Chapter 1 – Ginny Gone Stir Crazy
Ginny sat in the garden of the Burrow watching two gnomes fight over a radish. She had been sitting on the bench doing nothing for nearly two hours. She had no energy or desire to do anything, nor was there any need. She was bored and worse, she felt like her life had hit a dead end. She was twenty-three and washed up. Three months previously she had been playing Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies and was rated as the number two chaser in Britain. Then the unthinkable had happened. During one rain soaked match she had collided mid-air with a player from the opposing team. The crash had broken numerous bones on the right side of her body and thrown her into the a pole, causing a severe skull fracture and putting her in a 19 day coma. She awoke in St. Mungo's surrounded by family and friends, but was initially unable to speak or move her body in any coordinated fashion. After another month in the hospital she had regained much of what she had lost, although her coordination still suffered and she attended therapy sessions twice a week. The worse part though was that the doctors warned if she ever played Quidditch again an injury involving her head could be fatal. The Harpies had been sympathetic and paid out the rest of her salary for the season, but her career was over.
After leaving the hospital, her parents had brought her home and had lavished her with attention and care. Initially she had appreciated the help, especially since she had needed help with simple things like climbing the stairs. After a month though she had improved enough that the her mother's constant hovering and her father's constant inquiries on how she was feeling were beginning to grate. Now she had been home six weeks and was going stir crazy. She had no career and no desire to do anything. The previous week a former lover came to visit and Ginny perked up for the day, but then they had been nearly caught by Molly before they had gotten much beyond snogging. Her friend left shortly thereafter and the frustration only added to Ginny's woes.
As she sat watching the gnomes, Ginny heard her mother's voice. "Ginny come in for lunch." Ginny sighed and propelled herself off the bench with some effort. She trudged into the house, not really hungry but knowing that she better eat or her mother would worry even more. As they sat down to eat, Arthur arrived in the fire.
"Hello my ladies. Thought I might just pop over and have lunch with you. How's my princess? Head feeling ok?"
"Fine dad, thanks" Ginny muttered.
"Now Ginny, I added some spinach to the salad. Make sure you eat plenty. The iron will be good for your healing." Molly admonished.
Ginny sighed and began to tuck into a lunch of roast beef sandwiches and salad. She was reaching for a glass of water when Molly interrupted.
"Here Ginny, have some milk. You need the calcium for bone healing."
Ginny didn't want milk, but took it anyway and kept eating. She finished a half sandwich and a small salad and was more than full when she pushed her plate away.
Molly frowned. "Ginny, you hardly ate anything. You won't be able to heal if you don't give your body the fuel it needs!"
"Mum. I'm full. I haven't done anything all morning to work up an appetite. I need to rest. I'm going to my room."
Ginny left the table and headed upstairs. She had no issue now being able to coordinate one foot in front of the other, although her speed wasn't what it once had been. She entered her room and flopped on the bed. She actually didn't need to rest. She wasn't tired at all. She was tired of the constant supervision and hovering from her parents. Sure, she had needed it a month ago, but couldn't they see how much better she was? Ginny lay on the bed, counting divets in the ceiling. They had been left there nearly ten years ago when she had made the mistake of playing with one of the twins' experiments and it had exploded. Thinking of her twin brothers only deepened Ginny's mood. Fred had been gone for almost six years. It was still hard to believe. George had eventually recovered, with Angie's help. They now had two beautiful little children and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had three shops: Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and Godric's Hollow. George's success was matched by her other siblings. Ron worked in the shop with his brother, and Ron's wife Hermione had a senior position in the Ministry. Ron and Hermione had two red-headed little ones. Bill was the chief wizard relations manager between the Ministry and Gringotts. He and Fleur now had three children. Charlie had moved back to Britain as an instructor and advisor for the Wolverhampton Dragon Reserve. Percy and Audrey both worked in the Ministry and had two little firecrackers of their own. All of the Weasleys were settled and successful, except herself. Thinking of her family, Ginny rolled over and began to sob softly. She had no idea why she had survived the accident and now wished she hadn't.
As Ginny lay morosely on her bed, she heard the creak of the stairs. She quickly cleaned her face and prepared herself as Molly ducked her head in the room.
"I'm going out to run some errands Ginny sweetheart. Do you want to come along?"
"No mum, I just want to rest."
"Well okay, but you really should get out more. Do you want me to get you anything?"
"No mum."
Molly crossed the room and swept Ginny's hair back and kissed her forehead. "Ok dear, I'll be back in a while."
As Molly left the room, Ginny sighed. Her mom had just kissed her and treated her the same way she did when Ginny was ten. It was so frustrating! She was twenty-three. She was a retired, successful Quidditch player. She had been head girl at Hogwarts and graduated with six NEWTS. She was not a child, but her parents seemed to think the accident had somehow transported her back to childhood. 'Truthfully, even before the accident, they had never fully accepted her adulthood' Ginny thought to herself.
Ginny laid in the bed a few more minutes when she finally had enough. She had to get out, get away, go somewhere. She paced her room for a couple of minutes and then decided to go visit Charlie. Charlie had a flat in London and probably wouldn't be home for a couple hours yet, but he had told his baby sister that the floo was always open if she needed him. Ginny figured she would get out of the Burrow before her mother returned and wait at the flat for Charlie to get home from work. Maybe talking to him would help. Ginny headed downstairs to the fire and floo'd to Charlie's flat. As she stepped out of the fire, the scene in front of her sucked the air out of her lungs and caused her to freeze. Charlie was splayed on the couch naked and next to him was a dark haired man who was equally naked. They were both sweaty and it was obvious what had ended shortly before her arrival. Ginny spluttered, "oh..um..so..sorry..I'll be going" and turned to reverse floo back.
"Wait Ginny! Don't go! Just give me a minute. " Charlie implored.
Ginny stopped a mere footstep from the fire and waited with her back turned to her brother. A minute later Charlie gave her the okay to turn around.
Ginny turned around and regarded the two men who had now pulled their pants on. She looked at the dark haired man when suddenly recognition hit her.
"Viktor! Um, hi. I haven't seen you since the last championship." Turning to her brother, Ginny continued. "Charlie, look I'm sorry, you said to drop by anytime and I didn't think you'd be home until later so I just thought I'd wait. And I'm really sorry."
"It's okay Ginny. I did say to drop by anytime. Honestly, we would have normally been in the bedroom, but we never quite made it. Obviously. Now, come, you want something to drink and we can chat?"
"Sure Charlie. A butterbeer would be great."
"Maybe I should go and give you and Ginny some time." Viktor offered.
"Nonsense Vik. This is your home too. Anyway, since Ginny knows about us now, we might as well explain together."
With that, the three of them headed for the kitchen. Ginny's head was spinning, but she decided to wait for an explanation. She owed them that since she was the one intruding. Charlie reached the pantry, pulled out three butterbeers and cast chilling charms on them before passing them around. Then the three of them settled on stools and Charlie opened the conversation.
"So Ginny, what brought you by today. Everything okay?"
Ginny looked into her brother's concerned eyes and suddenly she couldn't care less what was going on with Viktor as a dam within her burst. "No Charlie, everything is not okay. I'm feeling better, but mum and dad are hovering and acting like I'm ten. I have nothing to do and no idea what I want to do. I'm frustrated and I have nothing else to do with my life and honestly Charlie I..I..I just kinda wish I had never survived the stupid accident."
"Ginny! Don't you..don't you ever say that! Gods, you have no idea what we all went through. You almost died on us and in those first few days when you were the worst, the family almost collapsed. You have no idea." Charlie ended his outburst by jumping off his stool and embracing his sobbing sister. Ginny let herself be folded into his strong arms as she finally let herself go. She had come close to this point at home, but each time had held back for fear of upsetting her parents more. Now she was finally able to release all the pent up frustration and emotion. She didn't need to say anything else, Charlie knew. He just held her and let her shake and sob it out. Ginny didn't know how long they stayed like that, but eventually she felt a weight lift some and her tears dried up. She pulled herself back from Charlie and noticed that Viktor had finished his own butterbeer and Charlie's as well, so they must have been like that for a while.
Collecting herself, Ginny wiped her face with a napkin. "Thanks Charlie. I needed that. I've been so afraid of upsetting mum and dad more that I guess I just bottled up."
"I understand Ginny. Mum and dad are wonderful, but they can definitely be a bit overbearing. Especially mum." Charlie chuckled at the last part of his statement as he went to collect more butterbeers.
"Now Ginny. I suppose Vik and I owe you an explanation."
"No Charlie, you don't. This is your flat, and I guess from what you said it's Viktor's as well. So I'm the interloper and I really am sorry."
"And that is about the fifth time you've apologized, so you can stop it now." Charlie ordered and glared at his sister. "Owed or not, I want to talk to you. You're my baby sister and I adore you. You will always be welcome here, like I've said. Now, you are correct, Viktor and I share this flat. We started our relationship a little over two years ago and moved in together about ten months ago. I obviously haven't told anyone, because I just don't think mum and dad can handle it. Our brothers, maybe some of them. Anyway, I live here in London and have my own life with Viktor and we're quite happy. Then I have my life back with the family when I go home and the two worlds do quite fine not mixing. I'm sorry you discovered it the way you did, but I appreciate that you seem to be handling the news well. I'd also appreciate if you could keep this between us."
"Of course Charlie! Really, like you had to ask. Now, I have to admit I'm a bit curious. How did you two get together?"
Charlie turned to Viktor, "Vik, why don't you go ahead. You've been quiet and understanding of us and I think it's your turn."
Viktor smiled and put a hand on Charlie's arm. "You and Ginny needed your time Charlie. Now, as to how we started. I think it was after the Russia-Bulgaria match in May two years ago or maybe it was even back at the Triwizard tournament?"
"Well, we didn't really start at the tournament. You were still young, although very handsome. I think we noticed each other, but that was all. And I will stop talking now, your turn Viktor."
"So it was after the Russia-Bulgaria match. That was a hard fought match with a lot of fouls. I remember after the match the team was walking by the VIP seats and I saw Charlie sitting there. I hadn't seen him in years, but he was as handsome and strong as I remember. I stepped aside to say hello and invited him to join the team for drinks after. He took the offer and found us at a very fun night spot in our home city of Sophia. It's a place where I'm well known. I cleared Charlie and brought him back to the private lounge with the team. He got on well with everyone and my teammates loved hearing his tales of dragons. Also, Charlie found out he is quite fond of our rakia. Well, the night ended and we had been through quite a few bottles. I was living in a team flat, but Charlie had a hotel room. We ended up there after we left the club and I was a bit surprised when we woke up together the following morning. I don't remember even discussing our attraction, it was just something we both knew. We spent the rest of the day together before he returned to Romania and that was the start of it. After that, we stayed in touch by owl and got together as often as possible. Charlie became a regular at my matches. My teammates have figured out that we are together, but we have an unspoken rule of the Quidditch brotherhood to keep secrets for each other. When Charlie got his new job here in England I was between seasons and joined him. We found this flat and settled in together. Now that I'm back in season, I don't see him as much as I like, but sometimes I get a break and can catch the floo back from the mainland. Today we had a match cancelled, so I have three days off and decided to come home early. As soon as I got home, I floo called Charlie at work and he took the rest of the day off. We haven't seen each other in a couple of weeks, so that is why you found us like you did. I appreciate your understanding of us."
Ginny took a minute to assimilate the information. "Thanks for being straight with me Viktor. Can I ask a couple of questions?"
"Of course."
"First, your English is impeccable. Much better than I remember from years ago."
Viktor smiled. "Since my time at Hogwarts, I have been working on my English. It's a common language that is good to know for business. When Charlie and I started dating my English still needed improvement and I've been even more motivated to improve. Plus, Charlie is excellent tutor."
"And Viktor has been tutoring me in Bulgarian as well." Charlie interjected.
"Ok, so one more question Viktor. And this is the protective sister speaking now. Do you love my brother?"
"Yes Ginny, very much."
"And I love Viktor very much as well." Charlie chorused.
Ginny smiled at the couple. "Well then, that's all I really care about. I'll be honest Charlie, I've wondered a couple of times through the years if you may be gay, but then you always had lots of girlfriends."
Charlie smirked. "The key to that Ginny is the 'lots'. I did what I felt was expected. I liked many of the women just fine, but never had deep feelings for them, so I switched around a lot. I have had three serious relationships before Vik and only one of them was a woman."
"So you like women too? Sorry, I know, being nosy, never mind."
"No Ginny, it's fine. You're my sister. I identify as mostly gay, but I will say that I am probably 80%. Which means that there are times when I am mildly attracted to women, but not near as much as I am in love with Vik. Now that we are in a committed relationship I don't think about anyone else. Does that make sense?"
"Sure Charlie. Thanks for being honest with me. I'm happy for the two of you."
"Well, now that that's settled, is anyone hungry? I'm hungry!"
Ginny snorted. "Is there ever a time when a Weasley man is not hungry? What do you have around here? I'll cook."
Charlie grinned. "Excellent! We have steaks. Can you do steaks?"
Ginny glared.
"Of course you can do steaks, you're our mother's daughter. Speaking of which, does mum know you're here?"
Ginny sighed, "no."
"Okay, well we better let her know before she goes ballistic. So, you're staying for dinner, but do you want to come stay at the flat for a while? We've got three bedrooms and I know you could use some time away from the hover mother."
"Thanks Charlie, but I will not intrude on you and Viktor."
"Nonsense Ginny. The flat has plenty of space. Please stay." Viktor insisted.
"Really? You wouldn't mind? It really would be great to get away for a bit."
"Consider it done." Charlie said as he made his way back to the living room to floo call the Burrow.
Several hours later, Ginny was reclining in the living room and chatting with Vik and Charlie. She was on her third glass of wine and feeling relaxed for the first time since the accident. Her mother had been upset about Ginny's departure with no note, but Charlie had calmed her down and visited the Burrow to pick up a bag that Mrs. Weasley had packed for Ginny. She wasn't thrilled with Ginny leaving, but she knew Charlie would look after his sister.
Shortly before eleven, Ginny yawned and excused herself as she headed for bed. A few minutes later she had changed into a nightgown and was heading for the bathroom when she passed Charlie and Vik's room. She felt the faint traces of silence and privacy charms on the room and smiled to herself. Viktor had been away for weeks and they had had barely any time to themselves due to Ginny's arrival, but they had still welcomed her and Ginny knew how much Charlie loved her. As she finished in the bathroom, Ginny's mind wandered and she ached for companionship of her own. It had been three months since Ginny had had sex and now that she was healed, she was feeling the need. She headed back to her room and soon the wine worked and she drifted into a content sleep.
