Hi all. Here is the next instalment. Although it may not seem like it now, this chapter has a lot of significance later on in the story.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm going to try and update this story on a weekly basis, sometimes twice weekly if I can, as I'm very nearly finished writing it.
Once again I'd like to thank Arnel for her excellent work as beta.
Thank you for all of your reviews so far, I love hearing from you all. I hope you enjoy!
|
Comatose | ||||||
|
Category: Alternate Universe, Post-DH/AB Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mild Language, Negative Alcohol Use Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 154 Summary: Harry Potter awakes from a coma into a new world built on foundations of lies and deceit. What happened to him? And why have his friends and family turned on him? Harry Potter may have won The War, but can he win his life back? Hitcount: Story Total: 64295; Chapter Total: 3765 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
Ginny wove and ducked, her Quidditch robes billowing about her as she bore down on goal, the Quaffle tucked securely under her left arm. Her plaited red hair shone in the hot midday sun as she focused in on goal. She made eye-contact with the goalkeeper, looked left, feinted right and accurately threw the Quaffle into the right-most hoop. Ginny’s fist pumped the air as the referee blew her whistle to signal it was a goal, Ginny’s sixth of the game. She was on fire today. Ginny flew back into position and waited for the game to restart when she felt a gust of wind flash right by her face. She saw her best friend Ciara plummet towards the ground at breath-taking speed, her long blonde hair whipping around her tiny frame as she chased the Snitch. Ginny smiled. Once Ciara had her eyes on the Snitch, she never missed. Twenty seconds later Ciara rose into the air with her fist raised, a small golden ball fluttering feebly in her hand. The ref blew the whistle to end the game and Ginny embraced her friend. “Well done, Ci!” she said as she pulled back and headed down to the ground. “Thanks, girl! You were brilliant too, y’know,” Ciara replied, smiling fondly at her friend. “That’s three wins in a row now.” Ginny nodded happily as she dismounted from her broom, a Nimbus 2002, bought for her by her family for her twentieth birthday. The Holyhead Harpies’ Reserve team had been dominating the reserve league this season, and sat comfortably on top of the league table. This was in no small part down to the fact it was the most talented reserve team the Harpies had seen in years. They had the best Chasers in the league, with Sophia and Grace partnering Ginny up front, and a truly excellent Seeker in Ciara. Ciara was Ginny’s best friend of two years. They had met at the Holyhead Harpies’ Reserve team try -outs and had immediately hit it off. Ciara was a year younger than Ginny and had been in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. She had been very nervous trying out as she had never played at Hogwarts due to the fact the very popular Cho Chang had held her favourite position. They had been delighted to learn they had been chosen for the team, and had made a promise to each other early on that they would both become star Harpies’ players in the future. Ciara was small, about a head shorter than Ginny, but had a beautiful face with bright blue eyes and well defined features. She had a fit, athletic body, so she was never left wanting when it came to getting attention from boys. Ginny and Ciara chatted happily as they headed into the dressing room to change, but someone clearing their throat behind them made them stop in their tracks and turn around. Ciara gasped softly as she saw who it was. Gwenog Jones, the famous captain of the Holyhead Harpies first team, stood impressively before them. She was quite an imposing woman, being six feet tall with broad shoulders and large biceps, a physique in keeping with her position as beater. “Well done, girls,” Gwenog said, looking down at them smiling. “You both played brilliantly today. Good to see you’re keeping up your good form, Weasley.” Ginny smiled. “Thanks, Gwenog.” This was the second time in she had met Gwenog, the last time being last week when she had congratulated her on scoring twelve goals in a practice match during training. “And what’s your name?” Gwenog asked, turning to Ciara. “Ci-Ciara,” she stuttered, struggling to believe the Gwenog Jones was talking to her. “Ciara what?” “Ci-Ciara Mooney.” “Nice to meet you, Mooney,” Gwenog said, offering a roughly calloused hand. “You were fantastic today. I was very impressed with your balance and vision, and did I see you pull off a Wronski Feint towards the end?” Ciara nodded and smiled proudly. “I’ve been practicing that move in training for the past month. That was actually the first time that I’ve ever pulled it off.” Gwenog laughed. “Well, that takes guts to try a move that you haven’t mastered yet in a match. Just keep in mind that if you pull it off you’re a hero, but if you don’t, you’ve just let the opposition snatch the Snitch from under you.” Ciara nodded earnestly. “Well,” Gwenog said, “I’d better be off; I have yet another press conference to attend. The perks of being captain, eh?” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Keep up the good work, girls, and you might just find yourself being called up to the first team.” And with that Gwenog left, leaving Ginny and Ciara behind with broad smiles on their faces. Those smiles stayed pasted on their faces as they left the stadium and headed their separate ways. “So Leaky Cauldron for lunch?” Ciara asked. Ginny nodded. “Yep. See you there in about twenty minutes?” “Perfect,” Ciara replied before Disapparating with a large crack. Ginny and Ciara always had lunch together after every match, which was a fun affair if they won or a depressing one if they lost. Thankfully, they had won their match, so Ginny was looking forward it. She grabbed her kit bag and Apparated into her flat. Ginny sighed as she looked around the small living room. The place was a mess. She just didn’t have the same passion for doing housework that her mother had. Ginny threw her kit bag onto the couch and headed into the small bathroom down the hall. Locking the door behind her, she stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower, turned on the water and sighed contentedly as the hot water ran down her body. It had been two years since Ginny had moved into this small, one bedroom flat in the centre of London. It was perfectly suited to her lifestyle; it had a bedroom, bathroom, living/kitchen area and a small office, which was by far the cleanest room in the house. The nature of Ginny’s work meant she never spent much time in her flat, so it didn’t matter that it was a bit on the small side. The rent was relatively cheap, despite being in such a prime location, and the landlady was very friendly and patient when it came to charging rent. Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself quickly with a simple drying charm and wiped the condensation off the mirror so she could get a good look at herself. Luckily, she hadn’t obtained too many bumps or bruises this time around; however, there was still a small cut beneath her right eye where she had been caught by a not-so-friendly elbow of on opposition player. After drying her hair and tying it into a scruffy ponytail, she wrapped her towel securely around herself and was headed towards her bedroom when a sharp tapping sound coming from the living room caught her attention. Her brow furrowed, Ginny went to investigate, stepping over discarded magazines that littered the floor. As she neared the living room window, she saw the source of the noise. A small, astonishingly coloured bird was fluttering outside of the window, tapping it with its sharp beak. “Oh my,” Ginny muttered, bustling over to the window as quick as is possible when one is wrapped In a towel, and opened the window. The beautiful bird flew inside and landed on an arm of Ginny’s couch with a squawk. Now inside, Ginny could get a good look at the magnificent creature. It was small in size, but had hundreds of puffy, multi-coloured feathers, ranging from bright orange to blue and white. Tied to one of its sharp looking talons was an official looking envelope emblazoned with a crest that Ginny had never seen before. Intrigued, Ginny approached the bird cautiously, not wanting to spook it. “Hello little fella,” Ginny cooed as she stretched out her hand to untie the letter. “Aren’t you just beautiful?” The bird obediently offered Ginny his leg, allowing her to free him of his burden. Once untied, the bird took off out of the window, without as much as a backward glance. “Don’t you want any treats?!” Ginny called after it. “Guess not.” Focusing her attention on the letter, she took a seat on the arm where the bird had just been. Opening the pristine envelope, she pulled out the multi-paged letter and began to read: Dear Ms Ginevra Weasley, We at the Australian National Quidditch Association (ANQA) are delighted to offer you the position of Chaser and team Captain at Sydney Swallows, the up-and-coming team in club Quidditch. In an attempt to increase the stature of Quidditch in Australia, the ANQA has established a plan to attract current and future stars of Quidditch to play down under. You, amongst many others, have been chosen to spearhead this movement and help make Quidditch a truly worldwide phenomenon. You, Ms Weasley, have attracted the attention of a number of our best talent scouts and we feel, with your incredible speed, agility and eye for goal, you would make an excellent acquisition for Sydney Swallows. We believe taking this opportunity would help you develop as a player, and bring your career to new heights. Detailed below is the contract offered to you, should you wish to accept. Please consider this offer carefully. We eagerly await your response. Kind regards, Thomas Irwin, Head of Player Recruitment, ANQA. “Wow,” Ginny murmured. She had not been expecting this. Flicking over the page her eyes bulged as she saw the wages on offer. It was almost twice what she was currently paid as a member of the Reserve team. She had always wanted to visit Australia, the weather, the wildlife, the beaches. But move there permanently? She had never given it any thought. Could she leave her family and friends behind? Could she leave Ross behind? She didn’t think so, but it was definitely food for thought. Glancing up at the living room wall, Ginny gasped. It was nearly two o’clock! She had been home nearly an hour. She was going to be late for Ciara! Bolting upright she dashed into her bedroom, thrust her towel to the ground, pulled on fresh knickers and a bra, a bright yellow tank-top and some denim shorts, grabbed her handbag and dashed out of the front door. That had to be the quickest she had ever gotten dressed. She glanced at her watch before shutting her eyes and with a loud crack, she Disapparated. As Ginny appeared in front of the Leaky Cauldron, he ears were assaulted with the noise and the hustle and bustle commonly associated with Diagon Alley on the weekend. Since The War, Diagon Alley had experienced its own economic boom of sorts, with shops expanding to cater for the growing crowds and new shops spawning around the sprawling side-streets. It was the uncontested capital of Wizard London. Even the Leaky Cauldron, which once was only populated by the most dedicated of regulars, had benefitted from this explosion of life in Diagon Alley. It now attracted a healthy crowd, and on Friday and Saturday nights one would be lucky to find an empty seat. Ginny didn’t think she had seen Tom the barman smile so much. Stepping into the small pub Ginny caught the intoxicating smell of Saturday lunch. About a year ago Tom hired a professional chef to work in the kitchens, originally just for the weekends. However the food proved so popular, that now, not only does the chef work full time, seven days a week, but he had his own team that manned the kitchens. Glancing around the dozens of round wooden tables, each accompanied by welcoming squashy armchairs, Ginny saw Ciara, sitting alone with a large plate of what looked like steak in front of her. “Hi Ci,” Ginny greeted, sitting opposite her friend. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I lost track of time.” Before arriving Ginny had decided against telling Ciara about the job offer she had received. She knew her best friend would most likely get upset if she found out Ginny was considering leaving and Ginny didn’t want to ruin the post-victory euphoria they were experiencing. “Ginny!” Ciara exclaimed after gulping down another mouthful of steak. “I thought you had stood me up! It’s not like you to be late for food.” “I know, I’m sorry. The steak good?” Ginny laughed when Ciara nodded enthusiastically. Being athletes, Ginny and Ciara, in fact all of the Harpies, were renowned for their appetites. Ginny could even rival Ron on occasion. “Good, “Ginny said. “I’ll get that then.” She made eye contact with Tom who was behind the bar and motioned for him to come over. “What can I get for you my dear?” Tom wheezed. The years had not been too kind to Tom, despite the newfound wealth. He was definitely getting on in age. “I’ll have the steak please, and a glass of water. Thanks Tom.” “Not at all my dear, not at all.” “So,” Ciara asked. “You coming out tonight with me and the rest of the girls? We are thinking of hitting up this new place across town, Mental or Menthol or something. Apparently it’s the place to be.” Ginny shook her head. Despite their many similarities in personality between Ginny and Ciara, Ciara’s love for clubbing wasn’t one of them. “No, I’m going out to dinner with Ross tonight.” Ciara rolled her eyes. “You are such and old couple!” “We are not!” Ginny gasped in mock horror. “I haven’t seen him all week.” “Have you...you know, done it yet?” Ciara asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. Ginny blushed. “No, we haven’t.” “So your still a…?” Ginny nodded, going redder still. “What’s wrong with you two?” Ciara asked incredulously. “We’re taking it slow.” “I can see that.” Ginny’s eyes wandered around the pub, eagerly searching for a source of inspiration to change the subject with. A familiar looking girl with straggly blonde hair caught her eye. “Oh!” Ginny gasped. “It’s Luna!” “Huh?” Ciara asked with raised eyebrows, obviously not following her friends train of thought. “I’ve just spotted an old school friend of mine that I haven’t seen in ages. Do you mind if I go over and say hello?” “Not at all, go ahead.” Ginny stuffed her last piece of steak into her mouth before dashing over to her old friend. “Luna! It’s so good to see you, where have you been?” Luna spun around, her face wearing the same mildly surprised expression it always did, although this time the surprise seemed genuine. “Ginny!” The girls embraced. “It’s good to see you too. I’ve just come back from travelling with Daddy. We went all over Europe in search for this new breed of Warglepuffs.” “Oh…wow,” Ginny replied, not knowing quite how to react. “That’s great. Did you find any?” Luna shook her head sadly. “No. Unfortunately the weather was beautiful wherever we went. It was really bad luck because Warglepuffs only come out when it rains and the temperature is below 9 degrees Celsius.” “Oh that’s too bad,” Ginny said, sounding as sympathetic as she could. She had missed Luna’s stories about strange and wonderful creatures. “What are you up to now you’re back?” “Nothing much. Just visiting friends. I might start writing articles for Daddy’s paper as a way of earning some money.” “Speaking of visiting friends, who’s that bloke you were just about to sit with?” Ginny asked, peering over Luna’s shoulder at a handsome man, early twenties who had a shock of curly black hair, rather large lips and bright blue eyes. Luna blushed. This was the first time Ginny had ever seen Luna embarrassed about something in all of the years she had known her. “Oh, that’s Peter,” Luna mumbled. “He’s just a friend of mine.” Ginny grinned. “Well Luna, I’ll let you get back to your friend. You must come over to my apartment sometime so we can catch up.” Ginny returned to the table, smiling. She was looking forward to catching up with Luna. Ciara glanced at her watch and stood up, reaching for her coat. “I’d better be off Gin. I’m meeting my sister to go shopping for tonight.” Ginny nodded. “No problem. Enjoy tonight, and don’t go too wild.” Ciara winked. “Course I will. Enjoy your date.” Having no reason to stay, Ginny added her money to the pile Ciara had left on the table to pay for her steak and left the pub, Apparating back to her apartment. Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make some sort of headway on her article for Quidditch Weekly. The task that had been assigned to her was an opinion piece on the increasing amount of women choosing professional Quidditch as their career, and what impact this was having on the role of women in society. The title itself was enough to make her yawn. What she wanted most was to be a match reporter, so she could travel to games around the country and write about them. Due to her demanding timetable with the Harpy reserves, however, this wasn’t feasible, but at least she was getting paid to write about Quidditch. Ginny wasn’t much of a feminist, she believed that whoever was best suited to a certain role should get that role, be they man or woman. The fact there was more men than women in professional Quidditch didn’t bother her. What was worth commenting on, though, was the increase in women playing as seekers. The majority of seekers for all of the major teams in Britain were women, due to women being smaller, lighter and more nimble than men (usually). Ginny had had a serious case of writer’s block for the last two weeks, but once she had actually sat down and made an effort, she found the words flowed out of her easier than expected. As Ginny wrote her conclusion for her article, pleased and relieved that she nearly had it finished, there was a knock on her door. Frowning she glanced up at the clock on the wall. She gasped, it was 7pm already! Jumping up from her seat she dashed to the door and opening it. “Hey hun, you ready?” It was Ross, all dressed up and looking deliciously handsome for their date tonight. “No, I’m so sorry!” Ginny exclaimed, pecking him on the lips before ushering him onto the couch on the living room. “I was writing my article and completely lost track of time. Give me ten minutes!” Ross nodded. “So you’ve finally started you article?” He asked, his voice raised so Ginny could hear from inside her bedroom where she was hurriedly flinging clothes off herself and thrusting other clothes on. “Yep,” she called back. “Nearly finished actually.” Ginny dashed back into the living room. “Ready.” She had chosen a simple summer dress that hung loosely around her and fell down to her knees. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she had put on the slightest bit of makeup, mostly to cover the cut under her right eye. “You look beautiful,” Ross said, looking her up and down. Ginny looked at her boyfriend. He was tall, nearly six foot with brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing the jumper she had gotten him for Christmas and a nice pair of expensive looking jeans. “And you look dashing,” she said, smiling up at him. “Let’s go.” The couple walked to their favourite Muggle restaurant in the centre if the city, ‘La Belle Fleur’, which took them roughly fifteen minutes. Ross had made reservations so they sat at the best table which was in the upper part of the restaurant, over-looking the city. It was just beginning to get dark, so their table was bathed in a gorgeous orange glow. Ginny wasn’t much of a romantic, but she couldn’t help feel a little giddy as she sat there and ordered her food. It was a truly lovely evening. With the food ordered, they chatted idly about their day, sipping occasionally from their glasses of wine. Ross was in a wonderful mood laughing and joking. Ginny loved being in his company when he was like this. During a natural lull in the conversation, Ginny’s mind turned to the letter she had received earlier in the afternoon. “Ross, I got a letter today.” “Oh yeah? Who from?” “From the Australian National Quidditch Association. It was a job offer.” Ross’ eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wow, really? What kind of job.” “I’ve been invited to join the Sydney Swallows Quiddicth team. Have you heard of them?” Ross nodded. “Yeah, they’re an up and coming team in Austrailia. That’s amazing Ginny! Did they scout you or something?” “Yeah they had scouts at my last few matches, I hadn’t a clue about it though until I read the letter. They invited me to be captain.” Ross whistled. “Wow. So, um, are…are you considering it or?” Ginny shrugged and suddenly noticed the little butterflies in her belly. Why was she suddenly nervous about her decision? “Well, I dunno really. It’d be amazing to go to Australia and to play in the first team of a Quidditch club, let alone being captain of it…” “But?” “But…” Ginny continued, “I’d have to live there permanently, which would mean leaving my family, friends and…you behind. Unless you were willing to come with me?” Ross shook his head slowly. “I wouldn’t be able to Ginny, I’m sorry. I can’t just quit my job like that.” “I know, you’re right. Plus, I’m happy here, and things are going so well with the Harpy reserves that I might even make the first team soon, Gwenog definitely seems to think so.” “Exactly.” “And it would break my parent’s heart if I was to live so far away,” Ginny continued, “they already hate the fact Bill is living in France, even though it only takes a few hours of portkey travel to get there.” “Sounds like you’ve decided.” Ginny nodded slowly. “Yep. I’ll just have to write back and say no.” Ross grinned and held her hand over the table. “I would have supported you either way, but I have to admit, I’m glad you’re staying.” Ginny smiled. “Me too.” They spent the rest of the next while chatting, and enjoying the view of the city lights, but as the night wore on, Ginny noticed Ross was getting quieter and quieter. In fact, he looked quite ill. “Are you feeling okay hun?” Ginny asked concernedly. “You look sick.” Ross nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, just tired, it’s nothing to worry about. Work has been a little stressful lately.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Ginny asked, spooning her remaining scoop of her ice-cream dessert into her mouth. Ross yawned. “No, it’s nothing to worry about. Look, I’m sorry to be such a party pooper, and I know this is your night to celebrate, but do you mind if we go? I’m suddenly feeling exhausted.” “Of course,” Ginny replied, slightly disappointed. “I’ll pay the bill.” “You will do no such thing,” Ross said sternly. “This was my treat remember? I’m paying.” Ginny smiled appreciatively. “Thanks love.” After Ross had paid the bill they stepped out of the restaurant into the cool night air. They began heading back to Ginny’s apartment as they always did, where Ross would drop her off and then apparate to his own apartment which was a further forty minute walk away. They walked silently, her hand in his, when an idea came to Ginny. “You can stay at mine tonight if you want?” Ginny asked tentatively. “Or at least come in for some coffee or something? Ross shook his head. “No thanks hun. I’m exhausted and I have to be in work tomorrow.” “But tomorrow is Sunday.” Ross nodded. “I know, but I need to go in and sort out a few things. You understand don’t you?” “Course I do.” Ginny had been dating Ross for over a year now, and not once had they ever shared a moment of intimacy. It wasn’t the first time she had invited her back to her place, and it wasn’t the first time that he had rejected her. They were both in their twenties, they were adults now. That is what adults who…love each other do, right? Share intimacy? Ginny loved Ross, didn’t she? At least she thought she did, her feelings were not coming all that clearly to her. She definitely found him attractive, and she liked spending time with him and getting to know him. That was love…wasn’t it? And Ross loved her back, didn’t he? Ginny shook her head. ‘Stop over-thinking things. You have two great jobs, great friends, a wonderful family and a brilliant boyfriend. Why would you leave all of that?' All too soon they had arrived back at her apartment. Ginny gave him an enthusiastic kiss goodbye. “Bye Ross.” “I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he said. Ginny smiled. “There is no need. Safe home.” Ginny kissed him once more and then shut the door. Ginny went up to her bedroom, sat down on her bed and sighed happily as she heard Ross disapparate. Closing her eyes, Ginny fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that she was staying right where she belonged, with her family, friends, and Ross. |
| Reviews 154 |
Previous Next
|
