A/n: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the VERY kind reviews! I would have updated sooner, but you guys know the usual excuses right? But my last day of school in on FRIDAY!!!! And I get Monday off! But I cannot spend much of this weekend writing. I have 5 exams to study for! But after school is over I have 10 days to write non-stop. Except to pack to leave for the summer. It's not looking very good that I'll finish the entire story by then… L
Disclaimer: Jo Rowling: rich, famous, published, and sane. Me: poor, unknown, published online, completely nutters. Yes I can see how you can confuse us. (Just realized I forgot this in all my other chapters. This applies to all past and future chapters)
Ginny's eyes fluttered open, and she blinked against the offending sunlight that streamed through her open window. She looked at her clock after taking a moment to linger on Harry's picture which it sat next to. 10:47am. Ginny mentally groaned to herself.
Suddenly she felt a small warm body lying next to her. She turned onto her left side and watched her daughter sleep. Each time Nemone exhaled a strand or two of vivid red hair, that had come out of her braid flew up. She looked like an angel Ginny gently moved it behind her ear. She leaned down and lightly kissed Nemone on the forehead.
Nemone's eyes slowly opened, and she smiled widely. "Morning mummy." She yawned
Ginny looked down into her daughters strikingly bright emerald green eyes. "Good morning baby."
Nemone sat up quickly. "Mummy. I smell bacon." She said sniffing the air.
Indeed. Ginny smelled it too. She stood up and grabbed her dressing gown and her stomach grumbled. Neither of them had eaten since the hot dogs in the park the day before.
Nemone got out of Ginny's bed too, and the two of them descended the winding staircase. As the entered the kitchen she saw seven red heads, and one bushy brown haired head. Everyone of her brothers was there, except for Percy, as well as her mum and dad, and Hermione.
Ginny was horrified. She looked like crap. She hadn't brushed her hair out, and was still in her pajamas, and dressing gown, with bare feet. Suddenly she didn't care. She hadn't seen anyone in three years.
Everyone just stared at her for a minute before Bill, her oldest brother, still sporting the ponytail and dragon tooth earring walked up to her and embraced her.
"Welcome home Gin." He said, pulling back off her and looking into her eyes. The sadness he saw there made him hug her again, and kiss her forehead before letting go.
"Bill lemme at her would you?" Charlie said with a slight smile. Bill stepped away from Ginny and he knelt down to face Nemone.
"You must be Nemone." Bill said, with a huge grin, putting out his hand to shake hers. Nemone put her hand out too, to shake his. As they school hands he said; "I'm your Uncle Bill." And with out warning he pulled her into a tight hug. "Welcome back Nem. We've all missed you."
"Thanks, Uncle Bill." She replied. This was all new to her and any normal four-year-old would have been scared to death, however Nemone was not a normal four-year-old. Nemone was a Potter, and had the touch attitude of her mother, and the bravery of her father. She was accepting this new family with open arms. Literally. Everyone took turns hugging her and introducing themselves to her.
As Bill talked to Nemone, Charlie embraced Ginny. "Welcome back, baby sister. We've all missed you so much. And don't you worry. We'll make Des…We'll make him pay." He whispered into her ear.
The twins greeted Ginny with an ambush double bear hug, and a simultaneous kiss to each cheek.
Ginny looked down at Nemone who was feeling Hermione's six-month pregnant stomach. Just then Ron and Hermione stood up from Nemone's level, and walked over to Ginny. Fred and George took Nemone off with promises of magic tricks, and jokes from their shop.
She looked up into the faces of Ron and Hermione. "How are you Ginny?" Hermione asked, voice full of concern.
"All things considered? Pretty good. Things could be worse, I suppose." She lied, she really felt like hiding. Like she just wanted to scream. But at the same time she felt as happy as ever, being back with her family, among people that loved her. She knew things could defiantly be worse. She could be dead, or worse still at 'home' with Desmon.
"Gin…" Ron started to say, but Ginny interrupted him.
"Look, guys?" Ginny paused and sighed deeply. "Can we go somewhere and talk? Alone?" She asked looking around.
"Sure Gin. Let's go out into the garden." Ron said eager to please the sister he missed, and loved so dearly.
As they crossed through the living room Nemone ran up to her and tugged on her dressing gown. "Mummy! Mummy! Uncle Fred and Uncle George just showed me the best trick ever!" Nemone turned to the twins. "Show her? Please?" She turned back to her mother. "It's really great!" She finished excitedly.
Behind Ginny Hermione gave the twins a look, and motioned her head toward the garden. "Maybe later Nem. We've got some more really neat stuff to show you!" George almost as excited as Nemone was. "Yeah, Nem. You want to see me turn Uncle George here into a troll?" Fred asked with a wide grin. George looked horrified. Nemone looked fit to burst with anticipation.
As soon as Nemone was distracted again, watching the twins Ron, Hermione, and Ginny made their way to the garden. When they got there Ginny sat on a whicker bench, and rubbed her temples.
"Come on Gin." Ron started. "Tell us how you are really feeling." He coaxed.
"Yes Ginny. Please talk to us." Hermione added.
"How am I feeling?" Ginny scoffed. "I feel bloody alone, that's what." She said looking at her feet which were playing with a rock.
"Ginny you're not alone, anymore." Said Ron.
"You've got all of us. You're real family to help you and guide you." Added Hermione.
The two of them knew darn well that, that wasn't the kind of alone Ginny was talking about. She had felt this alone ever since Harry's death. And even more know that she was truly alone in the aspect of a partner. Not that she wanted Desmon back in the least. Good ridden to him. She couldn't really put a definition to it, but she did feel alone.
"I'm scared too." Ginny said after a brief silence. "I'm scared that I'll always feel this way." She thought for a moment how to explain it to them. "I feel like there is always a dementor around me. Sucking out all of my happiness. And the only time it ever lessons is when Nemone is around, and that's only because she reminds me so much of…of Harry." She sniffed back some tears. "But at the same time when she's around it makes the feeling worse, because she reminds me so much of him. Reminds me that he's gone forever, and that she'll never know him." She finished swiping an offending tear from her cheek.
Hermione left Ron's side at the other whicker bench and sat next to Ginny. Ginny curled up next to her and silently sobbed into Hermione's shoulder. Ron just looked uncomfortable. He was always awkward around emotional people. But he wanted to stay and comfort his only sister.
"Ginny," Ron started, and paused to think, and Hermione looked up at him. "Ginny, we love you, we always have and always will. And I know for a fact that Harry would want you to move on, and be happy. He told me a few days before he….died" Ron paused for a second. Even he hated saying it out loud. That Harry was really, and truly dead. Never coming home. "Anyway," Ron continued, "Harry told me that he regretted all the time he grieved over Sirius. He told me he realized that Sirius died doing what he knew was the right thing." He paused and took a breath, "He then told me that if anything were to happen to him, the last thing he would want is for people to spend their lives mourning over him." He finished.
Hermione gave him a look of utmost love, and admiration. Ginny just sobbed more into Hermione's shoulder.
"It's so hard though." Ginny cried. "It's not bloody fair! It seems everyone is happy, except me these days!" She paused and wiped away her tears. "Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is Nemone."
Hermione's eyes widened, but before she could say anything to her they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling them "Ron!" She called out first. "Hermione, Ginny! BREAKFAST IS READY!!!!!"
Ron stood up and held out both hands, meaning for both girls to take one. They did so, and the three of them walked slowly back to the house.
Ginny told Ron and Hermione she'd meet them in kitchen in a bit. She needed to get dressed, and her clothes were still in the boot of her car. She opened the drivers door, and popped open the boot. She walked around to the back, and noticed Nemone's things were gone. Someone must have come out and gotten hers for her. She grabbed her duffle bags and closed it. Ginny took a different door into the house that was closer to the stair case. She was able so sneak upstairs unnoticed.
Ginny stepped back into her room, and began dressing. She sighed deeply, as she tried as usual to avoid the wounds on her body. She thought about what Ron had said to her in the garden. He was right she knew it. She knew Harry wouldn't want her to mourn all this time, but it was so hard not to. But she wanted to mourn for god's sake! She didn't ever want to be happy without him! She wanted to be alone and miserable if she couldn't be with him. Ginny took a deep breath, and knew she couldn't have this kind of attitude. It wasn't healthy. And what kind of example was that for Nemone? To give up? Ginny reasoned with herself to at least look happy from now on. And maybe someday it would be true.
Ginny had finished dressing, and walked slowly back down the stairs. As she entered the kitchen, she saw no one was in there. However the sounds of breakfast were coming from the dining room. They never used the dining room unless it was a special occasion. She supposed they thought her coming home might constitute a special occasion.
She swung the door to the dining room open and saw the nine familiar faces of her family, but at the head of the table was someone she did not recognize yet the looked oddly familiar.
The person was clearly a woman. She seemed to be about 25 or 26-years-old. She had short black, spiky hair with pink, purple, and blue highlights. Most people would find this appalling, but Ginny rather liked it, it reminded her somewhat of Tonks.
"Ahem." Ginny gave a slight cough to announce her presents.
"Oh good Ginny! You've come to join us. We thought maybe you had opted out of breakfast." Mr. Weasley said getting up and pulling out the chair next to him, for her to sit in.
After she sat, and Mrs. Weasley began fussing over getting food on her plate, Mr. Weasley spoke again. "Ginny," he motioned toward the strange woman. "This is Lavada Iris Gaia-Loki. Mistress of magic."
Ginny knew she had seen her somewhere before! Ginny had gone to her induction ceremony nearly 10 years go after Fudge had been chucked out of office. She had been elected because of her sociable, open-minded, friendly, approachable, and compassionate personality.
In the short time Ginny was still in the wizarding world Ginny witnessed some major changes in the way the ministry was being run. For one thing Mr. Weasley had gotten the promotion he'd so very much deserved, and had been passed over for so many years, because of Fudge's closed-mindedness. Also everyone who had even the slightest bit of a connection with Voldemort was chucked out, among many many other things.
Ginny thought all of this very fast, and then next thing she new the Mistress was extending a hand to her.
Ginny took it as the Mistress said "Oh please, call me Lavada. No need for formal names. Much to snooty for my tastes I always say."
"Nice to meet you, Lavada." Ginny said smiling sweetly.
The family, and Lavada ate breakfast with several different conversations going on at once. Nemone was really taking to the twins, they were laughing and chattering amongst themselves through the entire meal.
When they had all finished eating, Ron said "Mum, Hermione and I are going to do the dishes."
Mrs. Weasley pathetically argued with her son but gave up shortly afterward. Bill and Charlie had to be off to work at the Ministry. Apparently Mr. Weasley didn't, because he stayed seated where he was, as did the Mistress Lavada.
"Ginny?" Fred asked grabbing her attention. "Would you mind if we took Nem here out into the glen to teacher her about Quidditch?" George finished for is twin.
"Please, mummy!?!?!?! Pleeeeeaaase!? It sounds so cool!" Nemone begged.
Ginny chuckled slightly, "Yes, of course you can."
The three of them got up from the table, and excitedly scampered out of the dining room and into the glen.
That left just, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Lavada.
"So…" Ginny said trying to break the ice.
"Ginny, you're mother and I talked last night about what to do about, your…I mean our…" Mr. Weasley said correcting himself. "…about Desmon, and what we are going to do about him." He finished.
"And…" Ginny coaxed, not sure why he was bringing this up in front of Lavada.
"And…" Lavada chimed in. "I am going to personally handle your case."
Ginny was speechless. Why in the world was the Mistress of magic going to personally handle her case?
"You see," Mrs. Weasley started "Lavada here used to be in wizard law, before becoming Mistress of magic, and is very interested in you and your case."
"Yes, Ginny." Lavada said "And I want to prosecute your husband to the full extent of the law." She finished with a look of determination on her face.
Ginny beamed at the thought of making Desmon's life a living hell. "Where do we start?" Ginny said with a smile.
"First you should, but you don't have to, but you should officially file for divorce." Lavada said making a stack of papers appear with her wand.
A/n: Wowzers! What do you guys think? I hope you like it. And I credit my beta Kristen (aka: kneh13) with everything to do with the new Mistress! She is a true genius, talented, and wondrous person. I love you hun! REVIEW! And…since I seem to be on a role here I'm going to take a shower to wake up (its 1:42am) and start working on chapter 5!
Beta Note: Wowzers that was fast. Cool chappie if I do say so myself. You best add more soon. Love ya too hun. :D