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Author: guruvee Story: Out of the Darkness Rating: Everyone Setting: Post-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 9 Words: 11,090
Quick Review: The Weasleys, especially George, have had a hard year, accepting Fred's death. Hermione and Ron are still occasionally at odds, but Ron is proud that Hermione has finished and finally left Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy has been hiding out, along with his parents, at the family manor, and is starting to think about the rest of his life. With her future so uncertain, Ginny tried out for the Holyhead Harpies and makes the reserve team. With a celebration in full swing at The Burrow, Ron announces that he is taking Hermione to Salem in the US for a holiday. Hermione is still feeling out of sync with Ron, but graciously accepts the gift. George continues to work at the shop that he and his brother opened, and has a daily ritual of talking to Fred once he gets to the shop to start his day. With Lee Jordan at his side, he has determined to move on. George makes a decision to move back to the flat and leave the comfort of The Burrow. Ginny and Hermione go shopping in Diagon Alley to prepare for their respective trips. Hermione and Ron leave for Salem during a slightly stressful morning, as Ginny and Harry prepare for Ginny's departure to Holyhead on the same day. Harry, having convinced Ginny to stay at The Burrow for one last meal before moving out on her own, announces that he will accompany Ginny for the trip. Meanwhile, George and Lee are discussing the testing process of their new product line. Verity, one of the shop clerks, announces a surprise visitor …
Apparition to Wales was uneventful. Ginny and Harry arrived, side by side, right next to the lighthouse at South Stack. As they walked towards her flat on Beach Road, they could see the Stadium, just visible between South Stack Road and Plas Road. There weren't a lot of visual obstructions but, while there weren't many Muggles travelling this route, the necessary precautions still had to be taken. The walk to Ginny's new flat was relatively short and the scenery was inviting. It seemed like a quaint fishing village, with lots of waterfront roadway and quite a few shops. Walking hand in hand, they passed an old church, a small coffee shop and a tavern that looked pretty dingy. Harry observed that no one walking down the street was going into it, or even seemed to notice it was there. "Ginny, why don't we get lunch in here?" He watched as she eyed the grimy windows and knew she must be thinking it was not the sort of place she would want to enter. However, he also knew that she trusted him completely; he would never lead her anywhere that would put her in harm's way. And so, he was not really surprised when she nodded. He pushed open the door and the bells attached to the top jingled as they stepped through. Ginny gasped. They found themselves in a beautiful pub. Harry sighed in relief that his intuition had been correct. The wood of the tables and benches gleamed, as though they had just been polished. The glasses hanging over the bar sparkled with the light that hit them from behind. The dark tiled floor was smooth and clean. The interior of the establishment was a direct contrast to its outer appearance. Harry and Ginny found themselves a booth towards the back of the tavern and the barkeep shuffled forward. He was a portly man with a balding head and a jolly smile. He was certainly friendly, and eyed the two newcomers with interest. "Good day to you!" "Hello," Harry replied. Ginny just smiled. "What'll it be for you two today?" The barkeep asked. "I've just opened a fresh case of Butterbeer, if that interests you." Ginny gasped. Harry chuckled. "Oh, did you not know we were here?" The barkeep asked. "My name is Berwyn Bartles, and I run this place. With the Quidditch stadium just down the road, we need some place for us wizarding folk to be able to relax." "I'm sorry, Mr Bartles," answered Ginny. "I just never expected to find such a fine wizarding establishment so far from home. It will be nice to have a place to come. I'm sure I'll be here quite a bit." "Oh? Are you new to the area?" "You could say that." "Well, Butterbeer for two then?" Harry and Ginny nodded and Berwyn Bartles shuffled away to get their drinks. "Harry, did you know this place was here?" Harry shook his head. "No. I just realized how much it reminded me of the Leaky Cauldron and how no one paid it any attention. I took a chance." Ginny squeezed Harry's hand across the table. "Thank you. You always find a way to make me feel at home." Their Butterbeer arrived and they sat, making guesses at the future. Even as a reserve member of the team, they expected that Ginny would see a certain amount of play time. Looking out the windows, which were far from grimy from the inside, the stadium was easily visible, the Harpies colours flying high. Harry could feel Ginny's excitement growing. His own wasn't far behind. "Let's go and get you settled, Ginny. Then you can get to your meeting on time." Ginny nodded. They paid for their drinks and left the tavern. They walked to the flat and discovered it was cheery and bright; lots of windows and on the second floor of a three-storey building. It overlooked the water and was airy and clean. Pulling her bag out of her pocket, Ginny cast Engorgio and started unpacking items from her now full-sized bag. As she was hanging her things in the wardrobe, she cast her gaze around the empty flat and Harry saw a dawning realization fix itself on her face. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. “A-a bed,” she stammered. “Furniture. Harry … I’ve got no –” "Ginny, it's almost three o'clock. You need to get to the stadium. I'll be here when you return." He kissed her and pushed her out the door. * * * Ginny stepped outside the door and began to walk downstairs. Quite suddenly she began to laugh, and turned back to her flat. Walking through the door, she threw Harry a look of amused anger, spun on the spot and Apparated to the stadium. She found herself outside the stadium, and discovered it was very like the stadium used for the Quidditch World Cup, only much smaller. She found an employee entrance and tried the doorknob but it was locked. Knocking softly, Ginny began to feel her nerves getting twitchy. The door opened and she was admitted by a young wizard. He looked no older than she was, but she did not recognize him from Hogwarts. She smiled and nodded her thanks. "Miss, the office is just up that hallway." With another nod, Ginny was off. The corridor to the team offices was bright and wide, not at all what she expected in the back hallways of a sports stadium. But, she had to remind herself, this wasn't a school stadium. This belonged to a professional sports team. She'd have to remember to tell Harry all about it. Maybe they'd let her bring him behind the scenes one of these days. Her musings carried her down the long corridor until she reached the very last door, on which was a plaque that read, "Gwenog Jones, Captain". Screwing up her courage, she knocked firmly on the door. "Come in!" rang a friendly voice from the other side. Ginny opened the door and stepped through. Sitting behind the desk was a dark witch wearing a Muggle t-shirt and jeans. She had a friendly look about her and Ginny felt at ease instantly. "Welcome to the Holyhead Harpies, Ginny!" said the woman behind the desk. "We've been looking forward to your arrival. Please have a seat." Ginny took the chair indicated to her and smiled awkwardly. The first day in a new place was always difficult but this woman seemed friendly enough. "I'm happy to be here, Ms Jones." "Oh, please. Call me Gwen. We're all family around here." She poured herself a drink from a pitcher of clear liquid and offered a glass of water to Ginny as well. Although her throat felt very dry, Ginny declined with a shake of her head. "Well, Ginny, let's get right to it, shall we? As you know, you'll be one of our reserve chasers. From what I have been told, since I didn't see your try-out myself, you should be on our first reserve line within a month or so. Those who saw your try-out were very impressed." Blushing, Ginny said, "Thank you." "You'll meet the rest of the team at your first practice tomorrow, but for now I just wanted to make sure you were settled in your flat, show you the locker room and where you can find everything you need. This stadium is wizards only, meaning no Muggles ever set food inside — unless they are invited. This means that you can feel free to use magic, within reason of course. We do not tolerate illegal potions of any kind, or any type of strength or speed enhancing spells. But you don't seem the type so I'm sure you won't have to worry about that. Let's take a tour of the stadium then, yeah?" Ginny stood up and followed her new team captain out the office door. * * * While Ginny was off at her meeting with the Harpies, Harry quickly got to work. He started in the bedroom, where he waved his wand and a beautiful bed with a wrought-iron headboard appeared. Another wave and two night tables appeared, one on either side of the bed, as well as a dressing table with a large mirror over it. One last wave in here and lamps, blinds, curtains and a plush area rug placed themselves. He looked around, quite pleased with himself. Well, that's one room done, Harry thought. Stepping into the bathroom, he cast a quick Scourgify and, glancing at himself in the small mirror, pointed his wand to enlarge it. The bathtub, he realized, was much too small and the bathroom itself was not large enough to accommodate his decorating plans. Fortunately, he had spent time learning spells from Arthur Weasley and was able to cast an enlarging charm on the room. He stepped out to check his spell work. The building appeared not to have suffered any structural damage, yet when he stepped back inside it was cavernous. He transfigured the tub, making it large enough not to swim in but certainly to be comfortable. He added jets for various types of soaps and scents … similar to the prefects’ bathroom at Hogwarts. He appraised the bath longingly, wanting to relax in it right now, but knew he only had a short time to get the whole place furnished and charmed the way he thought Ginny would like it. Checking his watch, he realized that Ginny had already been gone an hour and might be back soon. He moved on to the sitting room. He conjured a sumptuous leather sofa, in a rich chocolate brown and added the knitted afghan he had requested of Mrs Weasley a week ago. How she had managed to knit it up without Ginny knowing he could only wonder, but Mrs Weasley had never failed to amaze him, so he wasn't terribly surprised that it was ready. He added some end tables and a coffee table as well as two matching chairs. He charmed some wall sconces over the mantle, and a few plants as well. He'd have to be sure to check with Neville about their care and feeding. Looking around, he felt the room was missing something but couldn't quite put his finger on it. With a quick wave, he added some candles, lit, to the coffee table and, satisfied at last, turned into the kitchen. There really wasn't much he needed to do in the kitchen and, if he were honest with himself, he would need Molly's help to charm it into the perfect kitchen for Ginny. In the end, he performed a quick cleaning spell and went to collapse on the sofa. * * * Ginny's tour of the stadium was thorough and she realized that it took longer than it seemed. She'd been with Gwen for at least two hours and wondered how bored Harry was, having to wait so long for her return. Gwen had suggested all manner of exceptions for Harry, which Ginny was not sure she wanted; things like standing permission for Harry to enter the locker rooms and offices. Ginny liked the idea that she had something all to herself. If she was honest with herself, she thought Harry would want that for her too. She told Gwen that she'd discuss it with Harry but didn't think those exceptions would be necessary. After all, no other husbands or boyfriends got special treatment … and she and Harry weren't even married. She did, however, readily agree to the pair of season tickets she was offered. She knew Harry would share them with whoever wanted to go. By the time she was ready to go home, she was exhausted. She Apparated home to find Harry fast asleep on the sofa. A sofa she did not recognize. She looked around and noticed all sorts of furniture that she'd never seen before. She walked into the kitchen but didn't see anything new there, although it was incredibly clean. Then she went into the bedroom. She nearly cried. What Harry had done to make her feel at home was so touching, so beautiful. Stepping back out to the sitting room, she decided the only thing missing was a soft, squishy rug before the fireplace. With a wave of her wand, she was able to produce one that matched the ivory colour of the afghan on the back of the sofa. Where on earth had he got that? she wondered. Then she sat down on the sofa next to him and, leaning over, started kissing him. * * * When she stepped into the back room at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, she was hesitant. She hadn't seen her friends since the Battle of Hogwarts and wasn't sure how she'd feel seeing George again with his one less ear and not seeing Fred at all. But she was greeted with smiles and whoops as Lee and George descended on her with hugs and kisses. "Angelina! What on earth brings you to this humble establishment?" George asked. "HUMBLE!" she exclaimed. "You've always been anything but humble." Lee smiled. "You are a sight for sore eyes, lady. Where have you been? What are you up to? What brings you back here? The last I heard, you were off travelling the world." "Yes, well, I've finished with all that. I've seen what I want to see. Now I'm back, and I wanted to see you lot." George couldn't take his eyes off her, and she felt exhilaration at his stare. "Uh, George," Lee began, "I need to get going. See you tomorrow?" "See you tomorrow, then," George replied, without taking his eyes off Angelina. Lee quietly stole out of the room but Angelina noticed that he gave her a glance and a smile as he left.
A/N: First, I would like to thank all of my reviewers. And special thanks to ngayonatkailanman for suggesting the nifty summary you read at the beginning. Next, I would like to thank all of my readers for their patience with this story. I do apologize for the delay between updates, but I am trying to get the story just right. Please continue to read and review. Your comments, questions and suggestions truly help spur me on. Lastly, I want to thank Ladybug for all her help. This chapter was quite fun, and very light-hearted, and her suggestions and comments during the beta process really made it easy.
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