Summary: AU fic. After waking up one day to find a beaten little boy on her door step, one girl's ordinary life takes a drastic turn.

Disclaimer: The following Statement is false. I own Harry Potter. The Preceding Statement is true(I wish).


Chapter 1

Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, shower, go to work, come home, eat dinner, and sleep. Repeat however many days I've been alive, and you've got my life (Except when I was a baby, then it was more like: wake up. Scream. Soil nappies. Sleep. Wake up. Scream. Soil Nappies, eat. Sleep...). Ordinary as hell.

You can imagine my shock when my day takes a rather unusual turn. I'm in the middle of eating my breakfast, when I hear thumping footsteps outside my apartment door. Now, I have top wake up at five in the morning so that I can get ready for work in time, so I was rather intrigued as to why someone would be running around at fivefifteen in the morning. I open my door to peer out and see if I could scout out the person that had been making such a racket, but am met with a child lying on my welcome mat.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, kneeling down beside the limp form. I hissed in sympathy when I saw the child's battered face. A boy, maybe six or seven, with big, purple bruises everywhere, head bleeding and what looked like a concussion. I quickly took the boy up into my arms and brought him inside my apartment, setting him down on my bed, and throwing some floo powder into the fireplace.

"HERMIONE GRANGER!" I screamed into my fireplace. Hermione's concerned face quickly found it's way into my range of vision.

"WHAT?" She yelled, beating what looked like Ron off with a flapping hand.

"What, no, 'Hello dearest brother Ron' Ginny?"my brother drawled sarcastically from outside of my view.

"Shut up. Why are you even over there in the first place?" I looked at Hermoine. Hermione looked at me skeptically.

"It's my 'half day off'. Ron was helping me move the furniture. As a matter of fact..."

"Now you shut up and get your scrawny healer's ass over here NOW." And I pulled my head out of the flames with a dizzying sensation, but shaking it off and getting a damp cloth and wiping his face, getting the encrusted junk off of it. Two minutes later, Hermione popped over.

"Sorry I was so long, it took me a while to find my healer's supply bag." I nodded and she gasped as she caught sight of the boy. "Oh my GODS ! What HAPPENED?"

"I don't know! I was eating breakfast, and then I hear a pounding on the stairs by my door, I look outside, and I found him lying on my doorstep! You know how my apartment is built, the stairs are on the outside!" Hermione went into full mediwitch mode, kneeling by the boy.

"Why didn't you take him straight to St Mungos?" She asked, tone professional.

"I wasn't sure if he could make it." I replied, filling a basin with warm water and bringing it to her. Hey, I was trained as a Doctor. You know, a muggle healer? Well, it's been a while since I put my skills into practice, but old habits die hard.

"Water?" I was ready for her to berate me on why I'd bring water. "Good idea. If I used my wand to clean these, it might cause the bleeding to start again." Well, aren't I useful?

"'Mione?" I heard Ron call from my front room. Hermione nodded at me, and I went to go intercept my brother.

"Good morning Ginny, where's my wife?"

"I found a little boy, about six or seven, and he was pretty bruised up. I think he had a concussion, but I'm not positive. Your wife's doin' her 'thang' and fixing him up." Ron did the "oh!" thing with his mouth, then looked back at me, confused.

"Wait, aren't you one of those muggle healers? A Duck-ter?" I chuckled, and patted Ron's arm.

"Doctor, Ron, and no, I was a doctor. The bills for school just got too much." Ron rolled his eyes and coughed.

"Come ON! After you won all that money after the war, and with only you..." I shook my head.

"Look, Ron. Going to medical school is over 33,000 Galleons for four years. You graduate in about six."Ron's eyes went wide at the amount, and then he snapped back to the present.

"Do you know this kid?" He asked, standing back up.

"Yes, of course Ron. I just have fun calling him 'little boy.'" I sighed in exasperation and sat him back down. "Now, you stay here. There's a woman's job to be done I my bedroom." I nodded and told him to help himself to some tea before coming back into room aformentioned

"Ginny, he'll be fine. You just sit tight for a while, hold his hand, etcetera, while I go call St. Mungos." I nodded and took her place by the boy's side, taking his small hand in my own.

"You know, I've heard that when you are unconscious, you can still hear people when they talk to you. I guess I'll never know, but I might as well try." I took my thumb and ran it over his small, open palm. "You know, when I got beaten up by some death eaters a few years ago, nobody was there to hold my hand. I woke up all alone. I know how scary that is, so I won't leave you alone." Crossing my knees under myself, I thought I saw his eyes flicker, but passed it off as my own shadow flitting across his face. I pushed a lock of black hair from his eyes, and his eyes flickered, I'm sure of it. Then, the flew open, and he looked around, shocked.

"Hey, do you know where your daddy is?" I asked, and at the word "daddy" he let out a cry in fear. I automatically pulled him into a motherly embrace, and I felt his slight form wriggle in protest. "Hush, hush now. It's alright, nobody's gonna hurt you here." I whispered soothingly into his ear, and his struggles lessened slowly, until he was completely still. He started crying. "It's ok, I'm here for you, we'll be fine together." And he kept on crying. Hermione came into the room with a smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm sure he'll be fine. Some wizards are coming to pick him up, do you want to go with them?" I nodded, and Hermione went back into the living room, presumably to make tea, for that is what she came back in the room with, plus a glass of water. I drank my tea gratefully, but the little boy eyed his water warily.

"Don't you want to drink it?" I asked as Hermione left, he opened his mouth, but then the mediwizards apperated in with a large pop, causing the boy to leap and shriek with fear into my arms.

"It's ok, honey, they're here to help." I ran my fingers through his hair, and I felt his tiny arms loosen their choke hold on my neck. One of the wizards held out his hand and helped me up.

"Name?"

"Mine or his?"

"Both."

"Mine is Ginervra Weasley, and..." I looked to the shaking form of the boy in my arms and he shook his head, though that might just be the shivers. "This is... James."The name slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I hid my face from Hermione's uplifted eyebrow.

"Relation?"

"Adoptive son."

"Age?"

"Six."

"Medical history?"

"Not that I'm aware of." He nodded, and told me to step aside. As I did so, a small cot appeared for 'James'. The taller mediwizard instructed me to fasten James in and hold on to the chrome-colored bar welded onto it.

"Portkey." He offered as explanation. Hermione shrugged and put her hand next to mine.

"I might as well go to work early and clock in extra hours." I nodded and sidled over a few inches to allow her more room.

"Ok, we're out of here in five, four, three, two, one!" As the mediwizard shouted the last number, I felt the slightly familiar hook in my abdomen.

With a thud, I landed (upright, thank Bob). But not for long, as the three hospital workers snatched the cot from under me and I had to hold onto Hermione to keep semi upright, but landed on a chair anyway.

"Oof." I expelled a small breath of air and relaxed in the chair, only until my idiot brother apperated right by my head, making me jump three feet into the air. "JEEZ! RON!" I shrieked, only to have every healer in sight(and prolly some I couldn't see), including Hermione, glare at me. "Fine." I muttered.

"Hey, Message from Luna." I sat up at the mention of my 'boss', but Hermione ... I swear, you could SEE the anger at the mention of Luna's name. Oh crap, I bet she can hear her name if I think it!

"What is it?" I asked hurriedly, seeing Hermione's temper rising.

"Something about how if you're late she'll skin you alive and then fire you and keep the skin." I looked at my watch. I was already five minutes late!

"Shit!" I hurriedly grabbed at my wand and was about to apperate when Ron started to laugh.

"I was just kidding! She said that it's fine if you miss work today, just make sure the kid's alright. That, and she wants to see evidence that this kid was in desperate need of care." I sighed and sat back down. "So, where's the kid, let's see him!"

"Just... call him James for now. And we can't see him." I said, hands supporting my head. I mean, it's only been a little over a half an hour, and I was exhausted.

"What? Why the hell not?"

"Honestly, don't you read?" Hermione snapped peevishly, obviously still upset about Luna. Ron looked mystified, so I pointed wearily over my shoulder and at the sign with big red letters.

"NO UNAUTHORIZED ADMITTANCE, EVEN TO FAMILY! THIS MEANS YOU!" Ron read aloud. "Ok then, I'll just plop down here and wait." I nodded, and Hermione huffed off to go do... To heal people. As soon as she was out of sight and earshot, Ron sighed deeply, as if Hermione leaving had lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders.

"I really like her, Gin." I looked at him from between my splayed fingers.

"Who, Hermione? It's not exactly a secret, Ron." I replied sarcastically. He shook his head and sighed again.

"No, not Hermione, well, I mean, yes, she's nice and she's a great friend, but it's just I don't like her in that way, really , I'm-" I groaned.

"Who?" He mumbled something under his breath. "Who?" I repeated, slightly louder.

"Luna."

"LUNA?" I gasped, apparently too loudly, as Ron put his hand over my mouth and hissed.

"SHH! Do you want someone to hear you?" I giggled behind his palm and he took his hand away.

"I'm sorry, but LUNA?" I chuckled.

"She's your friend, isn't she?"

"I'm not saying that I don't like her, or like her for you, but I thought you HATED her! Or at the very least thought she was a complete nutter."

"No, that's Hermione that hates her. And it's her nuttiness that makes her so endearing. I mean, when I heard her voice calling for you, my heart stopped and I couldn't talk! Even in the floo, she looked amazing. And she's just so kind!" I was too amazed at this outburst of emotion to point out that I had no idea he knew a word as big as endearing. After a while, though, I got tired of it.

"Ron?" I asked, snapping my fingers in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Ron!"

"Hunh?" He started as if I had woken him. I rolled my eyes.

"Stop playing quidditch and start writing poetry."

"Too sappy?"

"Very."

"Well, at least I don't drool over her and think about her every spare moment like you do on one certain dark haired wizard." I gasped, mock indignant.

"I do not DROOL! And you, sir, are dribbling at this very moment!" Ron swiped at his face, ears going bright red.

"Whoops."

"Miss Weasley?" A nurse clad in the white and lime green robes stepped out from the doors with the big sign Ron was admiring earlier. "Miss Ginervra Weasley?" She asked, clacking the tip of her quill on the clipboard she was holding. I stood up hurriedly and went over to her.

"James! Is James alright?" The older matron smiled at me motherly.

"James will be fine. He had a concussion, but we patched that right up, and he'll have a few scars, but other than that, it was minor stuff." I sagged against my brother, who knowingly came up behind me and put an arm around my shoulder. "This the father?" Ron and I looked at each other in a moment of horrified shock, and then burst out laughing.

"N-n-no no, Nurse, you see, this is my brother!" Ron cried, gesturing to me. " I mean, I'm her sister... I mean..." The woman started laughing.

"Yes, yes, alright. I'm assuming you are the mother?" I nodded.

"Adoptive, yes." If he would cry out in fear when I just said the word 'daddy', I wasn't letting him go back there until the dad was far, far away and not coming back.

"Alright, only you can come in. He's been asking for you." I looked at Ron with a skeptical glance and followed the nurse, who handed me an extra robe. "For identification." She explained. I nodded like I understood and made my way into the room she motioned to.

"Gen... gin... Ginneyervra?" 'James' stuttered. I smiled softly and rushed over to him, hugging him.

"Gin or Ginny is fine dear. I know you aren't ready to call me mommy." James sniffed again.

"Ginny, can I go home with you?" He asked. I realized how odd that might have sounded to those listening, so I chuckled.

"Of course, sweet. It's your home now too!" He put his shaky stick arms around my neck and let out a big sigh.

"Can I go home now?" I looked at the mediwitch I thought at the head of the operation. I was rewarded with the sight of her "head mediwitch" badge and a large smile.

"Go ahead. You can fill out the forms on your way out." She said, as if it were a gift. I smiled again, and helped 'James' into some child size robes to put over his tattered rags I found him in. Just as I was about to get out the door, he tapped my shoulder.

"Ginny, what's that stick that the man is carrying?" My eyes widened in shock. He'd never seen a wand before? Oh ... oh no... what if he's... a muggle?