Ginny's friends could not stop talking about that party, whether she was present or not. Every party for the Summer was compared to hers, and found lacking. Most of the women were considering remodeling projects, though most knew their husbands would never allow something that drastic. Everyone was installing the Floo ward, in both homes and businesses, in Britain, in France, and it was creeping into India. Everyone was ordering both Pocket Floos and laptop computers. They were expensive, but obviously the 'in' thing to have!
What burned Ginny, was that she was constantly being told how wonderful Harry was to her. He gave her such wonderful gifts, he allowed her to remodel as she pleased, her clothing was unlimited, he allowed her to be a Harpy and have the career of her choice. He attended every Harpy game and cheered her on... It seemed to go on forever. She must be the happiest woman on the planet, with such a loving man for her husband. She must love him very much!
Now, Ginny had gotten the same lectures on marriage her father had given Harry and each of her brothers. Give before taking, think of each other. She was quite sure that what pleased Harry was what pleased her. Of course she knew best! She had grown up in a happy family, and knew everyone followed Molly's wishes. Harry had grown up with the most awful family she could imagine, so of course he didn't know how families worked!
She was explaining this to Molly at a teashop near the Harpy Pitch, as they had a high tea after Ginny's hard practice. "Everyone says Harry is so generous to me, but he's actually very stingy! He gave me one key for my needs, but keeps all the household keys put away so I can't use them! The remodeling project gave me the house of my dreams, except there are still rooms that were not changed. His study is one - it's dreary and worn, but he's refused my every effort to redecorate, and it's right on the ground floor where everyone can see it. He has a workshop tucked away on the top floor where no one goes, where he tinkers on brooms. Honestly, I don't know why he doesn't just take all of his business things out of the house! The Library, next to his study, is another shadowy room with heavy drapes and big leather chairs. He says too much sun is bad for the books, but I don't see why we need so many books, anyhow. Most of them are incredibly old and dull. I almost never go in there. I wanted to turn that room into a solarium. And, he STILL has not fixed the back gardens. He wouldn't allow the new Formal garden to be expanded to cover the whole space, even after I arranged for it to be cleared as a surprise for him! The bare dirt is still all there is between the house and the Pitch. I was absolutely mortified at my party when Gwenog wanted to see those old gardens." Ginny was still explaining it all to her mother, as she allowed her teacup to be filled, and took a slice of coconut cake with nut filling.
Molly was working her way through the tower of tiny sandwiches, checking out the fillings so she could copy them. She had heard it all before, and wasn't really listening. It wasn't that she didn't care, because she did. She loved both Ginny and Harry very much. She considered Ginny's rants to be normal newlywed adjustment stuff. The best way to handle them was to simply allow Ginny to get it off her chest.
What SHE wanted was babies, and since she wasn't having any more of her own she wanted grandchildren! She loved Teddy, poor little orphan that he was, and almost the same as Harry's son. But, she knew Harry needed 5, and she wanted them all!
Don't mistake Molly for a faceless housewife - or maybe you are underestimating housewives. This is the woman who took down Bellatrix, and was Flitwick's dueling apprentice. She had power to spare. She was just focused on family, first and last. She home schooled 7 children to boarding school levels, which is not easy. Her children grew up knowing they were loved as individuals, strong enough to strike out independently.
"Perhaps it is Harry's background that is the problem? He never had a decent space to call his own, not even a bedroom. He hides in the dark spaces and doesn't like being in your wide, airy halls and rooms? He never had any money to spend, so he can't understand how much things cost when you have a place to hold in Society? He's not used to crowds. Didn't he do all the gardening as a child? He might still feel that was his job, and you took it away. He may feel lost for a while as he gets used to the new arrangements. He's sure to love it all once you coax him out a bit."
"Coax him out? He's becoming a recluse! He started me taking Ron as my escort to dinners and parties, on the flimsey excuse of finding Ron a wife! Ron hasn't invited out a single one of the women he's been introduced to!"
"Ron's brought that Ingrid to dinner several times. She's nice, and related to Lord Tremblewhite."
"He isn't DATING her. She's his Office Manager, though I'm not sure why a joke shop needs an office manager. They work together, and both play chess. That's it - they show no attraction. I even had Fleur and Gabby try their allure on him. He certainly responded to it in school, but he didn't even notice this time. He's married to his work! He's going to run a joke shop all his life."
"Well, give Ron time. He'll find the right woman yet. And, give Harry some time. You've given him a lot of changes in a short while, and he may need to get used to them before he can bear the thought of more. Avoid more surprises until he's accepted these. One step at a time. Sugar works better than vinegar."
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One morning Ginny woke up early, and looked out her window before the Sun came up. She was tired, but another nightmare had her waking up screaming, seeing Colin's dead face and broken body. She tried so hard to shut those memories away! She shivered, pulling her robe tighter, and tried to think of something pleasant. There had been a game last night and they had won. She had the day off, and expected to sleep late, but here she was. It was a misty early morning, but even with the mist the back gardens were shocking in their bareness. She hated the view, and avoided looking out the windows on this side of the house. It would have been SO pretty if she just had her formal garden expanded! She loved the wide patterned walks, the structured and controlled vistas. She loved her open halls and the sheer curtains no one could hide behind. No surprises, no demands; that was the way she liked it.
There was movement in the mist. It swirled, and she saw Harry walking away from the house, down one of the walks. Oh, he was headed toward his little hothouse. He did have flowers left. He didn't need all this space! Harry stopped, talking to some elves, who seemed to be working on the paving. He went on, into the mist. Just as she was turning to go back to bed, Harry reappeared. This time he was striding right along, and in his arms carried a great sheaf of lilies. Now, that was interesting. She had assumed the elves filled his vases, but apparently he did it himself.
Perhaps because she was disturbed by her dreams, she felt a little sympathy for him. Maybe she was being a bit hard on him, pushing him too fast? He always had loved his flowers. Perhaps he missed his old gardens? Well, too bad, they were gone and not coming back. She needed to think of something to keep him busy, and get him to socialize more. She went back to bed.
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Slipping into his hothouse, he took a few minutes to check on the new French lilies. He could hardly wait to see what colors they would be! Harry twisted, saying "Harry's Haven" as he did so. He appeared in an identical hothouse, set in his transplanted gardens. The morning was misty here, as well. He was only a few miles away from home, actually up the same small river. The Fidelised house was a bit smaller, but had been empty. The elves had set it up as much as possible with the Potter furnishings from the vaults (though not the ugly vase with the sticks. Ginny's modern things were in storage.) He didn't go into the house, but quickly cut fresh flowers for his study. He twisted back to his home hothouse, and hurried into the house.
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It was Thursday, and Ginny knew Harry would be at Andromeda and Ted's, doing something with Teddy in the afternoon, and have supper with them. That left her free for her favorite activity - shopping! Today she went to the Mayfair District, to visit the PPParti Store. She knew she would not buy any of the clothing there, because it was all used, but she wanted to see if Padma and Parvati would like to go out for lunch. They never answered their pocket phones while working.
She found them working on computers in their office behind the store. They were excited! "Let us show you the new website for our new mail-order service!" Ginny had not even opened her own new computer. She had no idea what to do with it.
"Look," said Padma, patiently, "We register you here," filling out the blanks for Ginny's information. "Now we request the images of everything we have in your size. We can choose party dresses, or daywear, or something special, even by color."
Ginny objected. "I don't want to even look at anything that someone else has worn. I ONLY buy new!"
Parvatti said, "No problem. We have new things and can just check this box,' suiting actions to words, "And here you go - a personalized catalog of things ONLY in your size, ONLY new. These are all from high-end designers, too, nothing cheap or off-the-rack. It's one-of-a-kind stuff!" She began scrolling down the page, showing Ginny the various views of the dresses.
Ginny could tell - she knew Designer work when she saw it, and she knew the Names on the labels. This was the real deal. Then she noticed the prices, and gasped. These prices were a fraction of what she was used to, from the same Designers. "Just HOW do you manage those prices?"
Padma explained, "These are rental prices, not for sale, though we can arrange to sell one if the customer desires. Since these are brand-new items, the prices are higher than things that have been worn before. A purchase price would be less than what you expect in the shops, but still more than what we paid for it. Even if you rent a week's worth, it's cheaper than buying even one new one, and you just mail them back to us when you are done. There really is a huge market for rental clothing, especially party dresses, and a lot of people don't care if someone else wore it before them. They just want to wear a Dior, and feel special. That's the whole point of a resale shop."
"So how long have you been doing this? I don't think I've heard of such a thing."
"It's brand-new, and not really available yet. Dad has become a partner in a group setting it up. Padma and I are going to run it! We're going to have flyers in all the resale shops, and include them in the papers. Since it's all online, and handled through the mails, we can even advertise to muggles. Dad's group has arranged the deals with Designer labels, to buy their runway models and unsold stock at a discount. We also buy used, thorough resale shops like this one."
"What's the catch?" Ginny knew there were always problems. She didn't know much about Harry's business, but he seemed to spend a lot of time doing paperwork and talking on the Floo. Now she remembered; Harry also used a computer a lot. Perhaps his broom business had a website? Didn't he have managers?
"The biggest is getting people to give their honest sizes! We measured you, and you gave your honest size, but many people don't. A size 12 trying to squeeze into a 10 dress will ruin it! We can arrange a magical sizing charm on registration forms, but not through the computers. We can size people in the resale shops, if they register there. It's going to be a big problem."
"Do the regular shops also have sites? I've never used my computer, but this online shopping looks like fun. How about newspapers?"
"Yes, and much more. How about, we come to your house, and spend the afternoon playing on your computer? We can get take-out. I hope that computer your brother got you is decent."
So, they did exactly that. The twins were amazed at her computer. Ron had gotten hold of a model not available on the markets, though advance ads were beginning to come out. Hers must have been a test model, because it had features that were not in the paperwork. They had no trouble setting it up in Ginny's study, and spent a fun afternoon showing her how to use it.
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Outtake
Rita walked into the Press Club bar one evening, and found one of the junior reporters sinking into his beer. He didn't look good. "Why haven't I seen you at work lately?"
"Well, I had this idea, and I thought it was a good one. I even passed it by the Editor. A cousin of mine from France was going to be here, working on a remodelling project - for the Potters! You know, they remodeled the house this Summer? Well, I got myself on the construction crew. I thought some candid shots of the work being done would be really interesting! I got my shots, too, and while I was there I thought to toss around some random listening spells and placed a couple of magical cameras. I wasn't the only one! But, that was the last day I could get through the Floo, even with the password. Somehow, I was locked out, and so was my cousin. When I developed my film, it was all blurred, so I didn't get even those pictures. Something must have been wrong with my cameras, or there were photo wards up."
"OK, not the first good idea that just didn't work out. But, that was over a month ago. Why so glum, chum?"
"Because I'm finding myself locked out of all sorts of places, like random shop Floos! I went to buy my kid a broom for Hogwarts today. I had to walk down the Alley and go through the doorway. A bell rang when I came in and the shop manager dogged my every step while I was there! Then, the Editor sent me on the team to the French Embassy for the Press Release from M. Delacour, because I am the best with listening spells, and the Embassy Floo simply would not take me! I watched everyone else go, so it was working fine, but not for me! The boss said to find out what was wrong and fix it, or I'm fired! I'm no good to him this way! I've been at the Healers all afternoon, being checked for all kinds of hexes. I'm clean as a whistle!" He sobbed a bit, and sipped at his beer. "It isn't even just me. My cousin went back to France, and is having the same troubles there. He's been having trouble finding work, since the company he was working for went bankrupt. Even when he found work, he's been locked out of several job site floos. He's had to take muggle transportation several times! As far as we can tell, there's some sort of glitch developing in the Floo system, and it's spreading fast. I went to the Floo Office to report it, but they say there isn't one."
"Is it everyone who worked for that company? Perhaps Potter cursed it?" That would have been a powerful curse, but Potter had power. Rita would love to catch him in something nasty! A human-interest story about the Floo System having a glitch could be interesting, but wouldn't really have the punch.
"Nope. I saw some of the guys working on that office building outside the Leaky. You know, the one Weasley is remodeling? Potter is connected to that, too. I talked to them and they said Potter gave bonuses."
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Harry stopped out in the gardens to talk to the elves regularly. Today there was an elf floating along, legs crossed, about three feet in the air above a flower bed. As he moved along you could see weeds, seeds and roots, zipping straight into the air below him, and shredding into mulch, which drifted back down. The soil was cleanly pulverized. Bugs and grubs also shot out and were chopped before being returned to the soil. "How are we doing?"
The elf hovered in one spot. "We is doing well here, away from the house. No spray landed, and these beds is almost ready to replant. The water underground is clean. We has worms! I is feeding them mulch! The beds near the formal garden is not doing so well. Poison did not land on them, but is leeching underground. No worms, not even any bugs or weeds on that side of the house. We is wicking the poison out, but it is slow. Those beds won't be ready until next Spring. The new shrubs is dying. We has to replace them."
Harry looked that way. The new shrubs did look off-color. "Wait until Spring to replace them. Allow them to act as part of the wicking. We'll have to talk to the goblins about finding a way to dispose of the poison."
As he turned away, the elf started moving again. Immediately he heard, "Got ya!" He turned back and saw a fat mole hanging in the air, waving huge paws helplessly. In its mouth hung a long worm. The mole snapped its jaws, which cut the worm into halves. Both pieces fell on the mulch and wiggled into the dirt.
"Now we has two worms! But, you is going where you won't eat them!" The mole flew off toward the woods on the other side of the river. "Here, supper!", and a small bunch of grubs followed the displaced mole.
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Ginny stood in the doorway of Harry's study, and he looked up at her. Being there pained her, looking at the old furnishings, but she had a question and needed an answer. "Padma and Paravati have been showing me websites, where, among other things, I can do online shopping. But, I need some things. I need a muggle mailing address for deliveries, and I need something called a 'credit card'. I don't know what that is!"
Harry smiled. "Both are easy. We have a proper street address, 1313 Meadow Lane. Mundanes can find it, but see only a cute little stone gatehouse behind a fence, with a huge mailbox. You already have a credit card - it's your Gringotts key. Just tap on it and say 'card'."
She did as he said, and stood examining the black card sitting on his desk, a second card showing under. It had a gold "G" in the corner with a shimmery image of a golden key beside it, and a couple of rows of numbers, and her name, 'Ginevra M. Potter'. Wait, that wasn't how she signed her name! She shoved it aside to see the second card, which had a still, muggle picture of her, and the name Ginevra Menolly Potter, with more numbers and the address.
"That's the name your account is under, and that's the name you will have to use when this is a card. The second card is called an "ID". Again, it is valid and that is our real address. You'll need it in the mundane world. Your pocket Floo number works fine if they ask for a phone number, though the house Floo won't."
"Where did this come from? The picture looks familiar."
"Your father's office, of course. That's what he does - makes sure all of our records, including taxes, birth certificates and school records, are filed correctly in the mundane offices. He also makes sure that mail and government papers get back to us properly. Our people who need mundane papers usually pick them up from his office in our Ministry and may not realize they can be accessed on the mundane side, too. That's why he is so important. Gringott's is registered as a 'Private Bank', and that is how their credit card goes through the banking system. You can even use mundane credit cards on OUR websites, if you happen to have one. The prices will adjust.
This line on the credit card is the date it will automatically replace itself. You might not notice, but the date will change. This long number is called the account number, and is what you will be entering on the order blank. If it asks for a further number," he turned it over, "There is this tiny number next to your signature. If you use this as a card in a muggle store or restaurant, they will run it through a machine and you will have to sign a slip of paper. It works as either a debit or credit card, whatever they want. You might need to also enter what they call a 'pin' number, which is 3214, which you need to memorize. I suggest you make a small purchase first, for practice. Do you want to try here, on my computer, or use your own?"
"I'll try on my own. I am trying to set up an account at a muggle dress shop. Thank you for helping." She took the cards and left. Harry was amazed - she said 'Thank you.'
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