Chapter 4: Hope and Relief of Hope
Drew picked Hope up, and smiled, hearing the child's giggle. She sat down on the floor, set the child before her, and began playing with her.
"Hope... where's Tigger?" Drew exclaimed, moving a stuffed tiger towards her.
"No!" Hope squealed, whacking the toy from Drew's hand.
"Hope" Ginny sighed, walking into the living room. "Please be good for Auntie Drew while I'm gone"
"Mommy!" Hope squealed, reaching for her mother, green eyes alight with happiness.
Ginny smiled, and picked her daughter up, kissing her cheek. She smoothed down her bright red hair, which was messy from her nap, and handed her back to a grinning Drew.
"I can handle her, Gin, really"
"I know" Ginny sighed. "But I'll be back in a few hours... my boss won't let me go this time"
"Have a good time" Drew replied sarcastically.
"Oh, yes, employee meetings are ever so much fun!" Ginny replied, all to sarcastically, as well. "I'll see you two later"
With that, Ginny strode from the room, and moments later the door was shut. Drew pulled out Hope's play set, and let her lay under it to play with the mirrors, soft plush toys, balls and bells.
"Here, I'll turn on a movie for you" Drew said softly, keeping an eye on Hope as she walked to the television to pick out one of Hope's Barney videos.
She slid the tape in the VCR, and went back to sit with Hope, who was grabbing at the plush toy.
"Hope, look! Barney!" Drew said happily, pulling the child up, to face the screen.
Hope's face lit up again, and she smiled. She began bouncing up and down on her bottom excitedly while the Barney theme music played.
Suddenly Drew felt like she was being watched. She looked up, and around. No one was in the house, and she couldn't see anyone outside the windows. Feeling slightly nervous, she turned the television up louder to let any intruders know the house was occupied.
She then glanced at the telephone, ready to jump up and call the police the moment she saw someone lurking outside. However, the minutes past by agonizingly, and still, she saw nothing.
Twenty minutes past and Drew had relaxed a little. Hope was sitting in her lap on the floor, watching Barney on the television. Just then, there was a firm knock on the door.
Drew looked in the direction of the door, feeling her anxiety return. Should she answer it? When the knock came again, Drew got to her feet, placed Hope in her play pen, grabbed the phone, which was luckily cordless, stuck it in her sweatshirt pocket, and made her way to the kitchen.
She opened the highest cupboard, took the bread knife, pulled it out of it's case, and set it on the table, where she could run and grab it if she needed to.
Then, as the third knock came, she slowly made her way to the door. Her heart pounded in her throat, as she opened the door, the chain still on it. An unfamiliar man stood before her. He had dark hair; dark eyes, and wore a long travelling cloak.
"Can I help you?" Drew asked shortly, one hand on the door handle to slam it shut.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but...er, I'm looking for Ginny Weasley" The man said quietly, yet politely.
'Another stupid client' Drew thought angrily.
"May I ask why?" Drew asked rather rudely. She really didn't care for this man at all, and she had the right to know why this man was looking for her best friend.
"She's... an old friend of mine, and I haven't seen her in years"
"Uh-huh, well, she's in a meeting right now in the den, so I'm afraid you'll have to come back later"
"Please!" The man said quickly, which made Drew nervous. "I've...come so far, and have been looking for her for months. I can assure you she'll want to interrupt her meeting for me"
"And I can assure you I will call the authorities if you are not off this property in thirty seconds. I will tell her you were here, and she can reach you this evening"
The man looked almost angry, and he nodded curtly and sighed. He turned to go, but thought better of it, and turned back around. "Could you do me a favour cupcake?" He asked, an odd grin on his face.
"Possibly" Drew said nervously, clutching the door handle even tighter.
"Tell Ginny that a Mr. Harry Potter was looking for her"
"I can, now... if you will..." Drew said shortly, motioning that he should go. She shut the door with a sharp snap, re-locked it, went to put the knife away, and then hurried to Hope, who was whimpering in her playpen.
Ginny didn't get home until nine that night. Her hair was hanging loose on her shoulders, and she looked exhausted. Drew was in the kitchen, sipping coffee, and reading a magazine when Ginny got home.
"Hey, sorry I was out so long" Ginny sighed, walking into the kitchen, and pouring herself a cup of coffee. "It started off fine, but then we had an argument, which lasted an hour, then we had to renew all our plans, and reboot our computer systems so they would update."
Drew smiled sympathetically. "Sorry you had such a rotten day"
Then she remembered. "Oh, a man stopped by here around two. He was pretty eager to see you, and I think he was walking around the house before, because I felt like I was being watched"
Ginny suddenly fell a little pale, but cleared her throat.
"Did he tell you what he wanted?"
"No, just that you would want to see him. I lied and told him you were in a very important meeting in the den, and you couldn't be disturbed"
"He didn't leave his name?" Ginny asked in a low voice, sipping her coffee worriedly.
"Uh...yes...what was it... oh, yeah, Harry"
Ginny dropped the cup at that point. Drew frowned, and set down her own cup.
"You want to wake up Hope? What's got into you?"
"Sorry... Ac-" Then she covered her mouth as though she had said an awful swear sword, and hurried out of the room to get the broom. She returned, feeling horribly sick- this had to be a dream, or rather a nightmare.
"You know him?" Drew asked calmly.
"What did he look like?!" Ginny asked in a strange voice, quite unlike her own.
Drew looked thoroughly confused now. "Ginny, why does it-"
"Just tell me what the hell he looked like!" Ginny snapped.
Drew looked surprised at her outburst, but replied. "Dark hair, dark eyes... I really couldn't tell you more than that... other than the fact he wore a long black cloak... stupid ass. What kind of freak would wear a cloak?"
"Oh my god" Ginny breathed. 'Could it be possible? Could it have been Harry?
"Who is he?" Drew asked curiously.
"Oh my god" Ginny repeated, ignoring Drew. "He came back...he's alive...he's back!"
"Ginny!" Drew said loudly. "Whose back?"
"Harry" Ginny choked out. "Did he say where he would stay for the night? Or where he would be?"
"No, but I'm sure he'll be back, Gin. He was pretty desperate to see you"
As if someone had arranged it, there was a knock on the door. Ginny stared over her shoulder, feeling herself go numb. He was here.
Ginny and Drew walked to the door, and Ginny pulled it open, her heart beating wildly.
"Hey Ginny, hey Drew!" Mrs. Collaburne cried happily. Mrs. Collaburne was their neighbour, and very fond of Drew and Ginny.
Ginny felt her spirits sink. It wasn't Harry... Mrs. Collaburne returned a set of pots she had borrowed, and then left, leaving Ginny oblivious to everything Mrs. Collaburne and Drew had just talked about.
"Cheer up, Gin. I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow"
"I have to go to work, tomorrow, Drew!" Ginny cried exasperatedly. "I won't be here"
"Take the day off" Drew suggested with a shrug.
"I can't do that, my boss would murder me!"
"What are you going to do?" Drew asked, following her back into the kitchen. "There's nothing I CAN do" Ginny sighed, sitting at the table, forgetting all about the broken cup. "I could leave a note in code for him..."
"There's an idea" Drew sighed, beginning to clean up the mess on the floor.
"Yeah, that's what I'll do" Ginny nodded. "Okay, I'm going to bed" She added with a yawn, leaving Drew to clean the mess.
Ginny checked on Hope, before wandering into her bedroom to think. She changed quickly, and then she sat at her desk to write the message to Harry.
Meet Me at Five
:H.P: Love Gin
Ginny thought it was stupid, but it would do. She left the note on the table, and crawled into bed. How had he found her? He must have had her tracked down somehow... no one knew where she was except Drew!
Well, she was sure if Harry had returned looking for her, and he still wanted his own family, he would definitely return. Besides, even if he didn't, her family wouldn't rest until they had found her, and Harry would do anything for her family, she was positive of this.
"Just think... a real family... Mrs. Ginny Potter" Ginny muttered under her breath, turning out the lights.
Then another thought hit her... Vince. She had seen him four times since the last date. How would he take this news? Ginny was sure Harry would be angry with her for becoming involved with someone else.
'Come on, why wouldn't he be?! You promised him you'd wait forever!' A voice said angrily inside her head.
"I'm so sorry, Harry" Ginny whispered into her pillow. "I broke my promise..."
Ginny had a hard time sleeping that night. All her thoughts were either about guilt about breaking her promise to Harry, about how he felt about her now, about how he had found her, about the war...was it over?
When her clock read two in the morning, Ginny turned her lights back on, and just laid back against her pillows, her mind blank, and her body still. She was too tired to think, but not tired enough to sleep. She hadn't realized that 45 minutes had passed as she lay there, and then she suddenly sat up.
Instinctively, she got out of bed, and walked to the window. The yard below was dark. It was empty, except for a figure walking slowly across the lawn, and then staring up at the house.
Ginny felt a pang of panic flood through her. She stumbled back from the window, and got back into bed. She was tired... she had to be seeing things. She kept the lights on, and she just lay there, listening intently.
Finally, the last time Ginny read on the clock was four in the morning, before she fell into a deep sleep, her dreams undisturbed, and all thoughts of the figure out of her mind.
Look, for once, she didn't cry herself to sleep! Aren't you proud of me??? Where's my Hershey bar?!!!! Jenn, you CANNOT tell me I can't have them! Lol, Michelle, you owe me 5 hugs and a dollar!
Drew picked Hope up, and smiled, hearing the child's giggle. She sat down on the floor, set the child before her, and began playing with her.
"Hope... where's Tigger?" Drew exclaimed, moving a stuffed tiger towards her.
"No!" Hope squealed, whacking the toy from Drew's hand.
"Hope" Ginny sighed, walking into the living room. "Please be good for Auntie Drew while I'm gone"
"Mommy!" Hope squealed, reaching for her mother, green eyes alight with happiness.
Ginny smiled, and picked her daughter up, kissing her cheek. She smoothed down her bright red hair, which was messy from her nap, and handed her back to a grinning Drew.
"I can handle her, Gin, really"
"I know" Ginny sighed. "But I'll be back in a few hours... my boss won't let me go this time"
"Have a good time" Drew replied sarcastically.
"Oh, yes, employee meetings are ever so much fun!" Ginny replied, all to sarcastically, as well. "I'll see you two later"
With that, Ginny strode from the room, and moments later the door was shut. Drew pulled out Hope's play set, and let her lay under it to play with the mirrors, soft plush toys, balls and bells.
"Here, I'll turn on a movie for you" Drew said softly, keeping an eye on Hope as she walked to the television to pick out one of Hope's Barney videos.
She slid the tape in the VCR, and went back to sit with Hope, who was grabbing at the plush toy.
"Hope, look! Barney!" Drew said happily, pulling the child up, to face the screen.
Hope's face lit up again, and she smiled. She began bouncing up and down on her bottom excitedly while the Barney theme music played.
Suddenly Drew felt like she was being watched. She looked up, and around. No one was in the house, and she couldn't see anyone outside the windows. Feeling slightly nervous, she turned the television up louder to let any intruders know the house was occupied.
She then glanced at the telephone, ready to jump up and call the police the moment she saw someone lurking outside. However, the minutes past by agonizingly, and still, she saw nothing.
Twenty minutes past and Drew had relaxed a little. Hope was sitting in her lap on the floor, watching Barney on the television. Just then, there was a firm knock on the door.
Drew looked in the direction of the door, feeling her anxiety return. Should she answer it? When the knock came again, Drew got to her feet, placed Hope in her play pen, grabbed the phone, which was luckily cordless, stuck it in her sweatshirt pocket, and made her way to the kitchen.
She opened the highest cupboard, took the bread knife, pulled it out of it's case, and set it on the table, where she could run and grab it if she needed to.
Then, as the third knock came, she slowly made her way to the door. Her heart pounded in her throat, as she opened the door, the chain still on it. An unfamiliar man stood before her. He had dark hair; dark eyes, and wore a long travelling cloak.
"Can I help you?" Drew asked shortly, one hand on the door handle to slam it shut.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but...er, I'm looking for Ginny Weasley" The man said quietly, yet politely.
'Another stupid client' Drew thought angrily.
"May I ask why?" Drew asked rather rudely. She really didn't care for this man at all, and she had the right to know why this man was looking for her best friend.
"She's... an old friend of mine, and I haven't seen her in years"
"Uh-huh, well, she's in a meeting right now in the den, so I'm afraid you'll have to come back later"
"Please!" The man said quickly, which made Drew nervous. "I've...come so far, and have been looking for her for months. I can assure you she'll want to interrupt her meeting for me"
"And I can assure you I will call the authorities if you are not off this property in thirty seconds. I will tell her you were here, and she can reach you this evening"
The man looked almost angry, and he nodded curtly and sighed. He turned to go, but thought better of it, and turned back around. "Could you do me a favour cupcake?" He asked, an odd grin on his face.
"Possibly" Drew said nervously, clutching the door handle even tighter.
"Tell Ginny that a Mr. Harry Potter was looking for her"
"I can, now... if you will..." Drew said shortly, motioning that he should go. She shut the door with a sharp snap, re-locked it, went to put the knife away, and then hurried to Hope, who was whimpering in her playpen.
Ginny didn't get home until nine that night. Her hair was hanging loose on her shoulders, and she looked exhausted. Drew was in the kitchen, sipping coffee, and reading a magazine when Ginny got home.
"Hey, sorry I was out so long" Ginny sighed, walking into the kitchen, and pouring herself a cup of coffee. "It started off fine, but then we had an argument, which lasted an hour, then we had to renew all our plans, and reboot our computer systems so they would update."
Drew smiled sympathetically. "Sorry you had such a rotten day"
Then she remembered. "Oh, a man stopped by here around two. He was pretty eager to see you, and I think he was walking around the house before, because I felt like I was being watched"
Ginny suddenly fell a little pale, but cleared her throat.
"Did he tell you what he wanted?"
"No, just that you would want to see him. I lied and told him you were in a very important meeting in the den, and you couldn't be disturbed"
"He didn't leave his name?" Ginny asked in a low voice, sipping her coffee worriedly.
"Uh...yes...what was it... oh, yeah, Harry"
Ginny dropped the cup at that point. Drew frowned, and set down her own cup.
"You want to wake up Hope? What's got into you?"
"Sorry... Ac-" Then she covered her mouth as though she had said an awful swear sword, and hurried out of the room to get the broom. She returned, feeling horribly sick- this had to be a dream, or rather a nightmare.
"You know him?" Drew asked calmly.
"What did he look like?!" Ginny asked in a strange voice, quite unlike her own.
Drew looked thoroughly confused now. "Ginny, why does it-"
"Just tell me what the hell he looked like!" Ginny snapped.
Drew looked surprised at her outburst, but replied. "Dark hair, dark eyes... I really couldn't tell you more than that... other than the fact he wore a long black cloak... stupid ass. What kind of freak would wear a cloak?"
"Oh my god" Ginny breathed. 'Could it be possible? Could it have been Harry?
"Who is he?" Drew asked curiously.
"Oh my god" Ginny repeated, ignoring Drew. "He came back...he's alive...he's back!"
"Ginny!" Drew said loudly. "Whose back?"
"Harry" Ginny choked out. "Did he say where he would stay for the night? Or where he would be?"
"No, but I'm sure he'll be back, Gin. He was pretty desperate to see you"
As if someone had arranged it, there was a knock on the door. Ginny stared over her shoulder, feeling herself go numb. He was here.
Ginny and Drew walked to the door, and Ginny pulled it open, her heart beating wildly.
"Hey Ginny, hey Drew!" Mrs. Collaburne cried happily. Mrs. Collaburne was their neighbour, and very fond of Drew and Ginny.
Ginny felt her spirits sink. It wasn't Harry... Mrs. Collaburne returned a set of pots she had borrowed, and then left, leaving Ginny oblivious to everything Mrs. Collaburne and Drew had just talked about.
"Cheer up, Gin. I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow"
"I have to go to work, tomorrow, Drew!" Ginny cried exasperatedly. "I won't be here"
"Take the day off" Drew suggested with a shrug.
"I can't do that, my boss would murder me!"
"What are you going to do?" Drew asked, following her back into the kitchen. "There's nothing I CAN do" Ginny sighed, sitting at the table, forgetting all about the broken cup. "I could leave a note in code for him..."
"There's an idea" Drew sighed, beginning to clean up the mess on the floor.
"Yeah, that's what I'll do" Ginny nodded. "Okay, I'm going to bed" She added with a yawn, leaving Drew to clean the mess.
Ginny checked on Hope, before wandering into her bedroom to think. She changed quickly, and then she sat at her desk to write the message to Harry.
Meet Me at Five
:H.P: Love Gin
Ginny thought it was stupid, but it would do. She left the note on the table, and crawled into bed. How had he found her? He must have had her tracked down somehow... no one knew where she was except Drew!
Well, she was sure if Harry had returned looking for her, and he still wanted his own family, he would definitely return. Besides, even if he didn't, her family wouldn't rest until they had found her, and Harry would do anything for her family, she was positive of this.
"Just think... a real family... Mrs. Ginny Potter" Ginny muttered under her breath, turning out the lights.
Then another thought hit her... Vince. She had seen him four times since the last date. How would he take this news? Ginny was sure Harry would be angry with her for becoming involved with someone else.
'Come on, why wouldn't he be?! You promised him you'd wait forever!' A voice said angrily inside her head.
"I'm so sorry, Harry" Ginny whispered into her pillow. "I broke my promise..."
Ginny had a hard time sleeping that night. All her thoughts were either about guilt about breaking her promise to Harry, about how he felt about her now, about how he had found her, about the war...was it over?
When her clock read two in the morning, Ginny turned her lights back on, and just laid back against her pillows, her mind blank, and her body still. She was too tired to think, but not tired enough to sleep. She hadn't realized that 45 minutes had passed as she lay there, and then she suddenly sat up.
Instinctively, she got out of bed, and walked to the window. The yard below was dark. It was empty, except for a figure walking slowly across the lawn, and then staring up at the house.
Ginny felt a pang of panic flood through her. She stumbled back from the window, and got back into bed. She was tired... she had to be seeing things. She kept the lights on, and she just lay there, listening intently.
Finally, the last time Ginny read on the clock was four in the morning, before she fell into a deep sleep, her dreams undisturbed, and all thoughts of the figure out of her mind.
Look, for once, she didn't cry herself to sleep! Aren't you proud of me??? Where's my Hershey bar?!!!! Jenn, you CANNOT tell me I can't have them! Lol, Michelle, you owe me 5 hugs and a dollar!