I sat down flat on my arse in awe of the ghost in front of me. "Where did you come from?"
"I'm sorry to have startled you. You opened that," he said, pointing to the silver snuff box I still held.
I set it down on the floor next to me and took a deep breath. "Do you mean to tell me that I just bought a haunted snuff box for my husband?"
"It seems so. Please, allow me to introduce myself," he said, visibly standing up straighter. Tired of sitting on my arse, I stood as well, acutely aware of my pajamas. He was only a few inches taller than me and had been quite young when he died. "My name is Richard Hammond and I am, or rather was, a lieutenant in His Majesty King George's army," he said, proudly clicking his heels together.
"Oh my goodness! You're a redcoat!" I exclaimed, completely forgetting my manners. I took in the formal frock coat, knee-length trousers and tall boots. A wide sash crossed his chest and his saber rode on his hip. The three-cornered hat on his head completed the look, which was marred by a silvery bloodstain on his chest. All in all, he made quite a dashing figure for all that he was in shades of gray and partially see-through.
"Well, there are those that called us by that particular pejorative, madam. I, however, prefer to be known as Lieutenant Hammond," he said, obviously annoyed at my reaction.
"Please accept my apologies, Lieutenant Hammond," I said, sketching out a rough curtsey. "I'm Ginny Potter. How do you do?" I fell back on manners that had been drilled into me since I was a little girl, stepping quickly over to the loo to grab the fluffy hotel bathrobe and slide it on over my pajamas.
"Apology accepted," he said, inclining his head. He looked around the hotel room, taking it all in. "I apologize for startling you with my appearance. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting you to be able to see me."
"You weren't? Why is that?" I asked, frowning. I knew that Muggles couldn't actually see ghosts, but Boston had a very large and thriving magical community. "There's quite a lot of witches and wizards here in Boston. I would imagine you'd have run into someone magical by now."
"You would think so," he sighed. "Luck has not been with me these long years."
He looked so sad and bereft standing there in his proud uniform and my heart just went out to him. "What happened?" I asked, settling down cross-legged on the bed. I had the feeling that I would be in for a long night.
"It would be wonderful if you would allow me to unburden myself to you. I've never been able to tell my whole story," he said, a look of hope in what I thought would be dark brown eyes if he were still living. He copied my position, crossing his legs and sort of floating in midair, looking pensive. "I suppose I should start at the beginning," he finally said. "I was born the 25th of January, 1750 to Edith and John Hammond in Yorkshire. I am … was … a Squib."
"Ah, I'd wondered," I said quietly. Just enough magic to become a ghost, I thought.
"My parents had already had my brother, Christopher, to carry on the family line, so it was really no great loss when I turned out to be a disappointment. But, my father was not a cruel man and he wanted me to be able to make my way in the world, so when I became of age, he purchased a commission for me in the British Army and I joined the ranks of second and third sons."
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, trying to imagine what my parents would have done if one of us had turned out to be a Squib.
"No need. I was quite happy to go into the army, especially as an officer cadet. It was regarded as one of the best ways to make one's way in the world, fighting for the glory of the British Empire. As it transpired, I came here to Boston with General Howe in 1775. Our aim was to put down the upstart Continentals and bring them back to heel." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"As an officer, leading my own platoon, I was allowed to commandeer a home in town for my own quarters. As you can imagine, this was less than popular with the colonists, but it was my due. I took the home of Joseph Chambers, a textile merchant." He paused again, his eyes fixed on a point above my head. "And there I met my Eliza."
"Eliza, that's a lovely name," I said softly when he had been quiet for several moments.
"She was lovely. Dark, curling hair, beautiful skin and eyes as blue as a summer sky." He shook his head, looking like he was coming back to the here and now. "She was Joseph Chambers's daughter and the apple of his eye."
"And was Mr Chambers a king's man?"
"No, he was not. Mr Chambers was a staunch supporter of the Continentals, determined to throw off the yoke of British rule, something he reminded me of at every opportunity. But Eliza knew her own mind and went against her father and we fell in love."
"Oh," I sighed, my heart swelling with emotion. It was easy to see why Eliza had fallen for the dashing young officer. Even as a ghost, the young lieutenant was very striking with a long, straight nose, a strong mouth and large, liquid eyes. "What happened? How did you end up … here?"
"General Washington laid siege to the city. General Howe declined to attack the Continentals and we withdrew to Nova Scotia in March of 1776. Eliza and I had secretly plighted our troth and made plans to get her out of the city and to Canada, but General Howe would not allow her to accompany us." He heaved a long sigh. "I suspect Eliza's father had something to do with the general's refusal."
"And how did you end up, um, in the snuff box?" I asked, fully invested in Lieutenant Hammond's story.
"The snuff box was a gift from Eliza as a symbol of our promise to each other. I carried it with me to Nova Scotia and back to the colonies when General Howe took the fight back to the Continentals. I …" he said and stopped, looking troubled. His hand went to the silver stain spread across his chest. "I participated in the Battle of Long Island. The last memories I have of my life are the stifling heat of the day, the shouts of men and the smell of gunpowder. I felt a great pain, as if I had been soundly punched in the chest. I thought of my dear Eliza and then … I was like this."
"A ghost?" I asked gently. I wanted to reach out and touch him to reassure him, but I knew my hand would go right through him, so I kept my hands to myself. "What happened next?"
He looked troubled, eyes downcast. "I suppose you know that only the most foolish of us become ghosts. Those of us who cling too tightly to what we had or wish we had in life." I nodded, thinking of Nearly Headless Nick, roaming around Hogwarts Castle for eternity, too afraid of death to move on. "I clung desperately to my love, to my Eliza." He hung his head in shame. "I haunted her for the rest of her life."
My heart thudded in my chest, breaking for the both of them. "Was she a witch? Could she see you?"
"No. Eliza was a Muggle and my love never knew that the cold and chill she was plagued by were caused by me." He took a deep breath and looked back at me. "I had a love note from Eliza in the box and some kind soul returned her gift to her, along with the notification of my death. I still remember watching her weep over me."
"Oh, Richard, I'm so sorry," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. If I were to die and become a ghost, would I want to watch Harry as he cried out his sorrow over my passing? Not a chance, I thought resolutely.
"I was weak. I know I should have moved on and left Eliza and let her get on with her life, but I couldn't. I stayed as she married and had children of her own, always a presence."
"Did she ever sense you? I've heard of some Muggles that have just a drop of magic that can."
"No. Just the cold. She complained often of never feeling warm enough, even at the height of the summers."
"What about when she passed? Did you think of moving on then?" I asked gently.
Richard shook his head, looking away from me again, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I thought about it, but I couldn't. My snuff box had been passed down to her eldest daughter and I felt a strong connection to it. It was as if a bit of Eliza's spirit lingered in it and I was afraid to let it go, so I stayed and haunted the next generation." He frowned and waved his hand in dismissal. "Eventually my cold presence became a bit of a family joke. 'Granny Eliza's Ghost' they called me. They never knew how right they were."
"And now here you are," I said after a few moments of silence. "Are you going to haunt me, now?"
The ghost hovered in front of me, still sitting with his legs crossed, the tail of his fine frock coat floating gently behind him. He looked thoughtful as he considered my question. "Eliza's last descendent is gone and nothing of her lingers in this place. I am … ready to move on."
"Oh, all right then," I said brightly, frankly relieved that I wouldn't be dealing with poor Lieutenant Richard Hammond for the rest of my life. "Well, it's been wonderful chatting with you. Good luck in … whatever comes next for you."
"Ginny Potter, I need your help," he said urgently. "I need a witch's help to shed the last vestiges of this world and rejoin my Eliza."
Oh God bless it, I thought. Another one? "My help? What can I do for you? Don't you just … move on?"
"If it were that easy, I would have done so immediately after her last descendent passed, but I am bound too tightly to Eliza's gift," he said, gesturing to the snuff box that still sat on the carpet.
"I'm not going to destroy it. It was expensive," I objected, picking up the beautiful box and looking at it closely. I cast Detect Magic, but nothing glowed. It was just a silver box. "Do you need a priest to perform an exorcism?"
"Nothing quite so prosaic," he said with a trace of a smile. "I'm bound to the box and cannot move very far from it. I need you to convey my box to the place we were last together."
"Where you were last together? In what, 1776? I don't know if you've noticed, but the city has changed a lot in the last two hundred or so years."
"I remember where we said good bye to each other. I'm sure I will know it again," he said, sounding absolutely confident in his abilities. "It was by the Charles River, a lovely promenade that we used to enjoy."
I looked at him skeptically, arms crossed. "Well, I suppose we could take a look around. But I don't know if the river has changed course. What if the spot where you said goodbye is underwater?"
Lieutenant looked a little troubled at that. "I suppose I hadn't thought of that," he said, rubbing his chin distractedly. "You are a witch, however and I'm sure you are capable of wondrous things."
"Flatterer," I snorted. "Okay, well. I suppose I have some work ahead of me to find out where you gave each other a good-bye kiss or whatever." I sat on the bed, thinking. "I have an all-day meeting tomorrow, and I'm only in town for a few more days after that. If I don't find the spot before I have to go home, you're coming to California with me."
Yawning, I looked at the time on the bedside clock. It was after one in the morning. "Now, I have a very early morning, so I need to go to bed and get some sleep, all right?"
Richard looked contrite and nodded. "Of course. I apologize for keeping you from your rest. I was just so overwhelmed that you could actually see and hear me." He glanced at the snuff box. "If you'll excuse me?" I nodded and watched as he dissolved into nothing, presumably going back into the snuff box. Acutely aware of my thin pajamas, I debated putting the thing in a drawer, but settled for putting it over by the telly. If he wants to spy on me, I doubt a drawer will stop him.
Reaching for my phone, I tapped out a quick message to Harry. Had an odd thing happen tonight. Don't worry, all is well. I will give you details tomorrow, but right now I need to sleep. Love you.
Harry's response arrived a moment later. Great, now I won't be able to sleep. Is another magical creature pestering you?
Something like that. Tomorrow!
Fine. Love you too.
"Rough night?" Ben asked, eyeing me over his coffee cup. I sat hunched over my own breakfast, trying to fight through a fog of fatigue. Even after the ghostly Lieutenant Hammond had gone back to his snuff box for the night, it had been a very long time before I fell asleep.
"I was up much later than I intended," I said, draining my cup of tea and pouring another one.
"Oh? Did Harry stop by for another visit?" Ben pushed over the small pot of cream and continued to give me the eye as he slathered his toast with jam.
"No, nothing like that." I doctored my tea, refusing to look at him as my cheeks reddened. Damn this pale complexion! "I did have a visitor of sorts."
Ben gasped and put down his toast, blue eyes round with shock. "Ginny! What? Who? Was it that doctor from the other night?"
"Calm down," I said, waving my hand. I pulled the snuff box out of my jeans pocket and set it down on the table. "It's haunted."
"What? The box you bought for Harry?" He stared at it as if trying to visualize what sort ghost would haunt a snuff box. "Um, who's in it?"
"A young British Army lieutenant called Richard Hammond."
"British Army? Like … wait … from the Revolutionary War?"
"Exactly," I said, grinning when Ben let out a loud squeak and covered his mouth, looking around the breakfast room.
"Really?" he whispered, leaning in close. He picked up the snuff box and turned it all around, examining it minutely before setting it back down again. "Oh no! I just moved his house all around! Do you think I upset him?"
"I doubt it. I don't think he's got any furniture in there to upset. He appeared last night and asked for my help."
"Your help? To do what? Haunt the descendent of a rival or something?" Ever since learning of the magical world that existed alongside the Muggle world, he'd taken a great many things in stride and even tended to assume magic was at play when things happened like the bus rolling up just as he got to the stop.
"No, he's ready to move on," I said, feeling much more alert as I related my conversation with the ghost. Ben was a very appreciative audience, gasping and putting his hand to his chest at the appropriate moments. "So, I somehow have to find where he and Eliza said good bye to each other over two hundred years ago."
"Does he know how much time has passed?" Ben asked skeptically.
"I think so. I told him that the city has changed a lot and that the spot might be underwater or something."
"And what did he say to that?"
I took another sip of tea. "He said that I'm capable of wonderous things."
"No pressure," he snorted, finishing his coffee. "We need to get a move on."
"And I need to call Harry and tell him about all of this. Meet you in the lobby, okay?" I put the snuff box back in my pocket and headed up to my room to finish getting ready for the last day of the conference. Checking the time on my watch, I decided Harry would be up and called.
"Ginny! What did you get me?" Teddy's youthful voice filled my ear when he answered Harry's phone.
"Good morning, Teddy! I'm not sure I should bring you anything back. I've heard you've done a bit of unsanctioned experimenting in Potions class," I said, his groan making me smile.
"I can't believe Harry told you about that! Listen, it was a valid experiment! The book said that the most potent ingredient was the flobberworm mucus and Duncan and I reasoned that extra mucus would make it extra powerful," he said, rallying to his own defense. "You're always telling me about 'the scientific method', so me and Duncan made our hypothesis and then tested it."
"And how did that work out for you?" I asked, grinning from ear-to-ear. Yes! I'm rubbing off on him!
"Not too well. The cauldron started to smoke and Duncan threw it outside where it sort of exploded."
"Sort of exploded? Teddy, something either explodes or it doesn't."
"Fine. It exploded. And broke a window." I raised my eyebrows, surprised that they got only a week's detention and an essay out of the incident. "Anyway, I swear we were just trying to make a stronger potion. Here's Harry."
"Good morning," Harry murmured through a yawn. "Are you going to tell me about your 'odd thing' now?"
I unlocked my door and quickly gathered up my things for the conference. "Yes. I have a ghost asking me for help."
"What? A ghost? Not a poltergeist?" he said, sounding much more alert.
"Definitely not a poltergeist. A young British Army lieutenant called Richard Hammond. He's ready to move on and needs my help to do so." I grabbed my jacket and put it on, switching ears with the phone. "He fell in love with the daughter of a patriot and died before they could marry, so he haunted her and her descendants."
"Hm. So he's been a ghost for a very long time. Can he move on?"
"I hope so, or else I'll be bringing him home with me."
"Oh God. That's the last thing we need. What does he want you to do? Do you need an old priest and a young priest?" he asked and I was sure he had a cheeky grin on his face.
"I already asked about an exorcism and he says no. He says that I need to take him to the place where he and Eliza, that's her name, said good bye when he left Boston with the army." I took one more look around the hotel room, patting the pocket that held the snuff box. I didn't feel right leaving it behind.
"Does he realize that that spot might no longer exist?"
"I told him as much, but he seems confident in my abilities."
Harry grunted, clearly lost in thought. "What was a wizard doing in the British Army?"
"He's a Squib. He said his father bought him a commission in the army."
"Ah, that makes sense. Hammond, you said? He say what his father's name was?"
I left the room with my bag on my shoulder, recalling the conversation from the night before. "John, I think? Why?"
"No particular reason. Seems like I might have heard the name somewhere. Are you all right? Do you need me to come?"
I stepped into the empty elevator. "I always need you to come," I said in a low voice, grinning at his snort. "No, I should be fine. I just need to find this spot and he'll go away or whatever it is that ghosts do."
"Okay, well, let me know if you need me to get over there."
"I will, love." The elevator opened on the lobby and I spied Ben waiting for me. "I have to go. Conference time."
"Call me tonight," Harry said, yawning again.
"I will. Hey, don't be too hard on Teddy, all right?"
"He got to you already? Damn he works fast."
"He's just curious. He was using the scientific method."
"Too curious for his own good. Get to your conference, I'll handle things over here, yeah?"
"Be nice. I'll call you tonight. Love you."
"Love you." I disconnected the call and joined Ben.
"Did you tell Harry about your ghost?" he asked, settling his conference badge around his neck.
"I did," I said, fishing my own out of my purse.
"And when is Harry showing up?"
"Harry is not showing up! I'm perfectly capable of handling this myself!"
Ben rolled his eyes and took my elbow. "Well, it's a good thing you're not by yourself then! Come on, sister, let's get this last day done with so we can have some fun. And repatriate or whatever your ghost."
Merlin save me from curious ghosts, I thought sourly as the transparent form of Lieutenant Richard Hammond floated next to me. I was trying to concentrate on the presentation on chronic illnesses and failing as the ghostly soldier distracted me with a constant stream of questions and observations.
I already had a wide berth around me as several people had moved to other seats, remarking on the chilliness of the air in that spot. "Must be right under a vent," one man said. "I don't know how you stand it." I just smiled wanly and shrugged.
"It's my English blood," I said, playing up the Devon in my accent.
"One of Eliza's great-grandchildren was a physician, you know," Richard said conversationally. "Used to keep little mints in my box and never left the house without it, so I got to go quite a few places around town. One time, he was called out to a house out in—"
"Lieutenant Hammond," I whispered before he could go on. "I'm very sorry, but I need to pay attention to this bit. Why don't you, um, relax and we'll chat after, all right?" The ghost favored me with a look down his nose and nodded, fading away into nothing, allowing me to finally concentrate on what was in front of me.
Not that I was able to concentrate on anything but the ghost, anyway. Ben and I had had a conversation over lunch about what he was calling our 'mission', looking up old maps of Boston on his phone. "I've been doing a bit of reading and there's been a lot of work done on the Charles River. This part here is almost entirely man-made," he said, zooming in on a picture of the shoreline by Beacon Hill. "Here's how it used to be." Another image appeared and the shoreline looked very different.
"This doesn't even look like the same place," I said as I toggled between the two images. In the older one, Boston looked like some sort of awkward blob of land thrust out into the middle of the harbor. The more recent image showed how much of the original waterway had been filled in to make more room. "Now I understand more why they call it the Back Bay. It actually used to be the back of the bay." I gave him back his phone and sighed.
"Well, does it have to be the exact place? I mean, if we take him somewhere close it, do you think that would be enough?"
"I don't know. Harry's the one who'd know a bit more. Hallowed ground and all that."
"Maybe you should give him a call?" Ben suggested as he dipped a french fry in ketchup.
"I'm not going to call Harry about this. We'll figure it out. He's busy and can't just come running whenever I have a splinter."
Ben raised one eyebrow and ate another fry. "Sister, this is more than just a splinter."
"No. It'll be fine." It had better be fine. I'm not too sanguine about bringing a ghost home with me. I suppose I could sell the snuff box back and get Harry something else, I thought as I took notes on common mistakes in managing chronic illness in the elderly. Even as I had the thought, I knew I wouldn't do such a thing. I really liked the box and I wanted Harry to have it. Plus, Harry wasn't the only one with a noble streak and I felt a sense of duty toward Lieutenant Hammond.
I could very easily put myself in his place. What if Harry really had died when he went into the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort? Would I have been like Eliza and gotten on with my life or would I have stayed faithful to the memory of a dead man? With herculean effort, I pulled my thoughts away from doom and gloom, trying to focus for the hour or so left in the last session of the conference.
On the way out of the meeting room, Dr Bradley flagged me down. "So, Dr Potter. Will you be off on your ghost hunting now?" he asked with a friendly smile. After further conversations with him, I'd decided that he was actually just really friendly, especially when he pulled his phone out to show me pictures of his grandchildren.
I was acutely conscious of the snuff box in my pocket and I surreptitiously reached down a hand to touch it. "As it happens, yes! I do have a few ghost-related tasks in front of me over the next couple of days."
"Do you now? Are you going to participate in a seance? Try to communicate with someone beyond the veil?" he asked, making me think of what Harry had told me of his experience in the forest with the Resurrection Stone.
Don't need a seance or table-tapping to communicate with the ghost in my pocket, I thought as I quickly pasted on a smile. "No, nothing quite like that. We're going to visit some of Boston's most haunted places and have a bit of fun. We'll do a bit of American Revolution stuff, too. Paul Revere and all that."
"Listen, my children, and you shall hearbr
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,br
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Fivebr
Hardly a man is now alivebr
Who remembers that famous day and year," Dr Bradley recited and I clapped in admiration, smiling as he flushed in pleasure.
"Well done! Do they teach that in school here?"
"They probably do out here, but not so much in Texas. I have what my father considered an 'inappropriate weakness' for poetry."
"Well, fathers are always hardest on the ones that have the most potential," I said, squeezing his arm. "I've got to run and meet Ben, but it's been a real pleasure getting to know you. If you're ever in San Francisco, I'd love to get together for dinner."
"I definitely will let you know the next time I make it out that way. I'd love to meet your husband and godson." He gave me an appraising look. "You'll go far, Dr Potter. Don't be surprised if the East Coast comes knocking on your door one day."
"And if it does, it'll probably be you at the door!" I said, making the both of us laugh. We shook hands and parted ways. A moment later, Lieutenant Hammond appeared, floating along next to me as I walked down the hallway crowded with conference-goers.
"Faugh! Paul Revere. A maker of spoons and trifles," he said derisively, looking back toward Dr Bradley. The space immediately around me became suddenly empty due to the chill generated by his spectral presence.
"He's regarded as quite the hero in these parts. There's an epic poem about him." I spotted Ben in the crowd and headed toward him, the throngs of people parting before me.
"You look like Moses parting the Red Sea," Ben said as he kissed the air next to my cheek. "Is he …?"
"I'm right here," the ghost said, sounding offended.
"Leave off, you know Muggles can't see or hear you." I spoke more sharply than I intended; he'd been a trial all day and I was getting tired of his constant complaints.
"I know it very well. No need to remind me," he said before fading away.
"What just happened?" Ben asked, looking from me and the spot off to my left where the ghost had recently been hovering. He had proven to be more sensitive to the lieutenant than I thought he would be and I was beginning to suspect that he had a touch of wizard in him somewhere back in his tree.
"Lieutenant Hammond was here and then he got into a strop and disappeared," I said. "He was being shirty about Paul Revere."
"What? Who was talking about Paul Revere?" Ben asked as we shuffled slowly toward the convention center exit.
"I was chatting with Dr Bradley a bit before coming to find you. I mentioned we might do some American Revolution stuff and he recited a bit of a poem about Paul Revere. He said that I shouldn't be surprised if the East Coast comes knocking one day," I said, wishing the ghost had stayed out and lent his chilly presence to aid our exit.
"He'd have to pry you out of Vijay's cold, dead hands!" he said, referencing the director of the San Francisco wizarding hospital, SF Thaumaturgical. Now that I'd graduated from UCSF's medical program, he was no longer my advisor and liaison between the school and St Mungo's, but he kept in close contact, constantly trying to tempt me to come work for him.
"That's the truth!" I laughed, imagning Vijay's face if I were to tell him that I was leaving San Francisco to go work for some other hospital on the other side of the country.
It was already dark outside and freezing cold, so we walked double-time to the hotel, chatting about dinner plans. We nodded to the doorman at the hotel as we stepped into the warmth of the lobby and Ben pulled up short, making me nearly crash into him. I looked up and saw a young man approaching us with a shy smile on his face. Oh, the gymnast! I thought, watching as Ben's face flooded with red.
"Gavin, hello," Ben said, recovering some of his natural sophistication. "Have you met my friend Ginny?" He grabbed my arm and thrust me in front of him as if I were a shield. "Ginny, this is Gavin Lewis."
"Pleased to meet you," I said, extending my hand. Gavin was shorter than Ben, but very powerfully built and had a gorgeous smile. His sandy-colored hair reminded me a little bit of Teddy and I experienced a wave of homesickness. "How have you enjoyed the conference?" I asked, nodding toward his badge. It said he was from Northwestern Medical and I had to think a moment before placing it in Chicago.
"It's been great. I always enjoy coming to these things and seeing old friends and meeting new people," he said, giving Ben a sidelong look. "I wanted to ask if you'd be up for a drink and maybe something to eat, if you're not too tired?"
"Oh! Um …" Ben stammered and I took that as my cue, stretching and yawning.
"You two go ahead. After three straight days, I'm knackered! I think I'm going to have a bath and order room service." I gave the comely Dr Lewis a brilliant smile. "This is the first one of these I've been to and I wasn't expecting the intensity!"
Ben gave me an appraising look before turning back to Gavin. "Okay, sure, that would be great. Let me get freshened up and I'll meet you back down here?"
"Sounds great," Gavin said, taking my hand again. "It was really nice meeting you."
"You, too!" Ben and I headed toward the elevators, trying to look like we weren't running. As soon as the doors closed, I turned to him and crossed my arms, giving him a silly grin. "So, that's the gymnast, huh? He's quite fit!"
"Woman, you don't know the half of it! Let me tell you, he hasn't lost any of his flexibility." Ben looked in the mirrored wall of the elevator, running his fingers through his hair. "I was not expecting this tonight! What am I going to wear?"
"I'll help you figure something out. I always had to dress Harry when we went out to clubs." The elevator doors opened on our floor and I followed him to his room.
"Sorry to leave you in the lurch," he said apologetically as he unlocked his door.
"I wasn't really lying when I said I was tired. I didn't sleep well last night and my brain is just about fried." I followed him into his room and looked in his closet, pulling out a button-down shirt with a light blue pinstripe. "I probably will have a soak and room service." I opened a drawer and found a v-neck jumper in a soft oatmeal color. "There you are."
"Too preppy?" he asked, looking at the combination doubtfully.
"He's from the Midwest. You'll blow his socks off." Ben quickly changed and disappeared into the loo before emerging with perfect hair and smelling freshly of Tom Ford for Men. I took a deep breath, lamenting the fact that I had yet to convince Harry to wear cologne regularly. "Don't stay out too late," I admonished, channeling Professor McGonagall.
"What time are we getting together tomorrow to put your ghost to rest?" he asked, pulling on his jacket.
"Let's have a bit of a lie-in. Nine-thirty?"
"Mmm, how about ten?" he said, patting his pockets.
"All right." We left his room and paused in the hallway. I couldn't help myself and I adjusted the lapels of his jacket. "Now remember, I don't have any more Hangover Potion, so don't get too crazy."
"Yes, Mom," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you dare knock on my door earlier than ten."
"Go on, you," I said, giving him a shove toward the elevators. "Have a good time." Giving me a little wave, Ben quickly disappeared around the corner and I headed to my own room.
Just me and my ghost, I thought as I set down my things and went to start a bath. I took the snuff box out of the pocket of my jeans and set it back down on the table with the telly, turning it on for noise. I half-listened to the local news as the weather man waved his arms and predicted snow starting tonight. "Living in California has made me soft," I remarked to no one in particular as I undressed, anticipating the steaming warmth of the tub.
A few minutes later I was up to my neck in lovely hot water and I closed my eyes, my thoughts turning to what I would get from room service. In the other room, my little mobile phone made a sound and I waved my wand, summoning it to me. What are you doing? Conference all done? said the messages from Harry. I looked at the time, realizing that he was just about done with the school day.
"What am I doing? I'll show you what I'm doing," I said, opening the camera. I had my hair up in a bun and I teased out a few loose tendrils to frame my face, trying out several pouts until I finally found one that I thought relayed the perfect look-at-me-in-the-bath-without-you look. I took care in framing my shot, making sure to get my face and enough of my water-covered cleavage so that Harry would have no doubt as to exactly what I was doing. I took the picture and sent it before I could back out, a quiver of excitement in my gut.
Oh my. Where are you?
Where does it look like I am?
It looks like you're in the bath.
Oh, full marks, Mr Potter! Shouldn't you be out running your arse off?
No practice today. Instead I get to wait for Teddy to be finished with detention.
I raised an eyebrow at that. Surely an unexpected consequence. Why not Apparate home and then come back for him?
Because then he won't feel nearly as guilty.
So am I supposed to feel guilty that I'm here in a nice, hot bath and you're in a cold, empty classroom?
Have you tried to blow up your Potions classroom?
Not lately, no. I bit my lower lip as I grinned. I am trying to be naughty, though.
Are you? I hadn't noticed.
I snorted out loud, the sound echoing around the bathroom. "I'll give him something to notice," I said, turning on the camera again. This time, I made sure to get more than just my cleavage in the picture. What do you notice now? I giggled madly as I watched the little dots do their charming little animation, indicating that Harry was formulating a response. I was focusing so intently on the little dots that I nearly dropped the phone in the water when it rang, showing me a picture of Harry smiling in front of the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day.
"I'm trying to decide if you're worth the trouble," he said when I answered.
"Why, what sort of trouble am I making for you?" I asked sweetly. My stomach trembled at the sound of his voice.
"You do know that Teddy occasionally gets a hold of my phone, don't you? And that I'm a school teacher?"
"Are you afraid that some innocent child will be scarred for life if they see one of my tit pics?"
"No, but Teddy might be."
"Or he'll show them to Duncan."
"That one," Harry snorted. "He's trouble on wheels."
"But they're inseparable," I said, remembering how Teddy had come home from his first day at St Ambrose's, chattering away about his new best friend.
"Well, they sure are right now."
"What does Vivian have them doing?"
"Cataloging her back storage room. She's apparently been meaning to do it for the last five years." Harry paused for a moment and when he spoke again, his voice was lower. "That's not why I called, though."
I felt a delightful shiver over my skin and I slid down a little further in the water, being careful to keep the phone dry. I wasn't sure what would be worse on it; getting it wet or trying to repair it with magic. "Why did you call then?"
"You obviously seemed lonely."
"Obviously? How can I be lonely? I have a ghost to keep me company."
"A ghost can't keep you warm, though."
"This bath can." I used my toes to run the hot water, sighing in happiness.
"What was that for?" Harry asked, latching on to my sigh.
"More hot water."
"So not my voice?" he said with a chuckle.
"Maybe that too."
"Good to know I'm making a contribution here and that I haven't been entirely replaced by a hot water valve."
"Well, not entirely," I allowed, feeling that shiver again. "Why did you call me again? I was relaxing in the bath, you know."
"Maybe I should go then and let you get on with your relaxing."
"Are you going to abandon me, too?" I asked, putting a bit of pout into my voice, hoping that I sounded sexy rather than childish.
"Who's abandoned you?"
"Ben. He's out with a former gymnast."
"Bendy."
"So he says." A thought occurred to me and I grinned. "What about you?"
"What about me what? I'd say yoga keeps me pretty bendy, wouldn't you?"
"No, silly. Did you ever date any particularly flexible girls? Anyone that could twist themselves into an interesting shape?"
I heard Harry blow out a laugh and I grinned. I knew the answer, I knew everything about every girl he'd ever dated, but I still liked to needle him occasionally. "No. I did date this one girl, though. She was a tough nut to crack."
"Oh? Where did you meet her?"
"At a party. She was there with another bloke."
"She was? How rude."
"Well, it wasn't really her fault. I should have asked her to the party, but I didn't think she'd want to go with me."
"So, strictly speaking, you didn't meet her at the party, you already knew her." I thought back to that Ministry Christmas party. Harry had looked so dashing in his Auror Cadet robes that night.
"Well, yes. We'd been dancing around each other for a while, me and this girl."
"Sounds like she didn't know what she wanted. What was she wearing at this party?"
"Hmm, I'm not really too sure. A potato sack?" I could hear the tease in his voice loud and clear and I harrumphed in response, rising to his bait.
"A potato sack? I have it on good authority that she was wearing a marvelous gold sequined dress and cute gold high-heeled sandals." I'd loved that dress the minute I saw it in the shop window, taking extra shifts at St Mungo's until I could buy it.
"Hey, who's telling this story?"
"You are, but you're doing a very bad job of it."
"You think you can do better?" he asked, his voice low and challenging.
"Hmm, let's see." I sat up straighter in the bath, casting my memory back to that night. "It seems to me that you made the same mistake twice with this girl, not asking her out until the very last minute."
"Well, it wasn't the very last minute …"
"So you admit that you'd made this mistake before with her?"
"Is this a story or an interrogation? Talk about a bad job …"
"Point taken," I said primly. "So you'd made your mistake and had to sit all evening, watching this girl with the bloke who had taken the initiative and asked her out, but you seemed to be doing all right yourself. You'd gotten yourself a cute little blonde who had her hands all over you."
"I'd hardly say they were all over me," Harry snorted in disagreement.
"Oh, they were all over you," I said, remembering what's-her-name sitting at the banquet table and practically giving Harry a handjob underneath. "But even so, you just couldn't keep your eyes off of the girl in the gold dress."
"I thought I was being subtle."
"You weren't." I remembered Harry's eyes constantly roaming over to me all that evening. Even from a distance I could almost see the jealousy burning in them as he watched me canoodling with Andy Burnham. Poor Andy, I thought, I'll have to drop him a note and see how he's doing these days. Maybe we'll do drinks over Christmas.
"The girl in the gold dress wasn't exactly being subtle, either. Cozying up to that bloke, whispering in his ear."
"It could have been you," I whispered, feeling my heart beat faster. I sank back down in the water, closing my eyes at the delicious warmth.
"I wish it had been. When I saw her on the dance floor…" He trailed off and I held my breath, waiting for more.
"What about the dance floor?" I prompted after a few moments of silence.
"Dizzying, electrifying, amazing," Harry whispered and I felt a heat rise in my cheeks that had nothing to do with the hot water surrounding me. "I wanted her, that girl in the gold dress."
My mouth was completely dry and I had to swallow a few times before I could form words again. "I believe you had her. On a gym mat, no less."
Harry let out a low chuckle and I grinned to hear it. "Not my finest hour, perhaps."
"I disagree."
"Do you? What's your opinion, then?"
"Dizzying, electrifying, amazing," I said, parroting his words back to him. "Those knickers were brand new, though."
"I replaced them. With the full line. All of the colors."
"Did the girl in the gold dress thank you?"
"Many times." I was about to say something in response when I heard him talking to someone. "All done then?" he asked and I presumed he was talking to Teddy. "Teddy's done with his detention for the day."
The switch in conversational gears momentarily disoriented me and I felt a throbbing ache between my legs. "Time to go home, then?"
"Yeah," Harry said apologetically. "I'll call you again later tonight, all right? Will you still be up?"
"Ready and waiting," I whispered, summoning my very best sultry voice.
"Well, um, all right, then. I'll talk to you tonight."
I made a splashing sound with the water to remind him that I was naked in the bath. "I'll be waiting," I said, still in sultry vixen mode. Harry snorted and disconnected the call. "Oh, girl you've got it so bad," I muttered, leaning my head back against the bath tub wall.
I luxuriated in the tub for a few more minutes and got out, wrinkling my nose at my pruny fingers. Conscious of my visitor, I put the fluffy robe on over my pajamas and went out into the bedroom, picking up the room service menu from the desk.
"Was that your husband you were speaking with?" Lieutenant Hammond said and I nearly jumped in surprise.
I turned to see him floating behind me, looking rather disconsolate. "Yes, that was my husband, Harry."
"You sound like you have a very loving relationship."
"I like to think we do all right. We have disagreements, but we don't let that sour the overall relationship." I felt a surge of sympathy for him as he floated here, looking lost and lonely. "Is that how it was with you and Eliza?"
"Our circumstances were much different and we … didn't have very many opportunities for affection," he said after a long silence. "I had hoped that once we were married that we would have a similar marriage to that of my parents."
"How were they?" I asked, thinking of my own mother and father and how well they worked together raising all of us through the stresses of two wizarding wars.
"They were each other's helpmeets, filling in whatever the other lacked. It was a happy family, a good one to grow up in."
And a sad one to leave. I knew that most Squibs separated from their wizarding families, unable to fully exist in the magical world without any magical ability. I thought of Filch and his correspondence courses with his abiding bitterness for the thoughtless, magical students he had to clean up after. "Well, we'll see if we can get you to your spot tomorrow, all right?"
"Yes. Thank you, Ginny." He paused for a moment, looking like he was deciding whether he should say somethig or not. "I have not had anyone to talk to in a very long time," he finally said. "It has been good to be able to talk to you." He continued to float in place and I had a feeling that he expected something of me.
Sighing internally, I looked at the menu again, deciding on the wild mushroom pizza with a glass of white wine. I placed my order over the phone and hung up, turning to the aimlessly drifting ghost. "Well, I'm sure that as you haunted people into the modern age, you picked up a few things. Is there anything on the telly that you liked to watch in particular?" I asked, glad to see Lieutenant Hammond perk up a little.
"Oh, well, I don't want to impose, but there was one thing I found very delightful on the … telly. There is one where there are policemen and barristers working together, but also separately," he said and I immediately knew what show he was talking about.
"Well you're in luck because that one's usually on somewhere," I said, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels until I found it. Lieutenant Hammond looked delighted as he settled down to float above the bed, legs and arms crossed as he focused on the telly.
Law & Order with pizza and a ghost. This happens to everyone, right? I thought as I settled down next to him.