Grilled Ginny
Chapter One of Out of Place
Somewhat flustered, twenty-four year old Ginny Weasley looked around her. The airport at New York was somewhat the same as every place where there was muggle transport. Where, oh where were Hermione and Ron? She HAD to tell them about young Bernard who had just gone missing.
Replaying the whole situation and the events that had led to it, Ginny slumped down onto a deserted bench while people walked hurriedly everywhere around her.
It had all started when Ron had asked her to accompany him and Hermione to New York to attend a conference about something or other that Ron had to handle for the Ministry of Magic. It would be good to get out of her boring job in another corner of the Ministry of Magic. Ginny had just joined a year ago, and was already rising to one of the top ranks. She would not have gone if not for Ron's persistent pleading. And now. Ron and Hermione had entrusted their three-year-old son Bernard to her, but in a blur rush he had gone missing, and Ginny had lost her whole bag of permits and forms, including her apparating permit, which meant that she was stranded in Toronto, unless she took muggle transport, which was the course of action she would naturally take, except that she had not a single cent of wizarding gold on her, not to say muggle money.
As she thought about her predicament, a wave of self-pity washed over her, and she began to sob.
Just then, she heard a voice asking her, "Are you all right?"
Ginny, her face buried in her coat, answered him with a muffled, "Not really."
She looked up and saw two bright green eyes staring back at her.
At that time she would have almost shrieked, but she controlled herself. He looked familiar, like a certain someone that she had not met in quite a long time. But she just had to verify it. Automatically, against her will, she lifted her hand and pushed the jet-black mop of fringe that covered the man's forehead back. And she saw-
"Your scar! Harry Potter! It's really you!" a wave of relief washed over her, and she suddenly hugged him with all her strength left.
"Ginny!" Harry hugged her back, laughing.
"Why are you here?" Ginny asked.
"Well.. . I can't help living here, can I?" Harry replied, grinning.
Ginny couldn't help but know that her old crush on Harry had returned.
"What're you doing here?" Harry continued. "Aren't you supposed to be in England?"
Harry, now twenty-five, had swapped his glasses for muggle contact lenses, and had also changed his dressing habits. When in muggle clothes, Harry no longer wore over-baggy clothing, instead, he was now wearing smart black suit and blue shirt. This was another one of the reasons why Ginny had not recognised him in the first place until she saw his scar. Harry had also grown about eight inches taller, such that he was at least a head and a half taller than Ginny.
"Well, I'm kind of, y'know, stranded here?" Ginny laughed nervously, and then she told him all about what had happened.
"And well, I'm really glad I found you here, or rather, you found me," she finished.
"So you have no money whatsoever, lost all your documents and your nephew, and you don't know where to stay for the night, right?" Harry asked her.
"Yeah." Ginny looked at Harry, he seemed to be pondering over something.
"I think I can get a few of my contacts to engage some people to look for Bernard. He can't be far. And meanwhile, you need to have a rest. I'll take you home," Harry finally said.
Ginny felt too tired to even walk the distance to Harry's car, which was quite a short one. As Harry carried her in his arms and made his way towards the car, Ginny asked him softly, "Harry? You don't have- a wife, do you?"
Harry looked at her, half surprised. "No, why d'you ask?"
But Ginny had already fallen asleep.
Harry silently placed her in the back seat of his car (a very fancy convertible) and drove her back to his apartment.
.
Ginny woke up abruptly as the car jerked to a stop outside a very tall building which was almost all tinted glass and shiny marble on the outside.
Harry opened the door, and asked her, "Too sleepy to walk? I live on the top floor, you know." From the look on Ginny's face, Harry knew what he had to do. He swept her, once again, into his arms and obligingly carried the half-dozing Ginny to the lift, while Ginny did not even notice when the doorman looked at her as if she was a dubious object and greeted Harry with a somewhat doubtful, "Mister Potter, sir."
.
To Harry James Potter, this had been a somewhat bizarre experience. But it was not as bizarre as what he had gone through previously. Following a string of encounters with the evil Lord Voldemort, he had finally defeated him in his seventh year. Following that, he went for Auror School and had passed his exams with flying colours. He had proceeded to join Puddlemere United as Quidditch Team Seeker, but after around five years of helping the team stay first in the league, Harry had decided to be a recluse for a while, living in the muggle world and disguising himself as a rich businessman. True enough, he was rich, and he did make some friends, all of them high-ups in the corporate juggernauts. Not good enough friends, but enough to give him tips on shares and to go on joint business ventures and stuff like that. Now young, handsome, rich and very, very single, Harry Potter was not a small name in high-society circles. That obviously explained the suit and the car and the apartment and the contacts and the long list of things that still carried on.
As he entrusted Ginny to the care of his housekeeper, a relation of Sirius' who was a very old but very clever, orderly and kind witch who knew how to keep secrets, Harry went back downstairs and into his car again to look for Bernard Weasley.
After a few tries at contacting the police to tell them that someone had gone missing, a go at his already-sleeping friends, Harry finally grabbed his apparating permit and apparated all the way to the Burrow, where he assumed that Ron and Hermione were staying.
A very old Mrs Weasley answered the door. "Harry! It's you! I haven't seen you in two years! Where have you been?" she exclaimed, hugging him.
Harry, rather red by now, asked her, "D'you know where Ron and Hermione are? Their son Bernard, Ginny lost him, and she's stranded in New York."
Mrs Weasley looked surprised, and asked, "Why, isn't the whole family here? Ron and Hermione and Bernard just returned. They're recovering from jet lag. Apparently they decided to take muggle transport."
Harry felt relieved. So it was just Ginny. "But, Mrs Weasley, Ginny is still stuck in New York, and I'm afraid the permit will only be ready in a month's time. But I can book a plane for her first, of course."
Mrs Weasley stared at Harry, suddenly realizing that this Harry was not the one that she had first met at Platform nine-and-three-quarters when Ron was just in his first year. Harry, still in that suit of his, was grown up, just like Ron. "Well, I think it's better if you don't. Ginny has this- dislike- for muggle transport. She gets all flustered, y'know."
Harry shrugged. "Well, I think I'd better go. She was exhausted when I saw her at the airport. And I might have work tomorrow- no; I won't stay for tea, thank you anyway. I'll drop by sometime soon. Yeah. Bye!" He gave a final wave and disapparated.
Mrs Weasley was just going to close the door when Harry apparated again. "And I think I forgot, Ginny lost most of her documents as well. I could help her replace them or something. That's about it. And my address." He wrote it down hurriedly and passed the paper to her, before disapparating again.
Mrs Weasley sighed with relief. At least Ginny had someone to take care of her for the time being.
AN/
Well, that's done. I would really like the reviews, because I love reviews (. Well, I don't know whether Harry is out of character or something, and Ginny- well her old crush returned, and well, I don't know about her. Stay tuned for the next chapter, which I will only post if I get ten reviews. So c'mon, click that review button and submit one!!
Arwen.
Chapter One of Out of Place
Somewhat flustered, twenty-four year old Ginny Weasley looked around her. The airport at New York was somewhat the same as every place where there was muggle transport. Where, oh where were Hermione and Ron? She HAD to tell them about young Bernard who had just gone missing.
Replaying the whole situation and the events that had led to it, Ginny slumped down onto a deserted bench while people walked hurriedly everywhere around her.
It had all started when Ron had asked her to accompany him and Hermione to New York to attend a conference about something or other that Ron had to handle for the Ministry of Magic. It would be good to get out of her boring job in another corner of the Ministry of Magic. Ginny had just joined a year ago, and was already rising to one of the top ranks. She would not have gone if not for Ron's persistent pleading. And now. Ron and Hermione had entrusted their three-year-old son Bernard to her, but in a blur rush he had gone missing, and Ginny had lost her whole bag of permits and forms, including her apparating permit, which meant that she was stranded in Toronto, unless she took muggle transport, which was the course of action she would naturally take, except that she had not a single cent of wizarding gold on her, not to say muggle money.
As she thought about her predicament, a wave of self-pity washed over her, and she began to sob.
Just then, she heard a voice asking her, "Are you all right?"
Ginny, her face buried in her coat, answered him with a muffled, "Not really."
She looked up and saw two bright green eyes staring back at her.
At that time she would have almost shrieked, but she controlled herself. He looked familiar, like a certain someone that she had not met in quite a long time. But she just had to verify it. Automatically, against her will, she lifted her hand and pushed the jet-black mop of fringe that covered the man's forehead back. And she saw-
"Your scar! Harry Potter! It's really you!" a wave of relief washed over her, and she suddenly hugged him with all her strength left.
"Ginny!" Harry hugged her back, laughing.
"Why are you here?" Ginny asked.
"Well.. . I can't help living here, can I?" Harry replied, grinning.
Ginny couldn't help but know that her old crush on Harry had returned.
"What're you doing here?" Harry continued. "Aren't you supposed to be in England?"
Harry, now twenty-five, had swapped his glasses for muggle contact lenses, and had also changed his dressing habits. When in muggle clothes, Harry no longer wore over-baggy clothing, instead, he was now wearing smart black suit and blue shirt. This was another one of the reasons why Ginny had not recognised him in the first place until she saw his scar. Harry had also grown about eight inches taller, such that he was at least a head and a half taller than Ginny.
"Well, I'm kind of, y'know, stranded here?" Ginny laughed nervously, and then she told him all about what had happened.
"And well, I'm really glad I found you here, or rather, you found me," she finished.
"So you have no money whatsoever, lost all your documents and your nephew, and you don't know where to stay for the night, right?" Harry asked her.
"Yeah." Ginny looked at Harry, he seemed to be pondering over something.
"I think I can get a few of my contacts to engage some people to look for Bernard. He can't be far. And meanwhile, you need to have a rest. I'll take you home," Harry finally said.
Ginny felt too tired to even walk the distance to Harry's car, which was quite a short one. As Harry carried her in his arms and made his way towards the car, Ginny asked him softly, "Harry? You don't have- a wife, do you?"
Harry looked at her, half surprised. "No, why d'you ask?"
But Ginny had already fallen asleep.
Harry silently placed her in the back seat of his car (a very fancy convertible) and drove her back to his apartment.
.
Ginny woke up abruptly as the car jerked to a stop outside a very tall building which was almost all tinted glass and shiny marble on the outside.
Harry opened the door, and asked her, "Too sleepy to walk? I live on the top floor, you know." From the look on Ginny's face, Harry knew what he had to do. He swept her, once again, into his arms and obligingly carried the half-dozing Ginny to the lift, while Ginny did not even notice when the doorman looked at her as if she was a dubious object and greeted Harry with a somewhat doubtful, "Mister Potter, sir."
.
To Harry James Potter, this had been a somewhat bizarre experience. But it was not as bizarre as what he had gone through previously. Following a string of encounters with the evil Lord Voldemort, he had finally defeated him in his seventh year. Following that, he went for Auror School and had passed his exams with flying colours. He had proceeded to join Puddlemere United as Quidditch Team Seeker, but after around five years of helping the team stay first in the league, Harry had decided to be a recluse for a while, living in the muggle world and disguising himself as a rich businessman. True enough, he was rich, and he did make some friends, all of them high-ups in the corporate juggernauts. Not good enough friends, but enough to give him tips on shares and to go on joint business ventures and stuff like that. Now young, handsome, rich and very, very single, Harry Potter was not a small name in high-society circles. That obviously explained the suit and the car and the apartment and the contacts and the long list of things that still carried on.
As he entrusted Ginny to the care of his housekeeper, a relation of Sirius' who was a very old but very clever, orderly and kind witch who knew how to keep secrets, Harry went back downstairs and into his car again to look for Bernard Weasley.
After a few tries at contacting the police to tell them that someone had gone missing, a go at his already-sleeping friends, Harry finally grabbed his apparating permit and apparated all the way to the Burrow, where he assumed that Ron and Hermione were staying.
A very old Mrs Weasley answered the door. "Harry! It's you! I haven't seen you in two years! Where have you been?" she exclaimed, hugging him.
Harry, rather red by now, asked her, "D'you know where Ron and Hermione are? Their son Bernard, Ginny lost him, and she's stranded in New York."
Mrs Weasley looked surprised, and asked, "Why, isn't the whole family here? Ron and Hermione and Bernard just returned. They're recovering from jet lag. Apparently they decided to take muggle transport."
Harry felt relieved. So it was just Ginny. "But, Mrs Weasley, Ginny is still stuck in New York, and I'm afraid the permit will only be ready in a month's time. But I can book a plane for her first, of course."
Mrs Weasley stared at Harry, suddenly realizing that this Harry was not the one that she had first met at Platform nine-and-three-quarters when Ron was just in his first year. Harry, still in that suit of his, was grown up, just like Ron. "Well, I think it's better if you don't. Ginny has this- dislike- for muggle transport. She gets all flustered, y'know."
Harry shrugged. "Well, I think I'd better go. She was exhausted when I saw her at the airport. And I might have work tomorrow- no; I won't stay for tea, thank you anyway. I'll drop by sometime soon. Yeah. Bye!" He gave a final wave and disapparated.
Mrs Weasley was just going to close the door when Harry apparated again. "And I think I forgot, Ginny lost most of her documents as well. I could help her replace them or something. That's about it. And my address." He wrote it down hurriedly and passed the paper to her, before disapparating again.
Mrs Weasley sighed with relief. At least Ginny had someone to take care of her for the time being.
AN/
Well, that's done. I would really like the reviews, because I love reviews (. Well, I don't know whether Harry is out of character or something, and Ginny- well her old crush returned, and well, I don't know about her. Stay tuned for the next chapter, which I will only post if I get ten reviews. So c'mon, click that review button and submit one!!
Arwen.
