Chapter 13
Crimson Witch
The next stop was wardrobe. Apparently a white cardigan and jeans were not what the Nimbus team believed in for a test flight. But long being connected to quidditch they had a host of uniforms and pads. She put her street clothes in Harry's bag and emerged out to the changing room in a basic black uniform and her hair back into a ponytail. "Hold onto this for me please." she asked Harry with a peck on the cheek. Then they were led to the test field which rivaled even Hogwarts. But where the center stands would normally be, a large greenhouse structure stood. Inside several desks lined the walls each with a crystal ball and wizard standing ready. At Whitehorn's single, the mages tapped their wands to the crystal balls and illusions came up of all sorts of colors and pictures. Some looked like maps, some thermometers, charts. "Welcome to our test nest. We have specialists scrying on various aspects of the broom, speed, stability, altitude, wind, weather, we try to watch it all."
Whitehorn picked a small wooden case which he opened to show a dozen earrings. Each looked to clip on a person's earlobe and have a small gold coin press over the wearer's ear. "Telepathic link keeps us in communication with the pilot."
"How telepathic?" Ginny asked hesitantly.
"Directed thought only. You need to specifically want to send a thought out, and whatever is received actually feels like you are hearing them. We don't want any embarrassing moments either."
"Thank you, a girl needs her secrets, you know. " as she gave a wink over to Harry as she clipped onto her right ear.
"Gentlemen," he offered the lads. Bill and Harry did link in.
Ginny's thoughts did come through. "Checking in?"
"You are officially in my head." Harry thought back.
"I damn well better be."
"This a GROUP link you two." Bill thought.
Whitehorn and the staff all smiled.
"Oh no, they learned I like to joke with my boyfriend." Ginny said surly.
Whitehorn outright laughed.
"Alright Gin, I know you are enjoying this, but just like a match, time to get your game face on."
"-sigh-, You got it, Harry"
The team started their normal process.
"Ready test flight: Skyblazer 234"
"Oh poppycock," Whitehorn corrected. "Make this Test Flight: Crimson One. Unless you object, Miss Weasley?"
"Not in the slightest." she smiled.
"Gentlemen, bring the lady her Reign of Fire." A pair of assistants opened the case again and the broom gently hovered upward to waist high. Whitethorn gestured to all three of the guests. "At your pace, please inspect as you like. "
As they had discussed, Bill nodded to Harry.
Harry took the broom, and examined it. "Medium weight. Impressive strength. Nice balance. Stirrups feel plenty strong. Not quite sure how I feel about this secondary directional projector up in front."
Then he passed it on to Gin, who largely repeated the same checks.
"Bill, I'll let it go, but Gin, I'd ask you to give that ruby a little space. I don't know if that's going to shock, burn, or whatever you."
Bill nodded in appreciation.
"I was thinking the same thing." Gin said. "Where do you need me, sir?"
Whitehorn "Your field awaits. Start with some sprints back and forth, get a feel for it. "
Once Gin left, he turned back to Harry and Bill, with a huge grin. "She is a hoot! Even if the broom is a failure, it's been a pleasure to meet you three." The Nest became a hive of activity. The illusions came alive all reporting what they detected. The nest became a kaleidoscope of arcane energies. But more than the lights Harry saw he also heard a commotion of information being reported.
"Wind: north by northeast 30 MPH"
"Integrity normal"
"Speed 50 mph"
"Balancing chams holding …
Harry was amazed and how much they were tracking and reporting. "Mr. Whitehorn, do you do this for every test flight?"
"Absolutely, I want to keep my pilots informed. Today, doubly so with a special guest."
"Wow." Harry was amazed they could work through this. "Crimson, how are you doing?"
"Fine, just a bit distracted," she replied as she hovered by the base of one set of goal posts. "Let's break this thing in." She started with a quick start and speed to half field and hard break. Then she repeated it with longer distances every time.
"Acceleration surging."
"Inertia charms triggered."
"Spiking on the secondary projector."
"Well ya, I'm testing the brakes on this thing on this thing." Ginny cut in. "Which are solid, by the way. Let's see how she turns." She started a serpentine pattern down the field.
"Mechanical stress charms triggered."
"Condition still green."
"Heading East by Northeast'
Bill came up to Harry. "I know it's been a few since I was on a broom, but is all of this necessary?"
Whitehorn, I try to track as much as we can so we can make improvements. And if I'm tracking it, I feel obligated to share it with the pilots. They're the ones flying."
"She does turn fine, better than fine actually." Gin updated, her annoyance clearly rising. 'I'm going to check some bank and rolls."
"Be aware Wind increase to 32 MPH"
"Pinging structure, still green"
"Speed 72 mph"
"Balancing chams holding …
"I know they're holding, I'm still on the broom." she reported surly, as she pulled out of barrel roll then banked hard to fly by the goal post. "Let's try a needle thread."
"A what?" Whitemore asked.
"She's going to fly through a goal ring." Harry explained over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving Ginny.
"Wait, you can do that?"
"Sure. It's a foul in the game, but we're not playing a game are we? It's a great nerve check for new flyers. Once you adapt, it's still a rush. For this, I'd see it as a great stability check.
Gin started with a long deep straight away to for a solid arch to center goal.
"She's bottoming out!"
"She's fine. These are practice drills we do." Harry corrected.
"She's pulling up hard."
'She's banking.
"She's going for the goal."
"SHIT, angle's off!" Gin pulled up hard and flew upward, missing the goal completely.
"That's it! EVERYONE SHUT IT!" Harry piped up angry. "Gin, stop and take a hover." The nest fell silent and Harry walked up to the closest window wall. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," her frustration was palatable even from here. She paused the broom and caught her breath. "There's just too many damn voices. I can't concentrate when everyone is telling me thinks I don't need to know."
"Agreed." then turning back to the crowd. Mr Whitehorn, I will give partial apologies for my outburst but… " he pointed to everything in the nest. "This is not how Gin and I fly. We fly by feel and experience. If you want Crimson Witch to fly, it's going to be on her terms."
Realizing the mistakes, Mr. Whitehorn, nodded. "My apologies. Miss Weasley, you truly are alright?"
"Yes, I know when to bail."
Bill stepped up to the broom maker. "You invited us to meet us, the real us. Would you like to see how we fly?"
"Oh, indeed I would." he said with earnest.
Bill nodded to Harry.
Harry turned back to the window. "Gin, this is your day, your flight, your choice."
"Our way?" she said.
"Our way." Harry confirmed.
"I don't mind some of the information. The speed is handy. But I need one voice, you Harry."
Harry looked back to Whitehorn, who nodded and gave a thumbs up.
"You've got it, Gin. You and me. Give me a second to prep." Back to the Nest he asked, "Which one of you tracks speed?" They raised their hand, still a little afraid to talk. "And I need a map." Harry took a position where he could see both.
"I am ready here Crimson. Why don't we lose some tension first. Give me a figure eight needle thread.
"That sounds lovely." Harry could already hear the improved attitude. Ginny fell into the familiarity of the training drill flying through all four of the side goals.
Harry kept quiet except for the speed marks after she was through "82 miles, 88, 92, 97… nicely done. How do you feel?"
"I'm good. Feeling looser now."
"How's the broom?" Harry asked specifically, looking at Whitehorn.
"Sorry babe, Firebolt may have met its match. Reign of Fire is a strong, smooth, and steady ride. And he is right, she does turn on a dime. A lot more maneuverable."
Whitehorn shook a small fist in victory, but otherwise kept quiet.
"No worries. So there's only 1 last thing to test. You up for it?"
"You're damn right I am."
Bill smiled widely at how much joy he could hear in his sister's voice.
"Alright then," He smiled. "Give me some altitude. Lets get out of the way of everything and give you some room for an orbit."
"Climbing now."
"Check your suit. Redo any straps, tighten everything down."
"Gotcha, and in position."
"Alright, Crimson Witch, Firebolt's top speed is 150. Get me 151."
"Yes sir." Ginny flatted out along the broom shaft as flat as she possibly could and launched to life.
"Good start, already at 102."
Ginny tightened arms together wrapping around the underside of the broom. She pressed her legs as close to the broom as possible, trying to be as aerodynamic as she could make herself.
"127 Gin, just broke their record."
She smiled at that. Extra satisfaction she could put into the broom.
"135." Harry called out.
The silence was nerve racking for Bill. "She's awfully quiet, Harry."
"She's focused. And she stays that way. 140 Gin."
Harry, the finest man she'd ever known and now finally together. Always willing to protect her, even from well meaning family. Damn she loved that man. Into the broom that went.
Harry looked around for any worried looks from the staff. Everyone nodded or gave thumbs up.
"Team here says you are fine … and at 145.
Gloves… next time she needed to wear gloves. Her fingers were feeling numb. The temperature dropped from the wind and pressure. With wind roaring around her and sounded like a roaring monster. To hell with this monster… she's slaying it. Into the broom it goes.
"And … you're… at 151! Awesome job!"
The Nest finally erupted in joy and celebration.
"Gin… you made it… Your brother needs word back now."
Another moment of silence was nerve racking. Harry's eyes didn't move from the map. Ginny's image still in steady orbit.
Finally, she replied, "I - WANT - 160!"
Harry looked to Bill. The brother's face was a mix of relief now hearing her, but also equal parts annoyance and respect. But regardless of what he thought, this was who Ginny was, and he would not be the one to hold her back. "Keep going, Crimson Witch."
"EVERYONE QUIET! We're not done yet! Harry took the reins back.
Thank you, the brother that best let her be herself. One of the only ones that actually treated her like something more than a kid. Gratitude into the broom.
"153."
The forces of speed and pressure were pressing her chest and squarely onto the broom shaft. The pain bit at her from the muscle between her sternum and the iron wood. Pain into the broom.
"154."
Tom Riddle, you can go to hell. Crimson Witch is coming for you!
"155."
Ginny's emotions were so strong they started coming across the link.
"Anything"
"156."
"Is possible"
"157" Harry knew where this was going, His grin came in wide. "C'mon baby."
"If you've got"
"158"
"ENOUGH"
"159"
"NERVE!"!
"160! Repeat 1-6-0"
"This is Crimson Witch… coming in for a landing."
She was tired, exhausted more like it, but when she landed outside the nest. Her smile couldn't be brighter. Harry immediately kissed and embraced her the moment she was on the ground. "I am so damn proud of you."
"Harry, I love you… so damn much."
Bill was waiting and watching with absolutely no discomfort. She moved from her boyfriend's arms to her brother's. "Thank you, Thank you so much for letting me."
"Well, it's hard to fly if people don't let go." Bill said with the biggest hug he could muster.
Finally catching her breath. She stood up as tall and fierce as she could muster and walked over to the broom maker, who looked almost as happy as Ginny. "Mr. Whitehorn, you have made one hell of a broom." she reported as she returned it to its rightful owner.
"If you can fly like that, I think it would be a crime to take that back. That's yours now."
"Thank you, sir."
"No, thank you, Let's go talk."
Back in Whitehorns' office the four of them sat. Ginny working on her second glass of pumpkin juice. "I mean it Miss-"
"Ginny, sir, if you're giving me a broom like this, you can call me Ginny."
He paused and smiled. "Thank you, Ginny. And I mean it. If nothing else, that broom is yours. And especially if you can fly like that, and fight like you say, well… Nimbus would be honored to have you endorse the Reign of Fire.
"What would that entail?" Bill asked.
"Mostly, We'd like a photo session occasionally for promotional material. And appearances at a few locations when the brooms are released. And we would like the right to use your story from the Battle of the Burrow in promotion. And I want to stress that, I see this as equal parts, broom selling as well as motivation and inspiration."
"And compensation?" she asked with a grin.
Whitehorn smiled and chuckled. "I wondered when we would get there. Most people would have asked before our first meeting. Usually I would start at 5% of sales. How about 8?
"Well, that's what you pay a quidditch player and you yourself said I'm something more. How about 20%"
"10%?"
Bill smiled, he was happy Ginny was getting her due. Then Ginny countered.
"Mr Whitehorn, I just flew your broom 160 miles per hour. How about 16%?"
He nodded. "16%, feels right, agreed."
"And I want a full wardrobe choice. I don't mind being attractive, but it will be in outfits I can actually wear. Quidditch uniforms or anything like that will be fine, but you try turning me into a slut on a stick, I walk.
"If I tried that, my wife and daughter would kill me too. Agreed."
"Weasley Warriors, including Harry, and Fleur, get full access with me. No questions, you want me someplace, they can come with me."
"I look forward to meeting them."
"I still get to live my own life. I have school this fall, I'm not dropping out for this."
"I would hope not."
"No morality causes, no trying to say what I can or can't do."
"Agreed."
"And I want it all in writing."
"Is there any other way? I will have the papers drawn up and owled over tomorrow. Have anyone you like review them. I truly am trying to make a win-win situation here."
"Well, provided those conditions are met… yes, I believe we can do business."