Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I'm really not abandoning this story, I'm just slow. : ) Ok, not much to say except I hope you like it! And let me know if you do please, or if you don't whatever, by REVIEWING! Ok, that's all... READ ON!

A full week now Ginny had spent at Mrs. Higgins' home coming to terms with the fact that she was now all alone in the world. The woman had offered to take Ginny in while the aurors tried to find a relative who would be able to give her a more permanent home. Ginny had accepted partly because she really didn't have anywhere else to go and partly because Mrs. Higgins had been so kind she would have hated to refuse.

One would think, given the Weasley's reputation, that it would not be hard to find a relative nearby that would be willing to take Ginny; however, it was quite the opposite. As hard as it is to believe of a Weasley, Molly had been an only child. Of course, she hadn't been a Weasley when that occurred, so maybe that explained it. Arthur, on the other hand, had had four brothers and a sister. The war had taken a toll on the Weasley family, though, and the only one left was the sister, Marigold. Two of the brothers had been married, but not long enough to have children. One of their wives had been a spy in the war, infiltrating the ranks of the Death Eaters and gaining valuable information about Voldemort. However, shortly before the final battle, Voldemort had suspected that she was not completely loyal to him and had killed her. The other wife had vanished after the war so that not even her family knew what had happened to her. Marigold was currently residing in a prison in Canada where she had fled from the Ministry of Magic and still been caught. She had always been the black sheep of the family. One would think all this loss only a year earlier would have made the death of her immediate family even more difficult, but the truth was that Ginny had hardly known her aunts and uncles. They had all moved far away before she was born and, for reasons Ginny didn't understand and probably never would now, Arthur had not spoken to, or of for that matter, any of them for years.

All this waiting, and wondering if there was anyone left in the world who still cared about her, and reflecting on past tragedies in her family, as well as the present ones, left Ginny restless and rather depressed. Now, Ginny loved Mrs. Higgins (after all, she had practically grown up with her) and appreciated what Mrs. Higgins was doing for her more than she would probably ever be able to say, but Ginny wanted something more. She wanted a home; she wanted her family. These thoughts caused Ginny's eyes to begin to fill with tears for about the millionth time since the aurors had returned from her home that night. This time, however, she refused to let them fall; she was tired of crying. She decided to get up from her perch in the window seat of her bedroom and find something to eat. She had spent hours sitting there thinking while watching the rain fall outside and it had gotten quite late. Consequently, she had missed lunch and was probably late for dinner. As she looked at the clock in her bedroom she realized she was defiantly late for dinner. Luckily Mrs. Higgins was very laid back and Ginny knew she wouldn't be upset. Mrs. Higgins knew what a difficult time Ginny was having sorting things out and seemed to always know when to leave her be. That was one thing Ginny loved about her, that she made a point to always be there when Ginny needed to talk, but she also knew when Ginny needed to be left alone. Ginny didn't know how she did it, how she knew, but she was very grateful for it. More than once Ginny had wondered if maybe it might be better to just live with Mrs. Higgins but had long ago given up on that idea. Mrs. Higgins had a full time job and children and grandchildren of her own to worry about. While she had been nice to let Ginny stay awhile, she didn't need Ginny hanging around disrupting her life forever.

Ginny had successfully squelched her tears and was now making her way down the hall to the kitchen. She could hear Mrs. Higgins bustling around in there before she could see her and the sound of her humming to herself while getting dinner ready made Ginny smile. As she rounded the corner Mrs. Higgins seemed to sense her presence and turned around to greet her.

"Evening dearie," Mrs. Higgins greeted her warmly. "Would you like something to eat? I was just about to sit down myself."

"That would be wonderful, thanks. I'm starving." Ginny admitted, sitting down at the small table on the other side of the kitchen. It had felt rather strange to Ginny at first to be sitting at such a small table in the quiet, but cute, breakfast nook. Ginny was used to a large table with tons of people, but she was beginning to adjust to Mrs. Higgins way of doing things. Mrs. Higgins did have a fairly large dinning room table, but she only ate there when she had company. Apparently Ginny didn't qualify anymore as they had only eaten there the first night. She only had to wait a moment before Mrs. Higgins joined her with their dinner. It looked delicious and Ginny immediately began to fill her plate.

"Ginny," Mrs. Higgins began causing Ginny to look up from her serving. "Dear, you know how much I've enjoyed you staying here with me."

Ginny nodded. "Yes and I really appreciate you letting me stay here," she added sincerely.

"Oh it's no problem at all. You're such a sweet young lady."

"Why thank you." Ginny replied, blushing slightly. She never was one to take compliments very well, it always embarrassed her.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about though. Mr. McGee, the auror that's heading up your case, called me today and it seems they have found one of your relatives."

"Really?" Ginny spoke up, shocked. She had begun to think that there was no one left in her family, or at least not anyone the aurors would ever find. "Who is it? Do they want me to come stay with them? They probably don't do they, I mean I don't think there's anyone left that would want me hanging around them." She kept mumbling to herself, looking down dejectedly, until Mrs. Higgins reached across the table and grabbed her hands causing her to look back up and focus on Mrs. Higgins.

"Ginny, just calm down," She said, rubbing Ginny's hands soothingly to try and comfort the distraught girl. "They do want you. It's a cousin of your mother's that is in the process of moving back here from France and he would love for you to come live with him."

Ginny couldn't believe her ears; she was going to have a home again. There was actually someone left who wanted her, her family. She felt her eyes begin to fill again, and this time she didn't even fight it. This time it didn't matter if she cried, she was just so relieved and, dare she think it, happy.

"Oh, Ginny," Mrs. Higgins came to sit next to her and wrapped her arms around the trembling girl. "Don't cry, dear. Come on now, you're going to be fine. I'm sure he loves you very much, as do I."

"Thanks Mrs. Higgins," Ginny began, trying to get a hold of herself. "It's just… that I'm so relieved. I didn't think I had any family left and I just…" She couldn't continue; she didn't know quite what she felt. Instead she just let Mrs. Higgins hold her and try to soothe her.

After a few minutes Ginny's tears began to let up and Mrs. Higgins pulled back some to look at her.

"Now dear," Mrs. Higgins began softly, "I had planned to tell you earlier today, but seeing as how this is the first time I've seen you I didn't get the chance."

"Oh, I'm…" Ginny opened her mouth to apologize but Mrs. Higgins held up a hand to stop her.

"Now, now; none of that. I'm not scolding you. I'm just saying I wish I could have given you more time to prepare."

Now Ginny was confused. "Prepare for what?" Mrs. Higgins wasn't making much sense.

"That's what I've been trying to get to, although quite slowly I must admit." Mrs. Higgins almost seemed to add to herself causing Ginny to smile slightly. She always liked to hear Mrs. Higgins scold herself like that. "This cousin of yours has taken it upon himself to come meet you this very evening, right after dinner in fact. So you eat up quickly so that we can be ready for him when he comes." Mrs. Higgins shook her finger at Ginny jokingly and, with a nod of her head, went back to her own dinner. She had said her piece and was now going to finish her meal so that they would be ready for the gentlemen caller.

Ginny was reeling from the information she had just received and continued staring at Mrs. Higgins for a few seconds before returning to her own meal. She had just found out she had some family left and that she would have a home again. Then on top of all that, she would get to meet him tonight. What a day this was turning out to be. She didn't really even taste her food as she tried to eat as quickly as possible without seeming rude. She was excited to meet her "new" cousin (new to her anyway), but she needed a few minutes to herself before he got there. She needed to compose herself and try to make herself look presentable. She was sure she looked quite the scattered mess right now what with all the crying she had been doing. It wouldn't do for her to look like a crazy woman the first time she met this guy; he might reconsider taking her in. Ginny finished her dinner in record time and politely excused herself from the table. Walking back to her room she wasn't quite sure what she had eaten, but food wasn't topping her list of priorities at this moment. She opened the door to her bedroom and paused in the doorway. Looking carefully around, she realized this could very well be the last night she slept here. Running into the room and pulling the door closed behind her, Ginny began to spin in circles with her arms held out and her face lifted toward the ceiling. She found herself giggling like a little girl as she fell onto the bed. She was happy. This happiness had been a foreign emotion to her as of late and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself when faced with it again. She was going to meet her new family tonight. She wondered what he was like and where he came from; if she'd met him before. She also wondered what he knew about her and began to wonder if he would like her. What if they didn't get along? Thinking through this some, Ginny began to get a little nervous. She lifted herself up from the bed and decided to busy herself in the hopes of stopping that train of thought. This was going to go well. They were going to like each other and get along splendidly. Now maybe if she kept saying that to herself it would actually come true. She could only hope. She stood in front of the mirror for a minute doing just that, repeating it over and over. Deciding that was getting her no where, Ginny picked up her brush and tried to make herself look presentable. She ran the brush through her hair over and over, the continuous motion calming her a bit. Satisfied with the way her hair looked, she moved into the adjoining bathroom to put on a bit of make-up. She hadn't bothered with it much lately because when she did she always seemed to cry it right off. Just as she was putting the finishing touches on her eyes, she heard Mrs. Higgins call to her from the living room. He must be here already, she thought before calling back, "I'll be right there." She faced herself in the mirror one last time taking a deep breath. "I look fine and he's going to love me," she told her reflection somewhat confidently. "Now if I can only get out there," she mumbled somewhat less confidently. Taking one more deep breath to hopefully calm her nerves (without much success) she gave a firm nod to her reflection, turned and walked out of the bathroom towards her future. With every step towards the living room she grew slightly more nervous. The bit of confidence she'd had a few moments ago almost leaving her completely. One more step and she rounded the corner and was in the kitchen. She could see them in the living room, although they hadn't noticed her yet, and paused a moment to get a good look at this man. Sitting down he didn't seem much taller than Mrs. Higgins. He had short, dark hair (brown she thought, although it was hard to be sure from back here) and was wearing black robes. He seemed pleasant enough laughing at something Mrs. Higgins had said. Pleased that he was not some horrendous monster, Ginny continued into the living room until Mrs. Higgins noticed her.

"Ginny," Mrs. Higgins smiled, as she got up from the sofa, the man following her in rising. "We were just talking about you," Mrs. Higgins remarked as she moved to stand next to Ginny. Ginny tried to smile pleasantly at her but was pretty sure it didn't come out as such. Gosh she was nervous. "Ginny, I'd like you to meet Phillip Van Buren. Mr. Van Buren..."

"Oh do call me Phillip," he interjected, still smiling at her.

"Very well," Mrs. Higgins turned her smile on him once again. "Phillip, this is Ginny."

"Ginny," Phillip exclaimed, his wide smile directed this time at Ginny, "how wonderful to finally meet you!" He moved to shake her hand and Ginny obliged, reaching her hand out and grasping his firmly. His hand was smooth and warm, very friendly.

"It's great to meet you too Mr. Van Buren," she couldn't help but smile back as she spoke to him. Things were going to be okay.

"Oh please," he waved his hand as if to brush her words away. "It's Phillip. After all, we are family." He insisted, taking it upon himself to give Ginny a big hug.

"We are aren't we," Ginny almost whispered as she embraced him also. "Family."

Pulling back, they smiled at each other as Mrs. Higgins ushered them into chairs remarking, "No use just standing around here. Sit and let's get to know each other." Just as she began to sit herself, she jumped back up as though burned. "Oh, unless you'd like to get to know each other without me here. I can just go out into the kitchen and make tea or something," she said hurriedly, a distressed look on her face as she moved to leave.

"No, Mrs. Higgins," Ginny called, causing Mrs. Higgins to pause in her quick retreat. "You're fine, stay and talk with us." The smile returned to Mrs. Higgins face and she moved to sit back on the sofa when Ginny spoke up again. "That is…" she turned, motioning to Phillip, "if it's alright with you."

"Of course, do sit and chat with us," He smiled and Mrs. Higgins finally sat again with a relieved sigh.

"Well," Mrs. Higgins paused, seeming to search for a topic to begin on. "Phillip," she decided to give Ginny a little help by starting in on Mr. Van Buren first, the poor girl seemed terribly nervous. "We hear you've been living in France for a while."

"Oh yes; most of my life really." Luckily he grabbed the topic willingly. Mrs. Higgins had already deduced that Phillip was a talker and silently congratulated herself on getting the ball rolling so nicely as he began his story. "I was actually born here, though, and pretty much grew up with your mother, Ginny." He turned to look at the girl and noticed she smiled sadly at the mention of her mother. "We were first cousins, you know, and the best of friends as kids. We were practically inseparable." He redirected his look to the wall then as if recalling a distant memory. "Molly was the closest thing I had to a sister. We lived near each other when we were real young and spent most of ours days playing in a field between our houses. We spent our first three years at Hogwarts together also. Then my mother decided she wanted me at Beuxbautons and we moved. Molly and I wrote each other every weekend for a while. Then, I began to settle into my new life and she began to make new friends. We both got so busy that it became tougher and tougher to make time for our letters. By fifth year we became those relatives who sent presents at Christmas and birthdays, but nothing more." He seemed wistful to Ginny as he recalled those old memories. She couldn't believe that this person before her had been so close to her mother at one time and yet her mother had never spoken of him to anyone as far as Ginny knew. "I often wished we hadn't let that happen to our friendship," he continued, causing Ginny to snap out of her ponderings, "but by then it seemed too late. I did attend her wedding, though, and she sent the birth announcements when you and your brothers came along," he seemed to come back from his reminiscing some and was looking at Ginny again as he spoke, "When you were born, though, was the last time I heard from her. I figured she was busy being a wife and a mother. I had gotten a fairly decent job in France as an investigative reporter for one of their most prominent newspapers and was pretty busy myself by then. I recently retired, though. My father passed away not too long ago leaving me a great deal of money, my mother having passed on awhile back. Since then I had been debating moving back here. When the aurors contacted me about you it seemed my decision had been made. You see, I never married, myself, and so I never had kids, but I've always wanted a family. When I heard about you, I thought maybe this was my chance to have some sort of a family while helping you out at the same time. I mean, I know you're not exactly a child anymore, but I hoped we might become a family still the same. I know I could never replace your parents," Ginny felt her eyes begin to tear again at this reference to her parents, "and I would never begin to try, but I hope you can find some place for me also."

Ginny wasn't quite sure how to respond to his heartfelt speech, she wasn't even sure she could respond at the moment. Instead, she just sat there for a moment trying not to cry.

Apparently sensing her predicament, Phillip continued to do the talking, "Well, that's my life in 20 minutes," he sniffled slightly and Ginny realized he was teary eyed also. She figured she should try to say something.

"I had no idea you were so close to my mum," she tried, wiping her eyes some. Mrs. Higgins came to the rescue with a box of tissues, taking some for herself and passing them to Phillip after offering Ginny some. They both mumbled their thanks and when Ginny was a little more composed, she continued, "She never really spoke of her childhood to any of us. In fact, I had never even heard your name until you showed up here this evening." He looked rather shocked at this and kind of sad, Ginny thought, so she tried to hurry and reassure him some, "Mum just didn't tell us a lot about the things that were special to her. I'm sure her not mentioning you had nothing to do with her not caring or having forgotten you or anything like that. It sounds like you two had a wonderful friendship. She was just weird about things like that. She'd never really tell us things she didn't find relevant to our situation at the time. You know, I never really realized before how little I knew about her and her life." Now it was Ginny's turn to be somewhat caught up in her memories. This was quite a revelation she had just had about her mother and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She shook her head slightly, as if to clear it, realizing she should come back to focusing on the people in the room. She could ponder her discovery more later on when she was alone. "But anyway, it's nice to know you two once good friends. I'm sure you held a special place in her heart and I'd like to give you a special place in mine also; a special space reserved for a special family." She smiled at him through her tears and was pleased to see he was smiling also.

"Oh this is just so wonderful!" Mrs. Higgins exclaimed, openly crying herself. Ginny felt slightly guilty as she had pretty much forgotten Mrs. Higgins was there. "I'm just so happy for the both of you!" Ginny couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't really laughing at Mrs. Higgins, it was just that she felt exactly the same; she was simply giddy.

"Me too," Ginny added enthusiastically as she got up from her chair on the side of the room to squeeze in between Mrs. Higgins and Phillip on the sofa. She couldn't help it; she just had to come hug both of them. Her family had always been a hugging family and this moment just had HUG written all over it.

"Me three," Phillip joined in, laughing, crying and hugging right along with Ginny and Mrs. Higgins.

Many hugs, giggles and tissues later, when they had all calmed down some, Phillip turned to Ginny. "So, when would you like to move in with me? I don't exactly have a house yet as I only just arrived from France this morning and hadn't been planning this for more than about a day, but I am staying with an old school chum and you're welcome to join me there."

"Oh, I don't know; I wouldn't want to impose on anyone."

"Don't be silly, you wouldn't be imposing a bit. They'd love to have you, and that is why I'm here you know," he teased her and she laughed a bit.

"Alright then, when would you like me to come?" she threw it back to him in the hopes that she wouldn't have to be the one to make the decision.

He complied, "How about tomorrow?" His eyes had gotten wide and Ginny could see the excitement in them. He was clearly enjoying this. "I would say tonight," he added a little more calmly, "but I figure you probably need to pack."

"I don't have much to pack," Ginny confessed, sobering some herself. "I haven't been home in about a week so all I have is what Mrs. Higgins and I have bought since I've been staying here."

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, startling her a bit. What the devil was so splendid about her not having any of her possessions from her home? Seeing her confused look he continued, "I simply mean that it won't take you long to pack so I can come get you sooner than I expected; tomorrow morning if you like."

"That would be wonderful," Ginny replied, catching some of the excitement again herself. "What do you think Mrs. Higgins?" she asked, turning to the wonderful woman on her other side.

"It sounds great to me," she agreed. "Although, Ginny," she turned slightly serious and Ginny wondered if she would object or something. "You do know that this doesn't mean you are getting rid of me. You have to promise me you'll come to visit."

With a big smile stretching her face, Ginny gave Mrs. Higgins another squeeze around the neck. "Of course I'll visit!" She pulled back to look the older woman in the eyes. "I promise."

"Alright then," Phillip called their attention back to him. "I'll leave you two ladies to pack," he continued, standing up. "and I shall see you bright and early in the morning. Is six too early?"

Ginny looked to Mrs. Higgins who replied, "That's perfect."

"Great!" Phillip clapped his hands together. "I will see you then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Ginny replied, standing up to give him one more hug and with a pop! he was gone.