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Tweak says, "fredro starr=my life"

Ginevra Molly Potter (bat_bogeys) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-08-18 21:10:00

Entry tags:

!log, dean thomas, ginny potter

Awkward
Who: Ginny, Dean
What: Tea! and talking
When: 11ish
Where: Welcome center and then a cafe
Rating: Low
Status: Complete

Everything about this place was weird. Living with Harry's mum and younger versions of Remus and Sirius. Knowing a younger version of Snape was here, and now, a younger version of Dean. She was still working on the employment thing, but it was ... difficult. They had enough to survive on right now, but it felt queer borrowing money from her younger mother in law.

Deciding not to think too much about that today, Ginny navigated her way from the flat to the welcome center. She stepped inside after kicking the snow off her boots. She'd be glad whenever this false winter stopped. She hoped it was a false winter, at any rate. If this was just an early winter ...

... Well, it wasn't as if she could do anything about it either way. Shoving her hands into her pockets, Ginny glanced around the lobby area of the center before she plunked herself down in a seat to wait for Dean. She wondered just how awkward it was going to be. Lily had told her what year he'd said to be from (which then prompted Ginny to explain exactly what Snape had been up to, so Lily wouldn't fret so much), and Ginny really had no idea what he'd want to know. If he'd want to know anything.

Shifting her weight in the chair, she rested her arms against her thighs, leaning forward as she watched for his arrival.

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 06:33 pm UTC (link)

She was for a moment startled by his reaction before she recalled. Of course he wouldn't know yet. She'd had to explain to Lily, after all, so why would she have thought Dean would know any different? "It's ... complicated," she said. Since Severus was here, she didn't honestly want to get too much into it, and his motivations were entirely kept to herself. She hadn't even told Lily, because ... well, awkward. Then again, since Harry had announced it all to the entire hall ... well, anyone who showed up here after the battle was going to know.

She sincerely hoped they all kept their traps shut as well, but it wasn't as though she could control them if they weren't inclined to. "But he was never a Death Eater. Not truly. He was working as a spy for Dumbledore the entire time. From the moment he signed on as a professor up until the very end. He helped Harry, as much as he could without ... bringing down suspicion on himself. No one knew, not until after ... after the battle," Ginny said evasively. "Even Harry didn't know until close to the end." She thought that was as good an explanation as she could give while still retaining most of the details.

Lapsing into silence, she walked along with her hands in her pockets, her mind drifting back to the battle. To all the pain, the horror, the chaos of it all. The revelations and the recoveries.

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westhamwizard
2011-08-19 06:48 pm UTC (link)

"You're right, that is complicated." He'd let go of the subject now for Ginny's sake, but for him the wounds were still fresh, and it would be hard to change his opinion of Snape that easily.

Still, he fell in step Ginny alongside Ginny as they walked in silence for a bit. After what he thought ought to be a respectable amount of time he ventured, "Far, is it? This diner of yours?"

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 06:55 pm UTC (link)

She drew out of her thoughts with a shake of her head. "Just down that street," she said with a gesture toward the next corner. "Not much further."

While Ginny wanted to continue a conversation, she wasn't certain what safe topics were. If he was on the run back home, then he probably didn't want to talk about that. She didn't want to talk about her time in hiding or how bad things had gotten at the school. She thought her kids and Harry might be awkward, though she'd head that way if he prompted it.

"So have you ... any luck on the job front?"

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westhamwizard
2011-08-19 07:58 pm UTC (link)

Ginny had a good thought with the change in conversation. It was probably best to stick to their present and (mutual) future, as the past was likely too depressing or awkward.

"Haven't made any moves just yet," he answered, "but I'm thinking about putting up an advert on the bulletin boards, looking for work illustrating." He'd told Ginny about his love of drawing when they were together, and she'd always encouraged him at it. "I'm hoping I'll be judged on my talent, not on, you know..." he gestured at himself, "...my age or skin color or anything."

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 08:13 pm UTC (link)

Ginny nodded, feeling a rush of sympathy for him. If she thought it was hard here being an older female, it must be even moreso for him. "I hope so, too," she said. She wondered a little if he could get in at the place Lily was working; she was fairly certain she'd mentioned there being an art department there. Maybe she'd talk to her about it over the weekend and see what she thought. Since it was such a paper-thin hope, she thought it best not to mention it to Dean yet; if it worked out, it would be a pleasant surprise for him.

"Of all the times and places to get stuck, huh?" She said as she glanced to him before she turned the corner and started down toward the diner. But like he'd said ... it could be worse.

"I'm still looking," she confessed. "Maybe I'll have to pop up a note as well. Not sure what sort of skills I can offer, because I don't think they'd take me seriously as a writer here and ... I wouldn't know anything worth writing anyway."

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westhamwizard
2011-08-19 08:20 pm UTC (link)

He nodded, idly brainstorming the ad he's thinking of putting together. He spotted the diner up ahead. It looked like a nice enough place, as stereotypically muggle as it could get, but it gave off a vibe of good, cheap food.

"Oh, you're a writer now? That's great, Gin!" As they approached the diner's entrance, Dean held open the door for her, unable to repress his chivalrous instincts.

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 08:23 pm UTC (link)

"Only because I had to quit playing. I couldn't stand all the traveling and being away from the kids. So I've got a nice quiet job at the Prophet and I can do a lot of the work from home, so ... there's that." She stepped into the diner and glanced around before she moved to claim a seat in one of the booths.

It was so strange that just about everything she'd have to say about her life was going to be news to him. Of course it would be, given his age, but it just struck her as so very odd.

"So is there anything you'd want to know about? Or would rather not know about?" She grinned over to him as she reached for the menu. Money was still giving her something of an issue, but she'd worked out the basics and mostly disregarded the coins for now.

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westhamwizard
2011-08-19 08:33 pm UTC (link)

So she got to play Quidditch after all. Dean smiled, sliding into the seat across from her. "Sounds like all your dreams are coming true, Gin. That's fantastic."

He didn't bother with the menu, decided he'd just get chips and a coke. He knew Ginny would try to pay for his meal, and he knew that no matter how much he objected, she'd end up having her way, so he decided to have his little victory by not ordering anything too expensive. He gazed out the window, thinking about how to answer her question.

"I dunno. I mean, I don't want you to spoil everything I'm going to do before I get the chance to do it." He flashed her a smile. He also didn't want to talk about the war anymore. No doubt he'd hear bits and pieces of it slip out eventually, but there was no reason they had to spend their first reunion dwelling on it. "Just, ah, what's everyone up to? All our friends? Did Ron finally get over himself and seal the deal with Hermione?"

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 09:00 pm UTC (link)

"Something like that," she agreed. At home, everything was good. Life was peaceful, she had children and a job she liked, she'd married the man she loved. Here though ... here was a nightmare next to that. Nothing familiar and young versions of people she'd known at home. But what was to be done about it? Nothing. So she endured.

"He did. They have a couple of children. Hugo and Rose, and I think they're about done with having more kids as well." She was somewhat on the fence, and she thought she might like a fourth, but then she thought of having another Lily or James and the idea sort of quashed itself. "Let's see. Neville's the herbology professor, and I was thinking once all my kids were in school I'd see if there was a chance I could get in at school as the flight instructor."

She paused as the waitress came over so they could place their orders, and once that was tended to she exhaled softly. "Everyone else ... really sort of scattered a bit after the war. Went their own ways. I ... lost touch with a lot of them," she admitted. She'd stayed in touch with her family, with their closer friends, but she'd fallen out of touch with their more casual acquaintances.

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westhamwizard
2011-08-19 09:54 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, Harry's m--" Dean stopped and corrected himself, "Lily told me about Neville. No big surprises there." He was glad his friends lives seemed to work out well. It made everything (the war, hiding, this strange trap) seem a little lighter.

"I wonder if that would have happened anyway," he mused. "Whether we'd keep in touch after Hogwarts without, you know." The name "Voldemort" was implied, though not said. "I mean, we were kids. Well, you were a kid." His voice lowered slightly as he mumbled, "I still am one."

He was glad for the distraction the waitress provided by bringing them their drink orders. He took a rather large gulp of his coke, avoiding eye contact with Ginny for the moment.

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bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 10:15 pm UTC (link)

"I imagine," Ginny agreed. "It ... people grow up, grow apart. Move in different directions. It's just part of life." War or no war, she imagined everyone would have drifted afterward. Then again, because of the war, she'd kept in touch with people she might not have otherwise. It was interesting to think about.

Ginny nearly pointed out that he'd grow up, but that sort of implied growing up here, and she hated the idea of being stuck here very long. Nevermind that the others had been here for months. Not quite sure what to say to that, she offered him a sympathetic look before she curled her fingers around her cup of coffee.

Brown eyes shifted to the window, and she watched a moment as people passed by. "It's ... so different here," she said softly.

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	westhamwizard 2011-08-19 10:26 pm UTC (link)
	"Yeah," Dean agreed. "It's different even from growing up in London. Guess that's time travel for you." He laughed. When he was a kid he thought both magic and time travel were make believe. Now he'd experienced both. There was really no telling where life would take you. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bat_bogeys
2011-08-19 10:39 pm UTC (link)

Ginny smiled slightly. "Guess it could have been worse. We could have been chucked back to medieval times." And burned as witches, but she'd rather not mention that. Besides, she didn't know if that was actually true or not.

Reasoning that they'd covered the worst of the revelations, Ginny was content to just chat their way through tea until he was ready to head back. Then she supposed she'd tackle the issue of a job and see if she could manage to get any leads today.

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