RP: Giving a tour

[tt_ginny]

Who: Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter
When: April 7, 2002
Where: Settlement One
What: Giving Harry the Tour
Rating: TBD
Open/Closed: Open



Since most new arrivals often felt a time-difference to their body clocks, Ginny wasn't about to show up on Harry's doorstep at the crack of dawn. Not that she was even considering being awake at the crack of dawn, whatever unGodly hour that might be. Still, she got up around 7 a.m., took a shower, and dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans. Since she'd promised Harry breakfast, she just enjoyed a cup of tea before double-checking his address in the database.

Fixing the cross path in her mind, Ginny apparated there at just five to 8 a.m. It took her a moment to orient herself on the dirt path but then she was heading up the way a few doors to his house. She knocked and waited. There was some measure of excitement in her as she hadn't really seen Harry for nearly a year, not with their training schedules and then her own journey here. They'd been friendly, of course, but she'd never quite known where she stood with him before she left. Now, of course, she was approaching this in a purely friendly manner.

Comments

[tt_harry]

Harry was nervous. He'd hardly been able to sleep the night before. Of course there had been the strange, new noises of the jungle around him, but Ginny had been a large part of it. He finally resigned himself to a sleepless night around 5am and got up, at first just milling about aimlessly in his shorts.

Finally he made himself a cup of herbal tea and, pulling on a house coat, went out onto the porch to watch the sun come up. It really was a beautiful place, even if the warm weather and exotic location would take some getting used to. Just as dawn crested, Harry watched a huge bird wander out of the thick underbrush and across the yard. Unsure if it would show dangerous interest in him or not, he held his wand at the ready. The bird, however, took no notice of him and disappeared into the jungle a few long moments later.

He stayed out there for quite some time, long after the dregs of his tea had settled and dried in the bottom of his cup. Stretching his arms high over his head, he checked his watched and saw that he had just enough time to shower and get ready before, he assumed, Ginny would show up. They hadn't set an exact time, but he knew her to be just about as much of a morning person as he was.

A little while later he was dressed and toweling his unruly hair dry when he heard a knock on his door. He grinned to himself and slipped his glasses back on, noting the dark circles under his eyes. He slipped his wand into its holster along the outside of his right leg and made his way to the front door. His hands smoothed down his plain grey t shirt and worn denims, an unusual gesture for him.

Without any more hesitation he pulled the door open and couldn't help but smile broadly at the sight that greeted him.

"Ginny," caution was thrown to the wind and he stepped forward, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "Merlin, I've missed you."

[tt_ginny]

The door opened and Ginny barely had time to even take him in before Harry engulfed her in a tight hug. She returned it, smiling, though she was caught off guard entirely by it. "Oh! I've missed you, too, Harry," she replied, finally drawing back from the hug.

He looked good. Almost exactly as she remembered and there was a hint of bittersweet memory to that, but Ginny was smiling nonetheless. "How are you settling into your new place? Do you like it?" she asked, glancing down at his feet. Sneakers would do. They'd be doing a lot of walking. "Oh, are you ready to get started?"

[tt_harry]

"Sorry," Harry grinned sheepishly as she drew away, taking a step back himself. The memories he had of their short time together were some of the best he could recall. It was those memories, and just the thought of Ginny, that helped him get through the War, and the hard times afterwards.

"It's a bit big, but I suppose they knew that I'd want to have Teddy over a lot," He responded; he'd been put into a three bedroom house, which was much bigger than what he might have chosen for himself. He came on short notice though so his living space was chosen for him. "Yeah, I'm ready. Lead the way."

[tt_ginny]

"It's okay," she reassured him warmly. Ginny was happy to see Harry, happy that he still felt so comfortable with her. She hadn't known exactly what to expect seeing him again, but she knew that most new arrivals were grateful for anything that reminded them of home.

"Well, they tend to go overboard if they get to pick. I have a pretty nice place, too. Charlie and I share a duplex. We're in the directory," Ginny explained, nodding toward her datapad that was shrunk and tucked in her jean's pocket. Smiling, she took his arm and lead him onto the main path, turning so that they were heading for the main hub of the settlement.

"We've got pubs and restaurants and even nightclubs now. When I first arrived, we only had the World's End - its sort of like the Leaky but without the pea soup. That's where we're going now. We'll have breakfast and then I'll show you all the main spots."

[tt_harry]

Harry was relieved that she didn't mind, relieved that there was no need to feel embarrassed around her.

"How's Charlie getting on?" He asked, grinning as Ginny took his arm. He fell into step with her easily, glad for the feeling of familiarity and comfort as they set off together.

"Wow. Sounds like it's really come along, then." He commented, impressed by the growth. "Bril! Please tell me they've got pumpkin juice and butterbeer," He answered, sounding hopeful.

[tt_ginny]

"Well, he's in charge of the Ark here so he's very busy. I never realized how much work he did on the dragon reserve when it was in Romania. Now that he's my next door neighbor, I only see him for tea in the morning," Ginny replied wryly, shrugging. It didn't really bother her, after all. She did see Charlie more here than she had for most of her teenage years so it was really great.

She turned down the path, cutting across the area just behind the schools, on a more direct route to the pub. "They have both of those, and some new versions as well. The animals on this island are non-predators, mostly of a bird variety, so there's a lot of stuff that tastes like chicken. Then there's our other big staple, fish. I'll show you that later at the marketplace. It's kinda like a big butcher shop."

[tt_harry]

"How many dragons did they bring over?" Harry asked, thinking to himself that it would be nice to pay Charlie a visit. He'd always been fond of him and was glad to hear that he seemed to be doing well, if busy.

"Good. I'd hate to think of never being able to have them again," He commented, allowing her to steer him down the unfamiliar path. It would definitely take some getting used to; they were definitely not in London anymore. "Poultry and fish, got it. I think I can handle that." He grinned a bit before turning serious. "Ginny, have you seen them? My parents? Sirius told me they were here..."

[tt_ginny]

"Well, originally they were only supposed to bring two of each, mating pairs, but Charlie bent those rules into pretzels. There's about 36 of them all together. I couldn't tell you how many of each breed there are, but I know they've got two eggs at the Ark. I'm sure Charlie would show you around," Ginny explained, pausing once to look up the exact number.

"Lisa, she's the witch who runs the World's End, she worked out the recipes pretty quick here. You'd never know they weren't the originals. It was grand fun trying them out until she got them right, let me tell you," she rambled happily, pointing to where the pub was visible in the distance but she got quiet when Harry asked about his folks.

"I have, both of them. Your dad, he brought over my viewing box and showed me how to watch the programs, and your mum, I've had tea with her a few times. She's really nice. Well, they both are, honestly," she admitted, happy for him.

[tt_harry]

"That sounds like Charlie," Harry said, grinning a bit. "I wonder if Norberta was brought over." He mused.

"I'll make sure to thank her once I try them, then!" He responded, nodding as Ginny pointed out the pub in the distance. His heart gave a leap inside his chest as she confirmed she had in fact met his parents.

"I can't believe they're alive, that they're here," he admitted, awe creeping into his voice. "I have to admit, I'm really nervous to meet them. It's what I've always wanted, but I didn't think it'd ever actually happen."

[tt_ginny]

"He didn't mention her specifically, but I know he fought to bring as many dragons as he could," she answered, with a shrug.

Ginny gave his hand a squeeze as he talked about his folks. She wanted so badly to hug him, but she didn't want him to feel awkward. Things had been up in the air the last time they'd really spoken, before the disaster in 2002. Now, she didn't know what to think. Harry never had been the most forward of guys, with his intentions or his feelings, and she was still in an almost limbo with the casual date she'd had with Marcus who never reached out to her.

"Your mum has a great sense of humor and she's very, very kind. Oh, and your dad is a wiz with Muggle tech. I'm sure they both want to see you, to meet you. I mean, your mum, she did ask me about you," Ginny said after a brief pause.

[tt_harry]

Harry nodded a bit, briefly thinking not only about Norberta, but of that blind, tortured dragon who'd been kept in the bowels of Gringotts in such a cruel way. He shoved the thought aside, turning his mind back towards their conversation.

Harry returned the squeeze immediately, appreciating that silent comfort. It usually took a lot for him to start gushing and rambling about his feelings, but he'd learned to trust Ginny and at least lower his guard. He felt safe with her.

"Muggle tech, really?" He responded, genuinely surprised. He perked up, stopping in his tracks to face Ginny. "She did? What did she say? What did she want to know?" He asked, unable to hold back his eagerness at her answer.

[tt_ginny]

"Really. He's pretty amazing with it all. He explained the viewing box thing to me and even left me some notes. I'd never have bothered with it if he hadn't made it look so easy," she confided with a shy blush. Harry's dad was also sort of cute, though Ginny'd never really thought much of it. Harry was definitely the recipient of good genes, as Charlie would call it.

"Let's find a table and I'll tell you," she agreed upon reaching the World's End. Ginny led Harry inside where the decor was definitely much newer than the Leaky had been but it was set up in a similar way.

With a wave to Lisa behind the bar, she brought Harry to the window side and an empty table there. Taking a seat, she felt the loss of holding his hand but folded hers on her lap. "Well, she wanted to know what you looked like, want you were doing back there, if you, um, had any, er, girlfriends." Ginny hadn't told Lily about herself and Harry in the past. "I tried to fill her in on most of what I knew, of course, but I didn't know if you were, er, seeing someone."

[tt_harry]

"I guess that means we'll have to watch a movie together sometime," Harry suggested casually, shooting Ginny a hopefl little grin.

He nodded, eager to hear of Ginny's interactions with his parents. He was hungry for any little nugget of information, however seemingly mundane.

Immediately there was a loss of warmth, familiarity, as Ginny released his hand and sat down. He took a few moments to glance around the pub, his Auror instincts taking note of the exits and the other patrons. He turned his attention back to her as he sat down, arms folded loosely on the table.

"Er..." Okay, he hadn't been prepared for that. The mention of girlfriends and seeing someone had Harry speechless for a moment, a tinge of red warming his cheeks. "No...not seeing...anyone...." he stammered, suddenly feeling like a foolish teenager all over again. The table had become quite interesting to him, but he chanced a quick look up at Ginny. "And, er...you?"

[tt_ginny]

"Oh! Sure. I could invite Luna and Neville over, too," Ginny agreed easily, thinking of how nice it would be to have her friends together again. "They're happy that you finally joined us."

She wasn't surprised when Harry stumbled over his words. Hermione might say that Ron had the emotional span of a thimble, but Harry wasn't much better at dealing with it. No doubt due to his upbringing.

"It's complicated," she answered with a sigh, grateful that Lisa came over. She ordered and waited for Harry to do the same before continuing. "There was a big, err, mix-up not too long ago. Some bloke from Two put a love potion into the water for One. I, umm, ended up running into Marcus Flint first thing that morning. I mean, we're not dating."

[tt_harry]

"Oh...er...yeah, it'd be nice to see them...." Harry responded, trying not to let his disappointment at her rejection show.

"Complicated?" He repeated, pausing reluctantly to say hi to Lisa and order breakfast. "Marcus Flint! That foul sod? That must have been a nightmare," He responded, pulling a face. "Well, if you're not dating, then how complicated can it be, right?" He asked, a bit hopeful.

[tt_ginny]

She heard his stammer, and considered it for a moment. He couldn't have meant just the two of them, could he? This was Harry, after all. She'd made the first move between them so long ago that she'd almost forgotten how socially awkward he could be. "We can always just watch something if they can't make it," she added.

"Well, no, not really," Ginny admitted sheepishly, running her fingers through her hair to brush it back from her face. It cascaded back to normal. "He was right nice, actually. I thought it was just the potion, but he's been decent to me since." She shrugged. "No, we're not dating. I'm not seeing anyone, not since coming through the portal."

[tt_harry]

Harry relaxed a little, grinning with relief. "Yeah, that would be nice," he agreed. Ginny had always been rather good at deciphering the unspoken with him, which he appreciated.

"Hmm. Well, I expect people can change. Maybe he realized what a right git he was in school and has been trying to redeem himself," he commented, shrugging a little and sitting up a little straighter as their food arrived. "So what have you been up to since you arrived, if not dating?"

[tt_ginny]

"Training. I was nearly done with Healer training when I came here, and they added Muggle doctoring lessons to the course. It's only the basics - like blood types, setting bones, doing stitches, that sort of thing, but its basically added another year of training. I'm a qualified Healer now, but I still do residency with the Muggle doctors three times a week," Ginny explained.


"I'll start doing rounds with new trainees next week, something the Senior Healer thought would help since there's still some resistance towards doing the Muggle training," she added.