Chapter Seven: Print Them!

Snape had been sitting at home enjoying a glass of wine before his fire when he heard someone apparate, knock, and disapparate at his front door. He opened the door cautiously, looked down, and picked up the book. He saw the photograph on the cover and the name beneath and was in Rome a second later.

Remus and Tonks had been eating a late dinner when they heard the same thing at their back door. Remus looked at his wife and then back at the door. He got up slowly and looked out the window before opening the door. He bent down, picked up the book, and spoke even before he was standing straight again. "We're going to Rome."

"Remus?"

He turned and held up the book. "It's Ginny." Tonks nodded and they both apparated.

Ginevra went in to the studio before dawn the next day. She set up her easel and began working with charcoals. Sarah came in at her usual hour, seven, and set about her work. She knew better than to disturb the other woman.

It took them all night, but the four red heads finally found a hotel with a concierge that spoke English and could direct them to the Jennifer Wells gallery. Granted, it had taken them three hours to find a way out of the Colleseum. Once at the hotel they decided to get a few hours sleep before going to see their sister and got a room.

Snape and the Lupins had apparated to the wizarding tourism center for the city and met each other there. They decided it would be best to wait until morning to find her and had gotten a room at a nearby hotel. The next day they set out early and made it to the gallery around eight.

Sarah looked up when they entered and almost fainted. She may not have been in Europe at the time, but she had read the books and seen the old papers. Three heroes of the Dark Lord's War had just entered the shop. This could not be good, not after the week Jennifer had just had.

"Is," Tonks looked down at the book in her hand to remind herself of the name, "Jennifer Wells in?"

Sarah stood up, glanced down the hall, and moved around the desk. "I really don't think that now is such a good time."

"Why?" Snape's voice made her cringe.

"You're from her past, aren't you?" Remus nodded. "I just think she's had enough of that recently."

Remus stepped forward. "You seem like a wonderful friend, to look out for her like this, and I am glad she has had someone like you. However, it really would be best if we could speak with her. She is under the impression that we are glad she left us nine years ago and nothing could be further from the truth. If we can only see her, explain..." He smiled a very tired smile.

Sarah looked at them all in turn. "Fine, but if you make her cry you'll face hexes the British have never heard of." Snape smirked; he had placed her accent as South African as soon as she spoke and did not doubt her words. "She's back in her studio. Go down that hall; it's the last door on the right." She moved back to her desk and they followed her directions.

Not five minutes after they had dissappeared into the studio four red heads entered the gallery. Sarah looked up at them, threw her pencil down so hard it snapped, and spoke tersely. "Here to see Ms. Wells?" They nodded, a bit confused as to if this women greeted all visitors this way. "I suppose you're from her past? I'd say by your red hair you're related?" They nodded again, so the others were already here. "Down the hall to the right." She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out her wand as they quickly made there way down the hall.

"BLANE, BLAISE, WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS, YOU GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF! NOW!" It was a short howler, but it got the point across. Blaise thanked Merlin he hadn't been in a meeting and was at the gallery as quickly as physically possible. Sarah just pointed down the hall toward the studio and glared at him.

When Snape, Remus, and Tonks entered the studio Ginevra turned and looked at them. She sighed, and turned back to her charcoal without a word. So that was his reaction, to reunite her with her family, or at least those that wanted to be reunited with her.

"Ginevra," Snape began but she interrupted him.

"You would have believed in him and supported me had you been there. You would have defended me and offered me a home had you returned in time. You have missed me terribly and are glad I am all right. I missed you too, and I am touched that came as soon as you heard, but I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for tears and hugs and explanations right now." Her voice was monotone.

They looked at each other, thoroughly concerned for the girl. Remus finally spoke. "If you knew, why did you leave?"

She set down the charcoal and studied her work. "Back then I was so emotional, so hurt that anyone could feel that way that I was inclined to believe their insinuations. Once I had calmed down, though, I realized that everyone I had counted on to support me had been absent both times. I had not left yet and it was a very difficult decision to make. In the end it did not matter how many of you wanted me there, too many did not. No matter what, I would feel that hostility even if I did not see them often; I would know it was there. Add to that the emptiness I already felt and Britain became too painful to endure." She sounded so disconnected from everything she was saying that Snape was willing to bet she would have sounded more emotionally involved had she been describing the process of developing film.

By that time her brothers had arrived and entered the studio very cautiously. Sarah's greeting had them a little unnerved and they weren't sure what they would find. Whatever they were expecting, though, it was not three very uncomfortable friends who obviously had no idea what to say surrounding their sister who seemed to be completely unphased by their presence.

"Please relate to them what I have said for I don't feel like repeating myself." There was a hint of anger in her voice that only half of those in the room noticed. Bill looked from Snape to Remus and neither seemed to know where they anger had come from. Tonks set in to do as they had been asked and by the time she had finished Blaise had arrived.

It was his arrival that finally got a reaction out of Ginevra. She gently set her charcoal down and stood to face him. Her eyes were the only expressive feature, the rest of her body was completely impassive, but her eyes were swirling with emotion. "This is it? This is his reaction?" Blaise winced at the thought of what was coming. He hadn't had time to think last night, and even if he had there would have been no way to stop Draco, but this morning it had occurred to him that telling her family where to find her before talking to her himself might not have been Draco's most brilliant move. "He doesn't come to see me. He doesn't come to talk to me. Oh no. He goes and tells everyone else where to find me! Did it ever occur to him that he is half of the reason I left? Did it ever occur to him that I might like a say in whether or not they know where I am?"

The others were starting to catch on and piece together the puzzle. "It wasn't his goal when he set out..." Blaise was trying desperately to find some way to smooth this over and he was grasping at straws.

"Of course not. He set out to beat them all to a bloody pulp and learned what I've known since the day after I was turned out!" She pushed past everyone and walked to her office. Everyone followed her and waited in the hall while Blaise continued his attempts.

"You knew the day after, Ginevra, listen to yourself. He had never heard what happened. Last night, for him, was the same as that day to you. If he had waited until this morning it probably would have occurred to him as well."

"He didn't wait, did he?" Her voice was ice and she was rummaging in her drawer for something.

"You know him, his temper is worse than yours if the offense is to someone he cares about."

"I don't care! He should have come to me! He should have been angry that I hadn't told him who I was or hurt that I never let you tell him what happened or something, anything that would have brought him to me first!" She had found what she was looking for, the pictures of him from the ball and one of him eating watermelon at the picnic that she had been planning to keep for herself.

"Ginevra, wait..." Blaise was panicking now. She couldn't do that, not now!

She walked out to Sarah's desk and threw the pictures down. "Print them." Sarah looked up at her boss and then over at Blaise.

This wasn't good. Ginevra only printed pictures she considered personal when she began to feel she had no right to hold on to the memories. She only printed pictures that encapsulated her pain when she had dealt with it and was moving on. Either way, this was not good. "But..."

"I want them printed." Sarah looked at Blaise again as if asking what she should do.