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*Chapter 9*

The Meeting in Uther Park



Several days went by before Ginny had talked to Hermione or Ron. Her mother only wanted to discuss wedding plans, her father protection plans and she was about to jump out of her bedroom window without a broom if she heard any more of it. She was getting ready to go to work when her mother called to her from downstairs.

"Ginny dear, come down please."

Ginny finished getting dressed and made her way down stairs. She had a seat at the table and took apiece of bacon and toast and poured her a glass of juice.

"Ginny, Pig brought this for you this morning."

She laid a wrinkled piece of parchment on the table in front of Ginny. She recognized the scrawled writing at once to be Ron's. She opened it



Ginny,

Could you please have lunch with me today?

I will meet you at Uther Park in Diagon Alley at 1:00 pm.

I will bring the food.

P.S. Don't bring Harry, please.

Love your brother,

Ron





Ginny rolled up the parchment and stuck it in her pocket.

"Well I have got to get going mum."

"Okay, have a lovely day dear."

Ginny arrived at the Ministry of Magic right on time. She ran into Tonks on the elevator.

"Hey Ginny, how are you?"

"Oh, I am fine." Tonks was staring at her beaming with the biggest smile Ginny had ever seen.

"What do I have soot on my face?"

"No, I was looking at your, your um, hair. I must say I like it."

"You talked to Dumbledore didn't you?" Ginny smiled at her.

Tonks just smiled even wider, and never said anything else. When Ginny got off the elevator she just told her to have a good day.

Ginny walked down the hall towards her office. When she walked in her assistant was already there, Colin Creevey.

"Morning Ginny, and how does this wonderful day find you?"

"Hey Colin, fine and yourself." She sat down in her chair and began to look through some papers that had just come in.

"Oh good thanks. What's on the docket today?" He said picking up his camera. Colin always took his camera everywhere they went.

"Well it looks like we have some Chizpurfles to take of outside of London at Old Man Lanky's house. And we have a Niflerspotted by some muggles in . . . . ." just then she was interrupted by someone in her doorway.

"Good morning."

"Hey you how are you this morning," she said to the very handsome man in her doorway.

"Thought you might want to take me up on lunch today, since I didn't get toyesterday?"

"Oh, Harry I can't I have to meet Ron." She looked at Colin quickly and shook her head telling Harry she could not discuss it in front of him.

Harry cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes a bit "Really?"

"Yeah, maybe diner?" she asked hopeful.

Colin was just standing there looking back and forth like he was watching a talking match or something.

"Okay, if I don't have to work late," he said.

"I'll come check you before I leave."

He winked at her and waved; she smiled widely and waved back. She just sat there for a few seconds dreamily staring at the spot where Harry was standing.



"Ginny .. . Ginny?" Colin said snapping his fingers.

"Oh, sorry Colin," she said clearing her throat. "Now where were we . . . right a Nifflerin Manchester? There is a Dragon Goods Trades meeting at ten o'clock this morning in Cluj-Napoca . . .and let's see we have a patient at St. Mungo's we need to follow up on you know the one who got bitten by ten Doxies. Oh and we had a report of some one practicing illegal charms again on muggle cows in Manchester."

Colin looked at his planning schedule, "Well we can send, Timms to Old Man Lanky, Maloney can take the Niffler and Laird and Rowan have the day off, Irving can take the cows, then that leaves me and you."

"You take the Dragon Meeting, I'll go to Saint Mungo's," she said writing notes on her paper work."Be sure to take some pictures of dragons if you can!" She smiled at Colin widening her eyes.

Colin went on to the Dragon Meeting while Ginny stayed there and finished up some paper work. She was sitting there trying to finish up some filing, but she couldn't concentrate. She was wandering why Ron did not want her to bring Harry to lunch. She was pretty sure he wanted to talk to her about not having the weddings on the same day. She let out a heavy sigh and went back to her paper work. Around ten o'clock she decided she would go on over to St. Mungo's.

Ginny put on her robes she wore a plain dark blue one today, with a ministry emblem on it. She left the Ministry and began to walk towards Purge and Dowes. When she arrived at the old department store, she walked through the window. She greeted the welcome witch and told her she was going to see Lewis Dimschits, to follow up on her report. She walked to the stairs and proceeded up to the first floor. She opened the door to hallway and there stood Hermione talking to Claire. Ginny walked up to her sister- in-law and Hermione. Hermione avoided eye contact with her.

"Claire, is everything okay?"Ginny said giving her a hug.

"Oh sure, it was just my regular check up today." Since Hermione had been there the Hospital had added a Witch's Center.

"You had me worried for aminute."

"Well what are you doing here?" Claire asked.

"Oh, I am checking up on amagical creatures bite, you know the man who got attacked by ten Doxies while, well he never did really say."

"It was nice to chat guys but I have to get back to work." Hermione almost spat out the words.

"Okay, thanks Hermione."Claire said.

"Thanks for what?"

"Oh she gave me a potion to help me quite getting purple lines on my tummy every time I sneeze. You know when your pregnant Ginny your magic gets all messed up sometimes. Like last week when ever I got the hiccoughs I gave George pink spots on his face," she said laughing.

"Oh, really?" Ginny was looking a little peeked.

"Well, I really need to get going Gin, I will talk to you later." Claire walked towards the exit.

Ginny got on about her business at St. Mungo's. She decided that she would not to try to track Hermione down. Besides it was almost time for her to meet Ron for lunch so she apperated to Uther Park. It was a nice day to be eating out doors Ginny thought. The sun shone brilliantly on the fountain in the middle of the park. The birds were singing and there were a few witches there with their children playing on the playground.

She walked a little further in the park and she finally caught sight of Ron. He was waving at her to come join him.

"Hey, little sis," Ron said taking a huge bite of his sandwich. "I brought you one too, Hermione made them for us." He smiled at her.

"Well I had better check mine for poison then."

Ron was very taken aback by what Ginny had just said.

"Ginny what would make you say such athing. Hermione thinks of you as asister."

"Then I had better double check."

"Ginny, what's the matter with you?"

"Oh, I don't know Ron why don't you tell me?" Ginny didn't mean to be irritated but she was.

"Whatchutalkinbot?"he said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Well let's see for starters she did not even say good bye the other night, I haven't gotten an owl from you or her for four days, and she just practically acted like I was invisible at the hospital a while ago. Then you tell me I can't bring Harry to lunch," she said getting more irritated by the minute, so you tell me whatchutalkinbout."

Ron swallowed his sandwich and took a drink; he let out a sigh and looked down at the table. Then he looked back up at Ginny, pressed his lips together.

"I know it's the wedding isn't it?" She looked at her brother now not so irritable anymore. "Yah . . . me and Harry kind of picked up on that the other night."

Ron was really relived that he did not have to say it first.

"Look Ginny, it's not that we don't love you guys and all but we want that day to be our day. Do you understand?"

"Why does everybody keep insisting that I can't understand anything," she said rolling her eyes at Ron."Of course I understand. Harry and Italked it over and decided to have a private ceremony, with just our families and a few others. You and Hermione are having a big wedding at Hogwarts and we thought it might be better if we kept ours more private as not to arouse any suspicions."

Ron and Ginny talked alittle more about what their plans were.

Ginny asked, "Ron has anyone heard from Percy since he wrote Bill last?"

"You know what I don't really know . . . and don't really care." Ron snapped at her like he couldn't believe she would ruin his day with conversation of their older brother.

They always knew that when Percy was younger he was very ambitious to say the least. Who knew that he was helping Death Eaters, of course he denied it said that he was under the Imperious Curse. He just couldn't take the embarrassment he said and was going to go away for a while. But Fred and George have always thought he knew what he was doing from the time he took on Scabbers. Needless to say the matter of Percy was rarely discussed.

"Oh, Ron he still is our brother you know. Do you really believe what Fred and George have said all these years?"

"Maybe, it does seem a bit odd if you ask me," Ron said, then took a drink. "And besides if he really loved us that much or Mum especially he would at least come to visit her every now and then don't you think?"

Ginny had to admit that Percy could come see their mother especially. She couldn't really think on Percy right now she was too flooded with her own thoughts.

Ginny got up to leave, before she walked away she told Ron, "By the way you can tell Hermione she could of acted like the big girl she is and talked to me about this instead of ignoring me like a three year old." She didn't give Ron a chance to comment and walked towards the entrance of the park.

Ginny was thinking to herself, 'Why wouldn't Hermione have just come to her about it. They were like sisters. Maybe Hermione never really understood the sibling bond. Ginny would give her the benefit of the doubt on that seeing as she didn't have seven other siblings to confide in. Poor Hermione, she will never understand that part of being a family.'

As Ginny was about to walk out the gates of the park she noticed a man sitting on the bench next to the fountain. Ginny had to take a second glance to make sure she saw who she thought she was seeing. It was Draco Malfoy; he was the spitting image of his father. Ginny didn't know if she should speak or let it be and walk on. She didn't know if he recognized her, of course she hadn't seen him face to face in very long time. The last time she heard anything about Draco was in the Daily Prophet, there was an article on his mothers funeral, she was killed, murdered said the Daily Prophet, they don't know by whom or what. His Father was still in Azkaban to her knowledge. She was about to walk over to him, when he was joined by a woman someone she did not recognize. This woman had very dark black hair; her skin was very dark, like middle eastern. Her eyes were nearly as dark as her hair. She had a child with her looked to be about four or five years old, he had very white hair and a pointy face and brown eyes, Ginny assumed this to be Draco's child.

Ginny let her curiosity get the better of her; she sat down a couple of benches away. She took out her folder like she was reading over her papers. She couldn't hear much of what was being said, but they were defiantly having a disagreement.

The child wandered over to where Ginny was he got on the bench and said to her, "What you reading?" He had an accent that was not from there he sounded more like an American.



"Oh just some papers, not very interesting though," Ginny answered the small boy.

"What's your name mine is Ian?" The little boy scooted closer to Ginny.

"My name is Ginny. Are those your parents over there? Ginny nodded in the direction of Malfoy and the woman

"Well that is my dad. Ilive in America mostly and don't get to see him much? But Sandysays that I am going to stay with him for a while. She is really sick and has come here to get better," Ian said looking up at Ginny.

"Well I hope she does, Ian. It will be nice to stay with your dad?"

The little boy didn't say anything else for a little bit.

"Ian, it's time to go,"Draco said to the young boy with such pleasantness in his voice that Ginny could hardly believe it was him.

He stood there looking at her for a moment and then said, "Ginny, it has been a long time."

"That's okay, I hardly recognized you myself," she said standing. "Quite a little one you have there,"she said gesturing to Ian.

"Yes he is, I don't get to spend much time with him," he said. "Well we must be going."

Draco picked up the boy and then looked at Ginny intently.

"I didn't say I didn't recognize you." Draco turned and headed out of the park into Diagon Alley.

"Yeah, take care. It was nice meeting you Ian," Ginny called after the little boy.

He put his head over his father's shoulder and waved to her as they left the park.