Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. End of story.
I AM NOT ABANDONING YOU, I PROMISE! I've been doing homework straight from when I get back from school to about 10 (or later). That's seven hours (six and a half if you count dinner) of homework a night. WAY more than what I had in middle school. I can't drop an honors course either until first quarter midnines because dropping-down time ended today. So now I'm stuck with a huge amount of homework. What really kills me is math. I never took algebra, so algebra II's gonna be hell… -sighs- Oh well. Muscle through it, right? (Note: I'm pretty sure I failed today's quiz, too.)
I'm sorry if this is bad or has errors; I snuck on to write this author's note and (hopefully) post it. I don't really have time to reread and reread and reread if you guys want the chapter. I looked through it once and caught a couple of things (I type fast, but I make mistakes a lot, so that's why there's mistakes in the chapters. Oh, and sometimes I completely write the wrong word or forget important words. Ask Li.)
At the end I have to rant about the lake… but it's a good rant. I'll try to make it short because we're not supposed to have incredibly long author's notes. –looks guilty-
Ginny stepped forward and put her hand up to knock, but she couldn't do it. She dropped her hand and stepped back. Laura looked at her quizzically.
"What's wrong, Livy?"
"I can't do it," Ginny said. "It's been too long. I can't do it."
"Oh." Laura dropped her hand and arranged her face in that little-kid thinking look. Finally, she marched up to the door and knocked as loud as her little fists could. Ginny rushed up and pulled her back.
"No, Laura!" she whispered. Laura looked like she was going to cry. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you," Ginny cooed. The doors sounded as if they were unlocking and Ginny took Laura's hand, squeezing it comfortingly.
The door swung open, revealing Hermione. Her face was puzzled as she looked at Ginny.
"Do I know you? How did you get here?"
"I need a place to crash, Hermione, and so does Laura," Ginny said, picking up Laura. Although it was dark, Ginny could imagine Hermione's eyes widening as the gears in her head clicked away.
"G-Ginny?" she asked in the same astonished tone that Tonks had used. "Ginny, is that you?"
"Yes," Ginny said, too tired and overwhelmed for sarcasm. "It's me. Can we come in? We're about to fall asleep."
"We?"
"Yeah, this is Laura. Say hi to Hermione, Laura," Ginny said.
"Hi, Her-my-nee," Laura said, stumbling over the name. Ginny hugged her closer.
"Can we please come in now, Hermione? She's freezing and it's way past her bedtime."
"Yeah, come in," Hermione said, holding open the door as Ginny stepped in with Laura in her arms. Ginny walked into the kitchen and sank down in a chair, Laura settling in her lap.
"Who's the father?" Hermione asked, indicating Laura. Ginny blinked for a second, and then chuckled softly.
"She's not mine. Our apartment building was raided by Death Eaters about two hours ago and her family was killed. I'm kind of… babysitting her for the night. I might adopt her, though, since there's no family left. What do you think, Laura?"
"Mmm," Laura said sleepily, her eyes closed. Hermione watched the two for a minute, and then turned around.
"I'm going to get your mom, Gin," she said.
Ginny shook her head. "I'm not explaining anything before I get Laura to bed, and even then, I want go to bed too. I just spent an hour knocking out Death Eaters and trying not to get killed. I need my sleep."
"We've still got your bed up in my room," Hermione said. "If you want to put her in that and then sleep in my bed, I can sleep on the couch."
"Really?" Ginny asked, touched by the offer. "Thanks. I'll figure out some alternate crash place for tomorrow so you can sleep."
"You aren't going to stay here?" Hermione asked.
"No," said Ginny. "I have a Muggle life that I'm perfectly happy with. I just didn't want to get arrested for keeping Laura for the night like I would've, had I stayed in Muggle Chicago."
"Speaking of Laura, she looks pretty much out," Hermione said. "You look not too far behind. Come on, we're going to bed."
She led the way up several flights of stairs to the room. Ginny gently laid a sleeping Laura on the bed and put the covers over her before climbing into Hermione's bed and dropping off.
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Ginny woke up to a bunch of people staring at her from the doorway. She cracked one eye open.
"Wha-?" She opened the other eye and sat up in bed, combing her hair with her fingers. "No really, what?"
"Is it really you, Ginny?" her dad asked. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Sorry, you're reached a hologram. Try again later."
"It's is you, Ginny!" her mother said, swooping down and hugging her. Ginny hugged her back half-heartedly.
She looked past her parents, though the door. There were all her brothers, all looking happy, and Hermione. And there, behind them all, was Harry, looking smug. He winked at her and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Ginny, why did you leave?" Ron asked.
"I'll answer questions after I've had something to eat and after I take care of Laura, and not a moment before."
"Mrs. Weasley already took care of Laura," Hermione said from the doorway. "She's downstairs playing with Lily."
"Thanks, Mum," Ginny said. "Now, I believe I mentioned something about breakfast?"
The group exchanged glances. "Gin, it's two in the afternoon," Ron pointed out.
"OK, not breakfast. Lunch."
"Livy!" a little voice said from the door.
"Laura!" Ginny mimicked, holding out her arms. A small blur impacted her with the force of a cannonball. "Oof. A little lighter, please, next time," Ginny said.
"Livy, come down!" Laura told her sternly. Ginny laughed.
"Alright, little one," she said and allowed Laura to pull her out of bed. She was still in yesterdays clothes, which were slightly blood-splattered from the battle. Looking down at herself, she shuddered. "OK, I need a shower and a change of clothes. Hermione, can I borrow?"
"Of course, Gin."
"Thanks," Ginny said, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.
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"Livylivylivy!" Laura chanted as Ginny made her way down the stairs. Ginny took a mock bow and sat down at the table. Mrs. Weasley set down a grilled cheese sandwich in front of her. Ginny laughed.
"Mum, I'm not seven anymore!"
"I know you aren't, sweetie, but it was your favorite for so long. I was hoping it would taste more like… home… than any other fancy meal I could make," Ginny's mother said. She was about to take a bite when Laura suddenly said, "I want some!"
Ginny tore her sandwich in half and gave half to Laura, who immediately took a huge bite out of it.
After the girls were finished eating, Ginny sat in an armchair in front of the fireplace in the living room while everyone clustered around her. Laura was playing with Lily in the corner. The two girls got on surprisingly well, considering one was most probably a witch and the other was a Muggle three years younger.
"No questions until I'm done," Ginny said, running her hands through her hair. "Okay?" At the nods, she took a deep breath and started.
"I left home at the age of almost 18 because of all of you. And that blasted diary, of course. It sounds harsh, but I felt so betrayed that I left. You all knew I still hadn't gotten over Riddle, and yet you shoved it in my face again. That's why I left.
"Once I left, I changed my name and wrote a book. It eventually gave me enough money to get by on and I even went on the occasional vacation. But I never used magic, from then until last night. Anyway, I got a new best friend named Cammie Wilson. She was – is, actually – the greatest, right up with you folk, only better because she didn't betray me.
"I had a book-signing tour recently. Harry was there, along with Ron, Hermione, and Lily. He recognized me right away and badgered me until I publicly humiliated him."
"You told me that you wouldn't make out with me in front of everyone," Harry interjected, his lip twitching as if he wanted to smile. Ron laughed and even Hermione cracked a small smile.
"Too right, I did," Ginny said, smirking. "And it sure shut you up. Anyway, we talked and he told me that Headquarters was still here. I asked him not to tell anyone that he saw me-"
"You threatened to curse me into next year!" Harry cut in.
"Stop interrupting. Cammie heard some of it, so then I had to explain to her and then I came home to Chicago. Last night, Death Eaters attacked my apartment building. What they were doing in Muggle America, I don't know, but I fought them. Then Aurors came and took care of the rest of the Death Eaters. Tonks was there and she told me how to get Laura in here too. So we came here and dropped dead in the beds and here we are now."
Everyone was quiet for a while, then Fred broke the silence.
"So who's the father?" he asked, nodding towards Laura, who wasn't listening at all, too busy coloring a picture.
"Draco Malfoy," Ginny said seriously, then laughed at the shocked looks on everyone but Hermione's faces. "Kidding. She isn't mine. Her whole family was killed in the attack, poor thing, and I didn't have the strength with fighting and all to take her to the authorities. I couldn't just leave her with someone she didn't know. I'll take her in today, I suppose…"
Everyone looked relieved and Ginny couldn't help but smirk again.
"Livy!" Laura shouted from across the room. "Look what I made!" She held up a picture of a house – apartment building, actually – and her family. At least, that's what Ginny guessed the messy stick people were.
"It's beautiful!" Ginny called back. "Why don't you make me a picture of… me, now?"
"'Kay!" Laura agreed, and she got back to work. Everyone else had smiles on their faces.
"Why didn't you ever have kids, Gin?" Hermione asked.
"For one thing, I wasn't even 18 when I left, and I'm only barely 23 now. Plus, I'm not even married."
"The age issue didn't stop Ron and Hermione," George snickered. Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley cast him disapproving looks. He shrugged. "It's true…"
"Why does she call you Livy?" Ron asked, purposely ignoring George's comment.
Ginny smirked. "Take a guess."
"Because that was your Muggle name?" Charlie asked. Ginny nodded.
"Damn straight. Livy James, that was me. Famous young author extraordinaire."
Hermione gasped. "You're Livy James! I love your book! How did I not recognize you?"
"Meh, Ron didn't recognize me either, and he's my brother. Don't feel bad. I had a glamour spell on me. I haven't the slightest idea how Harry managed to identify me."
All heads turned to Harry. "She didn't change her voice, and you could tell she recognized me. I'm just surprised she only called security once. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Well, I'm just glad you're back, Ginny. You'll be staying with us, I presume?" Mrs. Weasley said.
"Actually, no. I have to go back. I can't just disappear with someone else's little girl. I might try to adopt her, though; I don't think she has any extended family alive and I was probably the closest neighbor or friend her parents had. I dunno."
Molly looked elated at the possibility of another grandchild. Everyone was talking at once, mostly giving advice to Ginny, when the front door opened. The room fell silent at once.
The silence was broken by a man's voice. "Hello? Where is everyone?"
"We're in the living room, all of us," Mr. Weasley called. A man walked into the room who looked immensely like…
"Remus?" Ginny gasped, getting up and walking cautiously over.
"Ginny?" he sounded incredulous. "Can it be you?"
"It is," Ginny said, grinning and hugging him. Once she pulled away, she gestured to Laura. "That's Laura. I kidnapped her."
He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Last night our apartment building was attacked by Death Eaters and her whole family was murdered. I was the only one alive after that attack, I think, and I didn't have the heart or the strength to bring her to the police. I brought her here because I didn't have any other place for both of us to go. I'm pretty sure our rooms got raided and there was no guessing what surprises the Death Eaters left. And Tonks reckons she might be a Muggleborn witch, so it's not terribly bad that she's here. I do wonder whether or not her parents were magical though; she doesn't seem terribly concerned that I look terribly different than when she knew me as Livy."
Of course, Laura chose that moment to ask, "Why do you look different, Livy?"
Remus laughed and Ginny glared at him and then turned to Laura. "Magic."
"Really?" Laura asked breathlessly. Ginny nodded.
"And, little munchkin, I think you might be able to do that someday."
Laura broke out in the biggest smile that Ginny had ever seen as she turned back to her coloring, singing, "I'm gonna be ma-gic! I'm gonna be ma-gic!"
"I said maybe, munchkin."
Laura didn't listen; she just kept singing her song. Ginny looked around to see everyone looking at her amusedly. "What?"
"You're so cute with her," Molly said, sighing. "I hope you do adopt her."
"Whoa," Remus said. "Back up. Adopt her?"
"Yes, adopt her. What do you think I'm going to do, let her go off with some stranger?" Ginny said.
"Well, if she has relatives…"
"She doesn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because her parents told me once, Remus. I'm capable of getting information, anyway."
"I'm sure you are. Why does she call you Livy?"
Laughing, Ginny explained and then said, "I think I've got to go. I have to bring Laura in and talk to Cammie. I should probably talk to Nick, too, and explain that I won't be able to make coffee tomorrow."
"Nick?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's Nick?"
"My not-really boyfriend back in the States," Ginny answered. "Honestly, Harry, did you expect me to put my love life on hold just because you dumped me five years ago?"
"If I recall correctly, you dumped me during that fight."
"Who cares? He's not really my boyfriend anyway. It's just what Cammie calls him. Then again, she was the one with the idea to go to the club that the Death Eaters attacked, so we can see how good her decisions are."
"You were at that club? We were there, but not before seven people were killed. Why didn't you stop them?" Ron asked. "You could have prevented at least one person from being killed."
"I didn't have my wand with me on the tour. It was back in a locked drawer in Chicago. Plus, it would have been ten to one. Logic says I would have lost. I saved Cammie's life, and my own, and I'm satisfied with that. I would probably have never known to get out if I hadn't seen Malfoy Jr. – the only good thing he's ever done for me, even if it was unwilling and unknown to him."
"We caught a Death Eater, but he wouldn't tell us anything. We didn't see either Malfoy there," Harry said.
"Well, Draco Malfoy was there for sure. I didn't recognize any others, sorry."
"S'ok. Anyway, I'd like to speak with this 'Nick' of yours. Care to introduce us?" Fred asked. Ginny narrowed her eyes.
"Not if you're going to, a.) threaten him, or b.) prank him. Actually, no, you can't, since I'm sure you would do something like that."
"You think I would do that to my dear sister's not-boyfriend? You wound me, Ginny," Fred said, fake-sniffing. He continued looking solemn until Ginny poked him in the ribs.
"Ha, gotcha," she said, laughing as he and George poked her repeatedly in the ribs.
"Stop it!" she panted. "You're going to give me bruises!"
"Now you know what it's like, dear sister!" George said, laughing. He stepped back, as did Fred.
"I really have to go," Ginny said, sounding only a tiny bit regretful. "Maybe I'll come back for tonight, or maybe I'll crash at Cammie or Nick's." She put on the charms that made her look like Livy James again (brown hair, grey eyes, no freckles). "Come on, Laura dear. We're going to visit some people."
Laura looked sadly from her drawing to Ginny and reluctantly threaded her way through the crowd of people to Ginny. Ginny scooped her up in her arms and stepped through the door that Hermione opened for her.
"Good luck," Hermione said before closing the door. Ginny sighed.
"It's just me and you now, Laura," she said. "Hold tight, love."
Ginny Apparated with Laura to a forest right behind a police station in Chicago. She entered the police station, Laura in her arms, and stood awkwardly in the middle of the entryway, unsure of where to go.
"Can I help you?" the man at the front desk asked lazily. Ginny walked up to him.
"Uhm… this little girl's family was killed last night in the Mortan Apartment Building massacre. I'm her neighbor; she lived two apartments down. I took her in for the night because no police officers were on the scene and we were both exhausted. We crashed at my friend's house," Ginny said, lying a little for the last bit.
"Come this way," the officer said, sounding bored. He led her to a room where Ginny and Laura sat and waited for what seemed like ages, Ginny stroking Laura's silky hair and staring into space, and Laura closing her eyes and snuggling into Ginny's lap. Finally, a police officer came into the room.
"Come with me," she said, leading Ginny and Laura to another room.
Ginny and the police officer talked for hours, Ginny repeating her story (minus the magic part) five times. Laura fell asleep in Ginny's lap. Finally, the police officer, after talking to more officers, came to a decision.
"The will that Laura's parents left does not specify the custody of the girl-"
"Can I adopt her?" Ginny asked eagerly. The officer shook her head.
"We already have a waiting list to adopt a young girl such as her. I'm sorry."
Ginny bit her lip and looked down at the sleeping child. She gently shook Laura to wake her up.
"Laura, hun, you have to go with these officers, OK? They'll take care of you. I can't take care of you anymore."
Laura looked up at Ginny with big brown eyes, ones that almost matched Ginny's own when she was in her normal form, and started to cry as she processed Ginny's words. "I don't wanna go," she sobbed.
"Shh, Laura, hun, you'll see me again, I promise," Ginny said, feeling her eyes mist up and a tear drip down her cheek. "Now be a big girl."
Laura only cried harder and attached herself to Ginny, little fists grabbing at the fabric of Ginny's T-shirt. Ginny pried her off and handed her, the little girl kicking and screaming, to the officer.
"I'll see you again, sweetie," Ginny said soothingly, touching the girl's arm softly. "It'll be OK."
To the police officer holding Laura, she said, "Can I visit her sometimes? Just occasionally; I won't try to take her away or anything."
"You would have to discuss that with her new parents," the officer said, "and we're not sure who they would be."
Ginny closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. This wasn't turning out the way she had planned it, at all. "What's the usual waiting time for a nine- or ten-year-old?"
"It is much less. You could probably adopt one as soon as you got your paperwork in. Would you like to?"
"No," Ginny said, her eyes fixed on Laura's screaming form. "I don't want to. The only child I would ever want is her."
"I'm know, but she's off limits right now."
"I understand. I'll be taking my leave, then," Ginny said, wiping away her tears. "I love you, Laura, and don't you dare forget that. Now stop crying. You can do this." And so can I, she thought as she turned around and walked through the station, escorted by another officer. As soon as she was out, she walked to the forest behind the station and Apparated to behind the trees in Cammie's yard in the suburbs of Chicago.
Knocking at Cammie's door, she wiped away the tears and smoothed down her hair, trying to make herself look somewhat presentable. The door was opened by not Cammie, but Nick. His eyes bugged out when he saw Ginny, and vice versa. Nick was missing his shirt.
You like? Again, I'm sorry if there are errors; I didn't have much time to look it over. In fact, after I write this, I have to get off and do my homework that's due Monday and Tuesday.
Birch Lake - funnest place ever. (yes, funnest.) Awesomest things: tubing (with Lauren, this little-kid cute seven year old girl; my little brother Michael; and myself – not at the same time, o'course. Lauren and I went together, and Michael and I went together, and I went alone. I flipped twice, but that's only because the waters were REALLY choppy and I was out of practice), adults dancing to 70's music (including La Bamba, which I played in Mariachi, the Hokey-Pokey, the chicken dance, and tons of others. The adults were all slightly drunk, to put it nicely, and they got pretty wild, which is on the verge of icky when they're all ages 40-60), the limbo contest (Ha, they were playing the limbo rock and I sang to it! And Kelsey, a seventh-grader, won. Go Kels!), the paper bag contest (amusing to watch, but makes you very sore. I'll explain it later if you want), and suicide pong (I'll explain if you want me to, but I don't want to make this AN too long. It already is, actually.)
So… yes. Before you yell at me, I DO know that that's definitely not how you drop off a child after their parents die, and that it would be illegal to do what Ginny did, but I needed it for the story. I claim creative license. I can't promise when the next update will be. Probably next weekend. I haven't been able to work on the sequel anymore because of school and because I've been trying to write this (very sad) short story about a girl whose sister gets leukemia. It's six pages right now handwritten and it only can be 1500 words, so that's a bit of a struggle, cutting it down. OK, I'm done. Sorry for the long author's note, I'm a very chatty person. I'll make them short next time, promise! Ciao!