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_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."