Harry landed in front of Number 12, Grimmauld Place on all fours with a thud. He got up, brushed his hands, and looked up at the shabby door squeezed between two houses. Harry looked round and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had landed neatly, except for Ginny, who was hoisting herself up from the ground with her mother's hand.
There was a pop! from somewhere next to Harry, and Ron and Hermione appeared. Ron was bent over, gasping for air.
"I haven't - " he said between gasps, "realized how scary that is when - when it's a long distance."
"Well, it wasn't easy for me either, love," Hermione said, also puffing, pulling Ron to his feet.
"Come on now, you lot!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called as she gestured to the door while Mr. Weasley unlocked the door.
Harry trudged his trunk up the steps to the door as Mr. Weasley opened the door.
The inside of Sirius's house was very dark until the candle's were lit with a wave of Mr. Weasley's wand. The light illuminated the heads of dead house elves on wooden plaques all along the hallway wall. Harry, not keen to even be here, let alone look at the beheaded creatures, hurried along the hall in Mr. Weasley's wake.
Once they had reached the end of the hall, Mrs. Weasley announced, "Harry and Ron, back to your old rooms, Ginny and Hermione, same for you. Dinner will be ready in a few hours."
Harry and Ron brought their trunks up to their room in a few minutes time.
"So," said Harry, releasing Hedwig from her cage as she flew to the open window with a happy hoot. "I didn't know you were, um… passionate."
Ron ears turned a bright pink as he fumbled to unlock Pigwideon's cage.
"What gives you that idea?"
"Oh, I dunno… holding Hermione's hand - "
"I just took your advice!"
"Ah…of course you did,"
Just as Harry and Ron stepped out of their room, a mane of red hair flew past them.
"Oh - sorry - " Ginny said distractedly, removing a red apron from her messenger bag as she rushed past them. "Mum - MUM! I'm going to work!"
"Ginny works?" Harry said curiously to Ron.
"Yeah," he answered, leaning against the stair banister. "It's mad, really. After she gets her pay, - Muggle money, can you believe? - she goes to some old bloke's house and trades his Wizard money for the
Mugg …"
Ginny ran back up the stairs again, muttering in an irritated tone, "Name tag, name tag, where is my damn - "
She stopped by Harry and Ron's room, and picked up a white name tag from the wooden floor. Before she could run back down the stairs, Harry said,
"Hey, Ginny, d'ya want me to Apparate you there?"
Ginny stopped abruptly, and turned around, all rushing about her tardiness forgotten. She pondered the invitation for a moment, then said,
"That'd be nice," and her mouth cracked into a smile.
Ron looked at Harry for a moment, a bit bemused. Then Harry asked, "So, where do you work?"
"London Grocers," she replied.
"Good, I've been there before," Harry said, feeling relieved. He hoped that it was some place he knew where to go, because he didn't just want to Apparate Ginny there, he wanted to be with her.
"Really?" Ginny mused as they walked down the stairs.
"With the Dursley's," Harry replied.
With a good-bye to her mother and a explanation why Harry was coming, Ginny and Harry left the house.
"Now," Ginny said as they left the steps. "Can you remember it well?"
Harry strained his brain to remember the scene when Aunt Petunia made him sit outside on the bench when she and Dudley went inside to get groceries. All Harry could do was "Stay put," and look at his surroundings, luckily enough.
"Yeah," Harry said after a moment. "D'ya mind if we appear behind the dumpster?"
"As long as no one sees us," Ginny said cautiously.
She grasped his arm, and Harry was so surprised for a moment as to why she was doing that. But he quickly remember a split second later why she was holding his arm.
"Erm, okay…." Harry said slowly. "Here goes…."
He turned, concentrating on his destination firmly, and then, with the highly uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed through a tight rubber tube, Harry and Ginny Apparated behind a very smelly dumpster, which made it hard for Harry to gulp air in because of the smell.
"This is interesting," Ginny said, holding her nose. "Nice view, don't you think?"
"Heh," Harry said, holding his nose also. He just realized how close they were behind this dumpster.
"Not that I'm ungrateful or anything," Ginny said, turning and squeezing her way from behind the dumpster and throwing her apron on.
"But I think I prefer broomsticks."
"Me too," Harry agreed.
Ginny stepped towards the entrance, two automatic sliding doors, and she stopped.
"You know, Harry, you don't have to go," she said softly.
Harry had just been wanting for an invitation, trying to be polite, or else he would've come anyways.
"Okay," he said happily, and walked with her inside.
As soon as Harry and Ginny walked into London Grocers, Ginny was immediately confronted by Garrett Urell.
"Miss Weasley," he hissed with pure venom in his voice. "You're late. Again. I cannot have people who always slack off and never take pride in their job to wok here. Being lazy and - "
He stopped abruptly when he saw Harry.
"Excuse us, sir," Garrett said shortly, gesturing aggressively for Ginny to follow him. By the looks of it, he was headed into the back room.
Ginny turned her head as she was walking that purely read, "Help me!"
"Oh, no, no," Harry said, running up and grabbing Ginny's wrist. "It's my fault, sir. I - er, drove her here, and traffic - "
"Very well," Garrett said through gritted teeth. "But it better not happen again." he added to Ginny with pure loathing in his voice, as though a treat had just been snatched away from him, and strode into the back room.
"Thanks," Ginny said gratefully. "Funny thought, though, you driving."
"I'd rather not," Harry said.
"Well, let me show you that nutty things I do," she said brightly, striding over to her cash register, which had a sign above it that said, "4".
After Ginny had served a customer, she looked over at Harry for his response.
"Well, I was raised by Muggles, don't forget." he answered her expression. "But a witch as a cash register for a Muggle store, now that's something."
A moment passed, and Harry demanded abruptly, "Why is that prat such a jerk to you?'
"Well, I suppose he's a prat to a lot of people," Ginny mused, "but he's jealous that I was promoted quicker than he had when he first worked here, and didn't agree 'cause he thought I was lazy, and he didn't think I was worth anything."
"But you're worth more than a damn!" said Harry angrily.
"You know what, Harry?" she said, perking up. "You're right - hold on."
Ginny pressed a button on the phone next to her, picked it up, and spoke into the receiver, which echoed in the store through speakers.
"Garrett, register four; Garret, register four."
A second later, Garrett stormed out of the back room, still looking testy.
"What?" he snapped as he reached Ginny.
"Well," she said, her voice high of mock sadness. "You've been a jerk and all, and I'm happy to tell you I quit. Good-bye!"
With that said, she tossed her apron into Garrett's face, and without another word, before Garret could say anything, she linked her arm in Harry's arm and steered him out of the store.
"That was brilliant," he said approvingly.
"I've thought about it before," Ginny said thoughtfully, "but I didn't know if I should. Thanks for rescuing me from hell."
She gave him a bright smile, and Harry's stomach erupted with butterfly's; the monster in his chest stirring.
"Well, let's go," Ginny said.
She grabbed his arm, and seeing no one in sight, Harry Apparated.
They arrived in the front of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and after a few breaths, they went inside.
After they reached the end of the hallway, Ginny bid him a "See you later," and headed off to the kitchen to help her mother with dinner.
When Harry started to go up the stairs to him and Ron's room, he was delayed by the appearance of Hermione and Ron, running down the stairs toward him.
"Harry," Hermione said frantically. "Come on, there's something you need to see!"
With that, she grabbed his arm as they all ran upstairs, down another hallway, and stopped abruptly. Harry just stood there, looking at the tapestry in front of him. It was the tapestry of the Black family and their relatives.
"What about it?" Harry asked.
"Look at this, mate," said Ron, holding a quivering finger up to Regulus Black's name.
"Regulus, yeah - "
"Harry!" said Hermione, wide-eyed and looking incredulous. "Regulus Black! R.B.!"
"What? R.A.B.!" Harry said, looked amazed, staring at both of them. "What's his middle name?"
"I don't know," Hermione said slowly, "but I'm prepared to bet Crookshanks it started with an A."