Disclaimer--Much as I wish it did, nothing here belongs to me. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended, and the story is only intended as the sincerest form of flattery.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--That must suck! I'll do my best to keep you distracted. ;-)
Nekuyr2004--I'm glad you liked it...I'll try to keep the chapters a little longer than the last one. :-)
EEDOE--I feel kind of bummed you didn't get a chance to review, but I wanted to post this before I left for the weekend. I hope you enjoy both chapters...I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! *hugs*
Bill--Ginny's only seen the tip of the iceberg where her memories of first year are concerned, poor thing. *sighs* I appreciated Ron's reaction, too...he can be such a great brother, even if he is kind of clueless. Great call about the magical time reduction...*grins* I kind of enjoy disregarding physics. *winks* It is too bad Ginny didn't get to enjoy the Leviathan, but maybe the rest of the trip will be more enjoyable. *crosses fingers* I was amused by the Diggorys' car, too...after all, there are three of them, and the way Ron and the twins talked about Arthur I'm willing to bet he makes some creative changes sometimes. Meet you at the other end of the chapter. *hugs*
**************
They had dinner in the city of Rabat on the Isle of Malta in the heart of the glowing blue Mediterranean, and arrived in Alexandria in the dead of the night to find Bill waiting for them.
"A fitting time to introduce yourself to a culture that reveres the dead," he greeted them as they tumbled onto the platform, their balance disturbed by exhaustion, the sudden lack of motion underfoot, and-in Ginny's case-nerves.
"Charlie!" Mum shrieked, making Ginny fall over. Bill caught her and set her upright with a grin. "What are you doing here?"
"Surprise!" Ginny blinked at the sound of her brother's voice on Bill's other side. Charlie was here? Mum had said as much, but she thought-
"Since you couldn't come and see me, I got time off to come and see you instead."
So the whole family was together after all-even if it wasn't for Christmas! Ginny grinned, wide awake, the discomfort of the Leviathan all but forgotten.
Charlie swung her up and carried out to the car Bill had borrowed from a co-worker on piggyback.
"I suppose I could buy one of my own," Bill explained, climbing behind the wheel, which took some doing since his legs were nearly folded up to his chin. "But I don't really need it for just me."
"Very prudent of you to take that into consideration, son," Dad said, and Ginny knew he was proud of Bill's responsible outlook. The drive seemed longer than it was, possibly because they'd been traveling for so long now.
"I'm afraid there won't be a lot of room," Bill said cheerfully as he and Charlie began to unload the trunk.
"We should have booked rooms in an inn," fretted Mum, "I knew it."
"Don't be ridiculous, Mum," scoffed Bill. "Why waste money on an inn when I've got a perfectly good flat? If we're a little crowded, it will just add to the fun."
Ginny smirked, already imagining the scene. Fred and George began to snicker appreciatively.
Percy groaned. "I didn't get any studying done today as it is-if I can't get any peace and quiet, how am I supposed to do my lessons?"
"Lighten up, Perce," Bill advised, "you sound like an old man. Even goblins occasionally cut loose and have a little fun."
The idea of Percy going wild and having fun a la Fred and George-possibly with a goblin or two in tow-had Ginny dissolved in helpless giggles. Bill glanced over at her and grinned as Fred and George joined in, Charlie winked, and Ron looked around as if to see what was going on. Percy shot her a dirty look, but Ginny was too busy trying to breathe through her laughter to pay attention. Percy let his breath out in a huff, and followed Bill stormily into the skyscraper he called home.
Bill's flat was smaller than the Burrow, but not by much. The living room alone was nearly the size of their first floor. The ceilings seemed to tower overhead, creating an impossible amount of space between creamy spotless walls. The impossibly plush carpet was the color of the sea at night, and seemed to swallow their feet.
"It's not much," Bill said off-handedly, "but it's home. Offer anyone a drink?"
"Um...no thank you, we're fine," Mum said, glancing at them for confirmation. They nodded, still trying to take their surroundings in.
"Suppose we ought to set up sleeping arrangements, then," Bill said. "You've got to be exhausted. Mum and Dad have the guest room, just like they did at Christmas, and Charlie's bunking with me."
"Being older does have privileges," Charlie remarked with a grin.
Ron blew him the raspberry.
"Percy, Fred, George, and Ron will take a kip here," Bill said, gesturing with his wand so that a cot and two hammocks appeared to keep the comfy-looking blue-and-white couch company. Another flick produced piles of blankets and pillows.
"And, Ginny," he finished, putting an arm around her and guiding her to a nearby door, "will have the den."
The den had a window seat-an unheard of embellishment in a fancy city flat-broad and long enough for Ginny to stretch out comfortably...almost as if it had been made with her in mind. Ginny had always wanted a window seat, something she would never have expected anyone else to remember...but apparently Bill had. Bill squeezed her shoulder as if reading her thoughts in her eyes, and waved his wand with a grin, producing more pillows and blankets.
"And now the quick knut-tour," he said, pointing. "Kitchen, bathroom, my room, guest room. And, obviously, the living room and the den. Any questions?"
Everyone began shaking their heads. Ron gave an enormous, jaw-cracking yawn, prompting chuckles, even from him. "Time for bed, then," Mum said briskly. For once, no one felt the need to protest. In fact, they brushed their teeth, put on their pajamas, and got into their respective beds in record time.
"Sweet dreams, Ginny," Mum said from the doorway, as she turned out Bill's ecklectic light.
"Night, Mum," Ginny said, looking out the window over the strange horizon of tall, reflective buildings like Bill's, shorter, squatter ones made of pale brown clay, and long strands of different colored lights that reminded her of her necklace of glass beads. Even now, so late the entire world seemed to be holding its breath, she could hear the occasional car rush by, and smatterings of people talking very fast in a heavy language that blurred together like drifting sand.
She could hear Mum and her brothers going through the same well-worn exchange in the living room, a familiar thing on the shore of the unfamiliar land spread out at her feet. She wondered what Harry would think if he could see Egypt...especially from this perspective...and her last thought was of him as she drifted off to sleep.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--That must suck! I'll do my best to keep you distracted. ;-)
Nekuyr2004--I'm glad you liked it...I'll try to keep the chapters a little longer than the last one. :-)
EEDOE--I feel kind of bummed you didn't get a chance to review, but I wanted to post this before I left for the weekend. I hope you enjoy both chapters...I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! *hugs*
Bill--Ginny's only seen the tip of the iceberg where her memories of first year are concerned, poor thing. *sighs* I appreciated Ron's reaction, too...he can be such a great brother, even if he is kind of clueless. Great call about the magical time reduction...*grins* I kind of enjoy disregarding physics. *winks* It is too bad Ginny didn't get to enjoy the Leviathan, but maybe the rest of the trip will be more enjoyable. *crosses fingers* I was amused by the Diggorys' car, too...after all, there are three of them, and the way Ron and the twins talked about Arthur I'm willing to bet he makes some creative changes sometimes. Meet you at the other end of the chapter. *hugs*
**************
They had dinner in the city of Rabat on the Isle of Malta in the heart of the glowing blue Mediterranean, and arrived in Alexandria in the dead of the night to find Bill waiting for them.
"A fitting time to introduce yourself to a culture that reveres the dead," he greeted them as they tumbled onto the platform, their balance disturbed by exhaustion, the sudden lack of motion underfoot, and-in Ginny's case-nerves.
"Charlie!" Mum shrieked, making Ginny fall over. Bill caught her and set her upright with a grin. "What are you doing here?"
"Surprise!" Ginny blinked at the sound of her brother's voice on Bill's other side. Charlie was here? Mum had said as much, but she thought-
"Since you couldn't come and see me, I got time off to come and see you instead."
So the whole family was together after all-even if it wasn't for Christmas! Ginny grinned, wide awake, the discomfort of the Leviathan all but forgotten.
Charlie swung her up and carried out to the car Bill had borrowed from a co-worker on piggyback.
"I suppose I could buy one of my own," Bill explained, climbing behind the wheel, which took some doing since his legs were nearly folded up to his chin. "But I don't really need it for just me."
"Very prudent of you to take that into consideration, son," Dad said, and Ginny knew he was proud of Bill's responsible outlook. The drive seemed longer than it was, possibly because they'd been traveling for so long now.
"I'm afraid there won't be a lot of room," Bill said cheerfully as he and Charlie began to unload the trunk.
"We should have booked rooms in an inn," fretted Mum, "I knew it."
"Don't be ridiculous, Mum," scoffed Bill. "Why waste money on an inn when I've got a perfectly good flat? If we're a little crowded, it will just add to the fun."
Ginny smirked, already imagining the scene. Fred and George began to snicker appreciatively.
Percy groaned. "I didn't get any studying done today as it is-if I can't get any peace and quiet, how am I supposed to do my lessons?"
"Lighten up, Perce," Bill advised, "you sound like an old man. Even goblins occasionally cut loose and have a little fun."
The idea of Percy going wild and having fun a la Fred and George-possibly with a goblin or two in tow-had Ginny dissolved in helpless giggles. Bill glanced over at her and grinned as Fred and George joined in, Charlie winked, and Ron looked around as if to see what was going on. Percy shot her a dirty look, but Ginny was too busy trying to breathe through her laughter to pay attention. Percy let his breath out in a huff, and followed Bill stormily into the skyscraper he called home.
Bill's flat was smaller than the Burrow, but not by much. The living room alone was nearly the size of their first floor. The ceilings seemed to tower overhead, creating an impossible amount of space between creamy spotless walls. The impossibly plush carpet was the color of the sea at night, and seemed to swallow their feet.
"It's not much," Bill said off-handedly, "but it's home. Offer anyone a drink?"
"Um...no thank you, we're fine," Mum said, glancing at them for confirmation. They nodded, still trying to take their surroundings in.
"Suppose we ought to set up sleeping arrangements, then," Bill said. "You've got to be exhausted. Mum and Dad have the guest room, just like they did at Christmas, and Charlie's bunking with me."
"Being older does have privileges," Charlie remarked with a grin.
Ron blew him the raspberry.
"Percy, Fred, George, and Ron will take a kip here," Bill said, gesturing with his wand so that a cot and two hammocks appeared to keep the comfy-looking blue-and-white couch company. Another flick produced piles of blankets and pillows.
"And, Ginny," he finished, putting an arm around her and guiding her to a nearby door, "will have the den."
The den had a window seat-an unheard of embellishment in a fancy city flat-broad and long enough for Ginny to stretch out comfortably...almost as if it had been made with her in mind. Ginny had always wanted a window seat, something she would never have expected anyone else to remember...but apparently Bill had. Bill squeezed her shoulder as if reading her thoughts in her eyes, and waved his wand with a grin, producing more pillows and blankets.
"And now the quick knut-tour," he said, pointing. "Kitchen, bathroom, my room, guest room. And, obviously, the living room and the den. Any questions?"
Everyone began shaking their heads. Ron gave an enormous, jaw-cracking yawn, prompting chuckles, even from him. "Time for bed, then," Mum said briskly. For once, no one felt the need to protest. In fact, they brushed their teeth, put on their pajamas, and got into their respective beds in record time.
"Sweet dreams, Ginny," Mum said from the doorway, as she turned out Bill's ecklectic light.
"Night, Mum," Ginny said, looking out the window over the strange horizon of tall, reflective buildings like Bill's, shorter, squatter ones made of pale brown clay, and long strands of different colored lights that reminded her of her necklace of glass beads. Even now, so late the entire world seemed to be holding its breath, she could hear the occasional car rush by, and smatterings of people talking very fast in a heavy language that blurred together like drifting sand.
She could hear Mum and her brothers going through the same well-worn exchange in the living room, a familiar thing on the shore of the unfamiliar land spread out at her feet. She wondered what Harry would think if he could see Egypt...especially from this perspective...and her last thought was of him as she drifted off to sleep.