A month later, Ginny was living out of a hotel, and actually had a bit of
money saved up. She was eating regularly, even though a good part of what
she ate was leftovers from customers. Not a great thing, she knew. In fact,
a part of her was repulsed, and disgusted by what she had become- a girl
running for her life, eating off other people's plates, not even helping
Harry, just doing nothing productive with her life. But now was not the
time to be prudish; she was in survival mode.
The part of her mind that was not observing her life was concentrating on getting to Inverness. Ginny figured that she would be able to make her way North from there. She only had three more weeks before everyone was expected to meet there. Ginny wasn't sure that a bus ran up that way, and had to ask around. Her employer, Sidney, didn't know, but asked why Ginny wanted to know. "I have to visit my sister there."
"Are you Scottish?" Sidney asked as they were clearing off the tables. It was only ten or so minutes until closing time, and Ginny had to think of answer quickly. However, she had been working all day, and her mind was a bit slow.
"Um.no." Sidney frowned. Ginny sighed, silently cursing her. Why must she be so nosy? "She married a Scottish man." Ginny elaborated.
"I see." She paused. "When are you leaving?"
"Um, in two and a half weeks or so, I think."
"I see." So Ginny continued to ask around until she finally found out that, no, there were no buses that ran up near Inverness from where she was now. She found a bus schedule, and saw that she would have to make at least two transfers. So it would take longer than she thought to make it to Inverness. She would have to leave in two weeks, instead of two and a half weeks.
So Ginny continued to save all non-perishable food items, and eat the ones that would spoil. She was working sometimes fourteen hours a day, just to get the extra money. Anytime she was not working, Ginny was either sleeping or eating. Despite the fact that she had been eating almost anything she could get her hands on, she was still too skinny. She looked sickly, and mostly, poor, which she was. As she walked down the street, she could feel people's eyes upon her, pitying her. Now, Ginny had grown up poor, but never like this. People had felt sympathy for her financial state before, but no one- until now- had ever stopped her on the street and offered her money. And Ginny, who would never accept charity, and actually taken the meager amount of money offered.
Tonight, Ginny was working the night shift. There were only two or three patrons in the diner, and they were all eating now, in no need of Ginny's help. So she was just sitting there, behind the counter. The chef- who Ginny was not impressed with...he had no vocational call to cooking- was cleaning up the kitchen for the night. So Ginny sat there at the counter, idly shuffling a deck of cards. Occasionally, she would stop shuffling long enough to play a game of solitaire, but she wasn't up to playing games, not now. No, shuffling was a mindless enough activity to occupy Ginny's time until she had to pick up the dishes. She looked out the window at the moon traversing its path across the night sky. If she sat still long enough, not moving her head, but keeping her eyes on the moon, she could actually watch it sink. Ginny measured its progress by the blinds covering the window; the slits in the blinds were just large enough to fill the openings. "La Luna." Ginny whispered, calling the moon by it's French name. Ginny grew up calling it 'La Luna' instead of 'the moon'. Looking back, it was much more poetic that way. But that made her think of Luna Lovegood, who she hadn't thought of in years. Ginny wondered where she was. Well, wherever she was, she decided, she was probably doing more than Ginny. She sighed. Reduced to watching the moon and reminiscing when she could be doing something to help Harry. Not to say that the moon wasn't important or pretty, just that Ginny felt she should be doing something. The last few weeks had been filled with inaction. An oxymoron, Ginny knew, but a fitting one.
Ginny sighed again, and put down the cards that she had still been shuffling. The chef turned some music on, an American woman. Ginny pinched herself to stay awake, when she began listening to the music.
Save me from loneliness
There is no one who will walk with me now
So walk with me now
I'm so far from home
And I know the narrow road
Is what you promised those
Following you
And seeking the truth
So tell me again that I'm not alone
"How fitting." Ginny thought. Those words echoed in her mind over and over again. She was lonely, Ginny realized. Of course, it was obvious- she had no one that she could trust around. There was no one who could or would be with her, and she was so, so far from home. Not just physically, but mentally. The last time Ginny had been home, to the Burrow, had been years ago, and it would probably be years more until she returned.
She was walking the narrow road in a land filled with darkness. She defied that darkness, and was persecuted for it. She was seeking the truth. But, in all honesty, she would be alone for a long time. Ginny had dated, but there was no one she loved in a non-brotherly or sisterly way. No one that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Ginny had had her love affairs- brief and passionate- but they were not enough. Even her friends, who she loved, couldn't help her now. No one could. A desolate feeling overcame Ginny. Tears prickled at her eyes. She took a deep breath. The lights in the diner suddenly seemed too harsh for her eyes. She looked around, and realized that a couple of the people had left, leaving only one well-dressed man at a table, all alone. Ginny walked over to the table recently vacated, and picked up the dishes. As she walked back, she picked at a few of the items left on the plate before handing it to the cook.
Ginny walked back over to the one man left, asking if there was anything she could get him. It seemed to her that he could afford to tip well, so she was as sweet as possible, but his reply left her speechless.
"Yeah, a nice serving of this!" he said, reaching to grab Ginny's butt. Ginny reached down carefully, moving his hand.
"I don't think so, sir."
"Ooh, I do." He said, pulling Ginny closer to him. "You don't look like you're doing too well, financially, you know." Then, pulling her head down to his shoulder, he whispered a sum into her ear that made her gasp.
"Why?" Ginny asked breathlessly.
He shrugged. "I like red heads. So will you?"
Ginny paused. Would she? Selling herself had never been an option before, but than again, no one had ever made an offer before. She looked down at the man in front of her. He seemed to be of medium height, brown hair, fairly innocent-looking. He looked nice, actually. And she needed the money. "Survival mode," Ginny thought to herself. "I guess I won't be alone tonight, after all."
A/N: Eww. I can't believe that I just did that. I hope Ginny doesn't seem too out-of-character here, but like the chapter is called, she's in survival mode. I think that I'll go deeper into the reasons why she did accept the man in the next chapter. You'll see then. If you're still reading, that is. Oh, and I hope that she didn't seem too depressed, but she is all alone. I have to admit, if I were in her situation, depressed would be an understatement!
Also, the lyrics I used are Jill Phillips "Tell Me Again". I was listening to that song as I wrote the chapter, and they just really seemed to fit. I'm normally not one for putting songs into stories, but I had to here. Oh, and I did update just a few things in some of the previous chapters to make them correlate with the 5th book. I was so happy; I didn't have to delete anything! I just added a sentence or two!
And just an FYI; I was bouncing ideas off my 8 year old sister today, and she gave me some good ideas for this story, so I may be adding in some chapters, and editing a few others. Hope that isn't a problem. Thank you everyone who is actually reading. Please review!
Love Nimi
The part of her mind that was not observing her life was concentrating on getting to Inverness. Ginny figured that she would be able to make her way North from there. She only had three more weeks before everyone was expected to meet there. Ginny wasn't sure that a bus ran up that way, and had to ask around. Her employer, Sidney, didn't know, but asked why Ginny wanted to know. "I have to visit my sister there."
"Are you Scottish?" Sidney asked as they were clearing off the tables. It was only ten or so minutes until closing time, and Ginny had to think of answer quickly. However, she had been working all day, and her mind was a bit slow.
"Um.no." Sidney frowned. Ginny sighed, silently cursing her. Why must she be so nosy? "She married a Scottish man." Ginny elaborated.
"I see." She paused. "When are you leaving?"
"Um, in two and a half weeks or so, I think."
"I see." So Ginny continued to ask around until she finally found out that, no, there were no buses that ran up near Inverness from where she was now. She found a bus schedule, and saw that she would have to make at least two transfers. So it would take longer than she thought to make it to Inverness. She would have to leave in two weeks, instead of two and a half weeks.
So Ginny continued to save all non-perishable food items, and eat the ones that would spoil. She was working sometimes fourteen hours a day, just to get the extra money. Anytime she was not working, Ginny was either sleeping or eating. Despite the fact that she had been eating almost anything she could get her hands on, she was still too skinny. She looked sickly, and mostly, poor, which she was. As she walked down the street, she could feel people's eyes upon her, pitying her. Now, Ginny had grown up poor, but never like this. People had felt sympathy for her financial state before, but no one- until now- had ever stopped her on the street and offered her money. And Ginny, who would never accept charity, and actually taken the meager amount of money offered.
Tonight, Ginny was working the night shift. There were only two or three patrons in the diner, and they were all eating now, in no need of Ginny's help. So she was just sitting there, behind the counter. The chef- who Ginny was not impressed with...he had no vocational call to cooking- was cleaning up the kitchen for the night. So Ginny sat there at the counter, idly shuffling a deck of cards. Occasionally, she would stop shuffling long enough to play a game of solitaire, but she wasn't up to playing games, not now. No, shuffling was a mindless enough activity to occupy Ginny's time until she had to pick up the dishes. She looked out the window at the moon traversing its path across the night sky. If she sat still long enough, not moving her head, but keeping her eyes on the moon, she could actually watch it sink. Ginny measured its progress by the blinds covering the window; the slits in the blinds were just large enough to fill the openings. "La Luna." Ginny whispered, calling the moon by it's French name. Ginny grew up calling it 'La Luna' instead of 'the moon'. Looking back, it was much more poetic that way. But that made her think of Luna Lovegood, who she hadn't thought of in years. Ginny wondered where she was. Well, wherever she was, she decided, she was probably doing more than Ginny. She sighed. Reduced to watching the moon and reminiscing when she could be doing something to help Harry. Not to say that the moon wasn't important or pretty, just that Ginny felt she should be doing something. The last few weeks had been filled with inaction. An oxymoron, Ginny knew, but a fitting one.
Ginny sighed again, and put down the cards that she had still been shuffling. The chef turned some music on, an American woman. Ginny pinched herself to stay awake, when she began listening to the music.
Save me from loneliness
There is no one who will walk with me now
So walk with me now
I'm so far from home
And I know the narrow road
Is what you promised those
Following you
And seeking the truth
So tell me again that I'm not alone
"How fitting." Ginny thought. Those words echoed in her mind over and over again. She was lonely, Ginny realized. Of course, it was obvious- she had no one that she could trust around. There was no one who could or would be with her, and she was so, so far from home. Not just physically, but mentally. The last time Ginny had been home, to the Burrow, had been years ago, and it would probably be years more until she returned.
She was walking the narrow road in a land filled with darkness. She defied that darkness, and was persecuted for it. She was seeking the truth. But, in all honesty, she would be alone for a long time. Ginny had dated, but there was no one she loved in a non-brotherly or sisterly way. No one that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Ginny had had her love affairs- brief and passionate- but they were not enough. Even her friends, who she loved, couldn't help her now. No one could. A desolate feeling overcame Ginny. Tears prickled at her eyes. She took a deep breath. The lights in the diner suddenly seemed too harsh for her eyes. She looked around, and realized that a couple of the people had left, leaving only one well-dressed man at a table, all alone. Ginny walked over to the table recently vacated, and picked up the dishes. As she walked back, she picked at a few of the items left on the plate before handing it to the cook.
Ginny walked back over to the one man left, asking if there was anything she could get him. It seemed to her that he could afford to tip well, so she was as sweet as possible, but his reply left her speechless.
"Yeah, a nice serving of this!" he said, reaching to grab Ginny's butt. Ginny reached down carefully, moving his hand.
"I don't think so, sir."
"Ooh, I do." He said, pulling Ginny closer to him. "You don't look like you're doing too well, financially, you know." Then, pulling her head down to his shoulder, he whispered a sum into her ear that made her gasp.
"Why?" Ginny asked breathlessly.
He shrugged. "I like red heads. So will you?"
Ginny paused. Would she? Selling herself had never been an option before, but than again, no one had ever made an offer before. She looked down at the man in front of her. He seemed to be of medium height, brown hair, fairly innocent-looking. He looked nice, actually. And she needed the money. "Survival mode," Ginny thought to herself. "I guess I won't be alone tonight, after all."
A/N: Eww. I can't believe that I just did that. I hope Ginny doesn't seem too out-of-character here, but like the chapter is called, she's in survival mode. I think that I'll go deeper into the reasons why she did accept the man in the next chapter. You'll see then. If you're still reading, that is. Oh, and I hope that she didn't seem too depressed, but she is all alone. I have to admit, if I were in her situation, depressed would be an understatement!
Also, the lyrics I used are Jill Phillips "Tell Me Again". I was listening to that song as I wrote the chapter, and they just really seemed to fit. I'm normally not one for putting songs into stories, but I had to here. Oh, and I did update just a few things in some of the previous chapters to make them correlate with the 5th book. I was so happy; I didn't have to delete anything! I just added a sentence or two!
And just an FYI; I was bouncing ideas off my 8 year old sister today, and she gave me some good ideas for this story, so I may be adding in some chapters, and editing a few others. Hope that isn't a problem. Thank you everyone who is actually reading. Please review!
Love Nimi
