Only Half-Weasley
Prologue- Part 2
A/N: Dear All: I lied. There will be three parts to this prologue. Why? Because this prologue is so long that I can't finish it in just one chapter. I have to have three now. Don't worry, though! I'm working as fast as I can on the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this for now )
"Do you think I look fat, Alex?" Ginny called from the bathroom, eyeing herself in the mirror. She pulled at her pants which tugged a little at the waist.
Alex was standing in the closet, fixing his tie, when Ginny asked the loaded question. He glanced at his wife's miserable expression and replied good-naturedly, "Of course not, Gin-bug. You look like an angel."
Ginny rolled her eyes at his comment and turned back to her reflection in the mirror. "Maybe it was all the biscuits I've been making," Ginny thought out loud.
"Possibly," Alex answered, a teasing smile playing on his lips. He looked over at his wife and his smile turned into a grin as he saw Ginny's expression change from curiosity to anger.
"You're not supposed to agree!" Ginny glared at him, putting the finishing touches on her hair.
Alex raised his hands in the air and stood in the doorway of the bathroom. "You asked, Gin!" Alex defended himself. "What do you want me to do? Lie? Besides, why are you concerned if you gained a little weight? You're thin enough as it is."
Ginny took a last look at herself in the mirror before she turned off the light and grabbed her coat. "Oh, I don't know," she sighed, slipping her shoes on. "I have been so stressed lately that I think it might be catching up to me."
Alex caught her in his arms and kissed her passionately. "You're letting your imagination run away with you again," Alex assured her. "You're absolutely beautiful. Are you feeling alright, though? You do look pale."
Ginny felt the pit of her stomach squirm from the eggs and toast she ate earlier. "It might just be the food. I think those eggs were outdated," Ginny excused. "Maybe I have food poisoning or something."
"Then you should probably stay home from work," Alex suggest with concern in his eyes. "You could have that nasty flu that's been going around. I've had several patients come into my office this week with symptoms and I'm speculating another busy month."
Ginny looked sadly at the thought of having the flu. "I'll go into work and if I'm not feeling good, I'll come home," she compromised.
Alex nodded and kissed her on the forehead. "Call me if you do go home early. The last thing I want is for you being sick!"
Ginny giggled and pushed him out the door. Once she knew he was safely on his way to work, she grabbed her black robes from the closet and apparated to the Ministry where she worked in the Department of Mysteries. She had just gotten to her desk when her department head came in and tossed a few files on her desk. After reading the contents, Ginny presumed that it was going to be a busy day and one she didn't want to put off just because she was feeling a bit ill. The morning went by safely enough and when it came time for lunch, Ginny found Ron and Hermione eating lunch at the cafeteria.
"Hey, Gin," Ron smiled at his sister while Hermione embraced her. Ginny felt the weird sensation to vomit all over the pair, but used all her strength to keep it in. "Are you feeling alright? You look a little…green."
"No, I'm alright! Honest," Ginny lied, taking a bite of her salad. "Never mind, I'm not anymore." Ginny raced to the bathroom and in a few seconds, Hermione was kneeling beside her.
"Are you alright, Gin?" Hermione asked softly.
"Oh definitely!" Ginny answered sarcastically. "I just like to barf my brains out because I enjoy the feeling!"
"Come on, Ginny: let's take you to see the nurse," Hermione pulled Ginny off the ground and led her towards the door down the hall that read "Health Center."
The witch at the desk looked uninterested as she admitted the two into one of the private rooms and left them there. In a few, long minutes, a woman with graying hair and a bouncing personality walked in.
"Well, hello there, ladies! Fancy seeing you two in here!" the woman greeted them. She sat down in a chair opposite of Hermione and Ginny and looked at them skeptically. "Now, what seems to be the problem? You two look in perfect health."
"I look like I'm perfect health?" Ginny burst, her brown eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "I've got a headache, my nose is running, I just threw up in the bathroom, and I'm so green, I could blend in with the grass outside if I wanted to! What do you mean, I 'look like I'm in perfect health'?"
The woman scowled at Ginny, and turned to Hermione. "Well, it looks like your friend here has mono."
"What?" Hermione asked, shocked.
The woman nodded, pulling out two potions. "Either that, or she's pregnant."
"What?" Ginny cried.
The two sisters exchanged horrified looks. "You have mono!" Hermione cried.
"I'm pregnant!" Ginny answered.
The woman got up and handed the two clear, potions to Ginny. "Take this twice a day and you should be back on your feet in no time," the woman advised and stood up. "Well, I would love to stay and chat with you girls, but I have other patients waiting. Good luck! Get well soon!"
Ginny and Hermione followed the nurse out, both too stunned to speak. The woman walked into the next room where a wizard stood waiting impatiently.
"So, what seems to be the matter?" the woman asked while Ginny and Hermione passed by.
The wizard cleared his throat and said, "Well, I got hexed really badly…"
"Oh!" the woman cried in surprise. "Well, you must have mono; either that or your pregnant. Take these two potions and you should be ok."
"Excuse me…?" the man answered, just as astounded as Ginny and Hermione were to hear it.
Ginny looked at Hermione, "Is she crazy?"
Hermione grinned evilly. "I think she's a quack. Well, I guess we've learned a lesson here: never go to the ministry health center."
Ginny laughed softly, but a haunted look still filled her face at the prospect of having mono and being pregnant. Deep down in her heart, she hoped the woman was wrong…absolutely wrong. "She had to be wrong! She just told a wizard that he was pregnant! That's not even possible! I hope..."Ginny thought fearfully.
Hermione eyed the potion in Ginny hand. "That stuff is still powerful, Gin," Hermione informed. "We use that for some illnesses. If you do have something, that stuff should take it out pretty quick. I suggest that you go home and take that potion."
Ginny nodded in agreement and turned to her sister, "Why didn't you just treat me, Hermione? You're a training healer, after all."
"Key word there: training. I'm not authorized to make treatments without a supervisor," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "Now, get a move on. If you get worse, just send me an owl."
Hermione left Ginny in front of her office, and made her way back to the Cafeteria. Ginny watched her friend's retreating back disappear in the elevator before she walked into her office. The folders were still sitting on her desk, waiting to be filled with random information that even Ginny couldn't figure out what it was for. This is common, though, when you are an Unspeakable. Most of these files could wait until the next day if needed and Ginny felt uneasy about staying longer with her stomach churning again. Leaving a note on the Department Head's desk, Ginny decided to take both Hermione and Alex' advice and go home.
The house was quiet when Ginny appeared as she expected. She picked up the phone and dialed Alex's cell, but only to get his voice mail. "Alex," she grumbled, hanging the phone back up. "Here you want me to call you and you're phone is off! I wish I could just send you an owl. I know that would get your attention."
Ginny felt her heart drop when she thought of owls. In marrying Alex, she had left most of the magical world behind her. Many of the conveniences that she grew up with were now only memories next to the labor that she put into keeping this house up. Next to that, it made it very hard to keep in touch with her family because an owl is the least likely thing a Muggle expect to show up at their door. Ginny's only connection with the Magical world was through her job at the ministry. Finding that she could hardly describe her world to Alex, let alone magic, she explained her job as working with a private company that emphasized in privacy. It wasn't entirely a lie and it kept Alex from questioning her work further.
Once relaxed on the couch, Ginny drank both potions in three gulps and instantly felt the drowsy side effects kick in. Her eyes drooping and her stomach feeling much worse, Ginny fell into a deep sleep that she didn't come out of until a few hours later when she heard Alex calling her name and felt him sit on her feet.
"Ow!" Ginny cried, feeling her legs crunch against each other underneath his weight. "Alex, go away!" Ginny hid her face in her pillow and took a deep breath.
"Why didn't you call me, Gin?" Alex asked with concern, running his hands through her soft, red hair.
Ginny groaned as a brown eye peeked out from its hiding place in the pillow. "I did call you! You have got to stop leaving your phone off!" Ginny cried.
"I'm sorry about that, Gin-bug," Alex apologized. "I had an emergency patient and didn't want any interruptions. Forgive me?"
"I could forgive you if I didn't have mono and I wasn't pregnant!" Ginny answered, turning her head to face her husband. "I threw up at lunch today! Guess what the nurse told me? 'You probably have mono- either that, or you're pregnant.' Then she said the same thing to the next man!"
Alex snickered a little, kissing Ginny's forehead. "The woman is obviously a quack!" Alex excused.
"But, Alex, I still don't know what's wrong with me and I feel awful! The pot- I mean, medicine that she gave me isn't working. What am I going to do?" she whined, rubbing her eyes. "Can't you prescribe something for me? Can't you make my headache go away?"
"Ginny," Alex chuckled as he sat back on the couch and released his weight from Ginny's legs. "I'll take you tomorrow to see another doctor, but you know that I can't prescribe anything without knowing what's wrong with you."
The red-haired girl moaned and rubbed her face in her pillow. "How about ibuprofen?"
"You know, Gin, you can't take that if you're pregnant," Alex teased, getting up from the couch.
"Give it to me," Ginny demanded, holding out her hand. "If I'm as sick and pregnant as the quack told me then I should be able to stand ten of those stupid, little pills."
"These stupid, little pills might save your headache," Alex reminded her, dropping two into her hand. "However, ten might render you unconscious and we can't risk that, can we?"
"Do you want to be unconscious?" Ginny threatened.
"Than again, I guess the world will go round if Ginny isn't awake to see it," said Alex quickly, putting the bottle of ibuprofen back into the bathroom cabinet and settling in the kitchen to make dinner. In a few short minutes, the wonderful smell of chicken soup filled the room, but Ginny's unconscious body could hardly enjoy the smell. Ginny didn't notice either when Alex carefully picked up his lovely wife and rested her body on her side of the bed, her head comfortably placed on the pillow. "I love you, Gin-bug," he whispered in her ear.
When the clock sounded an alarm loud enough to wake the city, Ginny pulled her aching body to sit up in bed. "I'm not feeling any better, Alex," Ginny said, falling backwards into her comfortable pillow.
"Well, if you get up, I'll take you to see Dr. G," Alex answered brightly as if he was offering a real treat.
"That's not funny," she mumbled, pulling the sheets over her to protect her eyes from the bathroom light.
Alex walked over and pulled the sheets off of her and left her body to shiver in the cooler air around her. "I know you're feeling awful, Angel, but if you want to get better, you need to see a doctor. I know a few people who will be happy to take care of you, now come on!"
Ginny rolled over unconsciously off the bed and her body hit the solid floor with a boom. "Alright, I'm getting up," she announced, getting up off the floor despite the aching pain all over her body, "but if they can't help me, Alexander, then you will be to blame!"
"Then I'll take the blame," said Alex, watching his wife struggle to get dress. He was worried about her condition, but at the same time, he knew it couldn't be life-threatening as mono.
At eight o'clock, the two arrived at the office of Alex's friend and former co-worker, Dr. Gregory Batson. Greg and Alex had met while the two were in residency and became the best of friends, even while both started their own health clinics.
"Alex!" Greg greeted his old friend. "It's good to see you! Oh, and this must be your new bride? It's pleased to meet you." Greg held out his hand for Ginny, who just looked at it like he was crazy.
Alex, seeing Ginny's odd expression and discomfort, said, "We're not here for a social chat, Greg. Ginny has come down with something and the quack she talked to last night gave her a load of BS. She's now under the fear that she's pregnant and that she has mono, along with a few other guys she works with."
Greg snorted. "Is that all? Looks more like the flu to me, but let's have a look if you don't mind. And if will put your mind at ease, then you can take a pregnancy test to ensure that you're not pregnant."
Ginny smiled at the young doctor as she and Alex followed him into another private room, similar to the one at the ministry. After a few minutes of being poked, hit, and suffocated, Ginny was finished with her physical exam and Greg pulled his stethoscope out of his ears. "Like I said, it looks like another case of the flu, Alex," Greg announced, pulling out his prescription pad. "It's nothing to worry about yet. She's young and otherwise healthy, so a few of these pills and a shot could fix her right up. Do you want to take a pregnancy test, Ginny?"
Ginny looked quite confused at both Greg and Alex. "A what?"
"You know, a device that will determine if you are pregnant," Alex explained. Ginny still looked lost as to how she was to test for a pregnancy by the Muggle standard. She knew in the wizarding world, the technique was a lot simpler…but she had only been introduced to the real Muggle world only a year ago and some things were still new to her. "Come on, Gin, I'll take you to the bathroom."
Ginny looked from Greg to Alex and then followed the latter out of the room. After fifteen long minutes, both returned to the room with pales faces. Greg looked anxiously at both of them, waiting for them to speak. "Well?"
"She's pregnant," Alex declared with an uneasy laugh. "I'm going to be dad."
"That's great, mate!" Greg congratulated him, patting him on the back.
Ginny smiled wanly and looked to Greg with more concern in written on her face. "What about my flu? Am I still getting medicine to get rid of it?"
Greg looked down at his prescription pad and ripped up the note. "Sorry, Ginny, but these medications could harm the baby. Try riding this out for a few days and if you still feel awful, come back to see me next Wednesday."
Ginny's face fell as she followed Alex out of the office and into their car. "Ride this out!" she cried in exasperation. "I'm already drowning as it is! Why does he think we came there: for a social visit?"
"Ginny, calm down, it's not all that bad," Alex tried to comfort her, but instead receiving death glares. "Alright, so maybe it is. But as a doctor, I know that any of those medications could be harmful not just to the baby, but you, too. I care about you, Gin."
"I sure hope so," Ginny grumbled, patting her stomach. "You'll be a target for a bat-bogey hex if you don't."
"What?" Alex glanced at her in confusion.
"Never mind," Ginny sighed. "Just get me home."
BANG! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Hours after her visit with Dr. Batson that morning, Ginny had been getting some much needed sleep when an awful banging sound caused her small headache to throb. "Merlin's beard, please stop!" Ginny yelled in pain. "I'm coming!"
When she opened the door, however, it was to a rude surprise: Harry Potter stood in the door way, smiling and looking as hopeful as Ginny remembered a few weeks ago on his birthday. "Ginny," he greeted.
"Harry," Ginny groaned. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you ok?" Harry asked anxiously, examining her pale face, red eyes, and messy hair.
Ginny chuckled, pulling her blanket around her. "I wish," she muttered. "I've got the flu. I would invite you in, but I don't think you want-"
"It's alright, I'll come in," Harry interrupted her and stepped into the house. He looked around the living room and then over at the kitchen, all which were neat and clean the way Alex liked them. "This house is wonderful."
"Thanks," Ginny smiled. "I get help."
"You do?" Harry looked over at her.
Ginny winced, wishing she could have slapped herself in the face. "Of course, he doesn't know about Alex," Ginny thought to herself. "Why did I have to say that?"
"You know, magic," Ginny lied, instantly feeling guilty.
Harry nodded looking at the pictures on the mantle above the fireplace. "Who are the people in these pictures? Are they from Hogwarts?" Harry asked, looking at the pictures of Ginny and Alex and his family.
Ginny bit her lip and sat on the couch, "No, they're not," she announced. "The only person from Hogwarts in those pictures is me."
Harry's green eyes met Ginny's guilty ones and he picked up on the conflict going on under the mat of red hair. "Who are they, Gin?" Harry asked.
"It's…oh, how do I say this to you?" Ginny cried, tears coming down her eyes.
"You don't have to say anything," Harry responded quickly, sitting across from her. "It was only a question."
Ginny shook her head and her brown eyes peered at him between her fingers. "No, I have to tell you; you have a right to know," Ginny wiped her face. "He's my husband."
Harry felt the wave of shock vibrate up and down his body. When he came to see Ginny, he had intentions of possibly rekindling what they had before he left. Now, he wasn't sure how to act. "You're…married?" he replied with a very lost expression.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," Ginny apologized, trying to wipe away her tears as fast as possible. "I should have told you that first night a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't do it- I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to see you disappointed."
Harry stared at Ginny in silence, at lost for anything to say. When he finally retrieved his thoughts, they were outraged: angry at Ginny, angry at himself, angry at everything that had ever happened to him to bring him to this point. "I have only been gone for a year and already you run off and get married to another man! Did you wait a week to make sure that I wouldn't come back? Or did you get married that night?"
Ginny flinched at his outburst, but the energy renewed her strength to continue. "No, I waited eight months!" she retorted, staring him straight in the eye with equal anger.
"Eight months? That sure is a long time, Gin," Harry said sarcastically.
"You shouldn't be talking, Harry Potter," Ginny answered, turning bright red, "because you didn't even have interest in me before that! All you cared about was your job and Ron and Hermione! Well, what about me? What was I supposed to do? Waste my life while you go have a party?"
"I did care about you! I still do! Why in the world would you think I didn't?"
"Because you were never around to support me, Harry," said Ginny, her voice lowering, "and I have always supported you no matter what. After we came back from the war, I supported you when you went into Auror training. Even when you dropped that, I still supported you. But you never cared what I did and not once, did you ever take more interest in me than as a friend. That's what matters, Harry. We haven't dated since that last year in Hogwarts and after being out of that for fours years, I think I have the right to go on with my life."
The two sat in silence, both looking uncomfortably at the other. Harry felt defeat fill the pit of his stomach as he watched the girl he had been in love with close the door on his life. Without entirely realizing what he was doing, Harry stood up and headed for the door. "Well, looks like you made your decision, Gin," Harry said bitterly. "Now, I'm making mine. Bye, Gin." The door shut behind him with a bang that rung in Ginny's ears. Their conversation had lasted less than fifteen minutes and already everything was over.
Ginny could have run after Harry, apologized from the bottom of her heart and promised to dump Alex and only love Harry ever after. Ginny also could have yelled at him as he stormed out the door. However, the Ginny that was laying on the couch that moment was too tired to do either. Her head hurt and her fever was high enough that she felt like she would catch on fire at any moment. Ginny didn't want to ever think about this conversation for the rest of her life, but she also knew better. She knew that the day will come when she will have to face Harry again and hopefully for Harry, this day won't come for a long time.
Ginny fell into the cushions of the couch and closed her eyes. Sleep didn't come easy, but once it did, Ginny hoped that she would never have to wake up.