Chapter 11 Past and Present
A/N: Thank you to those of you who added my fic to their Story Alerts and Favorites list. I appreciate it. And to the anonymous reviewers - thank you, it means a lot to me. I'd reply personally but, yeah, it's not signed. So thank you.
Harry knocked on Ginny's door early that morning. He was headed for the ministry to attend the preliminary hearing of the Sidle case as he was the Head Auror during the arrest. The Wizengamot was quite ready to delay the proceedings knowing that Harry was on leave but a short message from him had settled everything.
He didn't say that the wedding had been cancelled, as only the select few who had been invited were the only ones who knew the exact date of the nuptials and consequently the only ones to have been informed of the changes. At least that was what had been agreed upon until he saw the Weasley women late last night converging in the back porch. He only went down for a glass of water when he heard whispers and saw from the side window Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, Hermione, Katie and Angelina having their 'meeting.' It wouldn't have looked suspicious if they weren't holding table napkin patterns and checking their 'lists.' So he did the only reasonable thing to do: he went back to bed and told himself he was dreaming.
Ginny answered "Come in" just after the first knock and Harry was surprised to find her sitting at the foot of her bed, changed out of her night clothes and brushing her still damp hair. "You're up early," he said, leaning on the doorway, content just looking at her.
"I knew you were going to the Ministry and I wanted to see you off," she explained, running her fingers on her hair to untangle a lock. "You can come in, you know," she smiled.
"Your room hasn't changed much," he said, noticing the faded posters adorning her walls and the furniture from years ago.
"I know. I love it just the way it is, anyway," she said, and veering into a different direction she asked, "How long is a preliminary hearing, exactly?"
"It depends. A crime of this magnitude usually lasts until afternoon, give or take a few hours. I'll probably stay in a while longer to check on my team's active cases," he answered.
The two did not linger long, going downstairs for a quick breakfast and after a kiss goodbye, Harry was out the door.
"So what will you be doing today, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she passed her daughter in the hallway.
"I was thinking of going out," she replied, eager to celebrate now that she was allowed to Apparate again.
Mrs. Weasley stopped in her tracks. "Going where, dear?"
"A Muggle town, why?"
"Oh, you know, just worried. Lots of reporters wanting to get a picture of you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I hope you're not planning on going anywhere else," she added.
"Not really, no. I'll be back before lunch time." With that, she was out of the house, Apparating back to the place where she and Harry were two days before.
She walked at a brisk pace, excitement bubbling through her as she approached the antique shop, the sign at the door claiming it was already open. A bell chimed when she walked in.
"Ginny!" the old woman exclaimed when she saw the customer. "I was wondering when you'd come back."
"Good morning, Alice," greeted Ginny. "I was wondering if I could see that book," she said, pointing up to the top shelf at the back.
"Of course. I was wondering when you'd be coming back to look at it."
She walked towards the back and climbed a wooden ladder, surprising Ginny, who thought the woman to be about seventy years old.
"I was glad that I put this on your spot the day before you walked in," she said, indicating the place on the shelf where she was taking the book from. "Just acquired it very recently. Take a look," she invited as she set down the tome on the counter.
The book looked centuries old, bound in dark brown leather , the cover having small silhouettes of different animals embossed on the border and on the spine was written the title that caught her attention days ago: The Potter Line.
Gently, she unclasped the bronze metal fastener, revealing pages of partially yellowing parchment where names and dates were written in old calligraphy. She took her time reading a few leaves, some surnames she was familiar with, some she thought must have died out. She flicked through the last pages and found them blank, the last entry just three quarters into the book having been of Leopold James Potter, the date of birth indicating that he must have been a great, great, grandfather.
"I had Chris help me find that, you know," the old lady said.
"Chris?"
"My son who works for the Artefacts department. He's been forever asking me to go live with him in London but I said I love living here in Larson. He couldn't understand why I live in a Muggle town," she said, laughing. "He's a fan of the Harpies, you know."
"Right," she nodded, understanding finally dawning on her.
"He traced it back to a young woman in Devon whose family was where Leopold Potter stayed with before he died. I personally talked to her and she said he bequeathed his book collection to her family in his will, most of them still in the attic. She was quite reluctant to sell it to me but after I told her who it was going to, she agreed it was only fair," she narrated. "I knew you were still looking for a present and I thought this quite suitable. I hope it's not too late?"
Ginny hadn't a clue what Alice meant but played along. "No, no, it's right on time. I love it. How much do you want for it?" she asked, getting the pouch from her pocket.
Alice stopped her hand. "Nothing. Consider it my present to you," she replied.
After thanking the old lady profusely, she Apparated back to the Burrow, taking her package directly to her room and locking it in her black cherry chest. She still did not know what occasion Alice was talking about that warranted a present but she vowed to find out.
A/N: I know, a little too short but you'll notice the time frame only reached noon so the later part of the day will be on next chapter (they just don't go together, trust me!). I expect to be busy these coming weeks so please don't hate me if I don't update on time. But I promise, I will finish this story. Hopefully before Christmas, just to give you an idea.
Again, thanks for the reviews. I feel like Christmas morning whenever I log-in to my e-mail account and find the review alerts. Haha! Feel free to review again and make me happy:)