Chapter One
Moving In
When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere begging to sing about it.
There is no love so finer but how strange,
The change from major to minor,
Every time we say goodbye.
Rod Stewart "Every Time We Say Goodbye"
"God, we're finally here." Lavender Brown, Ginny's new share-housing mate said, stretching out within the confines of the car. "Bloody Muggles. Why haven't they invented Floo powder yet?"
Susan Bones, the driver of the vehicle, laughed.
"C'mon, Lav! The wizarding world can't give away all their secrets!"
Ginny Weasley grinned at Lavender.
"Ah, you'll love living in the Muggle world. We all will. My dad has been telling me all sorts of things about Muggles lately." She paused. "Actually, I think he's kind of jealous that I'm the one coming here to study and not him!"
"Parents!" Lavender rolled her eyes. She twisted around in her seat and stopped abruptly. "Merlin! What are these stupid inventions for? Seatbelts! Whoever heard of such a thing?"
"Didn't you pay attention in Muggle Studies at Hogwarts?" Susan asked sternly.
"I didn't go to Hogwarts," Lavender said grumpily. "I was home-schooled by a family of Squibs before attending, of all places, Beauxbaxtons. Oh, don't look at me like that, Susan. I'm kidding. My mother just wasn't Rowena Ravenclaw at magic."
"Funny, that," Susan said dryly, snapping the steering lock into place.
Ginny laughed and got out of the beat-up, rusty old Holden that her father had procured for them. She could tell that adjusting to life in the Muggle world wasn't going to be the easiest of tasks with fun-loving Lavender around. It was a weird enough situation that the girls had found themselves in. Post-war regulations required more witches and wizards out in the Muggle world to help the Muggles along and also further wizarding research. No one had ever dreamed that Voldemort would attack the Muggle world when he finally made his big strike. The new Minister had decided that Muggle Relations needed to be improved extensively.
"Owww!" Lavender moaned from within in the car. "How do you take these stupid things OFF?"
Ginny giggled. "Who would've thought that you would be coming here to study Muggle science, Lav?" she called out teasingly. "The science of seatbelts didn't exactly win someone a Nobel prize!"
Lavender harrumphed and pointedly ignored the comment. That had been another surprise. Lavender, turning to science? Everyone had been certain she'd turn out to be a Seer. But after Professor Trelawney had been scientifically proven to be nothing more than a fraud, Lavender had lost all faith in the subject.
Susan got out and looked at the house. "Looks... old," she said cautiously.
Ginny nodded excitedly. "It's going to add to the charm of this place."
"Charm. I miss charms already," Ginny heard Lavender proclaiming mournfully as she headed up the walk.
Ginny laughed to herself and stepped up onto the verandah. She saw that it needed sweeping, and smiled. A chance to try cleaning the Muggle way, she thought. Or just another good taste of home!
Ginny put the key in the lock on the heavy wooden door, turning it. "Home sweet home, girls!" she called merrily, stepping into the house. "Wow. It's so old..."
Ginny walked into the centre of the foyer, her face lit with excitement. She could hear Lavender struggling up the path behind her with her trunk. She glanced around the hall which was bathed in darkness. She could see a huge staircase to the left, and polished wooden floors below her. She inhaled deeply. It smelt old. She was impressed.
"I wonder if the person we're sharing with is here yet?" Lavender asked, peering into the gloom. She dumped her trunk on the floor. "Gees, where's a light?"
"Dunno." Ginny placed her fingers on the wall, feeling for the switch. "Ah."
The light flooded into the hallway.
"Oh Lav, it's so pretty. Look at all the old designs in the ceiling!"
Lavender wrinkled her nose. "And smell the divine dust and moth-eaten carpet."
"Try to see the romance in the situation," Ginny chided, going into a room to the left. "Oh. Oh. Wow. This is so going to be my room."
Lavender poked her head into the room and furrowed her brow. "It's... lovely... Reminds me of my grandmother's place, really, minus all the bizarre olden day wizard stuff she has hanging around collecting dust. Bleh, I'm probably going to inherit it all one day too."
"Oh, I know you hate all the old-styled stuff. But I love it!" Ginny said enthusiastically. "A mantelpiece, a window seat-- oh man, check out the ceiling!"
"Where have you girls got to?" Susan called, putting her trunks on the floor with a heavy thud. She poked her head around the door. "Oh, you're in here- my Lord."
"Isn't it gorgeous?" Ginny exclaimed exuberantly.
"It's garish," Susan said flatly.
"You can have it," Lavender agreed. "I'm going upstairs to find a real bedroom, with an ensuite and a four-poster bed. And let's not forget the all-important full-length mirror." She picked up her trunk again, groaning. "I swear it never used to be this heavy."
"That, my dear," Susan said tactfully, "is because you were never allowed to take all your cosmetics to Hogwarts before."
"Spoilsports," Lavender muttered. "I'm going upstairs." She departed the scene, emitting grunts and curses all the way up the staircase. Susan laughed at Lavender's disappearing form, leaning against the frame of Ginny's door.
"That girl is going to be highly entertaining," Susan said wryly, watching Ginny inspect the room.
Ginny glanced up from running a finger along the windowsill and smiled at Susan. "Well, of course. What else did you expect?" She laughed. "Oh, I forgot—you're not used to sharing a common room with her!"
"Definitely not!" Susan shuddered. "I wasn't so keen on Lavender when I was at Hogwarts. She was too prissy for me... and she sucked up to Trelawney something chronic. Divination was bad enough without adding Lavender's high- pitched voice squealing, 'Oh, Professor! I think I can see an orange cloud in the crystal ball! What does it mean? Am I going to die?' every single week."
Ginny laughed again, stretching upwards. "Like I said, you just weren't used to her. She has her heart in the right place."
"Oh, I know that now," Susan said reflectively. "Working with her in the war efforts really cleared up any doubts in my mind that she's really just pretending to be a ditz." Susan grinned. "Who would've thought that Lavender would turn to the science of magic after Hogwarts? And now to furthering Muggle science! It's amazing."
"Yeah, it is," Ginny agreed. She looked at Susan curiously. "Are you ready to work in the Muggle hospitals?" Susan hadn't said anything about her thoughts on being assigned to work as a nurse in Muggle hospitals instead of St. Mungo's. No one had a choice in these matters anymore. Not until all the debris from the war had been cleared away.
"Oh, I suppose!" Susan said cheerfully, turning to leave. "Have to be, don't I?" She flashed Ginny another quick smile before heading up the staircase after Lavender.
"I suppose..." Ginny said thoughtfully. They all had to be.
Moving In
When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere begging to sing about it.
There is no love so finer but how strange,
The change from major to minor,
Every time we say goodbye.
Rod Stewart "Every Time We Say Goodbye"
"God, we're finally here." Lavender Brown, Ginny's new share-housing mate said, stretching out within the confines of the car. "Bloody Muggles. Why haven't they invented Floo powder yet?"
Susan Bones, the driver of the vehicle, laughed.
"C'mon, Lav! The wizarding world can't give away all their secrets!"
Ginny Weasley grinned at Lavender.
"Ah, you'll love living in the Muggle world. We all will. My dad has been telling me all sorts of things about Muggles lately." She paused. "Actually, I think he's kind of jealous that I'm the one coming here to study and not him!"
"Parents!" Lavender rolled her eyes. She twisted around in her seat and stopped abruptly. "Merlin! What are these stupid inventions for? Seatbelts! Whoever heard of such a thing?"
"Didn't you pay attention in Muggle Studies at Hogwarts?" Susan asked sternly.
"I didn't go to Hogwarts," Lavender said grumpily. "I was home-schooled by a family of Squibs before attending, of all places, Beauxbaxtons. Oh, don't look at me like that, Susan. I'm kidding. My mother just wasn't Rowena Ravenclaw at magic."
"Funny, that," Susan said dryly, snapping the steering lock into place.
Ginny laughed and got out of the beat-up, rusty old Holden that her father had procured for them. She could tell that adjusting to life in the Muggle world wasn't going to be the easiest of tasks with fun-loving Lavender around. It was a weird enough situation that the girls had found themselves in. Post-war regulations required more witches and wizards out in the Muggle world to help the Muggles along and also further wizarding research. No one had ever dreamed that Voldemort would attack the Muggle world when he finally made his big strike. The new Minister had decided that Muggle Relations needed to be improved extensively.
"Owww!" Lavender moaned from within in the car. "How do you take these stupid things OFF?"
Ginny giggled. "Who would've thought that you would be coming here to study Muggle science, Lav?" she called out teasingly. "The science of seatbelts didn't exactly win someone a Nobel prize!"
Lavender harrumphed and pointedly ignored the comment. That had been another surprise. Lavender, turning to science? Everyone had been certain she'd turn out to be a Seer. But after Professor Trelawney had been scientifically proven to be nothing more than a fraud, Lavender had lost all faith in the subject.
Susan got out and looked at the house. "Looks... old," she said cautiously.
Ginny nodded excitedly. "It's going to add to the charm of this place."
"Charm. I miss charms already," Ginny heard Lavender proclaiming mournfully as she headed up the walk.
Ginny laughed to herself and stepped up onto the verandah. She saw that it needed sweeping, and smiled. A chance to try cleaning the Muggle way, she thought. Or just another good taste of home!
Ginny put the key in the lock on the heavy wooden door, turning it. "Home sweet home, girls!" she called merrily, stepping into the house. "Wow. It's so old..."
Ginny walked into the centre of the foyer, her face lit with excitement. She could hear Lavender struggling up the path behind her with her trunk. She glanced around the hall which was bathed in darkness. She could see a huge staircase to the left, and polished wooden floors below her. She inhaled deeply. It smelt old. She was impressed.
"I wonder if the person we're sharing with is here yet?" Lavender asked, peering into the gloom. She dumped her trunk on the floor. "Gees, where's a light?"
"Dunno." Ginny placed her fingers on the wall, feeling for the switch. "Ah."
The light flooded into the hallway.
"Oh Lav, it's so pretty. Look at all the old designs in the ceiling!"
Lavender wrinkled her nose. "And smell the divine dust and moth-eaten carpet."
"Try to see the romance in the situation," Ginny chided, going into a room to the left. "Oh. Oh. Wow. This is so going to be my room."
Lavender poked her head into the room and furrowed her brow. "It's... lovely... Reminds me of my grandmother's place, really, minus all the bizarre olden day wizard stuff she has hanging around collecting dust. Bleh, I'm probably going to inherit it all one day too."
"Oh, I know you hate all the old-styled stuff. But I love it!" Ginny said enthusiastically. "A mantelpiece, a window seat-- oh man, check out the ceiling!"
"Where have you girls got to?" Susan called, putting her trunks on the floor with a heavy thud. She poked her head around the door. "Oh, you're in here- my Lord."
"Isn't it gorgeous?" Ginny exclaimed exuberantly.
"It's garish," Susan said flatly.
"You can have it," Lavender agreed. "I'm going upstairs to find a real bedroom, with an ensuite and a four-poster bed. And let's not forget the all-important full-length mirror." She picked up her trunk again, groaning. "I swear it never used to be this heavy."
"That, my dear," Susan said tactfully, "is because you were never allowed to take all your cosmetics to Hogwarts before."
"Spoilsports," Lavender muttered. "I'm going upstairs." She departed the scene, emitting grunts and curses all the way up the staircase. Susan laughed at Lavender's disappearing form, leaning against the frame of Ginny's door.
"That girl is going to be highly entertaining," Susan said wryly, watching Ginny inspect the room.
Ginny glanced up from running a finger along the windowsill and smiled at Susan. "Well, of course. What else did you expect?" She laughed. "Oh, I forgot—you're not used to sharing a common room with her!"
"Definitely not!" Susan shuddered. "I wasn't so keen on Lavender when I was at Hogwarts. She was too prissy for me... and she sucked up to Trelawney something chronic. Divination was bad enough without adding Lavender's high- pitched voice squealing, 'Oh, Professor! I think I can see an orange cloud in the crystal ball! What does it mean? Am I going to die?' every single week."
Ginny laughed again, stretching upwards. "Like I said, you just weren't used to her. She has her heart in the right place."
"Oh, I know that now," Susan said reflectively. "Working with her in the war efforts really cleared up any doubts in my mind that she's really just pretending to be a ditz." Susan grinned. "Who would've thought that Lavender would turn to the science of magic after Hogwarts? And now to furthering Muggle science! It's amazing."
"Yeah, it is," Ginny agreed. She looked at Susan curiously. "Are you ready to work in the Muggle hospitals?" Susan hadn't said anything about her thoughts on being assigned to work as a nurse in Muggle hospitals instead of St. Mungo's. No one had a choice in these matters anymore. Not until all the debris from the war had been cleared away.
"Oh, I suppose!" Susan said cheerfully, turning to leave. "Have to be, don't I?" She flashed Ginny another quick smile before heading up the staircase after Lavender.
"I suppose..." Ginny said thoughtfully. They all had to be.