A/N – Hey everyone! Remember to drop by the fic by Nesserz and slightly, almost none done by me. Also, I'd love it if you took a look at the one-shot I did yesterday. It's HG, of course, based on the "Pina Colada song". Enjoy!
And do you know what? A couple of you said there actually was a dancing pineapple song! I had no idea, I just randomly came up with that. Okies, this is the marker for when the story begins to get sad. =( But it's a happy ending – I swear!
NOTE: Watch out for another one-shot coming out by me. It's a Draco/Pansy. But nothing like you'd expect.
Ch 9 – Not What It Looks Like
Dedication: A happy, belated birthday to Phoenix. Also, partly dedicated to LauraKay, for thanking my over-worked BETA's. I'm sure they appreciate the thanks.
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Mmph, my back hurts, were Ginny thought as her mind reluctantly woke up a few hours later. Harsh sunlight was trying to open her eyes but she resolutely kept them shut, not wanting to wake up and move.
Why am I on the couch? She wondered, feeling the not-so-soft cushions beneath her with alarm. And why can I hear someone snoring?
Ginny groggily opened one eye, staring resentfully at the open curtains that were letting in the bright sun. She opened the other eye cautiously, choosing to stare at the ceiling now. Slowly she turned her head to the side, dreading what -- or who -- she was going to see. Yet somehow she knew that she would see Harry lying on the couch opposite to her, arms and legs spread out and head lolling back lazily. The source of the snore. She stared at him openly, the events of last night filtering gradually back into her mind.
Ginny found herself thinking that he really hadn't changed so much after all. He was still, underneath the layer of arrogance, the slightly skinny boy with glasses and the funny sense of humour and reckless grin. Why is he hiding it though?
Suddenly, almost as if he could sense her watching him, Harry woke up with a start. Unlike most people, he wasn't groggy-eyed for a couple of minutes and blinking dazedly about him. He was wide-awake instantly, looking like he had been up for hours.
He stared back at her. "You just woke me up by staring," He informed her.
Ginny smiled. "I used to do it to Mum in the mornings so she would make breakfast."
"Mmmm, breakfast." Harry said, obviously hinting.
"I can't make anything," She warned, sitting up with a yawn. She had time; she didn't have to be at Enfantes for another hour. "That's the whole reason I woke Mum up in the first place.
"What do you eat then?" Harry asked, flabbergasted.
"Er, food?" Ginny said, covering a yawn. "Or, whatever I can find in the cupboard." She added hastily.
Harry sprung up with an agility that should not be possible after just waking up. Ginny looked quizzical.
"It's time you learned how to cook pancakes." Harry explained, seeing the look.
"Pan. . . cakes?" Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose.
"Yup, be right back." Harry replied, before disappearing with a pop. Ginny stumbled into the kitchen, blinking rapidly. As she sat down at the table, she kept getting the feeling she was forgetting something. Something important.
Lou flew in through the open window, dropping a number of magazines and papers in front of her before zooming back to her cage for food. Ginny decided to go from worst to best so she opened Which Witch magazine, ignoring her hungry stomach, and began reading. She rolled her eyes, seeing the headline was on Harry: "The Boy-Who's-Back". She skimmed over the article, wishing that they could have published something like this earlier so she could have had some warning that he was back. She was just about to turn the page when something caught her eye. That last paragraph of the article.
Mr Potter however appears to be withholding a secret. Sources for the magazine state that late last night Potter was drinking incessantly in Muggle London. He was last seen disappearing into a small cottage in the outskirts of London. Who could this mystery person – or woman – be? We'll have to wait until the interview with Harry Potter.
Ginny gasped, the 'small cottage' had to be her house! She groaned and looked out the window, wildly hallucinatingg that there was a group of reporters and photographers waiting outside. What if someone guesses who the 'cottage' belongs too? I mean, how many people Harry knows own 'small cottages'? Ginny thought frantically. If Jason found out, he would take it the wrong way and one thing would lead to another. Thank Merlin Harry hadn't walked to the shop.
Who wrote this? She thought, scanning the page. Ah, Bree Warren. Of course.
A small pop in the living room quickly returned her senses and she shoved the paper under the things cluttering the table. Harry would probably find out anyway, but for now it would be easier if he didn't.
Harry walked into the kitchen, bearing bags of strange objects. He smiled at her and set them down. He must have noticed her troubled face or something because the next thing he said was:
"Ginny, you have to learn to relax." He said, grinning.
"I'm relaxed." Ginny confirmed, darting a quick look at the half-hidden Daily Prophet.
"It's only pancakes." He reassured, holding up the bag.
"Yes. . . yes." Ginny said distractedly, darting another look at the window.
"You're not angry at me still?" Harry asked, looking devastated. Ginny shook her head, getting up to peer into the shopping bags. Harry looked relieved and ushered her over to the stove. Ginny looked dubiously at the objects in the bag and back to the stove several times.
"It looks dangerous." She said finally.
"You've never used it before?" Harry asked, incredulous.
"No." Ginny said truthfully. "Dad got it to work without eckletricity and then gave it to me. He gives me lots of Muggle items, but he doesn't know I don't use them."
"Electricity." Harry corrected absent-mindedly, turning knobs on the scary looking thing.
"Yeah, that one." Ginny replied. "Does it really make your food for you?" she said slightly breathlessly.
"Er, not exactly. Close enough though." Harry said, looking away from the oven and back at her with a smile.
"Now," he began. "This is the flour." He said, pointing a packet of white powdery stuff.
Ginny looked repulsed. "That doesn't look like a flower to me."
"No, not flower; flour." Harry said, eyes mirthful.
"That sounds exactly the same." Ginny said defensively.
"F-L-O-U-R." Harry spelled out, laughing. Ginny blushed but held her tongue. She hated cooking and anything to do with it, no matter how many times her mother complained about her ignorance of it and tried to teach her.
Several minutes later, Harry was laughing at Ginny again for putting the packet of flour on top of the unlit stove and waiting patiently for it to turn into a pancake.
"Nothing's happening." She whispered, staring at the packet of flour so hard she didn't notice Harry shaking with silent laughter.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Watch me." He said, shaking his head, taking the flour and the bowl Ginny had forgotten about beside the oven. He poured the flour into the bowl before adding a considerable amount of water. Ginny looked on in fascination, yelping slightly when Harry turned one of the knobs again and a flame leapt up in front of her eyes.
"Muggles are amazing," she said in awe, staring at the flame. She watched as Harry poured some of the flour into a pan, biting her lip anxiously. She had completely forgotten about the newspaper article, that she had to be at school in half an hour, and the feeling she was forgetting something. She stepped closer to the pan and peered at the liquid that was steadily turning solid. Harry flipped it expertly, and it did a perfect spin before landing back in the pan. Finally, he put it on a plate and took out a bottle of dark liquid.
"What's that?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Syrup. You put it over the pancake." Harry answered, doing exactly that. Ginny licked her lips in anticipation, eyeing the golden-brown circle in front of her.
Ginny bit into it cautiously, eyes lighting up once she had swallowed it. "This is good?" she asked rather than said. Harry nodded, chuckling slightly. Ginny polished it off quickly, eager to make one herself.
"Have a try." Harry offered.
She nodded and poured some of the batter in excitedly.
"Not too much. . ." Harry cautioned her. She nodded elatedly, watching her pancake begin to brown in the pan. "I think you should turn it over with this instead of flipping it." Harry said, holding out a spatula.
"Oh, no. I can do it." Ginny said confidently. She took a deep breath and then threw the pancake up in the air. . .
. . . then watched in horror, as if in slow-motion, the pancake landed on Harry's head.
"Oh, Merlin. . ." Ginny whispered, bright red. The pancake hadn't been quite cooked so it was a big gooey mess on Harry's hair and face.
"Oh goodness, I am so sorry Harry." Ginny whispered, scandalised. "I'm so sorry."
Harry didn't answer, just stood there with an expression of disbelief on his face as pancake dripped off the end of his nose.
"Oh dear. . . Oh, I know! I'll make you another one!" Ginny exclaimed, brightening as she turned back to the stove.
GLOP!
A handful of thick, gooey pancake batter hit her square on the side of the face. Ginny went rigid still and slowly held up her hand to feel her sticky cheek.
"Y-you just. . . just threw pancake batter at me!" she said in shock, jaw dropping. Harry grinned and nodded cheekily.
Ginny narrowed her eyes and lunged for the pancake batter. Picking up the batter she grabbed a handful of it and threw it at him.
"That was for that." She said, before reaching for another handful. "And that was for the flour remark before." She said, throwing it at his face. Harry shook his head, bits of pancake flying everywhere. He barrelled into her, grabbing a handful of batter and rubbing it into her hair as she shrieked. They landed on the floor on their backs, panting heavily.
"Eww!" she yelled, laughing. Harry grinned, smiling victoriously. Ginny narrowed her eyebrows at this and without a second's thought, dumped the rest of the bowl of pancake batter over Harry's head.
"You win." He groaned good-naturedly. Ginny giggled, she hadn't done something like this in years. It was like being back at Hogwarts.
"So much for the pancakes." Ginny said, tapping the bowl currently residing on Harry's head.
"There's always to-"
"Ginny?" a male voice called from the living room. "Where are you?"
Ginny froze. No, please no.
"Ginny?" the familiar voice called again, coming closer. Harry looked curious.
"You missed our appointment for looking at the place where we wanted to hold our wedd-" Jason stopped halfway through his sentence as he reached the doorway of the kitchen. Whatever he had expected to see, it was not his fiancé and another man, Harry Potter the Quidditch star to be exact, lying on the floor covered in some sort of gooey liquid in rumpled clothes.
"Hi Jason." Ginny said softly, casting her eyes about nervously.
"Well at least there was a reason." Jason said after a heavy pause. "Albeit a bad one by the looks of it." Ginny couldn't tell what he was thinking, his face was completely expressionless.
"It's not what it looks like." Ginny said plainly, trying to get up.
"I was just saying that you missed the appointment." Jason said calmly, but his sad eyes betrayed him. "I. . . I guess I'll … see you later."
"Jason, wait!" Ginny cried. It was too late though; Jason had Apparated already.
Ginny turned to Harry from where she was standing. He was still sitting on the floor with pancake running down him from the bucket on his head, but she had never felt more serious.
"That didn't go too well." Harry said, peering at her from under the bucket.
"Out, Harry. Just . . . out." She said in a final tone, pointing to the door. Harry got up and placed the bucket on the table, looking troubled.
"Ginny you-"
"Please just leave." Ginny said, closing her eyes and holding her head. Harry looked like he was going to argue but then just nodded, not saying anything. He Apparated out just as quickly as Jason had, not saying a word.
Ginny bit back a groan of frustration and headed to her room to take a shower and get ready for work.
- - - - - - -
Ginny stormed out of the fireplace in Enfantes, heading quickly to her desk.
"Hi Ginny!" Anna exclaimed cheerfully, holding a little girl's hand.
Ginny grunted. Reaching her desk, she rummaged through her drawers, trying to look busy and important so no one would bother her. Anna clearly did not take this hint. She dropped the little girl's hand and strolled amiably over to Ginny.
"You look very busy." She commented with a giggle.
Ginny stopped for a second and took a deep breath, then continued shuffling papers.
"You're a bit late this morning, aren't you? I was here on time and Jane is in the next room, trying to get Peter to stop pulling Sarah's plaits. It's just so wonderful working here, don't you agree? I love seeing the smiling faces of the children every morning; it's so heart-warming. Ooh, is that the wedding plans?" Anna asked, catching sight of the paper Ginny was looking at.
"Yes." Ginny replied shortly and coolly, blocking her. She did not need Anna's endless droning at this particular moment; it only made her bad mood worse.
"How lovely. I've always wanted to see a wedding. I imagine you'd look simply radiant in a wedding dress. I'm sure Jason will think so anyway."
"Is there anything you should be doing?" Ginny said as politely as she possibly could.
"Oh no, not really. I'd much prefer to have this lovely little chat with you. Oh! Did you read the article on Harry Potter this morning?" Anna asked excitedly. "Apparently, he stayed at a small house right near here just last night!" she said in awe, whispering.
"Would you go away?" Ginny yelled angrily, whirling around.
Anna squeaked. "S-sorry." She mumbled, backing away, looking totally confused. Ginny never shouted or got angry, she was always happy and good-natured.
Ginny kept glaring until Anna had left the room. The little girl had watched the whole scene wide-eyed.
"Yes?" Ginny snapped at her. The girl turned on her heel and fled, looking terrified. Miss Weasley was never mean.
Ginny threw her hands up in frustration, letting the papers fall slowly to the ground. She collapsed on her chair, groaning softly. She wished she had made Harry leave the house last night, instead of talking to him until obscene hours of the morning. And those bloody pancakes. . . she thought, groaning again. She needed, more than anything, to talk to Jason.
"Ginny?" a calm female voice interrupted.
Ginny didn't answer.
"I need your help in here. Peter won't stop magically tugging on Sarah's plaits. He just looks at them and you can see them jerk down. Everyone's a bit crazy today, I think we need your soothing voice." Jane said calmly.
"Just wait, alright?" Ginny said harshly, gathering up the fallen papers.
Jane raised an eyebrow but only nodded, disappearing back into the other room.
Ginny heaved herself out of her chair, striding over to the next room. When Anna saw her walk in she instantly found a good reason to duck behind the table where she was reading to two little boys. Ginny ignored this and turned her eyes to see a brown-haired boy watching a blonde-haired girl shriek as her braids were yanked by an invisible hand repeatedly. The noise coming from the entire room was incredible.
"Shh. . ." Ginny said, holding a finger to her lips. No one even acknowledged this. Ginny closed her eyes, her temper reaching boiling point.
"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP?" she yelled, glaring at everyone in turn. Total silence fell; all eyes (most of them fearful) were on her.
"All of you, listen to me." Ginny said threateningly, eyes blazing. "Peter, you pull Sarah's plaits one more time and you are never coming back here again. Rilla, touch that button one more time and there will be punishment! Jake, you are in time out, get over there now! Daisy and Lila, put those down this instant or I will get even angrier. Mathew, take one step closer to Jane with that paint and you will be in timeout until you leave this school!"
Every single child looked petrified, frozen in position. Never before had Miss Weasley yelled or gotten angry, never before had she threatened to punish them.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ginny yelled again, stomping her foot. Jane and Anna were both staring at her in shock, Jane looked faintly disapproving. A few of the children burst into tears, others just sat there blinking, terrified and confused.
Tommy Peterson chose this exact moment to throw paint at his teacher. Ginny actually shook with fury, taking deep breaths. Tommy looked perfectly proud of himself and crossed his arms in an adult-like fashion.
Ginny was in no mood to let him win yet another battle with her. "Tommy, apologise."
"Uh-uh." Tommy said proudly, holding his chin up.
"Now." Ginny said smoothly, her voice as cold as ice.
"No." Tommy said defiantly, a smirk appearing on his young, not-so-innocent face.
"You have one last chance. Say you're sorry." Ginny said carefully, clenching her arms to her sides.
Tommy shook his head, the smirk Ginny so much wanted to wipe off was still on his face.
Ginny nodded. "Okay, just remember I told you to say sorry." She strode over to him, eyes narrowing. Tommy, for the first time in all his time at Enfantes didn't have his famous smirk on his face at the sight of his approaching teacher. Stopping in front of him, Ginny turned to face everyone else.
"Will you get out and excuse Tommy and I?" she whispered, her steely voice carrying loudly across the silent room. Jane and Anna quickly ushered the students into the other room. Jane cast one last uncertain look at the red-faced Ginny before closing the door softly.
Tommy now had the decency to look scared. Ginny approached him slowly, coming to a stop in front of him. She smiled and he, thinking he was off the hook, turned on the smirk again.
"You put one more toe out of line, and there will be nothing your parents can do." Ginny said icily, gripping him on the shoulders. Tommy's smirk had faded once again, and a look Ginny had never seen before was on his face. One of intense fear.
"M-m-mummy will get angry at you." He said nervously, jutting his chin out.
"I'm already angry at you, which isn't something you want me to be." Ginny said coldly, still holding one of his shoulders.
Tommy muttered something incoherent inaudibly, chin quivering. Miss Weasley never stood up to him, never.
"I think it's time for time-out." Ginny said, pushing him over to the enclosed area in the corner of the room. Tommy looked uneasily at the corner and back at his teacher.
Ginny nodded. "Oh yes, it's about time you had some time-out." She closed the gate behind him, locking it magically.
She walked back to the door adjoining the rooms and opened it, striding in. All the students went dreadfully quiet, looking scared. Ginny ignored this, past caring.
"Tommy will remain in time-out for the better part of the afternoon." She announced, walking over to her desk. "Now leave me alone."
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Ginny locked the front door to Enfantes, a deep sigh enveloping her as she walked down the steps. The rest of the day had been a nightmare. All the students, as well as Anna and Jane, had avoided her. Tommy had sent her a look of the deepest loathing as his mother picked him up; his mother not saying a word to Ginny. The look he had given her had actually made her feel uneasy, like he was planning something. But what could a six-year-old do to her?
I hate the stupid pancakes, I hate Harry for being drunk, I hate myself for letting him stay and I hate. . . I hate. . . the stupid pancakes.
Ginny wrapped her sweater tighter around herself, shivering slightly. The days were getting shorter and the nights colder; her favourite time of year was coming. She had stayed back later today so she could just see the tip of the sun disappearing over the horizon. A noise startled Ginny and she whipped around, slightly apprehensive. Seeing nothing, she kept walking at a slightly quicker pace towards home, wishing she could Apparate. The noise came again, clearly louder. Ginny just kept walking; wishing someone else would come walking along. No one else seemed to be out at this time. The noise came a third time and Ginny whirled around instantly and almost jumped when she saw Colin Creevey a few metres away from her, his camera around his neck.
"Ginny!" he cried, his voice was happy but his face looked slightly disappointed for some reason.
"Colin, hi! . . .Er, were you just following me and making noises?" she asked, stopping and facing him.
"Oh. . uh no." Colin said, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Oh, weird." Ginny commented. "So where are you going? Off to meet this girlfriend of yours?" she teased, remembering he had mentioned liking someone at the party. Her bad mood was forgotten at the sight of an old friend, especially when she had been so scared only minutes earlier.
"Uh. . . actually yes." Colin said quickly, darting a look wildly about.
"So. . ." Ginny prompted.
"So. . . what?"
"Who is she?"
Colin blushed. "Oh, just an old acquaintance of mine."
"Anyone I know?" Ginny asked.
"Yes-No!"
"Ok. . . so how are you Colin?" Ginny asked, changing the subject politely. She was really starting to wish right now that she could be on her way home, the cold night air infiltrating even her thick jumper.
"Oh good, just doing work." He said, holding up the camera.
"What – around here?" Ginny asked, surprised.
Colin looked at her, looking slightly frantic. "Yes. . . here."
"Oh, well it looks like you'll only be getting ones of me." Ginny joked as Colin smiled, shaking his head.
"Yes, well, must go." He said, waving and Apparating away.
Ginny stood there for a second and then continued walking. She finally reached her gate, listening to the familiar creak, as it swung open. She paused in front of her garden; she had neglected it lately and it had begun to show as the plants drooped. Ginny spotted one of the last daisies by the fence, slightly less worn than the others, surrounded by colourless and sagging ones. She bent over and picked it, smelling its fresh scent. Without warning, a memory of her first date with Jason came back to her:
They had just gone out to dinner and Jason had brought her some lovely red roses, unfortunately she had dropped them on the side of the road and flung her wand out to pick them up. Unfortunately, she had unknowingly hailed the Knightbus and the roses had been crushed and Jason devastated. Ginny had laughed it off, finding the whole situation funny. They had gone for a walk and Jason had gone off and come back with a bunch of daisies in his hand.
Ginny closed her eyes, breathing in the flower's scent again and wishing she wasn't in this situation. A small teardrop fell on top of one of the daisy's browning petals, causing it to fall off the flower and flutter to the ground. Somehow, Ginny felt that that fallen petal was her.
- - - - - -
"Well? Were you successful?" a cool voice asked.
". . . Yes." Came the hesitant reply a few seconds later.
- - - -
Thanks to: B.J, Phoenix, Dottie, Jewls1, lostangel92, hye em yes, Anonymous, Fizzie-lizzie, Lion's Roar, Goldilocks31890, blueangel, Goldilocks31890, HannahLuLu22,
Naz1 – Hey, how come you're rewriting all your stuff?
Hippie-Banana – You're from Sweden?! That is so cool! I'm really jealous now, I've always wanted to go there.
Padfoot-rulz001 – Lol, you get a "present" if I forget you more than 3 times; like I did with Shannon hehe. I know, I loved SM2 – I'm a sucker for whats-his-name. Tobey forgethislastname.
Lizzie Weasley – Haha, I love bowling. I went the other day, I'm very very bad at it though. Wow, Louisiana. Do you have the accent too? I wish I had that accent. I was killing myself laughing at the dancing pineapple song, I can't believe you came up with that yourself. Nicely done. Oh and Happy Birthday if I didn't say it back in June.
Swishy Willow Wand – Georgia? Lol, I think there is another reviewer from there too. I've actually always wanted to go there, just never got the change while I was in America.
JamieBell – Woah! Taiwan! Mad – how come you left after you were born? Do you ever go back there?
Secondatbat9 – I haven't read the lj fic you mentioned, but I will. I adore lj's just as much as HG's. I love fairytales too, part of the reason for my infatuation with Shrek 1&2. Trust me, Australia isn't that great. Kansas? That's pretty cool, isn't that Wizard of Oz state?
Sarah Noisette – I knew I was missing someone last chapter! Just couldn't figure out who wasn't there. So glad you got a bf – that makes 2 of us! =D Yup, that's right. I got a BOYFRIEND!! He's in a band to, and he's performing later this month. =D dances I wasn't aware there was a book Charlotte Gray, I only knew of the movie. I'll have to look into it - we seem to have the same taste in books (in most things actually, remembering the time on msn) Thanks for the lovely long review!
Lilcykomonkey – yes, someone is going to die in this story. 2 people are going to die actually. It's actually a sad fic. But it's a happy ending.
Buffster44 – Ooh, Missouri ay? That's cool. So many of reviewers are from the States. I wish I lived in the good old US of A again. Lol, I think Harry and Ginny are soulmates too.
E.A. Hopkins – I'm glad you're following the sequel! Welcome =D I'm sorry I couldn't update before the 14th, but it's so busy here.
Kneh13 – Wow, Canada. Do you go skiing? I've never been to Canada, we were going to, but then we went to Florida instead.
Cherryblossom08 – The person "he wasn't in love with her, so she slapped him" was a nobody. It's the actual "I'm in love with you" bit that's important later. Oh, another person from Georgia! Do you have an accent?
Yvette Sorrow – When did you change your name to Sorrow? Lol, I wasn't a huge wedding too. And a long honeymoon.
Sugar-coated-evil – I only have MSN, not AOL for me =(
Dracoisahottie13 – Ooh, California girl ay? Lol, I'm jealous you're so "hot hot hot", I'm in winter here and slowly dying. I hate winter.
Annay – Yay! I'm glad you've promised to start reviewing =D I love new reviewers, any reviewers actually. Another Californian, hm? I used to follow soccer, but I stopped when I moved to Australia. Thanks for putting me on faves ;)
EmptyLight – Believe it or not, I actually had a look at "I Saw Sparks" before you left your review. I just didn't review because I had no time. I will though, be patient but, i'm quite slow. I looked at your favourites too, you have good taste.
LauraKay – New England is cool! I'm sure you are an FF – Fanfiction Fanatic. I am too =D Oh my goodness! I was thinking of "My Happy Ending" too! I just don't know how to work it into the story. I'll try to.
Elie – Glad you like the humour, I love writing humour. Unfortunately there is not much humour left for the fic, from now on it gets sad. =( Ahaha, another California girl? San Francisco, I was there a while ago. We went up to Yosemite.
Clau-hogwarts-writer – Woah!! Mexico! That is so cool, I've always wanted to go to Mexico too. My friend is there at the moment actually, she get's back in about 3 days. You know the thing with your trophies? The same thing happened to me with Waterpolo, well almost. Basically, we were coming first in the competition, but they put us down as 4th, so we didn't get into finals because the other team didn't own up to us beating them. Really pissed off. Ah well.
Thanks for telling me where you guys are from! You all live in such awesome-sounding places, while I'm down in Australia. Come to think of it, no one reviewed saying they were from Australia. . . weird. Don't forget to visit my LiveJournal! It's my homepage on my Bio, if you want to know. =D