Hammers and Sprites

A loud noise brings Ginny out of her office and into the coffee shop. What surprises will be waiting for her there?

Written for Marvelously Magical FanFiction's Enchanted Wonders 2018 Collection

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Ginny Weasley

Enchanted Item/Spell: Mjolnir

Word Prompt: Hot Chocolate

CRASH

Ginny looked up from the ledger she was trying to decipher as a loud noise carried through the coffee shop. "What have they broken now?" she muttered as she headed for the front of the store.

She was not expecting to see a large hammer in the middle of the floor and a large hole in her ceiling. "Fantastic! Just what I need to start my week. I guess I had better call in a repair squad for the roof and figure out where this hammer came from."

Ginny walked over to the large hammer in the center of her coffee shop and tried to lift it. She thought it would be heavy, but she was not expecting it to feel like it was glued to the floor. "This is not right. I think Harry may have to look into this one."

Three phone calls and ten minutes later, Ginny still had no clue what to do with the hammer in the middle of her floor.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the owner of this coffee shop," A dark haired man interrupted Ginny's thoughts. "I'm here to talk to her about a hammer."

"That would be me," Ginny reached out her hand to introduce herself. "Ginny Weasley. And you are?"

"Bucky Barnes, ma'am. I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D." The stranger shook Ginny's hand and looked around the coffee shop. "We received a call from a Mr. Harry Potter about an immovable hammer falling through your ceiling."

"Thank you for coming so quickly." Ginny took a step towards the object in question and shrugged her shoulders. "Can you get rid of this thing for me?"

Bucky looked over the damage in the coffee shop and sighed. "Unfortunately, no. There is only one person who can pick that thing up and I have no idea where he is. I'd like to know how that dang thing got here."

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Ginny pointed at the large hammer sitting in the middle of her coffee shop. "It is not my fault it fell out of the sky and no one can move it, but I cannot have customers falling over it when they try to get their coffee."

"I have no idea." Bucky shook his head and looked around the room. "Was anyone hurt when it dropped through the ceiling?"

"No, most people here have personal protection charms." Ginny sighed. "Who are you again?"

"Bucky Barnes, Ms. Weasley." Bucky cleared his throat and looked around the shop. "Is there anything S.H.I.E.L.D. can do to help you repair your shop?"

"Please call me Ginny. A few of my brothers and Harry will be here in about thirty minutes. With the magic between the three of them and myself, the shop should be good as new by morning."

"But Mjolnir is a problem." Bucky sighed. "I can't just leave it in the middle of your shop. It is a safety and security hazard. Thor isn't far behind Mjolnir. I'm sure he will be here soon to retrieve it."

"Who or what is Mjolnir?" Ginny asked, looking around at damage to her shop. "This Thor person needs to get his act together so I can fix the floor underneath that thing."

"Mjolnir is the hammer that is sitting in the middle of your floor." Bucky waved towards the mess in the middle of the room. "Thor, otherwise known as the God of Thunder, is the one who wields the hammer. It is said that only one worthy enough can pick up the hammer."

"Apparently, that is neither of us." Ginny smirked and walked back to the counter. "While we wait for Thor to show up and explain why his hammer is here without him, can I fix you something to drink?"

"Hot chocolate?"'his voice cracked as he asked. "I'm not a big coffee fan."

"Sure thing," Ginny answered and walked toward the drink machines behind the counter. "Make yourself at home. I'll join you when this is done and we can figure out what to do with that thing in the middle of my floor."

"You mentioned personal protection charms." Bucky rubbed a finger along his jaw thoughtfully. "What if you could put some sort of protective bubble around Mjolnir until we can find Thor."

"That might work." Ginny set two cups of hot chocolate on the table. "I'll have to call and talk to Mum. She used to use all kids of protection charms when we were growing up. My brothers could be mischievous."

"Sounds like you have lead an interesting life, Ginny." Bucky took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Why settle for a small coffee shop in a quiet corner of London?"

"Because, I've had more than my share of adventures." Ginny sighed. "All I want is to make some coffee and have some peace. I also would like for my brothers to hurry up and get here. It is starting to snow."

"I can see where snow would be a problem." Bucky chuckled and looked up at the hole in her ceiling. "Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to help?"

"Unless you have a magic wand hidden in that silver arm of your, not really." Ginny reached out to touch Bucky's hand. "It will be fine once they get here. Their shop is super busy this time of year. Once they get people to cover their shifts, they'll be here."

Bucky lifted up his mechanical hand and looked at it closely. "No hidden compartments here. I guess a hammer falling through your ceiling right before Christmas is not your idea of a good time."

"Not really." Ginny set her cup back on the table. "All I really want to do is grab some dinner and go home for the night. The sooner we get this taken care of the sooner I can do that."

"I can't promise to make anyone show up here faster," said Bucky pointing towards the door. "But I can ask you to dinner. Would you care to join me for a hot meal and conversation after we fix your shop?"

"That sounds nice." Ginny grabbed Bucky's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "I'll go call Mum about those charms while we wait for my brothers."

Just then there was a tinkling as the door to the shop opened. Both Ginny and Bucky looked to see who was arriving, hoping it to be her brothers. Ginny was surprised when Luna walked into the shop and looked around. "Hey, Gin, can I have my usual?"

Ginny and Bucky watched Luna walk up to Mjolnir. "Luna, what are you doing?" Ginny asked ignoring her questions about her flat white. "Leave that alone. I'll get your drink."

"Never mind," Luna said distractedly. "Thor asked me to pass on his apologies for losing his grip on his hammer. I'll just take it back to him now." With that, Luna picked up Mjolnir and walked right back out the door leaving the Ginny and Bucky speechless.

Laughing, Bucky placed a finger under Ginny's chin and closed her mouth. "Wonders never cease. He sent a sprite to bring back his hammer."

Getting a grip on herself, Ginny simply smiled. "I guess you're right. Who knew they even were friends?"

Bucky shrugged and gestured for the door. "What do you say we leave the hole in the roof for your brothers to deal with and go grab that meal?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. They owe me one anyway," Ginny said with a grin, looping her arm through Bucky's. With one final glance at the ceiling, the two departed the store. A quiet evening of conversation and hot chocolate was exactly what Ginny needed after this day.