Chapter 15: Neutral

The crisp November air hit Gin and Mary Caroline the moment they left their gallery causing Mary Caroline to adjust her scarf. Gin shook her head at her partner and continued walking through the autumn-hued tree-lined streets of Richmond; even though it was only a little after lunchtime the traffic was somewhat busy, and they didn't have much time until they had to meet Paige.

"It's not that cold, Mary Caroline. Much colder in Stintborough this time of year."

"That's nice, but this is Richmond. I'm cold." Mary Caroline glanced at the time and temperature display on a local bank. "It's under fifty; no wonder I'm cold."

"I certainly hope it's under fifty or we'd be boiling." She elbowed her partner. "With your complexion you'd be burnt to a crisp."

Mary Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh funny, ha ha, another 'oh you crazy non-Celsius using people' remark. So what's fifty to you?"

Gin thought for a moment. "Over a hundred and twenty in Fahrenheit. Come on, I'll turn on the heater in the Jeep for your fragile little southern belle bones."

After they entered the Jeep, and the heat was turned on full-blast, they drove through Richmond for a while until finally Gin couldn't take it any longer and partially rolled her window down. "You'd better not come over to the London gallery until March. Knowing you the heat will be up so high the paint will run on all of the pieces."

"I liked it better when you were all depressed, sugar. You didn't talk as much." She winked at Gin, reached over and turned down the heat and sat back in her seat. "So where are we meeting your…what is she again? I know you told me, but it's so hard to keep up."

"Paige is my cousin, same age as me an' her father is my dad's youngest brother. She lives up in D.C. and does something for the government; she can't say what exactly so I never really ask. We're meeting her at the Poe Museum."

As they drove through the city Mary Caroline kept glancing over at Gin but didn't say anything. When they were at the sixth stoplight waiting she couldn't take it any longer. "Are you ready for next week? I haven't heard you say one thing about it. Aren't you worried?"

Once the light turned green Gin followed the traffic for a bit and then turned briefly to Mary Caroline. "Of course I'm worried, well, not really. I know no matter what happens Hugo doesn't care. Ok, that's not exactly true, he does care, but we're moving ahead no matter what. I think everybody else is more worried than we are. I got an owl from Franny Sawgrass; she'll be in town this weekend so we'll have the whole next week to prep. Merlin knows when everybody else is coming in." She stopped suddenly, jolting forward slightly in her seatbelt as the car in front of her had thrown on its brakes. "Are you bloody kidding me? That light just turned yellow, why the hell would you stop?" Gin looked over to Mary Caroline. "Sorry, I know you hate it when I talk to the other cars."

"Like they can hear you." Mary Caroline rolled her eyes. "Mom just said to let her know when your folks are coming in and she'll be ready."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Tiny and Hamilton would be offended at this point if they don't stay with them. Southern hospitality, you know. Besides, I think they're looking forward to it. I have a feeling Dad's hoping your future in-laws or godparents will stop over, too. Sorry."

Gin shook her head. "No worries, they're used to it by now. How bloody long is this light? For shit's sake, come on."

When they finally turned into the parking lot Gin looked around, but after a few moments she realized it was fruitless; she'd forgotten to ask Paige what kind of car she was driving. She parked the Jeep in an open spot next to a Muggle school bus and got out, pulling her jacket closer to her. Even though she was slightly cold there was no way she was going to comment on it after the hard time she'd given Mary Caroline. As the witches started walking towards the museum a door opened on a black Audi.

"Right on time." Paige Boyd stepped out of the car and laughed at the surprised look on Gin's face. "Do we need to go in?"

"Nice ride, cousin." Gin smiled at her. "This is my partner Mary Caroline."

"Partner? I thought you were engaged." Paige winked at Mary Caroline. "Nice to meet you."

"Never heard that one before." Mary Caroline smiled and quickly took in Gin's cousin. The woman before her was in jeans and a sweater, but it was obvious that even though she wasn't dressed up she was someone who definitely meant business. Her hair was pulled back and wore a red and blue tartan hair band to keep everything neat. "Nice to meet you, too."

Gin nodded her head at the Audi. "Secret agent stuff must pay well. Let's take that. How's Mulder?"

"Still wants to believe. Yeah, we can take my car." She looked over to Mary Caroline. "Sorry, it's an old TV show that…"

Mary Caroline held up her hand. "Say no more." After Paige and Gin got in the front seats she leaned up from her seat in the back. "I swear I need to take a remedial Muggle cultural class to keep up with everything. So what do you do?"

Paige started up the engine and looked at Mary Caroline in the rear-view mirror. "Sorry, I really can't say. Better for both of us that way." She maneuvered to the parking lot exit and looked over to Gin. "I've got three places to look at, one in your price range, one in a neighborhood that's a little iffy and one is a condo. I know, I know, you said no condos, but humor me. I did to all the leg work, you know. You owe me."

"Fine." Gin put on her sunglasses, bracelets jingling slightly. "Let's be off, Jeeves."

Paige laughed and shook her head. "Aren't you supposed to be in the back seat, Miss Daisy?"

Mary Caroline's voice could be heard from the back seat in a resigned voice. "I hate you guys."

The condo was the closest, and though it was by the river it was immediately discarded as it was in a truly Muggle part of town and the neighbors were blasting reality TV through the walls. The small house that was in Gin's price range was ok, but once again the neighbors were all Muggles and there was structural damage that the real estate agent hadn't disclosed. Gin's hopes weren't high as they visited the third house, and it was as Paige had warned them; a nice house with some potential, but the neighborhood was dodgy to say the least.

After they piled into the Audi Gin sat back in her seat, her hopes deflated. "Well now what?"

Paige shrugged. "Maybe we should just drive around and see if there are any signs in the yard in neighborhoods you like and take it from there?"

"Um, guys?" Mary Caroline popped her head between the two front seats. "We've got a meeting at the gallery in an hour. You didn't forget that, did you, Gin?"

"Shit." Gin looked over to Paige. "Do you have the time?"

"Took the day off. Come on, we'll pick up your Jeep later."

Once the artist from southeastern Virginia had left the gallery Gin looked over to Paige. "Sorry about that; took longer than I expected. That woman would just not shut up."

Paige waved her hand dismissively. "No problem. Gave me some time to look at things. You know, I do like the portrait of Mom and Dad. Can you set that one back for me? Mom will love it; think I'll give it to her for Christmas."

"Merlin's pants, Paige, I painted that ages ago. Sure, we'll set it back for you." She saw her cousin's expression and chuckled. "Family discount, of course."

"Deal." Paige picked up her jacket from the back of the chair. "Well, this has been fun, seriously, it has been, but I do need to get back. You know what the drive up 95 is like."

"I hate that road, Mom always took me up to the Smithsonian and we always got stuck in traffic." Mary Caroline began bundling up. "How cold is it now?"

"Merlin's socks, pants and underwear." Gin shook her head. "You need to move to Florida with Grandpa and Grandma Boyd." After everyone had exited the gallery Gin locked the door. "Ok, it is colder, but it's not Minnesota cold."

"Oh God, tell me about it." Paige laughed. "Remember when we spent Christmas up there at the old farm? Whose idea was that anyway?"

"Nate's." Gin opened the passenger door to the Audi. "Lavender gave him crap the entire time. Lot of fun."

As they returned towards the Poe Museum the women looked around to see if there were any For Sale or For Rent signs but didn't see anything promising. After arriving in the parking lot Paige slowed and turned into an empty spot far away from the Jeep. Her voice was tense when she turned to Gin. "You have your wand with you, right?"

"Um, yeah, why?" Gin gave her an odd look. "And why'd you park all the way over here?"

"Two guys are standing next to your Jeep." Paige reached across Gin and opened the glove box and pulled out a small, leather-wrapped item. "Taser."

After looking out her window, shading her eyes from the setting sun, Gin relaxed. "It's ok, I know them. They were at Hogwarts a year ahead of HR. Well for a little while, I think they moved around a lot. They're Luna's sons." She got out of the car and began walking towards them, leaving Paige and Mary Caroline staring at each other.

Mary Caroline got out of the car, and after Paige had locked it she looked over to Gin's American cousin. "Has she always been like this?"

"Yeah, pretty much." As they walked closer she dipped her head to whisper to Mary Caroline. "They're twins, right?"

"I guess."

When they arrived at the Jeep Gin made the introductions. The man with the short blonde hair and wearing the tweed jacket was Lorcan Scamander while the man with the long blonde hair who looked like someone in a band was Lysander Scamander.

Lorcan smiled and took out a small roll of parchment from his jacket. "Sorry to surprise you like this, but…" He stopped suddenly. "Is there someplace less conspicuous we could go? Preferably somewhere to get a butterbeer?"

Gin nodded. "Sure. Mary Caroline, why don't you ride with Paige so you can show her the way?" She unlocked the Jeep and Lysander moved towards the passenger door.

Lorcan followed the others, and soon after everyone was inside their respective vehicles Lysander turned to Gin. "I apologize for surprising you like this, but father wanted to avoid owls and things like that. I have an update on your…" he paused for a moment "…your situation. Terry and Miranda have some details that should prove very interesting at the hearing."

She looked over to him. "Like what?"

He shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say at the moment." He was quiet for a while as Gin drove but after a while he turned back to her. "Let's just say that it should be a bloody good show and leave it at that, shall we?" As the scenery passed by he looked around, finally exhaling deeply. "I've always wanted to visit the UMS, it's the one place it seems that Lorcan and I did not attend school."

"Yeah, you two didn't stay long."

He nodded. "My parents' work always seemed to take them all over. I wish we could have stayed longer in Tibet, it was fascinating." After another long pause he looked over to Gin. "How long has your cousin been working for the AAB?"

"What?" Gin almost rear-ended a pickup at a stop light. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? She works for the Muggle government."

"Oh, so sorry, my mistake. Something about her reminded me of the AAB agents I've met before."

She looked over at him oddly. "What exactly do you do, anyway?"

He gave her a small, tight smile. "Officially? We work with Mum and Dad. Enchanto Cryptozoologists. You know, looking for all of the daft animals Mum and Granddad Lovegood believe in, but unofficially we really work with Dad. I don't believe I need to say anything else."

"Nope."

It was almost ten at night before Gin decided to open the small roll of parchment that she'd been given earlier that day. She sat in her old apartment amidst the boxes, wondering where she was going to put everything at the end of the month when her lease was up. Cross-legged on her bed she took out the scroll, broke the small wax seal and unrolled it carefully. The first page was a very short and to-the-point letter from Terry Boot; he indicated that he'd been successful in his research of Chance and, as Lysander had indicated, everything would be ready for the hearing. The second piece of parchment, much to her surprise, was a listing of a house that was for sale in Two Chopt. That confused her, as she'd never seen the property listed in any of the magical real estate publications; how had Boot known about it? She received her answer when she saw the note in green ink at the bottom of the page. Miranda Boot.

She put the parchment down on the bed, got up and moved towards the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Irritated that she couldn't find the tea, kettle or anything else for that matter as everything was boxed up Gin put her clothes back on and bundled up against the cold. She needed something to stay awake if she was going to be alive enough for Hugo's letter. She knew the owl schedule on international mail, and it would be about three in the morning by the time it would make it over to her. How they managed to fly all the way across the ocean was still something that nobody could figure out, but at the time it really didn't concern her; she just wanted to be awake when she got the letter.

The walk to the all-night gas station for a cup of semi-palatable coffee was uneventful, so when she turned the corner to walk up her steps she was very surprised to see someone sitting on the top step of her porch. A cold, cranky someone by the name of Mione.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, that's a nice way to say hello to the sister who let you live rent-free at her house." Mione shook her head. "Didn't you get my letter?"

Gin shook her head slowly as she held out her hand to help up her little sister. "No, I didn't get any letter. When did you send it?"

Mione rolled her eyes. "I gave it to Scorpius the day I went into…come on, I'll fill you in."

As they walked up the steps to the third floor Gin looked back at her sister. "So you're pregnant, right?"

"Yes."

Gin didn't hear the giddy excitement that most newly pregnant mothers had and she knew why. After unlocking the door she waited until Mione was inside before hugging her. "Listen hotshot, I know you're mad because you had to give up Quidditch, but you're going to be a mum. Despite all the stuff I've said I think you'll be a good one."

Mione exhaled deeply and extracted herself from Gin's hug. "Thanks. Scorpius was over the moon. We told everyone when we were at dinner at Mr. and Mrs. M's place the other night."

"Mum and Dad went to Malfoy Manor?" Gin brushed her hair back from her face. "How'd that go?"

"Like always. Dad could care less but we had to give Mum a couple of shots of firewhiskey beforehand." Mione looked around Gin's place. "Love your decorating style."

"Whatever. I'd offer you a seat but I don't have one. Where are you staying? Wait, are you staying?"

Mione took out her wand, conjured two very comfortable chairs covered in a deep green brocade fabric and sat down wearily. "I'm at the Magnolia, Scorpius made the reservation."

"Whoa." Gin blinked rapidly. "The Magnolia? I've had drinks there but there's no way I could afford to stay there. Quidditch does have its privileges, I guess."

After a shake of her head Mione conjured an ottoman that matched the chair and plopped her feet on top. "Yeah, I guess. Scorpius thought it would be good if I was out of town for a while after the news of my…" she sighed deeply "…my temporary retirement became public, plus it would give me time to be over here before your legal shit."

Gin sat down in the chair without the ottoman and took a drink of coffee. After her face resumed its normal composure she gestured with the takeaway cup. "It's crap, but its caffeine. Based on your language I know you had dinner with Dad."

"You should have heard my manager when I told him I'm pregnant. Dad's an amateur compared to that. So where's your partner? If you tell me she's in the loo it's only going to make the rumors…"

"Shut up. Actually, she's out on a date. Well, I think it's a date. She and Paige…"

"Whoa!" Mione's eyes widened. "Mary Caroline and Paige? Paige Boyd?"

"Are out with the Scamander twins. Honestly."

Mione laughed. "Now you sound like your future mother-in-law. I can't wait until you say 'Honestly, Hugo!' That'll be hilarious. So the Scamander twins? What are they doing over here?"

Gin racked her brain for a second. "Tourists. We saw them at the Poe Museum."

"The what museum?"

"You never read any of Dad's books, did you?"

"Just the Quidditch ones. Well, the family history ones, too. Is she a writer that knows Dad?"

Gin shook her head. "No, he died a long time ago. Before the American Civil War, I think." Gin took another sip of coffee. "So, when are you due?"

"Twentieth of June. Have you and Hugo set a date? I swear if you get married when I'm huge I'll…"

"Jeez, Mione, take it easy. It's going to be here in Richmond and it's a small wedding, nothing like your fairy princess extravaganza."

"Hey! My wedding was beautiful!"

"And it was what you wanted, right? Hugo and I are getting married how we want to, ok? Does July work? We haven't set the exact date, just sometime in the summer so Dad's not teaching."

"And Minnie."

Gin nodded at her sister. "As well as Alan, don't forget that."

A thumping interrupted the sisters causing Gin to jump up from her chair and go to the window. She let the owl in, quickly took the letter and sent the owl on its way with a treat. She leaned up against the kitchen counter and opened the letter, ignoring the irritated look Mione gave her. After finishing the letter she walked over and sat back down in the chair.

"Well?" Mione raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"

"It's from Hugo. You know, having Harry as a godfather has its benefits. He's coming over on Saturday."

After dropping Mione at the Magnolia Gin made her way back to her little place, but instead of falling asleep like she had hoped the caffeine from the gas station coffee was keeping her up. She pulled the small calendar out of her purse and took a look at it, marking off another day. The x'd out days outnumbered the others, and the date of the hearing was circled in red. Thursday morning, nine to be exact, in Judge Arnsparger's courtroom. Despite all of the crap that had happened, what she knew Chance was planning on doing to her or trying to do to her, she smiled. It would be absolutely wonderful to see Chance's face when he realized his plan would backfire on him.

As she looked at her ring she thought of Hugo. Hugo would have never have thought of seeing Chance demolished as she had in her imagination, but that's why he was an Auror. He always tried to do the right thing, and he would work to the exact letter of the law, but there was definitely a distinction between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It would be enough for her if she didn't get dragged through the mud at the hearing, as she knew that Hugo wouldn't care either way, but it was when she thought of what would be in the record, for everyone to see that she felt her hands clench. Hugo would understand, Hermione would understand, most people would understand, but the thought that one day not only would Mione's kid find out, or maybe Artie, but potentially her son or daughter would find out was the part that made her angry.

She rested her hand on her stomach. "Ok, I'm not the seer, that's Rosie, but for you who might end up in there, wherever you are, let's just say that if people think they can push me around I can take it, but if they're going to try and mess with you they've got another fucking thing coming. "

Gin laughed and leaned back on the bed. She had to be crazy; after all she was talking to an unborn child that would appear Merlin knows when. If ever.