Similarities

Sarah raced down towards the kitchen, half-blinded by tears. How could her mother expect her to just accept the news about her father? Why had she never before told her anything about him? Why now? Only because he was dying. This didn't make any sense.

In the kitchen Sarah leaned heavily over the sink. A sudden nausea had overcome her. All her life she had fantasised about her father. Now that she had finally found out who he was, she was bound to lose him again. Was this some sort of test?

In her distress Sarah hadn't been aware of the young man sitting at the table over a cup of hot steaming tea. He watched the strange woman bursting through the door and nearly collapsing over the sink. It was strangely familiar how her hair hid her face as it fell forward and how her fist hit the sink repeatedly. As sobs began to shake her body, Bill couldn't sit still anymore. This woman really needed a shoulder to lean on.

"What happened to you, Miss?"

The woman in front of him squeaked and whirled around with her wand at the ready and a fierce look in her eyes. When Bill saw her face his jaw hit the floor. Startling green eyes met his but the mouth underneath them was all Ginny's. Her nose wasn't quite the same though; it was more pronounced but still delicate.

"Who are you?" they both asked together in astonishment.

Sarah, too, had noticed the similarities between them, starting with their red manes. He had his eyebrow quirked in the same way she always did it ... now she could understand her mother's urge to wipe over her brow lovingly, smoothing it. He seemed approximately the same age as she but the scars across his face made him appear older than he was.

"Hell, this is freaky!" exclaimed Bill still shocked.

"Not as shocking as finding out who your father is ... after years of keeping me in the dark ... and finding out he was a student of hers", spat Sarah, but it was accompanied by another sob.

Bill stared at her for a moment longer before deciding to leave the explanations for later and instead calm her down. She certainly looked as if she was in need of a strong tea with a shot of firewhiskey in it.

"I'm Bill but I still don't know who you are", stated Bill gently, leaning over Sarah and pouring her a cup of tea.

"I'm Sarah. Pleased to meet you, Bill", she replied, leaning to the side so that it was easier for him to add the firewhiskey to her tea.

"So you found out who your father is today?" he asked softly, trying to get the conversation going.

Bill was after all the oldest of seven and knew how to make the others talk. Ginny was like a hurricane if angered but would calm down very soon and apologies for her behaviour. He still couldn't figure out why she reminded him so strongly of Ginny but he found himself applying the same method he would use on his little sister.

"Yes", muttered Sarah. "He needs a vital organ from me but ..."

"Why 'but'? Look, my father is in intensive care too and needs surgery soon or he'll die. Sadly I can't donor but if I could, I would do it in an eye blink. He is my father. He gave me life. He ..."

"He was always there for you, wasn't he? That is the difference", said Sarah sadly. "I don't know the man."

"And if you let him die, you will never get the chance to know him", answered Bill wisely.

"Oh", Sarah's mouth formed the sound but nothing emerged.

Suddenly she was on her feet again and rushing up the stairs. Bursting through the doors into Arthur's room, she saw a red-haired woman sitting next to him on the bed and holding his hand lovingly to her cheek. Minerva was not in the room.

"I will do it!" she all but shouted before she had time to chance or regret her decision.