Chapter 2: The Stranger At The Door
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just enjoy playing with other peoples toys. Thank you JKR for sharing.
"Hey Ginger! Can we get another round over here?" Called Tom Buxton a regular at Mason's.
Ginny waved at him over the crowded smoke filled room calling, "On the way Tom."
She hurried up to the bar where Lyle and his wife Brenda were hurriedly filling glass after glass from their many taps. "Three MGD's for Tom and his friends," she informed Lyle.
Wiping the balding spot on his forehead with the blue bandana he kept in his pocket Lyle nodded at Ginny as he filled the glasses. "It's crazy tonight. A game and a bachelor party. I don't think I've seen this place this crowded since the Mariners were in the playoffs. You keeping up okay? I'd send Brenda out to help you, but I'm barely managing myself," he told Ginny as he handed her the drinks.
"I'm doing just fine. I just wish the guys with the bachelor party would stop asking me if I'd strip for them," she told Lyle
Lyle's normally kindly face turned red as he shouted, "WHAT! Listen Ginger you know you don't have to put up with that kind of crap. Let me know if you want me to send 'em packing."
Ginny loaded up her tray while putting Lyle at ease, "Nah, Lyle. I can handle them fine. Besides I've been getting nearly five dollars a drink out of them. I can put up with the flirting as long as they keep their hands to themselves."
She hefted the tray in the air and took off across the bar skillfully maneuvering around the tables and patrons. This job was second nature to her now. She even enjoyed herself most of the time, but tonight her mind kept wandering back to Lily as she emptied the ash trays and delivered drinks. Her daughter had so many nightmares Ginny had trouble keeping count. Ginny had tried her best to work out what the dreams were about but Lily was either unable or unwilling to express herself. Although she was frustrated by this, Ginny couldn't blame Lily for keeping quiet. She wasn't about to tell anyone about her dreams either. There had been countless times the Lily had woken her mother from the nightmare that plagued her.
"Ginger!" Ginny was pulled out of her musings by Brenda's voice calling her over the crowd. "Phone! It's Camilla."
Ginny ducked behind the bar and took the receiver from Brenda pressing it against one ear while covering the other to block out the noise. "Ginger, I hate to bother you but a strange man came to the door just now. He wanted to see you. I told him you were at work so he left. He said he'd be back later. I asked him his name but he wouldn't give it." Camilla said in a rush.
"What did the man look like?" Ginny pressed Camilla.
"I never saw his face. He had a hooded sweatshirt on and he kept the hood up the whole time I was talking to him." Camilla answered.
Trying not to panic Ginny burst out, "And you opened the door to him!"
"Of course not!" Camilla retorted. "I talked to him through the door as I watched him through the key hole."
With a breath of relief Ginny told Camilla to be sure the door was locked and to call immediately if anything else happened. Who had that man been? Immediately she thought of a death eater, but it couldn't have been a death eater. They couldn't have found her. Trying to reassure herself she returned to work anxious for the rest of the night to go quickly. Ginny spent the rest of the night in a heightened state of alert, afraid that at any moment she would see a flash of red light aimed at her or hear Lily's scream as she was carried away by masked men in black robes. Ginny shuddered as these thoughts crossed her mind. She shook herself trying to concentrate on her job.
As last call came and went the bar emptied and Lyle slumped onto a bar stool, once again, swiping at his glistening forehead. "You did great tonight kid. Don't think I could have done it without ya." Lyle praised Ginny.
"What about me? I would say I worked my tail off too. I'm beat." Brenda said with a smile sitting down beside her husband and lifting her long dark hair off the back of her neck.
"That's better," she sighed as she fanned herself. "What did Camilla want tonight Ginger?"
"Somebody came to the door she didn't recognize." Ginny replied wondering how much she could safely tell them without prompting too many questions.
"What did he want?" Lyle asked.
"Don't really know she didn't say. I guess I'll get to ask her as soon as we get this place cleaned up." Ginny replied.
"Go on home, check on that sweet little girl of yours, and talk to Camilla. Me and the big man will do the clean up ourselves tonight." Brenda offered looking concerned.
With a sigh of relief Ginny accepted. "I'm sure everything is fine but I would love to get home soon to be sure. Thanks. You are way too good to me."
"Are you sure I'm not putting you out?" Ginny questioned Lyle as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her to get in.
"Not at all. My best waitress just quit and the apartment above the bar has been empty for over a year now." Lyle replied. "It will take a couple days to clean up the place but you can stay with me and my wife Brenda till you can get settled."
"Thank you. You are being too good to me." Ginny replied.
"Ginger, can I ask you a few questions?" He asked her as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Ginny knew this had been coming and she didn't know what to tell him. She hadn't worked out a full story yet and after her little Ginger improvisation she was worried she may make a mess of the situation.
"I know your English and that your name is Ginger but I don't know anything else about you. What's your last name?" Lyle asked.
"Wea-Weables." She shot out.
"Weables?" Lyle questioned.
Ginny nodded looking at her toes and mentally smacking herself for such a stupid answer. Normally she was quite a good liar. What was wrong with her now?
"So, Ginger Weables, what is your story?"
"Story?" Ginny asked innocently.
"Yes, your story. What is a young girl doing traveling between continents with nobody else and only a few dollars to her name?"
Ginny sighed and began to spin her yarn hoping that she would not give herself away too much. "Well, I'm seventeen and I used to live in . . . in London with my parents. I found out I was pregnant so they kicked me out. So, I decided to come to America to start a new life," Ginny finished.
She was quite please with her story and it wasn't all a lie. Ginny had been wondering how she was going to tell Lyle that she was pregnant. If she was going to work for him he would have to know. But then, what if he withdrew his offer of work because she was pregnant?
"What about the father? Couldn't he help you when your parents kicked you out?" Lyle asked her frowning.
Unbidden Ginny's eyes began to well up with tears. "He's dead," she answered quietly.
"I'm sorry," Lyle grunted uncomfortably aware that he had made the young girl cry with his prying.
He liked Ginger and he was sure Brenda would as well. She definitely needed a hand what with a baby on the way and no money or family in a foreign country. He pulled out his favorite blue bandana and offered it to Ginny. She took it dabbing at her eyes.
"Pregnant. Brenda with be tickled pink. She loves babies. We have four kids. Two boys and two girls. I'm sure Brenda can set you up with plenty of baby stuff when the time comes."
Ginny let out a sigh of relief at Lyle's reaction to her pregnancy.
Ginny sat on the couch in her living room, after sending Camilla home for the night, trying to remain calm. A lump caught in her throat as she wondered who her unknown visitor could have been. "Who could possibly have found me?" Ginny questioned herself silently.
"Nobody that's who," she confirmed aloud as though this would make it true.
Going into her room she rummaged inside her underwear drawer till she found her wand. With a deep breath she moved back into the living room and began to add protective charms to the apartment.
It felt odd to hold the thin piece of wood in her hand since she hadn't had it out in over a year. She was afraid someone had found them then as well. She had been wrong that time just as she hoped she would be wrong this time. A new customer at the bar had been asking too many questions and seemed to appear where ever she happened to be. Ginny had carried her wand afraid he was really a death eater in disguise come to take Lily from her. It had turned out that he was merely trying to pluck up the courage to ask her out. She had declined then just as she had always done. Lyle and Brenda couldn't understand why she refused to date and she had never really explained her reasoning. Instead she told them she didn't want to upset Lily by bringing an unknown man into her life. They accepted this explanation reluctantly, aware that Lily was a very sensitive child who didn't like change. Ginny knew the real reason and kept it locked deep in her heart. Harry. She still loved him and could not see sharing her life with any other man.
Ginny laughed at herself miserably remembering the fateful day that brought them together.
"Hey, Gin how are you?" Harry called across the street.
It was the last Hogsmeade weekend of her seventh year and Ginny was about to enter the Three Broomsticks pub for a butter beer when Harry had caught her attention. She had never really gotten over him, but of course no one knew that. She went on about her life as if he was nothing but a friend to her. She even tried to refrain from owling him too often so no one got suspicious.
With a wave Ginny beckoned Harry to join her.
"It's great to see you. Haven't heard from you in a while." Harry said as they entered the pub.
"Communication is a two way street. Do you expect me to do all the owling?" She asked him with a small smile.
"You know I'm no good at that, you're much better. I'll get us a couple butter beers." Harry told her as he trotted off to the bar.
Ginny found them a table and waited for Harry to join her with the drinks.
"Thanks," she told him as she sipped the warm liquid.
Six butter beers and five shots of fire whiskey later the conversation had taken an unusual turn.
"So, who are you dating now?" Harry asked Ginny as he arranged his five empty shot glasses into a pyramid in front of him.
"Nobody at the moment. Why, you want to ask me out?" Ginny snorted as she finished her fifth butter beer.
"I've been thinking about it. You're quite pretty. Everything seems to be in the right places. Hell, why not. Ginny Weasley will you go out with me?" Harry slurred at her.
Ginny's jaw dropped as she looked at him. She knew it had to be the effects of the alcohol that had prompted him to ask her out, but she had been dreaming of this for years. Throwing caution to the wind Ginny leaned over the table and planted a light kiss right on his lips. Pulling away she looked into Harry's eyes wondering what he was thinking. She didn't have long to wonder however. Harry had reached out for her pulling her into to him all the while staring at her as if he had never seen her before. Drawing her into his lap he captured her lips with his. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life. Neither seemed to realize that they were in a pub full of students and other patrons until a raucous group of fifth years boys began to cat call at them. Harry pulled away suddenly at the sound, stood up nearly sending Ginny falling to the floor, and grabbing her hand had pulled her from the pub.
Harry led her to the shrieking shack in silence without releasing her. He pulled out his wand and blasted one of the boarded up windows hoisting her inside before following.
"Ginny," Harry whispered huskily before enveloping her in his arms and bringing his lips to hers.
Her hands were in his hair running through the thick black mass. His hands roamed along her back leaving a trail of heat as he ran them along her neck and back before coming to rest on her bum. He grasped her tightly pressing himself into her. Ginny moaned into his mouth at the feel of him against her. Their kiss deepened as their passion began to spiral out of control. Harry's hands were everywhere making Ginny's nerve endings pulse with every beat of her heart. She willed him to continue, to take her, and make her his own.
They lay on an old dusty coverlet breathing as though they had both run a marathon. Harry lay with his eyes shut unspeaking while Ginny watched him, her head on his chest. Neither had spoken since they had entered the house and Ginny was beginning to fear what Harry might say. What if he told her it was all a mistake and apologized? She didn't think she could bear it. She loved him and wanted with all her heart for him to love her back. Her need to know his feelings and her fear of rejection battled between themselves in the silence.
Then into the silence he spoke. "I Love you Ginny."
One month later Ginny was sitting at the leaving feast. Her final feast. She felt both very sad and very excited. It was difficult to say goodbye to a place that had been like home for seven years yet she was in love and couldn't wait to start her life with Harry. She was going to see him the very next day. In fact they were going to be informing her family of their relationship at Ginny's welcome home dinner. Ginny only hoped her brothers would go easy on Harry. Just the thought of him made her smile even though the last week had been rather difficult for her. She hadn't been feeling her best and she couldn't put her finger on the cause. It wasn't like a cold. It was more like a stomach bug.
When Professor Dumbledore dismissed the students she decided to visit Madam Pomfrey. She wanted to be at her best when she saw Harry the next day. Madam Pomfrey was filing paperwork when Ginny knocked on her office door.
"Come in Miss Weasley. What can I do for you?" She had asked.
"I haven't been feeling very well," Ginny began her explanation.
Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over the length of Ginny's body and a slight frown formed on her face. "Miss Weasley I'm afraid you're pregnant," the nurse informed her.
"Pregnant?" Ginny asked incredulously.
"Yes, pregnant. Only a month." Madam Pomfrey confirmed.
Ginny left the infirmary and headed back to Gryffindor tower in a state of shock. How was she going to tell Harry? They weren't ready for this. They hadn't made any long term commitments to one another. They hadn't even had one conversation since the shrieking shack. Their relationship to that point had only consisted of daily owls apart from the Hogsmeade incident. The thought of telling him he was going to be a father was terrifying at best. She began to envision all the possible reactions Harry may have. Ginny shook herself trying to remain calm what she had to do was going to be difficult but not impossible. Even if Harry was upset she was sure he would be there for her.
"I'll simply have to get him alone tomorrow night and tell him. It isn't going to be the easiest conversation to have but at least I can tell him in person rather than by owl," she told herself.