Rp: Getting Caught Up

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Date: 20. November, 2001
Characters: Ginny Weasley, Alicia Spinnet, various NPCs, mentions of other characters.
Setting: The new pub
Content: G, maybe PG for a little language
Status: Open: Private, Complete


They had been transported 5 million years into the past, to a place that was but a fraction of where they had used to be. They had been working in the same building for weeks, and yet all Alicia and Ginny had managed to talk, were a few fleeting comments in passing. As luck would have it, they had either been on different shifts, or if they had been on the same shifts, they had been in two different locations... or too busy to talk about anything else but the patients they were treating.

Back in school, they had never been particularly close, mainly due to the age difference, but they had been on friendly terms. Things had changed a little after the war, and especially after Ginny had finished school and started her training at St. Mungo's. Again, they hadn't been as close friends as Alicia was with Angelina and Katie, but she considered Ginny a friend, and it pained her that they hadn't had more time to get caught up now that they were here.

Alicia found that rounds had taken forever today, however, once she had changed out of her scrubs and into her every-day jeans and t-shirt and crossed the center square to the new pub, she found that maybe they hadn't. At least Ginny wasn't there yet, which could only mean that somebody's rounds were taking longer than hers had. Taking a seat at one of the tables where she could see who was coming and going, Alicia took out her datapad and started replying to some of the messages that were waiting for her. There weren't any from Ginny, which was good, but quite a few from Sam, all of which she replied to with one quick message, and one from Viktor. That one made her smile. In the two weeks since their first date, they had seen each other when they had been running or shared lunch during their work days. Far from enough for Alicia's liking, but it was what time had allowed, and as she sat there waiting for Ginny, the messages started flying back and forth, planning a second real date tomorrow or the day after.

Comments

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

"Nice dodge but don't think I'll forget it," Ginny replied smartly with a wicked grin. She glanced at Alicia's datapad but the screen was dark. Gin let the subject go for the time being, confident that as the evening progressed she'd get Ali to spill the beans on just who had put that light blush on her cheeks. Regardless, it was grand to see the sparkle of happiness in her eyes.

"Their version of fish and chips is actually pretty fair. I daresay that I like it better than the old version, though we don't have a lot of options in that department," she answered, lifting a hand when she saw the server appear in the doorway. "Well, I think my trainers are trying to implode my brain. Honestly, I thought studying for NEWTs was bad but this is just... there's so much to learn. Johann and Trisha are lovely, though."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"I'm sure you won't," Alicia conceded with a small wink, figuring that the best tactic would be to simply keep from referring to the fact that she wasn't telling Ginny everything. It wasn't that it was a secret, it was the fact that Viktor wanted to do things properly by meeting her brother to let him know of his intentions, which – albeit a new experience to her – Alicia could see some sense in. However, since Viktor had yet to meet Sam, Alicia didn't think it appropriate to be announcing their burgeoning relationship everywhere, though she wouldn't lie about it either.

"Alright, that settles it, fish and chips it is," Alicia grinned, waiting until Ginny had ordered to order a plate of the aforementioned dish and a glass of sparkling water for herself. "I think trainers are advised to do implode their trainees' brains during their last year," she chuckled once the server had left their table. "At least that's what I've seen each year I've been there, my own last year included... and now I'm right back in that situation again, though at least I don't have to be supervised every time I Heal just a scratch. How's the Muggle medicine coming along for you?"

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

"Make that two, but I'll have a pint, thanks," Ginny told the server with a smile. There wasn't a lot on the menu to begin with but she'd tried the stew and preferred the fish and chips to that. It could be the weather, too, affecting her judgment since she primarily considered it too warm to have stew. With the livestock still at least a year or more from reproducing enough to start using them for food, the main-stays of the settlements were varieties of fish and fowl, anyway.

"That's oddly comforting to hear - in a very NEWTly miserable way, of course," she replied with a small grimace. "It's quite interesting and mildly horrific. Did you know they fix bones by putting affected limb in plaster? Trisha says the bones grow back toward each other. I told her that's what skel-o-grow does but a lot faster. Of course, that wouldn't be any good for a Muggle and I know we can't just think in magic or muggle terms anymore. Oh, I've learned about the different blood types, too, and Trisha gave me a Muggle book called Grey's Anatomy to study in my free time."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"I did know that," Alicia chuckled. "Broke my wrist when I was eight. My dad was on a business trip and mum couldn't take me to St. Mungo's. Itches like you wouldn't believe, but it works, and it was such a thrill to have everybody sign it and decorate it with all kinds of scribbles and doodles." Despite working with magic, surrounded by witches and wizards, she sometimes forgot that not everybody had grown up with a foot in each world, and that far from all Healers saw Muggle doctors the way her Muggle relatives saw what they referred to as 'alternative doctors'. But like she had told Viktor, here she got to combine what she knew, without having to be ashamed or having to justify why she was considering the Muggle alternative.

"Oh, Gray's Anatomy should be obligatory for all Healer trainees," Alicia sighed with a fond smile. "My Muggle uncle Henry gave it to me when I started training because my mum'd told him I was studying medicine, and it is gold. Nothing less. I can't really recommend that you read it, because that'll be a waste of time, but use it as reference and it's the best." Fluffing up her hair a bit, she produced a hair band from her pocket and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. "It's been years since I've used Skel-O-Grow, though," she admitted. "When I did my rotation at Creature Induced Injuries, I think it was Healer Pye who showed me how to layer the Charms to mend the bone rather than put the patient through the questionable pleasure of drinking that Potion. He said that he didn't see why it needed to be done that way when it could be done with less discomfort for the patient, and it just stuck. Takes a little longer, but you're less likely to have the patient hex or jinx you." She stopped the minute she realized what she had just said. "You know, we're well on our way to spending our first night off together talking work, right?" she chuckled, then shook her head.

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

She arched an eyebrow at Alicia's enthusiastic description of her experience in a 'cast' but Ginny really couldn't see how it had been any fun at all. How could you do anything like that? She didn't verbalize her doubts, though, knowing how ridiculous she would sound if she did. There was so much she was learning about the Muggle way of doing things, and there was still so much to discover.

"Well, I've started reading it. It's... I have to look up some of the words on my datapad but it seems to be... I want to say interesting but I think that's just my exhaustion talking and making me sound like a colossal geek," Ginny quipped back with a sigh of resignation as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the edge of the table. "We are and that should be a crime, you know. So, how's things with you? Are you finally settled into your new home? Do you like it?"

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia bit her lips to keep from grinning at the doubtful look on Ginny's face. She somewhat understood the other witch's hesitation about it, but aside from the pain and the itching, she didn't recall wearing the cast as something unpleasant. Instead she likened it to when her mum had put a coloured plaster on a scraped knee; it hurt like dragon-fire, but it was dead wicked.

Leaning forward, somewhat mirroring Ginny's motion Alicia lowered her voice. "Keep this a secret, but I find it interesting too," she said conspiratorially, then sat back with a slight shrug. "I find it fascinating, so don't worry about sounding like a geek. And that's the end of work talk, at least for now." Under the table she crossed one leg over the other, making herself comfortable. "I'm... pretty much settled in. All the boxes has been unpacked, and my spare-room has been turned into a bit of a supply storage with, well, you wouldn't believe half of what I found in the boxes from home," she chuckled. "But I'm still Transfiguring my furniture. Haven't quite found the right ones yet, but it'll come. How about you?"

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

Ginny laughed heartily, nodding. She loved that Alicia also enjoyed that sort of thing as well, making that something else they both liked. "Your secret is safe with me," she chuckled.

"Well, I didn't have any furniture to bring. I brought a few trunks for my mum and dad but it was all their things. With Healer training and staying with them, I just had my broom and some clothes to bring through. No real unpacking for me, though my mum made up for that when they came through," she explained.

"I have transfigured some of the furniture - mostly the stuff out on the deck. I have to admit, I kinda am getting to like the simple furniture here. It seemed cold at first but its really growing on me. I mean, I spend so much of my day at the Medical Center - it's nice to go home and not have to think about anything except what to listen to on the datapad," Ginny added, with a smile as the server came out with their drinks.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"Aside from a few instruments, we didn't bring any furniture either," Alicia assured Ginny, then waited until the server had placed their drinks and left before she continued. "But we brought a lot of things that's been in the family... that we grew up with. And mum packed literally boxes with practical things for us. I think she must have spent all her savings on clothes and shoes and toothpaste for us." She paused to take a sip of her soda. "There was a box, marked 'Alicia Future'... filled with maternity and baby clothes. And you don't want to know what was in the one marked 'Alicia Single'." The content of the last box could still make Alicia's cheeks heat up, just thinking that her mum had thought that kind of comfort into the care packages she had made for her, not to mention the fact that she had seen Sam shrink down one marked 'Sam Single'.

"I don't know," she admitted with a slight shrug. "The furniture we got here, just wasn't... me. I felt like I was living in a hotel room, and as for the datapad?" Slowly she shook her head, as she looked at it, somewhat sad to see that there was no message waiting for her, though still glad since it meant she had rounded things with Viktor off for tonight in good way. "No problems with it at work, but it took me a while to get what Sam was trying to show me with the music, and I think I've gotten the message thing down. First message I ever sent was a shopping list to Sam. I sent it to Kingsley Shacklebolt by mistake."

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

Ginny opened her mouth, automatically thinking to ask why her mother would pack all those things when she realized that Alicia's mum couldn't have come through with her if that's what she did and what if Alicia's mum was like Adrian's family? She closed her mouth and frantically tried to reconnect with what she'd said. "That's... well, the future box sounds positively adorable and the single box sounds equally horrifying if its half what I think it might be."

"The only hotel I've ever been in is the Leaky and let me tell you, the furniture here looks nothing like what's in the Leaky. I dunno if it'll always be fine for me but right now, I think its what I need it to be - a blank slate, you know?" Ginny continued with a shrug, picking up her pint and taking a quick drink. Which she nearly sputtered out a moment later. "You sent Kingsley Shacklebolt your shopping list? Sweet Merlin, woman, you're kidding, right? Did he message you back? That's... that's just brilliant. Really, it is. Wait till I tell Charlie..." she teased.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia noticed Ginny's swallowing of words, and only just then realized that she had talked about her mum in relations to something that was directly related to here and now. Obviously Ginny had caught on, and had failed to completely disguise her discomfort. "It's alright," Alicia said with a sigh. "I'm... getting used to it as well." Swallowing down she let that topic rest, and picked up on Ginny's actual comment. "Take what you're thinking, times it by two, and then imagine your mum buying those things... and books. Manuals, really." Nodding, Alicia showed what she thought about that idea, though she did admire her mum greatly for even having thought to pack things like that in what she could only describe as the ultimate, extensive survival kit.

"No! Please don't," Alicia pleaded, though through her horrification that Charlie might learn of her message blunder, she did manage to think clearly and hand Ginny a napkin. "I think I've already made enough of a fool of myself when it comes to your brother. No reason to make him rethink our friendship by adding this to the list of my incapabilities." Rubbing her forehead, she did smirk before she continued with a chuckle; "He did write back, though. Wrote that he'd never been called Sam before, and then he recommended the third vendor on the right for the items on my list."

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

She gave a half nod but still couldn't imagine how hard that had to be for Alicia. There was simply no way to politely do anything but let it go and not mention it. When Alicia moved on in the conversation, Ginny gratefully picked up on it from there with a shocked expression of pure horror. "Oh dear, sweet Merlin... I... I think I would die of mortification, knowing my mum. I can't even imagine her picking up, err, anything in that category, let alone giving it to me!" Ginny replied wryly.

Ginny burst out laughing and raised a hand, taking the offered napkin, shaking her head at the same time. "Okay, okay, I won't but only if you tell me about what happened with Charlie," she agreed, still chuckling. "I think Kingsley's grown a sense of humor since coming here. That's right brilliant. Was everything you wanted at those vendors?" Ginny paused, taking another drink of her pint. "Kingsley met me when I came in through the portal, showed me around. He knows where everything is and I suspect, everyone, too."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"It was a bit of a shock, I admit that," Alicia chuckled. Ginny's spontaneous burst of laugh, however, was infecting, and soon she was laughing, too. "Oh, dear," she groaned, though she was still chuckling. "Uhm... isn't that blackmailing?" She held up her hands, then waved off her last comment. "I uhm... my third day here, second day at work, everything's new, everybody's a stranger, the only familiar face I've seen, except for Sam, was Shacklebolt at his introductory speech, and I only recognized him from the pictures in the Prophet and the Room of Requirement before the final battle. In walks your brother, drops a dead rat-bird-hybrid-something on the front desk, claiming that it's bit him. I look up, and there's the first familiar face in days and he's smiling at me and like that," Alicia gave a snap of her fingers, "I'm Alicia Spinnet, 12 years old, with the biggest crush on the Captain, and though I got the bite treated I've no clue what happened to my professionalism, because all of a sudden I'm rambling his ear off about Sam's inability to ask before buying foods he doesn't know. End of it all; your brother's gone back to the Ark and I'm sitting on the floor, against the door, comfort-eating the yoghurt he was supposed to eat with his antibiotic Potion." Running her hands over her face, Alicia leaned forward resting her elbows on the edge of the table, still keeping her mouth hidden. "I was so embarrassed, you wouldn't believe it."

As if trying to wash away that memory, even though Charlie seemingly had forgiven her less than stellar performance, she took a long sip from her soda. "I wouldn't know about Shacklebolt's humour," she admitted with a shrug. "Like I said, I've never met, but he does seem to be a capable leader, and yes, the vendor he recommended has exceeded said recommendations. My preferred place, by far." Setting her glass back down, she traced her finger through the condensation on the side. "Now, please tell me I'm not the only one who's put my foot in it here."

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

"Negotiating, not blackmailing," Ginny shot back smugly, her grin wide and clear over the top of her glass. Not that she was going to let Alicia get away without telling her the story, not when it involved one of her brothers, which was always guaranteed to be funny in some fashion or another. Her eyebrows rose higher and higher as Alicia's tale unfolded, her mind's eye seeing the med center, Charlie, and Alicia. "Oh, Merlin's beard, you had a crush on Charlie? You poor thing. That's just the cruelest of turn-abouts."

The server reappeared and Ginny tried to keep her giggling to a bare minimum while their plates set down. She was certain her brother remained utterly clueless about Alicia's embarrassment, however. Giving the server a muffled thank you, she waited until they were alone again before responding. "Kings? Yeah, he's a bit of a joker. I think he spent too much time with the twins at my brother's wedding," Ginny added, picking up her fork.

"Hmm, yeah, I have. I met this bloke, someone from Hogwarts, that I used to play Quidditch against. He was in Slytherin. Ali, he's gorgeous and utterly clueless about it. But his family wouldn't come through with him and he's all alone here and, of course, I meet him in the market where I'm totally tongue-tied and what do I automatically assume? Right. I swear I felt about this big," she held up her free hand, holding her thumb and forefinger apart by mere millimeters, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia quirked an eyebrow at Ginny's sympathy for her having had a crush on the second-eldest Weasley, waiting not quite patiently while until the waiter had left their table before she spoke again. "Ginny," she said dryly, "everybody had a crush on Charlie. He was the dreamboat that all the girls dreamed of, alright?" Shrugging it off, her smile turned wicked. "Then he left school and blokes like Cedric Diggory and Roger Davies became the preferred topic after lights-out."

Picking up one of the chips, Alicia bit into it, chewing as she listened to Ginny relay her own embarrassing encounter. "Ouch," she sympathized with a small grimace, though she didn't miss the blush it had brought to her friend's cheeks. A family refusing to go through the portal was a touchy subject and something quite a few of the inhabitants here had experienced, even Alicia herself. And no matter what, unless you asked, you wouldn't know if that was the case for whoever you were talking to. "But he forgave you and, well, I don't think I'm the one putting that blush on your face," Alicia teased, using Ginny's own words to relay that she had noticed the look on her face. What was more; if Ginny had played Quidditch against him, chances were very good that so had Alicia or that she at least knew who he was. "A Slytherin opponent..." she mused, nonchalantly taking a swig of her soda, watching Ginny over the rim."Dare I ask?"

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

Setting her fork down, Ginny raised both her hands, her features wrinkled up in disgust as she said. "Ew, ew, and EW. This is my brother we're talking about. That's disgusting. Ew. Ew, ew, ew. Ew." She shuddered and dropped her hands. "Now Diggory... he had like uni-brow. Totally not hot. Roger Davies on the other hand... now that was a slice of yes please, I'll have another."

After relaying her own bad moment, she picked a bit of fish with her fork, savoring the bite of it. These fish here, in the past, were so tasty. Her blush deepened with Alicia's observation and she sighed, licking her lips. "He did forgive me and blush or not, he's becoming a grand friend." Ginny paused, taking another drink from her pint. "Adrian. Adrian Pucey, and yes, he's firmly in the 'yes please, I'll have another' category. Unless, of course, you'd like me to tell you how yummy your brother is," she added with a wickedly smirk.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Ginny's reaction to Alicia's description of Charlie had her put down her fork so as not to drop her food while she was laughing. She somewhat understood Ginny, but only a little, seeing as how her own brother was nowhere near Charlie Weasley standards. Of course, that wasn't a standard she used anymore, as within the past month it had taken a turn towards the more Slavic version of handsome. "Mmm," she hummed, "no, Cedric wasn't 'yes please, I'll have another'," she agreed, "He was 'please, I'll have another, and one mroe'." She smirked dreamily as she was momentarily brought back to giggling and whispering with Katie and Angelina about the extremely handsome boy with grey eyes.

Returning to her food, Alicia chewed for a moment finding the fish more delicious than she had expected. For once, pub food actually stood a chance when competing with home cooking, but she figured that had to do with the ingredients available here. She looked up at Ginny, quietly hoping that whoever this Slytherin was, it wasn't someone she would have to dig deep to find anything positive to say about. She didn't like holding grudges, but of the few she did hold, the majority was towards Slytherin Quidditch players. It was good to hear, that if nothing else, he was turning out to be a good friend for Ginny, which instantly raised Alicia's estimation of him, though it still took everything in her not to breathe a sigh of relief when the name Ginny provided wasn't Malfoy, Bletchley or Flint. "Adrian Pucey?" Alicia was about to tell Ginny what she remembered of him, when Ginny played dirty and had Alicia's eyes open wide. "You wouldn't be the first one to tell me that, and you wouldn't be the first one I'd suggest getting an eye exam!" she grinned, shaking her head. "I've had schoolgirls in the clinic asking me if I was related to that teacher with the piano." And then there was Viktor, who had asked to meet him to do the proper thing and let him know of his intentions to pursue a future with her, but Alicia didn't think she could properly explain that to Ginny. Not right now, at least. "But all I remember of Pucey, is that he was a fairly solid player," she admitted. "Wait a minute... Adrian Pucey? He's the Potions Master Pucey listed on the staff sheet?"

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

She chuckled but her expression was one of disagreement in tastes regarding Cedric. Oh, he'd been a nice bloke and all that but not her type really. Popping a chip in her mouth, Ginny was so glad that they'd found a potato equivalent before her arrival since these were pretty delicious. It was times like these when she felt the intensity of being in such a different place from where she grew up. The sky was spotted with a few light clouds but in every direction, she could see treetops. "Out of the Tri-Wizards? I'd have to say Krum was the fittest. Pity that Hermione is so tight-lipped about him."

"You do need an eye exam. I mean, I've got a houseful of pale, ginger men and you've got... him!" Ginny declared with a slightly strangled tone. Oh, she could see that Bill and Charlie were good looking men but that's pretty much where it stopped for her. Ali's brother, however, was one of those men who made you do a double-take. Warm eyes, lush lips, very fit and yet, still had that 'boy next door' quality. "Solid player, all right," she agreed with another chuckle, her blush deepening slightly and she ducked her head, picking up another chip. "Yes, that's him. He's dead wicked with potions and not a bad cook, either."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia had cut off a piece of what she could only describe as the juiciest piece of fish she had ever eaten and now she was chewing it slowly, savoring the luscious taste, when Ginny rated Viktor the fittest of the Tri-Wizard champions. The bite of fish nearly went down the wrong way, and though she tried to cover it up by simply clearing her throat quietly and take a large sip of her soda to wash it down, Alicia was certain the whole world could see what was going on inside of her head. "Back then I would have been likely to disagree with you," she chuckled, quickly cutting off another bite and chewing it properly before swallowing it down without incident. She had completely forgotten that Viktor at one point had had something with Hermione Granger. However, she had meant it when she had told him that the past was the past and so were the women he had been with, though technically, Hermione had been a girl at the time.

"I grew up with two of them, I'm well aware what he looks like, thank you very much," Alicia grinned, amused by the banter. "Besides, it's not like I didn't see any of your brothers. I mean, the only one I never went to school with is..." Oh, what was his name? "This is embarrassing, but I don't remember the name of your oldest brother. I do, however, know that he'd left school before I started." But what was this? Ginny was blushing even deeper now that the talk fell on Pucey. "He sounds like a real find, and someone worth blushing over. See? Nothing wrong with my eyesight either," Alicia winked at Ginny and nonchalantly popped a chip in her mouth before she grinned to brightly at the ginger sitting across the table from her.

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

"Are you sure you weren't a Hufflepuff?" Ginny teased, a flickering frown crossing her forehead just for a half-second at Ali's sudden throat clearing sounds that might have been a choking sound but it was so quick, she couldn't tell. "Honestly, you would have gone for Diggory over Krum? And you had a crush on Charlie. Honestly, woman, you have some strange tastes in men. If you had a 'thing' for Professor Snape, please - please - don't tell me. I'd like to keep my appetite, after all."

"Bill. Bill's two years older than Charlie. And about as un-twinlike as you can possibly imagine, with the exception of Percy. Next to the twins, Bill and Charlie are the most alike. Charlie was the best man for Bill's wedding," Ginny clarified easily, pausing to cut up her fish a bit more. She took a few minutes to eat while Alicia talked, and nearly choked on her own bite of fish at Ali's conclusions. "We're just getting to be friends so there's nothing to find, really. I don't think I'm his type or whatever rubbish that is." She shrugged, not bothered by that at all. While Adrian was quite good looking, she wasn't sure there was an attraction there.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"Hmm..." Alicia said, pretending to consider Ginny's question. "Dad was a Hufflepuff, Sam is a Hufflepuff, Nigel was a Ravenclaw..." One by one she ticked off her magic family members before she shook her head. "No, no I'm pretty sure that I was the Gryffindor of the family." With a laugh she nodded. "Yes, I can honestly say, that back then I would most likely have gone for Diggory over V-Krum," she chuckled, only just managing to catch herself in using Viktor's first name as opposed to his more neutral surname. "And just because I had a crush on your brother doesn't mean there's anything wrong with my taste in men. However, for the record I would like to state, that I at no point, whatsoever, had or felt even the slightest bit attracted to Snape, so you can go right on and finish your dinner." As if to emphasize her point, Alicia took a big bite of her fish, humming to make a show of how much she still had her appetite.

"Oh, o-oh!" Alicia burst out when she realized Ginny's misunderstanding. "No, no, I didn't think your... Bill was like Fred and George. No, I was talking about my twins, well, Sam and Nigel, as in I grew up with two of them so I know how Sam looks." Grinning she shook her head. "Godric, no, I think Fred and George was, well, I was going to say one of a kind, but you know what I mean, so I'd be seriously concerned if your oldest brother was like them at all.

While Ginny spoke of Pucey, it was Alicia's turn to eat while listening. She shrugged slightly, though she could see what Ginny meant. "Well, if you're not his type, then something's wrong with him," she grouched good-naturedly. " No, Ginny didn't seem too bothered by that fact, but she couldn't help but wonder were all that blushing had come from if it hadn't been because she had been attracted. "Aside from him being Slytherin, of course."

[tt_ginny.insanejournal.com]

"Your loss," Ginny laughed between bites. Her datapad would beep when it was time for her to head back to the Medical Center but she didn't want that to be before she finished eating. She had noticed Ali's tiny trip on Viktor Krum's name but she couldn't fathom why. Ginny knew Viktor Krum and the rest of his team was on the Settlement but she'd only spoken a couple of words to him since his arrival.

She listened to Alicia clear up the twin thing and stayed quiet, taking a drink and using that as a cover for her silence. It was still hard to think about Fred, let alone talk about him. When Alicia paused, Ginny realized she'd been too quiet and flashed a quick smile. "No, Bill's nothing like them. So, um, how's your brother doing here? Does he like it?" she switched subjects a little awkwardly.

"He just - he's very friendly but I don't know about anything else. You'd think if he was interested, it would be noticeable," she answered neutrally with another small shrug. "It's not like I have a lot of time for a boyfriend, anyway, not with training and studying." Ginny took another drink and finished the last of her fish, eying the pile of chips with a thought to playing Quidditch again. Maybe she should skip them.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia winked at Ginny in response to her comment about it being Alicia's loss. No, she had never done anything more than dream and talk about Diggory, but she had learned quite a few times over just how wonderful Viktor turned out to be. She couldn't help but smile; she really loved that dull throb in her stomach whenever her thoughts turned towards him.

Ginny's quietness didn't escape her. She recognized it all too well, but chose to show Ginny the respect of mourning in her own way. One day she would, maybe sooner, maybe later, but she had no doubt that she would. "He's surprisingly good," she chuckled, accepting and allowing the subject change without comment. "He's teaching Charms at the magical school and he's running a couple of clubs for both schools. I don't know, he seems... freer and more relaxed than I've seen him in a long time." She couldn't help but smile. The change of air, both literally and figuratively, had been good for Sam, and she was beginning to suspect that it had been good for her too, even if it had taken her longer to realize it.

Finishing off her fish, Alicia listened to Ginny. There were so many things she could say, so many things that would simply be hollow assurances since she didn't know Pucey other than as an opponent on the Pitch. Washing down the last bite of fish, Alicia turned her plate so the chips were closer to her, to snack on while they talked. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Then again, Slytherins doesn't tend to be as obvious about their feelings as Gryffindors. But I really don't know, Ginny. Just..." she couldn't help but frown a little. "Please don't ever use work and training as an excuse to avoid anything like that. It's just not worth it, and you'll burn yourself down if you don't allow yourself a life outside of that."