a/n: So, I'm not doing so well with keeping up with the updates, my apologies but the good news is I most of the next two chapters written and nearly ready to go so they should hopefully be up in the next week or two. As always, thank you so so much for the reviews, story alerts and story favorites!
Unorthodox
Chapter 5:
The next morning, I wasn't in the mood to face the other girls. I woke up earlier than normal and instead of eating breakfast in the common room as I had for the past week, I decided to find the kitchen instead.
I began walking down stairs in the general direction I thought the kitchen would be in. The only part of the castle that was stated as being off limits was where Harry and Sirius were staying, but for the most part the girls and I were keeping to our rooms and the gardens. Besides, calling something an off limit area never really stopped me from venturing there. And the kitchen had never even been mentioned.
As I slipped into the kitchen I noticed a familiar mop of black hair standing at the stove with their back to me. As I was about to turn around and leave, Harry turned around with a spatula in hand.
"Sorry," I said, not completely sure what I was apologizing for. He was dressed far more casual then I had seen him over the past week. He was wearing faded jeans and an old t-shirt with some sport team on it.
"Oh hi. I figured you would be Sirius or one of the house elves coming to kick me out… again." He said with a smile. "Did they not leave breakfast for you girls?"
"Um, actually they did but the common room is a bit… unsafe right now." I replied. I didn't want to explain the drama of last night. All it did was remind me why I didn't mind that I only had brothers.
I noticed the look of guilt cross his face instantly. "I suppose I could have handled that better." Harry said looking back at the stove. "Did she give everyone trouble?"
"Not really. She was upset, but I think she left before everyone went to sleep last night." I replied slowing inching further into the kitchen.
"Can I interest you in breakfast then?" He asked moving eggs onto a plate. "I always end up cooking too much and the house elves don't take well to random food that they didn't make appearing."
"Yeah, ok." I said walking over to the table in the middle of the kitchen. I lingered at the chair before sitting down. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"How are you at bacon?" He asked holding up a package. "Because normally I can never get it right with or without magic. Sirius used to always complain any time I made breakfast."
"You are in luck then; my mum has been training me in the art of bacon cooking since I was tall enough to see over the stove." I said walking away from the chair and standing in front of the burner beside where Harry was making the eggs.
"Did you and your mum cook often then?" he asked as I placed a few slices of bacon into the pan.
"Every day of my life until I went to Hogwarts and every summer while I was there." I replied. "I really think the Weasleys can never be fully filled or we are just born with more than one stomach. Add that to a group of teenage boys who already have large appetites and we could have cooked every hour of the day and still not filled them up." I said laughing at the memories of my brothers fighting over food first thing in the morning during the rare occasions they were all there.
Much like our date almost a week ago, we easily fell into a casual conversation about cooking and soon moved to the table to begin eating.
"I hate to bring this up, but was Olive terribly upset when you saw her?" Harry asked after we had a lull in conversation. "I didn't want to hurt her, but I can't realistically juggle all of you and also be interested in all of you. Wow, this is coming out wrong and I sound like a prick. I don't want to hurt any of you, but I suppose the whole nature of what we are doing will cause at least five of you to get hurt."
"It's a good sign that you are concerned for her feelings even though you don't think it would work out. And isn't better for you to be honest with us then let us think that there could be something forming when there really isn't?" I replied in between bits of food. "Olive wasn't much more unbearable than normal."
"Did she typically give you and the other girls trouble?" Harry asked as he paused from eating. "Although it is important to me to find someone who can look beyond my name and what I've done in the past to win the war."
"Then you made a good decision." I said as I finished the food on my plate.
"Is there anyone else in the group I should be worried about?" he asked. The question caused me to pause in the middle of standing up from the table.
"I can't answer that." I replied fully standing up. "You need to get to know all of us on your own and form your own opinion."
As I placed my plate on the counter, Sirius walked in carrying today's issue of the Daily Witch in his hand.
"Not sure if you want to look at today's paper." He said before noticing me standing at the counter. "Ah, Ginny! Didn't see you there right away. Can I assume from the plate in your hand that you ate my portion?"
"I helped earn my keep. I saved the bacon from Harry." I replied. I was amazed how easily it was for me to talk to the both of them. "And you didn't really strike me as a Daily Witch reader."
"He keeps claiming he took out the subscription to keep tabs on what they print on me." Harry said from his seat. "Next he will tell you that they also feature good recipes. Not that saying that really helps his cause."
"They are good though!" Sirius said in his defense. "I learned to cook from that magazine while harry was growing up!"
"But didn't they rarely print anything about Harry then? In fact, they would go months, sometimes years." I replied.
"Yeah exactly." Harry responded. We laughed together as Harry also placed his plate with mine in the sink.
"I guess I should go find some of the girls." I said not really wanting to leave the comfortable atmosphere of the kitchen.
"Yeah, we really shouldn't stay in here much longer in case the house elves catch us." Harry replied also not sounding like he wanted to leave.
"I may read witch magazines, but at least I'm not afraid of a house elf!" Sirius said with pride. Harry and I laughed as a few moments later a pop announcing the arrival of a house elf caused Sirius to jump.
I spent the rest of the day out on the grounds. A few days previously I had discovered an unlocked broomshed and spent a few hours flying around the magically protected grounds. While the Comet 320 wasn't the worse broom, it didn't compare to the Firebolt three all of the Harpies fly. Nevertheless it was still a relaxing experience to take my mind off of Olive leaving.
I was beginning to think being here wasn't all bad and while I wasn't fully ready to admit it after our date, there certainly was more than just a spark between Harry and I. Maybe, just maybe, I would end up at least dating Harry after this was all over. I'm hardly willing to even consider engagements and marriage to anyone including Harry at this point but even the idea doesn't scare me nearly as much as it had in my past relationships.
Now I just need to keep these thoughts as far from my mum as possible. I'd hate for her to catch wind of it at all. While her letter at the beginning of the week wasn't completely in favor of Harry, if I even thought the word marriage with her in the room, she would know. And then the color swatches and wedding books I knew she has in her sewing room (Percy's old bedroom) would quickly be brought out.
"Any chance I can change who I put my money on?" Sirius asked as he walked into the sitting room of the flat Tonks and Remus lived in.
"Nope." Tonks replied quickly with a pop of the 'p'. She was sitting on the couch with a confused look on her face as she looked down at a set of knitting needles and ball of yarn. "You can't change your mind halfway through. We agreed not to."
"I'll let you change too." He replied.
"Not a chance." She said. "I know I picked the right girl so why would I second guess myself. I told you Ginny Weasley was the one to watch. India may be a nice girl but she just isn't perfect for Harry. Sure he could be happy with her I suppose, but not like with Ginny."
"How do you know, you only met the girl briefly." Remus said referring to India as he walked into the room. "And please tell me you aren't trying to knit again. Dora, I love you but really, I think it's safer for us to buy the baby's jumpers."
"Stop trying to change to subject Moony," Sirius said as Remus sat beside his wife. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the tides turn. He kicked out the Olive girl. She left this morning."
"Hm, I thought they would have gotten along." Remus said as he tried to gently move the knitting things from Tonks. "I guess none of us where right on who would leave first. But anyway, what do you know that makes you want to change your mind, Sirius?"
"They had breakfast together this morning." Sirius said from his seat. "It wasn't planned but when I walked in they just looked so comfortable together."
"I told you we should have just set them up and be done with it." Tonks said pulling the needles back.
"It would have taken far less time to sell Harry on the idea than it did for this one." Remus added as he removed the needles from Tonk's hands.
"Oh honestly, I'm not going to hurt myself!" Tonks said trying in vain to take the needles back again.
"I don't think it's you he is worried about." Sirius said laughing at their antics. "Besides, this dating game is so much more fun than just setting him up on a date or two!"
Dinner that night was held in the main dining room we had been eating in all week. In attendance were all of the same people who had attended the previous dinner the past Saturday on our first night.
"Ginny, I hear your mother enjoys knitting." Remus said walking over to me.
"Yes she does. She makes each of us a jumper each year for Christmas and knits so much more for any time one of my bothers announces that their wife is pregnant." I replied.
"Do you think she would mind knitting a few things for the baby?" Remus said. "I don't know if you are aware, but Dora lost her mother during the war and is determined to do everything like she did in her own way. The most current goal is to knit a wardrobe or the baby."
"She is still trying to knit?" Harry asked over hearing part of the conversation. "I had thought she would be over that already."
"I can send my mum an owl tonight." I said answering Remus's question. "She always liked Tonks each time she met her. You will have more knitting than you will know what to do with. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
"We haven't found out yet." Remus responded.
"Dora is hoping for a boy, but the rest of us think a girl would be a lot more fun." Harry said. "Sirius would even have an excuse to own Witch Daily then!"
We laughed at the reference from our conversation earlier in the day.
As the food appeared on the table everyone moved to take their seats. I noticed Scarlett and Betty quickly take the seats closest to Harry. I gave Harry a quick smile before taking a seat between Tonks and India.
"When are you due?" India asked Tonks as we began eating the first course of pumpkin soup.
"Just another month to go!" Tonks said with excitement in her voice. "I can't wait to be off of desk duty and back in the field, although that won't be for a few months still. Never, if Remus had his way."
We continued talking about the baby as we ate. I learned that India came from a small family and only had an older brother and that she had hopes to have her own family soon. "But certainly not ten!" she had said.