GINNY'S OTHER LIFE

Chapter 5

Later that evening back at the Burrow, Ron and Hermione filled-in the family on their search for Ginny.

"So do you think that's it really her?" Arthur asked.

"We really don't know dad," Ron answered his father. "All we know at this point is that a young girl who looks a little like Ginny is living and working somewhere in this vicinity."

Hermione showed them the street map and pointed to the red circle she had drawn around the area in question.

"The girl, whoever she is, probably lives in one of these buildings. We think that she walks to work along this route."

Hermione pointed to the address where the girl works.

"And we know that she also walked to this pub on this street."

Hermione points to the address of the pub.

"That's where she was arrested for disturbing the peace."

"Why would Ginny, or whoever she is, cause enough of a ruckus to get herself arrested?" Bill asked.

"I think, according to what the doorman told us, that she was mad because they wouldn't let her in without an ID that indicated her age. Most up-scale pubs are very careful about that," Ron told them.

"Well, it sounds like something Ginny would do, right Charlie."

"I would say so, yea," Charlie commented. "She can be a real spitfire when she gets riled up. Just like her mother," he added.

Arthur laughed at that.

"Ok then Ron. What's your next move?"

"Hermione and I are going back tomorrow morning. We still need to enter each of those buildings and make a list of the tenants. The problem is, we don't know what name she is using."

"What name did she give the bobbies when they arrested her?" Charlie asked.

"The same name she gave at her work place. Jane Brown."

"Yea, that sounds like Ginny. She picked a common name for removed from her real name. Clever of her," George commented.

"She was always very clever, that girl," commented Bill. "So then what?"

"Whatever names we find, unless it's Ginny Weasley or Jane Brown, we can't just go knocking randomly on everyone's door. So at that point, I don't know what to do?" Ron told them.

"Right, and remember that we have no real proof that this girl is Ginny. We are going on instinct, really just plain conjecture," Hermione commented.

"Ron, what if this girl isn't Ginny?" Molly asked tearfully.

"Then it's back to square one mum. We start over again. Were not giving up."

"And if it is Ginny?" Arthur asked in a weak voice.

"Er, well, obviously we will try to talk to her, that is if she let's us and doesn't blast us to smithereens," Ron stated.

"We have to be very careful how we handle this folks," Hermione said to them. "Remember, we cast her out. We all drove her away. We are the guilty ones here, not Ginny. I think that our best approach wound be to first apologize to her. All of us. Then we'll just have to see how she reacts to that. She may accept it and agree to talk, or she may just tell us to go to hell and leave her alone. We just don't know."

"Yea, Ginny was always unpredictable. Ron, do you think she knows about poor Harry?" Molly asked.

"Probably not mum. We never released the fact of his death to the press. Nothing was ever in the papers about it. And I haven't a clue how to tell her, really."

"Ron and I discussed this recently," Hermione told them. "And we thought that we would saying nothing about Harry or the fact of his death until it was absolutely necessary. Remember, we know nothing about Ginny's state of mind right now. She could be her normal self, or she could be completely off-the-wall. We just don't know what to expect, so we will have to play it by ear."

"Hermione, do you want one of us to go with you tomorrow?" Arthur asked.

"No dad, I think that would be wrong. We don't know how she will react to seeing just Ron and I. The last thing we want to do is gang-up on her."

"Yea, I agree," commented Bill. He looked around the table and each of them nodded in agreement.

"Ok then, if were done with this, Hermione and I need some sleep. We'll let you know what goes down."

"Yes, so wish us good luck, and we will see you tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Ron and Hermione parked their just down the street from the buildings in question. They started on the nearest building and tried the main door. It was locked as suspected. Hermione pointed her wand at the lock and whispered, "ALOHOMORA." The lock clicked and the door opened.

Hermione pulled out her notepad and quickly copied down the names and locations of each of the occupants. None were even close.

They moved on to the second and third buildings, with the same results.

"Ok now Mione. This is the last one. Cross your fingers and unlock the door. She did and they entered the buildings foyer, too focused to notice a person some distance away walking along the path towards the building.

With notebook in hand, she started to write down the tenant's names. Then she froze.

"Ron, I found her. Look, Jane brown. 3B. Oh Ron, what do we do now?"

He took a deep breath, then sighed. "We walk up three flights and knock on her door, That's what we do."

Panting from the long climb up three flights, Ron knocked on the door to 3B. No response. He knocked again. Still no response. He knocked, almost pounded on the door. Silence.

"She's not home Mione." Ron said sadly. "Well, it is Sunday, maybe she went to church."

"Ron, that's not funny."

"Well, it's possible."

"Ginny, at church? I don't think so. Let's just go and sit in the car for a bit. Maybe she'll come along soon. If not, then we'll try again later."

"Ok then, let's go."

They descended the three flights and reached for the door.

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Ginny was feeling a bit better now and noticed that the sun was just above the horizon. She took a long hot shower, washing herself vigorously, as if she was trying to wash away her bad memories.

Her talk with Harry had been inspiring. She no longer needed to die, Harry had convinced her of that. What she needed right now was something to eat. Then maybe she could figure something out. When Ron and Hermione find me, hopefully Harry will be with them, and I know that he will help me. I'm sure of that, she kept telling herself.

She dried her body and dressed conservatively. She searched her bag and riffled through her drawers looking for a few pounds to feed herself. She found just enough, and headed out to the "Cup&Stuff".

As she sat in a booth sipping her coffee and reading the morning edition of the London Times, she felt surprisingly at ease. Her mind had cleared, and she had made her decision. Tomorrow she would quit her job, she hated it anyway. Harry said that the ministry had cleared her, or whatever they do. So it's probably safe to go back home she reasoned.

But her family, that was another story. Harry said that they loved her. She didn't know if she could believe that. Oh well, she thought, whatever or however, it couldn't be any worse than what she had now. Maybe I could find a descent job in the wizard world now that my name has been cleared. Not at the ministry, they would never employ me again she thought. But there are other wizard jobs available. Maybe Harry could help me there. Or Ron and Hermione. Harry said they were looking for me. Oh, they might be on my street right now. I'd better get back.

Ginny walked slowly back to her miserable dirty flat. As she approached her building, she noticed a car parked right in front. One that she had never seen there before. Strange, she thought.

She walked up the steps to the main entrance door. She unlocked it and pulled it open

She was shocked and stared open-mouthed at the two people standing in front of her. The last thing she heard before she fainted dead away was her name being shouted out by the two people. A name she hadn't heard in a very long time.

"GINNY!"

End chapter five