Chapter 4: Goodbye Friends
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just enjoy playing with other peoples toys. Thank you JKR for sharing.
Ginny threw her shrunken trunk and Lily's diaper bag into the back of the little white Honda she had procured nearly a year ago. Closing the door with a snap she turned to survey the back of Mason's with sadness. This had become a home and Lyle, Brenda, and Camilla had become like family to her and Lily. Lily and Camilla waved at her from Lily's bedroom window. Camilla's eyes still looked puffy.
Unsurprisingly Camilla had cried and clutched Lily to her when Ginny had broken the news to her. The old Puerto Rican woman was not happy in the least to hear that they were leaving. Camilla, since losing her husband to colon cancer and her two children to a car accident, was broken hearted to see Ginny whom she treated as a daughter and Lily her adopted grandchild walk out of her life. "You can't go. I won't let you," she had told Ginny.
It gave Ginny a horrible pain in her heart to hurt the woman who had been there for her through thick and thin. When Lily got the chicken pox, Camilla was there. When Ginny had gotten the flu, Camilla had nursed her back to health. Ginny had curtains and quilts and Lily had lovely dresses because of Camilla's generosity. There had not been an holiday that Camilla had not been there. In fact Camilla had even been at Lily's birth and had held her left hand while Brenda held her right urging her to push harder. It was impossible to think of her life without her. They had met when Brenda made an appointment with her obstetrician to have Ginny and her unborn child checked out. Camilla was the receptionist at Doctor Heart's office.
"Brenda how nice to see you," Camilla said. "Not having another one are you?"
"No, not me," Brenda assured her. "This is Ginger she is our new waitress down at Mason's. She's about two months along she thinks. Ginger here is new in town and since she has no doctor . . ."
"Of course dear. Oh, yes here you are Ginger Weables?" Camilla interjected.
"Yes," Ginny had replied shyly.
"No need to be nervous honey. Doctor Heart is a wonderful woman. All of Brenda's brood came out okay didn't they?" Camilla joked. "It'll be just a couple minutes, go ahead and have a seat.
Over the next few months Camilla and Ginny had hit it off. Camilla happened to live only two miles south of Mason's and Ginny, having no friend or a car, had begun to take long slow walks around Blaine. Every time she passed Camilla's, when Camilla was home of course, Ginny had been asked inside and offered the woman's wonderful homemade treats. There in Camilla's living room their friendship grew as each woman reached out to the other. They both seemed to understanding the other's losses.
It was with then, with a heavy heart, that she waved up at the window both Lily and Camilla were watching her from before heading into the back door of the bar to break her bad news to her only other friends.
As predicted Lyle and Brenda were not thrilled with the news.
"We'll call the police if someone is bothering you. They'll take care of it," Lyle had tried to assure her.
Ginny shook her head pacing back and forth before the counter while Lyle and Brenda sat watching her from their respective stools.
"Lyle it isn't as simple as that. This person can't be stopped by the police. They want me dead, they want Lily. Brenda, you know that they killed Lily's father. The only way is for me to leave. You have to trust that I know what I'm doing. I know that I haven't given you much information," Ginny lowered her head sadly. "But, I can't. It isn't safe."
Lyle had turned to his wife with questioning eyes as Ginny pleaded with them to let her go no questions asked. He had not known that his wife had any information that she had kept from him.
"Ginger you know that whatever you need from us we'll do. Please let us help you." Lyle attempted.
"You can't help me. There are few that can," Ginny replied.
"She's right Lyle. What Ginny needs now is a whole herd of Aurors not a muggle and a middle aged witch."
An earsplitting silence followed Brenda's words. Both Ginny and Lyle starred at her, eyes wide and mouths slightly open.
"Witch?" Lyle questioned his wife as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"Brenda, what do you? How do you know my? You're a wi?" Ginny stammered unable to complete a single question.
"Well the game is up, I suppose now is as good a time as any to come out of the broom cupboard. I'm a witch. Yes Lyle, a witch. Close you mouth honey you're starting to drool," she said to her husband. "I know who you are Ginny because I have a subscription to Witch Weekly. There was a missing witch advertisement in there for nearly a year. People have been looking for you, you know. Did you think that your folks would just let you go without trying to find you? I know all about Harry, who he is, who doesn't, and I know about the attack. It was major news. In fact I even remember hearing the rumors that he was seeing someone a couple years back. They must have meant you. I've been living as a muggle or nearly as a muggle. Can't blame me for using a bit of magic when the husband isn't looking. Magic makes changing diapers so much easier," she said with a smile.
"Anyway," she plowed on. "I grew up around here where there aren't many witches and wizards. It was second nature to simply hide my heritage from Lyle. I wasn't sure how he would take it. Then when we started having children and they were magical I assumed that he would flip. How do you tell the father of your children that you have been keeping something like this from his for years and years?"
Brenda paused in her speech to turn on her stool and stare at her husband, who still looked awed. "Lyle, the kids having been going to the Washington Institute of Magic all these years not a special prep school. I am sorry honey but I never thought you'd understand if you knew," she told him.
Brenda kept looking at Lyle with fear in her eyes waiting for the explosion that never came. Lyle remained dumbstruck by the news, but Ginny still wanted a few more answers.
"Why didn't you say anything to me when you found out who I was? Why keep it a secret from another witch? You haven't told anyone that I'm here have you?"
"I didn't want you to run again. I felt you were safer here with us in this little piece of nowhere than out there trying to lose yourself amongst a bunch of muggles. I thought if I told you that I was part of the magical community you would take off again, seeing as how you wanted to be as far away from that scene as possible and no one knows you're here. I did however inform your parents anonymously that you are alive and safe," Brenda answered.
"You, you contacted my mum and dad?" Ginny asked weakly sinking down onto a bar stool beside her.
"Of course I did, being a mother myself I couldn't imagine being in their place so I tried to help a little." Brenda tried to explain. "Now it is time for you to answer a few questions for me."
"Oh no," Ginny thought as Brenda stared her down once more bearing a striking resemblance to Mrs. Weasley.
"What exactly do you intend on doing? Where do you imagine you'll go? Don't you think you would do better to stop running and take a little help? You can't run from place to place for the rest of your life. It isn't good for you or Lily and I'm sure that it would only take a couple floo calls to get a whole load of people here that are more than willing to help you out of this situation."
Ginny winced as Brenda spoke, knowing that what she was saying was true, and still she didn't know why she refused to accept any help.
"Honey, letting people know about Lily won't put her in anymore danger than she is right now. Seeing as how the Death Eaters seem to know about her already it can't hurt to let her grandparents know she's alive." Brenda tried to reason with her. "And, it won't make what Harry and you had any less special if you share it with others."
Ginny's sight began to grow fuzzy as her eyes glazed over with tears. Brenda had spoken the truth, things that Ginny had not allowed herself to dwell on these past years. Looking at the older woman, who was beginning to tear up as well, Ginny nodded to her finally acknowledging everything she had been running from. It hadn't just been from Death Eaters, but from the loss of her one true love and the father of her child.
He placed a hand on Brenda's shoulder giving it a small squeeze. Brenda in turn placed her hand on his in an unspoken understanding. "What do we need to do now?" Lyle asked the two crying women.
"Wait," Ginny said suddenly. "I'm not ready to make those calls yet. Can we, well can we wait until after we close? It's the middle of the night at home anyway. I don't want the first call from me in over two years to be so, so . . ." she tried to finish.
"No problem kiddo," Lyle said giving her a quick hug to show his acceptance and willingness to help.
"When did you get to be such a wonderful man?" Brenda asked her husband.
"When I married the witch of my dreams," Lyle answered pulling his wife into his arms and placing a warm kiss on her lips.
"I hate to break this up but, it's nearly time to open," Ginny advised them.
"I knew you were my best employee for a reason," Lyle quipped breaking away from Brenda and heading behind the bar to retrieve his keys.
"You do have your wand with you," Brenda asked Ginny quietly pulling her aside as Lyle went to unlock the establishment's doors.
"Yes," Ginny confirmed.
"Good, I'm sure we'll be fine but I'd much rather know that we are prepared if anything happens," said Brenda.
Seeing the stricken look on Ginny's face she said, "I'm sure it will be fine. If someone were going to attack you and kidnap Lily I'm sure they would rather do it without too much of a scene. The authorities would be on them too quickly if they just rampaged in here and started firing stunners."
"I hope your right," Ginny said through the lump in her throat.
The bar filled with the usual people as the night progressed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and everyone including Lyle was acting completely normal. This surprised Ginny quite a bit considering the news he had just heard. She marveled at his quick acceptance of the new world he had been plunged into. Ginny steered herself towards the back of the bar to a table holding a solitary figure.
"What can I get you?" Ginny asked when she had reached the customer.
"Whiskey," replied the man who was wearing a dark sweatshirt and a Mariner's baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
"One whiskey on the way up," Ginny replied as she headed off back to the bar slightly wary of the odd man.
"Keep your eye out on the table in the back, I'm getting a funny vibe," Ginny whispered to Brenda who was headed in the opposite direction.
Brenda straightened her apron, where Ginny knew her wand was hidden, before nodding and heading off to help a couple old timers hollering for their beers.
"You doing okay Ginger? I mean Ginny?" You do want me to call you by your given name right? I don't know this is all so . . ." Lyle said.
"Ginny is just fine. One whiskey please," she told Lyle as she placed her tray on the bar.
"Ugh, out of whiskey," Lyle said reaching for the bottle behind him. "I'll run in the back and get some. Hold tight," he said as he disappeared through the swinging door to the back room.
"Don't move," came man's voice.
Ginny drew quick breath as she felt the sharp point of a wand in the middle of her back. Her knees quivered as she tried to regain her courage. She had to reach her wand. She had to. Slowly Ginny allowed her hand to drift downwards towards her apron and her wand.
"I don't think so Weasley. Not another move."
"What the hell is going on?" Lyle demanded as he returned with Ginny's whiskey and quickly surveyed the scene before him.
"This is none of your business muggle," replied the man through gritted teeth.
Lyle looked as if he was about to bound over the counter to attack the man but Ginny sensing this said warningly. "Lyle, no stay where you are."
"Wise move Weasley. Now come with me and we'll go see that lovely daughter of yours."
"STUPEFY!"