Ginny hated shopping in the town closest to her home. She also disliked Diagon Alley. However, Hogsmead was perfect for her. She could stop there after classes, and it was small enough that if she brought Cody, he'd never be lost.
Ginny walked along today alone. Cody was at his grandparents, Xaver was home. She had chosen to go shopping alone, for some time to think alone. She wore faded jeans and a white t-shirt. A startling contrast to her normally dark clothes.
Still, she looked as young and pretty as ever. Her youthful looks placed her at about 17 years of age. Her bright red hair shone in the sunlight, causing several to take double glances at her. She was obviously pretty, though she wasn't aware of it.
((Anyone can join, ya know.))
(alrighty then :) )
Virgil was walking down the middle of Diagon Alley, not really looking for anything specific. He was glancing from window to window to see if there was anything he might want. He was wearing a black shirt, and some blue jeans, which was slightly weird for him, since he usually wears a long black cloak.
Since he was not paying attention to were he was going, he bumped into someone, apearantly knocking her to the ground. He quickly looked around, as he said "Im sorry. I should have been watching where I was going." as he held out his hand to help her up.
Ginny fell back, landing sharply on th wrist that had been broken not too long ago in battle. There was a loud crack, the bones obviously breaking again. She winced in pain, but did not cry out, training from her auror days telling her not to. She looked up, rubbing her wrist with her other hand.
"It's alright. You didn't hurt me, " She lied, taking his hand with her unhurt one and standing. Once again, she rubbed her broken wrist, wincing as it throbbed with pain/
Virgil pulled her up, but knew she was lying, because he heard the slight crack coming from her wrist, and knew it was his fault. "Im sorry about that. Maybe this should help." he said as he took out his wand and pointed it towards her wrist as he said "Ferula." as bandages shot from the tip, and completely wrapped her wrist. "That should feel a little better." he said, as he put his wand back.
"Thanks." Ginny smiled, not saying that she'd heal the wrist later. Without her wand, or potions even. She tilted her head at him, her soft eyes inspecting him.
Was he a student?
She held out her hand, her smile polite, "I'm Ginny Weasley. Who do I owe thanks to?" She asked, holding up her broken wrist and chuckling.
"No problem." said Virgil as he looked at her hand. He grabbed it as he said "Im Virgil Hendrix." as he shook her hand. "It was no problem, I'm just sorry I caused that for you." he said as he put one of his hands into one of his pockets.
Ginny laughed again, "I've endured worse, a broken wrist is nothing." She shook her head, "If it hadn't been broken a few weeks ago, it wouldn't have rebroken now."
Finally, she had to ask. "Are you a student?"
Virgil smiled as he said "I see your one tough girl. I like that.." with a laugh. "And yes, I go to the school. I saw you around before I believe." he said. "What year are you?" he asked inquisitively.
He had no idea how tough she was.
"None." She answered to his question, "I haven't been in school since I was 15."
That was five years ago.
Ginny didn't look a day over 17. Her bright red hair, her pretty features, china like skin all lead to the illusion that she was still a kid. Her short stature didn't help matters.
In all reality, she was 20. In fact, "I'm actually a teacher there. That's why you've seen me before."
Virgil was slightly shocked by that statement. "Erm... I knew that..." he said sarcastically, trying to cover up for his stupidity. This was a little hard to believe, because Virgil too thought she looked 17, and was surprised by that statement.
Ginny laughed, real amusement shining in her eyes.
"I'm sure you did." She teased him gently, "It's okay. I'm told I look like a little kid all the time."
Not exactly true, but she had been told she looked younger than her years.
"What year are you in Virgil?" She asked him, flashing him a toothy smile.
((Im guessing your not married to harry? or am I wrong?))
Virgil laughed slightly. "You do look younger than you say you are." he said before answering her next question. "Im a 6th year. I was just wondering, what class do you teach?" he asked her.
((Right. Not married to Harry.))
Ginny smiled,"It's nice to hear that, actually. I feel so old sometimes."
He asked what she taught. "Mostly I substitute, but once a week I teach a class that's kinda like a defense thing. It's open to everyone, but not everybody knows about it."
Just a few kids, and they were really into it. "So far I've taught then some street fighting, some spells, and we've had a few discussions about the difference between murder and killing."
((thought so, just had to get it strait))
Virgil laughed a little. "I've never heard of it. It sounds pretty interesting. I may check it out sometime. Sounds like I could learn a trick or two in there." he said before continuing on to say "There is always something new to learn."
"Absolutely. For example, today you learned that one of your teachers is not only young, she also dropped out of school when she was 15." Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "Anything else you'd like to learn today?"
She was joking, of course. But she was so used to exposing herself in class that if he actually did ask a question, she'd answer as truthfully as she could.
Virgil started laughing at the joke, as he then said "Teacher, I believe you forgot one thing. I also learned that my teacher is way tougher than she looks." joking back. Virgil liked this new teacher, as she was pretty cool, and not like most of the other teachers he met.
Ginny winked, "Tough as nails." She agreed with him.
"Had to be. I was an auror for three years." She held up three fingers on her good hand, "From the time I was 14 until I was 17." One of the youngest to have ever done the job. And that was along with two other jobs she'd had at the time.
Virgil, once again, was surprised when he said Auror. He, himself knew a few Aurors, along with his god father, that was an Auror. "You were an Auror? I knew a few Aurors when I was younger." he said.
Ginny smiled, "And head of the Wizemagot." She said, pushing her hair from her face and nodding.
"That was years ago, though. Wouldn't be caught dead working in the Ministry today." She laughed, "Actually, yeah. I would be dead if I went in there."
Virgil was astounded at all the things that Ginny was able to do by the age of 20. "I can't believe you did all of that before the age of 20! You must have really been something special." said Virgil, still slightly amazed.
Ginny laughed, "No, just very determined and a powerful psychic." She tapped her temple and winked again.
She shook her head, "Admittedly, I'm almost 21." She smiled, "Plus, I quit those jobs when I was 17."
She'd resigned from all her positions, had gone into hiding. And had only recently resurfaced.
"Thats really cool. I don't think I would have nearly that much skill at my age." said Virgil. "What did you have to go into hiding for?" he then asked.
Ginny looked at him closely for a moment, then smiled sheepishly.
"I was pregnant." She admitted, shrugging her shoulders slightly. Then she blushed. Here she was, telling her life story to a stranger, much less a student.
Virgil was surprised about this statement, as it was almost unbelievable. "Wow." he said simply, as the statement took him slighly by surprise. "That must have been hard for you." he then said.
"It was." She agreed, "Very hard."
She didn't say that she'd only just turned 17 when she found out. Didn't say that Xaver, the baby's father, had been gone for two months when she found out. Didn't say that she raised her son Cody alone until he was three.
Virgil could only imagine how she must have been feeling back then, as that could be hard on anyone, especially someone her age. "Wow." said Virgil, after he couldn't think of anything to say.
Ginny coughed, a fake nervous cough.
"Um, yeah." She said, laughing. A deep blush was still upon her cheeks, and she looked throughly embarrassed.
After a moment, she shrugged, "But none of that matters anymore." She said lightly.
"Forget the past, and it can't come back to haunt you."
"I wish it was just that easy, to just forget the past, and it can't hurt..." he said as he looked down to the ground.
"Me too." Ginny admitted. She shrugged, "But there is no use thinking about it."
"I guess your right." he said, as he looked back up. There was obviously something that happened to him, that he didn't want to say.
Ginny tilted her head slightly. Even if she hadn't been psychic, she'd have guessed something had gone wrong in his life. She didn't press at the moment, though. She would, in due time, find out what was bothering him.
"Would you mind helping me, Virgil? Carrying groceries is going to be killer." She held up he broken wrist and smiled slightly. It still throbbed with pain, but she knew how to ignore it.
Virgil looked at her wrist with as he said "Sure, no problem. Its the least I can do for breaking your wrist." as he picked up some of the bags. "So, where are we taking these?" he then asked.
"We'll just go up to the school. I can get someone from there to help me take them home." She told him, picking up a bag with her good hand. She smiled at him and nodded towards the path leading from Hogsmead to Hogwarts.
"That way I don't have to help you apperate or anything."
Virgil smiled as he started walking. "Actually, I already know how to apperate. Its a long story on how I learned though." he then said.
Ginny smiled back, "Well, there's also the whole thing with me taking a student so far from school grounds without parental permission." She shook her head, "The headmaster already doesn't like me."
She smirked, "Not to mention the Ministry would just love to find a reason to arrest me."
Virgil looked at her as he said "I don't think you could get my parent's permission if you tried." as the smile fell from his face.
"Probably not." She agreed, "Most parents hate me upon meeting me...say I'm some sort of bad influence." She looked at him from the side, knowing full well that wasn't what he meant.
"Anyway, it'll be easier for you if you just help me up to the school."
"Well if you say so." Virgil said, as he knew she didn't completely understand what he was saying, and he decided to leave it alone.
Ginny nodded, "Yeah, if needed, I'll just get a hold of Xaver to help me get these home." She told him.
They walked in silence for the moment, "Virgil, how long have you been going to Hogwarts?" She asked gently.
"I just transfered here this year, and I really like it. Hope to stay around for a while." he said. "How long have you been teaching here?" Virgil then asked.
"This time around, for a few months." Ginny nodded, "But I started teaching when I was 15 the first time around."
She smiled, "Of course, if most of the kids hadn't known me, getting them to pay attention would have been hard, since most of them were older than myself." She laughed.
After a long pause, she nodded, "Hogwarts is a good school." She told him.
"Hardly anybody dies here."
"Well, you do seem like a pretty cool teacher." said Virgil. He then laughed as he said "I haven't seen anyone die yet. Hopping not to."
Ginny nodded, "Seeing people die isn't any fun."
Her voice grew soft, "Especially if it's your fault they died."
She shook her head, getting the thoughts out.
"So you just transfered? How come?"
Virgil sighed as he said "Sadly, I know the feeling..." as he moved on to her next question. "Well I transfered here because at my last school, Death Eaters attacked the whole school, and burned it to the ground."
Ginny nodded, "Yeah. Guess that would do it." She told him, struggling to keep a straight face.
But she couldn't she started to giggle.
And then actually laughed.
"I'm sorry," She said, still chuckling, "It's just been a long time since I've been afraid of Death Eaters."
"Its ok, I've seen way to many to be afraid of them." he said as he laughed slightly.
Ginny nodded, "They aren't that scary, you know." She told him.
"Even Voldemort isn't scary." Ginny shrugged, "He's just an old man...worthless, pointless."
She grinned, "Now his kids...phew! They scare me!"
"I dunno how you can be afraid of anyone in a cloak and mask.." said Virgil. "I didn't even know Voldemort had kids." he then added.
((You get to find out how horribly we screwed with the original HP plot line. ;) ))
Ginny nodded, "Yeah. Twins, a girl and a boy. They are about a year older than I. Sweetest people I've ever known. Also scariest."
She laughed, shaking her head.
"They went to Hogwarts the same time I did. Kiara and Harry were among my friends when I was still in school."
((lol I can't wait XD))
Virgil shook his head. "That can be a dangerous combination if you ask me." he said with a slight laugh.
Ginny nodded, "More than you'll ever know. Kiara Maul and Harry Potter are the two strongest and most courageous people I've ever met." She nodded, as though confirming her opinion.
"If it weren't for them, I'd have never learned half of what I have."
Jessie sat in the womping willow, bored out of her wits. She saw Virgil and Ginny walking towards the school with something that looked like groceries. She hopped down out of the tree and walked over to them. *Hey Ginny, Virgil! New form of detention?* She said, indicating towards the grocery bags.
((I know it's hard to break habits, but couldn't you possibly use quotations when you write out what your character is saying? It's hard for me to read otherwise...))
She shook her head, laughing softly, "No. He bumped into me, and I landed on my wrist. It was broken not too long ago, so it broke again." Ginny smiled, "Virgil here was nice enough to help me carry these to the school so I can get someone to help me take them home."
((Yeah it is, and trust me in fan fictions some of my quotes have one asterik and one quotation! I'll try to use it here, but I'm not promising anything...))
Jessie laughed too and said, "Well that was nice! While it's broken, though you could always try it out as detention."
((Thanks! Trying means you want to do it.=) ))
Ginny smiled and nodded slowly.
"Could work. But it'll be fine once I get home. I can heal myself with magic."
She shook her head, "I don't have any detentions soon anyway."
((Not really, but you want me to ;D))
Jessie nodded along with her and said, *That's cool that you can do that, I can only heal small cuts and scrapes. At least that's without the aid of a potion, and I'm not very good at making those!*
((Erm.. sorry for like being so late :( ))
Virgil looked up as he said "Hello Jessie!" as he had just met this person not to long ago. With a small laugh he then said "Carrying these was the least I could do, after I broke her wrist. I tried to fix it up as much as possible though."
Ginny nodded, "You did a good job, Virgil. I'm surprised, actually." She shrugged, "Really though, it'll be ok. A jerk off broke it last time, and it was a bad break then."
She frowned, thinking of Mahn sent shivers down her spine. She shook her head, "Anyway," She smiled, "Virgil, if you want to know more about my classes, ask Jessie here. She's a student of mine."
"Alright. We will have to get together sometime then." Virgil said as he looked at Jessie. It seems that they were getting closer to the school, as this trip was almost over.
As they reached the school steps, Ginny turned and smiled at Virgil.
"Thank you for helping me," She told him. "I feel like an old ugly lady, but thanks all the same." She laughed shaking her head, her red hair bouncing about.
"Maybe you want to take my class, neh?"
Jessie smiled and said, *Sure, but if you want to fight someone, you'll want to talk to my sister!*
Virgil walked up behind Ginny, after finally reaching the school. "I will definately look your class up later. Sounds really cool." said Virgil to Ginny. He then turned to look at Jessie as he started saying "I don't think I need fighting help. I've had my fair share of experience."
Ginny snapped her fingers, and all of the bags disappeared from her and Virgil's hands. She winked at Virgil, then nodded at Jessie.
"See you tomorrow, Jessie."
With that, she too disappeared.
It hadn't been apperation, for no one could do that on school grounds. But rather, it had been transportation, an alternative to apperation.
Jessie smiled and said, *She always has the coolest forms of transportation!*
Virgil laughed slightly as he said "I pretty much prefer brooms myself."
*As do I, but I don't know too many tricks on my broom... my sister does though, and she's tried to teach me.* Jessie said, rambling slightly.