Chapter 6 Falling, Feeling and Flailing
A/N: Auror EAL's stands for Auror Emergency Apparition License which I mentioned in chapter 2, I think.
The Weasleys have already left using the Floo Network at St. Mungo's and the only ones remaining behind were Harry and Ginny. Earlier, assuming that she was going home the same way, Ginny moved towards the grate, only to be yanked back by Mrs. Weasley.
"You are not allowed to use magical transportation yet, dear. Healer said two weeks."
Since Harry was the only one with Auror EAL's (even away from work), Mrs. Weasley explained that it was only fitting that he Side-Along Ginny to the Burrow instead of going out into Muggle London and hailing the Knight Bus. At least, that's what they told her. They all knew Harry would have gone to the ends of the earth for her but they couldn't say that.
To this plan, Harry was immediately agreeable which scared Ginny at first. She just met the man a couple of days ago, after all. But then he turned around and smiled at her, his brilliant green eyes sparkling and a tiny dimple forming at the corner of his mouth and her initial fears dissolved.
Finally, as the last Weasley vanished with the engulfing flames, Harry reached for her hand and facing her asked if she was ready. She answered with a nod, unable to verbally say yes as she was gripped, for the first time, by the familiarity she felt as he clasped her hand. She knew this man. Her eyes may not recognize his face but she knew that touch. It was strange but it made sense to her. Immediately, she looked up again at his face and as she mentally traced the line of his scar, they started to travel.
The familiar sensations of Side-Along Apparition were absent, Ginny thought, noticing the bright sunlight and shielding her eyes from it with her right hand. She turned around, curious to investigate where she had landed and found a mass of white, fluffy clouds a few feet away from her. I must be up in the sky, she surmised. Feeling the need to reach said fluffy clouds, she tried to run toward it, propelling her arms as if she was swimming, but with no such luck. She was as stationary as ever. Probably it's because of what I'm standing on, she guessed. She looked at her feet and to her horror, she found there was nothing supporting her and started falling.
Ginny bolted upright into her bed, her eyes flashing wide awake and her heart racing wildly in her chest. "It's just a dream," she assured herself. Another dream. The same dream, actually.
It was the third time in a row that this happened. Basically, it was the same dream that starts with her, Harry and the family leaving St. Mungo's. Right about the time that they Apparate, she lands alone in the sky, seeing clouds, a rainbow, a flock of birds one time and whenever she tries coming near them, she falls helplessly.
Of course, the first part of the dream actually did occur three days ago when she was discharged at the wizard hospital. The Apparition was almost instantaneous, as usual, and the landing was as smooth as ever and she even commended Harry on it. However, the part with the clouds and the rainbow were purely unconscious work.
Must have meant something, she reasoned to herself, though as to what she did not exactly know. She once heard from Ron at school that things in dreams were supposed to represent real stuff (or so he said) and they are used to interpret the past, present or future. It seemed dodgy at the time and she just laughed it off. In hindsight, maybe she should have paid more attention so she could interpret the sunshine and the fluffy clouds as something other than having a fair weather.
Presently, Ginny was startled from her reverie by small, shrieking voices coming from the garden. Getting up, she went to her window and saw her niece Izobelle being chased by George's four year old twins Edward and Brandon who were both riding toy brooms around the flower patch.
Ginny laughed at all the ruckus and at the same time wondering why they were at the Burrow this morning. "Oh, right!" she whispered, realizing it was a Saturday. It has become an established tradition that the Weasley clan spend a day out of the whole week together ever since her brothers got married and consequently started families of their own.
With a wave of her wand, her bed was made. She took a quick shower, got dressed and went down for breakfast.
"Morning, Mum," she said as she sneaked up on Mrs. Weasley and kissed her cheek.
"Good morning, dear. You're up a little late," she observed as she continued to chop vegetables for lunch.
"I guess I overslept a bit," she lied, not wanting to alarm her mother that she had trouble falling asleep last night.
"That's probably because of your potions. Herb said something about that."
"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked. Usually they ate breakfast together as her dad had always left for work and her mum had started her morning chores.
"You just missed him. He waited for you for a long while, though," she replied, trying hard to keep the smile from forming on her lips. Ginny really couldn't keep secrets, especially about boys, or maybe that was just because she was female and much more discerning of her children's dispositions. She probably likes him at the moment but a bit confused because he's her friend and sort of a brotherly figure. "He's watching the little ones in the garden", she hinted.
"Right. I'll just go out there, then," she said, bringing along her cup of tea as she went out.
"Uncle Harry!" a crying Izobelle bellowed as she ran towards Harry and hugged his knees tightly.
Harry looked down at the little girl and patted her on the head. "What's wrong, Izzy?"
"Fitz and Brad said I look like a mushroom!" she wailed.
"You don't look like a mushroom, pumpkin. You're the prettiest little girl I have ever seen," he said earnestly as he bent down and looked at her.
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm," he murmured, noticing Ginny standing at the porch for the first time. "Morning sleepyhead! Say hi to Aunt Ginny, Izzie."
The little girl ran towards her aunt, who hugged her. "How's my little Izzy doing?"she asked as she smelled her hair.
"Fitz and Brad were teasing me," she complained.
"Fitz and Brad are idiots," she declared, making Izzy laugh. "But don't tell the grown-ups I said that."
"Okay, Aunt Ginny."
"Come on, pumpkin. Let's chase the twins on a real broomstick," he said, winking at Ginny.
"Harry!" she exclaimed but the two had already run off.
"Don't worry about them. Harry's very careful," Hermione said as she approached Ginny.
"Hey, when did you get here?" she said as she hugged her sister-in-law.
"A few minutes ago. Your brother's still inside. I think he's gone to his old room to get some more sleep," she related.
Ginny heaved a huge sigh. Turning to Hermione, she asked "How do you manage to do it all?"
"Do what all?" she asked in return, puzzled.
"Everything. You're successful at your job at the Ministry, you're married to Ron and one day you'll have children and still be able to balance your life. How do you do it?"
Hermione just smiled. "Just scheduling and prioritizing, the usual," she replied dismissively.
"It could be your luck," she went on as if Hermione did not answer. "Whereas I, I'm 24, I'm alone, and currently recuperating from my injury."
"Ginny, what's going on?"
She sipped on her tea, hoping the warm liquid can soothe her feelings. "I just ... I could have died. Then I thought 'What a shame! I never even fell in love. I never even had a family' I guess I never saw it that way before," she finished in a low voice.
"Don't think like that, Ginny. You're a great Quidditch player, your family loves you, you've achieved a lot at such a young age. The timing may be awful but you'll find the love of your life. I believe that with all my heart," she said in all earnestness. She wanted to tell her she was already living the dream with Harry just to calm her fears but she couldn't. Ginny had to find that out on her own.
"I hope you're right," she replied, taking her cup back to the kitchen and her mind as unsure as before.
A/N: This chapter has lots of narration, especially the first part, as I'm sure you've observed. I've been rereading Jane Austen so I guess it rubbed off. It was hard naming the Weasley twins and then I thought why not use Jane Austen heroes' names and then I noticed JKR already did that with Fred and George (Capt. Wentworth and Mr. Knightley)! So I just settled with Fitzwilliam (Mr. Darcy) and Brandon (Col. Brandon, I don't think his first name was mentioned). There was also a bit of a dream sequence in the beginning which was confusing at first. I confess I love the topic of dreams. Maybe because it can mean differently to each person. Anyways, what do you think Ginny's dream meant? Come on, I know you're thinking about it. I'd love to hear what it meant to you so write it on the review.