shot back, making the dishes do the same as the cutlery.

"What do you call this, Ginevra?" He asked with a roll of his eyes as he stepped over the threshold and made his way to stand in front of her.

"Showing up at my parents house on a Sunday morning?" she answered.

"What would you rather me do?"

"Owl me, we have to be careful. You're job…"

"Is none of you're concern, Weasley." He responded quickly. "I'm a grown wizard who has taken care of himself for some years. I don't complain about your profession and the risk of death."

"You were a chaser, you know as well as I do how rare it is to have more than a broken arm in the sport. I know what I'm doing….."

"As do I." He cut in, effectively cutting off her argument before it truly started. "We fight about this every time, don't you think it's time to move on to new conversations?"

"Ginny, dear, did the boys say when they'd be back from the village? Oh, hello, dear, have you come to talk to Arthur?" Molly asked as she walked back into the kitchen and saw Adrian standing in his work robes.

Ginny stared at Adrian as he smiled back at her.

"This is Adrian Pucey, mum."

"Oh, yes, Arthur's told me about you, dear. Are you looking for him?"

"No, ma'am. I'm actually here to speak to Ginerva at the moment."

Ginny glanced at her mother and saw the matriarch look between the two of them before smiling and clasping her hand infront of her.

"I'll set you a plate, love." the older woman said with a calculating before shooing them both out the door, sending her daughter a wink.

Ginny followed the man out to the garden and sat on the bench across from the chair he chose and looked at him expectantly. He looked better than he had last time she'd seen him, clean shaven and his hair brushed to the side. He wore his work robes but as he sat she saw he had denims and what looked to me a smart button up.

"Why are you here?" she asked again, leaning back in her seat and folding her hands on her lap.

"I already told you that." He said with a scoff.

"It's been a month."

"I've been busy. Just got back this morning, last mission for a few months." he answered, with a shrug. "I was going to owl but saw the day."

"Oh." Being busy with the Harpies as well as helping to plan Harry and Luna's wedding she hadn't taken time to pick up the Prophet.

"I'm going to have brunch with your family today, you're going to to lunch with me on Wednesday and next Sunday I'll be here. We're both going to give this a proper go and see what happens."

"We've never talked more than a few sentences to each other, you can't believe that I'll suddenly believe we'd be able to make an us work, Adrian."

"I heard every single word you said last time we met. I know how I feel, I have an inkling as to how you feel and we won't know how anything will go unless we try. I'm considering this our first date so I suggest you act accordingly." After finishing his demand he took a small wrapped box from his robe and tossed it to her, smiling when she caught it mid air.

"What's this?" she asked as she broke the seal on the wrapping.

"Open it and see, woman, honestly."

She sent him a look before she focused her attention back on the task at hand. She smiled when she opened the box and a small banner flew out to wave in front of her saying 'happy anniversary' and looked into the box to see a small key.

"What's this for?" she asked holding it up and examining it in the light.

"The key to my heart, Weasley." He deadpanned with a smirk. "Honestly, woman, it's a key to my flat. I'd like to take this seriously."

"What kind of woman do you take me for Pucey? A key to the flat on the first date." she said with a smile before slipping the key into her pocket.

"The kind that celebrates an anniversary on a first date, I'm guessing."