Author's note:

It all belongs to JKR. I own nothing.

An Outtake from the Children of Fire Saga, Book 1: Death's Daughter, the first week back at school after the Christmas Hols.

Children of Fire Saga

Book 1: Death's Daughter

Outtake

Git Former Boyfriends

Ginny was making her way between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, intending to join Luna for dinner when the reason for her current bad mood stepped in her path. "Michael," she said coldly.

Things had not been good between them from the moment she'd boarded the train back to school after the Christmas hols. Truthfully, it wasn't fair of her to blame him for some of his behavior. She had to admit if their places were reversed, she wouldn't have been pleased either. While it wasn't her fault she'd broken their agreed upon plans to share a compartment on the way home so they could exchange gifts, she had, in fact, done so. And thanks to Dumbledore, Tom and a host of other reasons she hadn't even been able to send him a letter to apologize, much less give him a reason other than there had been a family emergency. But she had sought him out first thing upon arriving at the station for the trip back to school. She'd explained as best she could, offered him the gift she had for him – hand made mind you – as well as the four letters she had written him while at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately he'd been … shall we say, less than gracious in response. She'd dumped his gift and letters on the bench and stormed off to find Luna to commiserate with. The two days of class they'd had since arriving back at school had them both subjecting each other to the silent treatment. They hadn't officially broken up or anything and she wasn't really sure she wanted to just yet, but once he pulled his head out of his arse, he was going to have to give her one hell of an apology if he ever hoped to grace her lips with his again.

"Are you ready to apologize yet?" he demanded.

"I've already apologized, Michael," she retorted.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"You're doing a remarkable job of proving it, so I'm going to go with, yes."

"Why don't you just admit it?" he sneered, his voice rising.

"Admit what, Michael?" Ginny retorted, her voice rising to match his, "that you're being a right pin headed git?"

"That you were cheating on me!"

Now the fact that this argument was occurring in the Great Hall and had grown in volume enough to effectively draw the attention of every student currently there should have been apparent to Ginny. But there was another fact that overrode the first. She, was the daughter of Molly Weasley. And when her ire was really and truly peaked, she had nothing but tunnel vision in regards to what had peaked it. For about one second she looked as if she'd been slapped and then she responded.

"You did not just call me a whore," she hissed in a deadly voice.

"If you weren't then you'd tell me the truth about where you were over Christmas," he sneered back.

It happened so quickly that if you'd blinked you would have missed it. Ginny's foot impacted with Michael's family jewels. Every girl in the Hall gasped, every bloke in the hall cringed, Michael dropped like he'd been, well, frankly, like he'd been kicked in the stones.

"MISS WEASLEY!" Professor McGonagall shrieked.

Ginny ignored her. "If you have any question at all about the state of our relationship," she hissed down at Michael, "I have most certainly broken up with you."

"MISS WEASLEY!"

Ginny seemed to give a little shake before turning to face her professor. "Yes Professor?" she asked, calm as anything.

"One-hundred points, Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall snapped.

Ginny raised her chin defiantly. "Fine."

"A month's detention."

"Anything else, Professor?"

"You will write your parents, explaining the reason behind this punishment."

"Whatever."

Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared angrily at Ginny's open defiance. "Report to Professor Flitwick at 6 this evening …" she paused and the whole hall held their breath. The punishment was already on an unheard level. Not even Fred and George, who almost seemed to make it a contest to see how many points they could lose and then gain back, had lost a hundred in a single go. "Get out of my sight," Professor McGonagall hissed.

Ginny held the professor's eyes for a half second before she spun on her heal. No longer engaged with the-git-on-the-floor or her head of house she rather suddenly became aware of where she was and the number of people who had witnessed the last few minutes of her life. Every pair of eyes in the Hall were on her. Which while irritating, wasn't particularly distressing, but many of those eyes were from her own house. And with the spectacle and ensuing shock slowly bleeding away, they were rapidly shifting to anger over suddenly finding they were in last place for the house cup. Her defiance was beginning to crumble when she caught sight of a pair of emerald green eyes, sparking with mirth, watching her. It was just the barest movement on his part but Harry most definitely raised his goblet to her before he winked and took a drink. Dignity intact, she marched from the hall with her head held high. She'd have to hurry, but she had just enough time to run down to the kitchens for something to eat before she needed to report to Professor Flitwick's office.

Author's note

Thank you to all my readers and a special thank you to those who reviewed. You make my day.